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Chapter 7
Terrace at Midnight
Grace, seated in her chair, whispered to Lisa.
“Why did such a rumor even start?”
Lisa turned her head in embarrassment.
“Well… it’s true that you’re beautiful, my lady.”
“That’s too much.”
“What can we do? Oh? Lord Gray is coming this way.”
“What?”
Following Lisa’s gaze, Grace turned her head. Houns Gray was approaching. Behind him, two women were watching while holding open their fans.
“Excuse me… are you Lady Grace Broighton?”
To ask so directly? Grace’s eyes trembled in panic. Being stared at by three people felt as suffocating as being surrounded by thirty.
“Ah, well, I am….”
“If you are, then please forgive my rudeness, but would you dance with me?”
At Gray’s sudden invitation, Grace’s mind became even more complicated. She had no partner, so refusing in front of him was difficult. But admitting she was Grace Broighton and accepting also felt uncomfortable.
More than anything, she already had someone she had promised to dance with.
And just as she was about to refuse, a man’s voice suddenly rang out from behind.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
At the clear, low voice, both Grace and Gray turned their heads.
A tall man stood behind Houns Gray. His face was hidden in darkness, but brown hair showed beneath his mask. Even in a tailcoat, his broad shoulders and chest were impossible to hide.
“She already promised to dance with me, her fiancé.”
As the corner of the man’s lips lifted, Houns Gray spoke.
“Oh, then perhaps—”
“My fiancée is not Lady Grace Broighton. I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
“I see. My apologies.”
Houns Gray bowed and returned to where he had been. Grace let out a relieved breath. Then she looked at the man standing before her.
A man wearing a black mask and a tailcoat. A man whose confident presence overflowed even while standing still. A man whose blue eyes shone faintly in the dark.
“Lord Aiden Turner?”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Grace Broighton?”
Aiden held out his hand. Grace took his escort and stood up. The music changed tempo at that moment. A three-beat rhythm—waltz.
“Can you dance the waltz?”
“I can follow a little.”
Aiden took her hand in his, while the other rested on her waist.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t startled by how close they had suddenly become. Grace flinched, and Aiden gently tightened his grip as if to reassure her.
As they began moving to the music, his voice immediately reached her ear. A strangely familiar, deep and clear voice.
“It’s an honor to dance with you.”
“Pardon?”
“The incarnation of the goddess of beauty, Adelina?”
In an instant, Grace stepped on Aiden’s foot, and their dance stopped. Her face turned bright red.
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Just relax and keep dancing.”
Unlike the flustered Grace, Aiden remained calm and composed. He naturally led the dance and the conversation.
“Did you hear all those ridiculous rumors?”
“About Adelina’s incarnation and even a siren?”
“Oh my….”
Grace sighed in disbelief, and Aiden let out a small laugh.
“If I had arrived just a little later, I would have had to watch you dance with someone else.”
“I would have refused.”
“So I shouldn’t have stepped in?”
“No, that’s not it. I’m grateful.”
The two continued stepping in rhythm as the lively music carried them around the ballroom.
“So, how do you like tonight’s ball, Grace?”
“It’s fascinating. I’ve never been in a mansion like this before.”
“I thought Lady Roland’s ball would be comfortable for you to attend.”
“Thank you for suggesting it.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I am too.”
“For what?”
“Meeting you, Aiden.”
A soft laugh brushed against her ear. Grace glanced sideways and saw a lifted smile beneath the mask.
Suddenly, she felt that the distance to those lips was too close, so she turned her head away.
“To hear that from the incarnation of Adelina… I’m honored.”
“Please stop calling me Adelina.”
“Then a siren who bewitches people?”
“Neither of those makes sense.”
“Do you prefer Rococo style, then?”
“No. Please forget everything you’ve said today.”
“Then I’ll have nothing left to forget.”
“What?”
Startled again, Grace stepped on his foot.
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. My light-as-feather goddess of beauty.”
“Ah, please…!”
Just as Grace sounded close to pleading, the waltz came to an end. Aiden released his hand from her waist and looked at her.
“Shall we go to the drawing room?”
“No.”
“Then—”
“Let’s go to the terrace.”
At her words, Aiden’s eyes widened. He covered his mouth briefly, but his slightly open lips were still visible between his fingers.
Aiden escorted her out of the ballroom. As they stepped onto the terrace, a cool night breeze swept over them.
When the door closed behind them, the music faded, replaced by the sound of insects in the garden.
Grace stared blankly at the night garden, then turned to face Aiden. His tall silhouette, bathed in moonlight, looked dignified just by standing there.
Aiden took a step closer. His expression was hard to read in the dark, but his lifted lips were faintly visible. His blue eyes shone like lapis lazuli.
He took two more steps closer. Just as the distance became too small, he lowered his head.
“Huh?”
With a metallic click, their masks touched, and as their noses brushed—
Grace quickly opened her fan and placed it between their lips. The fan blocked the space between them.
Beyond the mask, his blue eyes stared directly at her.
Grace’s mind went hazy at the overwhelming closeness, and her heart pounded wildly. Her thoughts scattered like an explosion.
Of course! This is exactly what my fiancé is like! A reckless, light-hearted soul! Even if you pour alcohol on those feather-light lips and boil them at 100°C, it won’t change!
Trying to steady herself, Grace finally spoke.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You suggested going to the terrace. I simply followed that, or did I misunderstand?”
“Yes. You misunderstood. I only wanted to have a sincere, deep conversation with you.”
Aiden blinked rapidly. His eyes also shifted left and right in confusion.
“Ah… I was too hasty. I apologize.”
“Could you step back a little?”
Aiden spread both hands and stepped away. Grace kept her fan in front of her face. His lips drooped slightly.
“I’m sorry. I won’t act on my own again. Could you lower the fan?”
“……”
“The only part of your face I can see is your lips. It makes it hard to read your expression. We need to have a proper conversation.”
Finally, Grace closed the fan.
“Do not come any closer than that distance.”
“I promise.”
“I hope your promises are not as light as your lips.”
At her sharp words, Aiden chuckled softly.
“So, what did you want to talk about, Grace?”
“About marriage.”
She spoke seriously.
“Aiden, do you want this marriage?”
“Such an obvious question.”
He folded his arms and leaned casually against the terrace.
“I’m serious about our marriage. Didn’t I say in my letter? That I would make this marriage a success.”
“But you don’t love me.”
At her words, Aiden smiled gently.
“Do you love me?”
Grace shook her head firmly. Seeing that, he laughed again. Regardless of his laughter, she continued.
“Then I think this marriage should not proceed.”
Silence hung between them for a moment. Then Aiden spoke.
“Do you like tea?”
“What?”
“Coffee or tea—what do you prefer?”
“Coffee.”
“I’ll make you coffee every morning. Toast, pancakes, even soft oatmeal porridge. I’ll bring whatever you like to your bed.”
“You don’t have to….”
“After breakfast, we’ll go to the ‘Peaceful Resonance’ and read the newspaper together, feeling the world. In the afternoon, we’ll be busy with work, so we won’t see each other much. But we’ll always have dinner together. I promise.”
“That kind of….”
The scenes he described became vivid in Grace’s mind. Waking up together, going out together, sharing peaceful meals in a shared home.
“In the evening, we’ll spend quiet time together. You don’t have to force yourself to attend social events because of me. I promise that too.”
“There’s no way….”
“No. I won’t force you into anything you don’t want.”
“What do you gain from going that far?”
As soon as she said it, Grace regretted it. A marriage tied to a title that money couldn’t buy—that was what this was. But Aiden didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Everything. Everything I want.”
Even behind the mask, his confidence and ease were clear in his smile.
“You won’t regret it.”
“……”
“I don’t make empty promises.”
“……”
“You didn’t regret today’s ball, did you?”
“Marriage is different from a ball.”
Grace objected, but Aiden replied calmly yet firmly.
“No. It’s similar. More precisely, it’s like a dance.”
“A dance?”
“Yes. Two people match their rhythm. One may be clumsy, the other may get stepped on. But it’s still enjoyable. The dance continues as long as the music plays, as long as two people are together.”
In that moment, Grace recalled dancing with Aiden. How many times she had stepped on his feet, and yet how gently he had smiled.
She also thought he was a rather literary person. And that this moment itself felt very poetic.
The countless stars in the night sky, the sound of insects in the distance, the cool touch of marble beneath her fingers, and the one-step distance between them.
On the carriage ride home, Grace sat quietly in thought. Lisa watched her carefully.
“How was your conversation?”
“He’s a good person.”
“Is that so?”
At Grace’s positive evaluation, Lisa’s face brightened.
“Yes. He’s too good for someone like me.”
“Too good?! My lady, you’re wonderful too!”
“Am I?”
“Yes! Of course. I’m relieved you’ve found a good match!”
Watching Lisa genuinely relieved, Grace simply smiled without answering.
Lisa… that’s why I can’t go through with this marriage.
I’ll make sure this marriage falls apart somehow.
