Chapter : 46
Morgan was wearing a look that said he couldn’t be happier as he held the hand of a beautiful woman.
That Morgan—who always looked like he’d bitten into something unpleasant—was smiling.
“Ugh….”
For some reason, seeing Morgan smile didn’t make me feel very good.
Even more so because the woman holding his hand was an exceptionally beautiful lady.
The woman facing Morgan and smiling sweetly was truly stunning.
Snow-white skin and large, round eyes.
A high nose bridge with softly rounded nostrils.
Plump red lips of just the right size.
Her lightly wavy light-brown hair was tied back, swaying gently as she moved.
That graceful motion made her look like a fairy.
“How did this even happen…?”
In this vast ballroom,
among so many young nobles, how did she end up dancing with Morgan Herarilla of all people?
It was nothing short of tragic.
I couldn’t tell what he was saying, but Morgan’s lips moved, and the woman soon closed her eyes prettily and laughed.
She seemed kind enough to tolerate even Morgan, but all I could honestly wish for was for the song to end quickly—
for that poor woman to escape from Morgan even one second sooner.
She was already this beautiful from afar; up close, she must have been breathtaking.
“Herrarilla Gongnyeo.”
Someone spoke to me then.
When I turned my head, a young lady I had greeted earlier was standing there.
“It seems you’re bothered by Duke Lawrence Gerhardt dancing with another lady.”
“Pardon?”
“You looked like you were frowning.”
Only then did I realize I had been frowning. I gave an awkward smile and rubbed my brow.
“That’s not it. It’s just that Morgan Hera—my brother—is dancing so happily.”
“What?”
Only then did the young lady shift her gaze toward Morgan.
“The lady and my brother don’t really seem to suit each other.”
“Well… that’s true. Their levels don’t exactly match.”
I knew very well that airing private family matters in noble society never led to anything good.
Badmouthing Morgan to a lady I wasn’t even close to would do me no favors—especially when I had no idea how tight-lipped she was.
That was why I’d been carefully skirting around my discomfort.
‘Their levels don’t match.’
To think I’d meet someone who understood my feelings so instantly.
Apparently, to others as well, this situation looked far from normal.
“Exactly. She must be very kind.”
“Pfft. Well, she’d have to be.”
“…Pardon?”
“If she lacks family backing, the least she can do is be kind. Don’t you agree?”
It seemed the young lady speaking to me didn’t share my way of thinking at all.
“I heard she begged a distant relative just to make an appearance in high society. She should’ve just lived the life she was born into. It’s ridiculous how desperately she’s forcing her way in.”
She shook her head as if displeased.
“Just look at her dress, her hairstyle, even her necklace. None of it looks particularly high-class. She probably brought that dress from her territory.”
After giggling to herself for a while, she continued.
“And yet she dares to flirt with Lord Herarilla. She’s cunning, sure—but she doesn’t know her place.”
“…Cunning?”
“Of course. Going after the next head of the Herarilla family is very calculating. But no matter how much she tries, do you really think he’d place a woman like that in the position of duchess unless he’d lost his mind? And even if she somehow won his favor, Duke Herarilla would never allow it.”
As I listened to her, I turned my head back toward Morgan.
He was still grinning foolishly.
He was smiling so hard that I honestly worried whether he could even see straight.
“Judging by his expression, it looks like he’s ready to hand over the family seal.”
“What?”
“I mean… she really is beautiful.”
At my words, the young lady beside me immediately frowned.
“…So what if she is? She can’t compare to the flower of high society.”
“The flower of high society?”
Isn’t that Patricia?
But the question didn’t last long, because she answered right away.
“You, Herrarilla Gongnyeo.”
For some reason, a hint of pride flickered across her face as she said it.
Well…
Patricia is beautiful.
After a long wait, this was finally a moment where the young lady and I agreed.
Still, that aside, something about this was astonishing.
To think there was another lady beautiful enough to rival Patricia within the Empire.
…Wait.
“…Excuse me, but.”
A dizzying thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“Do you happen to know that lady’s name…?”
“I heard it in passing, but I didn’t bother remembering it.”
Even though I told myself that couldn’t be right, my hands were trembling.
“Could her name be…?”
The trembling hand betrayed my anxiety.
“Arser Rodriguez?”
“Something like that, yes. Do you know her, Gongnyeo?”
Thump.
Thump, thump.
My heart was pounding so loudly it felt like I could hear it in my ears.
“Are you sure? It was really Arser Rodriguez?”
“…I believe so.”
That couldn’t be possible.
As far as I knew, the female lead officially came to the capital two years later—at the Starlight Ball.
That was supposed to be her debut in the capital’s social scene.
Which meant that, according to the novel, she shouldn’t be here now.
Two years later—
The female lead would debut in the capital as Lawrence Gerhardt’s fiancée and partner.
It was a major event, one that drew the attention of all of high society.
A very important plot point in the novel.
Things weren’t supposed to go off course like this.
The story had changed.
“…Is today that lady’s first appearance in the capital’s social scene?”
“Yes. Poor thing. She didn’t even attract much attention on her debut day.”
The young lady clicked her tongue mockingly.
“But more importantly—are you all right, Gongnyeo?”
She studied me carefully, clearly finding my reaction strange.
“Ah, yes.”
I quickly raised my hand and forced a smile.
“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be.”
Thump, thump.
Even so, my heart kept pounding violently.
Was it really okay for things to change like this?
Why had this happened?
Biting my lip in anxiety, I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Have you danced much today?”
“…Quite a bit. Are you only planning to dance with the Duke, Gongnyeo?”
“No one’s asked me.”
I shrugged slightly, hoping my actions looked natural.
“I don’t think anyone will, even if I wait. I’ll go get something to drink.”
I thought I’d excused myself fairly naturally—
but for some reason, the young lady followed me.
“Gongnyeo, I’ll come with you.”
“Ah… as you like.”
I forced a polite smile, but the young lady walking close beside me spoke again.
“By the way, Gongnyeo, I had no idea you and the Duke were personally acquainted. I was surprised to see him bring a partner—he always comes alone.”
I wanted a moment to gather my thoughts, but she kept talking without pause.
“Then why didn’t you arrive together? Why were you waiting for him outside the ballroom?”
I accepted a glass from a passing servant holding a tray.
Holding the cold glass, I nodded slightly.
“So what exactly is your relationship?”
“…Ah.”
Only then did I realize why she’d approached me in the first place.
She wanted to find out what kind of relationship Lawrence Gerhardt and I had.
She was probably like many other young ladies at the ball—someone who admired Lawrence Gerhardt.
“We simply came together as partners.”
I drained the glass in one go.
Clink.
My head spun from anxiety and impatience.
To avoid being swallowed by the flood of thoughts, I hurriedly reached for another glass.
I’d given her the answer she wanted—surely she’d leave now.
“Since the Duke asked you to be his partner… does that mean he likes you?”
She was bolder than I’d expected—and unfortunately, very curious.
“No, that’s not it. The Duke was just helping me—”
That was when—
“Patricia.”
The song must have ended, because Lawrence suddenly appeared beside me, frowning as he looked down at me.
His gaze lingered briefly on the glass in my hand before he reached out and took it from me.
He drained it in one gulp, set the empty glass back on the tray, and spoke.
“Sounds like you were having an interesting conversation.”
I stared blankly at the glass that had been taken from me, then reached for another.
“No, it wasn’t anything important.”
But before my hand could reach it, Lawrence Gerhardt grabbed my wrist and lowered it.
Then he leaned in and whispered so only I could hear.
“Do you even know what you’re drinking?”
“Pardon?”
“It contains alcohol. Not something appropriate for a Gongnyeo who hasn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Ah…”
He shook his head slightly, as if exasperated, and handed me another drink himself.
“Ah…”
So the glasses for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were different.
As I looked down at the glass, relieved I’d avoided embarrassing myself, the young lady spoke again.
“Gongnyeo, if you’d like to dance with someone other than the Duke, would you care to share a dance with my partner?”
“Pardon?”
“You said you wanted to dance with someone other than the Duke.”
She was looking at me as she spoke, but somehow, it felt like her words were directed not at me—
but at Lawrence.
