‘Why am I expecting anything when I don’t even plan to reach an ending with him?’

But mind and heart were separate matters. Though she shook her head, she couldn’t help the disappointment that crept up in a corner of her heart.

Still, she expected to see him when she arrived at the banquet hall. Though he had already neatly resolved the financial matter she originally wanted to discuss, it was only proper to express her gratitude.

However, no matter how long she waited, he showed no sign of coming. She felt like a guest who had accidentally attended a stranger’s wedding where she knew no one. Now, disappointment was giving way to feelings of being let down.

In truth, she wasn’t completely without acquaintances. Thanks to inheriting the memories of Natalie Pereira, who had lived interacting with various noble families as a count’s daughter, quite a few noble ladies approached her first to greet her. Some asked about her impressions from the expedition, while others expressed curiosity about the corrupted area.

Of course, she conversed smoothly with them while wearing her practiced mask. She simply shook them off naturally after brief conversations and moved elsewhere. As someone who wasn’t the real Natalie Pereira, such familiarity and interest from them felt quite burdensome.

However, perhaps because she belonged to the group of protagonists at the banquet, or maybe because she was the only woman among the expedition members, the attention directed at her showed no signs of diminishing.

Following the curious approaches from noble ladies, what burdened her next were the endless dance requests from gentlemen.

“Miss Pereira, would you dance this next piece with me?”

“Oh, I’m too late! Then please promise me the next dance.”

Men whose names she didn’t even know flocked to her requesting dances. Even the expedition members who had approached her with pleased expressions were pushed away by this momentum.

She wanted to reject them all equally, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She had to live as Natalie of the Pereira family until her return, and she couldn’t risk becoming the subject of gossip for just standing awkwardly without dancing at the banquet.

If McClain were here, she could have pretended to dance with him and slipped away, but no matter how long she waited, there was no news of his arrival.

It was after she had danced about three or four dances with unfamiliar yet familiar hands.

The Emperor, who had been sitting with a disinterested expression, suddenly raised his hand to stop the music.

“Aha! The protagonist of today has finally arrived!”

At his voice filled with satisfaction, the gazes of all nobles attending the banquet turned to the Emperor, then shifted to the person he was welcoming with a bright smile.

Following their gazes toward the entrance of the banquet hall, Natalie discovered a man standing there with a truly distinct presence.

‘My goodness!’

Natalie barely managed to suppress her exclamation. The saying “clothes make the man” wasn’t for nothing. He looked more splendid and beautiful than any noble at the banquet.

In truth, precisely speaking, his appearance hadn’t changed much from usual. His hair, which normally flowed freely as if in harmony with nature, was considerably neater, and unlike before, he wore well-ironed clothes made of high-quality material that emphasized his toned muscular physique rather than looking comfortable… He just looked somewhat, no, considerably more handsome than usual.

Even while thinking this, Natalie couldn’t close her parted lips.

But after a brief pause, she soon took a step forward with a smile full of delight.

She didn’t even think to hide her brightening expression. She didn’t even realize that everyone had stopped moving and was watching him and her. She was simply drawn toward him as if pulled by a magnet.

As if she had never felt let down, all tension melted away at once with the single fact that he had finally arrived.

She wanted to quickly show him how meticulously she had dressed up with the gifts he had sent. She wanted to hear him say “beautiful,” even if it was just empty words. She wanted to express her gratitude for the gifts with a shy face.

As she hurried her steps, Natalie suddenly felt a strange sense of dissonance and stopped in her tracks. She belatedly realized that McClain was frozen like a statue, staring at her.

She had stopped just three or four steps away from McClain.

Through the hushed crowd, she could feel expedition members approaching, grumbling things like “Commander!” and “How can you arrive so late?”

But Natalie found it difficult to move her halted steps again. She was flustered by McClain’s gaze fixed solely on her, as if only the two of them existed in this space.

“Sir Lindhart?”

She called out to him cautiously, but he continued to stare at her without the slightest movement. Just silently, with his brows slightly furrowed, intensely.

After her initial confusion came embarrassment.

Why was he acting like this? She had chosen and worn the most elegant and beautiful dress from the clothes he had sent. It was a dress that her mother, Maria, and even Lady Rose, who had some expertise in such matters, had unanimously given thumbs up to. Had he expected her to wear a different dress?

Or was he dissatisfied that she had worn minimal accessories?

The gifts he had sent included all sorts of elaborate accessories. However, despite being transmigrated, suddenly wearing such flashy decorations felt strange and awkward, so she had only put on a few that looked sophisticated yet simple.

She couldn’t help but wonder if that was what displeased him.

No, he’s not that kind of person. He’s probably just surprised to see me dressed up like this for the first time.

As she shook her head and took another step toward him, he who had been standing like a nail suddenly flinched, then took a step toward her as well.

His tightly closed lips parted slightly, and a low, husky voice flowed through them.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Pardon?”

“I expected it, but not to this extent.”

But his lips closed again, unable to find appropriate words to follow. His expression remained stiff, almost rigid.

While Natalie wore a confused expression, not knowing how to respond:

“Sir Lindhart, I was worried you might not attend even an occasion like this, but I’m glad you came, even if late.”

An unfamiliar voice wedged between Natalie and McClain.

At this, McClain’s gaze awkwardly shifted toward the owner of the voice.

A well-groomed man in elaborate attire was grinning at him.

Natalie slightly narrowed her eyes, quickly searching through her memories for the man’s identity. His face looked familiar, so he must be someone Natalie had met before.

Before she could remember, McClain’s greeting revealed the man’s identity.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

He was the Crown Prince whom the male protagonist McClain would encounter whenever he visited the imperial palace in the original work.

To think she had been standing before the Crown Prince without properly greeting him!

Seeing the Crown Prince turn his head toward her, Natalie hurriedly grabbed the hem of her dress and slightly bent her knees.

“I am honored to meet you, Your Highness.”

A satisfied smile spread across the Crown Prince’s face at her greeting. As Natalie thought with relief that her greeting wasn’t too late and was about to raise her lowered head:

The Crown Prince’s next words froze her again in confusion.

“I apologize for interrupting your greeting, but I’d like to borrow this lady for a moment. I’ve been waiting for a chance to request a dance with the most popular lady at today’s banquet.”

※※※

McClain could only watch with a hollow feeling as Natalie was quickly led away by the Crown Prince.

Despite having enough time, he hadn’t asked her to dance, and now Natalie and the Crown Prince had already begun dancing to the music.

He desperately wanted to tear away that pale fellow’s hands clinging to her and snatch her back, but he couldn’t.

No matter how much of a maverick McClain’s character was, that man was none other than the Crown Prince.

As an NPC with considerable power, there was a risk of incurring unnecessary penalties if he earned his displeasure.

At such a critical time when he was focused on gaining strength to face the Demon King with max level just within reach, there was no benefit in doing something that might get him in trouble.

Moreover, the problem wasn’t just that the man dancing with Natalie was the Crown Prince.

McClain didn’t know how to dance. More precisely, he perfectly knew how to dance from inheriting McClain’s memories, but his body couldn’t move accordingly. Though he had transmigrated into a nobleman’s body, someone who had been inherently uncoordinated and tone-deaf couldn’t suddenly transform into a dance expert.

It was nearly impossible for him to take steps in precise rhythm with the music, raise his hands, and then perfectly time grabbing his partner’s hand as she twirled back, all while leading.

For this reason, even after her dance with the Crown Prince ended, he couldn’t bring himself to ask Natalie to dance. He managed to push through the pack of wolves rushing to request a dance and approach her, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to dance with him.