Chapter 146
Even with a mask on, there was no way anyone wouldn’t recognize the woman with light lavender hair as Silvia—yet the man boldly asked her to be his partner.
[He definitely knows who she is, meow.]
[It’s painfully obvious.]
Luna and Nox, standing beside her in their fancy outfits, muttered quietly. Sure enough, even through the mask, the man’s gaze looked sleazy.
“I—”
“Unfortunately, I already have a partner.”
Before Silvia could answer, someone appeared and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. When she turned her head, she saw pale platinum-blond hair. Sylvester was still surrounded by women in the distance, so it wasn’t him. Then this person was—
“I-I see. My apologies.”
The man met the cold, pale-blue eyes behind the mask and immediately tucked his tail and fled.
Silvia stared blankly at the person holding her. The man who had been glaring at the retreating suitor lowered his gaze.
“Silvia, are you okay?”
“So it is you, big brother! You startled me!”
“You looked like you were in trouble. And Sylvester doesn’t seem very helpful.”
“Hey! Hyung! Were you saying that so I could hear it?!”
Sylvester complained as he finally managed to escape the crowd of women. The one who had helped Silvia was none other than Sillian.
“Long time no see, Senior.”
“Senior, you look amazing today!”
Since they had exchanged a few words at the villa before, everyone spoke to him familiarly, but Sillian only nodded awkwardly in response.
“Are you heading to the ball too, brother?”
“Yeah.”
Silvia leaned forward and looked around him.
“What about your partner? Don’t have one?”
Sillian was silent for a moment, then turned his head.
“I don’t need one.”
“Come on, that’s not how it works. You must be popular too. Was there really no one you liked?”
Sillian looked at Silvia intently for a moment, but then withdrew his gaze when he noticed someone approaching behind her.
“I’ll take care of my own business. You should focus on yours. His Highness is coming.”
“Silvia!”
Right on cue, Ardan approached where Sillian pointed. Even with a mask on, his presence was so striking that his identity was obvious from afar.
Ardan paused briefly when he saw Silvia, then broke into a bright smile and strode toward her. He took her hand and placed a light kiss on it.
“I feel as though I might go blind, my lady.”
“Ardan! There are people watching…”
Though Silvia glanced around shyly, her flushed cheeks showed she was clearly happy.
It was the first time seeing Silvia and Ardan together like this, and her bashful 모습 felt refreshingly new.
“She really is beautiful.”
Even a mask couldn’t hide Silvia’s beauty.
Then a soft voice whispered near her ear.
“To me, you’re the most beautiful.”
Selina hurriedly covered her ear and turned her head. Theodore was gazing at her through his mask as if honey might drip from his eyes.
Soon, he too placed a kiss on Selina’s hand.
Flustered, Selina tried to hit his shoulder, then stopped herself and muttered in a tiny voice,
“…You look great today too.”
“Oh? Really? Wait—I didn’t quite catch that.”
“I’m not saying it twice.”
“Selina, come on. Just one more time.”
Theodore stood behind her, coaxing shamelessly. Watching them with a lonely expression, Sylvester turned his head when a finger jabbed him in the side.
“Don’t you feel awkward without a partner?”
It was Becky. Sylvester nodded honestly.
“Well, same here. To be honest, if the others hadn’t dragged me here, I wouldn’t have even set foot in the ballroom.”
She lowered her voice in case someone overheard.
“If you don’t have anyone in mind, how about partnering with me?”
“With you?”
“Otherwise, you’ll keep getting harassed by those girls eyeing you over there.”
Sylvester looked where Becky pointed and saw a group of hunters stalking him with chilling gazes. He shuddered.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
“Excellent choice. Let’s just enjoy ourselves reasonably and leave.”
Sylvester and Becky formed an alliance of convenience.
As they approached the ballroom with their partners decided, they also reunited with Zenon and Asta, who had been looking for them.
“Wow.”
“It’s amazing.”
The moment they entered, admiration escaped naturally.
A massive chandelier—who knew when it had been prepared—hung from the ceiling, asserting its presence. Music filled the ballroom, delighting the ears, and the beautifully dressed people celebrating the ball were a feast for the eyes.
Even Selina, who hadn’t expected much, felt her anticipation grow and her heart race.
Flash!
“Ah!”
“What was that?”
“Was there an accident?”
Suddenly, all the lights in the ballroom went out. With visibility reduced to nothing, murmurs spread.
Then, tiny particles of light appeared from somewhere. At first there were only a few, but they quickly multiplied exponentially, illuminating the darkness like a galaxy.
Cheers erupted everywhere at the breathtaking sight.
The lights that had been scattered throughout the ballroom gradually gathered in one place. There stood the academy headmaster, whom they had only seen once before on the entrance ceremony day.
“Students, congratulations on making it this far through your hard work. You must be exhausted after more than half a year of tedious studies, yes?”
At his warm, grandfatherly voice, students laughed and complained about how hard it had been.
“Though the Academic Festival lasts only three days, I hope that during this time you can cast away all your stress and enjoy yourselves to the fullest. Now then—let us begin the highlight of the first day! The Masquerade Ball!”
As the headmaster raised both hands, the dark space brightened, and livelier music began to play.
At the same time, a massive circle formed from where he stood, creating a dance floor.
The first people to dance were none other than the professors.
It seemed they had deliberately taken the lead, knowing students would be too shy to start on their own.
“Selina, isn’t that Professor Calyx?”
“Where?”
At Theodore’s whisper, Selina craned her neck.
Calyx—the academy’s notorious penniless professor—had shaved all his beard, slicked his hair back neatly, and was dancing with a female professor in a dignified posture.
The contrast with his usual self was so great it almost made her laugh.
While she struggled to hold back her laughter, she spotted Baon passing by beside Calyx.
Baon wore robes adorned with the symbol of the Moon Temple. His partner, a female professor, blushed noticeably, clearly interested in him.
“I’m jealous. I want to dance with Priest Baon too.”
“Should we ask him later?”
Several female students nearby were eyeing Baon. Selina had only heard rumors of his popularity, so seeing it firsthand felt surreal.
‘If Dad saw this, he’d laugh so hard.’
If Fryman were here, he’d definitely laugh at the sight of the legendary Baon dancing.
As the music gradually changed, students began entering the floor with their partners.
Among them were Ardan and Silvia, as well as Zenon and Asta.
Looking to the side, Selina saw Mie and Chris shyly preparing to dance as well.
“When did they go out?”
“Just a moment ago.”
As Selina stood watching like it was none of her business, Theodore cleared his throat.
“My lady, would you grant me one dance?”
With formal elegance, Theodore extended his hand. Selina hesitated briefly, then placed her hand in his with a shy smile.
She stepped onto the dance floor with him.
It was a melody she’d heard dozens of times in dance class, yet she was so nervous she couldn’t remember the steps at all.
As Selina panicked, Theodore chuckled softly and drew her close, holding her hand and waist.
“Selina. Just look at me.”
Reassured by his enchanting voice, Selina slowly followed his movements.
Without even trying, the steps she’d learned flowed naturally.
Her chest felt ticklish, her heart pounding awkwardly. She worried she might be making a ridiculous expression, but Theodore looked at her with affection.
“You’re better than I expected. Honestly, I wore sturdy shoes, fully prepared to have my feet stepped on.”
At his joke meant to ease her nerves, Selina puffed out her cheeks, then burst into laughter.
“Looks like you’ve gotten used to it. You should thank Sylvester—your feet survived thanks to his sacrifices.”
At the deliberate mention of Sylvester’s name, the golden eyes behind the mask visibly twitched.
Seeing Selina stifle laughter, Theodore narrowed his eyes.
“You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Huh? Doing what?”
As Selina looked away innocently, Theodore suddenly grabbed her waist and spun her around in a wide circle.
Startled as she was lifted off the ground, Selina hurriedly clung to him.
As she tried to calm her racing heart, Theodore’s laughter sounded above her.
“You!”
“You shouldn’t have said things like that. I may not look it, but—”
I’m very jealous.
He whispered softly, then brushed a kiss against Selina’s cheek.
Annoying as he was, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him, so Selina just pouted her lips.
Even so, the moment was so enjoyable that before she knew it, a smile had settled on her face.
After her first dance with Theodore, Selina rejoined her friends, chatting and enjoying the finger foods and drinks set up along the sides.
As time passed, the ball reached its peak. After finishing her third dance with Theodore, Selina stepped aside for a moment.
“Are you tired?”
“I’m okay… though I am a little tired.”
When Selina smiled sheepishly, a concerned Theodore excused himself to get her something to drink.
Watching him walk away, Selina took a breather.
It was her first ball, and though it had been thrilling and heart-pounding, fatigue slowly crept in. Still, the joy outweighed the exhaustion.
As she lowered her head and gently rotated her tired foot, a deep shadow approached.
“Theo, you’re ba—…?”
Thinking it was Theodore, Selina greeted him warmly, only to trail off when she realized it was someone else.
“Sylvester.”
“What are you doing here? Where’s Theodore?”
Sylvester asked as he brushed his fallen hair back.
“He went to get a drink. Did you come to rest too?”
“…Something like that.”
He nodded vaguely and stood beside her. Come to think of it, his partner Becky was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Becky?”
“Some guy came and took her.”
“A guy?”
“Not sure if he was a swordsman or what, but he was built like a tank. He asked her to dance—must’ve liked her.”
“Ah…”
By that description, he was definitely Becky’s type.
‘I wonder what he’s like.’
Could it be that love had finally come to Becky?
“…Are you tired right now?”
At Sylvester’s unusually low voice, Selina looked at him.
For once, he looked serious.
“A little. Why?”
After hesitating briefly, Sylvester spoke as if he’d made up his mind.
“If it’s okay… would you dance with me, just once?”
Selina’s eyes widened slightly.
