Chapter 31
But Jad was wearing a distinctly unpleasant expression.
The corners of his lips were lifted, but that was unmistakably a bad smile.
After twelve years of unrequited love, she had reached the level where she could easily tell apart even this kind of pretense.
What is it now? Is he annoyed just because I’m close with his friend?
Sienna wondered if Jad felt like his friend was being stolen away.
He had that childish side to him.
However, contrary to her thoughts, the situation took a completely uncontrollable turn.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Jad’s lips curved upward arrogantly.
“Don’t tell me—you’re doing this just to get my attention?”
……What is he even saying right now?
Sienna, Dandelion, and even the young ladies who had been subtly listening nearby were all left speechless.
“…What?”
So shocked that she slipped back into speaking informally without realizing it.
“It seems you were quite upset that I didn’t ask you for the first dance. My apologies, Princess.”
Anyone could tell—he was mocking her.
Jad was deeply mistaken.
That’s not it at all. Where do I even begin explaining this? No—does this even deserve an explanation?
She was so dumbfounded that all she could do was laugh.
But this was no laughing matter.
The murmuring around them was steadily growing louder.
Jad! Please, just shut up!
She looked at him desperately, but all she received in return was a gentle smile.
“Please let go of that hand.”
Jad spoke in an unusually soft voice as he looked at the hands tightly clasped between Sienna and Dandelion.
“I came to ask the Princess for a dance.”
And with that, he took hold of her other hand.
In an instant, the scene turned into something straight out of a cliché melodrama.
Should I twist his wrist? No—step on his foot instead.
As Sienna glared at the hand gripping hers and entertained such thoughts, Dandelion stepped forward.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m the one who asked the Princess to dance.”
“What? You?”
Only then did Jad’s gaze shift from Sienna to Dandelion.
“Why would you?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“Well, you’re doing something you never do.”
“A reason, huh…”
Murmuring softly, Dandelion answered indifferently.
“She dances very well.”
“……”
“I hope that answers your question.”
He lightly patted Jad’s stiffened shoulder.
Then, as if nothing were amiss, he led Sienna away.
In moments, the two of them were standing at the center of the dance floor.
The music filled the awkwardly distorted air.
Jad stared blankly at the pair as they took their positions.
Since when did those two get so close?
Both Sienna and Dandelion were wearing expressions he had never seen before.
This isn’t what I meant to say.
He had planned to congratulate her, tell her the dress suited her well—at least that much.
Even if he had no intention of marrying her, they had still been friends for twelve years.
He had already decided that the second dance would be with Sienna.
So why…?
Irritated, Jad roughly ruffled the hair he had carefully styled.
“Is it just my imagination?”
“Probably not.”
“We seem to have drawn attention unintentionally.”
It seemed the bomb Jad had dropped had already made its way around the ballroom.
Even as they danced in the far corner, subtle gazes kept drifting their way.
“I hope I haven’t caused trouble unnecessarily.”
Worry crept across Dandelion’s refined features.
“If the Princess ends up being misunderstood…”
“That kind of thing happens to me all the time. And I’m not the type to worry about it every single time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So, my lord, just look at me for this moment. Rumors fade quickly anyway.”
Instead of answering, he smiled softly.
They had only matched steps a few times, yet their timing was remarkably good.
Thanks to that, Sienna had the leisure to observe his face up close.
Though that “observation” was really just a series of silent admiration.
How does someone’s jawline look like that?
His slightly angular jaw carried both softness and masculinity at once.
Her gaze clung to the lines of his face, unwilling to let go.
Our Dandelion is a genius. A visual genius.
It was around the midpoint of the song when Sienna asked in a deliberately serious tone,
“Dan. Did you know? A statue went missing from the royal museum.”
“Is that true?”
He asked back, genuinely startled.
“What kind of statue was it…?”
“It’s right in front of me.”
“…Pardon?”
It took him about two beats to understand her words, and his face flushed red.
“Are you teasing me right now?”
Sienna replied solemnly,
“No. I’m serious.”
“Princess!”
“Today—really, truly—you look overwhelmingly amazing.”
Today, she felt unstoppable.
She wanted to set aside worries about the future and fully enjoy this moment.
And so, the happy dance shared only between the two of them came to an end.
But she truly had no idea—
That these small words exchanged today would give rise to a century-defining, utterly disastrous story.
As soon as the dance ended, Dandelion expressed his intention to leave early.
They talked as usual, and he even smiled—if only faintly.
Yet the air between them was undeniably different from before.
Sienna didn’t want to part from him like this.
She didn’t want him to become cautious just because she was his friend’s fiancée.
But she had no excuse to stop him.
She didn’t know what she should do.
All she could manage was to smile and say, “See you tomorrow.”
The banquet hall felt dull once Dan disappeared.
After drinking about three more glasses of apricot juice that suited her taste, she left without hesitation.
Outside the building, it was strangely quiet.
Aside from a few knights guarding the entrance, everyone else would be filling the ballroom.
Arthur, walking along the unnecessarily long corridor with her, asked,
“Where are you headed?”
“Take a guess.”
“And if I guess right, is there a reward?”
“Arthur… you’ve changed.”
“You’re going to the library again, aren’t you?”
“The party got boring. And it’s way too noisy—my head hurts.”
“I can’t disagree. Still, aren’t you a bit regretful? It is your debutante ball.”
“What about it? There are still two days left.”
Sienna stretched, loosening her stiff body.
When they arrived at the library, surprisingly, Alpen was still awake.
“Princess?”
He asked in surprise.
“Why are you here…?”
“Just because.”
That was the typical reaction.
She laughed awkwardly, then asked with a hint of anticipation,
“Um… no one’s been here, right?”
“No. On a night like this, who would come here? Everyone would be busy drinking and enjoying themselves at the banquet.”
“Haha. I suppose so…”
After telling Arthur to rest for a while, Sienna trudged toward the bookshelf at the very back.
She didn’t know if he would return here again, but she wanted to place the letter she had worked so hard on last night into their shared green mailbox.
“Huh?”
