The person who appeared was Illeon.
Illeon, unusually, appeared wearing a half-mask made of black snake skin.
Illeon was wearing a blue uniform, but Seliya was wearing a light blue dress, so it seemed like the dress code had been set in advance.
“Did I forget to send an invitation to Duke Calypso, head of the Imperial Knights?”
Calling himself a burden felt as natural as flowing water.
Dietrich looked at Illeon with dry eyes.
The same was true for Seliya.
“What on earth were you thinking about inviting me?”
Illeon answered Seliya's question by curling his lips in a curly manner.
“You don’t have to be so wary of me. I haven’t done anything to you ‘yet’.”
In response to Illeon's words, Dietrich wrapped his arms around Seliya and said,
“It seems that the new Emperor cannot see that my lover is uncomfortable.”
“Because you are lovers... Are you acknowledging the rumors as fact?”
A faint smile appeared on Illeon's lips.
“You have a lot of courage, but I wish you would stop monopolizing. Because that’s not like you.”
“...”
Dietrich stared at Illeon with cold eyes.
Instead of scolding Dietrich for being disrespectful, Illeon rolled his eyes and smiled.
“Or is there some secret between the two of you that I don’t know about? For example...”
Illeon pretended to adjust his clothes and whispered in a low voice so that only the two could hear.
“Are you both survivors of some kingdom that was destroyed ten years ago?”
Before Seliya could say anything, Illeon pushed his body back and entered the ballroom head first.
***
Surprised, Seliya grabbed the hem of Dietrich's clothes.
"Just now!"
Seliya's eyes shook like strong waves.
Dietrich lowered his head and made eye contact with Seliya.
He spoke in a friendly voice, as if reassuring Seliya.
"It's okay."
“...”
"Don't worry. No one can harm you.”
Dietrich patted Seliya's back with his large hand.
The knights noticed that the relationship between the two was unusual.
The two people, whose striking appearance was not covered by masks, looked like lovers to anyone who saw them.
Also, they care about each other very much.
***
“Your Majesty, the dazzling sun of Abelon, appears.”
Illeon's appearance caused a great stir in the ballroom.
His dark gray hair was lifted, revealing his smooth forehead.
Illeon, who shed his image as a gentle saint and wore a uniform as blue as his eyes, looked like an omnipotent person who could have everything he wanted at his feet.
From his appearance to his every step, they were amazed.
In line with the purpose of the masked ball, Illeon was also wearing a mask, but despite this, he looked like a different person.
All eyes in the banquet hall were focused on Illeon.
No one took their eyes off Illeon until he crossed the red carpet and climbed onto the platform at the top of the central staircase.
Even the band stopped playing its instruments and they stared at Illeon.
Illeon, who was sitting on a golden chair on the podium, accepted the glass handed to him by his aide and opened his mouth.
“For today, eat and drink as much as you want without thinking about anything. You can dance as much as you want.”
After speaking briefly, Illeon raised his glass.
Illeon did not provide any explanation as to how he became Emperor.
“Long live the dazzling sun!”
“Long live Your Majesty the Emperor!”
The people cheered and raised their glasses after Illeon.
A deep respect for those in power, and reverence for those who have the power to encompass that power.
In front of the perfect Emperor, no one dared mention the deaths of past royal family members.
Just by appearing, the perception that the royal family = Illeon was deeply rooted in people's minds.
“...Your Majesty, doesn’t you dance?”
In response to the aide's question, Illeon spoke in a slow voice.
“I have no thoughts right now. Maybe I’ll feel like that after a while.”
At Illeon's words, the ladies' eyes glowed sharply like hawks stalking their prey.
Today, if Illeon asks someone to do his first dance, the daughter's value will skyrocket.
'Your Majesty has always been kind to women.'
Illeon, who only occasionally appeared at important banquets, never asked anyone to dance first.
When the woman mustered up the courage to ask Illeon to dance first, Illeon would smile and dance.
There were many ladies who admired Illeon for his affectionate nature.
A marquis's daughter, who had danced with Illeon before, kept glancing at Illeon.
Illeon was resting his chin on one hand and stroking his empty glass as if he was not interested in anyone in the ballroom.
In addition to the Marquis's daughter, there were many people targeting Illeon.
The ball started, but no one danced.
The ladies' eyes were all focused on Illeon.
A nobleman who boldly asked a noblelady to dance was completely ignored.
He continued to pour wine into his intestines to soothe his sore stomach.
"Your Majesty."
The Marquis's daughter mustered up courage and spoke carefully to Illeon.
leon's eyes, as he was looking down at the empty glass, turned to the young lady.
As the sharp wall's eyes turned towards her, the Marquis's daughter barely opened her lips as she felt the inside of her mouth becoming dry.
“If you don’t mind, have your first dance with me...”
“First dance?”
Illeon lifted one of his lips.
“I don’t think you have the courage to ask me to dance, but I don’t think I’ll accept it.”
“...”
The cheeks of the Marquis's daughter under the red half-mask turned red like a ripe tomato.
Originally, it was the men who applied to dance.
There were cases where a woman asked a man to dance first, but these were very few.
It was against etiquette to refuse a woman's request to dance, so men did not refuse a dance when a woman asked to dance, even if it was to protect the woman's reputation.
Before becoming Emperor, Illeon had never refused women's requests to dance, so it was a mistake to think that he would do the same this time.
At Illeon's rejection, the ladies cried and felt as if they were eating mustard, and began to dance, choosing a man who looked good.
As the band played classical music, the atmosphere in the ballroom gradually began to warm up.
In a heated atmosphere, like-minded men and women went outside on the terrace or shared intimate skinship behind a dark pillar.
When Illeon got up from his seat, the quiet entrance to the banquet hall became very commotion.
“Your Excellency Duke Calypso!”
“It’s Brillion’s angel!”
People exclaimed in exclamation.
Indeed, it was an appearance that could not be hidden by a mask or anything like that.
A faint smile spread across Illeon’s lips.
From the entrance to the banquet hall, two people who glowed even when they were still were walking.
Dietrich was tall and bulky, and the black uniform suited him incredibly well.
Seliya, who appeared while being escorted by Dietrich, was also wearing a sky-blue dress that did not emphasize her body at all. She was so beautiful that you could believe she had stepped out of a famous painting.
“Look over there. She has become more beautiful without seeing her.”
“Really, this is a child that is worth raising. She is something everyone can covet.”
Vincent and Viscount Brillion looked at Seliya with greedy eyes.
At that time, Dietrich's gaze, who was looking in front of him, focused on the two men located on the left wall.
“Why does Duke Calypso seem to be glaring at us? We are a long way away.”
“...I guess it's because of my mood. Huh. Everyone is wearing masks.”
However, Dietrich's blade-like gaze was clearly directed at the two people.
The two men, who felt a strong sense of death, hurriedly turned their gaze elsewhere.
Only then did Dietrich look away from the two and walk forward.
Every time Seliya and Dietrich took a step, people gasped in exclamation.
Illeon walked down the central stairs gracefully.
Illeon approached the two and smiled at Seliya.
“...Seliya Brillion.”
Seliya, who was holding Dietrich's hand,'s gaze fell on Illeon.
Seliya stared at Illeon with her cold face.
Her resentment and hatred towards Illeon were mixed together in her fresh green eyes.
Like a darkness that knows no bottom.
The depth of darkness that contrasted with her beautiful exterior intrigued Illeon.
Illeon bowed his body to Seliya and held out one of his hands.
His palms were smooth, without any calluses, as if he had never gone through any hardships.
Seliya looked down at Illeon's hand in front of her.
“I wish you would give me the honor of having your first dance with me.”
At Illeon's words, the musician who was playing the music lost his violin strings, and a squeak was made.
Everyone in the ballroom was shocked.
It was surprising that Seliya appeared, escorted by Dietrich, and Illeon was the first to ask Seliya to dance.
“...What on earth is going on?”
“There are a lot of hallways. Her talent for captivating men is truly insane. No matter how beautiful she is, isn’t she really a witch like the rumors say?”
The noble ladies were whispering behind the scenes.
“If she weren’t an idiot, she wouldn’t refuse His Majesty’s request to dance, right?”
“No way. What an honor.”
Seliya looked alternately at Illeon's hand and the inside of Illeon's face beneath the black snake mask.
This was a test prepared for her.
A scenario where he confuses her by talking as if he knows everything about her true identity, and ends up accepting Illeon's request to dance.
leon would have been sure of that. He probably expected that she would never turn down this dance request.
Seliya gazed at Illeon, who was smiling leisurely, with cool eyes.
Seliya seemed about to grab Illeon's hand, but she withdrew her hand in an instant.
“I will decline Your Majesty’s request to dance.”
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