Chapter 98
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 98
* * *
Dale found himself admiring Enya's dancing prowess in a certain sense. He hadn't realized that what she'd said to him nervously was an unadorned truth.
Enya—or rather, Adeline—had thoroughly trampled both of his feet.
'Does she still dislike me?'
Watching Enya dance with such a radiant smile, I tried to discern her true intentions.
But unlike myself, she concealed nothing, and her bright, transparent face—where even lies betrayed themselves—suggested she wasn't deliberately stepping on me.
In short, Enya was somewhat... oblivious.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, again. Are you all right?"
"...."
Dale regarded Enya quietly as she asked him. Her pallid, exhausted expression was pitiful, yet amusing.
Until now, these galas had been events entirely unrelated to him—tedious obligations he'd merely endured. But today, he found himself genuinely entertained.
Dale signaled his Aide to ensure the dance music continued without interruption.
"You haven't broken your toes, have you?"
"Not yet, thankfully."
"...So there's a possibility in the future?"
"It doesn't seem unlikely."
Her earnest effort to execute each step carefully struck me as endearing.
Since Enya was focused entirely on her feet, she hadn't noticed, but her missteps weren't entirely her own fault.
Dale deliberately tangled the steps, making them more complex so that Enya would step on him more.
Her light weight caused him no pain whatsoever.
What he'd told her was a lie, designed to elicit her apology and sympathy.
"I hear that His Majesty—or rather, Dale—drew a firm line by refusing to attend the debutante's coming-out ball, and it dealt quite a severe blow to her."
According to the report from my Aide, she had hoped I would be present at the event.
'Why would she think that?'
Dale watched Enya moving busily about, then took her hand and spun her gently.
I felt the surrounding gazes gradually converging on us, but I paid them no mind. My only concern was whether Enya felt uncomfortable.
'Why would she be disappointed that I couldn't attend?'
Thinking coldly about it, such an expectation wasn't part of the contract between Enya and the S-rank Mercenary Dale.
Did this mean Enya had begun to harbor emotional expectations of me?
If so, why?
"Enya."
"Oh! Did I step on your foot again? I didn't this time, did I?"
"I have a question for you."
"You're going to ask if I did it on purpose, right? I swear by the heavens—absolutely not."
"If I hadn't been your partner today, who would you have attended with?"
Enya's eyes widened at my question.
"I... don't have friends, so it would have been my brother."
"You mean Samuel Lockhart, the commander of the 2nd Knight Order."
"Yes. Or maybe... Father?"
"So you hadn't considered any other man as a partner."
Enya's pupils trembled slightly.
She appeared to be considering whether my question held some suspicious intent.
For reasons I couldn't quite explain, Enya often grew pale when I asked her questions. It was the greatest difference between myself as Dale and as The Emperor.
The fact that Enya still feared me.
I could sense it without her saying a word. I was no fool.
But I could only wait.
"There's no other man. I didn't particularly want to make a debutante appearance in the first place."
Enya truly seemed to harbor no such ambitions. The desire to give her the most magnificent and splendid ball was entirely my own—my own selfish wish.
"I've never met a debutante who didn't wish to make an appearance."
I grasped her arm, interlacing my fingers with hers, and asked quietly. Enya's eyes remained wide.
"I understand that long ago, the Hexagon Duchess had a lavish debutante ball, and when your mother was a baron's daughter, she too had quite a respectable one."
"You even investigated my mother?"
"It wasn't an investigation, exactly."
In truth, it was. But Enya seemed more surprised than I expected.
"I simply learned of it while preparing for your debutante ball."
"Ah, I see. Preparation requires research, after all."
One of Enya's strengths was her ability to accept explanations readily. This quality had proven quite helpful with my deceptions.
But my desires grow stronger with each passing moment.
At first, I had been content with merely seeing her face again briefly, but witnessing that she didn't dislike me as Dale kindled hope within me.
I want to break down this boundary between us.
Feeling the dance drawing to a close, I released Enya's hand.
The moment her hand slipped from mine, a sharp, hollow ache bloomed—as though I had plunged my hand into ice water and withdrawn it.
"But, perhaps..."
That was when I heard Enya's voice.
Enya was looking at me with wide, round eyes.
"Would it be alright if I took a moment? It looks like something's gotten on Your Majesty's clothes. May I take a look?"
My heart sank at the suggestion that there was a flaw despite having prepared perfectly as Enya's partner.
When I nodded, Enya stepped closer, closing the distance between us.
The moment her fingers touched my chest, I held my breath.
"Just a moment—there's something here on the button."
I didn't know how she'd spotted it, but Enya's keen eye never ceased to amaze me.
Watching her lean into me like this, my entire body went rigid.
"There, all done. I've cleaned it off."
As Enya pulled away from where she'd drawn so close, her warmth vanished with her.
I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly. Otherwise, I feared I would wrap my arms around her waist.
"...Thank you, Enya."
"It's nothing, really!"
Her bright smile and casual words left a bitter taste in my mouth.
What made me tense was nothing to her.
Watching her solitary figure walk into the light, my heart ached.
* * *
'That's strange.'
The Emperor carried a pleasant fragrance. It could be from the elaborate preparations for the ball, but something felt different.
A warmth similar to Dale's?
For just a moment, I'd sensed Dale in him.
"...Was it my imagination?"
But if imagination repeats itself multiple times, isn't it something more?
I stepped out onto the Balcony and let the cool breeze wash over me.
During our dance, I'd drawn close to The Emperor, nearly nestled against him. My heart had raced then.
And I'd caught that same pleasant scent I associated with Dale. So I'd used the excuse of something being on his clothes to breathe in his scent once more.
I gazed toward the distant Building.
The place where I'd encountered The Emperor while he rested.
His silhouette came back to me hazily—The Emperor without his mask.
"Why does my heart keep racing?"
Of course, a heart that doesn't beat belongs to a corpse.
But it wasn't just that. Something felt off. It was as though I'd seen him somewhere before...
But where could I have seen The Emperor?
Perhaps when I was younger?
'Could it be that I met The Emperor once when I followed Father?'
The memory might not surface, but it could linger in my subconscious.
If I'd known this would happen, I should have eaten at least one of the three memory crystals I have left before coming here.
"Enya."
Just then, someone opened the balcony door and stepped inside.
"May I join you?"
"...Yes, please come in."
The Emperor approached as if he'd been waiting for this moment.
I found myself staring at The Emperor's shoes. There were no visible marks, but they were clearly the feet that had suffered the most today.
"You've been through so much because of me. Still, I'm truly grateful."
"It was nothing."
"Your feet must be swollen by now."
The Emperor didn't deny it. He seemed to be smiling quietly. When I glanced over, he was indeed smiling.
Seeing that expression, I found myself thinking of Dale again.
"...Your Majesty."
When I called out to him, he turned to me immediately.
The way he turned with that smile felt strangely familiar, and my heart raced.
'Dale said he didn't want to be far from me.'
He'd said it clearly, yet suddenly he said he couldn't attend the debutante ball.
Strange thoughts kept creeping in.
Did he not come, or did he choose not to come?
Did he have circumstances he couldn't tell me about, reasons he couldn't attend?
What if he was already here?
Anxiety washed over me.
"Thank you for creating such a wonderful evening for me."
"I'm glad if Enya was satisfied."
"It was truly satisfying."
The Emperor's smile deepened.
That gentle smile was different from the image of The Emperor I'd held in my mind.
If Dale had been here with me, I thought, he would be wearing a smile just like that.
"But is it really alright for you to host such a grand debutante ball for me?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"Your Majesty's lover might become jealous."
Sweat beaded on my forehead. Something felt off. Even though I couldn't articulate it precisely, it felt like I absolutely had to ask this question now.
"May I ask what kind of person Your Majesty's lover is?"
The Emperor's smile slowly faded.
Like me, he gazed up at the sky, then turned his body. And then he looked at me.
"I apologize for the lie."
The Emperor's baritone resonated softly against my ears.
"There was never anyone like that to begin with."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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