That Marriage, I’ll Do It in this Life - Chapter 30

The Prince, who had been dancing with a disinterested expression, locked eyes with her.

“……!”

Caught entertaining such an irreverent thought, Saena quickly averted her gaze.

Time passed, and as the music ended, the Prince and his fiancée left the dance floor.

A new piece, with a different tempo, began to play—the second dance of the evening.

“Shall we dance?”

Duke Kramer extended his hand to her without hesitation.

His lead was, as always, textbook-perfect.

The proper distance, precise steps, and elegant movements.

‘…But something feels different.’

This time, there was something… distinct about his touch.

When he held her waist to guide her into a dip, his grip was firm, and when he spun her, his fingers intertwined with hers in an oddly deliberate way.

And, as always, there were his eyes.

Cold, as if devoid of warmth, yet so intense that meeting them made her heart flutter uncomfortably.

If she truly were nineteen, she wouldn’t have been able to handle such a gaze.

“Did you know?”

“…Pardon?”

As the dance neared its end, the Duke suddenly spoke.

“There’s an unexcavated ruin in Kramer territory.”

“…What?”

“A ruin from the era of <Arles-Promesa>.”

“…Really?!”

Saena was so shocked she nearly shouted.

The Duke nodded, confirming the truth once more.

Ruin sites from the <Arles-Promesa> era were known to yield incredible artifacts even from shallow excavations.

How could such a site remain untouched?

“Why… why hasn’t it been excavated yet?”

“There were reasons.”

“Wow, that’s incredible. An unexcavated ruin…”

“If you’re interested, I can show you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Saena almost cheered but quickly caught herself.

‘I promised myself I wouldn’t get involved with him any further….’

And yet, here she was again.

Her previously sparkling eyes dimmed as she pressed her lips together.

“It’s… intriguing, but… it’s too far…”

“If you wish, I can arrange a carriage and escort for you.”

“…I’m also worried about rumors.”

“…….”

For some reason, the Duke seemed unusually persistent. Saena fumbled for excuses.

The music ended.

As soon as she finished her bow, Saena tried to retreat to the outskirts of the hall. But the Duke wrapped his arm around her waist once more and led her back onto the floor.

“Your Grace?”

Dancing twice in a row with the same partner was highly unusual unless the two were exceptionally close.

“Our conversation isn’t finished.”

“…About what?”

Flustered, she asked, but the Duke remained silent for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts.

“I know you have a deep interest in <Arles-Promesa> and the Arlesian language.”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

“Would you like to see Morev?”

“…What?”

“Up close.”

…Up close?!

Of course, she wanted to!

Seeing it from a parade was nothing compared to that!

Curiosity lit up unmistakably in Saena’s eyes.

“…Could you really show me?”

“If you wish.”

‘If you wish.’ Was wanting it really all it took?

“If you could, I’d be very grateful and excited, but…”

“But?”

“Where would you summon such a large creature?”

“I can adjust its size.”

“…Really?”

As expected, Guardian Spirits were fascinating.

She had only ever seen Morev during parades and assumed its size was always the same!

‘Wait, that’s not the issue here.’

Wouldn’t that mean she’d have to visit the Kramer estate?

The offer was incredibly tempting, but something felt off. Having rarely experienced unmotivated kindness from anyone outside her family, Saena couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

Perhaps it was only natural. For a great noble, even the time spent granting someone an audience was as precious as gold.

But using such precious time and even showing the Guardian Spirit…? Why?

It was only natural that basic questions would follow.

“Are you curious about why I’m doing this?”

The Duke spoke first, perhaps noticing the question written all over her face.

“To be honest… yes.”

“Hmm. Because I want to leave a good impression.”

“…Pardon?”

Saena’s mouth dropped open as she found herself tied to his unwavering gaze that seemed to pull her in.

Now that she thought about it, he had mentioned being interested before. Was this what he meant—interest in her as a woman?

Saena was dumbfounded by the unexpected remark. Before she could respond, the music came to an end.

It didn’t seem like he was expecting an answer right away.

“Please, think well of me.”

After leaving those words in a whisper by her ear, he released her hand.

As they finished their dance and stepped off the floor, people swarmed around them.

Although there were only four ducal families in the Empire, their appearances were so rare that whenever they showed up, they always caused a stir.

Especially since Duke Kramer and Duke Aberdeen were both unmarried, their popularity was even greater.

‘As expected, his popularity is incredible.’

Saena nodded inwardly.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that many people were also eager to talk to her.

“Oh my, aren’t you the young lady of the Debov family? The one who just debuted?”

“My goodness, young ladies don’t usually wear such colors, but it’s so unique!”

“I know, right? She’s so young, but she already has such a strong sense of style.”

“And it suits her so well.”

Some people approached Saena with the intent of using her to strike up a conversation with the Duke, while others genuinely complimented her.

And that wasn’t all.

“May I ask for the next dance?”

“For the one after that, please save me a spot.”

Even young men from notable families came forward to request a dance.

Saena was flustered. To be honest, she was very overwhelmed.

Having always lived as a wallflower, this kind of feverish attention felt incredibly foreign to her.

At least she managed to keep her expression neutral, which was a relief.

“Pardon me, but I was just about to visit the lounge for a moment.”

After accepting one or two dance requests initially, Saena eventually fled to the lounge to escape the endless stream of invitations.

* * *

Ah, what on earth is all this?

Not even an hour had passed since she arrived, yet she was already exhausted.

Saena plopped down on a plush sofa in the ladies’ lounge and let out a sigh.

“Young lady! How could you sit down like that and wrinkle your dress!”

If her nanny were here, she would surely have scolded her like this.

But Saena couldn’t help it.

Not only did she plop down, but she also decided to slip off her shoes. It had been a long time since she wore high heels, and they were so uncomfortable she felt like she was going to die.

If there had been other people around, it would have been a grave faux pas, but since it was still early in the ball and the lounge was empty… just for a moment, secretly…

Click.

At that moment, the sound of the door opening startled her.

Saena quickly shoved her heel, which had been halfway out of her shoe, back in.

“Saya?”

As she wriggled her swollen foot back into her shoe, she heard someone call her name.

Startled, she looked up to see Elizabeth standing there with a bright smile.

“Beth?”

Elizabeth wasn’t alone; she seemed to have already made a few friends.

“Yup. Fancy meeting you here. Were you resting?”

“Oh, yes. My feet hurt a little.”

“Your feet? Already?”

“I guess it’s because I don’t usually wear high heels.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Elizabeth approached with a cheerful smile.

“But for someone not used to it, you danced so well, and your dress… it looks like you put a lot of effort into it.”

“Hmm?”

“…Is this also a Madame Charlize dress?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t commission it myself, but yes, it’s from Madame Charlize.

“…I see. It’s beautiful.”

Elizabeth’s smile seemed a bit strained, but her cheerful demeanor remained unchanged.

Elizabeth was the third daughter. The Valdez family only had daughters, so their dress expenses must have been significant.

It seemed the Count of Valdez had stretched his budget to have Elizabeth’s debutante ball dress made at Madame Charlize’s boutique, but party dresses on top of that must have been too much.

“Saya, it suits you very well.”

Elizabeth gave a wide smile and complimented her. But her smile was, how should I put it, so excessively bright that it felt almost fake.

“…Thank you.”

“Oh, I almost forgot to introduce them. These are people I got to know after my debut. Saya, since you’re my friend, I thought it’d be nice for you to join us for a chat. How about it?”

As mentioned earlier, it was still early in the ball.

Unless it was a special situation, there was no reason for the lounge to be crowded.

‘…Did she follow me here on purpose?’

Saena looked up at Elizabeth silently.

When her violet eyes met Elizabeth’s, the latter flinched slightly but maintained her sweet, honeyed smile.