NOVEL NEXT chapter 2
2 – Prom (1)
Seria was able to gain confidence when she saw her fiancé staring blankly at her in front of her eyes.
This man will like me no matter what I do.
He was the one who had been chased out of the duchy just a week ago. Besides, it was Seria, she himself, who had been so cold to him that he had no choice but to act like that.
Even so, his expression in front of me was like a boy in love. We’ve known each other since childhood, but I’ve never seen his expression like this.
I could feel the confusion of his servants as the master stood still and said nothing. They seem to be thinking about what to do while glancing at each other.
Do you think there will be a clear solution if you just roll your eyes like that? With her doubts, she called her lover and her fiancé.
“Cesar.”
“…Seria.”
Cesar paused for a moment, then looked straight into Seria’s eyes.
“Today is so pretty.”
“Thank you.”
Seria let out a sigh of relief in her heart. Since her fiancé seemed to be bewitched and bewildered, she might as well do the thing she had promised the other day, she thought.
Of course, it would have gone ahead without it.
* * *
It’s beautiful. In this word, her appearance today was all explained.
A dazzling white dress and earrings that glisten brilliantly in the sunlight, suitable for the Imperial Ball in spring.
In addition, an appropriately sized emerald necklace that was not unnecessarily flashy but could show the dignity of the artist Gong made her appearance shine.
As I stared blankly at her, she took a step closer to me and called her my name.
“Cesar.”
“…Seria.”
What should I add after this? I thought about what words would make her look brighter today, but no flashy rhetoric seemed to suit her.
So I whispered to her the most obvious, but the best thing you can say to someone you love.
“Today is so pretty.”
I wonder if the word “Pretty” Made me a little happy. Leah answered me with the corners of her mouth raised slightly so that it was unrecognizable unless it was me.
“Thank you.”
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Noticing that her cheeks flushed a little, I fell into a feeling of satisfaction.
* * *
I escorted Lia and put her in the writer’s carriage and headed for the imperial palace. It was more convenient to meet at the imperial palace after each departure, but it was an unavoidable choice due to the customs of the empire.
When coming to a ball from the Empire, couples or lovers ride the same carriage and enter the host’s mansion. Of course, sometimes they are engaged, but there are also cases where they go separately, but most of them are people who are not conscious of or do not need to be conscious of people’s eyes.
But the two of us are different from them.
It is inconceivable that the two of us, who are engaged in a politically important relationship, enter separately.
“Whoa…”
“Why? Are you suddenly nervous?”
It’s the first time I’ve grown up and been to such a big ball. I don’t mind that, but Leah might be nervous enough.
“What. It seems similar.”
Lia quietly closed her eyes. Perhaps it is because she has been struggling to dress up since dawn.
Even I, a man, took two more hours to dress up, but Lia, a woman, was fine. It was obvious as she could see that her ladies-in-waiting must have made a fuss about decorating her.
That’s because her appearance is outstanding and the current result is not the result that could have been made without such efforts.
“Lea is so pretty today, I’m afraid that other guys will stick to her too much.”
“I see.”
“Yes. So just hold my hand tight.”
Then she gave me a small smile and closed her eyes as she answered my words.
“If possible.”
* * *
Recently, the status of the imperial family is declining day by day. It was because of the power struggle between the two princes.
It is said that competition to become a new sun is essential when the sun goes down, but this time the fight was particularly fierce.
Just last month, it was revealed that Count Ruzir, an aide to the 2nd prince, had raped her maid, and he was dismissed.
Of course, it is not known who created the rumor, but everyone knows that the subject is the 2nd Prince’s side.
In such a situation, the emperor, who had lost all real power for a long time, increased the budget allocated to the day of the imperial palace ball, saying that he would restore the prestige of the imperial family. Even so, it was not a decision that would harm each other, so the two candidates for succession to the throne also agreed, so much more money was spent on the ball than planned.
So I inadvertently exclaimed at the appearance of the banquet hall, which seemed more splendid than the last time.
“It sure looks more colorful than when I was young.”
“I see…”
Seria also said calmly, but she seemed a bit surprised. Unlike usual, you can tell by looking around like a cat.
“I think I spent too much money…”
Seria whispered in my ear. She thought that if anyone else heard it, she would become a cause for opposition, so it was really a small voice that only I could hear.
“Yes.”
Is it the Middle Ages, the age of vanity? Even the cutlery placed in the banquet hall was all made of silver. And on each table was a statue of an eagle, the symbol of the imperial family.
Looking at the sophistication of the carvings, it is clear that they hired highly skilled sculptors to make them. While looking around the banquet hall, thinking that maybe even the dwarves were mobilized, he heard a familiar voice.
“Cesar! Long time no see.”
Lia’s older brother, the Duke of Argenta, was a pretty young man with silver hair similar to Lia.
* * *
Seria’s older brother, Ludria, had been out on the border for several years, so it was a family reunion that hadn’t happened in a long time for her sister, Seria.
“Cesar, can I borrow Seria for a moment? It’s been a while since her family has piled up stories to tell.”
“Yes. I can’t stop family friendship.”
“I’ll send it back until the music comes out.”
Come to think of it, there wasn’t much time left before the first song was played.
Seria followed her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, while trying to predict what her first song would be.
It’s an imperial ball where countless nobles flocked to, but if you look for it, there are areas without people. Perhaps having managed to find the area, her brother took her to a remote, deserted place.
“Seria. Anyway, since we haven’t seen each other in a while, we have a lot to talk about, but I have something to ask you first.”
“Yes. Brother.”
“I heard strange things from her father. Maybe you can guess what it is. Are you really going to do it?”
“This is a matter I have already discussed with him. I can’t decide whether to come or not.”
“Then, shouldn’t we at least ask for forgiveness from Cesar?”
“He….” In Seria’s mind, the man who is at a loss when he sees himself today, the man who has never looked at a woman other than himself since he was a child, and the warm green eyes of him who still remain cold despite his coldness pass by. Went.
“He will be fine. Cesar can’t abandon me anyway.”
She thought that no matter what she did, even if she cheated, he would still love her. Seria didn’t want that kind of connection she had since childhood to be cut off, and she could do it because she couldn’t imagine such a thing again.
With a dang, the bell rang out everywhere. The prom will begin in earnest soon.
“Older brother, I will go first. Come slowly.”
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No matter how estranged you are now, your first dance must be with Cesar. Because it has always been
Because it was natural until now.
* * *
I was left alone, and I was standing in the corner of the banquet hall.
Since there was no one to touch the man of Princess Argenta, there were no young ladies approaching her, and there were no friends of her own age, so it was only natural.
While I was spending time leisurely looking around, a woman started talking to me.
“Brother Cesar?”
When I turned to where the voice came from, it was a young girl who looked a little younger than me. Judging by the way he looks, he doesn’t seem to be a son of a powerful person, but while I was wondering how he had a relationship with me, I suddenly remembered a girl I used to play with in my hometown.
“You… maybe.”
“Brother. I saw you years ago!”
I completely remembered it now. I must have been back to my hometown about five years ago. When I compared her face with the face of the girl I met then, it became more clear.
“I remembered. Isis.”
“Right.”
The bell rang in the ballroom at the same time she smiled coolly as she said that.
Music will soon fill this space.