NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5 - Once Again, at the Ball (2)
5. Once Again, at the Ball (2)
The man who shone as if he were a different race from her. A righteous man who reached out his hand towards her alone, while everyone else trampled her without care.
At that time, she simply thought he was dazzling, unaware of the pain he was silently enduring.
Unaware that the cause of that pain was something she had created herself.
‘But today will be different, Leon. I’m going there not just to seek redemption for you, but to save you.’
Her attendance at the ball today wasn’t solely to ascertain Leon’s survival.
I need to find a way to avoid the dreadful fate of being branded as villains and meeting a horrible death.’
While the best solution would be to uncover the identity of the mastermind and retrieve the Maerstone, there was no immediate way to do so.
‘So instead, I’ll approach the victims of the curse first and break their curse.’
If there were no victims of the curse, there would be no reason for Kasha to be accused as a villain.
Rescuing Leon, the first victim of the Maerstone, and finding clues to expose the true identity of the mastermind by joining forces with him.
Leon was a man who possessed many things: power, ability, looks, and respect. Making him an ally would make it easier to overcome many obstacles in the future.
‘To do that, I need to overcome the first obstacle first.’
The first obstacle Kasha would face today was Odette Tyroth.
The daughter of the Duke Tyroth, who was hosting today’s ball, was a beautiful, elegant, and arrogant flower in the aristocratic society.
Kasha didn’t leave the aristocratic society voluntarily; she was expelled. And it was all because of Odette Tyroth. Because she disturbed her peace of mind.
And today, Kasha was going to confront Odette Tyroth, the giant of the aristocratic society, head-on.
To vividly recall that place in her memory, she felt a stab in her chest, as if a knife were cutting through it.
Thinking of Odette, greeting guests with a bright smile at that place, made her feel a renewed surge of resentment.
The behaviors of Odette at that time were simply incomprehensible and baffling to her.
But now, having died and come back to life, she might understand. Why she was so cruel back then.
‘Because she could. Simply because she could,’ Kasha murmured bitterly to herself.
Just because Odette Tyroth had the power to do so, she had tormented Kasha, who happened to catch her eye that day.
She might have even marveled at her own power as she ushered a debutante into the aristocratic society on the same day, realizing how remarkable her power was.
* * *
That day’s nightmare began just before the first dance of the ball, when Daryl left his seat. It was Lord Penilton, Daryl’s friend, who suddenly appeared from somewhere and dragged him away.
“Just a quick word, old chap.”
“No, let’s wait until after the dance…”
“I’m in a hurry. Oh, Lady Ruschino. Would you mind terribly if I borrow your brother for just a moment?”
Kasha couldn’t refuse his persistent request.
In truth, Kasha didn’t want Daryl to leave his seat.
Even at the debutante ball, didn’t Daryl disappear, leaving her completely alone? She was fortunate to be alone. She was an easy target, a punching bag with no way to rebel.
And on the day of the Duke Tyroth’s ball, the situation became even more serious when Daryl disappeared.
Kasha, left without a partner, tried to leave the ballroom in a hurry, but she couldn’t. People kept pushing and blocking her. They pushed her towards the center of the ballroom like hunters driving prey.
Couples filled the surroundings. They all laughed at her, showing their white teeth.
And when the music started, they circled around Kasha in that state. Trapped in the middle of the ballroom.
She was pushed and stumbled by the dancing couples, losing her composure.
Evil glances stabbed at her from all sides.
“Even if she’s a Countess, can we really leave her like that?”
“A Countess? She’s just a bastard, a lowlife.”
“They say she’s insane.”
They were all young men and women excited about their first encounters with alcohol and the opposite sex in high society. They became bolder as Kasha couldn’t offer any resistance.
The older aristocrats with some sense and perception had retreated to the edge of the ballroom to converse. Or they pretended not to see the situation, turning their heads away.
Thud. Thud.
Among the shoulders that passed by her recklessly, Kasha struggled not to fall. She tried hard to keep her mind blank to avoid crying.
It’s okay. Once Daryl comes back, we can escape immediately.
But she couldn’t leave the ballroom. Couples filled her surroundings, swirling around her at high speed as they danced. The swirling skirts of various colors moved incessantly. It was almost hallucinatory.
Finally, when the music ended, Kasha was drenched in cold sweat.
It was when she tried to push through the crowd, clutching her trembling arms, that someone forcefully shoved her from behind.
“Ah!”
Kasha stepped on her skirt and stumbled clumsily, revealing her underwear and bare leg as her skirt flipped over.
The sound of mocking laughter and tongue-clicking tightened her throat.
She tried to quickly fix her clothes and stand up, but it wasn’t easy with her trembling legs.
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, someone in a cloudy sky blue dress extended a white hand in front of her.
It was when Kasha tried to silently take that hand.
“Where are you going, miss?”
With a gentle and elegant voice, the white hand was quickly withdrawn.
As Kasha turned around, Duke Tyroth, Odette, with her eyes as bright as stars, was smiling at her.
Just sitting in front of that radiant face made her feel embarrassed. Kasha staggered to her feet. Standing, Kasha was about the same height as Odette.
Similar height. Similar physique. Similar age.
But the two facing each other were as different as night and day.
Kasha’s pale face and dull black hair. A dark green, dull dress. A hunched posture and a frightened expression like a cornered mouse.
Odette’s radiant and elastic skin and shining blonde hair like the sun. A charming dark pink dress sparkling with frills and jewels. A self-assured attitude, looking down on the other.
With an authoritative attitude, Odette casually commanded Kasha.
“Just stay there.”
“…What? But I, the dance… I can’t, because… I don’t have a partner.”
“Oh, what are you saying.”
Giggles echoed in response to Odette’s mockery.
Without withdrawing her beautiful smile, Odette kindly commanded.
“The ball was a bit boring today. It’s quite enjoyable to have you here, miss. Just stay there.”
“But, but…”
“Just stay there.”
As she said that, Odette’s blue eyes no longer looked beautiful. They were cold and malicious.
Kasha suddenly realized.
Ah. It was Odette who orchestrated all of this. They were nothing but pawns, moving according to her mood.
Just as the dance was about to start, Young Lord of ViscountPennilton, who had disappeared with Daryl, the people who had pushed her into the ballroom, the rough hands that had knocked her over. All of them.
Odette, who had been looking at Kasha’s frozen eyes, smiled brightly again.
“Hey, why did the music stop? Keep playing.”
It was just as the dance was about to start again.
When Leon appeared.
Thump. Thump.
A man in a white uniform walking towards them.
Kasha couldn’t escape the crowd no matter how hard she tried, but he casually parted them and walked into the center.
Taller than the people around him, he approached Kasha and Odette precisely.
“Master Leon.”
Odette, who saw him, noticeably brightened. It seemed as if she had been waiting for him to come for a long time. When she hinted at her partner, who was holding her hand, he let go of her hand without a word and stepped back.
Everyone attending the ball did the same. At Odette’s signal, they all moved quickly, like courtiers trying not to offend the queen’s mood.
But Leon, with an impassive expression, unexpectedly stopped in front of Kasha.
“Do you not have a partner?”
“…Yes?”
As if accepting Kasha’s reply of affirmation, Leon extended a gloved hand to her. It was a courteous gesture.
“Shall we dance together?”
“…”
Not only Kasha but everyone around fell into silence.
Despite knowing that everyone was paying attention to him, he was not in the least bit flustered. His straight purple eyes looked straight at Kasha.
Who was Leon?
His full name is Leon Miloyonif Aranias.
He is the eldest son of Duke Osilote, the younger brother of the emperor, and the youngest man to have become the captain of the Knights Templar.
He is admired not only by all the aristocrats but also by the knights, a beautiful and perfect knight.
He was asking the ostracized young lady, called a bastard and a lunatic, to dance.
And he asked her at the very moment when Odette was openly snubbing her.