Chapter 82
“Franz.”
Her voice was as clear and delicate as her face, and her eyes, filled with apology, were completely fixed on him.
For a moment, he couldn’t say a word. It wasn’t just surprise—it was that Chloe looked so exhausted. She was still beautiful, but somehow the vitality she once had seemed gone. Seeing her like this was saddening, but it didn’t evoke any pity in him.
Looking back, he realized in that moment that the pain he had felt wasn’t because of lingering feelings for Chloe, no matter the betrayal or broken trust.
The past that had passed wasn’t just gone; things that ended so long ago were no longer memories—they were simply recollections, faint and distant.
“Were you waiting for someone?”
“You weren’t it.”
“Of course not. Your popularity is famous even in Altria. Who are you seeing these days? An opera singer? Or was it a young noblewoman? Did she come tonight?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Chloe said it sharply, and Franz gave a bitter smile.
“Why, you don’t like me seeing you with someone?”
“Yes. I don’t. We aren’t involved, and there are no romantic feelings, either. Don’t concern yourself with my matters.”
Franz didn’t understand what Chloe was thinking with such words, so he deliberately responded even colder. He didn’t like that Chloe even mentioned Iela.
The two of them just looked at each other in silence. Franz’s gaze was more irritated, almost dismissive, while Chloe seemed unfazed. Then, the silence was broken by Chloe’s laughter.
“I was joking. You were being way too stiff. It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Franz?”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Just saying hello.”
Chloe had always been willful since childhood. Beneath the grace and femininity she projected was a streak of contradictory eccentricity known only to her closest companions. Sometimes it added charm, but now it only stirred resentment.
“What are you doing here? I don’t recall sending you an invitation to Queen Persen’s event.”
“I came with my parents. I didn’t plan on coming at first, but they called it a masquerade, so I came to see you.”
“Why bother? Who’s happy about it?”
His stern voice was colder than anything Chloe had ever heard. Rather than feeling hurt, it made her feel more apologetic.
Franz, who had still carried the air of an unripe boy, now exuded the intense charm of a mature man. Seeing this new side of him brought both satisfaction and disappointment, as the innocence of the past was gone.
“I know. You probably don’t want to see me.”
“If you knew that, you shouldn’t have come. Do you know how many eyes are on us? I want you to leave immediately.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry for coming on my own today, and I’m sorry for what I did to you. I’m also sorry for apologizing so late.”
Despite her sincere apologies, Franz didn’t feel inclined to accept them.
“Now you want forgiveness… Your apologies are as selfish as ever.”
“I’m sorry, Franz.”
“No, don’t be hypocritical. You could have the king, yet you settle for the crown princess. I have no intention of calling it immoral even if you wanted more. I understood then and I understand now. But don’t expect forgiveness—that would be shameless.”
He responded with a sarcastic tone.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness. I just hope you meet a good person, like I did.”
“You speak as if you married for love, not power?”
Franz sneered coldly. If she truly wanted to call it love, she shouldn’t have run away.
“I don’t care what others think. I loved him, and I was loved in return.”
There was no hint of guilt in her calm voice.
“Others? I was ‘others’ to you, huh? Well, no wonder you ran off without a single word of excuse.”
“I do feel sorry about that.”
“Damn it! Stop saying you’re sorry.”
He ground his teeth to suppress rising anger.
“Franz, if we had married, would we have been happy?”
“How lucky we didn’t.”
Despite Franz’s continual sarcasm, Chloe maintained her composure.
“Anyone could see we would have been a perfect match. You would have done your best as husband, head of the household, and father.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“But that wouldn’t have been love, right? Could you have given up everything for me? Your position, your honor, your money?”
“Ha! Ridiculous.”
She had barged into an event she wasn’t invited to and was spouting such absurdities. Franz’s irritation flared.
“There wasn’t even a reason to give anything up, so why should my answer matter? You never said such things before, yet even now you spout nonsense.”
Chloe’s talk of love, so ill-timed and misplaced, filled him with unprecedented disillusionment.
“You know, Franz, if you truly loved me, you should have confronted me at least once. You shouldn’t have just given up; you should have held onto me. So what did you do?”
Nothing. Of course, he hadn’t felt it necessary.
“I didn’t betray you out of resentment. You gave me all you could. I just wasn’t satisfied with that. That was where we ended.”
“Right. Our love crossed borders, yet news of you turned out so tragically.”
Her eyes flickered as if wounded by his cold tone. They looked like eyes of someone hurt by losing a loved one.
“Don’t mock me.”
“I’m stating facts.”
Franz’s voice was cold, and Chloe’s eyes quivered with pain. She looked like someone wounded by the loss of a loved one.
Returning to the ballroom, it didn’t take long to find Iela.
She stood in a corner like a flower against the wall, staring endlessly at the ceiling’s fresco by Marzio Almonte.
It was stunning enough to leave one spellbound, but she seemed unaware of Franz approaching, which he found slightly irritating.
At that moment, the conductor’s voice rang out.
“Ladies and gentlemen! This is the final piece of the evening. Please enjoy the Farewell Waltz.”
Franz walked toward Iela at a leisurely pace. Just a few steps away, a shadow suddenly intervened.
“May I have the honor of this dance?”
Iela looked at the man before her, then met Franz’s gaze. His blue eyes were fixed on her.
A silence fell; both waited only for her response.
“Alright.”
Her usually composed face frowned slightly, but the anxious expression softened into joy.
She glanced at the small hand resting in another man’s before lifting her gaze. Walking straight ahead, she passed him. Franz had no choice but to choke back a laugh.
Iela wasn’t in the mood to dance. She had intended to refuse, but didn’t know how to react to the approaching prince, leaving her no choice but to avoid him.
‘I should have just gone straight home,’ she thought, blaming herself.
The next song began, and Franz watched her movements intently. Amid her calm eyes, a spark of fire flared.
Though Iela wasn’t his possession, her fleeting interest in someone else surprised him—and more than surprised, it was infuriating. A strange tingle spread across his chest.
Even this feeling was peculiar and interesting, but it wasn’t exactly his type of fun. He felt his fingertips grow cold and clenched his fists repeatedly. Still, his composed face observed them quietly.
“I think it was good I mustered the courage to speak. Honestly, I didn’t expect you’d allow it.”
The man behind the mask smiled shyly, like a pubescent boy, which was quite endearing.
“I’m so nervous right now. I’m worried I might step on your feet.”
“Same here. I’m no good at dancing.”
“I’ve been practicing for a week to get this far.”
Seeing someone else as clumsy as herself made Iela smile.
“But you dance quite well.”
“Ah, so ‘quite’ doesn’t mean ‘well.’ There’s a big difference between ‘quite’ and ‘well.’”
The man laughed as if to reassure her, and Iela faintly smiled. She realized she had been comparing him to Franz unconsciously.
“Don’t worry, I’m not very good either, nameless gentleman.”
Dancing with him wasn’t awkward as she’d expected. However, the persistent gaze that refused to let her go caused her smile to strain painfully.
