Chapter 100

“How did you…”

Estieren raised a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, and reached out his hand toward me.

“L-Lady Ardi? D-Don’t make me angry.”

Hesitating, I could only stare at him for a moment. But when Allen’s voice rang out, edged with irritation, I instinctively grabbed Estieren’s hand.

As if he had been waiting for this, he clasped my hand firmly and pulled me into his arms.

Behind us, the terrace door closed with a soft click, and the breeze that had been tossing my hair faded away. Gone was the fresh scent of an early summer night, replaced by his fragrance lingering at the tip of my nose.

“L-Lady Ardi?”

It must have been by a hair’s breadth that we made it. From beyond the window, I heard Allen’s voice and the faint rattle of the doorknob turning.

Thud, thud.

My heart pounded wildly in my chest. I couldn’t tell whether it was from the fear of the door opening and finding myself in an awkward predicament or because of the warmth of the arms locked around me.

“It’ll be all right.”

Perhaps sensing my anxiety, he drew me closer, his arm tightening around my waist as he whispered softly.

I gave a slight nod. Pressed against his chest, I could hear the steady thumping of his heart right beside my ear.

The sound, brushing against my cheek, sent a rush of warmth to my face. Worried he might notice how flustered I was, I hastily tried to pull away. However, before I could, his voice murmured by my ear once more.

“The Duke is still near the balcony. Wait just a little longer.”

It was only after Allen finally gave up on opening the door and his footsteps faded completely into silence that I was able to slip free from his embrace.

“…Thank you for your help, Your Highness.”

“I was worried I might have been meddling unnecessarily. I’m glad if I could be of assistance.”

His low voice, still lingering at my ear, reminded me of the heartbeat I’d just heard so close. Because of that, my cheek, where moments ago it had pressed against his chest, felt warm again. I brushed my face with the back of my hand, trying to steady my unruly heart.

Taking a step back, I stammered.

“I-I had no idea you were here. I thought you wouldn’t be able to attend the banquet tonight, what with your duties in Neitzia keeping you busy.”

As I looked up to meet his eyes, Estieren studied me for a moment before the corners of his lips turned up in a gentle smile.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect I’d be able to come either. There’s still work left unfinished.”

At his words, my eyes instinctively flicked to the mission window.

It looked exactly as it had before. The number of confirmed deaths hadn’t changed, which meant that the investigation was at a standstill. In a way, that was a relief. Even if the culprit hadn’t been caught yet, at least no one else had lost their life.

‘If that number in the mission window were to change from one to two, it would mean people are still dying. And once that happens, who knows how many more there might be.’

I tried to steal a glance at his face, only for our eyes to meet.

He smiled, almost as if he had been waiting for me to look his way, and I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment. Trying to hide my discomfort, I quickly changed the subject.

“C-Come to think of it, why are you here?”

His chuckle bloomed at my abrupt subject change.

Ahem. I cleared my throat and avoided his gaze, only for him to lift the corners of his lips in a sly grin.

“I’m not particularly fond of parties.”

“You don’t like parties?”

“No. I’ve never seen the point of making small talk with strangers or idling away time for no reason. I can’t see how it would be of any benefit to me.”

He spoke with such an utterly sincere expression that I couldn’t help but smile. I had assumed he’d come all this way because he enjoyed parties, even though his work wasn’t finished, though that clearly wasn’t the case.

“So you came tonight just to celebrate the Crown Prince’s birthday?”

He gave me a playful wink in response to my lighthearted remark. When I tilted my head in curiosity, he only shook his head with a faint, enigmatic smile.

“As a citizen of the Empire, of course, it’s proper to celebrate the Crown Prince’s birthday, but I’m afraid that isn’t why I came to this party.”

Not for that reason?

Now that I thought about it, there was no real reason for him to travel all the way from Neitzia to the palace just to celebrate Vien’s birthday. After all, given how busy he was with the case assigned to him by the imperial family, no one would have blamed him for skipping the party altogether.

“Then why…?”

“I heard you would be attending, my lady.”

“…Pardon?”

“That’s why I came. I hoped I might see you, even if only for a moment.”

His earnest answer stole my words.

Unsure what to say, I simply opened and closed my mouth. Just then, the sound of music drifted onto the terrace. He listened for a moment, then reached out to me as I stood there, flustered.

“In that case, may I have this dance?”

With the balcony hidden behind its curtains, no one could see the two of us. And in his gaze, there was none of the pressure or forcefulness I so often saw from others.

I could have politely declined his invitation if I wished.

“…Do you enjoy dancing?”

“I like it, if only because it gives me such a natural excuse to hold your hand.”