Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Ball (3)
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Numerous nobles lined the ballroom.
Everyone was preparing to find their partners and dance.
Those who hadn't found partners yet, those waiting their turn.
They watched the ballroom from afar.
And most of their gazes were fixed on me and Adelheit.
-Look at that. Her Highness Adelheit is dancing.
-That's rare. Didn't she never dance?
-And her partner is Young Master Kline? Were they acquainted?
-I heard someone saw them together. So the rumors were true.
-Politically, they're an invincible pair. Imperial royalty and a ducal heir. They might even get engaged.
-But they do suit each other. Both are so stunningly beautiful.
Everyone was sizing us up.
Reactions wondering if we knew each other.
Reactions speculating on the political ties between us.
Reactions saying we looked perfect together.
They all showed varied responses, but the essence was the same.
'They're all watching with keen interest.'
No one showed jealousy or discomfort.
As if my dance with Adelheit was perfectly natural.
What if rumors spread across the entire empire like this?
Once the mood sets in, the flow gets weird.
I might end up engaged even without intending to.
I'm worried Ariel might come chasing me with a sword later.
"Will you offer your hand?"
Adelheit whispered.
I extended my hand toward her.
Her hand grasped mine.
"......"
Adelheit gripped my hand tightly, her cheeks flushed bright red.
In that brief silence, an unspoken understanding passed between us.
She was clearly embarrassed, yet her intent was clear.
Lead.
Despite being a woman, she was trying to lead me first.
"......Because I'm a princess. No particular reason."
"Even so, it's bound to cause misunderstandings."
At a ball, a woman asking a man to dance first is a declaration of courtship.
It's proclaiming to everyone that this man is hers, no matter who sees.
I asked because I didn't think our relationship had reached that point yet.
"Would that be a problem?"
"No."
Her bold response made me shrug.
Fine. If you're okay with it, then that's how it is.
I don't dodge flirting that's handed to me on a platter.
Her hand moved toward my shoulder.
In response, I placed my hand on her back.
Soon, the court orchestra began playing.
-♬♪
As the sweet melody echoed, Adelheit moved her feet.
To confess now, I'd hardly danced before.
Of course, as a noble, I'd learned the basics in my family.
Since I'd never done it in my previous life, it took time to adjust at first.
But I had a natural talent for physical movement, so I managed a bit above average.
That said, if my debut was partnering with a princess in front of countless nobles...
A little stiffness was unavoidable.
"Step forward with your left foot."
As I hesitated slightly, Adelheit whispered.
Seeing her step back with her right, I moved my left forward.
Once we started, my body loosened up.
Following the remembered steps, Adelheit let out a soft "hmph" and smiled.
"You know a little after all. I thought you were a complete beginner at first."
"I'm a noble, remember? Once I get going, I adapt."
"Is that so? But I have no intention of handing over the lead."
True to her word, Adelheit was leading the dance.
Rather than me stepping first, she guided me.
It felt like I was the son-in-law already.
"Aren't you being too forward? As a princess, taking the initiative like this could be troublesome."
"No. There's a reason, of course."
The orchestra's music softened, and our steps slowed.
The part where the woman presses close to the man.
Adelheit buried her face in my shoulder and spoke.
"You said it yourself. You accepted the duel with Jisil out of consideration for me—to keep your word. That you were just doing what needed to be done."
"Yes. What's the problem with that?"
"It's fascinating."
Adelheit's lips moved.
As if peeling away something she'd bottled up inside, she whispered to me.
"Do you know what I saw most while growing up in the palace?"
"No."
"Nobles shirking their duties. They ignore the responsibilities they should bear, bask only in the privileges they were born with, and chase only those who expand their power politically."
"......"
"And do you know what they tell me? 'You're a princess, so fulfill your duties. Understand the burdens on your shoulders.' Ha! People who can't say a word to my older brother or sisters lecture only me, the Third Princess."
That must have been Adelheit's lifelong grudge.
I couldn't fully grasp it all here and now.
But from her behavior so far, I could guess.
Acting unlike a princess, liking those who ignore conventions, empathizing with those tired of obligations.
That was Adelheit as I'd seen her with me.
"But you were different. You said accepting Jisil's duel was emotional, yet you showed no personal grudges in the outcome."
"It was simply warranted. If Jisil had crossed the line further, I wouldn't have held back."
"Liar. Jisil's actions alone warranted far worse. The fact that you let it slide... that's what drew me to you."
With that, Adelheit's cheeks flushed red again.
The music neared its end.
She pulled her face away from me and averted her gaze.
Embarrassed after saying her piece.
Yet she didn't forget to keep leading.
"......I don't care what you think. It's just how I feel. I wanted to tell you that."
"It's too sudden. I think Her Highness could take more time to consider."
"Hmph. And you're saying that after a woman lays it out like this?"
"Well. Sorry, but I have a scary little sister at home."
I gave a wry smile.
I was glad for Adelheit's feelings.
How could I not be thrilled that the empire's most cherished flower fancied me?
But accepting right here felt too hasty.
I could go with the momentum, sure...
'Ariel still weighs on my mind.'
My little sister was still there.
Until Ariel grew up properly and could stand on her own, I couldn't let go.
She already lacked social skills.
If I didn't take responsibility and raise her, who knows what she'd become.
The prophet even called her a calamity.
Her inhumanity was already budding into danger—could I afford to focus on romance?
Who knows what would happen. Seriously.
The music ended.
As we wrapped up the dance, Adelheit narrowed her eyes.
"......Are you a siscon?"
"A bit."
"Ah, just a bit? I agree. I might have picked the wrong man."
She looked at me askance, but there was no helping it.
Try having a sister like Ariel.
You'd die without one? No, you'd kill for one? Wait, no.
After the dance with the princess, the reactions toward me and Adelheit diverged sharply.
First, no young ladies approached me carelessly.
Having danced with the princess already—who'd want to follow and risk comparison?
So my side cleared out.
"Your Highness! Dance with me too—"
"Sorry. I'm tired, so I'll retire."
Adelheit, who rarely danced, had done so.
Numerous young lords rushed to ask her, but she refused them all without batting an eye.
She treated them like roadside pests, which hurt my heart more than theirs.
Anyway.
With Adelheit gone, the ballroom resumed its music.
I leisurely watched the dances before moving.
The stares should have died down by now.
"Lady Elicia."
"Eek! ...Y-Yes? Young Master Kline?"
"Shall we dance?"
Time to keep my promise.
Drip, drip.
The sound of water droplets falling.
At first glance, one might think a leak, but...
Not in this room.
"Haa...... Delicious."
Gulp. Her throat bobbed.
Like someone finding an oasis in the desert.
The woman guzzled the surging liquid.
The woman was Bloodied, leader of the Red Mask Merchant Guild.
The droplets she sucked were blood drops.
The victim was a boy named Marvin Drusque.
He lay unconscious with a pure smile frozen on his face.
He had no choice.
Marvin had simply anticipated a gift from Bloodied.
So when she asked to be led to his room, he eagerly complied—only to be subdued by magic.
He never imagined she'd drain his blood.
Thud!
Drained of blood, Marvin hit the floor.
"Hehe. Don't hate me too much, little one. Who'd expect such madness in the palace?"
He still breathed.
Not out of Bloodied's mercy.
Laziness.
Killing him outright here raised too much risk of discovery.
"Ah, but don't despair too much? I'm not human. You might be honored as the first victim of a vampire."
Even if caught, no real danger.
No one in this palace could oppose her.
Just caution.
The cult leader was strict about that.
"Ah. I tampered with perceptions via magic, so it might take time to notice. Poor thing."
And that was it.
No more business with the drained child.
A routine she'd done countless times.
Sucking blood from children's bodies to maintain her beauty.
Blood cosmetics.
Already dubbed the 'lavish client' in the underworld, she'd turned many kids like Marvin.
No, those others all died, didn't they?
Marvin might be the sole survivor.
Though the magic she prepared would likely kill him anyway.
Bloodied chuckled, adjusting her clothes.
"Hmm. No stains, I hope. Need to freshen up for the ball."
A few pats, and the bloodstains vanished.
Satisfied, Bloodied began primping.
"Hm hm, hm hm."
Like heading out for a picnic.
Marvin's body lay on the bed.
Placed gently, as if by a guardian.
But the room's thick, acrid blood scent betrayed his dire state.
To Bloodied, it was heavenly fragrance.
"Magic can't activate yet—time's not right...... Yes, better show my face at the ball. As a patron. Hehehe."
Savoring the scent, she left.
Thud.
Door closed.
Simultaneously, a warped puddle formed.
Not blood, but an indeterminate gray-white space.
The back side, they called it. The shadow world.
The power granted to Bloodied by the Crimson Blood Cult's leader.
And so, Marvin fell into deep slumber in the room.
As if fated to be locked away, forgotten by all.