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Chapter – 21
When the Emperor rejected the proposal, the Marquis’s face twisted slightly. It was almost admirable how hard he tried to hide his displeasure. After all, the person he feared the most—and also wanted to impress the most—was the Emperor.
Then the Emperor turned to Lafine and asked,
“More than my opinion, yours matters more. So, would you like to spend some time with your father?”
At that, Lafine widened her eyes and looked back and forth between the two men. The Marquis gave her a look, as if urging her to come to him immediately.
Lafine barely held back a scoff at that gesture. It seemed he still didn’t understand her situation. Just like before, he was trying to control her as he pleased. She looked straight at him and spoke clearly.
“I have nothing to say to the Marquis.”
She deliberately smiled. Inside, however, she thought coldly—
She would leave the Marquis and Elizabeth in even greater pain. Until they felt the same burning agony she once endured.
Compared to what she had gone through, this was nothing. And yet, he became furious just from being ignored once or twice.
Lafine carefully observed the Marquis. His expression changed dramatically. It was obvious he was trying hard to endure it in front of the Emperor.
“So that’s how it is, Marquis.”
The Emperor smiled faintly, taking Lafine’s side.
Leaving the Marquis standing there, he turned back to Lafine and spoke again.
“Ah! Lady Lafine, if I ask you to dance again, will you accept?”
Calling her by name in a friendly way, the Emperor invited her to dance with a playful tone, unlike his usual self. The Marquis, who couldn’t even smile in this situation, grew even stiffer.
He didn’t like that the Emperor was keeping Lafine close. Even if it was because of her ability, anger burned inside him.
But he couldn’t show it. All he could do was stand there helplessly and watch as the Emperor and Lafine disappeared. Without realizing it, he clenched his fists tightly.
As Lafine danced with the Emperor, the nobles began whispering among themselves.
“I heard she attempted suicide. At Countess Rosen’s tea party, no less.”
They nodded at each other.
“They say she threatened her fiancé with her life.”
“I see it differently. I personally saw Lord Playton desperately clinging to Miss Robru on Roisha Street.”
Everyone added their own comments about the rumors surrounding Lafine.
And now that she was even dancing with the Emperor, curiosity only grew stronger.
Eventually, the group of noble ladies couldn’t hold back any longer. They waited for Lafine’s dance to end, then bravely approached her as she came down after greeting the Emperor. They looked as if they were heading into battle.
Helen, who had spoken with her before, stepped forward first.
“Have you been well, Lady Lafine?”
“……”
Lafine simply nodded in response. But Helen continued smiling as she spoke again.
“You look a bit thinner. Have you not fully recovered yet?”
It was clearly a question about what happened after she fell from the tower.
Another noble lady beside Helen quickly added,
“You’re truly amazing. A woman who risks her life for love—it’s so romantic.”
Though she said it like praise, everyone knew it was sarcasm. It was just a polite way of questioning how someone could threaten their fiancé with death.
Lafine understood their intentions immediately and smiled faintly.
“Oh my, I’m not such an impressive person as to risk my life for love. I think you all misunderstand what happened that day.”
At her words, the noble ladies’ eyes widened.
“R-Really? Then… did Lord Playton lie?”
After all, Cedric had clearly said something at that tea party.
Unable to believe it, they reacted in shock.
Lafine responded calmly,
“Why would I do something so foolish? My life is more precious to me than love. That day, I did not fall on my own.”
At her calm words, the women gasped in disbelief.
“What?”
“H-How…?”
“Then who…?!”
That meant someone had pushed Lafine on purpose. They were too shocked to even close their mouths.
Only then did the incident on Roisha Street start to make sense to them.
“Then who pushed you, Lady Lafine?”
“How could someone do that…?”
Their faces darkened.
But Lafine kept smiling calmly, as if it didn’t concern her.
At that moment, she noticed Cedric lingering nearby.
Their eyes met.
The nobles began whispering again about that day.
Cedric felt uncomfortable as people noticed him. It was obvious they wanted him to explain what really happened.
But anything he said would only make things worse for him. So he could only linger around Lafine.
Lafine saw him and deliberately smiled even brighter. Then she quickly ended the topic.
“Thank you all for your concern. Thanks to you, I was able to recover and attend this eve festival in good health.”
As if waiting for this moment, someone asked,
“But how did you become His Majesty’s partner? Isn’t it proper to attend with your fiancé?”
“Oh, Cedric and I broke off our engagement not long ago.”
Once again, the crowd stirred.
“Oh my! Really?”
“Is that true?”
The noble ladies fanned themselves in shock as one surprising statement followed another.
Lafine paused deliberately before delivering the most important point.
“Yes, of course. His Majesty personally approved it—how could I lie to you?”
At her calm tone, Cedric avoided her gaze. His face darkened.
The noble ladies exchanged glances in disbelief.
“Then the rumor about Lord Playton kneeling on Roisha Street… was true?”
“……”
Lafine neither confirmed nor denied it. She simply looked at Cedric. Their eyes met briefly. Realizing the blame in her gaze, Cedric bit the inside of his cheek.
Since Lafine said nothing, others eagerly stepped in with their own accounts.
“I saw it myself! Lord Playton was fighting a knight and then begged Lady Lafine for forgiveness!”
“That’s right! I saw it too!”
“Oh my goodness!”
“How shocking!”
The crowd buzzed noisily.
Even though it all felt exaggerated, Lafine deliberately let it continue.
The noble lady who claimed to witness it even told the story like a heroic tale, and others eagerly agreed.
At this point, Cedric could no longer stay silent.
Before Lafine could speak, he stepped forward with courage.
Looking at her pitifully, he called out,
“Lafine…”
As the main figure of the story appeared, the women stepped aside, covering their mouths with fans, their faces full of excitement.
It felt as if everyone in the ballroom was now focused on the two of them.
“I won’t break off the engagement. I’ll personally submit a petition to His Majesty again.”
At his calm declaration, the women around them silently screamed in excitement.
Everyone thought their relationship had completely reversed.
But Lafine simply smiled gracefully, as if it didn’t matter at all.
“Do as you wish. Submit a petition or whatever you like.”
With those words, she turned away from him without hesitation—and walked off, disappearing from his sight.
