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~CHAPTER 98~
“Sir Derek?”
I looked over his shoulder in confusion.
A man was walking in through the entrance of the ballroom.
Not only Derek but everyone seemed tense as they watched him.
But who was he?
He had black hair and pale gray eyes.
Handsome, yes, but his body was thin and wiry.
Anyway, he wasn’t someone in Amelia’s memory.
“Who is that?”
I whispered to Derek, and he quietly replied,
“Layton Ascard, the current Master of the Mage Tower.”
“…Ah, the Master of the Mage Tower.”
Right, the same Master I’d met briefly on the way back from the slave auction.
I quickly looked down at the red magic stone bracelet wrapped around my wrist.
Sure enough, it was flickering rapidly.
‘It’s actually pretty accurate, huh?’
Worried it might draw attention, I pushed the bracelet up inside my sleeve.
Ascard’s gray eyes swept across the ballroom until they met mine.
His eyes curved faintly as he smiled and walked toward me.
Derek moved protectively in front of me, but Ascard spoke to me as if Derek wasn’t even there.
“Lady Amelia Wentworth, correct? I saw you when you were very young, but I recognized you right away. I expected you’d grow into a beauty, but you’ve surpassed my expectations.”
He was clearly speaking to me, so I couldn’t just ignore him.
I stepped out from behind Derek.
He gave me a worried look, but I raised my hand slightly to show I was fine.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Count Ascard.”
“I just said it’s not the first time, though I suppose it’s practically the same, since you wouldn’t remember. Still, nice to see you. I’ve been very curious about you.”
“Curious? About what exactly?”
At my question, Count Ascard stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“Curious about someone who knows fate.”
My head thudded as if struck.
But I forced a calm smile as he stepped back again.
“I’m not sure what you mean. Perhaps the Master of the Mage Tower tends to be a bit eccentric?”
“That might be one of my traits.”
He spoke gently, but there was something dangerous in his tone.
He looked at me with curiosity, but it wasn’t entirely friendly.
Then music began to play through the ballroom.
Graduates, their families, and guests began pairing up to dance.
I had no intention of joining in, so I tried to move toward the edge of the room.
But Count Ascard suddenly raised his hand toward me.
“My lady, may I have the honor of this dance?”
A shiver ran down my entire body.
What is he planning?
I looked up at his smiling face.
His smile was handsome, sure, but I’d built an immunity to such things thanks to the crown prince, Vincent.
Besides, I reminded myself—Count Ascard might look young, but he was actually over seventy.
So was I going to refuse?
Suppressing the goosebumps, I carefully placed my hand in his.
Not because I wanted to—because I was scared.
With so many eyes watching, refusing his invitation might end with me struck by lightning or flattened by a falling boulder again.
Vincent wasn’t here either, so I wasn’t sure if rejecting him was even an option.
If dancing once can keep the peace, then so be it.
Count Ascard gripped my hand tightly and pulled me closer.
“It’s an honor, my lady.”
“I’m not very good at dancing.”
“That’s quite all right.”
I could feel Derek’s uneasy gaze following me as he stepped back.
He wasn’t the only one.
Many others had recognized Count Ascard and were now watching us closely.
My arms and neck stiffened.
“Relax, be at ease.”
The man responsible for all this attention seemed perfectly pleased.
He guided me through the steps to the sound of the strings.
His steady gaze was unnerving, so I lowered my eyes, pretending to focus on my feet.
Then his voice came again.
“Do you happen to know what happens next?”
“Pardon?”
I looked up, confused, and met his gray eyes.
“I wondered if you might know. What happens after I arrive here?”
“How could I possibly—”
But before I could finish, a vision flashed through my mind the moment our eyes met.
I turned my head sharply.
Across the ballroom, Duke Wentworth was staring in our direction.
Ascard noticed my reaction immediately.
“Ah, so Duke Wentworth is heading this way, I see.”
“N-no, he’s not.”
“Shall we make a bet, then? On whether he comes or not.”
His confident tone made me shut my mouth.
Instead, I lifted my heel and brought it down hard on his foot.
Count Ascard’s face twisted in pain.
Unlike Vincent, he hadn’t managed to dodge.
I gasped dramatically and apologized.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry! I’m terrible at dancing.”
“I think that’s enough dancing for now, Count Ascard. Please excuse me.”
With that, I hurriedly walked away from the center of the ballroom.
Count Ascard limped toward the corridor at the back.
He was probably going to check if his foot was still intact.
It was oddly satisfying to realize that even a terrifying Master of the Mage Tower wasn’t immune to simple physical pain.
I’d dared to act because he’d seemed determined to maintain at least a gentleman’s manners toward a lady.
Older nobles were said to cling to such notions of dignity.
Surely he won’t roast me alive over one clumsy misstep… right?
Because both of us had left the hall, the future I’d seen shifted.
Duke Wentworth, who had been planning to come this way, stopped and joined another conversation instead.
To avoid more attention, I moved toward a window at the edge of the ballroom.
Cool air from the slightly open window calmed my nerves.
Derek approached, his face still tense.
“My lady, he’s dangerous.”
“I know. But if I’d acted too hostile, it could’ve made things worse.”
He didn’t argue further, as if he understood that I’d done my best.
Leaning against the wall, I asked him,
“Can a knight defeat a mage?”
“Normally, no. A regular mage can’t overpower a regular knight. Magic takes time to cast.”
“And if the mage isn’t normal?”
“Then it depends. There are still many unknown spells, and if new ones are developed, a knight might not be able to counter them.”
Right, if they summon lightning out of nowhere, a knight wouldn’t stand a chance.
But large-scale magic required the power of the Tower’s mana reserves.
So even the Master couldn’t always unleash that kind of strength.
Still, I remembered the mage Roben from the Loisen family’s labyrinth garden.
Even without massive spells, a mage could be plenty dangerous.
From this angle, I could see the terrace connected to the ballroom.
Without thinking much of it, I glanced outside—just in time to see Count Ascard walk out there.
Startled, I pulled back, then peeked out again.
Duke Wentworth had joined him.
I swallowed hard as I watched from the shadows.
