Chapter 8

When it comes to the noblest woman in the Empire, she is definitely Her Majesty the Emperor. An omnipotent power. Charlotte Lillian, who ascended to the throne at the age of sixteen, won over the people with her wise policies and won over the elderly public trust with her strong demeanor.

So, who is the next noble woman? It’s none other than Adriana de Winter. Of course, here, “nobility” is determined not by temperament or qualities but by how pure one’s blood is, regardless of birth.

“Can I pretend my shoe was stepped on and tear my dress?”

“No.”

The Magnolia family was a prestigious family with a deep history of loyal service. Rumor had it that the firstborn inheritor of their title was highly skilled in both academics and martial arts. Seeing that there were no rumors of her being kind or merciful, one could infer her character.

“What about spilling wine on the dress and returning to the Grand Duke’s residence?”

“That’s not allowed.”

Anyway, Adriana Magnolia, born and raised in that noble family, grew up beautifully – solely from a third person’s perspective – and married the Emperor’s cousin, becoming Adriana de Winter.

“I’ll have a drink of each type of alcohol there.”

To others, she might seem like a calm and well-favored young lady.

“No- sigh… You’ve been talking about excessive things since earlier.”

“I’ve been holding back since earlier.”

“Holding back what?”

Adriana, the second noblest and first most beautiful woman in this place, undoubtedly stood out. From the moment she stepped out of the carriage, she attracted all sorts of gazes, making her feel somewhat –

“I feel like doing a somersault in mid-air right now, even if it’s this instant.”

It was exhilarating. However, despite the electrifying sensation, the dress she had put on was more elaborate than usual and was extremely uncomfortable. Since the incident of throwing the corset out of the window, no one dared to put a corset on her again, but it didn’t grant her the freedom to avoid the complex and heavy dress.

“I think I might have trouble breathing soon, you know? So, shut your mouth and escort me. Or maybe swap clothes with me.”

The ballroom was truly dreadfully far away. She didn’t feel like walking elegantly and gracefully. Still, considering the expressions of the high-ranking individuals, her throat tightened with anxiety, and her pulse raced – of course, she couldn’t actually strangle anyone.

“Do you remember how to dance, Your Grace?”

“Dance? Well, won’t my body move on its own?”

“You must dance the first dance -“

“Oh, I know. I’ll stand still even if my feet get stepped on. You know, pretend it didn’t hurt, like it didn’t hurt at all.”

The hair, elegantly pinned up high, felt like it could snap her neck with the combined weight of hair and jewels. Judging by the fact that it hadn’t snapped yet, she must have had a sturdy body even without muscles.

The green dress, coordinated with Callian, swayed gracefully. She hadn’t worn a crinoline to shape the skirt’s silhouette, but even just the layers of fabric that surrounded her were enough of a challenge – it was excessive to think about pressing such hard bones onto flesh, even once.

“Seriously, this is a real -“

“Adriana, please.”

“Oh, I got it.”

She kept forgetting where she was and wanted to curse incessantly. No, seriously, is there any reason not to curse? It’s a fantasy world in itself, where trains run, there are dragons, and magic exists, but why does she have to twist her bones, squeeze her skin, and transform her body?

It was unnecessarily frustrating that demure dresses had gone out of style. The current trend involved a fluffy, voluminous skirt line, making her plain and flat dress fall short of the standard and seem old-fashioned.

But what can you do? Because! I –

“His Grace Callian de Winter and Her Grace Adriana de Winter have arrived!”

After this, I’m going to make and drink some makgeolli!

Not a guard, but a guard unit? I asked. Anyway, as I entered through the door guarded by the person in front of the ballroom, a loud-voiced man came out and shouted the Grand Duke’s name.

In this world, the only thing I’ve become accustomed to is how to ask questions. From straightforward inquiries to subtly probing ones, I’ve developed various techniques to glean unknown information.

“Have you arrived?”

“I greet the Empire’s Sun.”

I raised the hem of my skirt slightly and bowed my head. After greeting the Emperor, the Empress, and even the Crown Prince, I listened to the customary pleasantries as if it were a never-ending tale. Folding my hands and pretending to listen had been a skill honed since my school days when I didn’t actually pay attention.

And by the way, “Oh, really? Oh, I see, is that so?” and such.

“As you’ve come after a long time, please enjoy yourself to the fullest.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I don’t know royal etiquette – I don’t even know upper-class language! My hands were sweaty just from the greetings. I had inwardly teased myself for roughly writing this novel with minimal authenticity, but I should probably avoid doing that again.

Just performing these simple courtesies was complicated enough for me. If it had been a political drama where one had to convey meaning with fan shapes and engage in intricate power struggles – wow, just imagining it made me think of soju.

The Crown Prince was a handsome figure, bearing an equal blend of the Emperor and the Empress’s features. He was tall, with smooth lines, and his facial features were harmoniously arranged. The portraits I had seen before seemed inadequate compared to the real thing.

“Adriana, give me your hand.”

I was grateful for the gloves. Well, my hands were sweaty enough to wet the gloves, but that’s beside the point.

The first piece was majestic and cheerful, but I didn’t know what it was. It gave me a feeling like something I might have heard in the school cafeteria during my school days.

Traditionally, the first dance was supposed to be with one’s original partner, and there was no one else I knew besides Callian. Without hesitation, I took Callian’s hands and entered the dance floor alone.

“Oh.”

“You, you can’t dance -“

Was it muscle memory? My feet moved joyfully, like the red shoes from a fairy tale. I spun in a circle, moved rhythmically, taking a step back and then sliding forward. Wow, wow, wow!

“Wow, amazing.”

“What did you just -“

I danced energetically, regardless of whether Callian said anything or not. While others whispered sweet nothings or talked on the other side, I had to finish this turn perfectly.

This instep, this angle, and now, this timing! Ta-ra-ran –

The perfect dance had ended. Whether it had been an hour or less than a minute, after dancing the first dance with exhilaration, my heart raced.

Had I felt this excited since a few days ago when I ordered rice?

In a world without a smartphone, friends, or Minsu, it had been almost a year since I immersed myself in and obsessed over romance novels.

Moving my body to the vivid orchestra playing in real time was incredibly thrilling.

There were social gatherings even in the Northern Territory, but there had never been an event hosted by the Grand Duke’s household, and I had never walked hand in hand with Callian.

“You truly are -“

“Oh? I know this music. Let’s dance to one more song.”

“What?”

“Ah, quickly. The music is about to end, hurry.”

The music was even more passionate than before, but that wasn’t the important part. I took Callian and danced energetically alone again.

I soaked my shoulder blades almost to the point of breaking and then jumped lightly, pressing Callian’s hand firmly. His experience in vanquishing monsters must have helped; he held onto my hand skillfully.

“Why so suddenly -“

“But surely, if it’s you, you’ll catch me, right? Just like this.”

After slightly loosening the grip on the hand I was holding, we spun around once more. Despite the cumbersome dress, there was nothing like it when it came to dancing. The weight of the fabric was distributed well, allowing for smooth rotations. It felt like being a spinning top.

“I didn’t know you were so interested in dancing.”

“Can you be quiet for a moment? Listen to the music.”

I had forgotten because life got busy, but I was in the sports dance club. Not only that, I was the club president. The dance I was doing now might seem unrelated, but there was an attitude I had developed since middle school.

Huh? Me, you say? Back in the day?

The crystal chandelier sparkled as if it would shatter. The hall was brightly lit by wax candles, and people were densely packed, making it almost stiflingly hot.

In this world, magical stones served all the roles of electricity and nuclear power, so why did they love such old-fashioned things?

At first glance, the hardened wax seemed like a work of art, but the thought of removing it all and considering the servants who would have to clean it up was astonishing. I wonder if they respect the work-life balance here.

“It’s been a while, Callian.”

“Have you been well, Your Majesty?”

“Uh, relax. Don’t be awkward. Is Adriana doing well too?”

“Yes. …Thanks to you.”

Is it appropriate to answer like this? I didn’t want to know about royal etiquette, so I just ignored it, but when Callian whispered next to me, I decided to pick it up casually.

After chatting amiably with Callian for a few moments, the prince gently raised the corners of his mouth and extended his hand to me.

“Would you like to dance with me for the next song?”

His azure eyes sparkled gently like the depths of a forest at noon. His serene gaze, reminiscent of a tranquil pond, gave him an aura of a ‘prince.’

“With pleasure.”

The prince had danced the first dance with his fiancée, Lady Raydi, and now he had skipped a round. With no brothers, he didn’t have many dance partners. Extending his hand to me meant that, in terms of closeness, I was the closest person to him after the emperor.

Kid, you’re good at dancing too, huh?

“To be honest, I was a bit surprised earlier.”

“What surprised you?”

“I didn’t know Adriana was such a good dancer.”

The prince was quite a good dance partner. Callian wasn’t bad either, but he didn’t move as gracefully as the prince. Moreover, it was an absolute honor to dance with such a beauty up close.

He resembled the emperor overall, but his gentle demeanor was reminiscent of the empress. I couldn’t help but laugh when I considered that I had been dealing with the stern Northern Grand Duke all this time and was now dancing with this cheerful young man.

“You see,”

“Please speak freely. If you’re part of the Callian family, you’re family to me too.”

Jumping over the family connection like this? Why does it have to be that way? Are you perhaps a Confucian? Or maybe, the eldest son of a noble family – oh, he’s the Crown Prince, right?

“In private, that’s how it is.”

“- What do you think of Callian?”

“What do you mean, what’s there to say?”

“Just. To me, he seems a bit rigid. So, what about Adriana?”

“Well, she’s managing quite well.”

“…Really?”

“…Yes, that’s right. There’s no need to go around presenting divorce papers to the Empress just yet. He may omit a lot in his words and read too much into facial wrinkles, but they can manage to have a meal together more or less.”

Describing one’s feelings through expressions alone was one of Callian’s bad habits. Speaking ambiguously, beating around the bush, and then speaking as he pleased when he felt like it.

Even my way of speaking wasn’t exactly polite, but I didn’t speak too brashly. As long as we didn’t plant any major flags, we could get along reasonably well. It seemed like I was giving up on my adventures one by one for now. Strangely, the more you gave up in life, the easier it became.

“…I see.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Crown Prince bit his lip as if trying to suppress a smile and nodded slightly.

After that, he didn’t continue the conversation because the lively music demanded a response.

He swayed his hips, raised his left arm, turned his right arm, placed his hand on the other’s shoulder, and spun gently once, then three times, in a lively dance.

It felt like he might spin so much that he’d lose his balance, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t showcase my triple axel, but I refrained from doing so because it seemed like showing that incredible burst of energy in three rotations with the Crown Prince might go on forever.

Despite dancing passionately, my firmly fixed hair didn’t come undone.

Thanks to that, my throat felt a bit sore.

Oh, should I try some alcohol now? The sight of various drinks neatly displayed made the jester excited. It seems I’m a more cheerful person than I thought…

***

“You, please refrain from drinking so much in the future.”

“Huh? Who are you to -“

“…Last night, do you really not remember?”

“Last night? What happened last night? But why are you in my room?”

As I held my throbbing head and got up, the sight of Callian’s bare chest met my eyes.

Callian blushed with an embarrassed expression, and next to the bed, a green dress from the party was sprawled out.

…Huh?