The Social Ball (3)
Left alone in the spot where Prince Nguyen had departed, I nursed a complicated mix of emotions while downing my red wine.
…So this is the true face of the Empire. They treat the capable well, but the incompetent and weak are crushed without mercy…
The sight of the hostages at the distant table, stuffing food into their mouths like beasts, struck me differently now.
Of course, I had zero desire to get tangled up with them, but the bone-chilling realization hit me: a single whim from the imperial family could send me plummeting into the abyss starting tomorrow.
I absolutely cannot become incompetent. And I must never fall out of the imperial family's favor.
I was steeling my resolve for survival and sipping my wine when—
“Oh my, who’s that?”
“Goodness… why is someone that handsome sitting alone at a table in this out-of-the-way garden corner?”
“No way, was there a guy like that in the imperial social scene? How did I not know about him until now?”
“Must be his first ball. Heavens… how can a person look that good?”
Before I knew it, noble ladies who’d been strolling the garden had gathered in little clusters near my table, whispering away.
Their gazes, peeking over ornate fans held to their mouths, were blatantly obvious and sticky with intent.
Ah, what a pain.
They weren’t even coming over to talk—just chattering loudly enough for me to hear, over and over about me. It was getting on my nerves, like I’d become a monkey in a zoo. I started subtly preparing to stand and slip away.
Better to hide in a secluded corner of the garden. Just as I was about to push my chair back—
Thud.
“Is this seat across from you free?”
A smooth, sensual voice accompanied someone plopping right down in the chair opposite me, the one Prince Nguyen had just vacated.
“…”
I looked up and nearly stopped breathing.
The young woman before me had dazzlingly white skin and long, lustrous waves of deep brown hair cascading down her back. Her black silk dress, plunging daringly at the chest and back, perfectly accentuated her breathtaking figure. But what truly drew the eye was the enchanting beauty mark nestled right by her right eye.
She crossed her legs with haughty confidence and flashed me a bold smile.
“Pleased to meet you. I was passing by and couldn’t resist that dazzlingly handsome face of yours. Mind if I sit here?”
She’d straight-up admitted she came for my looks, which threw me off, but at least she wasn’t beating around the bush. Hiding my fluster, I stood politely and gave a light bow.
“Thank you for the compliment. You’re breathtakingly beautiful yourself, my lady. Would it be too forward to ask which house you hail from?”
“I’m Alba de Espada, second daughter of the Espada Count family—counts of the Empire.”
The moment she named her house, the faces of the whispering ladies nearby drained of color.
“E-Espada…!”
“Heavens, the Espada house from the east… that major noble family?”
“The second daughter… you mean that famous one…”
Espada… ah, right, one of the great eastern houses.
It was listed in the materials the crown prince had given me as one of the key families propping up the Empire. Even I, a total novice in high society, knew of them—and these noble ladies certainly did too.
They couldn’t dare approach now, nor whisper any longer; they just backed away furtively.
“And who might you be? I had no idea there was a hunk like you hiding in the palace. Guess our family’s intelligence network is slipping.”
Alba propped her chin on her hand, giving me a sultry, playful smile. I sat back down and answered calmly.
“I’m Prince Ian from the Kingdom of Sterling. I’ve come to the capital to prove Sterling’s unwavering loyalty to the great Empire.”
Her eyes sparkled with intrigue at my response.
“Hmm, Sterling… oh, right, the southern kingdom. So in other words, Prince Ian, you’re a hostage from a defeated nation?”
“That’s correct.”
“I see…”
She half-closed her eyes seductively and gave me a faint smile.
“A hostage… you haven’t been in the Empire long, have you?”
“A little over a month.”
“Then this must be your first ball. To be blunt… surviving as a hostage in the Empire is no easy feat. You can tell just by looking at the other hostages over there.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
“That makes things quicker, then.”
With that, she extended her slender wrist right in front of my eyes. Tied around her pale skin was a red silk cord woven with gold thread.
“But luckily, my family has quite a bit of pull. Once the dance begins, come with me and we’ll dance. If someone I choose offers you one of these cords, you can enter the main hall inside the palace instead of staying out here in the garden. No one would dare treat my pick with disrespect.”
Alba de Espada extended her hand confidently, as if she were certain I’d accept.
“Isn’t it etiquette in high society for the man to invite the lady first for a dance or partnership?”
I asked with a slight smile, and Alba scoffed.
“I have zero interest in being some passive, boring girl who just waits around for a man I like to offer his hand. In the Espada family, if we want something, we reach out and take it first.”
Alba de Espada was the epitome of a femme fatale.
Unladylike in the best way—assertive, bold, unashamed of her desires. To be honest, I rather liked it. If I didn’t have someone else to rely on, I might’ve taken her hand right then.
But a promise was a promise.
I made a deeply regretful face and politely shook my head.
“It’s a terribly tempting offer, one that’s hard to refuse, Lady Espada… but unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, I’ve sworn not to dance with anyone at this ball.”
“…May I ask who?”
“That’s difficult to say as well. I swear on the heavens I’m not lying, but the fact remains—I won’t be dancing. My apologies.”
At my courteous refusal, Alba’s delicate brows arched slightly upward. Whispers rose around us, mingled with faint snickers.
A man turning down a bold offer from a woman—and from a great noble’s daughter, no less—wouldn’t be odd if she flew into a rage, but—
“Ho…”
She withdrew her hand, only to look at me with even greater interest.
“Turning down such a golden opportunity to honor a promise with someone else? Oh dear, what now? You’ve rejected me, and yet I like you even more. A man who values his word is sexy.”
She leaned forward, her red lips parting. Her cleavage was on full display, and a dizzying perfume wafted over.
“Fine, no dancing then. At least stick around and chat with me properly. Whoever your promise is to, they can’t have forbidden conversation, right?”
As I racked my brain for how to deflect her overt seduction, just then—
“…”
“…Oh my.”
The ladies who’d been peeking from afar gasped in unison and hurriedly bowed their heads. The lively buzz filling the garden vanished like magic, replaced by a chill silence.
“I was planning to take Prince Ian in myself, but Lady Espada beat me to it and now I’m in a bind.”
The voice from behind me was cold yet meltingly sweet and languid. I turned slowly, and there she was—a familiar face.
A beauty draped in a white fur shawl and a golden dress that bared her snowy cleavage. The Empire’s greatest mage, heir to the northern grand duke, and of imperial blood—Ella von Arzenheim stood there.
Ignoring the frozen nobles around her as if they were invisible, she glided past them, approached me naturally, and flashed a captivating smile with her silver eyes sparkling.
“Long time no see, Ian. You’ve gotten even cuter since last time? Come with me to the main hall.”