“Don’t worry, and just go and enjoy yourself. All right?”
“……All right. If anything happens, send someone for me immediately.”
“You’re going to nag my ears off. Now, go!”
Roxana, who had hesitated several times as if she couldn’t bring herself to leave, was finally pushed out of Frey’s room.
When she opened the connecting door, she saw Curtis, who had changed his clothes in the meantime. Roxana was momentarily captivated by his profile. His hair was swept back, and his collar was stiffly starched. Dressed in a sleek formal uniform that looked as though not a single speck of dust could touch it, the man exuded an ascetic and dangerous aura, unlike his usual somewhat loose and free-spirited self. His straight nose bridge and sharp eyes further emphasized a precarious, perilous charm.
“Roxana?”
Curtis, who had been fastening his cufflinks, looked up at the sound of her presence.
As their eyes met, he, too, fell silent for a moment.
“…….”
His gray eyes, hiding his desire, scanned the dress he had gifted her last time. A dress the color of mist. The cleavage slightly visible beneath her exposed collarbones and her cinched waist. Her wavy, cascading hair was as red as a flame, and her lips were just as crimson as her hair.
The woman before him possessed a mixture of saintly elegance and witch-like allure. It was a seductiveness that would linger even if she wore a mask. Reaching that thought, Curtis pondered for a moment. He was bothered by the men who would swarm around her like bees to a flower. What if he just locked the door right now? If he could keep her trapped in this room like a prized bird in a cage, and look at her alone.
However, his thoughts did not linger long. Roxana’s clear voice ended the tense silence that had seemed as though it would never break.
“Frey says……. She won’t go. She says she prefers to stay here.”
“I see.”
It was, after all, a place where mature men and women would drink, dance, and press their bodies against one another. Feeling inwardly relieved, Curtis approached her. Roxana, watching him close the distance in long strides, took a step or two back without realizing it. But she couldn’t run away forever. Soon, her back hit the door. Curtis, who had closed the distance without hesitation as if cornering his prey, stopped with only a single step left between them. It was as if a deep, uncrossable river lay between them.
“…….”
At his gaze, which seemed to tell her to cross over on her own, Roxana quietly took the arm he extended. In any case, no one could escape from this raging, turbulent current. Neither he, nor she.
* * *
“To infinite blessings upon the entire territory for this coming year!”
“To blessings!”
As soon as the King’s toast ended, the people echoed it boisterously and raised their glasses high toward the sky.
The long table, centered around the King, was filled with all sorts of rare fruits and luxurious dishes. There was pheasant cooked with herbs, wine, and spices; suckling lamb brushed with olive oil; sturgeon; cakes flavored with honey and almonds; and salads topped with saffron.
As the banquet reached its peak, the orchestra, which had been waiting, began to play an elegant melody at a signal from the Lord Chamberlain.
The first dance of the Carnival banquet belonged to the King and Queen. When the King rose from the head table and stood in the center of the vast hall with the Queen, the surroundings, which had been noisy enough to make one’s ears ring, fell silent in an instant. The King and Queen’s dance continued, following the slow, elegant music.
While everyone watched the scene with bated breath, Roxana, too, had her gaze stolen by the unfamiliar and splendid spectacle. It was the scene her mother used to read to her about from books when she was young. Seeing the magnificent banquet and the Royal Castle—a landscape she had wanted to see at least once—unfold before her eyes felt like being dropped into another world. She was staring blankly at the strange and wondrous sight when, soon after, the King and Queen’s dance ended.
Next was the turn of the Princess and her ladies-in-waiting. As if they had been waiting, the men approached their partners and held out their hands. Amidst this, the only one sitting still like a tombstone was the Princess.
“Your Highness.”
A man who had received the King’s prior permission approached her and requested the dance repeatedly, but she remained silent. Because the Princess would not rise, the other ladies-in-waiting also hesitated to take the hands of the men who had approached them, wary of the atmosphere.
In the awkward silence, the Queen finally stepped in.
“Princess. You are making Sir Henry’s hand feel quite unwelcome.”
“Mother. There is someone else I wish to dance with.”
“What did you say?”
The ladies-in-waiting might not have known, but it was a long-standing custom for the Princess to dance her first dance with a partner chosen by her father, the King. At the shocking words, the Queen’s face contorted, and those who heard them froze like ice. The flustered Queen sent a look to the King, asking for help. The King, stroking his beard, chuckled.
“I know who it is.”
“Father.”
“Margrave.”
The booming call echoed throughout the entire banquet hall. In an instant, hundreds of pairs of eyes converged on one spot. Curtis twisted his lips at the attention that pierced him like arrows. The King, with a stern expression, asked slowly.
“Surely you wouldn’t refuse.”
“…….”
Instead of answering, Curtis looked at Roxana, who was sitting beside him. He hadn’t expected anything, but he had hoped for some kind of reaction.
However, his expectations were shattered to pieces.
Roxana was looking straight ahead without a single movement. It was as if she had absolutely nothing to do with this situation. As if she didn’t care at all who he danced with or whose body he pressed against. The voice that had cut him as deeply as a blade rang in his ears once more.
“I have no intention of interfering between you and the Princess.”
Her face was hidden by a mask, so he couldn’t see her expression, but he was certain. A bitter laugh erupted at her thorough detachment.
“I should think not.”
Clenching his teeth, Curtis withdrew his sharp gaze from Roxana. He rose from his seat and approached the Princess, receiving the hundreds of eyes that clung to him. The Princess, who had been sitting arrogantly, wore a smile on her lips.
“Would you grant me the honor of the first dance?”
“With pleasure, Margrave.”
As if they hadn’t just been trading insults about being a vixen and a stray dog, the picture-perfect pair stepped onto the hall where the King and Queen had just been standing. The excited ladies-in-waiting also stepped onto the hall with their respective partners. The slow, elegant waltz rang out once more, and Curtis, pulling the Princess’s hand with one of his, wrapped his other hand around her waist.
Countless whispers passed between the guests regarding the pair that stood out among the many couples dancing the waltz.
“They look like such a handsome couple standing together. I had no idea the Princess was interested in the Margrave.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I was worried he might refuse, given the rumors that he’s an insolent and crooked man, but it seems the Margrave isn’t entirely indifferent to the Princess after all.”
“Rumors are rarely to be trusted. Didn’t they say he wears a coat made of wolf skin, has horns on his head, and has two pairs of eyes?”
“That’s right. Seeing him in person, he’s much more handsome, isn’t he? My heart skipped a beat when I saw him enter the hall earlier. I can’t believe he’s still a bachelor.”
“Well, whatever the truth may be, it’s understandable that the Princess would be interested……. Hmm. That aside…….”
The noblewoman, who had been fluttering her fan, noticed Roxana sitting blankly in the seat next to them and changed the subject.
But such consideration was already too late. All of Roxana’s nerves were directed toward Curtis, who was lightly lifting the Princess with both hands and clasping her hand.
That dance was the one he had taught her in the backyard under the moonlight before going to Baroness Philomena’s banquet. She had almost tripped over her own feet several times and her waist had swayed, but she had felt a sense of stability in the firm strength that supported her each time.
“I will teach you to dance.”
“Pardon?”
“Learn when I say I’ll teach you, Roxana.”
Memories flooded in like a tidal wave, and a bitter taste rose to the back of her throat.
Avoiding the glances that were peeking at her, Roxana rose from her seat. He would be angry if she weren’t there when he returned, so she intended to catch her breath for a moment and come back.
Brushing past the servants who were incessantly carrying drinks and food, Roxana limped out of the banquet hall.
“Ah.”
She looked for a chair to sit on, but one was nowhere to be found. While wandering through the wide hallway, she bumped into someone at a corner. At the same time, her mask fell off.
“I apologize.”
Roxana, who bowed her head, reached out to pick up the mask. However, the other person picked it up a step ahead of her. It was the moment Roxana, wearing a faint smile, lifted her head.
“Thank yo…….”
She was wearing a mask, but she recognized him at a glance. There was only one person she knew with platinum blonde hair.
“……Thank you, Your Grace the Duke.”
Roxana, having received the mask, turned her back quickly. She tried to leave as if fleeing, but a low question caught her by the ankle.
“Is your ankle all right?”
“…….”
He was the one who, a couple of days ago, had saved her from a man reeking of aphrodisiacs and had provided proper treatment for her sprained ankle. She couldn’t pretend not to hear him and walk away. In the end, Roxana, still wearing her mask, turned around slowly.
“Yes. Thank you. I seem to only be receiving help.”
“You helped me as well, so we are even.”
Enoch, who had answered plainly, looked around. Confirming that no one was there, he asked quietly.
“And Lord Russell?”
“He is busy, so I came out for a moment.”
“He is dancing the first dance with the Princess.”
“……Yes.”
Roxana, after a brief pause, nodded.
“Then.”
She wanted to get out of here quickly. However, Roxana’s wish did not come true. After he paid his respects, he grabbed her shoulder as she tried to move away again. And then, he asked Roxana, who had frozen in surprise, clearly and distinctly.
“What is your name?”
At the piercing gaze from behind his mask, Roxana looked away without realizing it.
“It is Melanie.”
“That’s a lie.”
The hand gripping her shoulder tightened. At the tone that held a certain conviction, Roxana’s pupils dilated. Her palms grew sweaty, and a headache and nausea washed over her.
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