Episode 89. Please Be Gentle on It
“Oh my.”
I quickly got up and went to him before he could do anything more eye-catching. I carefully controlled my movements, feeling surrounded by his wide arms.
Even though I was still short on height, I shot him a sharp slap, and he bent down slightly. Only then was I able to put my lips right next to his earlobes.
The faint scent of high-quality musk-mixed perfume followed my breath. Should you brag about your wealth even with your body odor? It smells good, but..
I quickly whispered.
“Don’t you know that no one is dancing right now? Everyone is just looking at us! Please be gentle on it?”
He immediately revealed his true colors. His evil and playful breath brushed past my ear.
“Dinner in the city? If you accept, you’ll get out.”
“At a fancy restaurant crowded with nobles who have nothing to do even in broad daylight?”
“Of course. Etrang would be nice.”
“So there’s a rumor that I, the Princess’s maid, betrayed her and fell for you?”
“That would be good. Even if not, it would be good because it would give me a chance to uncover Lady Loire’s fraud.”
About that damn letter!
“Oh my, such ugly words! Who would misunderstand if they heard it, Prince Kydel?”
“I told you to call me Locard. Call my name loudly. So that everyone can hear. It’s okay if you get angry. I like how your voice is so emotional.”
“Hohoho. Stop saying perverted things.”
I barely held back from telling everyone to shut up. I held back again. He was like a walking meter of my patience.
But Prince Kydel, whom I thought would fight back right away, was looking down at me with a slightly blushing face.
No matter how much we’re at war, I wondered if I had gone too far. My heart sank when I met his calm, purple eyes filled with silence.
“Did you just call me a pervert?”
His beautiful voice had become heavy.
But I had a gut feeling. At times like this, you shouldn’t be pushed back. This isn’t just my fight.
I put strength into my stomach and spoke as calmly as I could.
“Your hearing is fine, as expected. Kydel, Your Excellency.”
After a brief silence, an unbelievable sound was heard.
“Pfft.”
His face turned red from holding back laughter, and he looked somewhere in the air to calm himself down.
Then he suddenly took my hand and kissed it. His lips whispered secretly, tickling my hand like a feather.
“His Highness the Second Prince doesn’t call me the Lion Cub of Tagar for nothing. Miss Lorisha Loire. I will definitely destroy you.”
I smiled brightly, waving my fan like a butterfly flapping its wings.
“Do it if you can.”
“Come, dance with me. I’ll take you out for today.”
Looking down at the hand he offered, I smiled brightly and answered.
“I can’t dance, Your Excellency.”
At that, Kydel’s face hardened as if he couldn’t believe it.
You probably didn’t expect that answer!
I was proud of my failure to learn to dance and felt a sense of triumph.
“You may go now. Many people are waiting for you, Your Excellency.”
He said very stiffly.
“According to social etiquette, a woman cannot refuse to dance unless it is to humiliate a man.”
“But I can’t dance?”
“That’s hard to believe.”
He didn’t believe me. And I didn’t like it when he thought I was a liar.
I glanced around and said softly,
“The Countess didn’t like me appearing in front of guests.”
“Etrang.”
“...Huh?”
“I will believe you, but it doesn’t change the fact that you refused to dance with me. So I will compensate you for the insult you gave me.”
“Ha...!”
Fortunately, I managed to cover my mouth with my fan before it opened wide.
“I promised.”
He smiled charmingly and walked away from me.
***
Kalin, like the other women, was also watching the conversation between Prince Kydel and the maid Lorisha.
She covered her face with her fan and felt a vivid anger at Lorisha.
Her cheek still felt the sting of the Princess's slap at the tailor's shop.
She would never forget the humiliation she felt when the manager said that no guests from the Ankart family would be accepted in the future.
And yet, it was hard to believe that such an illegitimate child was not only a maid, but was also getting the attention of Prince Kydel.
In addition, thinking about how much Misha Loire was pleased with her current appearance made her stomach hurt.
'Someday, I will put all this back in its place!'
As Kalin clenched her teeth, someone reached out to her.
"Can I ask you to dance?"
"Your Highness, Prince Grayon!"
Kalin completely forgot her anger from earlier as she looked at Prince Grayon, who appeared in front of her.
Then, yes.
The moment she confirmed that she was the woman whom the royal family reached out to first, Kalin trembled lightly with great satisfaction.
This was the fundamental difference between her and the illegitimate child who was climbing the steep path to success.
Kalin danced with a happy face. Although she had a habit of not smiling brightly for fear of the freckles around her cheekbones standing out, she mustered up the courage to smile as beautifully as she could at Grayon.
"You look happy today, Ankart."
"I am happy to meet you, Your Highness. Thank you so much for sending me the invitation."
Her gratitude was sincere.
The Emperor’s Birthday party was open to all the nobility of the Empire, but only the highest-ranking nobles were invited to events like the ambassador’s welcome party.
Today was the first day the Ankarts had crossed that threshold. So was it any big deal that shr had gotten slapped in the tailor’s shop?
Grayon returned Kalin’s smile with a friendly laugh.
“Call me Kalin, Your Highness? I want to be honest with you. I think it would be easier if you called me by my name.”
“As long as you don’t call me Grayon. Kalin.”
Kalin laughed happily at his joke and made an unexpected remark.
“My father is about to make his first foray into the North.”
Grayon stared into her eyes. Straight to the point. Kalin was not at all afraid to reveal her desires in front of the royal family.
Whether it was because of her humble position or her innate decisiveness, he still reserved judgment.
“I think the Ankarts will be the primary investors in the new steel mill project to be built near the Tunbar Mountains.”
“I hear you.”
“Thanks to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor and the hard work of Your Highness Grayon, the Ankart family will accumulate greater wealth. I’m not sure how to use it yet.”
“...”
“Do you have any advice?”
Grayon spun Kalin around to the beat of the music. Her light dress rose and fell like a bell.
“How do you want to use that wealth?”
Kalin stared intently into Grayon’s eyes. They were the eyes of a woman who was fascinated.
Grayon read that gaze and held back his words with a faint smile.
It wasn’t his outstanding looks that made her fall in love. Grayon didn’t confuse that.
Lowering his eyes, Kalin said in a slightly trembling voice.
“I want to change my name.”
Not Kalin Ankart, but Kalin Tagar.
Then the last beat ended. Grayon lightly grabbed her hand and stopped her step.
The two bowed according to the etiquette of the dance, and Grayon led her to the table.
Grayon then had a brief conversation with the Agael messenger who had just finished dancing with the Princess, and then returned to his seat.
Grayon looked at Locard, who was finally going out onto the floor, with discontent.
His head was running like a precise clock, but he was walking around with such an innocent face when he was put in this position.
And he glanced at Orl.
But Orl met his eyes as if he had been waiting for him.
As if saying, 'I know what you're going to do.'
Grayon nodded with a light smile and looked toward the table as if he were looking for his next dance partner.
***
I turned around, feeling strangely creepy, and Misha was standing there. Today, her red hair was loosely braided and decorated with several small jewel pins. She was pretty.
"Misha."
"I wasn't going to come."
She stood a considerable distance away from me as if she had stopped in passing.
She spoke softly, hoping that only I could hear her.
"Kalin doesn't know me?"
"..."
"I finally realized how hard it was for you, what the heck."
"..."
But I didn't know what to say, so I glanced at Misha's expression.
Given my experience of being bullied my entire life, words of comfort are of little use at times like this.
"I know it must have been hard for you, too... I was Kalin to you, too."
I was so surprised that I turned to Misha.
‘Hey, what’s wrong? It’s scary! When someone suddenly becomes mature, it takes three years...’
I swallowed hard and answered,
“I’m glad you knew.”
This time, Misha glanced at me and said,
“Did you tell Prince Kydel that you can’t dance? He seemed really hurt when you talked earlier... I’ve never seen that expression on his face before.”
At those words, I wanted to go back to my bedroom. My head was pounding. I’d rather get beaten up. I really didn’t want to get in trouble because of Prince Kydel.
“Because I can’t dance.”
“That’s incredibly rude. In the first place, nobles can’t go out into society until they master dancing.”
“Yeah. That’s what he said.”
I felt like I was tightrope the whole time. If Misha found out about his plot right now... It would be a nightmare.
Misha muttered, lonely as he looked at the splendid floor.
“The royal servants can’t help but be friends...”
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