Epilogue.4

As their lips parted, Ellen smiled radiantly, overwhelmed by joy and happiness.  

Their gazes met, and the two shared light, feathery kisses that repeatedly touched and withdrew. What began as a gentle exchange soon deepened into a lingering, passionate kiss that lasted for a long time.  

“Our next date will be at the ball held tonight. Would you accompany me?”  

After their kiss, Leon invited Ellen to a place that held unpleasant memories for her. His intention was to transform those bad memories into good ones.  

“That’s…”  

Ellen hesitated about attending the Imperial Ball. The location had indeed left her with unpleasant memories.  

“Would you trust me and come along? I won’t leave your side. This is for you, but also to prevent other men from approaching you.”  

If Leon stayed by her side, she thought she might be okay. In fact, as long as he was with her, anywhere would be fine.  

“Alright.”  

After some deliberation, Ellen ultimately accepted Leon’s request.  

***

At the Evening Ball

With Leon escorting her, Ellen entered the ballroom, drawing surprised glances from the crowd.  

While Ellen had been away in Alber Village, rumors had spread that Leon had been reprimanded for neglecting his duties after being rejected by a woman.  

Although he had since reclaimed his position as a star knight, people only remembered the disciplinary action and paid no attention to what had happened afterward.  

“Today, people are looking at us for a different reason.”  

Feeling the glances and whispers about Leon’s disciplinary action, Ellen decided to let everything go. She thought she simply didn’t fit in at balls.  

Every time she attended, she ended up being the subject of gossip, which left her feeling bitter.  

“Don’t mind them. They’ll talk for a while and then move on.”  

“That may be true, but…”  

Seeing people whispering about her made it difficult not to care. Fortunately, as the music started, the crowd’s attention shifted elsewhere.  

“May I have the honor of dancing with you? I promise to lead you without letting you stumble.”  

Leon extended his hand with a playful smile.  

“Alright. I’ll see just how good your leading skills are.”  

Ellen smiled brightly and took his hand. Together, they stepped onto the dance floor.  

It felt like stepping back in time to two years ago. Back then, they hadn’t danced in a ballroom but in a garden. Ellen could never forget Leon’s graceful movements and restrained gestures; they had been so mesmerizing that she watched him in awe.  

That night, she had fallen in love with him, unaware of his cold, moon-like demeanor.  

“Two years ago, when we danced in the garden, I think I approached you because I found you intriguing.”  

As they moved to the familiar rhythm, Leon spoke, recalling the day they had danced together two years ago.  

“You think so?”  

Ellen tilted her head, puzzled by his ambiguous words.  

“Two years ago, I saw you step on your partner’s foot, Ellen. And then, I saw you stumble.”  

Recalling the incident, Ellen’s face flushed red.  

“Do you know why I offered to teach you how to dance? I found your clumsiness endearing. That’s why I followed you when you left the ballroom. Not to comfort you, but because I was curious about how you’d react.”  

“You followed me?”  

Ellen’s eyes widened in surprise at the revelation.  

“Yes. Normally, people would cry in such situations, but you seemed resilient. I wondered if you’d do something different, and sure enough, you got up and started dancing alone.”  

Leon chuckled lightly as he reminisced about that moment.  

“….”  

Ellen lowered her head in embarrassment. She was so flustered that she nearly stepped on Leon’s foot, but he skillfully avoided it.  

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I did feel some affection back then, but after humiliating you the next day, I thought our connection was over. I carried some guilt, but I didn’t think it was love or anything like that.”  

“And now you think it was love all along?”  

Ellen looked up at Leon, meeting his gaze as she chuckled softly.  

“As you can see, I’m not great at understanding my emotions. If it weren’t for that wager, I don’t think we’d be together now.”  

Leon laughed as well.  

“So we owe it to Sir Melville? What’s he up to these days? Is he still casually dating women?”  

Ellen suddenly thought of Logan. She remembered hearing that noble ladies had started avoiding him because of rumors Donna had spread.  

“After those rumors spread, he couldn’t continue his casual relationships. Then, a woman he had slept with claimed she was pregnant, causing quite a stir in the knight order.”  

“Did he marry her?”  

“Of course, Logan didn’t intend to marry her, but his family forced him to. However, after the wedding, it was revealed that the child wasn’t his, which caused yet another uproar.”  

“That’s what he gets for being reckless.”  

“Exactly.”  

Leon shook his head in disbelief.  

***

At that moment, voices reached Ellen’s ears.  

“Did you see that? Miss Novary almost stepped on Sir Guilford’s foot. She still lacks grace.”  

“Rustic nobles never change, no matter how much time passes.”  

The voices were loud enough for Ellen to hear, clearly intended to insult her.  

Still the same.  

Ellen smiled faintly. No matter how much she dressed to blend in, they only saw her as a country noble.  

And now, they were watching her with anticipation, curious about what kind of mishap she might cause next.  

Once labeled as clumsy, she seemed to remain a troublemaker in their eyes.  

When she first entered the ballroom, their remarks had bothered her. But after hearing them repeatedly, she felt she was getting used to it.  

It didn’t feel like a bad experience anymore—just part of her daily life. She was becoming indifferent to their opinions.  

“Well, then.”  

But as Ellen grew calmer, Leon seemed to start paying attention to their comments.  

He leaned close to her ear and whispered in a low voice.  

“We need to change the subject. I think it’s time to alter their perception of you.”  

“How?”  

Without answering her question, Leon kissed Ellen as soon as their dance ended. The crowd began whispering again.  

Ellen should have scolded him for drawing attention again after claiming he wanted to change the subject. But instead, she silently accepted his kiss. It was so sweet that she wanted to follow his lead.  

After the kiss, Leon growled like a predator and led Ellen to the terrace.  

Although the crowd continued murmuring behind them, Ellen no longer cared.  

From now on, whenever she thought of balls, she would recall this passionate and intense memory instead of the times she had been ridiculed as a rustic noble.  

<The End>