Chapter 64
Iliya suddenly appeared, and Leopold looked up at him, clearly taken aback. His eyes darted quickly between Leopold and Elinor.
“I can’t let someone else have the second dance with my lady, even if it’s my cousin visiting after a long time.”
Elinor froze, her hand still held by Leopold. She wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. All she could feel was the sensation of his large hand holding hers.
Blinking in embarrassment, Iliya soon forced a cheerful smile.
“Haha, I didn’t realize my cousin already had a dance promised with my lady! Then I shall…”
Iliya was about to step back for his cousin, but Leopold stopped him.
“Lady Stikov, the Crown Prince.”
His face was serious, but his voice was polite.
“Even a noble from another country deserves proper etiquette.”
It would be rude to claim her as his lady on their first meeting.
Leopold twisted his lips into a smile, which made him look even more terrifying and strange than when he wasn’t smiling. Iliya’s mouth twitched, but he humbly apologized.
“My apologies. I was rude from the very first day.”
“Be more careful in the future.”
Leopold gave a brief warning and swiftly pulled Elinor along. As she was led, Elinor caught sight of the hall behind her.
Crown Prince Iliya stood with a stiff expression; Stella, speechless with shock; Lydia, now beside Ernst; and people around them chattering frantically.
‘…I was planning to stay a wallflower.’
By now, she was clearly the eye of the storm and the main figure of today’s ball.
While her body moved instinctively to the rhythm, Elinor’s mind was blank. Too much was happening at once, and she felt dizzy.
Leopold turned smoothly, casting a glance down at Elinor whose focus was blurred.
“Focus.”
“…!”
He whispered lowly as he pulled her waist close. His voice, deep as if from a cave, grazed her eardrums in a way different from the crown prince’s usual tone.
Unconsciously, Elinor shrank her shoulders. The chillingly low voice made her feel as if she’d been struck by lightning, bringing her mind sharply back.
“…Thank you for your help, Your Highness.”
Stepping carefully to avoid trampling on his feet, Elinor spoke softly. She had ignored his advice to find a partner and ended up in a difficult situation.
The fact that Leopold had rescued her now complicated her feelings.
“I wish you’d speak a little louder.”
“….”
He looked down at her forehead, glimmering under the chandelier lights, and the delicate line of her nose. His tone had a playful teasing quality.
“I want to hear the confession of someone who ignored my advice and ended up in trouble.”
Seeing her perfectly shaped eyebrows wrinkle and her eyelashes flutter sharply, Leopold laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
Elinor’s voice was sulky.
“Just…”
“Don’t try to tease me.”
“Why not?”
“Because this isn’t the time for that.”
With his firm ending, Leopold fell silent. He stared quietly at the lace with the topaz around her neck.
‘She didn’t wear my gift.’
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. From what Paul had told him of Elinor’s reactions, he had guessed it to some extent. Leopold deliberately didn’t mention it, not wanting to burden her further.
“Since I helped you once, I suppose it’s fair to give myself a chance to tease you once as well.”
He tried to tease her a little more.
“Do it with Lydia.”
Elinor’s reaction was deliberately cold. As Leopold spun her around, he whispered lightly:
“It doesn’t look good to shift responsibility onto others, my lady.”
It was true, and Elinor had no reply. The music passed the midsection of the dance.
“Just asking, in case…”
He let her go briefly, then pulled her close again and whispered.
“You weren’t aiming for the Crown Princess of Lyrafl, were you?”
“…Are you joking?”
Feeling his breath, she tensed for a moment. Elinor glared at him in disbelief, then quickly realized her own audacity. She had just been staring at the Crown Prince.
If she wanted to keep her head attached, she had to be careful.
“My tone was rude. I apologize.”
“You learn quickly, don’t you?”
Leopold placed a hand on her back, his low laugh mixing with his breath, making it sound even sweeter.
“Tomorrow at the ball, make sure you get a partner, even if you have to dig a hole to find one.”
As the music drew to a close, he lowered his voice so only she could hear.
“If there’s no one even after that, tell me.”
Elinor shivered slightly. Maintaining a subtle expression, she glanced at Leopold.
“It’d be easier to dig up the entire land of Tritan than to come see Your Highness in the capital.”
“Even if you send just a message, I can come.”
“I’ll ask Lydia to send it then.”
“Shifting responsibility isn’t good, my lady, remember?”
Their steps tangled, and Elinor slipped, burying her face in Leopold’s solid chest. Her nose tingled.
Unable to steady herself, Leopold stroked her neck. The calloused tips of his fingers, hardened from sword training, slid from just below her ear down to her shoulder.
A shiver ran deep into her spine.
“If you lack courage, it’s fine to go through Lydia.”
“….”
“Still, I hope you’ll try to be brave.”
Just like me.
As soon as he spoke, the song ended. He stepped back from her without hesitation.
“It was an enjoyable dance. Thank you, my lady.”
Leopold smiled broadly and left. As he disappeared, Stella, Daniel, and Lydia surrounded Elinor.
“Are you alright, Elinor?”
“Are you okay?”
“Sis, are you really okay?”
Amidst the flurry of questions, Elinor barely kept her mind from slipping.
“I’m fine, but…”
She drew in a deep breath. It was as if the oxygen she had forgotten to take while with Leopold finally filled her lungs.
“I need to go home and rest.”
The three didn’t stop her. They even tried to leave the party to escort her, but Elinor stopped them. Taking all four out at once wouldn’t look good.
All the way to the entrance, she felt sticky, uncomfortable stares like saliva-slicked candy.
Giving a vague excuse to the steward, she took a carriage back to the mansion.
The first thing she did upon entering her room was undo her hair. As it fell over her shoulders, she flinched at the sensation. Her loose hair curled slightly due to the braid.
Passing her hand over the spot where Leopold had touched, she felt a lingering ticklish memory.
‘Courage, my foot.’
Choosing to go down to Oclama and inherit the barony had been true courage.
Besides,
‘We aren’t even at that stage.’
She and Leopold weren’t in a position to take courage together. Before going to Oclama, their relationship had only been that of a main male lead and an extra older sister character.
Her brother’s man and her lady’s older sister.
A vague connection, nothing close, yet Leopold inexplicably tried to narrow the distance.
Elinor closed her eyes and breathed deeply, placing her hand on her neck.
“My lady, are you unwell?”
Lisa, who had come from the bathroom, rushed over in surprise. Elinor shook her head while holding the maid’s hand off her shoulder.
“No, Lisa. Is the bath ready?”
“Yes, yes. It’s all ready.”
“Thank you.”
From dancing with Iliya to Leopold, the unexpected events had exhausted her. She chose to wash quickly and sleep, planning to think more clearly once fully rested.
The next morning, ignoring her maids’ protests, Elinor ate. Thinking that she had caught the Crown Prince’s attention, she felt everything else was trivial. Unlike the first day, she prepared calmly: eating, resting, washing lightly, minimal makeup, fewer accessories.
Her hair was neatly braided, refusing the maids’ attempts to decorate it with pins. They pouted, but she ignored them.
She finished much earlier than the first day and wore the white dress Lydia had gifted her.
The high-necked dress had silver glitter on translucent fabric above the bustline, with lace embroidery starting below the chestline, giving the top of the dress a beautiful flourish.
The dress was elegant and fresh without excessive decorations.
Elinor refused any additional jewelry. Only small, angular sapphire earrings, like a thumbnail, were placed on her ears. She put on translucent lace gloves, and her outfit was complete in half the time it had taken yesterday.
Her body was comfortable, but the maids felt uneasy, sensing her deliberately minimal adornment.
“Don’t worry too much, just rest.”
Satisfied with her simple reflection, Elinor dismissed the maids, leaving only Lisa to maintain her dress and hair.
“Much different than yesterday, right?”
“Yes, probably.”
“Hopefully he’ll lose interest.”
“Uh… probably.”
Lisa answered uncertainly. Whether due to infatuation or not, in her eyes, Elinor remained beautiful yesterday and today. Her deer-like eyes, pointed nose, full red lips, long neck—none of it disappeared.
Still the most beautiful lady in the world to Lisa, though she would now allow herself to tone down her own tastes.
“Wouldn’t other ladies aiming to be Crown Princess try harder?”
“Let’s hope so.”
Elinor sighed, wishing everyone would persevere so the gossip magazines wouldn’t have an easy time spinning stories like:
The Fox Who Eats the Wolf? Lyrafl’s Crown Prince Captivated by Elinor Stikov’s Magic!
Resting with Lisa until departure, Elinor was summoned by the butler to descend.
She paused midway down the stairs. Lydia had two partners today: one, Vincent, with sharp eyes and red hair brushing his shoulders; the other…
“Elinor.”
Sinclair Tess, a proper gentleman in refined attire.
“One partner per person, I believe.”
Even for Lydia as the heroine, attending the ambassadorial welcome ball with flowers in both hands was impossible. Perhaps they came both to decide partners here.
She descended the stairs, pondering, and as she reached the last step, Vincent spoke:
“One came as your partner.”
Elinor strangely felt that it would be Sinclair. Vincent wasn’t the type to obediently follow a partner request.
Sinclair likely volunteered because he preferred to take that role himself.
“Who’s my partner?”
“Me.”
As expected, Sinclair nodded. Elinor imagined what would happen if she rejected him: the gossip mags would cheer if she swapped the Crown Prince for Sinclair.
‘Hmm, His Highness… might be a bit more…?’
But remembering yesterday, she placed her hand on Sinclair’s arm. Ernst would have been the easiest, but he had been Lydia’s partner yesterday.
“Thanks for being my partner, Sinclair.”
“You don’t mind being my partner, huh?”
He said flatly.
“You, on the other hand, lost Lydia’s partner to Vincent.”
Elinor shrugged. Surprisingly, she wasn’t particularly upset about losing the partner slot. Perhaps he chose a reasonable method.
She ushered Lydia into the first carriage, and when the second came, she prepared to board.
Sinclair quietly opened the carriage door.
“You weren’t taken.”
“Huh?”
“I chose you of my own will.”
His teal eyes stared directly at her.
Elinor blinked.
‘He… chose me willingly?’
She couldn’t believe Sinclair voluntarily gave up Lydia, not Ernst.
Dazed, she held Sinclair’s hand and got in. He followed, noticing her sapphire earrings swaying, raising an eyebrow.
“The ones I gave you…”
“Huh?”
“The earrings. You didn’t like them?”
Elinor hesitated. The question sparked curiosity.
“What will you do then?”
“I’ll give you a different design.”
The answer came without pause, though he seemed slightly wounded in pride. Being naturally confident in aesthetics, it must have stung.
“It’s not that I didn’t like them.”
“Then?”
“They were a gift from my parents.”
Sinclair pressed his lips together, remaining silent, just like Ernst would have. Very effective.
Elinor resolved to do the same with Leopold if asked.
“…Stay by me today.”
Sinclair spoke quietly, staring out the window.
“Alright.”
“First dance with me too.”
He turned his gaze to hers. His teal eyes were serious. As her partner, it was natural that she would dance first with him, and she had intended to. Yet his claim to “take it first” felt strange.
“I was planning to.”
Elinor muttered awkwardly. Sinclair glanced at her, smiling faintly.
The carriage stopped at the entrance to the outdoor ambassadorial welcome ball.
Holding Sinclair’s hand, Elinor stepped out and stopped him before entering.
“Why?”
“You’ll need to be prepared if you come in with me.”
Elinor looked him in the eyes seriously.
“If you can’t handle having your name in the gossip columns tomorrow, speak now.”
Sinclair chuckled at her words. He hadn’t come to Stikov without that resolve.
He linked his arm with hers.
“Even if you lack confidence…”
Amid the flickering outdoor lights, Sinclair’s sharp, delicate features were clearly visible.
“I’m confident.”
He smiled, arrogant yet charming.
