CHAPTER 85…………………………
After some time had passed, I grew tired and leaned against a corner.
Wow, it’s been a while since I talked this much nonstop. I’m exhausted.
It reminded me of the days when I was determined to win the title of “Sales King,” rushing around several clients in a single day.
At that moment, I already felt like going home.
I’d really like to invite you to the Duchy someday.
Still, there were big and small gains today, so it felt worthwhile.
Besides, just knowing that I no longer had to work to pay off debt made the fatigue lift a little.
I was sipping champagne pleasantly when a shadow fell across me.
Looking up, I met a pair of deep green eyes staring down at me.
“…Ren?”
He furrowed his delicate brow as though choosing his words carefully.
I knew that expression well.
It was one he occasionally showed me.
That look usually meant something like: I really want to say this, but I’m not sure if I should.
“Could it be—”
Lennox hesitated, his lips moving soundlessly. Then, as though frustrated, he knit his brows tighter and let out a sigh.
His strange behavior made me stare at him in confusion.
“Not here. Could we move somewhere… more private to talk?”
Lennox leaned closer, whispering.
His low voice tickled my ear.
Since when did he grow this much…?
Up close, I could see how much broader and stronger his frame looked under the uniform.
And when the musky scent of him reached me, my heart began pounding for no reason.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything—
“The Emperor His Majesty and the Empress Dowager Her Majesty are entering!”
The noisy hall instantly fell silent, as though doused in cold water.
Catching a glimpse of the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s faces through the crowd, I was genuinely shocked.
Wait, they’re mother and son, not siblings?
The Emperor already looked young for his age, but the Empress Dowager looked no less so.
Their appearances were striking enough that one could easily mistake them for siblings instead of mother and son.
“Doesn’t it seem like His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager grow younger by the day?”
“Exactly. What on earth is their secret?”
It wasn’t just me who was stunned—nobles around me whispered in awe.
From very nearby came a sigh. Looking over, I saw Lennox frowning in annoyance.
Is it okay for him to make that face here?
Feeling uneasy, I glanced back and forth between him and the Emperor. Just then, the Emperor’s gaze landed on us.
Immediately, Lennox masked his expression, approached, and knelt before the Emperor.
“Your servant greets the Sun of Seriel.”
All eyes in the hall turned toward him and the Emperor.
Everyone held their breath as the ritual of sovereign and subject played out on the red carpet.
I too forgot to breathe, watching them.
But my tension came from another reason.
In the original story… this was the moment.
The moment when Lennox killed the Emperor.
I stared, frozen—
“Rise, Marquis Blake.”
Lennox rose slowly. Unlike the original, no blood was shed.
But looking at his face, I could tell he was suppressing boredom.
The scene felt oddly familiar.
Right, I looked exactly like that when forced to do talent shows at company dinners.
So even Lennox had to endure social obligations…
Perhaps a sad truth for him, once the protagonist didn’t descend into darkness, all that remained was… social life.
For a moment, the Emperor’s gaze swept over me.
Even though it was brief, the chill in his eyes made it clear there was no warmth in them.
…Am I an unwelcome guest here?
I didn’t really care, so I calmly sipped my champagne.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager entered, and the music changed.
The orchestra struck up a waltz, drawing everyone’s eyes to the dance floor.
No one could dance until the Emperor began the first dance.
But the Empress had been dead for over twenty years.
Since then, the Emperor had never remarried. Naturally, he offered his hand to the Empress Dowager. With a graceful smile, she accepted.
One is middle-aged, the other nearing old age… yet they look like a young couple.
Looking closely, the Emperor seemed even younger than he had five years ago.
And so began their strange yet beautiful dance.
When it ended, the Emperor’s gaze turned to Lennox.
Receiving it, Lennox forced down another expression and walked toward someone.
Lennox, please manage your expressions…
We no longer had anything to do with each other, but every time he acted like that, I worried something might explode.
At the end of his path stood an unfamiliar young lady, fan in hand.
She wore a silver dress, her long golden hair cascading down, her cute, dainty looks reminiscent of a little fairy.
Lennox extended his hand to her.
Too far to hear their words, I could only see him inviting her to dance and her accepting joyfully.
“A fitting pair, don’t you think?”
This time, when that annoying voice popped up beside me, I wasn’t surprised.
“Her partner is Veronica Iris. Her family’s powerful, and she’s influential enough to be nicknamed the Flower of High Society.”
I knew the name Lady Iris well.
She was the Emperor’s cousin’s daughter.
“I see. Then why don’t you ask someone to dance?”
My flat reply made Alfeo burst into laughter as though it were the funniest thing ever.
“As if Veronica wouldn’t slap me first.”
“You sound like you’ve actually been slapped.”
“How did you know?”
I choked on my champagne, staring at him in disbelief.
Meeting my eyes, he gave me a meaningful smile. Something about it felt ominous.
“Were you, by any chance, hoping for the first dance with Ren?”
“I really—don’t. Care. At. All.”
I put extra emphasis on each word, glaring at Alfeo, who only grinned mischievously.
Seeming to think of something amusing, he extended his hand.
“How about we two outcasts dance? I’m a good dancer, you know.”
“Hmmm…”
Seeing me hesitate, Alfeo’s expression suddenly turned desperate.
“Or would you rather doom me to being chained the whole evening?”
Chained to someone? Ah…
I glanced back.
Professor Mackerman was scanning the hall, clearly searching for me. I knew that look.
Yeah, throwing him as bait in my place was a bit much.
Sure, I’d done it out of concern for his wellbeing… but I couldn’t deny the selfish hope that the professors’ obsession with me might lessen.
“I’m rare even when it comes to dancing, you know.”
“There’s that word again—rare…”
Chuckling, I shook my head and took his hand.
“Fine, let’s see how ‘exceptional’ you really are.”
As the second waltz began, young nobles flocked to the dance floor.
Wait… he’s actually good?
I had assumed Alfeo was clumsy, but his dancing was unexpectedly polished. The weak link was me.
Stomp.
“Ow! You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Sorry.”
After stepping on his foot for the third time, I had to admit it.
The clumsy one was me.
Luckily, Alfeo danced well enough to cover for me. If I’d danced with a normal partner…
They would’ve accused me of doing tap dance instead.
No greater humiliation existed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lennox and Lady Iris moving as gracefully as flowing water.
Their appearance alone made them a perfect pair, but their dancing was flawless too.
Not a single step was out of place—it was as natural as breathing.
That’s a whole different world compared to this side.
Especially Lennox.
If one was skilled with their body, did it naturally follow that they’d dance well too?
“In matters of etiquette, I won’t fall behind anyone.”
Suddenly, I remembered Lennox’s words when he once asked me to be his partner.
