Chapter 101

His playful reply melted away the tension that had made me stiff, leaving me strangely at ease.

I took his outstretched hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and we began to move in time with the music.

Above us, the night sky was strewn with stars as if they might spill over at any moment, and the gentle breeze of early summer brushed my cheek. His hand, wrapped around my waist, was warm, and with every step we took to the music, his scent lingered at the tip of my nose.

I liked it.

The beautiful scenery, the hand holding mine… every part of it.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

“Are you all right, Your Highness?”

Liam, the Crown Prince’s aide, hurried to his side, alarmed by the sudden pallor on his master’s face. Vien narrowed his brow, almost imperceptibly, as he responded in a whisper to his anxious question.

“It seems even Philoia can only hold off the headache for four hours.”

He ground out the words through clenched teeth, gripping the armrest of his chair. Forcing himself to endure the pain, he muttered under his breath.

“It seems I’ll have to increase the dosage.”

“B-But, Your Highness…!”

Liam added, his words cautious in the face of Vien’s steely gaze.

“Th-the analgesic effect will be strong, but once it wears off, they said the pain will be even worse than it is now.”

“So, what exactly is it you’re trying to say to me?”

Vien’s voice was sharp. Liam quickly bowed his head in apology.

“F-Forgive me, Your Highness. I spoke out of turn.”

Even as he argued with his aide, a pain like his skull was splitting open throbbed relentlessly in Vien’s head. The headaches had grown so severe these past few days that he could hardly sleep. Knowing full well the side effects, he had continued to take Philoia. And yet, even that barely lasted four hours.

At this point, he could hardly believe the state he was in now.

“Then, I’ll fetch you some water.”

Liam spoke, gauging his mood. Vien gave a brief, careless nod, as if even answering was too much trouble.

With so many eyes watching, he couldn’t behave as freely as he usually might. Vien watched his aide hurry off, then pressed his fingers to his forehead. Along with the pounding headache, the memory of a woman’s voice, fleeing from him as if in escape, echoed in his mind.

〈 Didn’t you say you didn’t want to get involved with Aidelis? 〉

His expression hardened at the memory of Ardi’s words.

In that moment, it hadn’t been her pointed remark that made him let Ardi go. What unsettled him was the realization that he hadn’t even remembered it until she said it aloud.

‘Why did I do that?’

But no matter how many times he asked himself, no answer came.

It was obvious that the talkative nobles would gossip among themselves about his actions tonight. Some, he knew, were already speculating whether the woman who danced the first dance with him would become the next crown princess. That was why he had originally planned to take his first dance with Perideline Kaisian this evening.

But the moment he entered the banquet room and saw Ardi surrounded by the Duke and the Master of the Magic Tower, an inexplicable anger welled up inside him.

How could he describe that feeling?

It felt as if someone were trying to steal away something he had hidden away for himself.

Even if it were left to gather dust in some forgotten corner, so long as he hadn’t discarded it, it was still his. That emotion flooded through him in an instant, bursting its banks like water from a broken dam. Because of it, he forgot everything he’d resolved before coming to the party, and simply acted on impulse.

And the moment he saw Ardi trying to avoid speaking with him, he reached out his hand on impulse. Although everything that had unfolded tonight was driven by his own impulsiveness, to Vien, it all felt perfectly natural. As natural as the sun rising in the morning and the moon appearing at night.

Ironically, it was only when he noticed how skillfully Ardi danced that the first flicker of doubt struck.

〈 You claimed you couldn’t dance well, yet you’re far more skilled than I expected. Or was that just an excuse to turn me down, and I was too oblivious to catch on? 〉
〈 Not at all. I think it’s only because Your Highness is leading so well that my lack of skill doesn’t show. But thank you for the compliment. 〉

As he listened to her reply, he found himself quite certain that wasn’t the case. As far as he knew, unlike the other young noblewomen of her age, she had never shown any particular talent for dancing.

‘But how can I be so sure of that?’

This was the very first time he had ever danced with Ardi. In fact, it was the first time he had ever seen her dance at all. So, there was no way he could truly know whether she danced well or not. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity as if he had danced with her many times before.

Even though he was certain this was their very first dance together.

‘…How strange.’

That wasn’t the only thing that felt strange.

Whenever he faced Ardi, a swell of emotions would rise up in his mind. Feelings like irritation, anger, and even disgust… emotions of the most negative kind.

Yet, in those moments when he became aware of these emotions in her presence, his headache would vanish, if only for a brief instant. Of course, it could have been nothing more than his imagination or a simple coincidence. Even so, he thought there was no harm in finding out for certain.

Just then, his gaze fell upon Ardi as she entered the banquet room.