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Chapter 45
The imposing figure, upon making eye contact with me, flashed that sly smile once again.
“Kalix… huh.”
Forgetting that someone was watching, I hastily covered my mouth with my hand.
“Your Highness, the Prince.”
At my hurried attempt to recover, I heard a snicker from beside me. I took a deep breath to keep my face from flushing bright red.
“Princess, it has truly been a long time.”
“Indeed it has…”
I half-offered a polite greeting to Kalix. Switching between formal and casual speech felt awkward enough to drive me crazy.
‘Ugh, Olivia’s not here now, so why is he here!’
Of course, it made sense for at least one prince to remain in the ballroom, but still, I couldn’t help but feel resentful.
Anyway, facing Kalix—who would now be on Olivia’s side—felt even more uncomfortable than before.
Kalix’s attention shifted away from me to someone beside me. Realizing this, I suddenly remembered I’d made a mistake.
“This is…”
In a world where it was proper for a higher-ranking person to introduce someone of lower status, I began to speak—but had no clue how to introduce Saint.
He was a priest but had no noble title, and to top it off, he was an uninvited guest…
Would it be okay to tell Kalix the truth?
As I struggled to find the right words, cold sweat pouring, a phrase that Leshel had said to Saint suddenly came to mind.
‘High Priest… candidate…?!’
At the time, in the midst of chaos, it hadn’t registered, but reflecting on it now, it was shockingly surprising.
“Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you. I am Saint, a priest of Pallium and a candidate for the Empire’s High Priest.”
Saint spoke up in my stead while I was frozen like a stone.
“A candidate for High Priest… I had no idea I was meeting a celebrity.”
Kalix said as he extended his hand to Saint.
“You seem close with the princess.”
“We are not distant.”
During their brief handshake, a sharp, icy look passed between them. The murderous aura was so intense it sent shivers down my spine.
‘What’s with those two?’
They were strangers, but already seemed hostile to one another.
‘They’re both fiery characters, I guess.’
Neither Kalix nor Saint had particularly refined manners, so I decided this tension was to be expected.
“The speeches are done, and the hall’s been cleared. There’s still plenty of time left.”
Kalix looked me squarely in the eyes. When I tried to avoid his gaze, he added,
“You told me to see you later, didn’t you?”
Then he smiled softly, closing his eyes.
Even though there were people watching, this seemed like an exaggerated display driven by some unspoken awareness.
“I’m going to talk with him for a bit.”
Saint nodded slightly—not exactly agreeing, but not stopping me either. His ambiguous behavior was clearly a positive response.
‘Couldn’t you at least try to hold me back!’
But my silent plea didn’t reach him.
Kalix and I moved to a less crowded area. Fortunately, the first song started, and most people headed back to the main hall.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation by trusted subordinates. The results should come out soon.”
Kalix still had that incident on his mind. Since Olivia was involved, that was natural.
‘What if they conclude I’m the culprit?’
That possibility wasn’t zero.
The crack that swallowed Olivia definitely felt unnatural. If someone had orchestrated this to frame me…
“What are you worrying about?”
Kalix snapped his fingers sharply in front of my face as I zoned out.
“People aren’t ants, and the victim’s not even dead. Do you think anyone’s going to pin it on you?”
He precisely identified my concern. His expression said it was pointless to suspect me.
‘That’s unexpected, even considering that day.’
This thought alone struck me.
In the original story, Kalix’s true enemy wasn’t Nox, who also loved the same person, but Lilith. That’s the kind of reaction a male lead would have toward a villainess.
I’d seen countless scenes where Kalix condemned and clashed with Lilith, not only in the ballroom but everywhere.
It was natural to see Kalix in the original story and the present situation overlap in my mind.
“I thought you wouldn’t believe me.”
But thinking back, Kalix had never actually blamed me—just never explicitly said he trusted me.
And… he had said something comforting in the end.
“What do you think I am?”
He glared at me with displeasure.
“A playboy?”
“Seriously.”
Kalix frowned at my dumb answer.
As the silly conversation continued, the music changed. A new song began, and people started switching partners.
Kalix reached out his hand to me. When I stared blankly, he urged me with his eyes.
“Don’t you have someone else to dance with?”
I tilted my head and asked.
It was strange for me to dance with Kalix. He wasn’t exactly the type to enjoy dancing, and in the original, he only danced with Olivia.
“I do.”
The answer came quickly, as if it were obvious. Just as I thought ‘Of course,’
“You know.”
That next phrase stopped me completely.
“Me?”
I struggled to think, like my brain was paralyzed, until the answer hit me.
‘Olivia’s not here right now.’
So looking for a substitute wasn’t strange.
“Did you forget?”
Kalix’s face slightly creased, as if he expected nothing from me.
He frowned, tidied his disheveled clothes, and extended his hand to me again politely.
A deep red gaze flowed toward me with clear intensity.
“Will you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
Kalix repeated the same words he said on the first day. Only then did I realize how foolish I’d been.
Today was different—there was no one to interfere this time. Hesitating, I took Kalix’s hand.
His arm supporting my back pulled me close, and our fingers intertwined gently. I’d never imagined a scene like this—it made my insides flutter.
But when the music started, the feeling quickly vanished. Just three days without dancing, and it already felt like my skills had rusted.
I forgot that good dancing meant moving naturally while talking, and kept my lips tightly shut. I focused on perfecting the steps and motions.
One thought filled my head:
‘I have to dance perfectly no matter what!’
I didn’t want Kalix to remember me as someone with poor skills. If I stepped on his feet even once, I’d be teased for at least ten years.
“Lilith.”
Kalix called my name, and I barely lifted my head. I blinked nervously, meeting his gaze without answering.
He sighed with a laugh.
“I can’t tell which is the dream anymore.”
I had no idea what he meant by that.
Thanks to my firm focus, the dance ended flawlessly. It seemed even better than the first day.
“What do you think? Perfect, right? I’m the best dancer here, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Though I humored his spoiled tone, his arrogance soared sky-high. He’d never looked down on my dancing before, but still, my shoulders lifted a bit proudly.
I was just thinking about who else I could dance with to show off my skills when Kalix was the first to let go of the hand.
Only my hand remained dangling in the air. I looked at Kalix in confusion.
“What, not going?”
Kalix asked me back.
“You’re not going to stick around with me, right? Go on then.”
There was no hint of lingering feelings in his voice.
I was going anyway after dancing once… but his reaction felt strangely awkward.
“…I’m going? Really?”
I asked repeatedly, but he just nodded.
As I returned to my original place, I kept glancing back. But Kalix was already surrounded by nobles, deep in conversation.
‘What’s this strange feeling…’
I hadn’t expected anything more from him, yet the feeling was odd.
Saint was still where I’d left him, standing there. Even standing still, he radiated an untouchable presence.
He turned toward me before I even greeted him.
“Saint.”
When I called his name, a faint flicker of interest passed through his indifferent eyes.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Somewhat.”
I couldn’t say I was unhappy, so it was true.
‘What should I do now?’
Anyway, Saint had come to the ballroom because of me, so I felt sorry for leaving him alone.
“…Um. Would you like to dance with me once?”
I smiled awkwardly and invited him.
“I do not know how to dance.”
But his answer was cold.
“If you truly consider me a noble, that would be difficult.”
“Oh… um.”
I had completely forgotten because his elegant manner and atmosphere felt natural.
“If you want, I can learn for next time.”
I nodded even though I wasn’t sure there would be a next time, since refusing felt rude.
“The ballroom feels a bit stuffy, doesn’t it? Shall we go outside?”
As I tried to ease the situation and led him toward the back door, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
I didn’t even have to guess whose strong grip it was. That irritating voice belonged to only one person—Abel.
