Chapter 52

Vasago Guelder.

The only powerful woman in this kingdom from the Duke’s family, which only two in this kingdom. However, the reason why she became famous in this kingdom wasn’t only because of her high-ranking family.

“Oh my God…”

Education, culture, and martial arts. Showing her first-class talents in any field, she has been called the kingdom’s treasure since her childhood. Also, God’s blessing was always with her.

“…”

Looking at the deep eyes resembling the world tree, the fresh green silky hair, and the beautiful lips dyed in spring color, it made sense to say that she was the incarnation of Mother Goddess.

She’s beautiful.

I felt she was more dazzling than when I entered the Great Hall. Perhaps, most of the people who saw Vasago in this place felt the same way.

“Is this the first time you see Lady Guelder? You can’t take your eyes off her.”

As I was silent, my fiancé, who was by my side, spoke to me. I saw her for the first time in this life, but I got tired of seeing her as an adult before my regression.

“Yes, I’ve never seen her before.”

I answered calmly and then let my emotions go.

“Now I understand why Naverius hates you. Who wants to love you when you’re gloomy and like to blame others?”

I can’t kill people in the banquet hall. If I kill someone in the banquet hall…

Vasago Guelder.

I still felt a tingling sensation on my cheek from the touch of the wine she poured on me vividly.

“Countess Maquil, I think the debutante’s first song will start soon. May I borrow your goddaughter?”

“If she allows it, you can.”

But at that moment, someone grabbed my hand as I was reminiscing.

“Vanora, I know you’re nervous about your debutante, but let’s get ready.”

“Yes? For what?”

“Hey, no matter how beautiful Vasago is, you shouldn’t lose your soul like this.”

My eyes blinked because I hadn’t been concentrating on the conversation so far, so Aloken returned without a word, leaving his cane to the servant. A harp melody slowly filled the venue in line with the sound of Aloken’s shoes hitting the floor.

“Lady Vanora.”

People’s eyes are on the place where the Duke and his fiancée are located. Then, Aloken announced the start of the ball with a more polite attitude than anyone else.

“Please give me the honor of your first dance.”

Held one hand behind my waist and the other in front of me, hoping me to hold it.

When he asked for a dance request in a soft voice, I looked at his face.

This man is like a fox.

He put his brazenly smiling face in front of me. I reluctantly placed my hand gently over his. It meant I gave permission.

“I will be back, Godmother.”

When he completed the dance request, the surrounding noblemen began to pair up with their partners one by one. Usually, the person with the highest position dances one song first at the ball. Still, it’s customary for several people to dance together in the debutante, so many couples will soon fill the hall.

“Did Iva Maquil teach you how to dance?”

“No, I didn’t learn how to dance from Godmother.”

Step, step.

We soon stepped forward toward the center, holding hands. Almost everyone here has also decided on their first dance partner, so the debutante will be completed when we move to the music.

“You look determined to step on my foot.”

But Aloken grunted nervously before it started. My parents shunned me, so even if I had been educated hard for several months, the most important thing should be dance, but how could I not get any dance class?

“Don’t worry though. It’s a dance. We will dance a lot in the future, and you will get better. I will teach you.”

Aloken took the basic posture of leading the dance and said that playfully with sarcasm. As he wrapped his arm around my waist and stretched his other hand to the side, I moved my body.  

And then.

“…!”

I put my five fingers on top of his hand, tilted my upper body stably and upright my lower body. In the basic posture, I spoke quietly, revealing the side of my neck.

“When you can’t take classes, there are two reasons.”

Then a cheerful tune of music began in the hall. It was the Kasius-style round dance, the tradition of the debutante.

“!”

As the dance begins, my dress’s hem, which stretches to the floor, waves gently.

One step, and the next step.

The gestures between the steps were flexible, and when I took one powerful turn, my dress made a shape as if it were in full bloom like a lotus flower.

“You…”

“What about me?”

Aloken could not help but be surprised at this.

My dancing skills were ideal. It was difficult to match my partner’s breathing, but each of my postures was beautiful enough, just like in the textbook.  The gentle line of my bent waist and side face doesn’t even get messy after many turns.

It’s been a long time since I dressed up and danced like this.

In fact, I have liked dancing since I was young. I started learning it for Naverius, who likes the ball, but surprisingly, I found dancing suited me.

Before my regression, I couldn’t find a partner, so I always went around alone. I dreamed that someday I would do a wonderful dance with Naverius on New Year’s Eve.

Should I say that my dream came true?

However, I didn’t expect my future partner to be Duke Aloken Jalier, not Naverius.

I danced and looked up for a moment at the man who was firmly supporting me. Aloken might be one of the three best grooms of the kingdom. I realized that this man was now silently standing up for his partner.

His face shines like a light, so he’s perfect for drawing attention.

Then the tune changed. As the song played at a slower pace, I glanced sideways, slowing down the rhythm of moving my body. Then, it was not difficult to find a gaze directed toward me.

Vasago Guelder.

The novel’s protagonist makes up this world and the woman who should have received overwhelming attention from the debutante. She stopped dancing and looked at Aloken and me with a startled face.  

Actually, that wasn’t the only thing that happened.

Most of the people’s attention was focused on us.

“Hey, Naverius. The lady dancing in the middle… she’s almost become your fiancée, right?”

“…”

“Was Celcius always that pretty?”

Watching me dance with his mouth open, the blond man was furious at his friend’s words.

“Do-Don’t talk nonsense. What’s the prettiest thing about betraying your fiancé and having an affair?”

Naverius drank the drink in his hand and strode to where the noble ladies gathered, saying he would go dancing. Of course, not many nobles gave negative opinions about Vanora.

“So elegant…”

Most of the ones who looked at me with envy were the young ladies who stood in the corner, waiting for a dance request.

“…”

Then the tune began to change once more. I stopped dancing and greeted my partner face to face.

Even though I already ruined it like this, will the debutante flow the same way as the midnight novel?

After that, I moved to the place where the drink was and looked around. As expected, Vasago appeared nearby as the novel described a few months ago.

“!”

This is an opportunity.

“Hello, Princess Guelder. Congratulations on your debutante.”

Then Vasago fluttered her thin eyelashes and smiled.

“Thank you.”

That was all of our conversations.

Vasago then walked away with her drink on the table.

At the ball… I shouldn’t kill people…

It was an expected result.

She blatantly shows that she is not interested in conversation, but if I talk too much, I will be the only one who gets a backlash.

I decided to spare some time.

Vasago will respond to anyone who’s not entering the salon she went to like that.

However, it didn’t mean the world would follow my will just because I wanted to be relaxed.

“Lady Vanora Celcius!”

“Lady Vanora! Please dance with me—”

“If there’s no else to dance with you—”

After that, people flocked to my side, requesting a dance. By the time I sent them all back with a knack for words, Vasago had already vanished from sight.  

* * *

「Vasago accepts Naverius’s offer and invites him to the mansion.

#2. Guelder’s mansion (night)

Vasago and Naverius sat facing each other with a tea table in between.

Vasago: (sipping the tea) I’ve known for a long time that your family is a distant relative of my mother, but if I had known you were such a person with this personality, I would have invited you sooner.

Naverius: …

Vasago: Why don’t you say anything?

Naverius: Ah, i-it’s because you’re so beautiful.

Vasago: Pft. You escorted me like an adult at the banquet. So you have a clumsy side too.

Naverius: But why don’t you touch the peaches I brought? I had a hard time getting it, but did you hate it?

Vasago: I don’t like it a little bit.

Vasago can’t bear to reveal that she almost died from eating that fruit when she was a child」

Today is the day when the next page of Dangerous Love comes to my mind. This phenomenon has already been repeated for several months, so I began to write the novel as a habit.

“Because the ‘#1’ started in summer… I think the background in this novel is already at the end of the social season?”

One, two. As I wrote down Vasago’s daily life, not my own, in my diary, I accumulated quite a bit of information. However, the time gap between the novel and the reality that once occurred has hardly been narrowed.

“Vasago is always ahead of me.”

To conclude, the current me has just made my debut. And in the novel, it’s already the end of summer, which is a few months later.

I closed the diary and gently swept its cover while muttering quietly.

“Then your death should come first.”

It was late at night, and no one could hear my voice.

“…”

However, there is still a long way to go.

I’m slowly seeing the benefits of this magic.

Fortunately, the midnight novel is a big help for me these days.

In the novel, after turning 17, Vasago began to increase her fortune with her unique genius skills to form her own power.

It feels like I’m stealing what Vasago should get.

There’s no way I would sit still and watch that happen. As expected, stealing her future fortune was the easiest thing in the world.  

I made full use of the information, such as how to contact the top, which was learned by looking at Vasago’s information, or how to monopolize the route to supply luxury ingredients cheaply using profits made from monopolizing the aromatics. With such investment, the amount of my money that was only a small allowance for a lady had increased considerably.

I know the future, so there’s no need for me to risk depending on joining hands with Aloken.

Now, just for once.

If I make a big profit, I can achieve my goal.

It probably won’t be difficult to seize the opportunity. This year, the social world will see the full-fledged appearance of Vasago, which will cause a stir in fashion.