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Chapter 38
“Really. There’s nothing special you need to do—just enter together and have the first dance.”
“What about after that?”
“You don’t have to stay. If you’re tired, you can leave early.”
Joohee had been about to refuse, opening her mouth halfway to tell him to ask someone else, but she stopped.
He must have thought carefully before asking. It felt a bit harsh to reject him outright.
Besides, she had received help from him before, so she felt she should repay at least a little.
Even though she hesitated for a long time, Rowen didn’t rush her and simply waited.
After a while, Joohee finally spoke.
“Alright. I understand.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Rowen looked completely stunned.
He had prepared a long list of persuasive arguments because he was sure she would refuse—but none of it was needed.
He immediately erased those thoughts from his mind and smiled brightly.
“I don’t like crowded places much, so I might leave right after the first dance.”
“Alright. Do as you like.”
After hearing her answer, Rowen kept smiling until he left her room.
He usually smiled whenever he saw her—but today it was especially obvious.
Joohee almost asked if he was that happy, but she held it back, thinking she would feel embarrassed if he answered too honestly.
A few days later, Lilia visited the imperial palace.
It was time to design Joohee’s dress for the upcoming ball.
“Hello, young lady.”
“Hello.”
Joohee lifted the hem of her dress slightly as she had learned and greeted her. Lilia looked a little surprised.
She had expected her to be awkward since she had never learned etiquette before, but the gesture was quite natural.
However, she quickly hid her surprise and returned the greeting.
“I came today to talk about what kind of dress you’ll wear to the ball.”
Lilia took a large design book from her bag and sat down. Joohee sat opposite her.
“This is my design book. Take a look. You don’t have to choose something from here—if you have a design you want, feel free to tell me.”
“Alright, thank you.”
The design book was so thick it looked like it would take half a day to go through.
Joohee quickly flipped through it and chose the simplest-looking design.
“Oh my, that one?”
“Yes.”
“Good choice.”
Lilia smiled softly.
The design Joohee chose was a fitted dress that covered her from neck to arms.
The other designs were either off-shoulder or strapless, which she felt uncomfortable wearing.
Lilia put the design book away and clapped her hands twice.
Soon, the door opened and rolls of fabric were brought in.
“Now that we’ve chosen the design, it’s time to pick the fabric.”
Lilia looked very cheerful, while Joohee’s face turned slightly pale.
It looked like it would take a long time, so she asked if Lilia could just choose for her—but Lilia firmly refused.
“The ball is a lady’s stage. You’ll be attending as His Majesty’s partner—do you think you can look worse than other noble ladies? That would damage my reputation. I will not allow your dress to be inferior to anyone else’s.”
In the end, Joohee stood up weakly and approached the fabrics.
Even from a glance, they looked extremely high-quality.
“You have unusually black hair, so a red dress will suit you very well. Fortunately, His Majesty also suits red. Partners are supposed to match outfits, you know. His Majesty instructed me to follow your design completely, so choose freely.”
As Joohee touched each fabric, Lilia explained continuously beside her.
Honestly, Joohee felt like her ears were going to start bleeding.
She just wanted to choose quickly so her ears could rest.
While she was struggling to decide, Ruu came closer and sniffed one of the fabrics.
“Oh my, how intelligent. This is a very rare fabric that only I possess in the entire empire.”
Lilia smiled proudly and unfolded the fabric.
Joohee unconsciously reached out and touched it.
It was extremely soft, unlike satin or velvet.
“The best thing about this fabric is that it shines on its own, without needing crushed pearls.”
Lilia continued explaining.
“It’s tightly woven, so it doesn’t tear easily. It’s also waterproof—liquids like rain or drinks don’t absorb. You can just wipe it off with a cloth.”
She poured water directly onto the fabric.
As she said, the water did not soak in and rolled around in beads.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Excellent choice.”
Lilia packed the fabric away and said she would return for fitting once the design was ready.
Joohee thought it was over—but then realized there were accessories too, and sighed deeply.
When Joohee was first told she would be Rowen’s partner, Elizabeth had been even more excited than anyone.
“Oh my, His Majesty’s partner? You’re truly amazing.”
Elizabeth kept talking excitedly, but suddenly stood up when she realized time had passed.
“From today, your lessons will be more intense. We need to teach you dancing quickly, so please keep up.”
She led Joohee to the ballroom.
A waiting musician group was already there.
“Dance is best learned in practice, not theory.”
Elizabeth smiled and stepped forward.
“Watch carefully.”
She signaled the musicians, and music began.
Surprisingly, she was an excellent dancer.
Even alone, she moved naturally and gracefully, like flowing water.
Her body was light, like a butterfly.
When the music ended, she bowed and finished the dance.
Joohee instinctively clapped.
Elizabeth smiled proudly and approached her.
“Now, let’s begin the lesson.”
She grabbed Joohee’s hand and pulled her to the center.
“Follow me carefully.”
Joohee tried to copy her posture, but she was awkward at first.
“No, your right foot goes here.”
“Ah… sorry.”
“We need to learn another song, but time is short.”
Joohee rolled her eyes slightly and said,
“I’ll only dance the first dance with His Majesty… and then leave.”
“What? But what about the beautiful dress Madam Lilia made? Everyone will admire you! You should stay longer!”
“No. I promised His Majesty.”
Elizabeth tried to persuade her, but Joohee remained firm.
In the end, Elizabeth gave up and agreed to teach only the first dance.
“Then we’ll just learn the minuet, the first dance of the ball. That should make things easier.”
She still muttered in disappointment, but Joohee ignored her.
Elizabeth couldn’t understand her.
Wearing such a beautiful dress and leaving after only one hour felt strange.
If it were Lady Roberta, she would have stayed by the Emperor’s side all night, showing off endlessly.
Joohee suddenly stopped moving.
“That’s it for today. You’ve memorized the steps, right? You can practice even without music. Don’t make mistakes.”
“Yes.”
“Still, you’re not bad for a beginner.”
After the lesson, Joohee sighed lightly and returned to her room.
Even though the movements weren’t large, she was sweating from all the practice.
A maid waiting at the door bowed.
“I prepared a bath for you.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Joohee entered her room.
She had always bathed alone since arriving at the palace, so no one was in the bathroom.
After a simple wash, she planned to return a book to the library.
The book on other races had very little about elves—only brief notes on appearance and traits.
“Maybe I should borrow another book…”
She sighed while soaking in the bath.
But she felt that even another book would not give much more information.
Then she thought of Undine.
If anyone knew about elves, it would be a spirit.
She called immediately.
“Undine.”
—I missed you, Joohee!
Undine appeared and quickly clung to her.
The bathroom was warm and steamy, but Undine felt cool.
“I have a question.”
—What is it?
“Tell me about elves.”
—Elves?
Undine tilted her head and circled around her.
—There are very few elves left in this land. Humans drove them away, and they retreated deep into the forests.
Her voice grew sharp when she said “humans,” full of resentment.
“Where did they go?”
—I’m sorry. I made a promise with them, so I can’t tell you.
Undine looked down sadly.
—But Joohee… I can feel something similar to elves from you. You’re different from ordinary humans.
She rubbed her cheek against Joohee happily as she spoke.
