Chapter 06
“Rejected.”
……What?
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t believe my ears.
Fritz, who had been beaming just moments before, now looked as if he’d been struck on the back of the head.
“It seems there is a problem with my ears. Could you please repeat that…?”
Ash Canis’s eyes turned fierce.
Like a languid beast spotting its prey on the hunt.
A gaze that seemed to assess whether there was any meat worth tearing into.
My legs trembled uncontrollably.
I put strength into my calves to keep from collapsing.
After finishing his appraisal, he let out a light voice.
“I said rejected.”
Ian wasn’ here.
I thought things would work out somehow if I just got Fritz on my side.
I was sure of it when he called me aside and offered me the teaching position.
I thought he must have persuaded Ash Canis somehow. Or that he had some leverage.
“Wasn’t it the Family Head who told me to bring back talent? Why are you saying something different now?”
It seemed there had actually been some progress in the discussions.
Anyway, it seemed Ash Canis had also been inclined to hire a dance teacher.
So isn’t that a good thing?
“I changed my mind.”
“Oh, Family Head!”
Fritz beat his chest as if he were about to explode with frustration.
“The situation is different now! Don’t you remember Prince Tritan has ascended the throne?”
The misfortune in my life began the moment my father passed away.
In the inescapable pit I was in, there was one single fact that gave me comfort.
Tritan had ascended the throne.
My half-brother, Tritan.
“Sister, wait just a little while. I will definitely get you out of that tower.”
The legitimate successor had inherited the throne, so at least Euphorian would be safe.
That much was a relief.
“The core figures of the royal family have completely changed, centered around his maternal family, the House of Fardis, haven’t they?”
As long as Duke Fardis holds on, his reign will be smooth.
No one can threaten Tritan.
At the very least, he won’t lose his life unjustly like our father did.
“Even at the New Year’s banquet, Duke Fardis was watching like a hawk. Trying to see if anyone would dare act presumptuously in front of his grandson.”
Fritz’s neck veins bulged as he spoke passionately.
“And in the midst of that, what do you think will happen if he just stands there glumly, not even dancing? What kind of excuses do you think that stubborn old man will find?!”
However, judging by Ash Canis’s expression, he seemed completely unimpressed. He picked up the pen he had set down again.
“Family Head, please recall the words of the previous Head. Since we formed an alliance with Euphorian…”
“Get out.”
His hand, with its prominent knuckles, sliced through the air.
It was a gesture that looked, to anyone, like he was shooing away a peddler.
“At least explain your reason! Why, when we have a talented person right here who can teach dance…!”
*Crack-*
The pen shattered into pieces.
Simultaneously, a chilling air began to blow from within the study.
“You’ve lost your sense of fear.”
The atmosphere was so tense it felt like a bloodbath could break out at any moment.
“Or perhaps you’ve grown fond of prison food and are eager to taste it again.”
Would he cut off my right arm if I rubbed him the wrong way?
Why is he so adamantly refusing dance lessons?
“Out there…”
“May I say something?”
His maroon pupils moved with a terrifying speed.
When my reflection appeared on his smooth corneas, I felt as if I’d been shot by an arrow. I put strength into both legs to keep from swaying.
“You’re presuming to speak out of turn.”
“I beg your forgiveness for my impertinence, knowing full well it is improper.”
But I had no choice.
If I stayed quiet, I’d end up behind bars right alongside Fritz.
I absolutely refused to be imprisoned without being able to do anything.
“One sentence.”
Ash Canis brushed the fragments of the pen from his hand. Then he rested his elbows on the desk.
He propped his chin and stared intently at me.
His gaze, as if appraising an object, felt sticky. It was so burdensome I broke out in a cold sweat on my back.
He probably thinks I’ll be scared if he intimidates me like that.
“Go on, say it.”
Huh?
Is he really allowing me to speak?
But it sounds more like a threat that he won’t let it slide if I talk nonsense…
Instead, it sparked my defiance.
I let out a shallow breath and straightened my spine.
“Social events are extremely important in the Kingdom of Euphorian. They are seen not just as simple entertainment or socializing, but as occasions to confirm trust, you could say.”
My father devoted constant effort to my education.
Even from his sickbed, he would frequently call for me, unable to stop worrying, asking about my well-being and the progress of my studies.
Since that was the only time I could see my father, I studied desperately.
“The more formal and splendid the event, the greater the perceived trust. Prominent examples include well-known events like the New Year’s Banquet and the Autumn Harvest Festival.”
In truth, my father’s questions were directed not at me, but at the Queen.
They were to check if I was being taken to all royal events and gatherings, and if I had the best teachers.
The Queen succeeded in moving my residence, an eyesore to her, to a peripheral villa, but she ultimately failed in isolating me completely.
“Among these, the ball is considered the flower of the event.”
As a result, I was able to acquire the qualities expected of a princess of Euphorian.
However, there was just one thing.
There was something about Euphorian I couldn’t figure out.
The identity of the person with a motive to kill my father was beyond even my guess.
The expressions used to praise my father were like this:
‘A gentle ruler who valued harmony as a virtue.’
“So? Are you saying I should hire you as the teacher, without all the chatter?”
“Of course not.”
He was the complete opposite of Ash Canis, who represented arrogance and obstinacy.
My father knew how to listen to the voices of his ministers and the people, and implemented balanced policies.
He also maintained amicable relations with neighboring countries. It was only natural that border disputes reached a historic low.
He was the very symbol of peace.
Moreover, not even unsavory rumors related to my father circulated, even in the back alleys of the capital.
And so, I still couldn’t solve the riddle.
Who killed my father.
Who framed me for the crime.
Unfortunately.
“Asking you to hire me without any guarantee is no different from throwing a tantrum.”
But I couldn’t conclude that the culprit was lost.
If my assumption is correct, the evidence to reveal the culprit should still be at the crime scene.
It was a magic tool my father had imported from the Jenenhaft Empire, just in case.
A tool that shows past events as illusions, or so they said.
If I could just get my hands on it, I could turn public opinion around.
Naturally, my innocence would also be proven.
So I need to return to the Euphorian capital as soon as possible.
And the best shortcut for that is, without a doubt, by following this man.
“Please, first take a look at my dancing skill.”
I grabbed the hem of my skirt with the tips of my fingers and bent my knees.
“I believe it wouldn’t be too late for you to make your judgment after that.”
Moreover, the other party is a Canis.
A man who had frequented the Euphorian royal palace since his days as the heir.
If that’s the case, he surely must have the discernment to recognize the value of this gesture.
“How audacious.”
It was a perfectly expected response.
It must be rare for a mere maid to look the Family Head directly in the eye.
“I thought that to be of help to the Family Head, I had no choice but to risk being slightly impertinent.”
“You think you can be of help to me?”
“Yes.”
He wouldn’t be able to dismiss me so easily just because I was an eyesore.
He dislikes Euphorian events.
He always had a bored expression, spent his time looking out the window, and then left.
But after becoming Family Head, his movements changed.
He even attended a masquerade ball, something he never used to do.
“Family Head, please recall the words of the previous Head. Regarding Euphorian…”
I don’t know what exactly he said, but thank you, nonetheless.
Thanks to that, I have a chance to return to Euphorian.
“You’re very confident.”
Now that he is the head of the alliance, he, as the Canis Family Head, cannot avoid his responsibilities.
But people don’t change easily.
He would still find Euphorian events bothersome.
“If I lacked confidence, I wouldn’t have dared to stand before the Family Head.”
The teacher’s role isn’t just about teaching dance.
If he takes me as his partner, he can leave the ballroom anytime he wants.
That’s why he needs me.
If only he would see my dancing skills with his own eyes, it would be settled.
*Clap, clap, clap-*
It was an eerily familiar applause. The smirk on his tilted lips seemed satisfied.
Then, could it be…?
I unconsciously felt my clenched fingertips tighten.
“I repeat, rejected.”
My head spun as if I’d hit a wall.
As expected. He’s not an easy man.
I straightened my spine perfectly and stared directly at Ash Canis.
“Is it that you don’t believe in my skill?”
“No.”
See! He recognized it!
*Thud-*
Just then, something fell at my feet.
I tilted my head and looked down at the floor.
“Family Head, what is this?”
Lying there was a piece of cloth, heavily wrinkled. A dry cloth with a bit of dust on it.
Simply put, it was a rag.
The kind the maids use for cleaning.
But why this? It can’t mean he’s telling me to just shut up and clean.
I studied the rag intently. The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed.
A moment later, a wave of memory engulfed me.
“Gasp.”
“You remember now, I see.”
It was the rag I had left behind in the consciousness room.
When I went to look for it the next day, it was already gone.
To think it had ended up in that man’s hands…!
“I’m of the mind not to hire unreliable people.”
Slowly, I raised my head. Ash Canis flicked his finger with a sinister smile.
*Tap!*
The soldiers guarding outside the door rushed in.
“Take her away.”
