DSFL | Chapter 44

~Chapter 44~

As soon as I saw who it was, my eyes widened.

“Leon Oppa?”

“You’re alone right now, aren’t you.”

Even though I had a fiancé, I had come alone—and Leon looked upset about it.

After a short pause, he asked in a calm voice, trying to stay composed.

“Why didn’t you contact me?”

“Because I knew it would cause gossip if we showed up together.”

A complicated expression crossed Leon’s face.

 But he quickly hid it and gently placed the mask I was holding onto my face.

“You think I care about that kind of thing?”

“……”

“Come on. Let’s go in.”

Leon naturally escorted me.

“Two guests from the House of Roses have entered!”

At a masquerade ball, it’s customary not to reveal your identity.

 So even at the entrance, no names were announced.

But a mask doesn’t really hide who you are.

 Each noble family has its own unique color and style, which is hard to conceal.

As we entered the ballroom, my eyes met a familiar pair of green ones.

Cedric—wearing a mask similar to mine—was already there.

 He looked relieved, like he had expected me to enter with Leon.

So Cedric must’ve been the one who told Leon about me.

I had thought it before, but… Cedric still seemed to see me as a helpless little girl.

I really was fine on my own, though. Even if the family had a different opinion about it.

“Hey… that guy beside her isn’t the Duke, right?”

I heard whispers nearby. The voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it still rang clearly in my ears.

And honestly, it felt so unfair.

I did everything I could!

Wasn’t it Ricardo who caused the engagement to fall apart in the first place?

Trying to suppress my frustration must have made my mood drop.

 Leon noticed and casually started talking.

“Don’t listen to them.”

“I’m trying really hard to ignore them. Can’t you tell?”

“Unfortunately… no.”

So I failed at hiding it.

 But come on—I’m wearing a mask that covers half my face. Surely they can’t see that much.

Leon must have noticed how tired I looked, because he guided me to a quiet corner of the ballroom.

I let out a breath and sat down on a sofa.

 Once I relaxed a little, I began to notice my surroundings.

Wasn’t this year’s theme roses?

Sure enough, roses were everywhere in the ballroom.

 The other balls I had been to always felt so serious and formal.

Just thinking about them made it hard to breathe.

But tonight’s masquerade felt different—more relaxed, less stiff.

The lighting in the ballroom was dim, probably to help guests feel more at ease while wearing their masks.

 The only source of light came from magical artifacts hanging from the ceiling.

“Bianca.”

Leon sat down in front of me, looking up into my eyes.

 His expression was serious, like he had made a decision.

“From now on, you can come to me for anything. No need to hesitate.”

“……”

“Remember what I promised you a long time ago?”

His next words left me blinking in surprise.

…A long time ago.

Back then, I wasn’t very close to Cedric yet, and Leon had taken on the role of an older brother to me.

He hesitated for a moment, then gave me his usual bright smile.

“I’ll stay by your side in the way you want me to. Whatever that may be.”

He really was a good person.

 So much so that he felt… almost too good for me.

“You’re hesitating because you feel like you’re using me, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t answer—because he was right.

“I don’t care. Just do whatever you want.”

“I don’t want to go that far…”

“Bianca, I just want you to be happy.”

Leon continued in a calm, gentle voice.

“From the first moment I saw you crying… that’s all I’ve wanted.”

“……”

“If using me feels too hard, then think of it simply. I told you I’d be like family to you, remember?”

I remembered the first day I met Leon.

Back then, I was struggling to adjust to this world.

 I didn’t even want to meet people.

But Leon said something to me that day…

‘If you need an older brother, I’ll be that for you.’

Leon from that day overlapped with the Leon in front of me now.

“…You’ll get dragged into unnecessary gossip. Because of me.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting into gossip if it’s with you.”

Leon grinned playfully.

“Don’t worry. There’s no such thing as a noble living quietly in society. Whether it’s good rumors or bad ones, being talked about isn’t always a bad thing.”

He tilted one corner of his mouth and smiled as if to say, don’t you agree?

“Come on. Let’s go be the center of attention.”

Now that I thought about it, only insignificant families stayed completely quiet in noble society.

After hearing Leon, it really did start to feel like… maybe this wasn’t that big of a deal.

Even though I knew deep down, it wasn’t that simple.

***

While Leon went off to greet other nobles, I sat alone in a corner, anxiously checking the time.

I’d heard Peril was going to be here, but I hadn’t seen him.

Maybe he was in disguise, and I couldn’t recognize him.

 Or maybe… he never came at all.

Then I heard murmuring from somewhere. I turned my head instinctively.

“…”

There stood Idette, wearing the exact same dress as me.

So it finally happened.

Leon probably didn’t want this kind of rumor to spread.

Because the ballroom was so dark and only the artifact lights illuminated the space, her hair even looked like it was the same color as mine.

Good thing I tied my hair up.

Just as I suspected—Erkessian had come earlier just to confirm which dress I was wearing.

Similar accessories.

 A dress that clearly cost more than mine.

 Even the wavy hairstyle I had earlier.

Backed by the royal family’s wealth, Idette looked stunning.

Next to her, I looked like someone who tried and failed to copy her.

“…Ha.”

A laugh escaped me before I realized it.

Whispers began to grow louder around us.

“Who copied who?”

“Oh dear, this is embarrassing for both of them.”

This is exactly why I didn’t want to come.

As my head started spinning, Idette spotted me and walked over, smiling brightly.

“Miss Bianca!”

She rushed toward me, but froze mid-step when she saw my dress.

Wow. Seriously. What am I even supposed to say to this?

My vision felt dizzy.

The whispers around us got louder.

They were saying things like “The dress suits Idette better,” or “There’s no way the daughter of a marquess would copy someone else’s dress… right?”

Ugh. How am I supposed to compete with the main heroine?

Idette looked flustered and nervous, clearly upset by the situation. But the real culprit—Erkessian—was nowhere to be seen.

…Coward.

“Miss Bianca.”

Idette called my name, her voice shaking.

 From her point of view, it probably did look like I had copied her.

“Where is His Highness?”

The thought that I’d been set up to be kidnapped in her place made me want to lash out at her, even though I knew it wasn’t her fault.

It was a terrible thing to think.

At my question, Idette hesitated, then answered quickly.

“If Erkessian sees this, he’ll be angry.”

Who is she to say that to me right now?

“There’s a spare dress in the dressing room. If you change into it, he might not notice you.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Idette. But your lover wouldn’t want that.”

My voice turned cold as I added:

“Because he’s the one who created this situation.”

Idette’s eyes widened.

 But then she shook her head in denial.

“I understand that you want to avoid this situation… But I don’t think you should drag Erkessian into this.”

She thought I was lying.

Ha.

I didn’t feel like explaining, so I turned my head away.

“Idette, come here.”

At that moment, Erkessian’s voice echoed.

 Unlike earlier, he had fully stepped into the role of the crown prince.

“Let’s not let any unpleasant incidents ruin a beautiful evening.”

With his words, music filled the ballroom again.

“Oh, you don’t seem to have a partner.”

Erkessian tilted his head with a smug smirk, like he was punishing me for refusing him.

He radiated arrogance.

But then—

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Ricardo appeared from the crowd and grabbed my hand.