CH 61

Riett soon realized what Evan was about to say.

‘Why did I forget?’

It was about her severe lack of dancing skills. The reason why she had no choice but to partner with Evan at the noble school dance party…!

Of course, losing the bet played a part, but after successfully finishing the dance party, she only thought that she did well by partnering with Evan.

If Evan hadn’t helped her relax before the dance, she would have danced in a tense state, and she might have made grave mistakes. Stepping on her partner’s feet too hard or clumsily falls with a loud thud, for example.

Her mother seemed to believe that Riett had overcome her lack of skills since the dance party, but Riett herself couldn’t be sure.

“It’s not a losing proposition.”

Indeed, it wasn’t a losing proposition, but the situation was completely different from the noble school dance party, so she couldn’t accept it hastily.

For instance, at the debutante ball, it was almost obligatory to dance with many gentlemen. If she refused to dance, it would mean saying, “Who do you think you are?” in a derogatory way.

But if she rejected all the other gentlemen and danced only with Evan, it would raise absurd rumors again.

Even so, that was manageable. She could handle it herself.

The problem was her mother.

How much effort was her mother putting in for her debutante ball? If Riett refused all the dance proposals from the men who attended, her disappointment would be beyond measure.

Riett hesitated, looking at Evan for a moment, contemplating her answer.

Evan waited for Riett’s response, then leaned against a bookshelf, gazing out the window, appearing like a male lead from a romantic comic.

‘Well, it’s not a comic but a novel, but he is indeed the male lead.’

Reluctantly, his facade was perfect.

Riett suddenly thought that Evan’s proposal wasn’t only a disadvantage for her.

“But hey, you.”

As Riett opened her mouth, Evan turned his gaze away from the window and looked at her. He probably hadn’t thought about it, but he had to tell her in advance what might happen.

“Do you know what people will misunderstand if one partner monopolizes the protagonist’s dance at the debutante ball?”

That they have such a relationship.

“I don’t care.”

“Well, you don’t care… Wait?!”

As Riett absentmindedly nodded her head, she suddenly snapped her head up in surprise.

Evan raised the corner of his mouth slightly while observing Riett’s various facial expressions but quickly reverted to his usual expression. Then he let out a worried sigh.

“Actually, there’s a reason I’m making this request to you, Riett.”

“…What is it?”

If there was another reason, he should have said it sooner.

Evan rubbed his forehead with a tired look on his face.

“There’s a girl who’s been following me around lately, like a stalker, and it’s really scary.”

Riett’s expression twitched for a moment.

“What?”

She’d seen girls following Duke Kreutz since she was a kid, hoping to catch a glimpse of Evan but she didn’t expect it to continue even now.

‘I thought it would stop as we got older…’

To think it had evolved into stalking!

Riett stared at Evan with a mixed expression, almost without realizing it. Hearing those words, Evan’s face seemed a little embarrassed.

“Debutante Ball, I thought about deliberately making it look like we had a special relationship to make the stalker give up.”

“…But it seems like that’s not the case.”

As Riett hesitated, Evan interrupted with a smile.

“I shouldn’t ruin your important debutante ball for my personal matters.”

Evan strongly expressed his request but took a step back towards the end.

“It might be a bit bothersome, but I’ll figure out how to deal with the stalker.”

And that sparked the interest of the other.

“I’m going to introduce my father’s guests today, so I should go now.”

Evan glanced at his watch and turned around while speaking.

Although it seemed hasty to make a decision right away, if Riett let Evan go like this, the proposal would come to an end.

In the end, Riett got up from her seat and grabbed Evan’s arm as he was about to open the door to leave the room.

“Stop.”

When Riett called Evan in a commanding manner, Evan halted his steps.

“Why?”

“It’s your request.”

If she dances with a partner other than Evan, her dancing skills will be exposed as mediocre. Moreover, if Evan is being bothered by the stalker…

“I’ll listen.”

She can’t help it.

* * *

“Riett, have you returned?”

When she arrived home, the Duchess, who looked pleased, greeted Riett.

“I’ve returned, Mother.”

She thought it was a good opportunity since she had something to tell her mother.

As Riett was about to speak, her mother grabbed her wrist.

“Just a moment, Riett.”

“Why, Mother?”

“Would you come this way?”

The Duchess took Riett to a table in the hallway.

There were piles of letters on the table. Riett forgot what she was about to say.

“Are these all…?”

“It’s the response that they will attend Riett’s debutante ball.”

“…That’s amazing.”

“But do you know what’s even more amazing?”

Unable to close her astonished mouth, Riett turned her gaze, and she saw the excited expression on her mother’s face.

“Almost all the young noble gentlemen from the capital will attend!”

“…Really?”

The Duchess quietly whispered in Riett’s ear.

“More precisely, unmarried young gentlemen.”

Then, with an ecstatic expression, the Duchess clasped her hands together.

“I didn’t expect our daughter to be this popular.”

Riett couldn’t hide her bewildered feelings.

While there were indeed many guys who showed interest in her since her noble school days, they were simply immature boys in Riett’s eyes.

Nevertheless, considering her unyielding personality and the burden of being a duchess, she didn’t think many would dare to propose to her.

“If you ask who responded to the invitation…”

The enraged Duchess showed the letters one by one. The names that appeared were familiar. Riett had been keeping track of the key figures in the capital these days, as she felt they would be necessary in the future. Seeing all these familiar names, her mother couldn’t contain her excitement.

“That’s why I have to work harder and prepare, right?”

Upon hearing her mother’s exclamation, Riett decided to temporarily withhold what she had intended to say. Seeing her mother so motivated, she couldn’t possibly say that she would only dance with Evan at her debutante ball.

Moreover, with so many gentlemen expressing interest, if she were to refuse all their dances…

‘Does this mean I won’t be able to get married later?’

In the end, if Evan was the only one left as a choice for a marriage partner… 

No, Evan would be connected to the female lead, which meant Riett would be left alone. The thought of such a terrible ending drained the color from Riett’s face.

* * *

Back in her room, Riett tried to clear her cluttered mind. If she were to fulfill Evan’s request, she would have to endure the risk of blocking her marriage prospects later, as well as witness her mother’s profound disappointment.

However, if she were to refuse Evan’s request, pretending not to know about his stalker, her inadequate dancing skills would be revealed. 

Moreover, the Emperor himself would be attending that day. There was no room for mistakes. If she were to trip and fall while dancing in front of the Emperor…!

Riett closed her eyes tightly.

‘No, I can’t dance with other men!’

The debutante ball, which she thought would only bring happiness, now faced such a trial. Riett slumped onto the bed, clutching her knees. Trying to cool down her overheated mind, she rested her head on her knees and suddenly noticed the bandage wrapped around her ankle.

‘Oh, right… It’s time to remove the bandage.’

A few days ago, while strolling on the upper reaches of the Atrenta River with Atom, a wild boar suddenly appeared. Atom was startled and reared up, causing Riett to fall off. Fortunately, thanks to her flexible movements, she wasn’t seriously injured, but her ankle was slightly sprained.

The physician had said that further immobilization wasn’t necessary, and it was already healing. 

‘That’s a relief. It should be fully recovered before the debutante ball.’

Dancing or moving around shouldn’t be a problem.

Feeling relieved, Riett suddenly lifted her head.

‘…No, wait.’

A good idea flashed through her mind. Riett quickly stood up from the bed and approached the door in quick strides. As she opened the door and anxiously looked around, she spotted Natasha, who was carrying laundry.

“Natasha!”

“Yes, miss?”

Seeing Riett’s urgent expression, Natasha tilted her head curiously.

“Call the physician right away!”

* * *

In the evening, the physician, as requested by Riett, arrived at the mansion.

“Hmm…”

Examining Riett’s ankle and manipulating it gently, the physician caused Riett to wince in pain.

“Ouch… It hurts.”

Riett moaned in agony, and the physician awkwardly stroked his chin.

“This shouldn’t be happening…”

Duke Marren and the Duchess had been quietly observing from the side.

“When I first examined it, I said it wasn’t a broken bone or a fracture, so it should heal quickly.”

“That’s right… There are only a few days left, and we can’t postpone the debutante ball. But with this, can I still dance?”

Riett looked down at her ankle with a saddened and gloomy expression.

“It seems like it will be difficult to dance…”

The physician was sweating under the gaze of the Duke and Duchess, who looked at him with reproachful eyes.

‘I’m sorry, physician.’

In reality, her ankle was perfectly fine. However, she couldn’t let go of this opportunity presented by fate. Having a painful ankle was a perfect reason not to dance, and no one would suspect anything strange.

‘I’m sorry for Evan, who is being troubled by a stalker.’

Feigning an injury was the best choice she could make right now.

After the physician left, the Duchess sat down beside Riett’s bed.

“It’s strange… It seemed like you were walking just fine until a few days ago.”

A sheepish expression appeared on Riett’s face, and she forced herself to look even more melancholy. Seeing Riett like that, pitiful, Duke Marren raised his head.

“It’s normal for the human body to have such times. Even if you were fine before, there are times when the pain comes back.”

Well said, Father…!

“That’s true. Anyway, Riett is the one who feels the most upset right now.”

The Duchess gently stroked the bandage wrapped around Riett’s ankle and spoke softly.

“But it’s fortunate that you can still walk slowly. Let’s be grateful for that.”

Riett made an effort to pretend to be fine, and only then did her parents smile at her.

“I’m glad it’s not a serious injury.”

“That’s right, my dear.”

In the heartwarming atmosphere, Riett smiled inwardly with a sense of relief.