CH 29

Riett looked at her reflection in the elaborately adorned mirror. She was wearing a carefully chosen blush pink dress, with a delicate white rose gently pinned to her hair. 

“Phew.” 

Her heart raced as she finished dressing up. It felt like sweat was forming beneath the soft satin gloves.

When she lifted her head at the ticking sound of the clock, she realized that it was already time to leave. Riett hurriedly descended to the first floor.

The first person she noticed upon reaching the bottom was Evan, who looked excessively handsome. While she had always thought he was good-looking, seeing Evan with his neatly combed hair and dressed in formal attire made him even more captivating.

Although Riett had experienced this countless times before, Evan’s appearance felt unfamiliar and strange to her.

“Riett.” 

Evan called out, slightly narrowing his eyes and pronouncing her name gently. 

“Why did you come to our house? We could have met at school.”

“Naturally, I came to accompany my partner.” 

Evan replied, seeming pleased. His eyes sparkled beautifully.

At that moment, Riett stared blankly at Evan’s face. Was it odd for her to look at him like that, or was it strange for Evan to touch his face and ask?

“Why are you looking at me like that…? Did you have something to ask?” 

“Oh, no! Let’s go quickly.” 

Riett replied in confusion, grabbing the hem of her skirt and walking ahead. Somehow, her face felt hot. Riett realized her tension was growing as she became aware of her strange physical reactions.

As Riett hurriedly got into the carriage, Evan followed and sat opposite her.

“We’re departing.”

The coachman announced, and the carriage began to move.

Except for the rhythmic sound of hooves hitting the ground, there was complete silence between them.

‘Why is it so awkward like this?’ 

Riett wondered. It wasn’t the first time they had been silent together. They had spent so much time together since childhood that maintaining silence between them was not unusual.

But on other occasions, she hadn’t paid much attention to that silence, let alone thought it was awkward.

As Riett pondered, searching for something to talk about, she looked around. Just behind Evan, she noticed a wrapped box.

“What’s that?” 

She pointed at the wrapped box and asked. It was partially obscured by Evan’s body, but it appeared quite large.

“A gift.” 

Evan casually replied, glancing out the carriage window.

“I know it’s a gift. But what kind of gift?” 

Riett asked, curious. The red wrapping paper and blue ribbon decorations indicated that it was a gift.

“It’s a secret.”

“A secret?” 

Riett stared at the box as if she could see through it. 

Could it be for her? Unless it’s for her, why would he keep it a secret? She stared intently as if trying to see through the box.

“Could it be mine?”

“No.”

The answer came quickly.

Well, of course not. Although they exchanged ritualistic gifts on each other’s birthdays., they never gave each other anything except on their birthdays.

‘Since when?’

It wasn’t like that from the beginning. In their puppy days, Evan would often bring gifts to Riett.

“Riett, I brought this because it reminded me of you…”

Sometimes, he would give her flowers from the street.

“I secretly brought this because it’s incredibly delicious…”

During tea time, he would wrap his leftover cookies from home in a handkerchief and give them to her. Of course, she would pretend to dislike it every time, but she never refused. It was perhaps due to his sincerity.

However, since the day Evan proposed, those gifts disappeared completely.

‘He doesn’t like me anymore, so there’s no need to misunderstand his intentions.’

That’s why unnecessary gifts were no longer exchanged. It became an implicit rule between Evan and Riett.

“Or maybe not.”

Riett turned her gaze while holding her chin. Then, laughter was heard from beside them.

“Aren’t you curious about who it’s for?”

“…Not at all.”

There was a moment of silence before she answered. To be honest, she was slightly curious. Looking at the carefully wrapped package, it didn’t seem like something he would give to a man.

“But your expression seems curious.”

Riett flared up at Evan’s remark.

“I’m not curious!”

Riett clenched the hem of her dress and spoke. Evan nodded with a smile still on his face.

“Alright, I understand.”

After that one outburst, the tension that had been building slowly dissipated, and Riett felt lighter. The slight anger that had risen in her cheeks from their banter subsided, and the sweaty palms that had been damp dried up.

“We’ve arrived.”

As the maids opened the door, a dazzlingly lit ballroom came into view. A crowd of people dressed in colorful attire filled the green grass.

“Be careful with your dress.”

Evan descended first and held onto the hem of Riett’s dress, offering his assistance. Despite choosing a shorter path for the dance, the voluminous dress was prone to tripping, just as Evan had warned.

Upon entering the grand hall, Lucas, who had arrived earlier, greeted them.

“Riett, you look stunning today.”

As Lucas smiled, his platinum-colored hair seemed to glow under the lights. Riett responded with a puzzled face.

“Um… You look great too.”

Lucas’ pumpkin-colored evening suit matched well with his usual cheerful atmosphere. He was attracting just as much attention as Evan, despite their contrasting vibes.

Suddenly, Riett noticed a fierce-looking beauty standing next to Lucas.

“Is she your partner?”

“Yeah, she’s my cousin.”

They couldn’t be more different.

Observing the two individuals who bore no resemblance to each other, Riett greeted them.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Riett Marren.”

Lucas’ partner offered a simple bow without any further introduction.

“Riett, understand that she’s not very talkative, even on ordinary days.”

Lucas explained with a chuckle. Riett didn’t mind. She simply thought that their personalities were complete opposites, not just their appearances.

“Shall we go?”

Evan, who had been silently observing Riett’s conversation with Lucas, spoke up. Only then did Lucas’ gaze shift towards Evan.

“Evan looks cool today.” 

Despite being a compliment, it somehow felt insincere. Maybe it’s because they know that their relationship isn’t good.

“Thanks. You also get along well with your partner.”

Evan was the same. Even though his voice wasn’t as lively as before, it felt sharp in some way.

Lucas’ lip twitched. When he no longer responded, Evan, as if indicating that he had nothing more to say, took Riett and moved to another spot.

At that moment, a heavy footstep was heard from somewhere.

“Riett!”

A large bear-like figure was running towards them from a distance.

With a height of around 190 cm and wearing a gray formal suit with a blue hue, it reminded Riett of the gray bear they defeated before.

Furthermore, his face was flushed, making him look quite funny.

“I recognized you from afar!”

Recognized what? Riett raised her eyebrows at Samuel’s exaggerated words.

“I thought a goddess had descended into the human world…!”

Riett took a step back, feeling uncomfortable with Samuel’s overwhelming excitement.

‘This guy is not really in his right mind.’

While thinking that to herself, at that moment, a spark flickered from the center of the chandelier. The lights flickered for a moment, and then the room plunged into darkness.

From the darkness, Evan quietly spoke.

“Be careful.”

“Yeah…”

What’s going on? Just as they were worrying, the chandelier flickered again and soon the light returned.

“What’s happening?”

“The school buildings are old. It seems like a momentary blackout.”

Samuel said, scanning the surroundings with his arms crossed. As he said, it didn’t seem like a big deal since the lights quickly came back on.

To calm down the buzzing hall, a person who seemed to be the emcee for the party stepped onto the stage.

“Before we start the dance party, we will have a speech from the principal.”

With applause, an elderly man who looked quite old stepped onto the stage. It was the first time Riett saw the principal since the entrance ceremony.

“Hehe, there are many old parts in the building, so this happens occasionally.”

As Samuel had mentioned earlier, it seemed like it was indeed because the facilities were old. The principal smiled as if it was nothing special.

“With the young talents carrying the burden of the Truto Empire gathered here, my heart is filled with emotion. Please forget all your worries for today and enjoy the party to the fullest.”

After the principal’s short and thoughtful speech, the dance party began.

The dance party was divided into three parts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. The attending students were divided into three groups and danced, and Riett and Evan were assigned to Part 2.

As the band started playing, some students paired up with their partners and moved toward the center. It was the beginning of Part 1.

Everyone seemed to have practiced a lot as their movements were precise and graceful. Riett felt the forgotten tension creeping back into her mind.

“Riett.”

Evan’s voice brought her back to her senses.

“You cleared my father’s name standing on the cliff, and you defeated a bear three times your size alone.”

“…”

“Compared to that, this is nothing.”

Evan took off Riett’s gloves and took out a handkerchief to pat her palm, wiping away the sweat.

“You can do it.”

The gloves were put back on Riett’s now smooth hands.

“Yeah.”

Compared to what she had experienced so far, this was nothing.

With a clear mind, Part 2 began. As the music flowed, Evan extended his hand with a more splendid smile than ever before, and Riett’s hand intertwined with his.