And so the pair’s dance flowed on like water, until at last the cymbals rang out and faded, and the music came to a stop.

“Haa…”

Luna let out a breathless exhale. Unlike the tension she had felt at the start, she was almost glad they had danced. Otherwise, her flushed face would have given her away.

They moved to a less crowded spot and wet their throats with champagne, exchanging words in low voices.

“Did you learn to dance from a circus troupe? How did you ever attend banquets dancing like that?”

“There are more important things than dancing. What people consider important differs from person to person.”

His words stung a little, and Luna thought belatedly of Adelia, who had devoted herself entirely to charming men, before speaking.

Caesar narrowed his eyes and looked down at her.

“Quite a smooth way to talk your way out of it.”

“And how many women have you danced with to be that skilled? That was not the technique of someone who has only charmed a person or two.”

“You see what you want to see, they say.”

“Wh, what did you say?”

What the scene looked like and what was actually being said were two entirely different things.

Caesar nudged her shoe with his foot beneath the hem of her dress. It was a signal to carry on with the performance naturally.

“Ha ha… you really are quite mischievous.”

But from a distance, they looked for all the world like two people lost in a world of their own.

And so, with the outwardly warm atmosphere continuing at least on the surface, Leonil presently approached Caesar and spoke quietly into his ear.

“You are needed for a moment.”

“Very well.”

Before stepping away, Caesar leaned down and murmured to Luna.

“Stay put and don’t cause any trouble, little wild filly.”

There was a teasing edge to his tone. Luna bristled for a moment, but forced the corner of her mouth up and replied.

“Haha… please don’t be long. I’ll be waiting.”

With that he was gone, and Luna finally took a calm look around her.

The social party held at the Crown Prince’s palace was more lavish than anything she had seen.

On the ceiling of the wide marble hall, an enormous chandelier blazed gold, ringed by hundreds of candles, and beneath it stretched a carpet embroidered with golden thread.

The decorations lining the walls reflected dozens of points of light, making the space dazzle all the more.

Nobles gathered in small clusters, tilting their glasses, and the mood of the party had ripened to its fullest.

“Ah… my feet hurt.”

She had been standing through the entire party and had even danced vigorously on top of that, so it would have been strange if her feet were fine.

But kicking off her shoes without any decorum was something utterly unthinkable in a place like this. She was inwardly grimacing at the harsh reality when a man’s voice reached her.

“Adelia?”

“Yes?”

When she turned, a man she had never seen in her life was calling Adelia’s name.

He had black hair with a reddish tint and notably bright-colored eyes.

He was reasonably good-looking, but it was strange how, compared to Caesar, he felt like something dredged up from the deep sea.

The man could not conceal his surprise as he spoke to her with care.

“Adelia? How long has it been… have you been well?”

“Who are you…?”

“You’ve forgotten me already? It’s me, Kyle. You don’t have to pretend not to know me.”

Kyle Verno. He was the eldest son of Marquis Verno, who had reportedly amassed enormous wealth in a single stroke through a large-scale trading venture. A family that had, as people said, struck it rich overnight. A faint memory surfaced of having heard his name in passing from Adelia once before.

Seeming to grasp the situation at last, she smoothed over her flustered expression and curved her lips into an awkward smile in greeting.

“Oh! Young Master Verno? Your father’s business is still doing well, I trust?”

“Formal speech between us… that feels strange. Yes, it’s still going well. You’re still just as interested in material things as ever, Adelia. Then again, even that is part of your charm.”

“Haha… people don’t change so easily, do they? Wouldn’t you agree?”

“You’re right, Adelia.”

Kyle stepped toward her without hiding his delight at seeing her.

But the look in his eyes as they met hers was far from a simple expression of welcome. His gaze still held something, some emotion he could not put into words. That oppressive look was impossible to ignore.

A bad feeling came over her in an instant, and Luna moved to wrap things up quickly and get away.

“W-well then, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening…”

“W-wait.”

Kyle caught her just as she was turning to leave, and sure enough, his face was written all over with lingering attachment as he spoke again.

“Every day has been agony since you ended things between us. I… still haven’t been able to forget you. Adelia.”

It was uncomfortable. The desperate look in his eyes, like a man cast as the tragic lead in his own story, only made it feel more burdensome.

Still, at least it was a relationship that had already ended. There were grounds to cut it off cleanly. Having sorted out her thoughts, Luna set her expression and opened her mouth firmly.

“As you saw just now, I am already a married woman. Surely you are not intending to cling to a woman who has a husband?”

“So what if I am? Wouldn’t you get tired of seeing only one man?”

Kyle was far more tenacious and shameless than she had expected. Looking at him more closely, his expression was steeped in an abnormal obsession, the look of someone in the grip of something.

She judged that words were not going to get through to him like this. Luna steeled herself further and drew a firm line with him in a sharp tone.

“I am getting along wonderfully with my husband. It is truly a problem when someone comes to me like this over something that is already finished and makes things uncomfortable. I have absolutely no lingering feelings for you. So please give it up and go.”

“D-don’t say that, Adelia, couldn’t you give me just one more chance? You loved me too. Even as a lover, I don’t care… just let me stay by your side. Please…”

“Why on earth would I do that when I have a perfect husband?”

He curled his lip with a meaningful look and took hold of her wrist, drawing her slowly toward him. As though wary of being overheard, he whispered close to her ear.

“We were… incredible together at night.”

He flicked his tongue lightly over his lips and cast a leering look at her.

A chill ran through her and revulsion rose in her throat.

“W-won’t you let go of this hand? He will be back any moment.”

“Will he? Lady Elisia is here tonight, you know. The one who nearly got engaged to the Grand Duke of Valenstein. I’d wager he went to see her.”

“Th-that can’t be. He stepped away briefly because his aide called for him.”

“If the one delivering the message was him, then that would make perfect sense. Don’t worry. They’re probably having a lovely time right about now too, so let’s you and I enjoy ourselves as well.”

Kyle said this and yanked her toward him by force.

The strength behind it was greater than she had expected, making it difficult to resist in the moment. The difference in physical strength between a man and a woman was considerable to begin with, so Luna’s resistance was futile.

“I said let go!”

“Why, shall I play out one of your little scenarios for you? Stop pulling away and come along.”

Kyle seemed to take her resistance as cute pouting. He was that relentless.

But she dug in, straining to wrench her caught arm free.

The crowd that had filled the area had thinned without her noticing. People had gone home or moved elsewhere, each with their own business and their own reasons.

A few glanced their way, but the atmosphere was one of brushing it off as a minor squabble.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Luna drew a breath and warned him once more.

“This is your last warning. If you don’t let go of this hand, I will call for someone.”

“Then I’ll just say it was your doing. Go ahead and try, if you want to be branded as a woman who cheated while her husband was away. Not that it matters much. If the Grand Duke throws you out, you’ll end up coming back to me eventually anyway.”

He did not back down in the slightest at Luna’s warning. If anything, he seemed to be taking the situation as a light quarrel or a lovers’ spat, and looked strangely pleased by it.

Luna was seriously deliberating whether she truly needed to cry out and draw the attention of those around her, when Caesar, having returned without her noticing, approached without a word and seized Kyle by the collar in an instant.

Under that brutal force, Kyle’s body bent backward and he went crashing down onto the table.

Crash.

Wine glasses and food toppled one after another, and an expensive eight-tiered cake came tumbling down on top of Kyle along with everything else.

It all happened in an instant.

“Oh dear, pardon me.”

Caesar maintained a perfectly composed expression, speaking as though what had just happened was nothing at all.

The barely perceptible lift at the corner of his mouth made it feel somehow even colder to those watching.

Kyle, drenched and covered in food and wine, sat in a heap and said nothing, his body trembling, apparently unable to even think about collecting himself.

The gap between the two of them had been beyond comparison from the very start.

Unlike himself, who had yet to even inherit a title, Caesar was one of the wealthiest men in the empire and the sole holder of the Grand Duke’s title within it.

On top of that, the beautiful platinum hair that fell like flowing water signified imperial blood.

Had his father not been sickly, he would likely have ascended to the throne by now, and he was spoken of as the most noble bloodline in the empire.

Caesar moved toward Kyle, who was trembling and shaking, with slow, deliberate steps. It was the imposing gait of a predator closing in on prey.

He came to a stop before him and asked in a low, cool voice.

“Did you have some business with my wife?”

“N-n-no, I did not…”

Caesar turned his gaze toward the attendants nearby and spoke.

“It seems the young master has found himself in an awkward situation. See him home to his estate at once.”

The moment his order fell, attendants stepped forward and took hold of Kyle’s arms on either side.