Unlike Ian, whose eyes shone with a clear, bright light, there was an unreadable intensity to Prince Jared’s green gaze. Startled, Aisha quickly lowered her head. Yet she could still feel his gaze on her, so she bowed even deeper.

From beneath her lowered lashes, she saw the Emperor and Empress’s shoes pass by. Then came the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and after them…

Polished shoes beneath dark navy formal eveningwear trousers stopped right beside her. Aisha froze, unsure of what to do. Even without looking, she could feel the weight of his gaze on the back of her head.

As Prince Jared stopped, a faint ripple of disturbance spread through the crowd. Several quick-witted onlookers exchanged glances. Sensing the commotion behind him, the Crown Prince turned to look. Beside him, Princess Catherine let out a sharp, low sound.

“…What are you doing?”

Her pale fingers jabbed his side. Spurred on by his younger sister’s prodding, the prince moved again. The princess muttered something more, but it was too quiet for anyone but Jared to hear.

Once the prince and princess had disappeared from view, their long train sweeping behind them, Aisha exhaled the breath she had been holding. Beneath her gloves, her palms were damp from the unexpected tension.

Shortly after passing Aisha, the imperial family reached the low dais at the front of the hall. The Emperor and Empress took their places before the throne, with their children positioning themselves on either side.

“Be at ease, all of you.”

Seated upon the throne, the Emperor let his deep voice carry over the assembled guests who still held their bows. They straightened after offering their full respects and fixed their attention forward.

“It’s too hot for a long greeting today, but tradition must be upheld: Chamberlain.”

At the Emperor’s glance, the Empress clapped her hands lightly and called the chamberlain forward in a bright tone. The man, who had been standing at a distance, hurried over and unfurled a long scroll inscribed with the Emperor’s speech.

“By the grace of His Imperial Majesty of the Great Caesar Empire…”

The clear recitation would go on for some minutes. With a rare moment to collect herself, Aisha pressed She put a hand to her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart. Then she remembered Ian. When she turned her head, she saw that he was much closer than before.

He had crossed the red carpet walked on by the imperial family and was now standing on her side of the hall. His features were much clearer than they had been moments ago. For some reason, however, he looked darker; his brows were faintly drawn as he stared towards the front, where the imperial family stood. Then, sensing her gaze, he turned his head slightly towards her.

‘When I give the signal, follow me.’

The unspoken words reached her again, sounding like an order she felt she couldn’t refuse. Hesitating, she nodded slightly. In response, Ian’s mouth curved briefly before flattening again.

“…and so, on this occasion, we honor the tireless devotion of Their Majesties…”

The Chamberlain’s elegant words continued to flow, but none of them reached Aisha. She kept glancing at Ian, her mind filled with questions. Throughout this time, the prince’s green eyes remained fixed on her, causing Ian to clench his fists unconsciously.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The imperial musicians performed with flawless grace, producing smooth, refined harmonies. Couples moved in soft, measured circles to the music, holding their partners close.

Aisha danced with Daniel, stealing glances at Ian, who stood nearby. Each time they turned, his expressionless face would briefly come into her view, in stark contrast to her own restless unease.

“Hey! Are you planning to keep staring at that bastard the whole time?”

Her lack of focus on the dance prompted Daniel to make a sharp remark. He had already guessed exactly who his sister’s eyes were fixed on. She thought she’d been discreet, but being so easily exposed made her cheeks flush. In a voice barely above a whisper, she muttered something to her brother.

“…I wasn’t looking anywhere.”

“Oh, you were. Don’t even try to pretend you weren’t—your eyes couldn’t have made it more obvious.”

“…”

“You’ve got your oh-so-handsome brother right in front of you, and yet you’re looking over at that piece of trash? Honestly, you’re sick. And it’s serious.”

His voice dripped with mockery, making Aisha roll her eyes upward. Wasn’t he going too far? Irritated, she deliberately stepped on his foot.

“Ugh!”

“Stop jumping to conclusions. I just wasn’t concentrating, that’s all. And don’t call him that. Watch your mouth, will you? What if someone hears?”

“Oh, so you’re defending him again? He’s trash; what else should I call him? You’re not worried about someone overhearing; you’re just offended that I called him that.”

Knowing that answering would only perpetuate the argument, Aisha remained silent. Daniel frowned in Ian’s direction, then suddenly smirked as if struck by a thought.

“Fine. Like you said, maybe it’s just my imagination… Oh? Look at him—what’s that bastard doing, clinging to his partner under the excuse of dancing? Doesn’t he feel embarrassed in front of all these people?”

Before she could stop herself, Aisha turned her head. But contrary to Daniel’s claim, Ian wasn’t clinging at all. He kept neither too near nor too far from his partner—maintaining a perfect, proper distance, if anything giving off an air of formality. Realizing she’d been tricked, Aisha turned back to glare at her brother.

“Idiot. Now do you believe it’s just your imagination?”

Meeting her eyes, Daniel didn’t bother to hide his smirk. Aisha bit her lip and looked away, her earlier fiery anger cooling into an icy silence that made Daniel drop his teasing smile.

“What, are you sulking? Over this? Hey! Aisha.”

“…”

“All this fuss over a joke… If you hadn’t been looking at Ian in the first place, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

The music was almost over. Daniel kept trying to talk to Aisha, but she stubbornly held her silence until the last note had faded away. Finally, he gave up with a deep sigh.

“What’s with this atmosphere?”

“My sister’s in a proper sulk, so I’ll leave her to you. Arthur.”

When Arthur approached, Daniel gave Aisha one last glance before making a swift escape, disappearing among his fellow knights. Arthur, eyeing Daniel’s retreat, turned to Aisha.

“Want to sit this one out?”

“No. Mother said I had to dance at least five times tonight. Better with my brother than awkward strangers.”

Before the banquet, Countess Parden had all but ordered Aisha to meet a quota of dances. Her daughter, who rarely attended balls without Ian and usually danced only once or twice with family, was under silent pressure to correct her behavior.

“If we’re dancing, at least try to smile. People will think I forced you into it. I’m the one being used here, you know.”

With that, Arthur led her toward the floor. Before the first step, Aisha instinctively looked for Ian.

He was closer this time—dancing with his younger sister, Sophia. At the unexpectedly short distance between them, Aisha flinched slightly, only to turn away quickly when she caught Sophia’s sharp glare aimed right at her.

Clap, clap.

A light round of applause marked the start of the third song. Unlike the elegant, slow melodies that had preceded it, this one was livelier, with a brisk tempo. Aisha quickened her steps to match the rhythm and, after a while, spoke quietly to Arthur.

“Arthur, you interact with Ian from time to time, right?” Daniel and Edward used to get along with him when you were all younger. But these days, it’s as if everyone’s pretending not to know each other…”

“Of course.”

“Huh?”

Arthur looked at her as if the question itself were absurd. His unexpected reaction made Aisha miss a step.

“With the way Ian treats you, how could we still be on the same terms as before?”

Arthur guided her smoothly past her misstep and glanced at Ian and Sophia, who were standing a short distance away. The siblings were dancing with perfect form, glowing under the chandelier’s light and their golden hair shining flawlessly. Drawing his gaze back, he continued.

“Judging by Ian’s behaviour over the past few years, reacting like our brothers do is normal. In fact, we’re already giving him a lot of leeway. I get upset with him too, for your sake. But this is something you have to deal with yourself. I’m only staying out of it because I think you’re part of the problem as well.”

Aisha had no answer to his calm, matter-of-fact tone, which was so different from Daniel’s bluntness. She had long known that her family were worried about her with regard to Ian, but hearing it directly from her usually reserved third brother hit her harder than she had expected.

Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Arthur fell silent, and the two danced without another word.

As quickly as it had begun, the third dance ended sooner than the first two. While exchanging a polite bow with her brother, Aisha’s eyes wandered instinctively towards Ian – and she froze.

For some reason, he was looking straight at her, approaching slowly.

Beneath his bright, golden locks, a gentle smile lit up his face with an almost blinding warmth. Aisha’s wide eyes refused to blink. The moment she looked into his eyes, which were the colour of a summer sky, her body seemed bound by heavy chains and her heart raced as if she had been running.

Arthur let out a deep sigh. As her twin brother, he knew her better than anyone and was well aware that her feelings wouldn’t fade easily. Unless Ian declared outright that he was going to marry someone else, his stubborn little sister was unlikely to let go.

‘Troublesome… but I can’t just stand by. If I don’t stop this, our brothers—or Mother—certainly will.’

He drew Aisha closer. She might have been uncertain about Ian’s intentions, but to Arthur, it was obvious Ian was heading straight for her. Sure enough, when he moved to lead her away, Ian’s blue eyes darkened with a chilling edge.

‘With that look, it’s clear Ian doesn’t lack interest in her… so why is he like this?’

Ignoring Ian’s gaze, Arthur turned to his sister. Suddenly, a shadow fell across their path. A man she hadn’t expected appeared and held out his hand to her.