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chapter 39
The day after receiving the royal invitation to the ball, Duke Belzert’s carriage carried Rinka straight into the heart of the capital.
Ananta sat beside her, dressed as impeccably as always, and Rinka kept hesitating, bringing her hand to her lips repeatedly as if unsure whether to speak.
“Do we… really have to go this far?” she finally asked.
“Go this far?”
“For the dress… the jewelry… it could be something simple, and it would be fine…”
Ananta tilted his head slightly and gave a small smile.
“How can you say that? My fiancée is attending the capital’s ball.”
“…You’re not really my fiancé, though.”
“The city believes that. And… I want to believe it, too.”
Again, he said something like that.
Rinka spun her head sharply. She didn’t speak, but her ears flushed red in an instant. That man… his flirting was getting worse and worse. To the point of being unbearable!
The place they arrived at was the capital’s most famous boutique.
White stone walls were draped with rose vines, and the entrance was adorned with golden carvings.
Inside, a fragrant scent teased her nose, and several designers and assistants bustled about, arranging dress fabrics.
“Duke Belzert… welcome!”
The madame hurriedly came out to greet them.
“I apologize for the sudden visit.”
“It is our honor. May I ask who we have the pleasure of assisting today?”
Without hesitation, Ananta looked at Rinka and said,
“For my fiancée. She’ll be attending the ball with me.”
“…!”
The madame’s eyes widened, and Rinka stiffened for a moment, but it was already too late.
“So this must be the beautiful lady from the rumors! We should have recognized you immediately. Please, come this way.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
The designers immediately guided Rinka inside. She followed quietly, sighing inwardly.
It felt strangely familiar. She had experienced something similar before.
Wasn’t it the same pattern that day on the ship during the deck party?
“This… feels too fancy…”
The first dress she tried was a pure white silk gown layered with lace. Thin shoulder straps, a silver ribbon around the waist, and tiny pearls studded along the skirt.
It wasn’t a wedding dress, yet as soon as she changed, she was standing in front of Ananta.
“Why? It’s beautiful.”
Ananta smiled as he looked at Rinka in the mirror.
“You look like an angel descended from the heavens. Breathtakingly beautiful.”
“…Stop saying things like that.”
“Why? I mean it.”
Rinka turned her head. The reflection in the mirror looked strange to her.
It wasn’t the shirts and pants she had scavenged on pirate ships, nor the light dress she had worn for outings until recently.
This silk dress was bright enough to dazzle the eyes. Made from luxurious fabric she had never even seen in picture books.
But more unfamiliar than the dress was the way Ananta silently gazed at her. He seemed to see no one else but her.
“Next one, please.”
“This color will suit you better.”
The second dress offered by the designer was a deep purple. Ribbons and lace were adorned with black gold thread, and beads shimmered like starlight along the shoulders and chest.
“This one is more mature and elegant.”
“Hmm, nice. Want to try it on?”
Ananta looked up at her. Rinka nodded slightly and went back into the dressing room.
A few minutes later, she emerged holding the hem of the dress tightly with both hands.
“…Isn’t this color too dark?”
“No.”
Ananta replied softly.
“It’s like an enchanting witch who can captivate hearts…”
“Stop it.”
“I mean it. Why not?”
The third dress was the color of ocean waves, rippling in shades of blue.
It was the only dress Rinka had picked herself.
“This… feels familiar somehow.”
She ran her fingers gently over the lace.
“Doesn’t it feel like the sea?”
“…A very Rinka choice.”
For a moment, Ananta’s gaze wavered. He stepped closer, reaching out silently to adjust the decoration in her hair.
“But, Rinka.”
“Yes?”
“The sea is beautiful, but right now… I can’t take my eyes off you.”
Rinka froze completely. How could he casually say something like that every single time?
The moonlight bathed the Belzert estate’s garden in white.
Looking up quietly, countless stars seemed embroidered on the dark sky.
By the pond, where soft water sounds echoed, lilies and snowdrops bloomed, their petals reflecting the moonlight like silver snowflakes.
Rinka walked along the stone path, glancing at Ananta walking quietly beside her.
He matched her pace without a word.
Their hands almost brushed, the air between them both familiar and strange.
She had planned to scold him for spending recklessly when alone, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“…It’s very quiet tonight.”
Rinka spoke first.
“Yes. It’s unusually calm for the capital.”
Ananta tilted his head to look at the moon.
“But quiet isn’t necessarily bad. Walking with you like this… it’s quite nice.”
“…You said that on the ship too, you know?”
Rinka chuckled softly.
“You said the quiet night was nice then, too.”
Ananta smiled faintly.
“I remember.”
“Of course. Back then… after the deck party, just the two of us on the deck.”
Rinka tilted her head slightly.
“You held my hand tightly when I was in pain and never let go.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
“And kept asking me to stay by your side.”
“I feel the same way now.”
Ananta stepped a little closer.
“Back then… it hurt, but you were desperate. I didn’t even think about the reason. I don’t know the reason now either, but I just want you to stay by my side.”
Rinka lowered her gaze.
“…It was very windy then. My hair kept blowing in my face, and I couldn’t even open my eyes.”
“Yet you were beautiful. I still remember every moment.”
Perhaps because he hadn’t been granted the forgetfulness that others had, he might remember these moments longer.
But Ananta swallowed his words and teased lightly. Rinka shook her head.
“Don’t you want to return to the ship with me again?”
“No.”
But her lips curled upward despite her words.
They sat side by side on a low bench by the pond.
Moonlight spilled on the water, and gentle ripples scattered sparkling reflections like gold dust.
“Rinka.”
“…Yes.”
“Doesn’t this feel unfamiliar to you?”
“At first, yes. But… now, it’s a little better.”
“Why?”
“I guess… because you’re here.”
Rinka herself lowered her head, embarrassed by her own words.
Ananta looked at her and smiled quietly.
“Do you realize how much you stir my heart?”
“You’re driving me crazy. Captain, don’t say things like that so easily.”
“I’m not saying it easily. You’re just the only one who doesn’t know. I mean it.”
“So don’t say things like that recklessly!”
