CH 125

Ah, come to think of it.

‘We’ve talked about that before.’

Lloyd was supposed to teach her how to dance, but things got messed up over and over again.

‘He still remembered it.’

Aria looked down at Lloyd’s outstretched hand. With her raw skills, she became embarrassed to try to learn dance from him.

‘Well, I mean, isn’t it just man and woman going round and round holding each other’s hands?’

She briefly drew a picture in her mind. They even bent their backs and went round and round…… Can she do such a difficult movement?

‘I’ll watch more closely.’

Lloyd, who read her hesitant look, said,

“It’s okay. I dance well.”

It was with great confidence.

‘You’re good at everything you do with your body.’

Aria grinned and she placed her hand on his.

“Oh!”

Then Lloyd grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.

It was too close. To the extent that their breaths could even touch. She’d rather be able to hide her face if he hugged her tightly. It became difficult to control her expression as they were facing each other from a distance that could be reached in front of the nose.

Aria stiffened and turned her head as far as she could.

Lloyd asked dissatisfied, which allowed him to see only her side profile.

“Where are you looking?”

“I think everyone was turning their heads when they were dancing the waltz.”

“…You have a uselessly good memory.”

Huh? Did he just mumble ‘uselessly’? Aria looked up at him with a puzzled face.

At that moment, the scent of Lloyd’s usual refreshing bath salt brushed the tip of her nose. By the way, the smell of perfume she had just smelled had almost faded.

‘Did he take a bath?’

Why? Aria tilted her head as she noticed that the tips of his hair were wet.

‘Come to think of it, after going out and coming back, as a change of pace he sprayed perfume.’

Aria was anticipating where he had been. There were countless nobles who tormented her in the past. But among them, there was the most fundamental culprit.

‘Count Cortez.’

She forgot her shyness and looked up at him.

“I think Lloyd doesn’t like perfume.”

At that moment, Lloyd stopped.

“……Why?”

“Because it has a strong scent. In case of an emergency, you won’t be able to hide your presence. Or it will be difficult to track someone down.”

It was words that almost treated him as beasts, but it was also words that accurately described him.

“And you didn’t like the wax you put on your hair on the wedding day, so you washed it right away.”

Just like today, when he immediately washed away the awful smell of perfume. It was the exact opposite of Vincent, who liked to decorate as colorful as a peacock.

“……”

Aria asked Lloyd, who was stabbed in the face and then turned his gaze away without a word.

“… did you kill him?”

“No, it can’t be.”

He didn’t kill him? She looked up in surprise, and he answered.

“I left vengeance to you.”

“Ah!”

Then, as if to concentrate, he placed a hand on her waist. Aria’s shoulders, who were standing defenseless, trembled.

“Put your hands on my shoulder.”

She was led by his hand and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“The opposite hand like this.”

And each other’s hands lightly overlapped.

Aria couldn’t turn her gaze way over the mountain this time. It was because Lloyd’s eyes that met hers were shining like the moon in the dark.

‘Because he’s so pretty…….’

She can’t take her eyes off him

At the same time he started to move. She was dragged away helplessly. He’s acting kindly for Aria, who doesn’t know how to waltz, but she doesn’t know why she feels like she’s being swayed.

“Take it easy.”

Realizing that Aria had been stiffening her whole body, she gave a puzzled look.

“It’s not going well…”

Somehow, she put strength in every movement.

“I’m afraid I’ll step on you.”

Aria lowered her head, chasing his steps. Then Lloyd abruptly stood still and sat down with one of his legs bent.

“Give me your foot.”

“Foot?”

Aria accidentally put her foot out, and he took her shoes off. And then as she was suddenly bare feet, she was embarrassed. Yet he lifted her up and made her stand on his own feet.

“Just step on it.”

Their bodies got closer to each other.

Perhaps the idea was to learn the steps first, but the basic posture of the waltz completely collapsed. Still, her body was definitely less tense than before.

‘Other than that, everything is a mess.’

The rhythm of her heart, the blushing face that was just buried in his arms, and her expression. The two of them danced a mess for a while with only steps.

“Haha, what is this?”

After some embarrassment, Aria finally burst into laughter. Now she was completely relaxed.

“I don’t want to dance alone without you.”

Aria raised her head for a moment at his meaningful words. Lloyd looked down at her with his back to the moonlight, then put her shoes back on and held out his hand.

“Let’s do everything together. It’s okay to be stepped on.”

“What? Were you going to the Imperial Palace again?”

Upon hearing the news, Baker looked like the world was collapsing. The kitchen assistants who were setting the main dish next to him also despaired.

“That, that can’t be true.”

“When the Young Madam wakes up, I was going to show you the cooking skills we’ve been honing in the meantime!”

“Can’t you just stay for one more month? I’ve also made a healthy diet for the Young Madam!”

One of them offered Aria what they were holding dear. It was rolled parchment.

As Aria unfolded it, the paper was connected without end, and rolled down the floor, stretching endlessly like a carpet.

‘Is this a month’s diet?’

– I don’t think it’s a healthy diet, it’s an overeating diet…….

“What? A person who eats a lot is a healthy person!”

She was forced to do so.

Aria laughed while watching the employees shouting with their whole body not to leave them behind again. Although it was sad that she had to be away from the people she cared for for so long.

– I’ll be back soon.

She could only say that. Aria finished eating and thought for a moment.

‘I hide that I know how to speak from Valentine’s employees, and it has become a situation where people who don’t know me found out.’

It wasn’t what she intended, but that’s how it turned out.

‘Should I tell them now?’

Aria flapped her lips, concluding that she shouldn’t make the hasty decisions on her own. So she sent a message straight away.

– Lloyd. Come to Father’s office.

Tristan, Sabina, Lloyd, and Aria were gathered in Tristan’s office. With the butler they haven’t seen in a long time.

“I didn’t mean this.”

Lloyd said, glancing at Tristan up and down with his arms crossed.

He said it in a way to depend on him, but he seemed full of dissatisfaction when the Grand Duke suddenly popped out.

“Aren’t you still going?”

Then William, the Valentine’s butler, answered.

“Well?”

Tristan asked, sitting next to Sabina, fanning her face gently.

“What do you mean, you’re still going?”

“Isn’t it true that you are playing around while entrusting almost all tasks and authority to the Grand Prince?”

The butler responded to his words with a smirk like a benevolent grandfather. The butler was, in a different sense, a man of great guts, compared to Dwayne, the Grand Duke’s aide, who was always giving advice and getting frustrated as well.

‘Is that because of his age?’

When Aria looked up curiously, the old man smiled happily and placed a mug in Aria’s hand.

“It tastes like melon, Young Madam.”

She is fourteen years old.

‘You’re talking about something from 4 years ago.’

When Aria looked up at him with a face full of injustice, he smiled kindly again, and he backed away.

“Then have a comfortable conversation.”

Soon the door was closed.

Aria looked at the door with a blank expression, sipping the half-melted marshmallow cocoa, and said.

“Can I tell everyone on Valentine that I can speak?”

“Hmm…….”

Then Tristan clasped his chin and pondered for a moment.

“Well. Last year alone, there were five infiltrating spies and two assassins.”

Of course, they took care of everything before things got messed up. Even on Valentine, it was difficult to control the nearly 1,000 employees.

There were examples like Sir Anjou, Count Beaufort, and Vibrio.

“Then let’s do this.”

“How?”

“I’ll clean everything while you go to the Imperial Palace.”

“Clean……?”

“Squeaky clean with no stumbling blocks.”

……She got nervous. Perhaps that means he’s going to kill all impure elements like Count Beaufort.

‘But I think he’s right.’

Aria, who had an ominous feeling, glanced at Sabina without realizing it.

“I’ll keep an eye on him so he doesn’t run wild.”

Oh, that’s a relief.

Aria, suddenly relieved, smiled broadly and nodded her head.

Now, if she just goes to the Imperial Palace, she will be able to tell Marronnier, Dana, Betty, Baker, and all the Valentine’s family. As long as she gets back safely.

‘…… But, I didn’t think that I would get caught up in something like this as soon as I arrived at the Imperial Palace.’

Aria silently looked up at the young lady that had blocked her. She turned to the right and she blocked her way to the right, and as Aria turned to the left, she blocked her way.

– Anything you want to say?

Eventually, she had to stop and ask. Then, tilting her head, the lady looked at Aria and responded.

“Hmm, it’s not a big deal. I thought you were a person who would be satisfied with this.”