BGFV 98

Chapter 098

“I’m glad I partnered with you,” Luciard muttered, and Hestia giggled in response.

As soon as they entered the party, all eyes were on them.

“I really put my best effort into this tonight. I can proudly say I look beautiful… but half of the attention is probably because of the person standing next to me.” Hestia thought to herself.

‘He actually looks even more handsome than when we saw each other in the carriage.’

There had been a slight tension between them when they were in the carriage, but now Hestia found herself especially aware of Luciard. Perhaps it was because he was the first partner she had ever had.

In her past life, she had attended parties, but at that time, the Frost family was on the brink of bankruptcy and everyone looked down on them.

No one treated her properly, and she had never had a partner at any event.

Of course, she hadn’t attended many parties to begin with.

“Since I reincarnated, I’ve been too busy, so I couldn’t attend parties,” Hestia reflected.

It felt like a completely different world. The way people were looking at her and Luciard was filled with admiration, envy, and jealousy—feelings only people with personal desires could convey.

Even if she and Luciard had entered alone, they would have attracted attention, but now, the looks were more intense, almost greedily, which made her feel a bit uneasy.

“If you weren’t here, I think I would’ve been overwhelmed,” Hestia said.

“I agree,” Luciard replied, shivering slightly as he noticed the gazes of the young ladies watching him.

“What should we do now? Do we need to make the first move?” Luciard wondered, as this was the first time they had received such intense attention.

Their arrival was so striking that no one had approached them yet.

“Just stay still, and they’ll come to us. Then we’ll handle it,” Hestia said confidently.

Before Luciard could respond, someone called his name from behind.

Turning around, Luciard saw Gabriel approaching, accompanied by his younger sister, Chloe.

“I thought you’d be back in the south by now. This is quite a surprise,” Gabriel said casually.

“You didn’t attend the first two nights, did you? I don’t think I ever saw you at a party during our school days either.”

“…It’s customary to attend the last night, though.” Luciard replied.

“Then why didn’t you come to the daytime event?” Gabriel said.

“My nephew was sick,” Luciard explained.

“Ah, I see… I hope he recovers soon,” Gabriel said, raising his eyebrows in sympathy.

‘They seem pretty familiar with each other,’ Hestia thought, but Luciard quickly denied it. Based on their conversation, though, one could easily assume they had a close relationship.

‘He’s actually quite handsome,’ Hestia observed. While Luciard exuded a cold, rough charm, Gabriel was the kind of handsome everyone dreamt of—like a prince on a white horse.

This was the first time Hestia had seen him up close. Previously, she hadn’t paid much attention when they crossed paths.

As she was thinking this, their eyes met, and Hestia was taken aback by the softness in Gabriel’s gaze.

“Brother, you can’t talk about yourself all the time. You should introduce me too,” Chloe’s sweet voice broke through Hestia’s thoughts.

‘Chloe Florence is also quite a beauty,’ Hestia thought.

Like Gabriel, Chloe had platinum blonde hair, but she seemed to have inherited her mother’s genes more strongly. Her eyes were sparkling emerald, a different kind of green compared to Hestia’s forest-like eyes.

When Chloe smiled, the men around them couldn’t help but make sounds of admiration, and even the women, despite their jealousy, acknowledged her beauty. Unsurprisingly, Chloe’s smile was directed at Luciard.

“Luciard, this is my younger sister, Chloe Florence. You might have seen her at the academy.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Luciard. I’m Chloe Florence. Please feel free to call me Chloe.”

Her boldness was surprising, and Luciard caught off guard, nodded awkwardly.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Chloe. I’m Luciard Winston,” he replied.

“Oh, I told you to call me Chloe. If you’re friends with my brother, you’re close enough to call me that too,” Chloe insisted.

“We’re not that close yet,” Luciard said, laughing awkwardly.

“You’re quite the joker,” Chloe giggled like a bird, and Luciard held his tongue, while Hestia observed them from the sidelines.

“By the way, Luciard, you should introduce your partner too,” Gabriel suggested with a subtle tone.

Luciard snapped back to reality.

“As you know, this is my partner, Hestia,” he said.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Hestia Frost,” Hestia greeted Gabriel with a polite bow.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. You look absolutely stunning tonight,” Gabriel said smoothly, taking her hand and gently kissing the back of her hand.

Hestia, caught off guard, widened her eyes but kept smiling, while Luciard looked visibly flustered.

“I noticed you value etiquette, so I made sure to show respect,” Gabriel said with a smile.

“Of course, it’s only natural to show respect to the noble family of Florence,” Hestia replied politely.

She felt a slight tingling where Gabriel’s lips had touched, so she subtly withdrew her hand.

Luciard could feel the tension in her grip.

“So, this is your first time at a party, Miss Frost?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, I usually had to stay with my younger siblings during the day, so I never stayed for the evening events,” Hestia explained.

“You must have quite an age gap with your siblings. It must be hard for you,” Gabriel observed.

“Not at all. My parents are around, and my siblings are very sweet, so it’s not as difficult as it seems,” Hestia responded.

“Well, I hope you enjoy the final festival, because it’s a special occasion,” Gabriel said kindly.

“Yes, I plan to enjoy it to the fullest,” Hestia agreed.

Just then, the orchestra’s music changed, and people began to dance with their partners.

“Miss…” Gabriel began to speak, but before he could finish, Hestia turned to Luciard, pretending not to hear him.

“We’ve come this far. Shall we dance?” she asked him.

Luciard, feeling a little uncomfortable under Chloe’s gaze, nodded quickly.

The two of them stepped onto the floor and began to dance, finding their rhythm in the music.

“Do you remember the steps we learned?” Hestia whispered to Luciard.

“Most of it, but I can’t quite recall the chorus,” he admitted.

“Then we’ll have to stick to my lead. Keep smiling, and make it look like you’re enjoying the dance,” Hestia coached him softly, making sure no one else noticed.

Although she had rushed to learn various dances for the event, Hestia was still perfecting her skills, and Luciard followed her guidance.

From a distance, the two looked like a flawless pair.

“I thought no one could be a better match than the Florence siblings,” someone commented.

“I’m so jealous… I wish I could dance with Miss Frost too!” another said.

“Has Miss Frost always been this beautiful? She’s stunning today,” someone else murmured.

“Look at those broad shoulders and toned chest. I wish I could dance with Luciard too!” another sighed.

“I’m so jealous of Miss Frost… I can’t take it!”

“By the way, where did the lady get that dress from?”
“It looks like the Milky Way came down to Earth.”
Every time she danced, the flowing dress spread out like the Milky Way.
“If you look closely, their clothes seem to match perfectly, don’t you think?”
“Also, I noticed they were talking to the Florence siblings earlier. They seemed pretty close.”
“Weren’t they supposed to have a bad relationship?”
“They’ve never said that.”
“Although I don’t want to admit it… they make a good couple.”
Whether from jealousy or admiration, the two of them caught everyone’s attention.
Meanwhile, they were so focused on talking quietly to each other that they didn’t even notice the stares.
“Is the Florence prince usually like this? He seems a bit different from what you told me yesterday.”
“He’s good at acting in front of people. But…”
It was the first time he had shown so much interest in a woman. Usually, if women approached him, he would let them come to him, but he never made the first move.
For a moment, Luciard wondered if Gabriel was more interested in Hestia than in him. He looked down at her.
“Well, we’ll see later,” he muttered.
And that’s when Luciard realized just how close his face was to hers.
After all, they were dancing closely together.
After the accident in the carriage, Luciard finally understood why Gabriel had acted strangely.
“So it was because of this,” Luciard thought.
He couldn’t bring himself to say, “You’re so beautiful, that’s why he acted that way.”
Something told him if he said it, the atmosphere would change awkwardly.
‘No, maybe it’s just the mood that’s making me feel this way,’ he reasoned.
After all, this wasn’t the first time he had danced with Hestia.
He hadn’t danced in a while, but he had practiced for tonight, so it should have been familiar.
‘It must be the mood.’
If that was the case, he wouldn’t be feeling this way about Hestia.
“Anyway, it’s all acting, right?”
Hestia’s voice broke his thoughts, and he nodded. He then noticed her expression seemed a little strange.
Remembering how Gabriel kissed Hestia’s hand earlier, Luciard nervously asked,
“Why? Did you… fall for him?”
Hestia looked at him wide-eyed and then let out a small laugh.
“Why are you going that far? Absolutely not.”
“…Phew.”
Luciard sighed in relief without even realizing it.
‘Why am I relieved?’
As Luciard was lost in confusion, Hestia spoke again.
“Sure, he’s handsome, but a person’s face isn’t everything.”
“…Handsome?”
“He is. All the girls around our age say that Prince Florence is the most handsome man in the empire.”
Hestia said it casually, but Luciard didn’t like the answer.
“…I’m not sure about that.”
He mumbled, not even realizing what he said. His sulky expression looked like Leonhard’s grumpy face, and Hestia couldn’t help but laugh.
“To you, he might not seem handsome. But you’re pretty handsome too.”
Luciard’s eyes lit up.
“Am I handsome?”
“Of course! That’s why so many girls are staring at you.”
“Well… it’s probably because I’m Leon’s uncle.”
“That’s part of it, but it’s also because you’re handsome. You and Prince Florence are both handsome, but in different ways.”
“Really?”
Luciard’s lips curved into a smile. He didn’t realize his mood had improved, but he subtly asked,
“So, who do you think is more handsome?”
“Me? Well… if I had to choose, it would be you…”
Hestia said it without thinking, but as she saw Luciard’s hopeful expression and remembered their close position, she suddenly felt embarrassed.
Her ears turned red.
“…Prince Florence looks too cheesy, so I don’t like him.”
Not wanting to directly admit Luciard was handsome, Hestia quickly changed the subject.
But Luciard seemed pleased and smiled broadly.
Hestia, who saw his smile up close, felt a flutter in her chest.