Chapter 71

Father glanced calmly at the spot where Benjamin Closer had momentarily vanished.

“…Do you like such a fool?”

The voice asking the question had a disapproving tone to it. Unsurprisingly, his straight brows were slightly wrinkled as well.

‘…I can’t even joke in front of my father.’

Would you take it so seriously? I swallowed the laughter that was about to come out.

I shook my head and answered casually while shrugging my shoulders, “It’s not like that. Just because he’s the first person to come here and talk to me?”

As I already stated, everyone avoided me and gave me a sidelong glance, except for Benjamin Closer, who had just departed.

There are only a few people in my family who will not give in to my status as the Grand Duchess.

‘Of course, I like it now.’

I felt quite content. I initially detested receiving people’s attention, so I went to the banquet hall’s corner.

However, it’s possible to assume it was me because he reached out his hand silently.  I nodded my head and didn’t put my hand over it.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Where?”

“Shouldn’t you dance with your father?”

So I was led by my father to do the second dance.

✿

As I let out a sigh I’m exhaustion, Aaron, who was looking at me, smiled and said, “Are you having a hard time?”

“Umm… not a lot but little?”

“Haha! It’s difficult because my sister, who said she’d only dance once, has been asked a few times.”

I pretended not to ask, but I laughed awkwardly at Aaron’s words.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

I thought I was confident in managing my facial expressions.

“Um, not a lot, but a little?”

Aaron followed my previous words and curved the corners of his eyes.

“Excited.”

Just then, a groan was heard from behind.

‘…I’m tired!’

I went out to the back of the banquet hall again. In the distance, I could see my father and Seian surrounded by nobles.

After dancing with my father, I took a break and danced with Seian once more.

“Can I dance to a song with you?”

How can I say no when his purple eyes are full of anticipation?

‘It somehow looks like Thane.’

In the end, I broke my promise to dance just once and went to the center three times in total.

“Ha…”

I felt exhausted from the gaze that was as intense as it had been when I was dancing with Aaron.

“I can’t help but notice that hair.”

I answered his witty comments with equal ease. He quickly blinked in response to my reply before formally introducing me and grinning.

“Haha, that’s right. Nice to meet you. My name is Zerop Xavier.”

“I’m Erita Krovachatz.”

It was when we made a formal greeting.

“I’d like to introduce you to my sister.” 

“But you’re here by yourself.”

The person next to me, Aaron, opened his mouth in a frustrated manner, “My sister has gone to rest for a while, so you’ve been introduced to me instead.”

“Why don’t you leave if you’re only going to talk nonsense?”

At Aaron’s cold response, Zerop’s smirk was cut by his dagger.

I was the only person who got caught in the middle and didn’t comprehend. He seemed to get along well with him.

“Brother, did you know Xavier?”

I glanced up at Aaron and asked in a low voice. At the same time, Zerop’s expression widened, and Aaron’s expression distorted.

‘…You’re not enemies.’

It was Aaron’s straight face that I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“We’re very close. I guess the platoon leader didn’t tell you about me.”

Saying that Zerop wiped away fake tears as if to express his disappointment. I just blinked silently at the situation I couldn’t understand. Are you on good terms or on bad?

Looking at Zerop’s reaction, they seemed to have been friends for two years, and from Aaron’s reaction, they didn’t seem to be very close.

“Erita, you can ignore him. Or should we move?”

I’ll have to correct it, Aaron seemed to be annoyed with Zerop.

Aaron paid no attention to Zerop, implying that he was ignoring him.

“Um, would you like to talk to, two people? I’ll go to the balcony for a while.”

In an ambiguous situation, my choice was to escape.

“It’s dangerous to go alone.”

“Ah, brother, what could be dangerous in the Imperial Palace banquet hall?”

At my words, Aaron pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

Aaron’s expression of dissatisfaction meant that his eyebrows were raised by about 1mm and that the gap between his eyebrows was narrowed by 2mm.

“I just want to get some fresh air for a while. Young Marquis of Xavier, may I leave first?”

“Oh, of course. It’s fine.”

When asked afterward, Zerop nodded as if he was okay with it.

When I was introduced to him by Aaron, I remembered what he said, but first I wanted to rest a little. I’m sure I can’t avoid glances when inside the banquet hall.

“Then go put on this. The night air is still cold.”

At the same time as those words, Aaron’s jacket fell on the exposed shoulder.

Perhaps there was still warm warmth in the cloth that touched his bare skin because he was wearing it.

“Thank you. Brother.”

Judging from the weather earlier, it doesn’t seem that cold, but I smiled bashfully while holding my jacket slightly.

“Then let’s talk.”

Then she left a greeting to Aaron and Zerop and turned around.

It was a fact I didn’t know that Zerop’s strange gaze reached behind me.

✿

No shadow could be seen through the almost clouded glass door.

“Is this place empty…?”

First and foremost, there was no curtain in front of the glass door, indicating that it was a space, but I was cautious because I had previously experienced something similar.

“Excited.”

I opened the door slowly with a slight hint.

“…?”

When I turned around, what I saw was a very noticeable clear sky blue hair.

“…The eldest son of Marquis Xavier?” 

Why is this person suddenly here? 

“Hello, Grand Duchess.”

As soon as I remembered who he was, a handsome man with a soft impression opened his mouth.

His sharp eyes matched surprisingly well with his gentle smile.

“Oh, yes. The Marquis of Xavier.”

First of all, I hid my embarrassment and greeted him with courtesy.

Then his eyes widened. It was more of a playful smile than a friendly one.

“It’s an honor that you know who I am.”

Fortunately, he seemed to have come to the right place this time.

“I was worried about what to do with this again.”

This is because I saw a couple’s passionate love affair on the balcony where I left. 

After all, I thought it was an empty place because the curtains were not closed a while ago.

Before closing the glass door, I carefully drew the curtains and tied a thick gold string.

‘I made eye contact with him. How embarrassing must it be?’ It was terrible just to imagine.

Thud—

When the glass door closed, I felt like I was cut off from the space I had just been in.

“It’s a little quiet now.”

The door seemed to have a soundproof effect, and only a little murmur was heard.

“…Certainly, this is a fantasy world.”

Seeing the magic stone illuminating the balcony, these words came out of nowhere without knowing why.

“Honestly, there are times when this place still feels like a dream.”

To be exact, I used to think like that when I dreamt about where I was.

Maybe that’s the reality, and this is a dream based on what I want.

‘….It’s okay. My head hurts just thinking about the things I have to do now.’

I shook my head and brushed away my thoughts. Thinking didn’t help me at all.

“Ha…” I sighed and leaned back.

The dark sky, which I looked up, was studded with stars that shone their light.

“It’s pretty…”

This place was different from my original world, but the sky was the same.

The sun and moon are always in my sight when I just look up. Sometimes I like to look at the night sky by myself without thinking.

I felt like I was being comforted by the bright moon.

As time passed when I could dance once, I looked up at the sky quietly. As soon as I took my eyes off the moon, other thoughts rushed to my mind again.

Among them, the two members of the Imperial Family accounted for the largest proportion.

One was Callian and the other was the Empress.

“…The mask dance will be held in three days.”

I pushed Callian to keep trying to expand his position, deep down there and tried to double-check my plans.

Among the banquets that lasted a week, the first day, today, had the fewest attendees.

The most crowded is the last day of the mask dance and the Emperor’s attendance.

Therefore, if you want to secretly approach the Empress, there are many people, and the mask dance day was perfect.

But there was one problem, ‘If I wear a mask, my face will be covered to some extent, but my hair is like that.’

Among the nobles, my family was the only one with black hair, and I was the only one with long hair there.

I lifted my hair once. Even from a dimly lit location, it was pitch black.

‘It’s too risky to use magic…’

It would be annoying if someone saw my hair color change.

Because it wasn’t known that I was a wizard. To dig deeper, I didn’t inform anyone on purpose.

“I’ll have to think about it a little more.”

So I sighed and mumbled it was then.

“Erita.”

A familiar voice calling my name could be heard.