Chapter 30
Before she knew it, they had reached the final step.
The royal procession came to an end, and Sienna, Aden, and Pierre were instantly surrounded by people eager to exchange even a single glance with the king.
“Your Majesty.”
“Oh! Duke Pomelo. It’s been quite some time.”
Young ladies who admired Pierre soon joined in, and the hall quickly grew crowded.
Amidst the chaos, however, Sienna had been looking in only one direction from the very beginning.
‘Dan.’
She was just about to head toward him without further delay—
When the door opened, cutting through the gentle flow of the minuet.
Pierre, who had been politely receiving greetings from the young ladies, fixed his gaze on the entrance.
Everyone else followed suit.
A woman entered, wearing a striking deep-blue dress that perfectly complemented her beautiful blonde hair.
It was Eleanor Watson—the female lead of the novel The Bell of Stern.
Pink, yellow, white.
Those bright colors were the norm for debutante dresses.
Amid that colorful flower garden, Eleanor’s deep-blue dress—reminiscent of the depths of the sea—stood out unmistakably.
But more than anything, it was her face that drew attention.
‘How can such a small face hold eyes, a nose, and lips so perfectly?’
Neither lacking nor excessive—its proportions were flawless, as though sculpted by a god.
The kind of dazzling beauty that would make anyone turn their head twice on the street.
‘She really is the female lead.’
In person, she was even more striking than expected.
It almost felt as though a halo shone behind her.
Perhaps everyone was thinking the same thing, because the banquet hall fell silent for a brief moment.
Eleanor, glancing around near the entrance, suddenly smiled brightly as if she had found who she was looking for.
Her gaze landed on Jad.
Jad hastily set down his wine glass and crossed the crowd to approach her.
The way he moved made him look like a puppy greeting its owner.
“Eleanor.”
When Jad called her familiarly, she shook her head and corrected him.
“Miss Watson.”
“Yes, yes—Miss Watson. You look especially beautiful today.”
“Thank you, Viscount Valencia. I put quite a bit of thought into choosing this dress.”
Jad naturally escorted Eleanor to an empty table.
Seeing this, there was no way Pierre would remain still.
He pushed himself up from his seat and headed toward them.
It wasn’t the parting of the Red Sea, but wherever he passed, people instinctively made way.
“Miss Watson, I truly enjoyed our time last time. Would you care to go horseback riding together again?”
“I’d be happy to, anytime.”
“I’ll send someone to the ducal residence soon.”
“Viscount Valencia, this time don’t go easy on—”
Pierre deliberately inserted himself between Jad and Eleanor, who had been chatting pleasantly.
“Miss Watson.”
“Your Highness… it’s been a while.”
Jad was clearly displeased at being interrupted, but since the other party was the crown prince, he bowed along with Eleanor.
By now, all eyes were fixed on their table.
The musicians, the dancers— even Aden—were subtly watching the three of them.
It was enough to make someone who had been about to retire to their chambers sit back down.
Crown Prince Pierre.
And Jad Valencia, the only son of the Marquis of Valencia.
They were currently the most sought-after men in the capital.
And public interest in Eleanor rivaled theirs.
“That young lady… she’s from the Watson family, isn’t she?”
“Yes. I heard she went to the duke’s estate herself to have her lineage confirmed.”
“My, how bold.”
“The duchess must have been terribly upset.”
Ladies who had brought their children began whispering among themselves.
It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to have illegitimate children, but it was rare for one to be granted the family name and fully acknowledged.
Especially if the child was a daughter.
Despite the intense attention surrounding them, the three of them were lost in a world of their own.
With Eleanor between them, a sharp battle of nerves unfolded.
Jad made the first move.
“Miss Watson, would you care to dance with me?”
“I recall being the first to ask for the first dance.”
Pierre had previously expressed his wish to dance with her first, along with a gift.
Eleanor looked troubled as she stared at the two hands extended toward her.
After a brief hesitation, she glanced at Pierre.
Just as color brightened his face, Eleanor met his gaze—and took Jad’s hand instead.
“Your Highness’s request would be unfair, so I’ll dance with Viscount Valencia first today.”
“Eleanor!”
“Well then.”
She didn’t look back.
Jad’s expression turned triumphant as he was chosen.
“Shall we, Viscount Valencia?”
“It would be my honor.”
As the two stepped toward the center of the floor, attention shifted to Sienna.
“I heard Viscount Valencia is engaged to the princess.”
“Oh my, how pitiful.”
“The poor princess.”
“To be left alone like that…”
“So the rumors are true.”
“Rumors?”
“That they’ll be breaking off the engagement soon.”
“Really? How could that happen…?”
An engaged man asking another woman for the first dance at a debutante ball—a forsaken fiancée.
It was perfect gossip, ripe for chewing over and savoring.
They pitied Sienna while simultaneously mocking her behind polite smiles.
Caught in the swaying atmosphere, even Jad became conscious of Sienna.
He felt uneasy enough that he couldn’t quite meet her eyes.
But his shallow guilt was swept away as soon as the minuet began.
Sienna took a seat at a nearby table and downed glass after glass of apricot juice.
The love triangle was interesting enough, but there was no need to watch a predictable plot she already knew.
More importantly, she had no room to spare for Jad or Pierre right now.
All her attention had been fixed on Dan from the start.
‘Of course. There’s no way they’d leave that face alone.’
Even tucked away in a corner, he stood out.
Every young lady nearby kept sneaking glances at him.
They gauged the right moment to speak, hurriedly fixed their appearance, and even openly flirted.
‘Honestly, he’s the kind of face you’d be scared to let out in public.’
Yet whether he was unaware of the attention or simply pretending not to notice, Dandelion silently drank his wine.
Without asking anyone to dance.
Sienna grew anxious.
What was strange, though, was that people only looked at him—they didn’t dare approach.
No one seemed to know who he was or which family he belonged to, and more importantly, his atmosphere was icy.
He wasn’t frowning, yet a cold wind seemed to blow around him.
Only his surroundings remained stuck in winter.
Whether he was upset or simply always like this—
His expressionless face carried an oppressive presence, as if he were clad in solid armor.
The difference from the “dandelion” she knew made Sienna shrink back slightly.
‘Is he angry?’
Even if she were rejected, she had to go now.
Resolute, Sienna set down her empty glass and approached him.
“Did you sleep well?”
He paused at her words but soon composed himself with practiced courtesy.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess.”
He bowed formally toward her.
‘Princess…’
She heard the word dozens of times a day, yet it felt strangely different now.
The sudden distance between them left her hollow.
“I apologize for failing to recognize you. Please forgive my past discourtesy.”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her ear.
More precisely, on the violet pansy earrings.
A clear symbol that she was the Princess of Stern.
His dry tone prompted her to tease him—lightly, innocently.
“Do you mean that?”
“……”
“You don’t look sincere at all.”
“……”
At last, a faint crease appeared between his brows, which had seemed frozen until now.
They had begun their relationship without ever asking about each other’s status.
So learning now that she was a princess shouldn’t change anything.
“Why do you sound as if you’re denying everything we shared? We were friends—how could that be discourteous?”
“……”
“Did the time you spent with me mean nothing to you?”
“That is not what I meant.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Then call me Sienna again.”
“That would be…”
Dandelion looked conflicted.
Almost confused.
“Is it appropriate for you to be here?”
“Is there a reason it wouldn’t be?”
“Shouldn’t you be with Jad—no, Viscount Valencia?”
“What?”
“You two are engaged, aren’t you?”
He was terrible at changing the subject.
Sienna turned her head toward the pair dancing on the floor.
“As you can see, they’re having a wonderful time.”
“…I see.”
The music surged toward its climax.
The floor heated up with their dazzling dance.
Realizing his mistake, Dandelion pressed a hand to his forehead.
“My apologies.”
“It’s fine. I’m perfectly okay.”
“You’re remarkably calm, Princess. But why am I…?”
Sienna’s lips curved gently upward.
“I was confused—but now I’m not.”
The moment she faced him, the tangled mess inside her heart unraveled smoothly.
The weight in her chest settled back into place.
She stepped closer.
She had never liked waiting.
“Sir Mont, I’ll ask properly.”
She shyly held out her hand.
“Will you dance with me?”
“……”
The hall carried on as usual.
The dancers were focused on their partners, and the rest were busy chatting.
Only the space around the two of them stirred softly.
Afraid her hand might be left hanging, Dandelion took it without hesitation.
But he still didn’t move right away.
Instead, he asked, as if confirming,
“Am I truly acceptable?”
She looked up at him as if the question itself were absurd.
“You’re more than enough.”
“You really are…”
She always left him speechless.
His grip tightened around her hand.
Dandelion glanced past her shoulder.
The music had just ended, and the dancers were exchanging bows.
Among them were Jad and Eleanor.
Jad escorted Eleanor back to her table.
Reluctantly, it was now Pierre’s turn.
Usually, one didn’t dance consecutively with the same partner.
The purpose of the event was to mingle with as many people as possible.
As if he’d expected it, Jad left without lingering and began scanning the room.
The person he was looking for was, naturally—
Dandelion asked in a voice loud enough for those nearby to hear,
“May I have the honor of requesting a dance with the Princess?”
Sienna didn’t know what he was thinking, but she nodded anyway.
“Gladly.”
With her consent, he formally asked her to dance, observing proper etiquette.
“Princess, would you care to share a dance with me?”
“Of course, Sir Mont.”
The floor was empty, and the musicians were tuning their instruments for the next piece.
“Shall we?”
When she led, he followed without resistance.
A small-framed princess leading a tall, well-built man.
The fresh sight drew glances one by one.
Soon, the two caught Jad’s eye as well.
He had been looking for Sienna.
Feeling guilty about having left her alone, he’d been hurrying over to ask her to dance.
‘Why are those two…?’
Seeing Sienna smiling shyly beside a friend he’d never seen make that expression before, Jad felt unsettled.
His expression shifted constantly.
His eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in confusion, then one brow furrowed.
And just as he ran a hand through his neatly styled hair, he found himself face-to-face with the two, who now seemed quite close.
“Jad…”
Dandelion called his name, but Jad looked at Sienna instead.
“Why is the Princess dancing with my friend?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t, Viscount Valencia?”
Sienna replied lightly.
This was a place where one could dance with anyone.
Even with someone she had never met before.
