Chapter 25
The First Dance of Her Life
Ellea kept her eyes on her feet instead of her dance partner, which Terban couldn’t help but comment on.
“Are you that worried?”
“Pardon?”
“Anyone watching would think you’re trying to step on my feet on purpose.”
His voice was tinged with amusement, prompting Ellea to lift her gaze. Their eyes met—he had been watching her all along.
She felt a pang of guilt but tried to play it cool.
“Of course not. I’m just being careful, that’s all.”
But Terban had already seen through her. No matter how much she tried to hide it, he could tell from her awkward movements that dancing wasn’t her strength.
“A little late for that excuse, don’t you think?”
“So I’ve been found out.”
‘Of course. It makes no sense that His Majesty wouldn’t notice.’
Ellea regretted even trying to deceive him at such close range.
She scrambled to think of an excuse, but surprisingly, Terban didn’t seem suspicious.
“Well, if it’s been a while since your last dance, it’s understandable you’d be nervous.”
“Yes. It really has been a while, and I think I got a bit tense without realizing it.”
Ellea seized the chance to affirm his assumption.
Terban, meanwhile, didn’t know why it amused him so much to see her more nervous about dancing than wielding a sword.
His faint chuckle reached her ears before it was lost in the music.
“Did you just laugh?”
“Oh… I didn’t mean to.”
“So you’re not denying it.”
‘Is my dancing really that bad?’
She couldn’t help but feel his laughter was at her expense.
It made her feel like she was failing to live up to her role as a princess. Her mood dropped, and she blurted out her thoughts without thinking.
“Am I really that bad? As a princess, I mean.”
That was when Terban finally noticed the discouraged expression on Ellea’s face. He hadn’t meant anything serious by his words and hadn’t expected such a reaction.
‘No matter how hard I try, some things are just out of reach.’
It was as if she were saying she could never truly be a real princess. That made him feel unexpectedly heavy-hearted.
He stopped speaking and mechanically followed the dance steps, but then his voice, steady and grounding, reached her.
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“Everyone has something they’re not good at. Being a princess doesn’t make you an exception.”
She hadn’t expected to hear that from him. It might’ve been her imagination, but it sounded like a comforting remark—as if saying it was okay to be a little clumsy.
Thinking about it, Terban had always been like that. Cold and decisive as a ruler, yet sometimes saying things that surprised her with their warmth—almost like he knew exactly what she needed to hear.
‘He hasn’t changed in that way.’
“You’re right, Your Majesty. Then I suppose I just have to work harder at what I am good at.”
Terban didn’t miss the way her face lit up with a smile as she nodded to herself.
When their eyes met again, her gaze held a joy that caught him off guard.
She suddenly seemed less like a princess and more like a young girl, and he felt as if he’d seen something he wasn’t meant to.
‘But just a moment ago…’
Her eyes had been so cold, as if she didn’t even know him. Now, she was smiling with such open affection. The shift confused him.
Who was the woman in front of him?
‘Why is this music so long? When is it going to end?’
Lost in thought, Ellea suddenly stumbled, as if she’d lost her place in the music. One misstep threw everything off.
‘Wait—what am I supposed to do in this situation?’
Thankfully, her dress concealed her feet, so outwardly she remained composed, but inside she was panicking.
At that moment, Terban tightened his grip around her waist.
“Calm down. You’ll fall if you panic.”
“I think I’ve lost the rhythm completely…”
“Lean on me. Follow my steps.”
Understanding her predicament, Terban calmly guided her.
Ellea hesitated for a moment, then placed more weight on the hand resting on his shoulder and stepped closer.
Then, Terban quietly began counting just for her.
“One, two, three.”
Following his voice and his steps, Ellea gradually found her footing and regained her rhythm. She let out a silent sigh of relief at having survived the moment.
She hadn’t expected him to help her this much. It was so unlike the Terban she thought she knew.
‘To think my first dance would be with His Majesty…’
Even as Elle, she had never danced with anyone before. This truly was a first.
To her surprise, Terban moved with graceful ease, and wherever he touched her seemed to burn with warmth.
“You seem to be doing fine now.”
“Thank you. You really saved me.”
“Then I suppose you owe me.”
‘So he didn’t help me for free, after all…?’
Terban could almost see the thoughts swirling in her mind.
Her expression was so easy to read that he couldn’t help but laugh out loud this time.
Watching him laugh while she was fretting over what he meant didn’t feel so great. She felt like she was being teased.
“Are you teasing me again? I’ve been overthinking everything here.”
“Who knows? I’ll leave it up to you to decide.”
“That’s practically blackmail.”
He remained relaxed while she felt like she was the only one struggling. It annoyed her for some reason.
In the flow of their natural conversation and gestures, Ellea seemed to forget entirely whose hand she was holding, whose arms she was dancing in.
Meanwhile, others watching from a distance had a very different impression.
At first, the pair looked a bit awkward, but as they started to dance and talk, soon they were even laughing. Even Terban’s expression looked uncharacteristically warm.
Naturally, the question on everyone’s mind was the same.
‘What’s going on between them?’
They’d heard there wasn’t any special connection between the two, so what explained this unexpected familiarity?
It was especially shocking to see Terban show such a soft expression to anyone.
Unaware of the whispers, Ellea and Terban carried on in their own little world.
And someone who watched them without looking away even once was Shainel.
‘What’s so funny that you’re smiling like that?’
While everyone else was captivated by the perfect picture the two made, no one noticed Shainel’s expression as she stared at them.
Usually, maintaining her composure was second nature to her, but right now she had no energy for it.
She had been sure that even if there was a princess, Terban would still ask her to dance.
But he passed her by and stopped in front of Ellea. Now the first dance of the night—the most important one—was theirs.
‘Fine. That much I could accept.’
Given his status as Emperor, it was understandable. But seeing that kind of interaction between them made things very different.
It was clearly not just a formality.
What stung most was seeing a smile that should have been hers directed at Ellea. It felt like her blood was boiling.
Just then, a voice beside her spoke, almost cheerfully, as if sensing her anger.
“Looks like you’re quite upset that someone else is in your place.”
Shainel turned her head, and there was Harris, still watching the dancing pair.
Then Harris met her gaze and spoke without bothering to hide her thoughts.
“It’s rare to see you make that kind of face in public. Too bad I’m the only one who saw it.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Lady Harris.”
“Then maybe try looking in a mirror. The way you’re staring at them—it’s quite something.”
Even without a mirror, Shainel had a sense of what Harris meant, and didn’t reply. Especially not in front of Harris.
“Why do people always assume I’m jealous of her, or envious? They don’t even know what she’s really like.”
“And that’s why you’ll never win. You refuse to bow even when you should. You don’t know your place.”
Shainel didn’t bother hiding her true self anymore—not in front of Harris. She knew there was no point pretending.
She was confident in her victory, especially now that the tide had turned in her favor.
Then Harris gave her a cryptic smile, one that made Shainel’s eyes narrow.
“I’ll worry about my place. But I wonder… why does it feel like everything you’ve built is starting to crumble? Or has it already?”
Almost as soon as Harris finished speaking, the music stopped, and so did the dance.
Turning her gaze to the center of the ballroom, she saw the two dancers part and bow to each other.
As Ellea approached, Harris greeted her warmly.
“Your dance with His Majesty was wonderful.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. By the way, were you already acquainted with him?”
Ellea was about to answer, but Shainel cut in, bringing up something no one had asked about.
“I’ll be going now. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.”
With that, she walked away. The other noble ladies, sensing tension, soon followed suit.
Ellea worried about how Harris might have perceived her earlier behavior toward Shainel, but Harris suddenly burst into laughter.
Seeing Ellea’s surprised expression, she eventually calmed herself.
“Sorry for laughing. Did I surprise you?”
“A little. I was worried I might’ve offended you earlier.”
“Not at all. Honestly, it was refreshing. I think you’re the first person who’s ever spoken to Lady Shainel like that.”
Harris’s words surprised Ellea. It wasn’t just a matter of bad blood—maybe Harris shared her views.
She might be the only one glad to see someone stand up to Shainel.
“Really?”
“Yes. After all, because of her status as a duke’s daughter and the Emperor’s attention, no one ever says anything to her.”
Ellea nodded, understanding exactly what Harris meant. Maybe, just maybe, she’d found an unexpected ally in the most unlikely place.
