Chapter 103
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“…”
Rubette, hesitating, pushed away Viego, who was holding her tightly.
“Yes. I will accept your apology, but please stop now.”
Sniffling, Viego let go of her, revealing his reddened eyes. His handsome face remained unchanged, but his swollen eyes seemed to result from more than just a day or two of crying.
As if acknowledging the inevitable, Rubette sighed and gently wiped away the tears from Viego’s eyes.
“I’ve safely returned, so everything is alright.”
***
The Imperial Palace, Evian Hall.
On the eve of the debutante ball, the ballroom was a pinnacle of grandeur.
Young noble ladies and gentlemen adorned themselves beautifully, exchanging subtle glances with each other.
“Is that the Diollus’ Swan? She’s truly as beautiful as the rumors say.”
Of course, the most attention was directed towards the “Diollus’ Swan,” Lillia Diollus. And by her side, her escort.
“To have the former duchess of Diollus herself come as a chaperone…”
“How envy-inducing. The former duchess doesn’t seem to age. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful before.”
“Princess Lillia truly deserves to be called the Diollus’ Swan. She resembles her mother so much.”
Noble maidens, their mouths covered by fans, whispered.
The spotlight within the ballroom seemed to be constantly drawn to the radiant mother and daughter as if all the light had converged upon them.
“Madam Diollus, I am Evan Korrone of Koronne Viscounty. Would you honor me with the privilege of dancing with Lady Diollus?”
“Oh, Young Master Korrone. It’s good to see you. But what do we do about this…?” Molga smiled apologetically at the young boy who approached nervously and pointed at Lillia’s wrist, standing beside her. “My Lillia’s card is already filled up.”
Lillia also smiled, seemingly apologetic, as she slightly raised her wrist to show.
All the noble ladies at the ball had a small dance card tied to their wrists. After dancing the first dance with their partner, it was customary to follow the order of names written on the dance card for subsequent dances.
Before the start of the ball, the young gentlemen would personally approach the ladies they wanted to dance with and ask if they could write their names on their dance cards.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do. If the opportunity arises later, I will be pleased to meet you.”
While observing the young gentleman, who was walking away with a crestfallen expression and slumped shoulders, Molega whispered, ensuring only Lillia could hear, “Where did that inexperienced son of a viscount come from, stumbling around without any sense of propriety.”
“Mom, my wrist feels heavy.” Lillia pouted, shaking her arm that had several dance cards tied to it. She was the only one in the ballroom with more than one card tied to her wrist.
“My daughter, please bear with it a little longer. Even though we filtered and selected, it still ended up like this.”
“Hmph.” Covering her cheeks, Lillia pretended to be tired and grumbled.
At that moment.
“Argh, this is crazy. I’m so busy, why did I come here again?”
“Your Highness Shane, please lower your voice and use a more dignified tone. You must maintain the dignity of the noble class.”
A man with a striking appearance, his lustrous white hair elegantly tied up, and a perplexed servant by his side.
All the gazes of those who recognized him were focused on him.
“That white-haired one, is he the owner of the Magic Tower?”
“Most likely. They say his personality is quite eccentric, and it seems to be true. His speech is far from noble.”
“He’s so handsome, but with such a vulgar way of speaking…”
Shane van Rashmagh Descarde. As the lord of Millen and the owner of the Magic Tower, his appearance caused the young ladies to blush and whisper among themselves.
“That brat Lark kept whining and pestering me at the Magic Tower for a whole month, so I granted his wish and gave him all the trinkets,” Shane grumbled while sweeping his gaze around the ballroom.
Indeed, Evian Hall was adorned with unprecedentedly extravagant decorations, and the bright lights were almost blinding.
“Did I only do that? I even made a signboard for him!”
There was even a specially crafted large video screen on the podium in the hall…
“Your Highness, please. Please lower your voice. After all, this is the event you decided to attend on your own accord, isn’t it?”
“Butler, I came because that brat kept whining and pestering me. I originally had no intention of coming at all.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. But now that you’re here at the ball, you should dance. Is there a young lady who catches your fancy?” Following Lark’s advice, the butler discreetly asked, as planned.
Lark had invited Shane because he hoped that spending time with women, at least for one day, would help him, who had been locked away in the Tower for 365 days, from deteriorating.
“No, there isn’t.”
“Hmm, so you’ve come all the way here and now you’re just going to stand stiffly without dancing and leave?”
“…” Shane, standing stubbornly with his arms crossed, turned his head slightly away.
The sharp eyes of the astute butler sparkled.
“Oh, ho. It’s Princess Diollus.”
The butler, about to head to Molga, stopped in his tracks. What’s going on? Why was Shane heading directly toward Molda and Lillia on his own?
“Mom, Mom, it’s the owner of the Magic Tower.”
“Yes, I saw him too.”
“Are there still empty spots on the dance card?”
“Of course, I saved two spots. What do you take your mother for?”
“Hehe.”
Pretending not to notice Shane’s approach, Lillia lowered her eyes with a haughty expression.
Although his deeply furrowed brows were a bit regrettable, even that was incredibly well-suited for Shane, who was astonishingly handsome with his silver hair and impeccable tuxedo. He was a rare sight to behold.
“I see Your Highness Shane van Rashmagh Descarde.”
“Uh… um.”
Molga greeted him, and Shane awkwardly raised his hand in response.
‘He’s cute.’
Molga silently chuckled and said, “Did you come to ask for a dance?”
“Yeah, that girl from your family.”
“Hehe…” Lillia discreetly extended her arm, and Molga untied the dance card attached to her wrist.
“Wait.” Shane interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Not that girl. The other one.”
“…Who?”
“Ah, you know. The girl who looks like a chubby squirrel that just woke up from hibernation. Her cheeks are all chubby like this.” Shane furrowed his brow and demonstrated by placing both of his hands next to his cheeks.
Molga and Lillia were taken aback.
“Rubette?”
“Rubetria?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Blinking rapidly, Molga awkwardly smiled as she was taken by surprise. “I do have Rubette’s dance card with me, but…” Soon, her expression darkened. “Your Highness, haven’t you heard the news? Something happened to Rubette, so she probably won’t be able to attend the ball today.”
“Oh, um. Really?”
Seemingly indifferent, Shane pondered with his hand on his ear, as if he were considering something unrelated to Rubette’s condition. Then he motioned toward Rubette’s dance card in Molga’s hand.
“If she can’t come, there’s nothing we can do. Just write my name on it for now.”
“But how do you know our Rubette, Your Highness?”
“…? Do I need to explain that too?”
“Oh, no.”
“Please write it quickly then.”
“…”
“What is it? Are you refusing?”
“No, I understand.”
In the end, Molga wrote Shane’s name on Rubette’s empty dance card. But when she raised her head, Shane had already left, far away.
“What the heck? Is he crazy? He wants to dance with a fat girl instead of me?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Are there really such strange people out there?”
“His taste is truly unique, seriously.”
Upset, Lillia grumbled, and Molga tried to console her.
At that moment, one of the guards from the noble duke’s family hurriedly approached Molga and whispered to her.
“Wh-what?” Molga’s eyes widened.
“What is it, Mom?”
“R-Rubette has returned?”
“What!?”
Molga and Lillia’s faces visibly brightened when they made eye contact. Normally, they wouldn’t have cared whether Rubette returned safely or not. But this time, the situation was different.
Lillia whispered in Molga’s ear, “Then, can Ricky and I go to sign the contract now?”
“Yes, yes. Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief.”
Feeling relieved, they smiled at each other and exchanged small talk. At that moment, the tranquil melodies played by the palace musicians came to a halt. Then, a gentle and melodious new tune began to play. It was the music that signaled the start of the formal ball.
“My beautiful daughter, have a great time and return safely.”
“Okay, Mom.” Lillia kissed Molga’s cheek and gracefully stepped forward to the left side of the ballroom.
Noble young ladies, who had been waiting after removing their chaperones, gathered around Lillia as if they were expecting her.
‘Oh, really…’
Lillia chuckled inwardly and shook her head.
Before the main dance piece began, noble maidens took their places on the left side of the ballroom, while on the right side, young noblemen settled in. This moment was when each of them confirmed their respective “reputations.”
“Princess Lillia, you are so beautiful today.”
“Oh my goodness. I thought an angel had descended.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
Some girls stood alone, feeling embarrassed as they knew no one, while others didn’t even bother to get up, huddled together against the wall without any dance requests.
I live in a completely different world from these ‘losers’…!
Lillia happily enjoyed the moment when everyone praised her, relishing in the satisfaction of being the center of attention.
“I have good news. They say Rubette returned safely this morning.”
“Oh, really?”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
The affairs of an ugly princess were of no interest to the noble maidens, but still…
“When I heard the news earlier, you can’t imagine how surprised my mother and I were. I almost cried.”
“Princess Lillia, your character is as noble as your appearance.”
“Still, don’t cry. Your makeup will smudge.”
They tried their best to accommodate Lillia’s preferences.
As always, on the right side of the ballroom, there was a bustling crowd around Ricky.
Lillia, known as the Diollus’ Swan, and Ricky, nicknamed the incarnation of the Angel Michael—a beautiful duo that could be considered symbols of the aristocracy. Was there ever a stage where they were not the “main characters”?
Today would likely be no different.
Perhaps…?
“Princess Diollus has arrived!”
At that moment, Lillia was startled by the booming voice of the gatekeeper.
‘Rubette has come?’
The noble maidens standing before her had their mouths wide open in surprise. It was an almost reflexive reaction, despite knowing it was an undignified sight.
‘What’s going on?’
Lillia quickly glanced around.
‘…?’
If time stood still, would it feel like this?
The voices that were murmuring over the tranquil melody suddenly silenced as if by an unspoken agreement.
Stillness.
Everyone’s gaze was solely drawn to the unfamiliar woman who appeared out of nowhere.
A gasp shattered the silence.
“What? Who is she?”
A bewildered voice.
The woman, who belatedly appeared in the ballroom as if she were the protagonist, was stunning and breathtakingly beautiful, to the point of being shocking.
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