I have heard that you have returned to the capital. And got married. I am sad that you did not inform me first, but I suppose there were circumstances that prevented you from doing so. I have organized a banquet for you at the palace. I invite you for the grandest of reasons, but the truth is, Denver, I just want to see you. My dear brother, Denver. I hope you will attend, along with your beautiful wife.
Your only brother,
Entry Noctis.ă
The letter, written in a neat and gentle typeface, was full of the crown princeâs love for his brother.
It was almost too good to be true.
âIs there anything else I should do, besides attend the palace banquet with you?â
âIâm glad youâre so perceptive.â
The imperial palace. This isnât just a grand duke going to visit his brother.
The Empress Dowager and the prince are there.
âThe banquet is being hosted by the crown prince, so the Empress Dowager probably wonât be there. But Prince Omen will be there.â
Prince Omen is rumored to be stupid.
Unlike the evil Empress Dowager, who would stop at nothing to get her son on the throne.
He loved entertainment, and his specialty was getting drunk and falling asleep.
âHe doesnât seem to be wary.â.
âHe may be slow in the head, but heâs just like the Empress Dowager, and he does a lot of mean things, so be careful.â
âDo I strike you as the kind of person who would be subjected to low-spirited acts by the prince?â
I asked, snorting.
I hadnât seen what the Empress Dowager and the prince had done in the past, but there was no way I was going to be taken down easily by a fool.
âYes. So be careful.â
The Archduke grinned, jaw set, as if he knew that would be the case.
The warm sunlight made him look like a languid beast.
âIt means to win without being beaten and not to stand out while winning.â
I wouldnât make a fool of myself at a banquet of high-ranking nobles.
Itâs a bit unfair to think that she should be treated nicely.
âI see.â
But what can I do, my life is mortgaged. I have to listen to him.
When I nodded in the affirmative, the Grand Duke smiled in satisfaction and gave me a toast.
âBy the way, do you know how to dance?â
Dancing?
As I turned to leave, the Grand Duke asked me an offhanded question.
All I could think of was a young, handsome idol dancing on a colorful stage.
âIf you donât know, learn.â
As I pictured skinny limbs moving in a dazzling display, I suddenly realized.
Iâm in a goddamn novel, where men and women dance grotesquely together.
***
âDo we have to do this?â
âSo the hostess of Noctis doesnât know how to dance and wants to be stuck to the walls of the ballroom?â
Yep. I must not be stuck on the wall of the ballroom because I have the last name of Noctis.
But do I really have to practice like this?
âYou could have gotten me a teacher to teach me to dance.â
The Grand Duke insisted on being my dance teacher.
So here we are, standing in the ballroom of the mansion.
âThe banquet is in three days, and do you think youâre going to be able to learn everything in that time?â
âYes. âŚâŚ Does that have anything to do with the fact that Your Excellency yourself will be teaching me?â
âWell, yes.â
The Grand Duke pulled my waist closer to him as the piano began to play without warning.
âIf youâre not going to learn it perfectly, then follow me.â
The sudden closeness made me look away.
âWhat the f*ck is thisâŚâŚ.â
I may or may not be able to learn the dance perfectly.
It was unlikely that Flotty, who grew up discriminated against, would have learned to dance in social circles.
In other words, I donât know anything.
Neither did I know how to drink tea gracefully, or use different utensils for different foods.
âAnd you asked me to call you by name.â
ââŚâŚ.â
âFlotty.â
She was close enough to feel his breath on the nape of her neck through her dress, but his demeanor remained relaxed.
There was a gleam of amusement in his jet-black eyes.
âRelax your shoulders.â
ââŚRelax.â
âPut your hands on my shoulders.â
I did as I was told, and they resembled a man and woman dancing.
âRelax your expression.â
Bowing his head, the Grand Duke straightened his posture and smiled naturally.
I seemed to be the only one blushing at the unexpected touch.
The Grand Duke led me with smooth, flowing movements.
âBe careful not to step on my feet, or youâll look ridiculous.â
âIâll keep that in mind.â
I will stomp on his feet on purpose.
Iâll be wearing high heels, so it should hurt.
Seeing me grimace in spasmodic suppression, the Grand Duke chuckled.
âOne would think you were dancing with your enemy, not your beloved.â
âDonât worry, Iâm the type of person who becomes better with practice.â
The Grand Duke, who was said to have imperial blood in his veins, led my stiffened body with skillful movements.
His hands clasped tightly around my waist, making it easy for me to move along.
When I finished the dance without stepping on anyoneâs toes, he let go of my waist without regret.
âI donât think we should tie your hair up.â
âItâs too long for that, so I think it would be uncomfortable.â
Itâs hard enough to keep up with the dancing without having my hair flying around.
When I firmly rejected the strange suggestion, the Grand Duke waggled his eyebrows.
âBetter not tie it up, though.â
âHmph. Itâs prettier untied. I donât need to look pretty for others.â
âWho said youâre pretty?â
I didnât say I was pretty, I said I donât have to do it, you goddamn Grand Duke.
The shame was on me, just like a person drinking kimchi soup.
âI didnât mean it like that, I just said it because you keep pushing me to do weird things. Iâm done practicing, so Iâm going to go.â
My face heats up over nothing.
I turned away from him and irritably pulled the ornament out of my hair.
Because of someone who doesnât like me even when I say something.
âMuch better.â
I hate him to no end.
As I flutter my hair and glanced, the Grand Duke smiles as if he doesnât know whatâs wrong.
I want to punch him in the face.
âGo and review.â
***
[Youâre going in the presence of high ranking people?]
Please be quiet, damn you.
The whole way to the palace, she wouldnât stop talking.
[Is the Emperor there?]
[Hey, youâre going to see a lot of fine things].
[Hey, youâre so lucky because of me, why donât you say thank you?]
I tried my best to ignore the crazy old womanâs ramblings.
In the silence of the carriage, her voice echoed in my head, making me dizzy.
âYou do not look well.â
The Grand Duke, who was sitting in front of me, flipping through a book, glanced at my face and asked.
I squirmed in protest, but the corset tightening around my waist was making me motion sick.
Plus the old womanâs nonsense.
Thereâs no way I look well.
âIâm feeling a little queasy.â
âOh, no. Whatâs wrong with my wife?â
Iâve never met a man with a better digestive system than him.
Anyway, hate, hateful, vile.
For better or worse, the carriage reached the palace.
The palace was as grand and beautiful as any castle Iâd ever seen in Perus and the mansion the Grand Duke had bought in the capital.
âIs thisâŚâŚ.â
[The imperial palace?]
âI thought I told you to be quiet.â
I gritted my teeth before stepping out of the carriage and silently questioned her.
[What, are you mad at me?]
Itâs the first day of the mission, and sheâs distracting me.
Thereâs a lot of snow, so the Grand Duke, who walked first, offered to escort me.
âYouâre so sweet.â
âI always am, for you.â
Shameless.
The Grand Duke spoke nonchalantly, his face never changing.
His affectionate smile was a bonus.
âI am honored.â
I clasped his outstretched hand.
A line of carriages, apparently belonging to high-ranking nobles, lined up in front of the palace entrance.
All eyes were on Grand Duke Noctis.
To the mysterious Denver Noctis, the star of tonightâs banquet.
***
[Narratorâs POV]
âMy God, is that really true?â
âPfft, thatâs ridiculous, are you sure youâre looking at the right person?â
âEven if I did see it right, sheâs famous in social circles. Purple hair, rat-like gray eyes.â
âNo wayâŚâŚ. She hasnât even made her debut on the social scene, has she?â
Despite what Flotty thought, she was the center of attention at tonightâs banquet.
Not in the welcoming way, of course, but in the gossiping way.
The nobles who arrived at the banquet hall first were busy gossiping about her like nobodyâs business.
âThe man next to her was Grand Duke Noctis, Iâm sure of it.â
âNonsense. What happened to his head when he went to the northern fiefs?â
Otherwise, they couldnât imagine a woman like thatâŚâŚ.
They didnât have to say the slurred words, everyone understood.
âFlotty Bevenia.â
Oh, how much fun theyâve had with that name.
It had been gossip to chew on since birth.
A child born with the family colors reversed.
A priest on a pilgrimage happened to stop by the ducal residence and said.
âThe cursed child.â
The Duke of Bevenia, who valued his familyâs honor and his own dignity so highly, did not appear in public for some time after the Princessâs birth.
Shame and disillusionment.
The moment she stepped into the ballroom, she felt as if all the chattering voices were directed at her.
âYes, Miss Natasha, you must be mistaken.â
âMy Lady.â
Her sun-red hair fluttered, and the young ladies made way for her on either side like the miracle of Moses.
âThey say itâs safe to assume that House Bevenia is now wiped out.â
âWhat? House Bevenia?â
Skin as smooth as porcelain, hair flowing with luster.
At a glance, she was a noble-bred young lady.
A noble princess, who could have grown up without ever seeing the dark side of the world.
The one and only flower of society, the one and only princess of the Empire.
âThe foolish Duke of Bevenia. They say he harbors impious hopes of becoming emperor.â
âNay, my dear, such an ignorant, shallowâŚâŚ!â
âSomehow, I didnât see the Duke of Bevenia, who never fails to make an appearance at a banquet!â
The assembled women raised their voices in a new round of gossip.
At the center of it all was Diana, Princess Kellus, the center of all the menâs attention.
âGrand Duke Denver Noctis and Grand Duchess Flotty Noctis are entering!â
Silence descended on the gossipy ballroom like a cold shower.