Chapter 44: Two Men Reaching Out to Me
Murmuring crowds. And there I was at the center, the protagonist of all those gazes, yet feeling like a sack of barley carelessly dumped on the floor.
'......Why? Why ask me to dance?'
I froze in place, glass still clutched in my hand. It was a situation I hadn't even imagined.
I gaped for a long moment, staring blankly before slowly lowering my gaze to the two hands extended toward me.
Diego's hand, pristine and beautiful as if it had never known hardship—just like the last time I'd seen it. Rainer's hand, rough and honest, marked by a knight's life.
'I'm going insane.'
My head throbbed from the sudden turn of events. Confused, I looked up at the two of them.
"Ainheart Viscount. Good to see you. No issues with the Second Knights, I hope?"
"Your Imperial Highness. Thanks to your concern, all is well."
The two, having confirmed each other as the owners of the hands reaching out to me, exchanged formal greetings.
Diego wore a faint smile, Rainer an impassive but calm expression—yet the air between them was as tense as thin ice.
"Your Imperial Highness. And greetings, Ainheart Viscount."
I'd been blankly watching their standoff when I realized I needed to greet them too, so I hurriedly bowed my head.
An inexplicable emotion spread through the eyes of the two men as they turned to me.
'They haven't figured out I'm Mir, have they? Or is this some political maneuver?'
I quickly spun my thoughts into gear. The name Crisis carried nobility. If someone outside our family had asked me to dance, I could've easily guessed they were after the prestige rather than any real interest in me.
'But the original Diego and Rainer weren't like that...... They weren't the types to approach someone for power. They already had plenty of their own, and more importantly, that's just who they were.'
'But saying they've realized I'm Mir...... that's too vague.'
I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing them sharply. Yet their faces showed only an unknowable fondness and subtle excitement—no clear reason.
Stammering with a bewildered expression, I faltered.
Diego and Rainer watched my fumbling with gentle eyes, but no matter how long I thought, I couldn't grasp how to respond.
"To receive dance requests from both His Imperial Highness and Ainheart Viscount at once—must be the Crisis name for you."
"Wonder who the lady will choose! The world's most perfect shape is a triangle, after all! This is thrilling!"
The nobles, excited by the scandalous drama, buzzed noisily. I felt like a monkey in a zoo.
'A dance is just one dance anyway, and no matter who I pick here, scandal's unavoidable.'
I'd heard debutantes couldn't escape rumors from their first dance partner. I was just thrown because it was the male leads, Diego and Rainer—but a dance was a dance.
'The problem is...... which one to choose.'
Cold sweat trickled down my skin under their heated gazes. I couldn't easily decide which hand to take.
As I racked my brain like a madwoman—
"If it's not too late, I'd like to join in."
Someone pushed through the crowd and slipped a hand between Diego and Rainer.
"Would you care to dance with me, if it's alright?"
A man in pristine white priest robes, face hidden by a white mask. Beneath it, an angelic smile. It was El, the High Priest.
'I'm dizzy.'
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them. At this point, it almost felt like all three were conspiring to tease me—though Diego and Rainer's shocked expressions at El's revealed demeanor seemed too genuine for that.
"What is this, the chur—"
"Shh."
El smiled softly, pressing a finger to his lips to silence the flustered Rainer, who shut his mouth instantly. From Diego and Rainer's stunned looks, it seemed they knew who El was.
'Is it that shocking for the High Priest to attend a ball?'
Feeling like the only one out of the loop, I tilted my head dumbly.
"Who might this be?"
"Who knows...... with the mask......"
Whispers speculating about El's identity grew loud around us. Apparently, I wasn't the only one in the dark.
'Anyway, I have to choose someone.'
Brushing off all three and leaving would brand me rude. Tradition dictated a debutante grant her first dance to whoever asked.
I looked down at El's hand, pale to the point of ghostly white. Large, with calluses unbecoming a High Priest—yet utterly familiar.
I could easily imagine the feel if I took it. El's hands were always warm, befitting the Sun God's proxy.
'In that case...... my choice is set.'
I let out a slow sigh. They say a person's hands mirror their life. Among three hands bearing different lives, I grasped one.
"Thank you, Lady Crisis."
It was El.
'Honestly, how was I supposed to grab the crown prince or viscount's hand in this crowd! That would've snubbed one of them outright!'
Diego and Rainer were the empire's top eligible bachelors, surrounded by throngs of admirers. Picking one would mean rejecting the other—and making an enemy.
'So, rejecting both it is.'
El wore a mask. His identity wasn't revealed. Better to choose the masked one and risk weird rumors than openly pick between the two whose statuses shone bright.
"Well, rejected. The Crisis house hasn't had a lady in ages; I was curious what she'd be like. Wondered about Lady Crisis's dancing skills, too."
Diego withdrew his hand with a playful laugh. His deftness in defusing a potential quadrilateral scandal into mere social chatter befitted the pinnacle of diplomacy, the crown prince.
"I feared my unskilled steps might trouble Your Highness. If you'll forgive me, next time, I'll ask you first."
"I'll look forward to it."
Diego smiled so sweetly it could melt away. Every word dripped with consideration for me, leaving me oddly unsettled.
"Next time...... I hope you'll grant me the honor as well."
Rainer bowed stiffly, his impassive face unchanged—but waves of fierce emotion rippled in his golden eyes. His slightly downturned gaze made him look like an abandoned puppy, jolting me hard.
'Ugh, now I feel like the bad guy......'
"Th-then...... next time, I'll ask you first."
"I'll wait."
His drooping ears seemed to flop atop his head; cold sweat beaded on me, but I forced a light smile.
As the two took my refusal in stride, the crowd's murmurs quieted.
"Then, shall we dance, Lady Crisis?"
El, who had been watching me converse with Diego and Rainer, tightened his grip on my hand. His pull felt petulant; I tilted my head but nodded.
"Of course. It's an honor."
El chuckled warmly at my formal reply. Following his lead, I stepped toward the hall's center.
The imperial orchestra struck up a waltz. We bowed briefly in greeting, then El's arm encircled my waist. Fingers interlocking, we began slow steps.
El danced with perfect form, good enough for a well-bred noble son.
"Truth be told, I didn't expect Mir to take my hand."
El spoke softly. His silver eyes sparkled under the chandeliers like moonlight on a night sea.
His red lips so close—just a tilt of my head away—I felt a touch awkward but answered without hesitation.
"Dancing with El seemed the least controversial option."
"I suppose so."
Bitter undertones clung thickly to El's upturned lips. Holding his hand, I spun lightly. No skirt meant no dramatic flourish, but it was clean and precise—enhanced by the harness I'd chosen, simple woven straps.
El blinked at me for a moment.
"That accessory on your body...... what is it?"
"One I designed myself. I call it a harness."
"I see."
It felt guilty admitting I'd designed it myself, but I decided to brazen it out. El stared intently at the black, web-like harness covering my upper body, then slyly averted his eyes.
"......Isn't it a bit...... indecent?"
"......Pardon?"
'This?'
It was just some intertwined straps. After Kaiser and Kal, now El critiquing the harness—did it really not suit me? A bit downcast, I asked.
"......Does it look bad?"
"No, not that......"
El glanced away, looking troubled. The tips of his ears flushed faintly.
"......It suits you well."
Our closeness made his murmur crystal clear. Relieved it wasn't weird, I smiled faintly.
"Why are you here, El?"
A High Priest could enter any ball freely, but they rarely mingled socially.
El blinked slowly, then beamed brightly.
"To see you, of course."
I faltered. My steps stuttered briefly. Lifting my head, I glared at him with sunken eyes.
"......When did you realize I'm Lady Crisis?"
"Probably before you did yourself."
I had no idea how to react to El's answer. My body followed the memorized steps effortlessly, but my mind whirled nonstop.
Sensing that, El added an explanation.
"Nothing to be so shocked about. I just pieced it together from various situations. I wasn't certain, so I couldn't ask Mir outright."
"What......"
"Eighteen years ago, Duke Kaiser searched for a woman and a young girl, they say. Gossips speculated it was a daughter from his mistress."
"He searched diligently but never found them."
"......Really."
"Not many know this, but in the empire, only Crisis family members have red-tinted eyes."
These were details absent from the original story. Stunned, I stared at El, who smiled gently.
"Plus, Mir had the Crisis house's signature swordsmanship talent—peerless, generation after generation. It all fit rather neatly. Of course, it was just a hunch."
His casual tone belied razor-sharp insight. I fell into momentary confusion.
'Why was Kaiser looking for a woman and a girl eighteen years ago? Was he really...... searching for me? He'd said so himself, but...... How was I even born?'