She stared blankly at the hand he extended.

“Here. This time, hold on and don’t let go.”

At his gentle voice, as if soothing a child, Karlea followed his words as if entranced. A satisfied smile bloomed on his face at her tight grip.

“Yes, that’s right. Never let go again.”

Karlea saw the entire process. The joy, delight, happiness spreading across his smooth face the moment their hands touched. The sight of him being filled with all sorts of sparkling things.

It was unbelievably… beautiful.

In that dazed state, she moved her steps as he led.

❀❀❀

Thanks to the man’s perfect lead, no one noticed that the woman’s dancing skills were terrible.

No one realized that she was inwardly calling upon every god’s name while breaking into a cold sweat. No, there was exactly one person who knew. Her dance partner.

“Why are you so stiff? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

At that breezy laugh, Karlea, who had been frantically moving her feet under Emperor Kraniel’s lead, snapped back to her senses and looked up.

“Uh, what?”

Her shoulders jumped up suddenly under his steady gaze. Karlea shook her head frantically.

“No! That’s, that’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“Well……”

‘Were you actually close with this body?’

The question caught in her throat, impossible to ask.

She truly couldn’t understand why his tone was so gentle and kind. His voice was the kind that would make one’s ears burn just from listening. It was confusing. Could our El, our El really speak like this?

The man smiled sweetly again as he watched her wavering eyes and whispered.

“You seem to have something to say.”

Something to say—of course she did. She had questions too.

“Say anything you want.”

“Anything at all?”

“Yes.”

Karlea pressed her lips together and shook her head. She certainly had questions. But right now, the most important thing was not stepping on El’s feet.

‘I can’t become the crazy lady who trampled the tyrant emperor’s feet.’

But her tyrant, as if reading her thoughts, leaned in close and whispered.

“Don’t be nervous. Would I hurt you?”

His voice was mixed with laughter.

The man spoke with smooth kindness and led her. In the moment of hesitation, their steps intertwined and her skirt drew a beautiful circle.

“Don’t avoid me.”

His persistent gaze was hot. The sensation of skin digging between her fingers insisted this was reality. Karlea felt a surge of emotion. So why? Why were the villain supporting character and the emperor doing this?

“By the way. Karlea.”

That’s when he asked.

“Why didn’t you come looking for me?”

What does that even mean?

Karlea racked her brain but ultimately her eyes wavered. Then Kraniel, who had been watching her every move, shook his shoulders as if unable to contain his laughter.

She was dazed.

‘What is that laugh?’

The refreshing laugh was just like a child’s. How could this be? He didn’t laugh like that even when he was young……

‘He’s that happy to dance with Karlea?’

It was shocking in many ways. Where was the female lead saintess, and with this wicked Karlea instead……

Whether by coincidence or misfortune, he responded as if answering her question.

“It’s better than I expected.”

Her heart dropped and an earthquake occurred in her mind. But the shocks kept coming.

“I waited.”

“What?”

“I would have been happier if you had come first.”

“Well……”

“It’s okay. I was disappointed but… yes, finding you like this isn’t bad either.”

As he curved his eyes while saying he was disappointed, it really seemed like a lover’s complaint. Because of this, all she could manage to say was “Uh, um, yes?”

Though her favorite had originally been the other male lead, the holy knight Lionel, she changed her allegiance after growing fond of the young tyrant during her time as a mirror.

Thus, with the mindset of ‘To hell with favorites, my baby’s happiness comes first!’ she had spared no advice for young El’s future.

For instance, descriptions of how beautiful the saintess was, how rapturous the feeling of love at first sight would be, who would be beneficial to him, and suggestions like visiting the temple in advance, and so on.

Each time, the young emperor would get irritated as if he wanted to break her, but.

Karlea clenched her hand tightly.

‘No way. It can’t be.’

She hoped that the original work hadn’t been greatly twisted by her chatter before he even met the saintess, and that nothing had happened between the original Karlea and him. It shouldn’t have.

After all, Karlea, the original owner of this body, was not only a villain supporting character but had a completely terrible personality! As the young tyrant’s caretaker, she couldn’t approve. Did her child have such poor judgment in women?

But her thoughts couldn’t continue further. The music quickened, and their steps became intertwined. The sanity she had barely maintained shook wildly.

Foot, foot, please don’t step on his foot!

“Karlea von Bloodina. Do you really have nothing to tell me?”

“……”

Something to tell. Somehow only those words had a different tone. For a moment, it felt as if the air had stopped. Karlea stared directly at him, forgetting even that the tempo was getting tangled.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying……”

“Really nothing?”

Even knowing that question was directed at Karlea, a strange thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘If I told you I was your mirror, would you call me crazy?’

She didn’t know why he was being so kind to Karlea. But in this atmosphere, perhaps.

‘If I could pretend to be crazy and say something.’

Her heart pounded. She gripped his hand tighter. Maybe. Just maybe. If she could test him by asking if he remembered the mirror……

Karlea moistened her dry lips with her tongue.

‘I hope you haven’t missed the mirror, but if I told you that I came back longing for you, that such a miracle happened, wouldn’t my young tyrant be happy?’

Wouldn’t you be glad to see me too?

“Your Majesty, I……”

It was at that moment, just as she was about to speak with an inexplicable faith. Suddenly, an incomprehensible pain struck.

‘Ugh!’

She couldn’t breathe, and everything went dark as if she had hit a massive wall. It felt like a needle was splitting her heart.

‘Too, too painful.’

She felt like she might collapse, but she couldn’t do that in front of El. She moved her body with El’s gentle guidance, unaware of the situation. Then, as if by magic, the pain gradually subsided. As if she was being spared for not speaking.

At that moment, Karlea intuitively understood without anyone telling her. Somehow, she could not tell El that she was his mirror. She would never be able to tell him. As if her body was preventing it, as if something was preventing her from telling him the truth.

Realizing this, she felt dumbfounded.

‘I’m not the little mermaid who lost her voice, so what is this?’

While Karlea was despairing over this newly discovered fact, the man who had been quietly examining her troubled expression one by one took her hand.

“…I see.”

He seemed to think she was avoiding answering.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

No. That’s not it. I can’t tell you……

When the pain finally subsided, Karlea raised her head and realized that everything around them was quiet.

‘Ah. The music has already ended.’

Looking around, she saw that everyone in the banquet hall was watching them. The Emperor Kraniel holding hands with Lady Karlea von Bloodina of Bloodina County, with whom he supposedly had a bad relationship.

There were many watching eyes, and Karlea felt she had to say something. El’s silence made him look quite sad. Though it seemed unlikely, he also appeared greatly disappointed.

Karlea took a deep breath and blurted out anything. El, please don’t make that face. With only that feeling in mind.

“The dance is over, Your Majesty. My dancing skills were lacking, weren’t they? But at least I didn’t step on your feet!”

“…Really?”

“Yes, so… it was nice.”

“Nice, you say?”

“Of course. I danced with Your Majesty after all.”

As soon as she uttered those trembling words, Karlea witnessed another amazing sight.

“You said it was nice.”

Somehow, the gloomy look in his eyes that had seemed heartbroken changed. A light like starlight surrounded him, and his lips drew a gentle curve.

Ah, how pretty.

Karlea smiled brightly.

“By the way, Karlea, do you know what it means to have the first dance with the emperor at this banquet today?”

“Uh, that’s……”

She was speechless, staring at the emperor who was smiling gently.

“I thought you wouldn’t have considered it. I knew it.”

The man who danced with her instead of with the female protagonist saintess. The emperor she had raised. The man whose thoughts she couldn’t fathom.

‘Wait. El. You don’t mean?’

As she stared with wide eyes, he smiled with satisfaction, looking truly like a madman.

“You don’t need to know the meaning. But what matters is the result. You responded to my dance.”

He smiled languidly.

‘Ah.’

It felt exactly like being possessed by a ghost. Somehow Karlea’s hand was now captured by him. And his soft skin rubbed against her skin.

“Holding hands like this.”

That contact was both poignant and sensual, like a bird pecking with its beak. Karlea increasingly found it difficult to think properly.

“We had a friendly conversation.”

Heat rose to her ears from the burning sensation.

“You made me laugh. And dancing with you……”

This feeling was a first.

What’s going on, is there something wrong with this body?

Her chest had been in turmoil for a while. As she bit her lip from the rising anxiety, he whispered.

“Karlea. I enjoyed it.”

Huh?

Her heart thumped, and her thoughts evaporated into whiteness. All she could see was El smiling. His excited voice.

Ah, all the complicated things were over. El was smiling. That alone was enough. As always.

“I was immensely happy and delighted.”

The warmth enveloping her hand was hot.

“So don’t forget what happened today.”

“……”

“You seem confused, so I’ll let you go for today. My Lea, return safely.”

……Lea? Did he call me Lea?