Chapter 34

At the same time, there was an excited voice from the Marchioness sitting next to me.

“Oh my, he’s here again this year. What a thoughtful child. Don’t you think he’s gotten cooler?”

“I agree.”

The Marquis’s voice was relatively calm. He smiled and belatedly turned to the entrance.

By the way, did they just say Gerard? He had the same name as him.

“…..oh? “

My thought did not last long. The moment I saw the scene that caught my eyes, my eyes widened.

Someone with a familiar face was entering the banquet hall.

“….”

I stared at him and our eyes quickly met.

Unlike me, who is showing a startled expression, Gerard was very calm.

He just strode as if he didn’t care about the eyes pouring from all over the place.

Is he coming this way right now?

Well, I was half right and half wrong.

As he approached, Gerard paused in front of Marquis Dmitri.

“It’s nice seeing you after a long time, Sir Gerard.”

The Marquis’s greeting made my eyes widened again. He called him Sir Gerard. It’s an obvious honorific term.

Meanwhile, Gerard proceeded to greet the Marchioness as well. Next was my turn.

The guy who came in front of me greeted me with a smile.

“Hi.”

Hi? What do you mean hi?

“What’s going on…?”

Gerard burst into laughter then he hurriedly added a respectful reply.

“Which country’s etiquette did that greeting came from?”

Then he asked me, making eye contact.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“Yes? Yes…..”

I felt gazes from everywhere directed to us as if everyone’s expecting to see something but there’s something more important than that right now so I turned right away and asked Gerard.

“What’s happening? Why did the Marquis speak up* to you?”

(t/n: most of you prob. already knew about this but the Marquis is the 3rd most powerful rank in nobility (1st- royalty, 2nd- duke) that’s why the marquis talking to Gerard with respect means he’s higher ranking than him that’s why Maria is shook lols) 

“Well.”

He gave me a vague answer, but that won’t work for me.

I kept sending him persistent gazes and finally, Gerard gave up and belatedly told me the truth. The truth that Prince Ains and he are cousins.

Oh, my God, I can’t believe it.

I don’t know why, but I felt a sense of betrayal.

“Then why didn’t you tell me from the start….?”

(t/n: she’s using a more formal speech now. )

“It’s just as I thought. “

I looked at Gerard with a more confused face and he sighed.

“Just like this, I thought you’ll treat me more formally if I told you so I wanted to keep it a secret if possible.”

A servant with a tray of wine glasses passed in front of the table.

Gerard raised his hand and stopped him. He picked up a glass of wine, and looked into my eyes again

“As I said before, you don’t have to use honorifics.”

At that, I opened my eyes widely.

“Why? Shouldn’t I?”

Achacha.

“No?”

Gerard burst out laughing again.

“That’s why you don’t have to. From the beginning, you met me as the commoner Gerard, and I’m still that same person. Furthermore, you’re not from Brittany so it’s fine.”

I’m glad to hear that, but I wanted to be careful not to take it lightly. He’s not an ordinary person after all.

I took my luck carefully after thinking about it.

“You’re not going to find fault with this later, are you?”

“Never. Do I look like someone who would do such a cowardly thing?”

“No.”

It’s not in his nature to say two things in one mouth. However, I thought it would be better to accept one more definite answer.

“Then promise me.”

“Okay,”

Gerard put out his pinky, and I hung my own finger into it.

Only then could I let a smile of relief.

“So, did you came to Larson because it was the birthday of the Crown Prince?”

“That’s right. Ains is a little bit younger than he looks, so if I don’t come, he’ll be sad. He probably likes me that much.”

Haha…

Instead of answering, I grabbed a glass of water and took a sip. I don’t know anymore if this guy is bluffing or not anyway.

“By the way,”

Gerard looked at me with his fingers on his chin.

“You look really pretty today. I could see you shining even from afar. “

“It was an important day, so I paid attention.”

In fact, Gerard was dressed to the fullest as well.

They are certainly right when they say that a person’s clothes are their wings.* Although his ordinary clothes look good on him due to his good physique, seeing him in formal clothes really changed the atmosphere he gives off.

(t/n: a Korean saying that have the same meaning as ‘clothes make the man’)

“It’s about to start.”

Before I knew it, there were only a few empty seats left in the banquet hall. I looked around the room once again, then I heard another loud shout from the door.

“The young lady of the Winston family, Lady Roselia is entering! “

My ears twitched. Did I just hear them say, Roselia?

I hurriedly turned my head to the left and focused my gaze at the entrance, and there, I saw a woman dressed in a very fancy dress.

She was wearing a dark purple dress with rich frills and large colorful accessories. Her hair is also styled elaborately.

It was a really overwhelming sight. I dare to assure you, it was an outfit that stood out more than any other person here.

Then the other ladies who came first started flocking around her.

Indeed, she is the most promising candidate as the Crown Princess.

My first impression of her is that she seemed to be a beautiful woman with a high nose. Her imposing figure and the mere sight of her steps screams [I’m the best!]

“You look impressive again today.”

I suddenly heard a quiet murmur beside me. It seems that it came out of Gerard’s mouth.

I looked at him and asked in a small voice.

“Do you know that lady that just got in?”

“Everybody knows her.”

“Can I ask who she is?”

“She’s a woman that I don’t want to get involved with.”

That was an unexpected answer. I looked at Gerard with astonished eyes at this sharp remark.

“Why?”

“Dirty temper, bad brains, extreme vanity, she had all of that. If she’s smart, she’ll play her part as a perfect political partner, but she’s a woman that you can’t expect to be like that at all.”

Gerard’s side profile looks serious with his arms folded on his chest.

Then for a moment, the roaring crowd quieted down at once.

Everyone’s eyes were glued on one place in anticipation. It was the appearance of today’s main character, Ains.

“Oh, my God.”

“He looks great today as well! “

The women who covered their mouths with fans did not spare admiration. I also thought the same thing.

Clear features, perfect body proportions, and clothes that are created by the tailor of the Imperial Palace exclusive only to one person.

With his unique indifferent atmosphere, he’ truly an eye-catching spectacle.

The nobles then rushed to congratulate him.

“Congratulations on your birth, Your Highness.”

“It’s an honor to be invited by you to this precious place today.”

Ains accepted their greeting with a smile around his mouth. His actions were full of grace and dignity.

The banquet began in earnest with a beautiful melody.

As the surrounding people dispersed, Ains appeared in my field of view once again. Our eyes met. He nodded discreetly and soon began to approach me.

The distance between us narrowed quickly. I looked at Ains with a smile.

“Congratulations on your birth, Your Highness.”

A smile bloomed around Ains’ mouth when he heard my greeting.

“You’re even more beautiful today.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. You look wonderful as well.”

Then Ains held out his right hand in front of me.

“Would you dance with me?”

At the same time, I heard murmurs all around me. I didn’t look around and put a shocked expression on my face instead.

‘….the time has finally come.’

My heart is racing, but the key was not to express myself. I acted a bit surprised and blinked my eyes, then smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s a pleasure, Your Highness.”

I gently grabbed his fingertips. It’s time to show off the skills that I had sharpened while sweating blood.

We headed towards the center of the dance floor, then I started moving my feet lightly to Ains’ lead.

Fortunately, we’re not the only one dancing. I could see other pairs around us.

I continued exchanging glances with Ains with a smile. I’m really nervous. I keep thinking about what should I do if I made a mistake, but when I held his hand, my body began to move naturally. Ains is very relaxed as well.

Leading me skillfully, he brought up words that seemed to relieve my tension.

“You don’t have a bird on you today.”

“I came here after soothing her not to follow. “

(t/n: why Ains? You want another kiss??? )

Subsequently, I lowered my voice as much as possible and spoke playfully.

“Everyone’s attention is still on you right now, but if I brought Ruri, she would have been the main character of the day.”

“That’s true, too.”

Ains burst out laughing merrily.

It wasn’t just an empty talk. If Ruri flutters or falls like last time, it would have been a disaster.

“Hey. Can you see that curtain next to the door?”

I turned my head slightly to the side, I could see the thick purple curtain that had been lifted slightly, as Ains said.

“Yes.”

“There is a terrace at the back, you can go out for a while and take a break once we’re finished. You can stay in moderation and go back as much as you like.”

I looked at Ains with bright eyes.

There’s a terrace here, too.

A melodious voice popped up in my head, saying, “Open the window.” What a lucky coincidence. I was just thinking about what to do after the dance, but I was glad to hear that there was a terrace.

“But can I leave in the middle of the banquet?”

“Of course. Other men might ask you for a dance… If you want to dance, you can dance, or you can say no.”

“Yes. By the way, I could feel a painful gaze on me. The back of my head stings.”

The owner of the gaze was no other than Roselia. Most people are now dancing in pairs, but Roselia kept her place.

“There’s nothing to worry about. She’s not going to make a fuss here.”

Well, I wouldn’t do that if I had an idea.

“By the way, I have a question.”

“What.”

“Is it okay to ask for food that the attendants and maids carry around and eat it?”

Well, I keep seeing the attendants holding a tray full of glasses while the maids were carrying plates full of cookies and bread.

It seems that Ains was shocked at my question, then after a second, he started laughing in vain.

“That’s what you see in the midst of this?”

“I haven’t eaten anything after lunch.”

Even the lunch that I had eaten is as little as a rat’s meal. It’s because Marilyn, who appeared after a long time, told me, “You’re going to wear a formal dress today.” in a very strict tone.

Then a few hours later, I realized what she meant by the.

The maids tightened my waist with a corset, and it would be tighter if I had eaten like usual.

“Eat as much as you want. You don’t need my permission.”

And then he added,

“……don’t eat too quickly.”

“Of course.”

I attended the banquet as a relative of Marquis Dmitri, there was no way I would ever do something that will harm their image.

Words are usually inflated as they go through the mouth.

The time felt very short, perhaps because we were having a conversation. Before we knew it, the dance had already passed through the climax and led to a turn.

‘Jan! Janjjajajan!’

Recalling Cecil’s chimes, I moved according to the steps, lightly like a butterfly.

Then after a while, just like what we practiced, we looked at each other like lovers and made the final ending pose.

It’s done!

I clenched my fiery fist internally. To my relief, I ended the dance perfectly without any mistakes.

Just before he let go, Ains whispered to me once more.

“Terrace.”

Then he finally let go of my hand and I curtsied lightly, just as Cecil taught me.

It’s finally over.

I felt as if I had crossed a big mountain. Only then did I let a sigh of relief and move towards the terrace.

But before I could even take a few steps forward, someone approached me.