Murmurs and whispers flowed from all around.
"She looks exactly as she did at the Familie Workshop yesterday. It's definitely her."
"The man escorting her seems to be Duke Vladina."
Erkin and Navia, with their similar silver hair and appearance, walking side by side, looked like a mystical race straight out of a fairy tale.
Gasps and indistinct moans of either awe or admiration emerged from the crowd.
"Ah, but where is Duke Eseled? Why isn't he escorting her instead of Duke Vladina?"
The atmosphere soon became unsettled, causing Ares and Vivian to stop their dance.
Vivian looked at Navia with intense displeasure.
'Dare she, the one to be the most noble lady of the empire, interfere with me?'
Vivian was destined to be the empress. Even if Eseled was remarkable, they were nobility and different from her.
"How dare she arrive so late at an imperial event, it's truly rude. Don't you agree, Your Majesty?"
Vivian spoke sharply, glancing at Ares.
"…Your Majesty?"
However, his expression was far from ordinary.
Her heart sank. An ominous premonition enveloped her.
A dreadful feeling that Ares desired Navia.
'No, it can't be. When has he ever seen Navia? It's impossible he's smitten at first sight.'
Vivian knew well there was no love between her and him.
That didn’t matter to her. She was interested in the power she was to hold.
'This is betrayal!'
Vivian couldn't tolerate Navia. The thought of sharing a husband and Ares's affection moving towards her was unbearable.
She despised Navia. It was horrific.
'I wish my sister were dead.'
She wished her limbs torn apart and her beautiful face ruined beyond recognition. Please, let it be.
While Vivian glared venomously, Navia, the object of the curse, was lost in memories.
'It's been a long time since I've experienced something like this.'
She was familiar with being the center of curious stares at the imperial ball. But this was her first time in this life.
'Or is this kind of attention new to me too?'
Navia felt eyes filled with intense greed and others seemingly afraid.
'As Lady Agnes, I was just a tool, so there were no fearful glances.'
This was refreshingly new to her.
Navia finally approached the Emperor.
"Your Imperial Majesty, it's an honor to meet you."
"It's been a while! I appreciate both Duke Vladina and Lady Eseled attending the banquet."
Yulrich greeted Navia and Erkin leisurely, but he was uneasy inside.
'Eseled's influence has grown so much that I have to treat them like kings of a country.'
It was as if there were two suns in the empire.
How could he, who became the conqueror of the continent by crushing Bakia and the Mage Alliance, be watching Eseled’s moves?
'How did Eseled, nearly fallen, rise so brilliantly...?'
Yulrich looked at Navia with frustration. Unaware of others' troubles, she was as beautiful as if blessed by the gods.
'Lark, his appearance alone was divine...'
Then Yulrich wondered why he hadn’t seen Lark, the man with the divine appearance and power.
"But why did you come with the duke instead of your father?"
Navia responded solemnly.
"My father has been suffering from a chronic illness since childhood, making it difficult for him to go out. Please forgive his absence, Your Majesty."
It was a convincing yet hard-to-believe excuse.
Lark, briefly seen ten years ago, didn't look sick. But it was true he hadn't shown himself publicly after turning thirty.
'What's the truth? What's his scheme?'
Yulrich hummed thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled.
'Eseled is special, as is my own child.'
Yulrich, pride evident in his expression, said,
"Speaking of which, Lady, you must be seeing Prince Creed after a long time too?"
It was a reminder of the special connection between the royal family and Eseled.
A marriage alliance with Eseled's faction was the surest way to secure a friendly relationship.
'Lady Eseled is still unmarried.'
Whether as Ares's concubine or Creed's wife, either seemed perfect.
Perhaps it would be easier to target her connection with Creed?
"Creed."
Before Navia could respond, the Emperor called Creed to stand nearby.
Creed quickly approached and stood near Navia.
Despite the mere closeness, a subtle tension only they could feel flowed between them.
Navia, appearing unaffected, skillfully hid her expression, but the events of yesterday left her throat dry.
"......Yes, that's correct. I have never really seen his face, except for a brief encounter when I was very young."
Navia made it clear that she wasn't particularly close to Creed, as he was a connection from the distant past.
However, Yulrich was persistent.
"Haha! The bonds formed during childhood play turn out to be quite precious upon reflection."
It wouldn't have seemed natural to draw more lines here.
After all, Navia and Creed shared memories from their childhood, and both were exceptionally outstanding, whether in appearance or lineage.
It wasn't far-fetched for them to be instantly attracted to each other.
Creed approached Navia and kissed the back of her hand.
The place where his lips touched felt burning hot.
"Lady Eseled, would you honor me with a dance?"
It was customary for a gentleman to ask a lady who had no dance partner, especially if she was making her debut in society, to dance.
The problem was that this didn't feel like a mere formality.
Navia nodded, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush, unaware of her own reaction.
"Alright."
As she gave her permission, Creed showed a smile for the first time since his arrival, stirring the crowd.
He nodded lightly to Erkin and then led Navia to the center of the banquet hall.
Meanwhile, Creed murmured softly, dipping his head slightly.
"Hmm... I can't smell myself right now."
Startled!
Navia narrowed her eyes and glanced at Creed.
"Please refrain from saying things that could be misunderstood if overheard, Your Highness."
"What misunderstanding?"
"Well, about smelling like me, such comments are a bit..."
Creed tilted his head in confusion.
"Is that a strange thing to say, Lady?"
"…!"
Suddenly, Navia felt like she had become the one who twisted his words into something indecent. She pressed her lips tightly, overwhelmed by the absurdity.
It was a wise decision born from the realization that any further conversation would only make her look odd.
Navia suppressed the urge to sigh and forced herself to keep her gaze straight ahead. Her cheeks were burning.
Creed, glancing at her, wore a faint smile and also looked straight ahead.
That smile was so sweet that those watching Creed clutched at their chests and let out pained sighs.
Soon, the two stood on the dance floor, a bit away from where Ares and Vivian were.
The band had finished preparing to play.
Navia inadvertently turned her head due to the persistent gaze directed at her and discovered Ares.
Ares was staring at Navia so intensely that it was starting to seem strange to those around them.
Navia didn't even offer him a faint smile. She had no intention whatsoever of responding to his bizarre and twisted desires.
Just then, a large hand clad in black gloves softly brushed Navia's cheek. She flinched and turned her startled gaze.
Their eyes met at a close distance.
If Creed merely lowered his head slightly, their damp breaths would mix, seeming almost to lead to a sticky contact.
'Why am I thinking such things...?'
Navia felt a slight urge to cry.
For the first time, she realized she was capable of having such salacious thoughts.
As Creed was battling the guilt of having entertained a bad thought about him, Navia spoke.
"There's an eyelash on your cheek."
Navia awkwardly nodded her head to the sound of a gentle smile and a whispering voice that softly landed.
'I checked my appearance before getting off the carriage. It was fine then.'
Navia tried to reach for her cheek but ended up being led by Creed's hand to grasp his waist.
"It's okay now."
Somehow… it felt like it wasn't just about the eyelash.
Navia's eyes narrowed in suspicion just as the dance began.
Creed smiled faintly, reminiscing about the days of their youth when, instead of under chandeliers, they danced hand in hand by windows bathed in sunlight.
"It's been a long time since we've danced together."
A young boy and girl, not yet ten, were solemnly dressed up and respectfully facing each other.
After a bow and getting into position, Margaret and Suleiman, watching them with delighted smiles, wound up the music box.
Dancing the waltz to the tune of a music box, Cesare circling around them, Charlotte who came with snacks and ended up watching their dance, and Minerva, who heard the rumors and came to see.
Lark appeared with a chubby expression on his face.
Navia also smiled as she recalled the same time. Thinking back to the happy childhood days made her feel ticklish inside.
Sharing the happiest moments together, it's such a heartwarming feeling.
"The performance now is impressive, but I also enjoyed dancing to the music box," said Navia.
Creed's eyes sparkled at Navia's words.
"Then, why don't we visit today and dance along with the music box?"
She couldn't come up with an immediate response.
Navia spoke with a slightly muffled voice, her lips trembling.
"...Please refrain from saying such things in public."
It was better to be cautious, as someone could infer their conversation from the shape of their lips.
That's why, even though they were quite far apart from the people while dancing, they still used formal language with each other.
"You nagging person," Creed teased, and Navia glared at him, narrowing her eyes.
"That's why I like you."
More accurately, Creed liked whatever Navia did.
Navia completely lost her words.
There was nothing else she could say when he smiled happily and said it's good.
She felt a tight squeezing sensation deep inside her. Perhaps because of that, her breath became a little faster.
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