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There was no hint of lightness or mischief about this moment.
This was the archduke who ruled over the northern part of the empire.
Erin was unable to take her eyes off of Calix’s magnificent form.
She suddenly realized that everyone in the ballroom was also looking at her and Calix.
Their gazes were filled with surprise and shock.
It was shocking enough that the two of them were here together, but when Calix openly asked her to dance, as if they were lovers, everyone seemed to be surprised.
Erin was taken aback for a moment, but wondered, what would it be like?
‘What’s it like, when I don’t have to put up with anyone anymore, where I can just ignore everyone, and do whatever I want.’
So Erin decided to do as she pleased without looking.
“Yeah, okay.”
It’s been a long time since she dressed up, so she’ll dance to at least one song.
Erin took Calix’s hand.
“Please take care of me, Your Highness.”
Calix clasped Erin’s hand and led her out onto the dance floor.
A sweet sound of music suddenly rang out.
Calix led Erin perfectly as he followed the steps with ease.
It was a performance worthy of an archduke.
Erin looked up into his handsome face and admired him inwardly.
“You dance very well.”
Calix quirked an eyebrow.
“Did you think my dancing skills would suck?”
“I’ve never seen you dance before.”
Calix rarely stuck to the capital after he grew up a bit.
Of course Erin didn’t have the chance to see him dance.
Calix smiled and whispered in a low voice.
“There weren’t many people I wanted to ask for a dance with.”
The sight of the two of them together drew admiration from onlookers.
Erin knew that Calix just standing there alone would have turned him into the center of attention of every woman in this ballroom.
The sight of such a handsome man leading a dance with such skill and grace was still a rare sight to behold.
But right now, it was Erin who stole the show.
With one hand on his shoulder, Erin managed to keep up a fast pace with grace and smoothness.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve danced, but I guess it wasn’t too bad.’
All of this was the result of rigorous practice in the past.
Ever since her appointment as the Duchess, Erin had practiced her manners and dancing rigorously in preparation to become the future empress.
She even wore wooden braces at her back to straighten her posture and practiced dancing to achieve a perfect, and graceful appearance.
It was almost torture

With a history of practicing so hard, Erin was able to showcase her graceful dancing skills for years.
Or maybe not.
As they spun in a circle, the hem of Erin’s azure gown flowed and moved.
“The Duchess
. No, the Young Marchioness was quite the dancer, too. Yes, now that I think about it, she is quite good.”
A murmur of admiration spread among the onlookers.
Even Raymond, who hadn’t participated in the dance and was sitting at the head of the table, was staring at Erin’s performance in amazement.
Serena sat with an unwavering smile on her face while watching all of this beside her.
Before the dance was over, Serena turned her head slightly and gestured for a maid to come over.
When the maid, who had been waiting nearby, came to her side, Serena whispered, with her lips still smiling, and unmoving.
“Bring out that cake.”
When the music finally faded, the waltz finally ended.
Erin turned to leave the dance floor now, but at that moment Calix grabbed her hand again.
As Erin turned to see what was happening, he slowly pressed his lips to the back of her hand, his warm lips, was a sweet temptation.
She could practically hear the gasps of exclamation from the other nobles around her.
As Erin stared gapingly, Calix whispered in her ear with a slight smile.
“It has been an honor. My Lady.”
The sight of him was enough to make her heart flutter.
The nobles, even the ladies, blushed fiercely as they watched.
Even Erin, watching up close, felt her heart flutter.
When did he grow up to be so handsome?
It was then that Serena walked to the center of the room.
“If you don’t mind, we’re going to take a short break, and I’ve got some light refreshments in the break hall.”
Serena’s clear eyes met Erin’s.
“There’s also a cake there, courtesy of Lady Erin.”
At Serena’s words, the guests moved to the private room.
Raymond, however, remained seated and sipped his wine.
Calix remained in the unassembled hall as well.
Before following Serena, Erin glanced back and saw Calix give her a meaningful smile.
It was as if he was cheering her on.
Erin followed Serena into the private chambers.
The guests who had followed them immediately filled the room.
Of course, they couldn’t all fit in at once.
Only the members of House Brennan and high-ranking nobles came with them.
Everyone else remained in the ballroom, sipping cool drinks or wine brought to them by the servants.
Everyone in the ballroom looked eager to follow her into the private chambers.
And for good reason.
Whatever was going on, it looked like something interesting was about to happen.
The break room was just as opulent as the ballroom itself.
It had large glass windows and was filled with all kinds of cakes and pies.
“We have a special cake for you today. Erin made it herself
 Ah.”
Serena, who had been leading the way in, turned around the table to face the crowd.
She paused as she saw, a large cake box sitting untouched on the lavish table.
Serena then scolded the maid.
“Why didn’t you put the cake out, I told you to place it properly.”
“Miss. The maid in charge of this room was too busy and forgot. She must have left it behind earlier.”
The maid turned white and apologized, and Serena looked back at Erin with an apologetic look.
“I apologize, Lady Erin. The maid must have forgotten my orders.”
“It’s okay, it’s not important.”
Erin smiled understandingly, and Serena smiled back.
Somehow, that dagger smile seemed very satisfying.
“Thank you for understanding, Lady Erin. What are you doing? Go ahead and open the box.”
As everyone watched, the stiff paper cake box was gradually opened with a slow hiss.
The cake inside slowly emerged, greeted with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.
And from the mouths of those gathered in the private room, groans of astonishment burst out.
“Wh—.”
“No, what is that
..”
When the cake was finally revealed, it was a disaster.
The first thing they saw was a blackish-red color.
The cake, which was supposed to be covered in colored cream, was stained with a dark red color.
The entire three-tiered cake was covered in red, and the floral arrangement in the middle was dotted with red droplets.
It wasn’t just a smudge, it looked like someone had deliberately doused the cake with red juice or something.
“What is that? Is that blood
..?”
She could clearly hear someone whispering that in the stunned, and silent room.
This time, all eyes turned to Erin.
“That
. Lady Erin, is this
..”
Serena walked up to Erin with a shocked look on her face.
Her white hands were shaking, but Erin wasn’t the least bit surprised.
It was so expected that it didn’t even thrill her.
「The deposed duchess had forced Lady Serena to order a cake out of spite, and in retaliation, she had brought a cake covered in blood to the ball.」
You get the idea, it’s obviously a ridiculous story.
But Erin wasn’t in the mood to be a part of it.
“Oh my God, what happened to that?”
Erin asked Serena, a little surprised.
“I sent it to you before dinner, what happened to it?”
Hearing Erin’s question, the maid quickly answered.
“The cake box was immediately moved here and was never opened.”
The eyes of the people stared at Erin again in protest.
“You never opened it? Then why did it get like that? It was clearly intact when I sent it. Could it be that one of the maids here made a mistake?”
“Ah

 Erin
.. is that really you
..”
Erin shamelessly responded, and Serena quickly jumped in to make the story according to her script.
She wants to make sure that she fulfills her role as the good Serena who can’t believe Erin’s lies but wants to believe them.
Erin cut Serena off at that moment and said for all to hear.
“I guess it doesn’t matter, it was just a model anyway.”