Chapter 100

* * *

"What gives you the nerve to stand here so confidently?"

Chlorah smirked and tilted her chin.

"What did you say—"

"Damian."

At my quiet whisper, Damian closed his mouth.

He must have remembered my words to ignore anyone who tried to provoke us.

"…Are you okay?"

Damian, who had been glaring at Chlorah with anger, now softened his expression and looked at me.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Smiling, I straightened my posture and said to Chlorah.

"You should try to relax your shoulders a bit."

"What, what do you mean?"

"You're too tense, and it's making your partner uncomfortable too."

Young-sik, who was dancing with Chlorah, turned bright red.

It was obvious that he was extremely tense, trying not to damage the diamonds hanging from Chlorah's dress.

"I heard that consideration is the foundation of ballroom dancing."

I smiled.

"You need to try harder."

Leaving those words, I resumed dancing with Damian.

Chlorah glared at me with a furious expression.

Feeling her piercing gaze, I suppressed a smile.

Collisions while dancing were common.

What mattered was how you handled and moved past them.

'Not even able to hide her expression properly.'

Though I didn't show it, the nobles must have seen Chlorah's angry face.

'Good. The provocation is over.'

At that moment, the music stopped.

As we finished the final steps perfectly, applause erupted.

"Damian, everyone is watching you."

While exchanging pleasantries, I whispered to Damian.

I wasn't lying. The chandelier's light seemed to shine only on Damian.

'My kid does look a bit like an angel.'

I smiled fondly.

"Rather than me…"

"Huh?"

Damian hesitated and shook his head.

"No, nothing."

I could feel the grip on my hand tighten.

Meanwhile, the orchestra was rearranging their sheet music.

After the debutantes finished their dances, everyone could dance freely.

However, it was customary in high society not to dance immediately with the same partner who had done the first dance.

So, I hid myself in a corner.

If I danced any more, I might get cramps all over my body.

The duke had left for a moment to talk with other nobles.

'It seems the news about reopening the city gates is true.'

That's why there are no adults here.

The city gates of Schuets, which had been closed for over ten years, were reopening.

The nobles must be desperate to reconnect with Schuets.

"Damian, you can go dance if you want."

I suggested to Damian, who was standing beside me.

From the second dance onwards, it was acceptable to dance with someone other than your partner.

Enjoying such social events was also part of preparing for the future.

The young ladies, who had been glancing at us, lit up at my words.

"I'm fine."

But Damian shook his head firmly.

"The duke said to protect you."

"Huh? Protect from what?"

He didn't say that to me. A question mark appeared on my face.

"…Something precious."

Damian left those cryptic words and looked around with a guarded expression.

"Lady Ely!"

Then, a familiar voice called out.

"Aderan!"

"There you are!"

Aderan, with her cheeks flushed, ran towards us.

'When they said she was shining from afar, it was indeed Aderan.'

Today, Aderan looked exceptionally beautiful.

The light pink dress suited her well, complementing her light orange hair and brown eyes.

"Does it suit me…?"

"Of course!"

"I feel so awkward. I usually wear dark colors… this bright one is a bit…."

Aderan looked down, blushing. But her excited expression couldn't be hidden.

"You look beautiful."

"Y-You too, Lady Ely… When you were dancing earlier, you were so beautiful… my heart was pounding."

Aderan said shyly.

Her innocent expression made me smile fondly.

At that moment, the orchestra stopped playing, signaling the end of a set.

"Um… Lady Ely."

Aderan hesitated.

"Would you… like to dance with me… if it's okay?"

"With me?"

I was a bit surprised.

The debutante ball had no gender restrictions, and it was common for young ladies to dance together. But…

'I haven't seen Aderan dance her first dance yet.'

Aderan fidgeted with her fingers.

"I want to dance my first dance with you…."

She looked like a shy girl confessing her love.

How could I refuse? I nodded happily.

Just then, I saw Chlorah glaring at us. This was the perfect moment.

"I'll be right back, Damian. Wait here."

Damian hesitated but finally nodded.

I took Aderan's hand and walked to the center of the ballroom.

* * *

As Damian was left alone, the young ladies' gazes clashed in the air.

However, no one approached him easily, due to the aura of invincibility that surrounded him.

His gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold expression.

"He laughs a lot when he's with Lady Ely…."

"Maybe he's a bit uncomfortable here."

The young ladies awkwardly laughed, trying to gauge Damian's mood.

Despite this, they kept glancing at him. But Damian's gaze was fixed on one spot.

Ely, dancing with Aderan, shone brightly.

It seemed as if all the light in the world was focused on her.

Ely smiled widely, enjoying the dance. Damian, who had been smiling, suddenly stiffened.

I wish that smile was only for me.

'Why am I thinking like this?'

Lately, strange thoughts kept popping up.

I shouldn't be thinking like this. Ely would scold me for having such thoughts…

But the unknown emotion that squeezed my heart wouldn't subside.

Just as Damian touched his chest, bewildered, a sharp scream pierced the orchestra's melody.

* * *

"My diamonds!"

Chlorah screamed and panicked.

On the floor lay the violet diamonds that had been attached to her dress.

The crowd gasped.

This was the second diamond mine to be discovered.

The value of these precious stones had been skyrocketing, and to see them scattered on the floor was shocking.

"How… how could this happen…."

Tears welled up in Chlorah's eyes.

"That's too much, Lady Ely."

Finally, Chlorah mentioned Ely's name and began to sob.

All eyes turned to Ely.

Ely sighed inwardly.

'I knew the timing for a collision was coming.'

But I didn't expect it to be this blatant.

If it had been a staged collision, I wouldn't have felt wronged.

But the sight of the girl on the floor, crying, was heart-wrenching.

"Ely!"

Damian rushed over and checked on Ely.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

At that moment,

"What is the meaning of this!"

Lord Welsh bellowed and hurried over.

"Father…!"

"Chlorah! What happened here!"

Lord Welsh's face hardened as he confirmed the scattered violet diamonds on the floor.

"The young lady… she…."

At Chlorah's words, Lord Welsh glared at Ely.

Damian stood protectively in front of Ely.

"How dare you touch my precious daughter…! I won't let this go—"

"That's what I should be saying."

Then, a deep, low voice descended over the crowd.

Schuets Duke, who had approached unnoticed, looked down at them with a cold expression.

"You should know your place and not talk nonsense."

"How can you say such a thing…!"

Lord Welsh trembled but couldn't speak easily under the duke's imposing presence.

The duke ignored him and bent down to check on Ely.

"Are you hurt?"

"…No."

"Did you trip?"

"No."

Despite her reassurances, the duke kept examining her.

"Lord Duke! Are you ignoring me?"

Lord Welsh erupted in anger again.

"You seem very shaken. Are you really okay?"

But the duke only looked at Ely, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Lord Welsh, completely ignored, gritted his teeth.

"…Lord Duke. This is all because you let her run wild. She bumped into me first and didn't even apologize, and you just stand there watching!"

The duke, who had been examining Ely and Damian, finally stood up.

Schuets Duke was taller than most knights.

His gaze was so intimidating that it felt suffocating.

"Are you blind?"

"W-What do you mean…."

"If you bumped into my daughter hard enough to make her diamonds fall, you should have fallen too."

His piercing gaze drew everyone's attention.

"Why is Young-sik standing there alone?"

At the duke's words, Young-sik, who had been dancing with Chlorah, trembled.

"Don't make excuses! Saying you didn't fall is just a ridiculous lie!"

"Then let me correct you. The young lady's partner didn't want to fall, so he let go of her hand quickly."

Lord Welsh's face turned bright red.

With one sentence, the duke made Chlorah look like she had been abandoned by her partner.

Lord Welsh clenched his teeth.

If it came to this, he had a plan.

Before entering the ballroom, the Empress had secretly told him something.

Although the Empress had said to keep it confidential, she would step in if he was insulted.

'So, this matter will eventually come to light.'

Lord Welsh sneered.

"Is it all because of this low-born woman that you brought her as a daughter-in-law? To forget your manners and act recklessly?"