3.

Ballet shoes were not something dancers could use sparingly.

Especially for someone like Karen who practiced much more than others, ballet shoes wore out easily.

Since ballet is greatly influenced by the shoes worn, it was essential for dancers to find a regular store that sold shoes that fit them well.

When Karen opened the door of the pink-painted store, a small bell rang with a clear sound.

“Madame Borne.”

Madame Borne, who ran this store, was an elderly woman with curly white hair.

“You’ve come, Karen. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Madame Borne gave Karen a kind smile and brought out some tea. Her attitude was more like welcoming a familiar visitor than a customer coming to buy something.

In contrast to Karen, who maintained her manners without smiling at all, Madame Borne kept her warm smile. The painted-like smile seemed almost as if it were taxidermied onto the kind old woman’s face.

“Did you receive the ballet shoes I sent to your home?”

“Yes, I received them safely.”

“Were there any discomforts?”

“I’ve just started wearing them, so I need to break them in gradually.”

“Don’t throw away the shoes you’ve worn out. You might need your previous shoes if there’s a problem with the new ones.”

Karen nodded calmly. Madame Borne might be curious about how well Karen was wearing the new ballet shoes, but Karen had something else she wanted to talk about.

“Have some tea.”

Madame Borne offered warm tea, but Karen didn’t even touch the cup as she got to the point.

“I want to check if the shoes I left in my hometown are still there.”

And soon, the smile that had been drawn on Madame Borne’s face began to fade.

***

Could there be someone in this world who handles guns more often than a soldier?

The personal secretary of Duke Cloen could say with certainty,

That person was none other than his master and friend, Arcturus Cloen.

Arcturus was in the middle of modifying an old gun by himself, comparing a machine gun the company had released long ago with their most recent one.

It was both his hobby and an extension of his work.

Roches usually tried not to disturb Arcturus when he was so focused. But this time he simply couldn’t.

He had wanted to ask something since morning, but due to their busy schedule all day, he had to keep postponing it.

But he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Arcturus, I have something to ask…”

“Shh.”

He was about to say he had something to ask.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Arcturus silenced him. With just a light gesture of bringing his index finger to his own lips, Roches had no choice but to remain silent like a mute who had eaten honey. However, his eyes persistently sent messages to Arcturus.

But one of the easiest things in the world for Arcturus was ignoring the intense gaze of his close friend.

It was only after some time had passed that he stopped what he was doing. Perhaps unsatisfied with his work, he threw down the spanner on the old wooden workbench and gazed down at the firearm, lost in thought. Then, belatedly remembering Roches, he turned to his friend.

“Did you say you had a question?”

He sure asks quickly.

Roches grumbled inwardly, not daring to say it out loud.

Arcturus always shows courtesy first to anyone, as long as they don’t cause business harm. But even while trying to be gentlemanly, his innate arrogance or willful nature sometimes shows through.

At least Roches was among those Arcturus treated relatively well, as he was the only person Arcturus considered his own, aside from his maternal grandfather.

Of course, that didn’t mean he treated him well officially.
No matter how close a friend he was, if Roches had been incompetent, Arcturus would have fired him long ago.

“Who was that woman you were with at the hotel yesterday?”

“I was expecting that question to come up soon.”

“You… You used to think it was pathetic to spend a night with a woman just because of lust. Has your value system changed?”

“People don’t change easily, Roches.”

Last night, Roches received a call from the mansion and went to the Ripolla Hotel to deliver clothes directly to Arcturus. He was puzzled when asked to bring women’s clothes too, but thought they were for Sierra Miller.

Normally, if a man at a hotel asks for both his and a woman’s clothes to be brought, one would naturally imagine intimate and sweet things that could happen between a man and a woman. However, since it was none other than Arcturus, Roches couldn’t even imagine that he was really spending intimate time with a woman.

Roches manages Arcturus’s schedule. As someone who essentially acts as a butler, Roches could pride himself on knowing almost everything about Arcturus.

But the woman he encountered at the hotel that day was clearly someone he had never seen before.

In other words, she was a woman who hadn’t existed near Arcturus until then.

“…Though she’s so famous, I did know her face.”

Arcturus’s eyes, which had been expressionless, showed interest at Roches’s mumbling, which was close to talking to himself.

“…She’s famous?”

“She’s the newly rising Golden Rose of Gloretta.”

“Even to an outsider’s eyes, she seemed to dance quite well.”

“She’s exceptionally skilled, but she’s more talked about for her looks. You saw a ballet performance… Don’t tell me you fell in love at first sight at the theater?”

“I’m honored that you see me as such a romantic man.”

“Don’t dodge the question. I’m serious.”

Arcturus continued to tease Roches playfully.

But while doing so, he observed his friend’s reaction.

Roches, befitting his role as Arcturus’s personal secretary, diligently helped with his work, but in reality, he was of the same mind as his maternal grandfather.

He wished for Arcturus to meet a good woman, get married, and live a stable and comfortable life.

Why?

The value of life is different for everyone, so why did they insist on imposing their standards?

He would get married.

He had to fulfill his duty of passing on the title and surname with a long history by having children, and a strategic marriage would certainly be helpful for business.

But if they said to ‘love’ rather than just ‘marry’…

That was difficult for Arcturus.

Nothing is more uncertain than love, so he couldn’t understand why they told him to love and find peace of mind.

“Why did you lie like that? How are you going to deal with the aftermath?”

“You looked troubled, so I helped. I often experience such situations myself, and I know it’s hard to shake off someone alone.”

“That woman might come looking for you and cause trouble.”

“Then you can help me when that happens, Duke. As payment for me helping you this time.”

He acknowledged that the misunderstanding of him spending the night with that woman was understandable given the situation, but Roches’s question about falling in love at first sight only made him laugh.

“Let’s keep helping each other like that.”

Karen Chaner.

Regardless of personal preference, she was a beautiful woman who met the world’s standards of beauty.

It was only a day, but he enjoyed the time they spent together. It was the first time he had conversed with someone who didn’t want anything from him.

But that was all. They had become entangled by a very rare coincidence, a relationship that would never intertwine again.

So Arcturus had not fallen for Karen, and he would not fall in love in the future.

“That woman is…”

Arcturus was about to dispel Roches’s misunderstanding, who had fallen into all sorts of imagination about him…

“Duke! Duke!”

But he missed the chance to explain to Roches due to the actions of a low-ranking employee who entered without knocking.

“What is it?”

Skillfully hiding his displeasure, he looked at the employee, who handed Arcturus today’s newspaper while catching his breath from running.

As Arcturus took the newspaper, Roches also approached and read the front page.

“Duke Arcturus Cloen, alone with Sierra Miller at a hotel…?”

Roches’s face turned pale as he read the headline aloud.

As Arcturus’s friend, he was angry about this false article, but what hit him even harder was…

“You… you’re angry.”

Although he wasn’t showing any expression, that’s what made Arcturus even more chilling.

***

It was not common for Baron Theron to call out a dancer separately before a performance.

Even though he was in the art business and the Swan Ballet Company was part of it, the actual management was done by Director Mark, the choreographer Everdeen, and a few others.

Karen being summoned by Baron Theron at a busy time of performance preparation after the rehearsal was over aroused curiosity in many people.

“The atmosphere seemed unusual, what’s going on?”

“Did Karen make some mistake?”

“Come on. What mistake could that quiet girl make? Especially to a noble lord she barely sees.”

They say when three or more people gather, gossip and rumors quickly pour out. That’s exactly what was happening now. Various questions and speculations were already starting to slip out of the members’ mouths.

“Alright, everyone, quiet! It only takes a moment to ruin a performance if you let your guard down. Stop worrying about other people’s business and use the remaining time to practice your moves more!”

Director Mark silenced the members, but he too was concerned and worried about Karen.

Why did Baron Theron take Karen away? And at this busy time right before the performance?

More negative than positive thoughts arose in his mind.

‘There are plenty of nobles who want to take beautiful dancers. And Karen is the one who always refuses patronage from nobles.’

But what if a powerful person who could control the ballet company reached out?

If Baron Theron, the owner of the ballet company, wanted Karen…

“Everdeen, please take care of the kids for me.”

“What? Where are you going?”