~Chapter 45~
I looked between the princess and the duke with wide eyes before bowing respectfully.
“Larit Ansi, at your service, Duke Claudius.”
His glacier-blue eyes met mine directly.
Then, a gentle smile spread across his handsome face.
Unlike with the princess, it was a warm, kind smile.
“I apologize for being a little late.”
Snapping out of my daze, I quickly shook my head.
“Not at all. We’re honored that you could grace us with your presence, Your Grace.”
“Hearing that makes me even more grateful. And these people are…”
The duke looked over my shoulder and gently greeted those behind me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Dietrich von Claudius.”
At the end of his gaze stood my parents—completely frozen in place.
Ah…
My heart swelled suddenly.
‘The Duke… He’s being considerate of my parents.’
With just one gesture, he sent a message to everyone present.
That he respected the Ansi family.
That my parents mattered enough for the Duke of Claudius to greet them first.
“I-It’s an honor to meet you, Duke Claudius. I am the Marquess of Ansi.”
“It’s truly an honor to receive Your Grace at our home.”
My parents bowed and replied.
Though their voices trembled slightly with nerves, their expressions were bright.
The duke offered them one more polite smile before turning back to me.
“Lady Ansi.”
“Yes, sir.”
I answered stiffly, suddenly tense.
Then, the duke extended his hand with perfect formality.
“If you’ll allow me, may I have this dance?”
“…”
In that moment,
Something warm and overwhelming rushed up inside me.
Yes, this ballroom was part of our family estate…
But I had never made a good memory here.
Back then, all I ever did was assist Seraphina and Gregory from the shadows.
I just watched Seraphina shine in the spotlight, surrounded by admiration.
I had never once felt like the host of this space.
But today, things were different.
“With pleasure.”
As I carefully placed my hand in his,
For the first time ever, I felt like this space belonged to me.
“Shall we?”
The duke gave a gentle smile and gracefully led me to the dance floor.
Meanwhile, 30 minutes earlier…
At the Gusto Count’s mansion, the ballroom was completely empty.
“…”
“…”
It felt like a funeral had taken place.
The summer banquet, usually an important event for the Gusto family, had turned into a disaster.
During the social season, events like this were typically hosted by the region’s leading houses.
For the Gusto family, it was a chance to show off their influence in the South.
They always invested heavily in their summer banquets—this year included.
They had expected to lose some guests to the Ansi family’s party… but not all of them.
Seraphina bit her lip.
‘I didn’t expect the Claudius family’s name to carry this much weight…’
Not even a single servant passed through the ballroom.
The musicians stood in the corner, nervously clutching their instruments, glancing at one another.
Elaborate dishes sat cold and untouched on the buffet table.
The whole place gave off an eerie, empty vibe.
‘This can’t go on.’
Seraphina looked down at the fancy invitation in her hand.
It was from the Ansi family.
Officially, it was a polite gesture between neighboring nobles—and their families had once discussed a marriage alliance.
But both Seraphina and the sender knew what it really was.
A jab. A perfectly polite but cruel jab.
‘How humiliating.’
Seraphina clenched the card tightly.
Her knuckles turned white.
‘Still… I can’t just sit here and do nothing.’
She couldn’t waste away at this dead party while all the important nobles gathered at the Ansi estate.
She needed to be seen.
She needed to be remembered.
With a sweet voice, she called out to Gregory.
“Greggy?”
He looked up, nervously tapping his foot.
Seraphina gave him her gentlest smile.
“I think I’ll go to the Ansi party.”
Until now, Gregory had never objected to anything Seraphina said.
Naturally, she expected the same this time.
But—
“What?!”
To her surprise, Gregory stood up in shock.
“Seraphina, what are you saying? Do you hear yourself right now?”
Seraphina blinked at him in disbelief.
The gentle Gregory she knew was gone.
Startled by the unfamiliar anger in his face, she stammered.
“G-Greggy, calm down…”
“You’re seriously thinking of going to the Ansi party without me?”
Gregory glared at her, eyes bloodshot.
“Do you know who’s to blame for all this mess?!”
It was true.
Princess Claudius had unexpectedly declared she would attend the Ansi party—all because of Seraphina.
If she hadn’t needlessly provoked Larit, things wouldn’t have spiraled like this.
Gregory was furious.
“You know what kind of pressure I’m under from my family?!”
“Greggy, I—”
“Do you know how mad my father was when he heard?!”
He clenched his fists in rage.
“He told me to fix things with House Claudius—no matter what!“
Indeed, Gregory was under enormous pressure.
Larit, who had always obeyed quietly, had boldly broken off their engagement.
Not a single person from House Gusto had been invited to the Claudius family’s events.
The Claudius house never said why, but…
“Isn’t it because you ruined things with that girl Larit?!”
His father had roared at him.
“I heard the princess is quite fond of her. If she’s doing this for that girl…”
Bang!
The count had slammed his fist into the armrest.
“How do you plan to fix this mess?!”
And so, Gregory had been spiraling from stress.
Now Seraphina—the very person who started it—wanted to just leave and go enjoy the Ansi party?
‘He’s really, really mad right now…’
Sensing the tension, Seraphina trembled pitifully.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you…”
“Then what did you mean to do?!”
“It’s just… I was curious. The Ansi party seems to be going so well, and I wanted to see why…”
She trailed off and stole a glance at Gregory.
“If we learn what worked for them, we can use it for our next party too, right?”
“Seraphina…”
“I’m doing this for you, Greggy…”
Gregory closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
His head was burning.
He knew exactly why people flocked to the Ansi party.
It wasn’t a mystery.
The answer was clear: Princess Claudius.
But looking at Seraphina tremble like a delicate flower…
“Fine. Then I’ll go with you.”
“What?”
A small frown tugged at Seraphina’s brow.
