The orchestral ensemble’s sweet melody ended, and with it, Edward and Rachel’s dance came to a halt.

“It was an honor to dance with you, Rachel,” Edward whispered softly.

“The honor was mine.”

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve danced with you, Rachel.”

“Is that so?”

Rachel pondered, sifting through her memories. Thinking back slowly, she realized Edward was right—throughout all that time, this was indeed their first dance together.

“It seems you’re right.”

“If we have another opportunity, would you dance with me again?” Edward quietly asked Rachel. She stared intently into his teal eyes for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“I’d be happy to.”

It wasn’t a difficult request, so she agreed readily.

Rachel, still holding Edward’s hand, returned to where Tervan and Viola were waiting.

“Here you go,” Tervan naturally handed Rachel a glass of wine. She released Edward’s hand to accept it.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tervan smiled at Rachel as if nothing had happened.

Finding his behavior ridiculous, Viola gave Tervan a pointed look. He deliberately avoided her gaze.

“Duke Morgan Bermund has arrived!”

Just then, a guest Rachel hadn’t expected at all made his entrance to the ball.

Surprised, Rachel frowned and looked at Viola, the host of the ball.

Viola also seemed not to have anticipated Duke Bermund’s attendance, as she watched him enter with wide eyes.

“I never thought he would actually come…” Viola murmured quietly.

From that brief comment, Rachel realized that Viola had invited Duke Bermund.

Duke Bermund walked in with elegant steps. Then he began approaching where Rachel and Viola stood.

“Hello, Duke Bermund!” Viola greeted him first. The Duke stopped in front of her and lightly kissed the back of her hand.

“Lady Hestein, my sincere congratulations on your birthday.”

“Oh, I’m honored.”

Viola’s face naturally flushed at the gentle touch on the back of her hand.

“Thank you for inviting me to the ball.”

“Not at all. It’s nothing special. Rather, I’m overwhelmed that you came and graced the occasion with your presence.”

“When you say it like that, I’m the one who feels overwhelmed.”

Duke Bermund looked down at Viola with relaxed eyes, smiling warmly. Then he bowed politely to her and extended his hand.

“Then, my lady, would you honor me with a dance?”

The Duke’s invitation drew the attention of everyone nearby toward Viola.

On the surface, Duke Bermund was the second most eligible bachelor in the Empire, right after the Crown Prince.

Any noble woman in the Empire would have dreamed of being involved with Duke Bermund at least once.

With such a prominent figure not only attending her birthday ball but also asking her to dance, everyone couldn’t help but focus on Viola.

“The honor is mine.”

Viola carefully placed her hand on top of Duke Bermund’s.

The Duke then escorted Viola to the dance floor with graceful movements. The orchestra’s music changed right on cue. Viola and Duke Bermund danced to the new melody.

“They look good together,” Tervan muttered reflexively as he watched the pair dance.

Rachel frowned at his comment.

“What did you just say?”

Rachel questioned Tervan, unable to believe what he had just said.

“Huh? Duke Bermund and Viola, they unexpectedly look good together. Why?”

Tervan asked Rachel with a puzzled voice. Rachel belatedly shifted her gaze to observe Viola and Duke Bermund.

Indeed, as Tervan said, Viola and Duke Bermund made a good match. Viola with her lovely appearance and Duke Bermund with his cold, handsome features.

However, Rachel didn’t find the sight particularly pleasing. While they might visually complement each other, in reality, they were completely mismatched.

After all, Viola was the female protagonist of this world, and Duke Bermund was the villain.

Knowing this, Rachel saw their pairing only as a dissonant combination.

“I don’t particularly care for Duke Bermund.”

While Rachel couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, someone voiced her sentiments.

Rachel and Tervan turned to look at Edward.

“This is just my impression, but whenever I talk with Duke Bermund, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s insincere.”

Rachel silently agreed with Edward’s assessment.

After taking in the distant sight of Duke Bermund and Viola dancing, Rachel let out a small sigh.

Before long, Viola returned from her dance, seemingly enchanted as though she had been in a dream.

“You’re back?” Rachel asked, observing Viola, who nodded in response.

“Duke Bermund truly seems like a wonderful person,” Viola murmured.

“Why so suddenly?” Tervan asked Viola, who turned to look at him before speaking.

“He’s kind, has good manners, a nice personality, and he’s handsome too. How could anyone be more perfect?”

Viola positively evaluated Duke Bermund with flushed cheeks.

Rachel recalled how dark-hearted Duke Bermund truly was, but she chose not to say anything.

“But how did this happen?” Rachel asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m curious how Duke Bermund ended up coming to your birthday ball. What happened?”

At Rachel’s question, Viola began recalling the events.

“The day I visited you when you were sick, I happened to go out and coincidentally met the Duke. He remembered me. So, on a whim, I mentioned I was planning a birthday ball and asked if he could come. He said he would stop by if I sent an invitation.”

“So you sent him an invitation.”

“Yes. But I never thought he would actually come. I mean, the Duke and I aren’t that close.”

Viola smiled broadly, reminiscing about her dance with Duke Bermund.

As Rachel listened, she turned to look at where Duke Bermund stood.

The Duke, who had been cheerfully laughing with others, noticed Rachel’s gaze and raised his glass to her.

Rachel acknowledged his greeting with a slight nod.

‘Could it be a coincidence?’

[You mean Duke Bermund meeting Viola?]

‘Yes.’

Rachel relaxed her frown and affirmed Creon’s question.

[We’d need to know his true intentions to be certain, but in this situation, it’s definitely suspicious. Duke Bermund happening to meet your friend Viola.]

Rachel also agreed with Creon’s speculation.

There was no way Duke Bermund approached Viola without ulterior motives. Most likely, he approached Viola because of Rachel herself.

Rachel emptied her glass and handed it to a passing servant. Then she looked at Viola, Tervan, and Edward in turn.

“I’m going to get some fresh air.”

Rachel calmly announced. Tervan and Edward immediately turned to her.

“I’ll come with you,” Tervan offered first. But Rachel shook her head at him.

“No, I want to be alone for a moment. So stay here.”

After Rachel finished speaking, Tervan’s lips quivered. But he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.

“Rachel, it’s cold outside. At least take this,” Edward removed his jacket and draped it over Rachel’s shoulders. The jacket still held Edward’s warmth.

“Thank you.”

When Rachel accepted without protest, Edward smiled. Tervan remained frozen, just staring at Edward.

“I’ll see you later.”

Rachel noticed the strange tension between Edward and Tervan but found it too bothersome to worry about and walked away.

As she walked toward the terrace, Rachel remained conscious of Duke Bermund.

As she had expected, the Duke’s persistent gaze followed her the entire way to the terrace.

Finally, Rachel stepped onto the empty terrace.

The first thing she felt outside was the cool air brushing against her nape. Momentarily shrinking her neck from the chill, Rachel pulled Edward’s jacket closer and walked toward the railing.

‘Soon now.’

Rachel gripped the railing and counted the time.

Before long, she heard a tapping sound on the terrace glass. Rachel turned to check beyond the door.

There, as she had anticipated, stood Duke Bermund.