Raphael acted so naturally as if nothing had happened that Ariadne missed the moment to protest. It was also the moment when the floor was shaking and the partners were changing.
"Brother!"
Then Julia, who had just finished her first song, came over and spoke to Raphael.
“Don’t just dance the first song and then stick to the wall like a social misfit. Dance the second dance with me.”
“Do you really speak as if you are bestowing a favor on people?”
“It’s true, I’m saving you, brother.”
“Are you against it?”
"What?"
At a ball, it was polite not to dance to several songs with the same partner. If you wanted to dance several songs with the same partner, you had to take a break for one or two songs in the middle, or dance with someone else and then come back and ask her to dance again. When Raphael approached his sister, he asked Ariadne for her understanding.
“I’ll be back in a bit. Julia is acting all hot and bothered today.”
"Brother!"
“Even if I let you do whatever you want, it’s chaos!”
Ariadne smiled and sent the Baldessar siblings away. If she really wanted to dance, she could have danced with Julia’s partner, but Julia’s partner was Baron Caseri, who was in his forties and not at an age where he would be interested in ballroom dancing, and he was at an age where he would start to get backache if he stood for too long. Ariadne smiled and declined Baron Caseri’s invitation to dance out of courtesy. She then glanced at Baron Caseri’s relief and leaned against the wall, crossed her arms, and watched the floor.
'Alfonso is still standing on the floor.'
The promise Alfonso and Ariadne made was not one-sided. Ariadne made Alfonso promise in return, insisting that she not hold hands with Raphael or be alone with him.
'I will only dance one song with Princess Lariesa.'
When Alfonso persistently demanded that she distance herself from Raphael de Baldesar, Ariadne, who was already upset about sending Lariesa and Alfonso away, ordered this. Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa were the official couples chosen by Leo III to dance the first dance at the ball. There was no way to refuse one dance. However, after dancing once, all courtesy to the King's command would be fulfilled.
“I knew it the first time I saw you! You were my destiny!”
Princess Lariesa was lingering on the floor for too long. The others around her had now finished changing dance partners and were starting to take their steps for the second song. The crowd was buzzing and occasionally glancing at the Prince and Princess.
“Let’s go in, Grand Duchess.”
“I can’t move an inch until you answer my heart!”
Diriring.
“I will never speak like that again. For a woman to show off her authority over her husband, who she is supposed to obey, is betraying the teachings of the ‘Meditation Record.’”
Lariesa was the type of person who couldn't admit her own mistakes. But she desperately wanted Alfonso's love, so she swallowed all her pride and did things she normally wouldn't do.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please look back at me.”
Apologies and confessions. The first is something that Lariesa never does, and the second is something that a single woman from the Central Continent never does. Lariesa, who had done both in one day, looked up at Alfonso with eyes like a puppy longing for affection.
'Please...!'
She was in a pinch. First of all, the marriage negotiations led by the Count of Le Vien were dragging on and on. Last week, they almost broke down. When the Etruscans insisted on the gunpowder mixture, the Kingdom of Gallico sent a message telling them to pack up and return to their home country. Count Marquez, who represented Leo III’s intentions, hurriedly withdrew the request for the mixture, and the Gallico delegation sat down at the negotiating table again, but Lariesa was shocked and thought she would faint.
Prince Alfonso opened his mouth.
"Brother!"
Then Julia, who had just finished her first song, came over and spoke to Raphael.
“Don’t just dance the first song and then stick to the wall like a social misfit. Dance the second dance with me.”
“Do you really speak as if you are bestowing a favor on people?”
“It’s true, I’m saving you, brother.”
“Are you against it?”
"What?"
At a ball, it was polite not to dance to several songs with the same partner. If you wanted to dance several songs with the same partner, you had to take a break for one or two songs in the middle, or dance with someone else and then come back and ask her to dance again. When Raphael approached his sister, he asked Ariadne for her understanding.
“I’ll be back in a bit. Julia is acting all hot and bothered today.”
"Brother!"
“Even if I let you do whatever you want, it’s chaos!”
Ariadne smiled and sent the Baldessar siblings away. If she really wanted to dance, she could have danced with Julia’s partner, but Julia’s partner was Baron Caseri, who was in his forties and not at an age where he would be interested in ballroom dancing, and he was at an age where he would start to get backache if he stood for too long. Ariadne smiled and declined Baron Caseri’s invitation to dance out of courtesy. She then glanced at Baron Caseri’s relief and leaned against the wall, crossed her arms, and watched the floor.
'Alfonso is still standing on the floor.'
The promise Alfonso and Ariadne made was not one-sided. Ariadne made Alfonso promise in return, insisting that she not hold hands with Raphael or be alone with him.
'I will only dance one song with Princess Lariesa.'
When Alfonso persistently demanded that she distance herself from Raphael de Baldesar, Ariadne, who was already upset about sending Lariesa and Alfonso away, ordered this. Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa were the official couples chosen by Leo III to dance the first dance at the ball. There was no way to refuse one dance. However, after dancing once, all courtesy to the King's command would be fulfilled.
"Okay!"
Alfonso had obviously agreed readily. When Ariadne had complained and told him not to dance more than once with Princess Lariesa, he had instead been strangely delighted and showered her face with kisses. But something was strange now.
Alfonso had obviously agreed readily. When Ariadne had complained and told him not to dance more than once with Princess Lariesa, he had instead been strangely delighted and showered her face with kisses. But something was strange now.
The second song was about to begin. He should have handed Princess Lariesa over to her next dance partner, or if she had no partner, escorted her back to her seat and sat down already. But Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa were still standing in the center of the floor.
***
Dadan.
As the last notes of the waltz rang out, Alfonso bowed deeply to Lariesa.
“Thank you for the beautiful dance. Shall we go to our seats now?”
"...do."
Lariesa mumbled something and stood motionless in the center of the dance floor. When she didn’t place her hand on his outstretched right forearm, Alfonso asked again.
“What is it, Princess Lariesa?”
“...you said.”
“Thank you for the beautiful dance. Shall we go to our seats now?”
"...do."
Lariesa mumbled something and stood motionless in the center of the dance floor. When she didn’t place her hand on his outstretched right forearm, Alfonso asked again.
“What is it, Princess Lariesa?”
“...you said.”
The surroundings were noisy due to the partner change, and Princess Lariesa was mumbling her own words.
“Huh? I can’t hear you very well, Your Highness.”
“I love you!”
Her new voice soared through the crowded ballroom. Alfonso frowned slightly at the completely unexpected confession. Whether it was just a coincidence or Lariesa’s voice leaked out, the couples standing around looked in the direction of the Prince and Princess couple.
“This is not a suitable place to talk about this.”
Alfonso cut her off with a hardened face.
“Please return to your VIP seat, Grand Duchess.”
“Prince Alfonso, don’t change the subject.”
But Princess Lariesa was stubborn.
“I love you.”
Prince Alfonso laughed in vain at the sudden rashness of the Princess of Lariesa.
“Love?”
He asked back.
“Do you know me enough to love me?”
Love, as Alfonso thought, was the desire to embrace the other person. It doesn’t happen as soon as you see their face, but only after you’ve been around them. It’s only natural that your eyes will first be drawn to the other person’s excellence. That excellence could be external things like their beautiful facial features, their great body, or their status or fame.
“Huh? I can’t hear you very well, Your Highness.”
“I love you!”
Her new voice soared through the crowded ballroom. Alfonso frowned slightly at the completely unexpected confession. Whether it was just a coincidence or Lariesa’s voice leaked out, the couples standing around looked in the direction of the Prince and Princess couple.
“This is not a suitable place to talk about this.”
Alfonso cut her off with a hardened face.
“Please return to your VIP seat, Grand Duchess.”
“Prince Alfonso, don’t change the subject.”
But Princess Lariesa was stubborn.
“I love you.”
Prince Alfonso laughed in vain at the sudden rashness of the Princess of Lariesa.
“Love?”
He asked back.
“Do you know me enough to love me?”
Love, as Alfonso thought, was the desire to embrace the other person. It doesn’t happen as soon as you see their face, but only after you’ve been around them. It’s only natural that your eyes will first be drawn to the other person’s excellence. That excellence could be external things like their beautiful facial features, their great body, or their status or fame.
However, for it to go beyond simple interest and be reborn as love, Alfonso thought that you had to understand the other person’s personality, the way they deal with situations, their steadfastness, and even their suffering. At some point, when your admiration for that person changes into empathy, and that empathy turns into pity, only then is it reborn as an emotion worthy of the name “love.”
“I don’t think you love me.”
She was his priority, he wanted to see her smiling face, the tears she shed were absolutely unacceptable, and if he could make her happy, he wouldn't mind any effort. That was Prince Alfonso's love.
“I don’t think you love me.”
She was his priority, he wanted to see her smiling face, the tears she shed were absolutely unacceptable, and if he could make her happy, he wouldn't mind any effort. That was Prince Alfonso's love.
At Alfonso's words, Larissa cried.
“I knew it the first time I saw you! You were my destiny!”
Princess Lariesa was lingering on the floor for too long. The others around her had now finished changing dance partners and were starting to take their steps for the second song. The crowd was buzzing and occasionally glancing at the Prince and Princess.
“Let’s go in, Grand Duchess.”
“I can’t move an inch until you answer my heart!”
Diriring.
The orchestra's accompaniment rang out. While Lariesa was holding on, the orchestra began the second dance. To the accompaniment, everyone simultaneously stretched out their clasped hands and began to turn clockwise. Among the hundreds of pairs of people spinning around like clock hands, Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa stood alone like stone statues.
The dancing couples' glances were directed at the Prince and the Princess, and the eyes of the outsiders in the distance, and especially those of Leo III and the Duke of Mireille, who were sitting in the honored seats, also fell to the center of the floor. Alfonso sighed and held out his hand. The Princess of Lariesa immediately took his hand. He put his hand on the Princess of Lariesa's waist and began to step, circling along with the others.
'I promised Ari...'
He looked for traces of his Ariadne somewhere in the crowd. But the thousand or so ball-goers were swarming everywhere, and it was difficult to find his lady standing in the center of the floor, who must have been shining somewhere. Lariesa, who noticed Alfonso not paying attention, made a turn and said.
“Prince. We are destined to be married. A fateful love!”
“Fate? Is fate that easy? I don’t think so.”
“Both countries want our marriage, and I felt a thrill in my soul when I first saw you! Isn’t that enough?”
“What on earth is your love?”
They fell apart, their fingertips still touching, in a big circle. When Lariesa, who had been so close to him, fell away, Alfonso felt like he could breathe again. It was always like that when he was with Lariesa. Alfonso couldn't breathe.
“I... I...”
Lariesa had never thought about the definition of love. All she knew was that when she saw Alfonso, her heart throbbed and her cheeks flushed. From some point on, she had wanted Alfonso very, very much. She wanted to know his every move, and even the slightest glances he gave to other women made her angry. She even hated the time Prince Alfonso spent with his secretaries and knights. She wanted him to whisper hymns of love to her and worship her alone during those times.
“...I can give you everything.”
Princess Lariesa, who could not bring herself to say, 'I want to have you,' chose her words.
“I look only at you, I think only of you. Every minute and every second of my life is yours. I will give you a child. I will hold in my arms a child who resembles you, whether it be eight or nine.”
They once again took a big turn to the music.
"...Therefore."
Lariesa said earnestly.
“Please look at me too.”
Alfonso didn't answer, but just moved to the beat. He stepped and bent his waist precisely at each beat. At Alfonso's unpleasant reaction, Lariesa added urgently.
“I know I was a bit overbearing in Taranto the other day. I got in trouble with Count Le Vien a lot.”
It was a story about an incident in the hallway of the Taranto palace where he had scolded Alfonso, saying, 'If you want to protect the small Etruscan nation, you must be kind to me, the Grand Duchess of Gallico.'
The dancing couples' glances were directed at the Prince and the Princess, and the eyes of the outsiders in the distance, and especially those of Leo III and the Duke of Mireille, who were sitting in the honored seats, also fell to the center of the floor. Alfonso sighed and held out his hand. The Princess of Lariesa immediately took his hand. He put his hand on the Princess of Lariesa's waist and began to step, circling along with the others.
'I promised Ari...'
He looked for traces of his Ariadne somewhere in the crowd. But the thousand or so ball-goers were swarming everywhere, and it was difficult to find his lady standing in the center of the floor, who must have been shining somewhere. Lariesa, who noticed Alfonso not paying attention, made a turn and said.
“Prince. We are destined to be married. A fateful love!”
“Fate? Is fate that easy? I don’t think so.”
“Both countries want our marriage, and I felt a thrill in my soul when I first saw you! Isn’t that enough?”
“What on earth is your love?”
They fell apart, their fingertips still touching, in a big circle. When Lariesa, who had been so close to him, fell away, Alfonso felt like he could breathe again. It was always like that when he was with Lariesa. Alfonso couldn't breathe.
“I... I...”
Lariesa had never thought about the definition of love. All she knew was that when she saw Alfonso, her heart throbbed and her cheeks flushed. From some point on, she had wanted Alfonso very, very much. She wanted to know his every move, and even the slightest glances he gave to other women made her angry. She even hated the time Prince Alfonso spent with his secretaries and knights. She wanted him to whisper hymns of love to her and worship her alone during those times.
“...I can give you everything.”
Princess Lariesa, who could not bring herself to say, 'I want to have you,' chose her words.
“I look only at you, I think only of you. Every minute and every second of my life is yours. I will give you a child. I will hold in my arms a child who resembles you, whether it be eight or nine.”
They once again took a big turn to the music.
"...Therefore."
Lariesa said earnestly.
“Please look at me too.”
Alfonso didn't answer, but just moved to the beat. He stepped and bent his waist precisely at each beat. At Alfonso's unpleasant reaction, Lariesa added urgently.
“I know I was a bit overbearing in Taranto the other day. I got in trouble with Count Le Vien a lot.”
It was a story about an incident in the hallway of the Taranto palace where he had scolded Alfonso, saying, 'If you want to protect the small Etruscan nation, you must be kind to me, the Grand Duchess of Gallico.'
“I will never speak like that again. For a woman to show off her authority over her husband, who she is supposed to obey, is betraying the teachings of the ‘Meditation Record.’”
Lariesa was the type of person who couldn't admit her own mistakes. But she desperately wanted Alfonso's love, so she swallowed all her pride and did things she normally wouldn't do.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please look back at me.”
Apologies and confessions. The first is something that Lariesa never does, and the second is something that a single woman from the Central Continent never does. Lariesa, who had done both in one day, looked up at Alfonso with eyes like a puppy longing for affection.
'Please...!'
She was in a pinch. First of all, the marriage negotiations led by the Count of Le Vien were dragging on and on. Last week, they almost broke down. When the Etruscans insisted on the gunpowder mixture, the Kingdom of Gallico sent a message telling them to pack up and return to their home country. Count Marquez, who represented Leo III’s intentions, hurriedly withdrew the request for the mixture, and the Gallico delegation sat down at the negotiating table again, but Lariesa was shocked and thought she would faint.
Furthermore, Prince Alfonso’s attitude was definitely getting colder as the days went by. The warmth she had felt when she first arrived in the Etruscans was nowhere to be found. When Alfonso spoke to her without looking her in the eye, when he did not make appointments that were not official appointments that she had to make, no, when she saw the corners of his mouth not smiling, her heart sank. So she did everything she could. However, a person's heart cannot be obtained through effort, much less through begging.
“Grand Duchess. You are...”
“Grand Duchess. You are...”
Prince Alfonso opened his mouth.
***
Ariadne watched clearly as Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariessa began their second dance, holding hands.
'Alfonso...!'
Yiu promised!
'Alfonso...!'
Yiu promised!
The resentment she had been holding back came rushing back like a tidal wave. She pretended to be calm to Raphael, but in fact, she hated the first waltz that Alfonso danced with Lariesa so much that it made her insides twist. Ariadne gritted her teeth and endured it with trained patience. But the second waltz!
Ariadne thought that was a dance that was unnecessary.
'...If it was going to be like this, then you shouldn't have made such a firm promise. If you're not going to give it back, then you shouldn't have whispered sweet words like, 'There's no one else but you, Ari.'
Her thoughts were leaping like a lamb. She stood there in a state of turmoil, staring blankly at the dance floor where people were spinning rapidly in the dazzling light.
'!'
Princess Lariesa deviated from the usual waltz movements and got too close to Alfonso. She pressed her upper body against Alfonso's, appealing to him for something, even though it was time to keep her distance.
'What are you talking about...'
Alfonso sighed and whispered to Princess Lariesa. The blood in her chest was boiling and ready to burst. What could he have said?
'My heart aches...'
The alienation, the anticipation, the frustration in the beautiful ballrooms and the splendid reception rooms of the Palazzo Carlo. All these were emotions that Ariadne was very familiar with. She swallowed dryly as if the past was coming back.
'Different thoughts, different thoughts.'
Ariadne desperately tried to think of something else to control the whirlwind of emotions that was coming. The thought that Alfonso had something to do did not help her stop the gloomy imagination that was going on. Instead, she thought of the weather she had seen on her way in the carriage, the food she had eaten for lunch, and finally the accounts that had to be settled and the bills that had to be paid by tomorrow. Only when she thought of accounts and money did her mind finally turn elsewhere.
'Now that I have the entire household's ledgers in my hands, I should start buying wheat this fall to prepare for the Black Death...'
“Lady de Mare.”
A pleasant tenor voice interrupted Ariadne's musings. She, who had been standing alone, huddled near one wall of the ballroom, arms folded, raised her head. It was a voice that was all too familiar. She had heard it tens of thousands of times.
“Count... Cesare.”
He was the man who was the cause of all the alienation that had occurred in Palazzo Carlo. If she had not been engaged to Cesare, she would never have entered Palazzo Carlo as an illegitimate child, the illegitimate child of an illegitimate young lady.
“Beautiful lady, why are you here alone in a corner? Would you like to dance a song with me?”
The man who had been like that was now extending his left hand, offering to wash away that alienation.
'...If it was going to be like this, then you shouldn't have made such a firm promise. If you're not going to give it back, then you shouldn't have whispered sweet words like, 'There's no one else but you, Ari.'
Her thoughts were leaping like a lamb. She stood there in a state of turmoil, staring blankly at the dance floor where people were spinning rapidly in the dazzling light.
'!'
Princess Lariesa deviated from the usual waltz movements and got too close to Alfonso. She pressed her upper body against Alfonso's, appealing to him for something, even though it was time to keep her distance.
'What are you talking about...'
Alfonso sighed and whispered to Princess Lariesa. The blood in her chest was boiling and ready to burst. What could he have said?
'My heart aches...'
The alienation, the anticipation, the frustration in the beautiful ballrooms and the splendid reception rooms of the Palazzo Carlo. All these were emotions that Ariadne was very familiar with. She swallowed dryly as if the past was coming back.
'Different thoughts, different thoughts.'
Ariadne desperately tried to think of something else to control the whirlwind of emotions that was coming. The thought that Alfonso had something to do did not help her stop the gloomy imagination that was going on. Instead, she thought of the weather she had seen on her way in the carriage, the food she had eaten for lunch, and finally the accounts that had to be settled and the bills that had to be paid by tomorrow. Only when she thought of accounts and money did her mind finally turn elsewhere.
'Now that I have the entire household's ledgers in my hands, I should start buying wheat this fall to prepare for the Black Death...'
“Lady de Mare.”
A pleasant tenor voice interrupted Ariadne's musings. She, who had been standing alone, huddled near one wall of the ballroom, arms folded, raised her head. It was a voice that was all too familiar. She had heard it tens of thousands of times.
“Count... Cesare.”
He was the man who was the cause of all the alienation that had occurred in Palazzo Carlo. If she had not been engaged to Cesare, she would never have entered Palazzo Carlo as an illegitimate child, the illegitimate child of an illegitimate young lady.
“Beautiful lady, why are you here alone in a corner? Would you like to dance a song with me?”
The man who had been like that was now extending his left hand, offering to wash away that alienation.
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