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Chapter 15
The carriage bearing the golden emblem of Carsian had unbelievably smooth seating.
The duchy ruled by the Carsian family was not far from the capital, so although the journey was not very long, it was completely comfortable.
Still, it felt awkward every time my eyes met Ludwig’s.
Ah, it happened again just now.
The moment I turned my gaze away from the window.
No, thinking about it carefully, wasn’t it strange that our eyes met every single time I turned around?
Unless Ludwig had been staring at me the whole time.
When I looked directly at him as if asking whether he had something to say, Ludwig was the first to look away instead.
‘What is this?’
Tilting my head slightly, I looked back out the window.
“The heir of Carsian, Young Master Ludwig Carsian, and his partner, Lady Sierra Drenihan, have arrived!”
The servant’s loud announcement was immediately followed by waves of murmuring.
Together with Ludwig, I stepped into the ballroom.
I did not even have time to admire the grand ballroom of Carsian, said to be the most beautiful in the Empire, before hundreds of gazes poured toward us.
Some people covered their mouths in shock.
Others stared with wide eyes.
There were far more nobles gathered here than at my birthday banquet or awakening celebration.
Some had even come from distant lands, and there seemed to be delegates from foreign countries as well.
‘What do you think? This is probably your first time seeing the most handsome man in the entire Empire… no, the entire world.’
The black and red formal outfit suited Ludwig ridiculously well.
At this point, reactions like these were only natural.
Rumors about him being a monster had spread everywhere, so somehow I felt refreshed seeing everyone react like this.
If the Crown Prince had been my favorite character in the original story, then Ludwig had been my second favorite.
Well, at least before Ludwig lost control and caused the tragic ending.
If I had actually seen this face back then, Ludwig would have instantly become my favorite without question.
Either way, I realized I had always held a small amount of fangirl affection for Ludwig.
I had not noticed it until now, but suddenly that thought crossed my mind as I watched everyone’s reactions.
The moment I smiled, I heard people around us sharply inhale.
When I glanced around, the hall became even noisier.
Receiving Ludwig’s escort, I chose an appropriate place to stand.
Many nobles cautiously edged closer while watching our reactions, but none of them dared speak first.
Not long afterward, Zeria and Callic arrived as well, having left slightly later than us.
True to her reputation as the queen of high society, countless young ladies immediately gathered around Zeria.
“It’s been so long, Lady Zeria.”
“Did you enjoy your Academy life?”
“It’s wonderful seeing you again.”
Zeria truly stood out among the crowd.
Her beauty alone drew attention, and the luxurious dress she wore only made her even more eye-catching.
While responding to the endless questions, she glanced around and soon found me.
Then she led her entire group toward me.
“Sister, you left too quickly earlier, so I couldn’t say this before… I apologize for what I said earlier. You seemed uncomfortable.”
An apology? From the arrogant Zeria?
Even the surrounding people looked back and forth between us with disbelief.
Without even waiting for my response, Zeria quickly turned around and left.
‘What is she doing now?’
She stirred up everyone’s curiosity and then simply walked away.
Anyone seeing it would think I had forced her to apologize.
I could already imagine what Zeria would later tell her followers behind my back.
‘Do whatever you want.’
Snorting quietly, I barely resisted the urge to raise my middle finger at her retreating figure.
At that moment, the servant loudly announced once more.
“Lord Alfonso Carsian and the Grand Duke of Carsian have arrived!”
Everyone immediately showed respect toward the two men.
One of them was the Grand Duke of Carsian, whom I had seen before at the birthday banquet.
The other was—
An old man walking ahead of even the Grand Duke.
He was the old snake who practically held the true power of the Carsian Grand Ducal House.
Alfonso Carsian.
The younger brother of the former Grand Duke and the current head of the Council of Elders.
Instead of gathering around the Grand Duke, people flocked toward Alfonso.
Everyone already knew who truly held power.
After giving a short opening speech from the stage, Alfonso officially began the banquet.
Music soon filled the ballroom, and couples began dancing together.
I was absentmindedly watching them when suddenly Ludwig held out his hand toward me.
“Would you honor me with a dance, Sierra?”
His polite gaze rested gently upon me.
Behind one of the pillars, I could see young ladies nervously tearing at their handkerchiefs while debating whether to approach him or not.
‘He’s asking me to dance? Why?!’
In the original story, Jena once said Ludwig did not seem to enjoy dancing very much.
He had never once offered his hand to her first during a banquet.
Still feeling dazed, I carefully took Ludwig’s hand.
“O-Of course.”
Right before my debutante, my condition had suddenly worsened, so I had never danced in a large ballroom like this before.
I had learned how to dance, but this was my first real experience.
‘I can do this… right?’
Feeling nervous, I began following Ludwig’s lead.
The moment Ludwig and I stepped onto the dance floor, the other couples naturally moved aside and gave us the center.
Carefully recalling my distant memories, I began dancing slowly to the elegant music.
Ludwig was an excellent lead.
Not only that, but he adjusted naturally even to my small habits, so despite my worries, our coordination was surprisingly good.
I was staring down at my feet while desperately concentrating on not messing up my steps when I suddenly heard a soft laugh above me.
Looking up at Ludwig, I blinked.
“Ah, forgive me. You looked cute while concentrating so hard.”
Wasn’t it a crime for someone with that face to say things like that?
My tension instantly disappeared, and my feet nearly tangled for a moment.
“Ah!”
At that moment, a strong arm wrapped around my waist.
The movement flowed so naturally like water that my mistake was not noticeable at all.
“Are you alright?”
His deep voice brushed against my ear, and I quickly nodded.
When our eyes met at such close distance, I found myself unable to look away from him.
Like that, while holding his gaze, I allowed myself to follow Ludwig’s lead until the song ended safely.
As the final note faded away, Ludwig and I bowed politely toward each other.
At the same time, applause burst out around us.
Considering this was our first time dancing together, our harmony had been strangely perfect.
The hand holding mine felt even warmer now.
As we walked off the dance floor, Alfonso approached us.
“So this is why you suddenly started doing things you never do before. It seems you wanted to play around with romance. I suppose your family name is the only thing you have to show off.”
Chuckling unpleasantly, Alfonso tapped Ludwig’s arm with his wrinkled hand.
The moment Alfonso touched him, Ludwig’s face instantly turned cold.
“Well now, look who it is. My nephew has become even more handsome since I last saw him.”
A young man resembling Alfonso stepped forward behind him.
“Father, romance? Don’t joke too much. With Ludwig’s personality, romance is impossible. Anyone can tell Lady Drenihan only agreed to accompany him out of courtesy after the previous incident.”
“Ahem. I was merely joking.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Drenihan. I am Gacent Carsian.”
He seemed to be Alfonso’s youngest son and did not look much older than Ludwig.
“By the way, Carsian’s colors suit you very well.”
Behind his casual smile was something deeply unpleasant.
His words were polite, but the way he looked me over felt subtle and disgusting.
Like his father, he resembled a sly snake, yet somehow even more sinister.
“Would you grant me a dance as well?”
At his words, the woman standing beside him stared at Gacent in disbelief.
Apparently, he had not even shared the first dance with his own partner yet, but here he was asking me instead.
“I’m sorry, but I twisted my ankle while leaving the dance floor.”
I answered with a bright smile.
“I don’t think I can dance anymore tonight.”
The moment I rejected him clearly and directly, Gacent looked briefly stunned.
However, he soon smiled pleasantly again and stepped away.
Alfonso shot me a glare that clearly said, Who do you think you are to reject my son? before turning back toward the people calling for him.
At that moment, Ludwig’s worried voice reached me.
“Sierra, does your ankle hurt badly? I will call a physician immediately—”
“No, I’m alright.”
Smiling softly, I whispered,
“I lied.”
At my words, Ludwig looked briefly surprised before letting out a small laugh.
“So that was it. I’m relieved.”
“But my dress became slightly messy, so I’ll go to the reception room for a moment.”
“Yes. I’ll wait here.”
There was no need for him to wait, but since I would return quickly anyway, I simply nodded and headed toward the reception room.
On the way, I noticed Zeria talking with Gacent.
They seemed surprisingly familiar with each other.
‘A pair of cockroaches really do gather together nicely.’
I glared at them briefly.
For a moment, my eyes met Zeria’s, but I ignored her and continued walking.
After finding an empty reception room among the many available rooms, I entered and began fixing my slightly disheveled dress while looking into the mirror.
As I adjusted it, I suddenly remembered just how close Ludwig and I had been earlier.
Close enough to feel each other’s breath.
Just as my thoughts began turning strange—
Click.
I heard the door shut behind me.
“Hm?”
Turning around, I looked behind me.
“Oh, someone was already here.”
The person who closed the door was none other than Gacent.
With an unpleasant smile on his face, he slowly approached me.
