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Chapter 47
“Commander, did Espin get hurt?”
Haren and Flaria, having heard that Espin had fallen, approached Travis with concerned expressions.
“Yes.”
“That’s a shame. Espin loves to dance. She always looks forward to the royal ballroom because it’s the best place to dance. She must be really disappointed.”
“Indeed. If she hurt her leg, she won’t be able to dance for a while.”
As Haren and Flaria spoke, worrying about Espin and chatting about this and that, Travis felt a question form in his mind.
Why did she do that?
Travis knew. Espin had fallen on purpose.
He had definitely held her securely; there was no way she could have fallen. Yet she sat down suddenly. And when she did, she grabbed her leg in a way that shouldn’t have caused any real injury.
So why had she acted like that? Could it be that she didn’t want to dance with him?
That couldn’t be it. If she didn’t want to dance with him, she wouldn’t have agreed to be his partner in the first place. Then why did she, someone who loved dancing, suddenly pretend to be hurt to avoid it?
Travis’s gaze shifted toward Robert, who was disappearing into the distance.
Could it be related to him?
Travis’s mind filled with questions. He was curious about what she was thinking.
Ding.
“Her Majesty the Empress has a message.”
“Hello, everyone. Spring has arrived, and the social season begins.”
The Empress’s words began, and everyone started gathering in the center of the floor.
“Isn’t that the Crown Prince and that lady? Looks like they’re going to dance.”
“I wonder if she can actually dance.”
“How long will it be before the Crown Prince switches partners this time? Two weeks?”
“Probably around that. Usually they switch every two weeks, though this time it might only be a week.”
From behind came the ladies’ gossip, but Travis’s mind remained occupied with thoughts of the mysterious Espin.
With the Empress’s greeting, the floor was prepared. At its center were the Crown Prince and Chloe.
Soon, the music for the first dance began.
As the Crown Prince extended his hand toward Chloe, she clasped it with eyes full of awe.
“It’s an honor. This is my first dance in life, and I get to dance with Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince naturally placed one hand on her hand and the other on her waist. Familiar enough with the dance to do it with his eyes closed, he began immediately.
Shortly after:
“I’m sorry. I haven’t learned how to dance.”
In that short time, Chloe stepped on the Crown Prince’s feet more than ten times.
No matter how gracefully he moved to guide her, Chloe’s flailing made their dance comical. Moreover, her uncontrolled movements even bumped into people nearby.
People couldn’t openly laugh at the scene but glanced secretly, smirking.
Feeling their eyes, the Crown Prince frowned slightly.
“You had a few days. You didn’t practice, did you?”
He had agreed to be her partner, and there had been several days for her to learn. She could have caught up easily. The first dance was simple enough that anyone willing could learn it in a day.
“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t think to learn beforehand. I haven’t had the proper education like the other ladies… and I didn’t have enough time to get a dress and other things. I’m sorry. Your feet must hurt a lot.”
“It’s fine. Just relax and follow my movements.”
He spoke kindly to her, but his irritation grew. How could she be so thoughtless and lazy?
He started comparing her to Flaria—at least Flaria never embarrassed him like this.
The first song ended. Normally, he would have danced through several songs, but now he didn’t want to continue. As soon as the song finished, he let go of her hand.
“That’s enough. You must be tired.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I already knew you weren’t skilled at dancing. Don’t worry too much.”
The Crown Prince forced a smile to mask his growing frustration. Chloe, unaware of his true feelings, looked at his strained smile and smiled brightly in relief.
“I have some business to attend to. Please continue to enjoy the ball.”
Wanting to avoid seeing her further, he left the ballroom.
In the hallway connected to the palace, a space reserved for royalty and their close aides, the Crown Prince finally released his pent-up frustration.
“Ugh! Hah. She really is from a commoner’s background.”
Chloe’s face might have been pleasant to look at, but her every action irritated him. He was growing tired of her obsession with appearances and her constant excuses about growing up in a commoner’s household.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
He turned to hear a familiar voice behind him.
“Count Vamosco.”
Confirming that it was Count Vamosco, the Empress’s brother and his uncle, the Crown Prince sighed deeply.
“Are you sure that lady is useful?”
It was Count Vamosco who suggested using Chloe rather than Flaria to gain power. Since his advice had always been helpful to both the Crown Prince and the Emperor, the Crown Prince trusted him again and partnered with Chloe.
“She is definitely useful. Duke Ameron has guilt regarding that lady, which you can use to gain his support. And if that doesn’t work, you can at least exploit Miss Flaria’s jealousy.”
“Ugh, this is so frustrating.”
“This isn’t the time to worry about that. Today, at the ball, Marquis Jefferon and Count Conest approached Duke Holt.”
“What? Those two were close aides to the previous Emperor.”
“Yes, very close friends. And they are obstacles to the Emperor in all matters. Rumor has it that the anti-Emperor faction is gradually gaining power.”
“What?”
Nobles were always divided into three groups: pro-Emperor, anti-Emperor, and neutral.
The more pro-Emperor nobles, the stronger the Emperor’s power; the more anti-Emperor nobles, the weaker it became.
Currently, with many nobles still loyal to the previous Emperor, the anti-Emperor faction was already growing. If more joined them, it could cause problems for the Crown Prince’s succession.
“They are gathering followers. So, Your Highness, you must gain power. You must win the nobles to your side.”
“Damn it.”
If it were easy, he would have done it already. Proud nobles do not easily become allies.
Why does everyone keep comparing me to Travis?
“Do not worry. I will gather the people.”
“How?”
“Nobles are humans too. They act according to their interests. Give them what they want, and it’s easy.”
“What they want? You mean money?”
The royal family was not short on money. Though tax revenues were decreasing, the treasury was still significant.
However, the problem was that the nobles monitored how the treasury was used, so he could not use it to sway them.
“So you will need funds other than the royal treasury.”
“I have everything prepared. Your Highness only needs to trust me and wait.”
Count Vamosco smiled mysteriously.
