“Thank you.”

Janet smiled genuinely brightly.

It felt like the conversation with Rihanel would go well too.

And so the party officially began. During the first song, and then the second song, Janet remained fixed against a wall, waiting for Rihanel.

After three hours had passed, Rihanel still hadn’t arrived.

The first hour didn’t bother her at all.

He might be a little late, she thought, passing the time without much concern.

The first dance began, then the second, then the third… even as women who had been anxiously standing against the wall went out to dance one by one and returned with flushed expressions.

Quietly, still quietly. Janet Wilton was accustomed to waiting.

But from the second hour, whispers began to reach her ears.

“Where do you think that dress came from?”

It was close enough for the voice to be audible. The owner of the voice surely knew this. A playful voice attached itself from the side.

“Surely she didn’t go to Passage Bellici and buy it herself?”

“Oh my, walking down that street herself? And purchasing clothes straight off the mannequins?”

“Of course. With her chin held high, carrying several bags containing dresses, how envious people must have been!”

“Then she should look at the sky visible through the ceiling dome and say, ‘Oh my, on such a lovely day, I must spend money lavishly.'”

The women burst into laughter at the exaggeratedly high voice. One of them laughed so hard her face turned red, and she had to cover it with a fan.

In reality, it wasn’t a funny story at all, but based on the sense of superiority they shared among themselves, it was an incredibly witty tale.

Passage Bellici was a street lined with high-end shops, mainly visited by wealthy middle-class people who enjoyed shopping there.

However, haughty nobles never visited the place. They considered it vulgar to personally go in and out of various shops.

Especially after the Noble Special Law was passed, they increasingly mocked the culture of the middle class that differed from their own.

“Oh, but Miss Janet would be different. She must have called a designer. She’s really rich, you know. Rich enough to seduce Duke Reynes.”

“What good does that do? Miss Janet is still the only wallflower here. Oh, how pitiful.”

The voice grew louder, as if meant to be heard. Nevertheless, Janet didn’t look in their direction and kept staring straight ahead.

Compared to her time in prison, the current whispers were truly aristocratic. Such words that didn’t directly inflict wounds on her body were almost laughable.

Perhaps it was fortunate in a way. She wouldn’t need to refuse Rihanel’s dance. She thought she could manage the light movements of a waltz since she practiced daily, but other dances would be difficult.

‘This is actually better.’

It’s just that her throat was a bit dry, and the lace that came up to her neck felt suffocating… Janet took one deep breath.

Was it okay to go to the tea room alone? She hesitated, unsure if it was appropriate since she hadn’t danced or conversed with anyone for two hours.

It wasn’t that she had never been invited to parties in her life. Though not a noble, Wilton Company’s influence was quite high.

But Janet, who had little interest in such things, had occasionally visited salons for networking with necessary people but rarely attended parties.

Should she have learned party etiquette in advance? She regretted such things now.

Janet habitually touched her fingers again, suddenly remembering once more that there was no ring on her hand.

After rummaging through the water and coming to her senses, she realized it was impossible to find that thin thread ring. If it had a jewel attached, it might be different, but it didn’t even have that. It would have been difficult to find even if it had fallen on the ground rather than being buried in underwater sand.

Yes, it was a lost item.

Perhaps something she should have discarded long ago.

‘One, two, three…’

Janet looked around the banquet hall and counted the number of pillars there.

She estimated their height and width. What shape could be made if they were recombined, how high they would reach if stacked, whether they would be large enough to encircle this mansion if stretched out.

The method of passing time that Rihanel had once taught her was quite useful even in prison.

Another hour passed like that.

Quite a long time had passed since the party began, so many of the people who had crowded the place had left. With one or two glasses of champagne, the overall level of intoxication had risen.

It seemed Rihanel wouldn’t come today. He must have had something more urgent.

Or perhaps, could something have happened to him?

‘I should go back first.’

Janet rose from the bench where she had been sitting fixed in place. The anxiety that had raised its head casually soon swelled in size.

Janet’s steps quickened slightly.

“Why such a hurry?”

At that moment, a man grabbed Janet’s wrist. She flinched in surprise and turned around. He appeared to be a man in his mid-thirties.

“No, I was just curious about something.”

The man took a step closer. Janet’s body stiffened.

“…Please speak.”

The man looked Janet up and down. She didn’t immediately shake him off or resist like ordinary women would; she just remained frozen, holding her breath.

As if everything now depended on the man. As if she would follow whatever he did.

“Haha, look at this woman?”

Trying to seduce me to do what exactly? She’s completely like a fox. The man laughed and released Janet’s wrist.

“So it must be true that you set fire to the cathedral to hide that you’d slept with a man?”

His voice echoed throughout the hall. Someone nearby nudged the man lightly with an elbow.

“Why are you being so mischievous? What if Duke Reynes gets angry?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? Someone saw the duke playing a card game at a club an hour ago.”

At those words, Janet, who had been frozen still, raised her head.

“Ah……”

So Rihanel was there. Somehow, she felt the strength draining from her body.

It’s strange. To feel disappointment rising even though she hadn’t expected anything.

“Better to be with like-minded men of the same level than with a pretty but promiscuous and vicious fiancée.”

People burst into laughter. Amidst the words full of obvious mockery, a small voice interjected.

“I think that’s a bit harsh. What has Miss Janet done to…”

The one who cautiously spoke up was Theo.

“Sir Randipel. Didn’t I tell you what kind of woman she is?”

“Still…”

“Are you taking her side now? A witch-like woman who burned down a place of God?”

The man took a step toward Theo with raised eyebrows. People’s gazes turned to Theo. He glanced at Janet and then, with an expression of not knowing what to do, stretched out the word “um…”

It was only natural. Theo had come here to build connections, and to do so, he needed to make a good impression on the people here. If he unnecessarily took the side of a woman called a witch, he would likely be marked.

In the ballroom at dawn, righteousness is not a particularly necessary virtue.

Polished intelligence displayed to show off, appropriate empathy for others’ words, and generosity to laugh at trivial amusements. Those are the things needed in such a place.

Janet hadn’t expected anything, and therefore quickly turned her gaze away from Theo. Theo’s gaze trembled with guilt, but she couldn’t afford to care about that too.

“Hey, come on, why don’t you answer and make our good young lord from Silonya uncomfortable? When a superior asks a question, isn’t it proper for an inferior to answer somehow?”

The man turned the arrow back to Janet, using a tone as if scolding her.

His expression and the words he spat out were no different from the dog-like guards at the impregnable Adif. Finding this amusing, Janet unconsciously snorted.

“……”

It was a small sound, but the man’s expression hardened.

“I’m sorry.”

Janet said this and bowed her head.

In such situations, it’s best to quickly apologize. No matter what, punishment will come, but the results of saying sorry versus not saying it are worlds apart.

“Did you… just laugh at me?”

“No. That’s not what I meant…”

“Being here makes you think you’re a noble? Even after being abandoned by the duke?”

The man’s voice trembled. But then, there was a commotion from behind. It was the sound of people focusing on someone other than the man.

“Wow, Janet. You’re at the center of attention.”

Duke Reynes, Rihanel Reynes, entered the hall.

“I was worried you might be alone, but it seems you’ve been having fun.”

Rihanel showed a friendly smile.

Everyone in the hall took a sharp breath. With the man’s appearance, it felt as if a cool dawn breeze had entered. He seemed capable of changing even the stuffy air that had accumulated from the many people filling the space for hours.

Whether it was true that he had been playing at a club, his hair was slightly more disheveled than usual, which made him look even more sensual.

Women who had no intention of dancing anymore rose from their seats. Even those who had been having a simple meal with others abandoned their partners and rushed out.

However, Rihanel’s appearance wasn’t entirely welcome to everyone.

Those who had been rebuking Janet began to retreat step by step. They thought she had been abandoned by the duke, but that wasn’t the case? The alcohol sobered up instantly, and cold sweat broke out.

But Janet neither ran to the duke asking why he was so late, nor did she report what humiliation she had just endured.

She just stared blankly at the man and simply said,

“You came?”

A moment of silence. Rihanel nodded lightly, saying “Yeah,” and strode over.

“Oh right.”

He looked around the hall, where everything had stopped due to his entrance, and let out a leisurely laugh. With a subtle gaze as if he’d discovered something interesting, people swallowed hard while staring at his lips.

“On my way here, I thought of an amusing proposal. Want to hear it?”