Ch.20Under the Crystal Palace (4)

“……”

I felt the trembling of that large hand holding mine.

Perhaps this was his first time at such an occasion.

Looking at my knight who appeared unusually nervous compared to his normal self, my feelings were surprisingly close to guilt.

Perhaps it was my selfish desire. This was an event I didn’t necessarily need to bring him to.

I could have simply attended the ball with the usual relationship of knight and princess.

My expression naturally darkened as I suddenly wondered if he might be troubled by being dragged into this due to my impulsive decision.

However, it might actually be for the best. If I clearly established Evan Fried as my knight at this gathering,

perhaps others wouldn’t easily set their sights on the position of Yuris’s knight in the future.

I was aware of the letters piling up in his drawer. Though I hadn’t read their contents directly, I could easily guess what they contained.

Those letters made me uncomfortable.

I didn’t know the exact reason, but the mere fact that they made me uncomfortable was reason enough to stop them from coming.

Simply by bringing my knight Evan Fried to this ball as my partner,

those impure letters would no longer arrive at the ducal residence.

Perhaps the clever ones would have realized the moment I spoke those thorny words.

That my attitude toward this knight was quite different from previous knights.

But that decision also complicated my own feelings.

Why did I treat Evan, my knight, so specially?

My brow furrowed briefly at that emotion whose reason I couldn’t understand, when suddenly, my gaze unconsciously moved and fell upon my knight.

The dark blue uniform covering his body, the white sash crossing diagonally across his chest embroidered with golden flowers,

moonlight fell upon them and shattered into tiny pieces, making the light seem to ripple for a moment.

But what captured my gaze wasn’t his clothing but his natural appearance.

Though the season was autumn when leaves turned red before falling, his eyes always held spring within them.

Those green eyes that wouldn’t lose their verdancy even in the depths of winter—as they met mine, deeply engraved in a corner of my heart, my lips pressed shut involuntarily.

No matter how I looked at him, it was difficult to say he had the face of a knight.

How could someone who always held a sword, a knight who dedicated his life to his blade and body, have such an elegant face?

When his long eyelashes fluttered in the wind, he sometimes looked like a fragile flower.

Perhaps he had the most attractive appearance of anyone I’d ever seen in my life.

Even if his status were far more insignificant than it was now, he would still catch everyone’s attention.

My knight was born with such qualities.

When he looked at me while smoothing back his golden hair, I couldn’t help but startle.

His green eyes always made me waver. As time passed, every word from his mouth stirred me.

Was it because of him that a part of my chest felt so tight, that emotions sometimes rose up making it hard to breathe?

“I think I’m alright now.”

“…Is that so.”

In the past, I might have scolded him. I might have coldly and harshly said something like “Can’t you even handle such gazes?” as I always did.

But the words that left my mouth were as weak as reeds withered in the cold.

My face contorted as my feelings grew complicated. I only wanted to find the reason for this incomprehensible behavior.

After briefly biting my lip, I parted my lips slightly and exhaled with difficulty.

“Let’s go.”

It might have been an illusion. Or if not, perhaps just a momentary emotion.

Erasing the bewilderment on my face, I raised my head again with an expressionless face.

I took steps toward the Crystal Palace rising high toward the night sky, brilliantly shining as it held the starlight.

Hoping that this inexplicable tightness in my chest would disappear within that ball.

#

Irene’s hands were small. Small enough that it seemed quite remarkable that she wielded a sword with them.

Weren’t these the same hands that always held a pen while processing documents?

But unlike those small hands, the stability she provided was so great that the tension that had enveloped my body had long since disappeared.

If I had come here alone, I might have made quite a spectacle of myself.

But because Irene was beside me, I could finally relax.

If she was with me, I felt that even if something happened, it would be resolved well. Such an inexplicable sense of reassurance seemed to fill my chest.

As we entered the Crystal Palace, numerous chandeliers brightly illuminating the interior came into view.

Even those were made of crystal, with countless lights colliding inside them, making the interior as bright as if the sun had risen, unlike the darkness outside.

And beneath where those lights shone, gazes directed at us poked at my body again.

Unlike before, this time they were closer to curiosity, but wouldn’t it be better to approach and speak if they were curious about something?

However, those gazes no longer felt uncomfortable.

Was it because I was holding Irene’s hand? At this moment, I felt I could handle even meeting the crown prince.

With an indifferent expression, I walked along the corridor of the Crystal Palace, matching Irene’s pace.

After walking for a while, it was Irene who broke the strange silence first.

“…If someone speaks to you, either respond appropriately or ignore them. Most questions will likely be pointless.”

“Understood.”

“And be mindful of etiquette. Remember that if you make a mistake, not only you but also Yuris will suffer.”

“Yes.”

“And…”

Yuris, who had briefly stopped walking, approached me and narrowed her eyes while pulling at the jabot around my neck.

I flinched at the closeness, almost close enough to feel her breath, and she sighed lightly before speaking.

“No, never mind.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s something I don’t need to say. Just, pay attention to the gazes. It would be better to maintain an expressionless face as much as possible.”

By this point, I could understand why both Lize and Irene were telling me this.

To be honest, my face was attractive enough that I could have been a celebrity if I returned to the modern world.

If the reaction Rofena showed was any indication, the letters I would receive would certainly increase.

When I nodded, Irene stared at me intently for a moment before looking away and walking forward again.

Yet she still didn’t let go of my hand, so I smiled slightly and began walking to match Irene’s pace.

Click-clack, click-clack.

The sound of footsteps echoed through this particularly quiet corridor, and soon a large door appeared in the distance.

After briefly looking at that massive blue door engraved with all sorts of flowers,

as we approached, the door began to open by itself.

The amazement at this strange sight was momentary.

Soon I was captivated by the splendid interior revealed, and felt overwhelmed by the heavy yet magnificent atmosphere flowing from inside.

If all the splendor in the world were gathered in one place, would it be like this? Looking at the interior that seemed to represent the height of luxury and the limit of wealth humans could enjoy, I parted my lips slightly.

“It’s Yuris’s future shield. But who is that person beside her—”

“Isn’t that Lord Adel? The face seems unfamiliar, could it be that new knight they hired?”

“The one from the Fried baronial family…”

Since every word coming from their mouths referred to me, I sighed lightly.

Hadn’t I expected this? This much I could certainly endure, and had to endure.

As we slowly entered, the soft curves characteristic of Rococo style decorations caught my eye.

Instead of Baroque grandeur, there was elegance and softness.

After briefly looking at the walls engraved with gently curved patterns that seemed to capture the natural softness of ocean waves, I turned my gaze to Irene and spoke.

“No one seems to be approaching.”

“Since I gave a warning earlier, no one will easily approach. It will soon get noisy. Prepare yourself accordingly.”

After nodding once at those words, I looked around to see if there was anyone noteworthy.

Since important nobles who appeared in the novel had illustrations, I wondered if I might recognize some faces.

However, after looking for a while, no familiar faces appeared, so I picked up a glass from a round table.

The purple liquid swirling inside was certainly grape wine. It was quite regrettable that I couldn’t drink it due to my young age.

As I put down the glass with a bitter smile, Irene approached and narrowed her eyes at me.

“…Are you drinking alcohol?”

“No, I was just looking at it for a moment.”

I really was just looking, but when I stared back at her suspicious gaze, Irene approached me and spoke softly.

“Let’s go to the balcony. There are too many people here.”

“…The balcony?”

“Isn’t it uncomfortable to stay here?”

At those words, I could only nod.

It was her consideration for me, so refusing would be strange.

As she said, these gazes directed at me weren’t exactly comfortable.

It was fortunate that Irene was here; if she hadn’t been, I would certainly have suffered until the end of this ball.

Eventually, as she left her spot, I pretended to head somewhere and moved toward the terrace.

After passing through a dark corridor unlike the banquet hall where the ball was being held, I reached the open balcony and a cool breeze brushed against my cheeks.

Unlike that previous place, was it so comfortable because there were no gazes watching me?

As I exhaled heavily, relieving the tightness in my chest,

my vision, which had seemed foggy, instantly cleared.

“…Haah.”

It would probably take Irene some time to get here.

As the young mistress of Yuris, she likely had quite a few people to greet here, so it seemed I would have to spend time alone here.

Fortunately, the view from this balcony was quite beautiful.

As I closed my eyes while feeling the cool breeze, it felt as if all the surrounding noise disappeared at once.

It was comfortable. This silence, this stillness, this darkness. Indeed, that noisy ball didn’t suit me.

I much preferred staying at the ducal residence, swinging my sword, occasionally chatting with Rofena, and living such a daily life.

I wonder why Irene asked me to come here with her.

I frowned slightly and sighed at that thought which remained a question.

If only I could understand what Irene was thinking, even a little.

But the reality was that I knew nothing. So I could only stare at the dark sky and pass the time.