Chapter 75
The young man who had requested Julietta for a dance this time was Logan Bliss, the second son of Marquis Bliss.
“Good evening. I am Logan Bliss. I would like to request a dance with Miss Cutler.”
No, stop. Go back.
Before Julietta could respond, I quickly stepped in front of her.
Leaning close enough for only Logan to hear, I whispered softly.
“Mr. Bliss, I heard you enjoy horse racing as a hobby?”
“Huh? That….”
Logan flinched and trembled.
His gray eyes shook violently.
Seeing that, I recalled the Bliss family’s bankruptcy that would occur a year later.
It had all been caused by Logan’s gambling addiction.
Logan cleared his throat nervously.
“W-well… every man should have at least one such hobby. You wouldn’t understand, being a lady.”
“Being a lady, I wouldn’t understand?”
There was a subtle tone of disdain for women in his voice.
‘Oh, look at this guy…’
I immediately hardened my expression.
“But for someone like that, you have quite a lot of debt, don’t you?”
“…What?”
“Not only with acquaintances, but I heard you even borrowed money from the Grimes Guild.”
“Th-that….”
“Does Marquis Bliss know about this?”
“….”
Logan’s face instantly turned ashen.
Of course. He had been secretly accumulating gambling debts without his father knowing.
After briefly glancing at me, Logan hurriedly bowed.
“I-I apologize… S-something urgent came up, so I must take my leave…”
“Yes! Go quickly!”
Phew. That was taken care of.
Many young men continued to approach Julietta to request dances, but none of them were suitable in my eyes.
Young Mr. Cragger had a habit of touching women, and Mr. Snowdy had a strong sense of aristocratic superiority.
Others had been caught by broken engagements for groping their fiancées, or had illegitimate children, which only made me more frustrated.
“I-I apologize… I should be going…”
Each time a man fled because of me, Julietta’s expression darkened.
“Ari… did I do something wrong?”
“No! That’s not it…”
Kind-hearted Julietta assumed she had done something to deserve it. She could never have imagined that seemingly proper men could be such trash.
Thanks to that, I had to frantically come up with excuses.
Eventually, the number of young men with family crises kept increasing.
‘Ugh… Why are there no decent men in this empire?’
I wasn’t asking for much.
I only wanted someone who suited Julietta, was kind, gentle, and devoted…
‘Is that really so difficult?!’
I swallowed my frustration and scanned the ballroom.
Many young ladies were already moving to the dance floor with their partners.
Seeing that, I became even more anxious.
‘Wh-what if I can’t find Julietta a partner…?’
Then, at just the right moment, a young man I truly approved of approached us.
“Hello, Ari. And Julietta. Are you both enjoying yourselves?”
It was Crown Prince Joshua Spears.
With Joshua, there was nothing lacking—appearance, personality, status, wealth—everything was perfect.
‘Besides, he’s destined to like Julietta anyway…’
It was a flawless match, beyond question.
I sparkled with hope, silently praying that Joshua would request Julietta’s first dance.
“Your Highness, greetings. Julietta Cutler, at your service.”
Julietta politely bowed to Joshua, executing a flawless motion.
Soon, a gentle smile appeared on Joshua’s face.
“Julietta, long time no see. That dress suits you perfectly tonight.”
“You flatter me, Your Highness. And you look very handsome in your suit as well.”
“Really? Hearing that from you, I must be lucky tonight.”
‘Ah… just looking at them is healing…’
I stepped back slightly and watched the pair with satisfaction.
They looked perfect together; my lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
I quietly asked Calia, who was beside me,
“Do you think His Highness will request Julietta for the first dance?”
Calia thought for a moment before answering gently,
“I’m not sure… but somehow, I don’t feel bad about it.”
“Right? I think they’re perfect together.”
“That seems likely. By the way, how about Ariadne?”
“Eh?”
Her question confused me.
I looked at Calia silently.
“Does Ariadne like her current partner?”
“Th-that…”
Of course, I wasn’t happy with him, but I couldn’t say it openly.
‘Hmm… how should I put this?’
After thinking for a moment, I replied,
“Well, I’ve been engaged to Young Mr. Douglas since childhood. Now I’m just used to it.”
“But being used to someone doesn’t mean you like them.”
“…Eh?”
Calia looked at me seriously, slowly speaking.
“I know it’s delicate to say this upon first meeting, but I am concerned for you, Ariadne.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. When you’re with Young Mr. Douglas, you don’t seem comfortable at all.”
“R-really…?”
Had it been that obvious?
Truthfully, I had no intention of maintaining my engagement with Jeffrey.
Once the debutante ball ended safely and the original male leads stopped obsessing over Julietta…
‘That’s when I’ll break the engagement with Jeffrey…’
After all, he and I were enemies. There was no need to maintain the engagement unnecessarily.
‘It’s better to break it coolly now and go our separate ways.’
Yes. Absolutely.
I inclined my head slightly toward Calia.
“Thank you for your concern. Actually, I was planning to end things with Young Mr. Douglas soon.”
“I see. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to tell me. I can assist you.”
“Just your words are enough. Thank you, Head of the Association.”
“No need to thank me.”
Calia held my hand, smiling softly.
Her smile warmed my heart. It felt reassuring, as if I had a true protector.
I thanked Calia once more and turned to Julietta.
By now, Julietta was being asked for a dance by Joshua.
“Julietta, if it’s alright, may I have the honor of our first dance?”
“Uh… uh…”
Julietta looked at me in surprise.
I quickly nodded.
‘Julietta! Say yes!’
Understanding my signal, Julietta gently placed her hand in Joshua’s.
Her cheeks flushed as she nodded.
“Th-thank you, Your Highness…”
“The honor is mine.”
‘Wow… finally…!’
The original story had changed.
In previous rounds, Julietta always had Tristan for her first dance, but finally, her partner had changed.
And it was the rare “perfect man” in this novel: Joshua Spears!
‘Yes! This is it!’
I finally felt that all my efforts were rewarded.
Well, perhaps it was more like having gone through a lot of hardship… but the result was worth it.
I watched with pride as Julietta and Joshua moved toward the dance floor.
‘Ah… this is true healing…’
Then, a large shadow fell in front of me.
“Hey, let’s go.”
Jeffrey suddenly approached and extended his hand.
Instantly, my mood turned cold.
‘Such a rude way to request a dance…’
Well, he’d always acted like this in previous rounds, so it wasn’t surprising.
I sighed and was about to follow him.
“Wait a moment.”
But Calia stopped us.
‘What…?’
I turned to see Calia glaring at Jeffrey with sharp eyes.
After a few seconds, she finally spoke.
“Young Mr. Douglas, do it again.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Do it properly. What was that just now?”
“Wh-what…?”
Jeffrey looked at her in confusion.
But Calia, unmoved, continued to scold him.
“Is that how the Douglas family teaches young men to request dances from young ladies?”
“W-what?”
“If not, then do it again. That behavior was extremely inappropriate.”
“W-what the….”
Jeffrey’s eyebrows shot up.
Clearly, he was displeased that someone questioned his actions. He glared at me and Calia in turn.
But he didn’t dare go against the Head of the Magical Association. He faced me again.
Then, astonishingly, he kneeled on one knee and extended his hand.
“Ariadne, I want to dedicate my first dance to you.”
“Uh… uh…”
I looked down at Jeffrey, dumbfounded.
For him to request a dance so properly—thanks to Calia’s intervention—it felt unreal.
People around us were even whispering about how romantic it was.
‘Romantic, my foot…’
Before anyone could misunderstand, I quickly took his hand.
“Yes, Young Mr. Douglas.”
“Good. Well done.”
Calia finally nodded in satisfaction.
Then she leaned close to Jeffrey and whispered softly.
“Young Mr. Douglas, I will be watching you. From now on, behave properly toward Ariadne.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Jeffrey responded perfunctorily and escorted me. We immediately moved to the main hall’s dance floor.
