Chapter 5. The Country Miss at the Ball

It was stale and boring.

The ballroom was excessively splendid, the orchestra’s performance quite excellent, and the people surrounding him all wore excited expressions. But Kais couldn’t shake off his boredom.

Men made exaggerated expressions as if deeply moved by his routine words, women blushed and frantically waved their fans at his meaningless glance, young ladies huddled together stealing glances at his face while whispering, and young gentlemen looked up at him with respectful gazes—all of it was just tiresome.

Now no one mentioned the deeds his father had committed. The territory was peaceful, his merchant ships had earned enormous profits again, and the position of the Elmano family was more solid than ever.

But he felt no joy at all.

Though boxes full of invitations requiring responses were delivered daily, gifts from nobles wanting to catch his eye filled warehouses, and matters awaiting his decision piled up like mountains, Kais was simply bored. Behind his face that showed emotion to no one, like wearing an ice mask, another layer of tedium settled today.

“Will Your Grace also attend the imperial ball next month?”

A young lady with prettily upturned green eyes asked from among the people surrounding him. Though this was the fifth time he had received the same question, Kais politely gave his answer as though he’s hearing it for the first time.

“I am also an imperial citizen under the protection of the palace, so of course I should, Lady Devers.”

The young lady of the Devers marquis family, who had debuted last month, blushed when her eyes met Kais’s. She seemed very pleased that he knew who she was, smiling shyly while prettily creasing the corners of her eyes.

It would have been nice if it had ended there, but whether she had gathered courage or grown greedy, the young lady inevitably tried to start the next conversation.

“Then at that time, with me……”

“My lady, I’m thirsty, so I’ll excuse myself now.”

Kais cut off her words with a manner that sounded perfectly polite but with a gaze and tone that were infinitely cold.

The next words were predictable without hearing them. Escort me, or if that’s difficult, dance the first dance with me, or if not that, then the second dance, or the third……

She would persist to the end despite knowing it wouldn’t happen. And then she would finally look hurt with tears in her eyes. The thought alone was exhausting.

Seeing the daughter of the Marchioness of Devers, known for her loose tongue, act this way, it seemed the rumors about him being a eunuch weren’t as effective as he had hoped.

“What? Oh, yes……”

The young lady of Devers mumbled the end of her sentence in confusion. But Kais was already far away.

He deliberately walked to the table in the furthest corner and picked up a glass of champagne. Though he didn’t drink much, there was no better excuse when wanting to end an unwanted conversation.

Kais put the crystal glass between his red lips and slowly tilted his head back. The crisp effervescence pricked his nose, and soon the cold alcohol touched his upper lip.

After holding a little of the pale apricot-colored liquid in his mouth, he slowly straightened his gaze, and through the intricately crafted crystal glass, he noticed a woman. No, rather than noticed, she bothered his eyes. The figure of the woman standing there simply didn’t fit in this place at all.

A plain dress without ribbons or lace, a smooth neck and round earlobes without a single jewel, a clumsy hairstyle that looked like she braided it herself, empty hands without rings or fans.

Her attire, even viewed generously, was at the level of an outing dress chosen by a country noble visiting the capital. He could bet the entire profit from his recently arrived merchant ships that she was the most shabbily dressed person in this ballroom.

Yet the woman showed not the slightest hint of intimidation or nervousness. She smiled brightly at everyone she made eye contact with, appearing quite at ease.

Moreover, her tiny face contained such a variety of expressions that the constantly changing facial features were quite a spectacle.

She looked up at the brilliant chandelier with a “Wow!” then took a sip of wine and went “Oh!” and after tasting a bite of pudding that didn’t seem to her liking, she went “Ah……” and quietly pushed it to the side. All the while, her blue-green eyes sparkled incessantly, and her plump lips moved busily in perfect circles.

Though rustic and awkward, honestly speaking, she was somewhat entertaining.

Who is she?

Try as he might to recall, Kais had no memory of exchanging greetings with such a woman.

He had originally intended to take just one sip and put down his glass, but while following her with his eyes and taking small sips, Kais found himself picking up a second glass of champagne.

That’s when the woman, who had just popped a small chocolate between her plump lips, turned her gaze toward where he stood. Kais unconsciously straightened his shoulders while adjusting his cravat and jacket.

Yes, no need to wonder who she is. Soon she’ll approach first and greet me.

Like anyone else in the Bayaroman Empire, she too would surely flutter over, using their eye contact as an excuse, desperate to introduce herself to him.

But Kais’s expectations were completely wrong. Despite clearly making eye contact, the woman didn’t approach him. She simply stood there, giving him a bright smile—a smile no different in intensity from what she had shown everyone else she had made eye contact with.

Then she turned around and began rummaging through a high stack of cookies. It seemed that for this lady, choosing which shape of cookie to pick was more important than introducing herself to Duke Elmano.

Kais was staring at the back of her head in disbelief when his view was blocked by Count and Countess Viller and their daughter, the protagonists of today’s ball.

“Your Grace, here you are. We’ve been looking for you. This is my youngest daughter. Child, greet Duke Elmano.”

“I’m Rosaline. It’s an infinite honor that you’ve come despite your busy schedule.”

The young lady with rather bold eyes and a quite pretty face offered a perfect greeting without the slightest gap. Though clearly a beautifully drawn image, she stirred no emotion in Kais.

After exchanging a few ceremonial words congratulating her successful society debut, he looked across again, but the woman was no longer in her previous spot.

Turning his head the other way, he caught sight of her golden hair leaving the ballroom. And the second son of Viscount Ronic was walking alongside her, muttering something.

Kais put down the champagne glass he was holding. Somehow he felt even more bored than before.

* * *

Kais encountered that rustic woman again in a corner of the garden.

He had stepped out for some air because his head was throbbing from the chatter of Countess Caster and Countess Tabanel. While looking for a quiet place away from people, he spotted golden hair clumsily braided up appearing above a shrub in the distance.

Though not quite a feeling of delight, it was at least a moment of curiosity. And above all, he still didn’t know who she was.

With deliberate loud footsteps, Kais slowly walked toward her.

By now, even a sleeping person would have woken up with such noticeable movement, but strangely, the round head didn’t budge at all.

Getting closer, he saw she was reading a book under a lamp.

While ordinary noble ladies would stand straight throughout the ball or, if seated, would perch just on the edge to avoid wrinkling their dresses, she sat very comfortably on a long bench with her legs stretched out.

Under the bench, her shoes were neatly placed, and at the end of the dress spread lengthwise on the bench, two small feet in stockings protruded like rabbit ears.

With a thick book open on her thighs, she was so absorbed in reading that she didn’t seem to notice Kais approaching at all.

Earlier in the ballroom, the distance was far, there were many people, and it was noisy, but now they were close, alone, and quiet. There couldn’t be a better opportunity to greet him.

Yet she missed this precious opportunity because she was distracted by a book. What an incredibly oblivious woman.

However, Kais, as one of the highest-ranking nobles in the Bayaroman Empire, had no intention of going to the trouble of speaking first to such a rustic woman.

He walked past her with even louder footsteps.

How far had he walked?

Strangely, his steps gradually slowed. Though he had walked far enough that he couldn’t even see the top of her head anymore, he kept feeling conscious of her, as if she were right in front of him. He also felt oddly unsettled, like someone who had left something important behind.

Kais abruptly stopped his slow steps.