Chapter 27
The man spoke and held out his hand. I stared at it for a moment, then looked up at his face, only to drop my gaze again.
“I’ve been around too long with an abnormal person.”
My energy drained. I just wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible.
Through my peripheral vision, I saw the bushes below the railing. The faint light spilling from the hall, and the leaves glinting silver in the moonlight.
The ceiling was high, so the distance to the ground was considerable.
Could I escape over the railing? If I kept my distance from him, could I still use magic?
It was then.
Swish.
“Rohella!”
The sound of the curtain being drawn and a frantic shout of my name reached me.
Just by the voice, I knew who had come.
“What?”
A grumbled voice came from right in front of me.
I lifted my head to look toward the curtains. Under the dim light, a pair of red eyes glared at the man in front of me.
“Step away from Rohella immediately.”
“Why should I?”
Ah…
If only when I closed and opened my eyes again, I could be back at the Duke’s residence…
A tense atmosphere began to flow between the two men. Dorian gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Who are you?”
Dorian’s voice was sharp, like a well-honed blade. An ordinary person would be too afraid to even raise their head, but the man’s tone was calm in response.
“You are someone who dares not even look.”
“There is no such person.”
“How laughable. If you knew who I was, you wouldn’t dare speak like that.”
The man scoffed.
As it were, if Dorian were a finely sharpened sword, the man was like an ocean. Every word and action of his carried a weight and authority unlike when he spoke to me.
“I need to get to Dorian.”
Even breathing felt heavy and tense. I subtly created some distance between us while he was focused on Dorian.
Two steps away, the man’s voice caught my ankle.
“…Shall I kill you?”
My whole body froze. I only rolled my eyes to look at him. Those hollow, golden eyes came into view again.
The gaze of someone weighing whether to kill a bothersome fly.
My face twisted without me realizing it. The man looked regretful.
“You do not wish it.”
“What do you mean?”
Dorian interrupted, but the man no longer listened to him.
I shook my head at Dorian. The man slowly approached the railing beside me.
“You don’t like me, do you?”
“…No.”
Even with a blade at my throat, my nature compelled me to speak my mind.
I scolded my own mouth for speaking before my mind caught up and stared at him. Fortunately, he didn’t seem offended.
“Good. I suppose I should leave soon. Let’s end the conversation here.”
The man lightly stepped onto the railing. The wind blew fiercely. His hair and clothes seemed to merge perfectly with the night sky.
He smiled.
“Until next time. Minus that uninvited guest.”
Then he leapt down from the railing. Dorian ran toward the railing. I quickly ducked and looked down.
Even in the darkness, a deep crimson softly supported the man. He landed safely and waved at us as he walked toward the light.
“That… is…”
“Magic.”
Dorian and I exchanged a glance.
Now I understood why I had thought he could easily kill Dorian.
I thought I was the only one who could cast magic without a magic tool—but he had mastered it before me.
Silence settled between us. My fingers clutching the railing felt cold.
The stillness was broken as the orchestra’s gentle music started again.
“Should we follow him?”
I spoke words I didn’t mean.
“We shouldn’t just let him go like that.”
Even as I said that, I doubted we could do anything if we tried to stop him.
If I used my mana, he could easily counter. Using Dorian’s mana would restrict our movement.
My chest felt tight. I really felt we shouldn’t just let him go.
My neck and shoulders were still stiff from fear.
I turned to Dorian.
The constellation visible only in midsummer on the open terrace caught my eye.
In the darkness, I could sense his breathing was still uneven.
As I swallowed at his disheveled state, a soft violin melody settled between us again.
Dorian adjusted his breath and spoke.
“…Rohella.”
A slightly husky, languid voice flowed with the music.
When I hesitated, he reached out his hand toward me. The scent of garden flowers swept in with him.
The summer breeze ruffled his hair, darker than the night sky.
My eyes stung. He whispered to me.
“Are you not surprised?”
Not surprised? That’s when I felt my heart pounding. My face burned.
Yes, it’s because I’m surprised. Watching him put his hand on my cheek, he continued.
“Sorry for being late.”
Bitterness laced his voice. He had no reason to apologize—he stayed in the hall for me.
I shook my head.
“You’re not late.”
I almost added that the timing was perfect, but stopped. Could I really call that timing perfect?
I remembered he had just tried to kill Dorian.
What would have happened if Dorian had appeared while he was disappointed that I didn’t remember?
Goosebumps rose on my arm.
At that moment, Dorian stepped closer to me.
“Rohella.”
I barely managed to speak the words I had to.
“…You should call me Mom.”
Please, not by name.
My mind kept yelling that I had to keep distance from them, remain as the contracted ‘Mom.’
The fear I felt when the man considered killing Dorian came back, plunging my heart into darkness.
Scarlet and that man no longer cared about Lewin. They cared about me.
But I couldn’t bring myself to speak the last words.
Dorian’s gaze on me was piercing.
“I will never consider you my mother.”
He had approached so close that I could feel his breath. His voice was gentle, yet sorrowful as he whispered.
My heart and veins grew icy. I lifted my head.
We were so close that I could feel each other’s breath.
I closed my eyes tightly. His next words fell over me like raindrops.
“You are certainly someone else. That is cruel for both you and me.”
A wave of emotion soaked my heart. The depth of feeling overflowed in his words, and I opened my eyes.
He was staring at me. Unblinking.
The corners of his eyes were red.
“…Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
He extended his hand. The glove he wore gleamed white in the starlight. The music was approaching its climax. In about two minutes, it would end.
I slowly shifted my gaze from his glove to his arm, shoulders, neck, and face.
His face was pale from tension.
He must have been surprised too. So this hand was just for reassurance.
There was no other significance in what he said…
I gently shook my head.
“No. It’s better if I return to the hall before the music ends.”
He moved his lips but said nothing. He lowered his head. His black hair fell across his face.
“…Very well.”
I chose not to dwell on his motives for offering the dance.
We left the terrace and descended to the hall. He didn’t speak of what had happened with Scarlet, and I didn’t mention what I discussed with Hiram.
When we reached the hall and I picked up a glass of champagne, the timing was perfect—the music ended. The nobles were already dancing, tasting food, or chatting in groups.
No matter how I looked around, Hiram was not there.
I had seen him go down to the first floor. I gave up looking and leaned against the wall, sipping champagne. Dorian stayed close by my side.
Of course, that didn’t mean we spoke.
While watching the orchestra prepare for the next piece, I noticed a flash of golden hair approaching through the crowd.
It was Hartman. He immediately began chatting.
“Have you been hiding well?”
“Uh… kind of?”
I shrugged. Hartman looked between Dorian and me, but we stayed silent. He clicked his tongue.
“Whatever happened, reconcile.”
“There’s nothing to reconcile. By the way, aren’t you going to dance, Hartman?”
I glanced around. Many shy young ladies leaned against the wall, hoping someone would ask them to dance.
Since we came to the ball, dancing a single song wouldn’t hurt.
Dorian reacted first, shaking his head slightly. Hartman scratched his cheek.
“I’m not talented at dancing. If Iba were here, I’d dance a few songs… but she doesn’t like crowded places.”
“Miss Iba already had her debut dance, right?”
“Yes. She danced first with me. I stepped on her feet three times, so I grew to dislike dancing. But I can’t dance without her…”
Hartman made a whining sound. I could hear Dorian sigh beside me. I smiled.
“You could have danced better.”
“I’m not talented, but I don’t make mistakes anymore.”
While Hartman defended himself, the orchestra finished preparing the next piece. I lifted my champagne glass.
The pale yellow liquid with bubbles sparkled under the chandelier.
Sweet on my lips, I waited comfortably for the performance to begin.
But the music didn’t start.
“What’s going on?”
Hartman, defending himself, looked puzzled. The orchestra hesitated despite being ready.
“It’s strange. It feels like they’re waiting for someone…”
I turned to Dorian and shivered.
Dorian was staring at the center of the hall.
“That person is…”
