🌷 Chapter Nine
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What followed was like a whirlwind.
When Evelina said she didn’t have any specific design in mind for her dress, Rania reassured her and pulled out a design book.
All the designs were so stunning that Evelina felt overwhelmed.
She didn’t think the more extravagant ones suited her, so she asked if there was something simpler. After a moment of consideration, Rania brought out another book.
“Your Grace, how about this one?”
Evelina opened the book.
The designs inside were noticeably simpler than the previous ones.
Evelina was just about to suggest that one dress would be more than enough, but Arsene beat her to it.
“All of these dresses are beautiful. Have them all made.”
“A splendid choice.”
Evelina stared at him, astonished.
“Arsene, that’s a waste of money—!”
“Pardon?”
“I— If you spend that much when I already have so many dresses…”
Evelina fidgeted and stammered, clearly uncomfortable.
She felt uneasy about him spending so much on something she thought was unnecessary.
“Evelina, there’s no need to worry about our Archduchy’s finances.”
“But… it feels like you’re wasting too much money on me.”
Though Arsene repeatedly insisted it was no issue, Evelina shook her head stubbornly.
When she said that receiving gifts of such scale was burdensome, Arsene had no choice but to nod in defeat—afraid she might refuse future gifts altogether.
“Alright. Then let’s have only half of them made.”
“No, I already have too many.”
Evelina grabbed his arm and shook her head.
The seriousness in her expression made Arsene grit his teeth to keep from laughing.
He felt like he might break into a foolish grin if he didn’t hold it in.
Evelina’s face tensed, startled by the shift in his expression.
Worried he might be upset, she quickly tried to explain herself.
“I— I didn’t mean to disrespect you, Arsene. B— But I really don’t understand why you’d spend such a ridiculous amount of money on me…”
Evelina wanted to smack her own head—she couldn’t even get her words out properly.
She cautiously raised her head when she didn’t hear a response from Arsene.
He was staring at her with a serious expression.
Then, suddenly, he took her hand.
“Y— Y— Your G— G— Grace?”
Although she had accidentally held his hand once before, this was the first time Arsene held hers.
Evelina’s eyes widened in shock.
She was so flustered that she called him “Your Grace” instead of “Arsene.”
But Arsene didn’t seem to care. Instead, he said something completely unexpected.
“I can’t wait any longer. I want to marry you right away.”
“…Pardon?”
Silence fell upon the reception room.
Rania gasped, covering her mouth.
Karina put her hand to her forehead, exasperated by her son’s foolishness.
“W— We’re already planning to get m—married…”
“It’s just too hard for me to wait that long.”
Evelina hesitated at his sudden declaration.
At that moment, Karina scolded her son in a cold voice.
“You absolute fool.”
“M— Mother!”
Evelina was stunned by Karina’s reaction.
But her expression remained cold.
“That was the most pathetic proposal I’ve ever witnessed.”
“…What?”
“The worst marriage proposal I’ve seen in my life.”
It was a remark that could crush a person’s pride.
But rather than getting angry, Arsene looked stunned.
Then he immediately turned to Evelina and apologized.
“Evelina, I’m truly sorry. I was being thoughtless.”
“…Huh?”
“I should have at least prepared a ring… I’m so embarrassed. Could you please pretend you never heard that proposal just now?”
Under the cloth covering her eyes, Evelina blinked in disbelief.
She was about to say it was fine, but she figured he might be hurt if she did—so she nodded.
“V— Very well.”
“As expected, my dear Evelina has a generous heart. If I were you, I would’ve slapped him and asked what kind of nonsense that was.”
“P—Please! I would never do that to Arsene.”
Evelina vehemently denied it, twisting her fingers nervously.
Her fingers, twitching under Arsene’s large hand, were incredibly endearing.
Arsene stared at her hands dumbly again.
Karina clapped her hands sharply, snapping her son out of his daze.
“Now then, let’s choose the dress my beloved daughter will wear for her first social debut.”
“Wouldn’t the dress I already have be enough?”
“Absolutely not. You can’t make your debut in something so plain.”
Karina spoke firmly, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Rania quietly brought out the design book she had set aside earlier and presented it to Evelina.
“I have a very lovely design right now. Would you like to take a look?”
She was someone who never missed an opportunity.
“I’ll return once the initial sewing is finished.”
Rania smiled and gave a polite bow, a look of satisfaction on her face.
After Rania left, Karina asked Evelina,
“Sweetheart, do you know the hallmark of a debutante at her coming-of-age ball?”
“She wears… a beautiful dress, right?”
Evelina responded cautiously, glancing at Karina’s eyes.
Though it seemed like a minor question, Evelina was overly worried about answering it wrong.
Karina gently wrapped an arm around Evelina and hugged her.
“Of course, a luxurious dress is important. But beyond that, a debutante also dances beautifully.”
“Oh…”
Evelina fell into a daze, thinking of the past.
She had only one brother.
Naturally, the Duke loathed her so much that she barely spoke to him.
So Evelina often spied on him in secret.
Her older brother, Adrian, was a quiet and indifferent man.
Even though he knew Evelina was shunned for being “cursed,” he didn’t bother yelling at her when they crossed paths.
But that was simply because he had more important things to do.
As the Duke’s heir, Adrian began his education early.
Yet Evelina never blamed him.
She had simply grown used to being treated that way.
Since the Duchess’s death, no banquets were held at the estate.
However, there was one exception—Adrian’s coming-of-age celebration.
Of course, Evelina was not allowed to attend. So she had no choice but to spy from a distance.
She used the servants’ passageway to sneak to the second floor, where she could glimpse the banquet hall.
Everything was dazzling.
The ladies’ dresses shimmered brilliantly beneath the colored chandelier light, and everyone wore radiant smiles.
It was a completely different world from the one Evelina lived in—dressed in old, worn clothes.
Beautiful music played, and Evelina finally saw the dances she had only read about in books.
After watching quietly for a while, a maid caught her and scolded her harshly before dragging her back to the attic.
Evelina could never forget that memory.
“My dear, I’ll teach you how to dance.”
“Me…? Can I really dance?”
“Of course you can. A debut ball means nothing if you don’t dance.”
Evelina’s heart pounded with anticipation.
She had always longed to dance, even just once in her life.
“…I know this might be presumptuous, but please teach me.”
“Just trust me, sweetheart. I even have a partner in mind for you.”
Arsene added with a smile,
“I may not be skilled, but I’ll do anything for Evelina.”
Though Arsene rarely attended balls, Karina made sure he learned to dance flawlessly.
It was the same with Karina herself—she didn’t want Arsene to fall behind others, and he didn’t either.
He had no desire to compete, but he pursued perfection.
Disliking the Emperor’s suffocating attitude, he withdrew early from the battle for the throne, leaving the ministers to their regret.
But Arsene didn’t regret it at all.
In fact, after meeting Evelina, he believed it was the best decision he’d ever made.
Had he become Emperor and tried to make her Empress, countless people would have attacked her over her crimson eyes.
Evelina had a tender heart and always blamed herself. Arsene knew he could never bear to watch her be hurt while thinking it was her fault.
So things were better this way—with no obstacles in their path.
‘Her expression definitely brightened when we talked about dancing.’
Even though he couldn’t see her eyes beneath the cloth, he was certain they were sparkling.
“You must be tired today, so let’s start the dance lessons tomorrow.”
“Alright, Mother.”
Evelina calmed her trembling heart and nodded.
And for the first time in her life… she eagerly looked forward to tomorrow.
After Karina returned to her room, Arsene thought for a moment, then spoke.
“Evelina, would you like to walk with me to the greenhouse? It would be lovely to share tea there.”
“Y—Yes, I’d like that.”
They headed to the greenhouse together.
Arsene glanced briefly at Noel, who quickly disappeared to prepare refreshments.
“Is there a specific dance you’d like to learn, Evelina?”
“Hmmmmmm… I think just learning one would be enough.”
As they neared the greenhouse, Evelina suddenly looked uneasy.
“But I’ve never danced before… will I be okay?”
“Then… shall we practice in advance?”
“Practice?”
“Yes.”
Arsene smiled gently and led her inside.
The center of the greenhouse was spacious, offering more than enough room to dance.
As he took her hand, Evelina blurted in embarrassment,
“But I’ve never danced…!”
“It’s fine. Just trust me.”
He guided her to the center.
They held hands, and Evelina rested her delicate hand on his shoulder.
“Excuse me a moment.”
Arsene softly placed his hand around her waist.
Evelina’s eyes widened at his naturally fluid movement.
“Evelina.”
“Yes?”
“Stand on my feet.”
“…Pardon?”
She couldn’t believe her ears.
But Arsene repeated himself calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“It’ll be much easier to learn if you step on my feet.”
“B—But I can’t. Your shoes will get dirty, and I’m too heavy…”
Her cheeks flushed a deep red.
“It’s fine. I can always clean them, and you’re not heavy at all, Evelina.”
“You really shouldn’t lie…”
“I’ve never lied. Trust me.”
He spoke with a soft voice.
Evelina hesitated, uncertain what to do. But Arsene didn’t seem willing to back down.
And more than that—
He didn’t seem willing to let her go.
After a long pause, Evelina finally lifted her foot… and gently stepped onto his.
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