In the end, I found myself heading to the ballroom with Ains. This time, however, I managed to resist his insistence and declined his offer to escort me. He seemed quite disappointed by this.

Could it be that Ains still had feelings for me? I thought I had made my intentions clear when I left the Graham estate…

The image of Ains kneeling and in tears back then still lingered in my mind. Leaving him behind as I headed to the Liet Hotel had not been a pleasant experience.

Since then, I had felt as if I were swallowing thorns every day, burdened by both hurt and discomfort. Occasionally, I heard rumors of him wasting away, which brought on a faint sense of guilt.

I subtly turned my head to check on Ains. He was walking in the same direction, maintaining a step’s distance between us.

Seeing Ains after such a long time, he definitely looked much more gaunt.

“Have you been well?” I cautiously asked, breaking the silence we had maintained. It was the first thing I had said to him since we started walking.

Ains turned his gaze toward me. His usual confident and arrogant look was gone, replaced by a gaze filled with unhappiness and gloom.

“What do you think?”

“……”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer him. I feared that if he denied it, it would once again plant seeds of discomfort in my heart.

“And you? You mentioned supplying mana stones to the Magic Tower. How is that going?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve officially registered as a mage and am supplying them. It’s amazing to have something I can do, and it’s nice to earn money.”

“Maybe that’s why. You seem quite impressive now.”

“What?”

I stopped for a moment, surprised by Ains’ unexpected words. Ains, who had been walking a few steps ahead, stopped as well when he noticed I had halted.

“I’m just stating the truth. You seem to shine more than before.”

“……”

“I suppose I was nothing more than an obstacle or hindrance to you.”

With a bitter expression, Ains turned and started walking ahead again. I watched his back for a moment before catching up.

Though there was quite a distance between us, Ains slowed his pace, allowing me to walk alongside him once more.

“I apologize for what happened last year. I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, he apologized to me. I was too exhausted by the unfolding situation to be surprised anymore.

“When you left the Graham estate, I was only thinking of myself, blinded by my stubbornness. I apologized without realizing how difficult it was for you. I didn’t understand then that my reckless actions could hurt you.”

“……”

“If I upset you, I’m sorry.”

A flood of thoughts came over me. Though we had exchanged only a few words, I could feel how much he had reflected on and regretted our past conversations.

If the old Ains had been arrogant, the current him seemed to have matured somewhat.

Has the time apart changed him this much?

I felt a twinge of bittersweetness.

“Your apology is enough now. I hope you won’t say any more.”

I didn’t want to hold onto past events any longer. I just wanted to let them flow away, to bury them as things of the past.

After all, there was no way to turn back time.

“……Alright.”

Ains agreed with me.

Hearing his sincere apology made me feel a bit relieved. Perhaps, as he said, his unilateral apology back then had indeed left a scar on me.

The conversation ended, and we walked in silence for a while.

Yet, strangely, walking alongside him without speaking didn’t feel uncomfortable.

“Good evening, Duke Graham. And Viscountess Marves.”

The attendant at the entrance of the ballroom greeted us.

“Shall I announce your entrance?”

“Please do.”

Ains replied first. I nodded in agreement.

“Announcing the entrance of Duke Ains Graham! Announcing the entrance of Viscountess Cecilia Marves!”

As the attendant opened the ballroom doors, he called out loudly into the hall.

As we entered slowly, the noise from the ballroom, which had been echoing even in the hallway, suddenly quieted. I lifted my head to take in the view of the ballroom.

People inside were watching Ains and me as we entered together. Some glanced at us and whispered among themselves.

“It seems people are misunderstanding the situation.”

I looked back at Ains as we descended the stairs. It was then that—

“Oh!”

“Cecilia!”

I had accidentally stepped on the hem of my skirt, causing me to lose my balance. Just as I was about to fall forward, Ains caught me in his arms, saving me from a tumble.

Clutching my chest in surprise, I couldn’t help but gasp as Ains’ face came into view. My heart was beating erratically, perhaps because of the near fall.

While I was still flustered, Ains spoke up.

“Are you okay, Cecilia?”

His genuine concern snapped me back to reality.

“Oh, yes. I’m fine. I just missed a step…”

Ains sighed softly after ensuring that I was standing securely.

“You need to be careful. What if you had fallen? You could have been hurt.”

“I’ll be careful. I just lost focus for a moment. And thank you for catching me.”

If he hadn’t caught me, I would have ended up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Besides the embarrassment, as he pointed out, I could have seriously injured myself.

I shuddered at the thought and thanked Ains.

“Just hold on until we get down the stairs. It’s not because I have any ulterior motives, so don’t misunderstand.”

Ains extended his hand to me again. Although I felt a bit awkward about holding his hand, I couldn’t refuse, remembering how close I had come to falling.

“Then I’ll take your hand for a moment.”

“Please, it’s no trouble.”

I placed my hand on his, and Ains carefully guided me down the stairs.

The layered dress was beautiful, but it had its drawbacks, like making it easy to trip if I wasn’t careful.

Once we finally reached the hall, I let go of Ains’ hand. He looked at me with a hint of disappointment.

Avoiding his gaze, I surveyed the ballroom. People were still watching us intently.

“It seems people are misunderstanding the situation. It must be because we entered together…”

I muttered resignedly. Part of the reason I hesitated to enter with Ains was the fear of attracting this kind of attention.

Contrary to my concerns, Ains shrugged and said, “Isn’t that better?”

“What? Why?”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was obvious what people might be misunderstanding. They probably thought Ains and I might be rekindling our relationship.

Even if I attended this ball to clarify our status, they would likely think the same.

How could Ains speak so nonchalantly about it?

Was he hoping to start over with me?

I kept misinterpreting Ains’ intentions. Even now, I wondered if he was downplaying people’s misunderstandings because he wanted to reconcile with me.

But Ains continued with a different thought.

“After you and I divorced, I didn’t realize how people viewed you. I didn’t understand why someone like Viscount Moldovan would be drawn to you. I thought it was because you were careless, but now I realize it was because I handled things poorly.”

Ains ran a hand over his face, looking troubled.

“I was too selfish. I didn’t know what words were being said about you or what words might pierce your heart like daggers.”

I stood there, watching Ains.

He seemed to have changed a lot without me noticing. His apologies and acknowledgment of his mistakes felt unfamiliar.

“Do you think I’m pathetic?”

“……”

His self-deprecating demeanor somehow made him seem more mature than before. The Ains I knew wouldn’t have reflected on past events and blamed himself.

“It seems you’ve changed a lot, Duke.”

I shared my honest impression with him. Ains raised an eyebrow in surprise and tilted his head.

“What do you mean? Surely you don’t mean it in a bad way?”

He looked at me with anxious eyes. I slowly shook my head in response.

“No, not in a bad way.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ains smiled quietly.

“Then I’ll take it as a good thing.”

“……Yes, you can.”

After finishing our conversation, I looked straight ahead. People were still watching us, unsure of what stance to take. They seemed confused about how to react.

“You know, Cecilia.”

“Yes?”

“Since we’re at the ball, would you consider dancing with me?”

I dampened my dry lips with my tongue at Ains’ question. Then, smiling at him, I shook my head.

“No.”

“……I see. If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

His disappointed expression was like that of a puppy caught in the rain.

“If you change your mind, would you let me know?”

Ains asked cautiously. I looked at him and chuckled softly.

“Yes, I will.”