Chapter 57
The Presence of the Mouse
Ellea began to dance gently with Cheilen, moving in rhythm with the music.
Perhaps the incident with Terban had worked to her advantage, because she wasn’t overly flustered at dancing with someone, and her steps felt surprisingly natural.
However, there was something more urgent than dancing on her mind. As if she had been waiting for this moment, she immediately started scolding Cheilen.
“I already gave you a warning not to do that. You knew, and you did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Of course. That’s why I’m grateful right now. If I stayed in that crowd any longer, it would’ve gotten even more troublesome.”
Ellea understood that “that crowd” referred to the young ladies gathered nearby and nodded, but that didn’t make his action any less aggravating.
“I’m already worrying about how I’ll explain this later. You better handle it well.”
“Don’t worry. If I say I politely asked the princess to dance as a noble of Rubein, everyone will understand. Who’d argue with that?”
Ellea eventually raised her hands in resignation at Cheilen’s confident demeanor.
“Well, that’s a relief. But I did help you, so you should return the favor.”
“You want me to help you? The princess of the empire?”
“I’ve already decided exactly what you need to do, so don’t pretend later that you don’t know.”
“Alright. I’ll do anything within my capabilities.”
Only after securing that promise did Ellea feel a bit relieved. Seeing her relax, Cheilen could focus on the dance without worry.
In truth, Cheilen had impulsively asked her to dance.
Even surrounded by many people, only Ellea caught his attention.
Even knowing she would dislike it, he reached out. He had been a little nervous about her possibly refusing, but missing an opportunity like this was simply not in his nature.
“I honestly thought you’d refuse.”
“How could I? You could’ve been rejected. And I never thought you’d act without reason.”
Feeling acknowledged, Cheilen’s grip on Ellea’s hand tightened. The more they danced, the closer their bodies became.
At that moment, just as in the library, his heart raced involuntarily, and he found he couldn’t bear looking at Ellea, so he eventually averted his gaze.
“Already tired? Why is your face so red?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Actually, it is. Your face is red.”
Curious, Ellea lightly touched his face with the hand on her shoulder.
Startled, Cheilen stopped mid-step, and she bumped her forehead against his chest.
“Ah! What are you doing, stopping suddenly?”
“I thought this was enough. Anyway, thanks for your help.”
As soon as the music ended, Cheilen let go of Ellea’s hand and awkwardly stepped away, clearly uncomfortable.
Ellea watched in mild surprise, then eventually returned to her original spot.
Terban, conversing with other nobles, felt eyes shift toward a certain point and turned his head.
At the center were Ellea and Cheilen, dancing together.
“So they know each other after all.”
He recalled that their previous meeting had seemed coincidental, just a brief exchange, but now he sensed that the two were hiding something.
His gaze lingered on Ellea laughing and conversing with Cheilen until he returned to his place.
Meanwhile, two people in particular were closely observing Ellea and Cheilen’s dance: Hisben and Shenil.
Shenil had temporarily stepped aside so Terban could converse comfortably with the nobles, leaving Hisben to talk with her.
Watching the two finish dancing, Hisben spoke.
“What I said before was correct, wasn’t it, Father? There’s something between them.”
“Yes. Not entirely a wrong guess.”
Recalling their easy conversation during the dance, Hisben’s eyes gleamed sharply.
He had been skeptical when Shenil first mentioned it, as the two seemed to have no connection at all.
“But maybe there really is something.”
Hisben approached Cheilen quickly, intending to probe him before anyone else did.
“Seems like today is a bit special, Duke Cheilen.”
“Yes. With so many people celebrating, I really feel the impact of my return.”
Cheilen responded calmly despite Hisben’s sudden approach, though internally he remained cautious.
“How is the banquet? Perhaps the preparations were rushed and might seem lacking to you.”
“Quite splendid. But with you in the capital, the estates must be left unattended.”
“I have trusted people managing the remaining matters. It took some time to understand how my uncle managed things before.”
After the formalities, Cheilen initiated discussion about Feizen, but Hisben wasn’t surprised.
‘I anticipated this from the start. You’re just an inexperienced child.’
Hisben then countered by bringing up Ellea.
“It must be challenging. By the way, do you have any acquaintance with the princess? You were dancing together.”
Cheilen, having expected the question, calmly explained.
“I only exchanged brief greetings with the princess at the palace. As a noble of Rubein, I simply asked her to dance. Her majesty already had a partner.”
“I see. I thought you were close.”
“I’ve only just arrived in the capital and have been busy managing affairs at the estate.”
“Of course. I suppose I’ve kept you too long, Duke. See you later.”
Hisben departed, and the moment his back was turned, Cheilen’s smile vanished.
“Just as I expected. But…”
‘He seems quite interested in Ellea too.’
Watching them dance, Cheilen could predict the question, but Hisben’s approach felt different—more like probing than genuine curiosity.
Cheilen averted his gaze and engaged with the approaching guests to remain cautious.
After parting with Cheilen, Ellea returned to Heris as expected, receiving a burning gaze. Even if she tried to ignore it, she could feel the meaning behind it.
“Don’t look at me like that, Heris. You’re piercing my face.”
“Then tell me quickly. What happened?”
Ellea knew Heris wouldn’t easily let it go, so she briefly explained what had happened with Cheilen.
“We met a few times outside the palace, not knowing each other’s identities. So I was surprised when I found out who he was.”
“Really? That’s surprising. So that’s why he asked you to dance.”
“I tried desperately to signal him not to, but it was no use.”
Seeing Ellea’s irritation, Heris simply found the situation amusing. Her concern was more about others.
“It doesn’t matter to me, but the people around could be an issue.”
Indeed, looking around, Ellea noticed several young ladies casting glances her way.
She understood immediately what those looks meant.
‘Of course, I expected this.’
Suppressing a rising sigh, she decided it was best to temporarily remove herself and told Heris,
“I’ll hide in the lounge for a while.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Ellea left the banquet hall, walked down the corridor, and entered the lounge nearby. Unlike the opulent hall, the corridor was dark and quiet, calming her mind.
Entering one room, she didn’t turn on the lights and instead stepped onto the terrace to enjoy the cool breeze.
“Good. I’ll wait here until people’s attention fades.”
While silently gazing at the night sky, she soon heard the sound of a door opening behind her.
Someone entered, seemingly unaware of her presence in the dark.
‘Who is that?’
She realized she hadn’t marked the space as occupied and intended to make her presence known before it was too late. But the voice that followed gave her pause.
“Shenil, as you said, it seems we do need to observe closely.”
Ellea hid behind a wall instead of revealing herself.
Peeking cautiously, she saw it was indeed Hisben and Shenil.
Her surprise lasted only a moment; Hisben’s recent words troubled her.
‘What exactly are they observing?’
They spoke, unaware that Ellea was present, exchanging covertly.
“There must be some connection between Duke Cheilen and the princess.”
‘Between me and Cheilen?’
Ellea realized the conversation was about her and grew more suspicious.
“Yes. You noticed faster than I expected, Shenil.”
“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. Duke Cheilen personally went to invite the princess. I had been keeping an eye on him because his solo outings had been suspicious.”
“Well done. You never know what might happen at the palace.”
‘Wait a moment.’
Ellea detected something odd—Shenil knew her movements in excessive detail.
Moreover, Cheilen had received the invitation through Borens to prevent leaks.
Which meant…
‘They planted a mouse in my palace.’
Ellea realized Shenil had put someone in her palace to spy on her.
‘After letting me be, they finally make their move.’
Anger rose at the thought, but their conversation didn’t stop.
“But is it alright to leave Duke Cheilen be?”
“Of course not. He must’ve started moving already. Now, with his people focused on the banquet hall, it’s our chance. We need to find Cheilen’s weaknesses and determine how much he knows about that matter.”
“Indeed, on a hectic day like today, their security would be lax.”
Listening to them, Ellea quickly reached a conclusion.
‘Someone must have infiltrated the estate.’
Realizing both the connection between Hisben and Cheilen and their plan, she knew…
‘There’s no time.’
She could no longer afford to wait. Ignoring the rest of their conversation, she prepared to act.
‘If I wait until I tell Cheilen, it might be too late.’
Removing her troublesome high heels and confirming they hadn’t noticed her, she leapt out onto the terrace without hesitation.
