Chapter 2: TIVFME

Chapter 2

Adeline continued staring blankly at the hand Kael had extended toward her.

According to the original story, Kael wasn't even supposed to glance at her once.

He was supposed to treat every woman—including Adeline—as though they didn't exist, clinging only to Vanessa and passionately pursuing her.

But right now, he's not even looking at Vanessa.

Instead, the situation was completely reversed.

It was enough to drive her crazy.

She hurriedly tried to check on Vanessa, but the Crown Prince was standing directly in front of her, blocking Adeline's view.

What on earth... Right. First, I have to refuse the dance. That's the priority.

Any other young lady would have been celebrating inside after receiving an invitation from Kael.

But not Adeline.

Her only goal was for the story to unfold exactly as it had in the novel.

"Your Grace, Grand Duke Inver, I..."

"Ah!"

Just as Adeline was about to refuse and step away from Kael—

The crowd behind her suddenly shifted.

Someone seemed to be forcing their way forward, causing the tightly packed nobles to sway in confusion.

As a result, Adeline was shoved forward.

She had opened her mouth to reject him, but the sudden push threw her off balance.

Instinctively trying to steady herself, she accidentally grabbed Kael's outstretched hand.

What the...?! Who pushed me?!

To everyone watching, it looked as though she had naturally accepted his invitation.

Adeline screamed inwardly and desperately searched for the culprit behind the disturbance.

It was useless.

Kael gently led her to the center of the ballroom and bowed.

The formal waltz had begun.

There was no longer any way for Adeline to refuse or escape.

Kael's large hand settled around her waist.

Adeline's hand rested on his firm arm.

"Oh my!"

"My goodness..."

As their hands joined and the distance between them narrowed, astonished murmurs spread among the noblewomen watching.

Not only had Kael always found excuses to avoid dancing with young ladies at balls—

The two of them simply looked stunning together.

Ha...

Suppressing a sigh, Adeline suddenly lifted her head and stared directly at Kael.

According to the novel, he was supposed to fall in love after meeting Vanessa's gaze during the dance.

She couldn't help worrying that, because the story had already gone off course, Kael might instead fall for her.

Thank goodness.

He doesn't look like someone who's fallen in love with me... or even become interested.

In the novel, Kael and Vanessa's dance scene had been described with the line:

"Everyone in the ballroom realized they had fallen in love at first sight."

But Kael showed none of the signs of someone in love.

His blue-gray eyes remained as cold as ever.

The corners of his lips hadn't lifted.

To Adeline, he simply looked calm.

Only his gaze happened to rest on her.

Just as she relaxed in relief—

Something happened.

Distracted by her thoughts, Adeline missed the rhythm of the dance.

She accidentally stepped hard on Kael's foot.

"Your Grace—"

"Shh."

She had just driven the heel of her shoe into his foot.

There was no way it didn't hurt.

Startled back to her senses, Adeline hurriedly tried to apologize.

Kael stopped her with his deep, lazy voice.

As though nothing had happened, he didn't even frown.

Instead, he guided her through the dance even more smoothly.

"I have a favor to ask."

"...Me?"

"When the dance is over, come with me to the garden for a moment."

"Leave the ballroom with me."

Adeline stared at him in disbelief.

...Has he lost his mind?

If they slipped away together after the dance, it would obviously look like a secret rendezvous.

"...Why would I?"

"In exchange for forgetting what just happened."

"No."

"You don't have to forget."

"You can remember it for as long as you like."

"So I'll pretend I never heard your suggestion, Your Grace."

Adeline rejected him firmly without leaving any room for discussion.

Kael frowned slightly.

Apparently, he hadn't expected such a decisive refusal.

"If you step on His Highness the Crown Prince's foot, the consequences will be very different from stepping on mine."

"Huh?"

"If you dance the waltz wearing shoes that don't fit, you'll inevitably step on someone's feet."

"So tonight you'll continue stepping on men's feet."

"And after me..."

"...the next one will be His Highness the Crown Prince."

Adeline's eyes widened in shock.

She never imagined he would notice that her shoes were too big.

Because of a maid's mistake, oversized shoes had been prepared for her.

They discovered it too late to replace them.

She hadn't planned on dancing anyway.

Since the shoes were hidden beneath her long dress, they had simply tied them tightly with ribbons to keep them from slipping off.

He noticed when we bowed.

Before the waltz had begun, she had lifted her skirt while greeting him.

The strips of white cloth wrapped around her shoes must have caught his eye.

How could he notice something like that in such a brief moment...?

And what does he mean the Crown Prince is next?

Still bewildered, Adeline asked,

"What do you mean His Highness is next?"

"Because even now..."

"...he's watching you."

Unable to believe it, Adeline secretly glanced toward the Crown Prince.

Good heavens.

Kael was right.

Even while dancing with Vanessa, the Crown Prince's eyes kept drifting toward Adeline.

Not even the mask concealed where his attention lay.

"I don't intend to dance again tonight."

"I imagine you'd rather stop dancing here than step on His Highness's foot."

"..."

"Wouldn't escaping to the garden be a rather good idea?"

"If you leave alone, someone will surely follow you."

"But if the two of us leave together, no one will dare."

Kael smiled faintly as he raised one eyebrow.

Adeline bit her lower lip.

If Kael would simply dance with Vanessa next, she wouldn't have cared even if she stepped on the Crown Prince's foot.

But Kael had already declared he wouldn't dance anymore.

The Crown Prince wasn't exactly a good person.

It was already maddening enough that Kael, who should have been happily dancing with Vanessa, was instead standing here with Adeline.

There was no reason to complicate matters further by involving the Crown Prince as well.

The safest choice was to stay as far away from him as possible.

"I'll ask once more."

"When the dance ends..."

"...will you come to the garden with me?"

Kael asked again in an easy, confident tone, as though he already knew her answer.

Damn it.

Damn it.

Damn it.

Adeline silently repeated several curses she had learned from her older brother Leo, the commander of the knights.

Then she let out a long sigh.

"...Fine."

There was a reason Kael had been so relaxed.

Adeline had no other choice.

---

The rumors are supposed to be about Kael and Vanessa...

How did this happen...?

Unable to do anything else, Adeline followed Kael into the garden while chewing nervously on her lower lip.

It was a habit she had whenever she was deep in thought.

It felt like everyone in the ballroom was staring at us.

This is driving me crazy.

The moment the music ended, Kael escorted Adeline out of the ballroom.

Just as she had feared, every pair of eyes followed them.

She didn't even need to imagine what kinds of rumors would spread after tonight's ball.

"It'll take about twenty minutes before the dancing settles down."

"We'll just wait until then."

Unlike Adeline, whose head felt ready to explode, Kael looked perfectly calm.

Watching him only made her more frustrated.

Why hadn't he danced with Vanessa like he was supposed to?

Why hadn't he fallen in love with her?

It was enough to make Adeline lose her mind.

"Your Grace."

"Why did you ask me to dance?"

She asked him directly.

She was so frustrated that she wanted to hear the reason from his own mouth.

Kael looked briefly surprised that she had asked.

Then he answered without hesitation.

"Because..."

"...you were the only young lady in that ballroom whose face showed no excitement."

It was a reason Adeline had never expected.

"You looked like the only woman there who wasn't looking forward to the ball at all."

"So I thought that even if I invited you to dance, you wouldn't misunderstand my intentions."

"And even if I suggested we escape to the garden together..."

"...you wouldn't have unrealistic expectations."

"..."

"You seemed like one of the few people who disliked balls as much as I do."

"I thought we'd understand each other easily."

"Although I certainly didn't expect you to reject me that firmly."

Adeline's mouth fell slightly open.

She had never imagined such an explanation.

In other words—

Kael had chosen her precisely because he believed she wouldn't become flustered by his attention like every other noblewoman.

To be fair...

He wasn't wrong.

Any other young lady would probably have been blushing by now, secretly wondering whether Kael intended to make some romantic confession.

Adeline, however, felt absolutely none of that.

This has gotten completely twisted.

The only reason Adeline had remained so calm was because she already knew Kael and Vanessa's ending.

She had been quietly waiting for the moment they fell in love at first sight.

Instead...

That very indifference had somehow attracted Kael.

Her head began to ache.

How do I put everything back the way it was?

Should I just tell him I know everything? That Vanessa is the one he's supposed to be with? Tell him to hurry back inside and dance with her?

Questions flooded her mind one after another.

At this rate, Kael might become involved only with Adeline.

For her, that was the worst possible outcome.

First, I have to stop him from getting involved with me.

I'll deal with Vanessa afterward.

I need to make him lose interest in me.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that she had to sever any connection between them.

Straightening her posture, Adeline slowly spoke.

"So..."

"...what you're saying is that you chose me because you thought I was safe."

Kael, who had been quietly looking at the flowers shining beneath the moonlight, turned to face her.

"You're right."

"I'm not the sort of woman who blushes just because you pay me attention."

"And I never will be."

"..."

"But please don't drag me into the middle of unnecessary rumors for that reason."

"You extended your hand because you believed I was 'safe.'"

"You'll probably get exactly the harmless outcome you wanted."

"But because of what happened tonight..."

"...I'll be the subject of gossip for a very long time."

"..."

"The world is not nearly as kind to me as it is to you."

"So if we happen to meet like this again..."

"...I hope nothing like this ever happens."

"I find it deeply unpleasant."

After speaking so quickly and clearly, Adeline noticed her hands trembling slightly.

She had spoken out because she desperately wanted to restore the original story.

But the person standing before her was Kael Inver.

The Grand Duke of the North possessed greater wealth than the Imperial Family.

His military strength was even greater.

He was admired by everyone—

And feared by everyone.

People even said that after witnessing the way Kael defended the northern frontier, no one could bring themselves to meet his eyes.

...He's not going to kill me, is he?

Even the Emperor and Crown Prince couldn't treat Kael lightly.

No one had ever dared speak to him the way Adeline just had.

Feeling fear slowly creep over her, she cautiously looked at his face.

...What's with that expression?

She had been prepared to run straight back into the ballroom if he looked angry.

Instead—

Kael was looking at her with eyes full of unmistakable interest.

Anyone could tell his curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.

"Then..."

"I'll be going."

A chill ran down Adeline's spine.

She hurriedly turned to leave.

"Wait."

Of course, her bad feeling wasn't wrong.

Kael's voice stopped her just as she passed him.

"Do you currently have a suitor..."

"...or a fiancé?"

"...What?"

Adeline stopped and slowly turned around.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Not from excitement.

From overwhelming anxiety.

"Lately..."

"...I've been looking for someone to enter a contractual marriage with."

"..."

"And I believe..."

"...I've just found the perfect candidate."

Adeline stared at Kael in utter disbelief.

It was the worst possible outcome.

The absolute worst.