Chapter 9
“Your Majesty, if you absent yourself for so long, won’t your loyal retainers grow concerned?”
“The same could be said of you, Lord fiar.”
“Even so, it’s hardly the same as the host of the ball being gone.”
After a round of laughter, the sharpness between the two men fizzled out like a bottle of soda gone flat. Their tone turned light, each insisting the other should go in first.
Good. This is my chance to slip away.
I counted myself lucky and began to leave the garden—only for the duke to follow. From a step behind, he whispered under his breath.
“Running off again without me, my lady?”
“I thought perhaps Your Majesty had more to discuss with you.”
I offered the Emperor as an excuse, nodding in his direction. But to my surprise, the Emperor made no move to stop us or even comment. He simply watched us.
The duke diverted my attention back to himself, and our conversation resumed.
“You may continue speaking with him if you wish.”
“No. I’ve already wasted enough time.”
For someone to call a private audience with the Emperor—something that might be another’s lifelong wish—a waste of time, and to say it with such finality… I couldn’t help but smile at the boyishness that sometimes peeked out of this perfect man.
“Shall we walk a little farther, Luen?”
“Yes. I’d like that.”
With that, we fell into companionable silence. His steps suggested he had no intention of returning to the ballroom just yet. Nor did I.
Why go back there, only to hear more meaningless chatter?
A soft breeze stirred the trees, scattering leaves, while the moonlight spilled gently across the path where we walked. The scene had a quiet charm.
“We never had a chance to dance tonight.”
Near the fountain, the duke stopped walking. He was right—the Emperor had pulled him away as soon as the ball began.
I nodded, and he offered his hand with elegant grace.
“Would you grant me the honor of a dance?”
I glanced around, startled. No one else was in sight. It was just the duke, head slightly bowed, waiting patiently for my answer.
Here? Now?
There isn’t even music.
But something in me stirred. From far away, faint strains of the orchestra drifted from the ballroom—barely audible, if one strained to listen.
You’re supposed to meet Sophia and fall in love with her.
Yet I had no idea where she was now. To search for her without a good reason would only arouse his suspicion.
Besides…
If not now, when will I ever get to dance with my favorite character? This chance may never come again. So just this once, let me have this dance.
The hesitation melted away. I answered without wavering, hoping this moment would remain a sweet memory.
“Yes, gladly.”
Using the moonlight as our stage, we moved to the faint music drifting through the night. It was a gentle waltz. The warmth of his hand, the rhythm we shared—it was all quietly exhilarating.
His smile traveled through the line of his arm to mine.
So this is who the duke really is.
You can come to know someone by their actions. Even when I stepped on his foot, he only smiled kindly. When I lost the beat, he adjusted seamlessly. When I gave my weight over to him, he bore it with ease. Through this, the image of Duke fiar reshaped itself inside me.
The man before me tonight was so different from the fiar I had known only in text. At last, I saw him clearly. The sincerity behind his every action toward me now came into focus. And with that, he seeped straight into my heart.
“Shall we dance another? It would be a shame to end so soon.”
“I feel the same.”
The grass brushed against my ankles, the breeze slipped between us, and I let myself be guided by him—fully drawn into the romance of the moment.
One song, then another…
By the time we finally returned to the ballroom, quite some time had passed.
“Careful—the sudden light may sting your eyes.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
Just as he said, the ballroom’s brightness dazzled my eyes after the quiet dark. The nobles had broken off into little groups, chatting idly. Some, faces flushed red from too much wine, laughed boisterously.
But none of that matters right now.
Reappearing with the duke drew more eyes our way, but I ignored them.
“Meat…”
Since dawn I had been fussed over by maids, laced into my gown, and warned not to eat lest I stain the dress or smudge the makeup. I had barely touched soup and a few finger foods.
But now hunger surged uncontrollably.
“You’re very hungry, aren’t you, Luen.”
The duke’s sympathetic look didn’t matter. Tonight, I would eat my fill to make up for the deprivation.
It looks so good.
Most of the food remained untouched, the nobles too concerned with appearances. For me, it was a blessing.
“Oh…”
A whole roasted pheasant caught my eye. I tore off a leg and took a bite. The juices, the tender meat—it was so delicious my eyes watered. This was truly “meat that brings tears.”
Too good. I’ll have to tell the duke’s chef to prepare pheasant again tomorrow.
That’s how deeply it struck me. I gulped down the drink the duke handed me and sighed with relief.
“You look well when you eat with such appetite.”
“Ahh, that’s better. I can breathe again.”
With my hunger eased, my senses returned. A twinge of embarrassment hit me—how greedily I had devoured it all with the duke beside me.
But delicious food is worth it.
I took another bite, savoring it all the more.
At last I began to notice the atmosphere around me. The nobles’ murmurings seemed louder.
Did I eat so much that they’re whispering about it?
Disaster. After all my careful restraint, to lose control now out of hunger! I strained to catch what they were saying.
—“…His Majesty…appeared…”
—“…after so long…”
—“…must send our daughters at once…”
Ah. So the Emperor had arrived at the ball. The nobles were already scheming to present their daughters.
Thank goodness. Not about me.
Blessings on you, Your Majesty. Your entrance had saved me from gossip about devouring pheasant like a starved peasant girl.
Now they won’t notice me at all.
Once again, I had been shielded by the timely interventions of others—first on the way to the palace, and now here.
I can’t say it aloud, but I’m grateful.
When I leave the duke’s household one day, I’ll spread quiet little stories of the Emperor’s virtues. And the night before I go, I’ll slip Julia a jewel as thanks.
Having settled that plan in my mind, I reached for the next dish.
After meat comes carbs.
A glossy, golden loaf of bread beckoned invitingly. The royal baker’s creation—what would it taste like?
Wait for me. I’ll eat you with delight. You must have been lonely, ignored till now.
I could almost hear the bread calling to me. But just before we could meet—
“Luen Aloha.”
The sudden sound of my full name stopped me cold. No one had called me by my maiden name since I became duchess nearly a month ago. The voice was familiar, and dread twisted inside me.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Would you grant me the honor of a dance?”
The Emperor stood before me, offering the most formal invitation. The ballroom froze. Every eye and ear turned toward us.
You madman—why me?!
Beside me, a chilling aura surged. I dared not look, but I knew—it was the duke, radiating fury.
I wanted nothing more than to flee this scene, trapped between the Emperor’s request and the duke’s wrath.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Even with clenched teeth, the duke’s diction was flawless. Had he practiced with a pen between his teeth since childhood?
“Lady Luen mentioned earlier how beautiful the palace was. I thought to show her more of it myself. Surely she should count it an honor to be guided by her Emperor.”
The Emperor’s words struck like arrows. I could feel the duke’s power falter.
And then, unbelievably, the blame shifted toward me.
Why am I the one caught in the crossfire?! How am I supposed to survive the carriage ride home with him after this?
Worse still, the Emperor’s phrasing made it sound as though I preferred the grandeur of the palace to the “cramped, shabby” house of the duke. It was not true—but society thrived on such innuendo.
—“They say Duchess fiar was the one who tried to seduce His Majesty.”
—“So blatant. Fawning over the palace, clinging to him…”
—“Unsatisfied with her husband’s estate, no doubt. She should know her place.”
The rumor would spread like wildfire—that I was shamelessly two-timing both Emperor and duke. The nastier the tale, the faster it spread.
That bastard.
From this moment on, I decided—I despised the Emperor. My anger boiled over.
Just wait. I’ll let the world know what a tyrant you are. You’ll regret this, but by then it’ll be too late.
Only vengeance against him would soothe me. Fuming, I clenched my fists.
“Luen fiar.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The duke’s low voice called my name. For the first time since the day he began treating me warmly, I felt a tremor of fear.
