Chapter 32: I Stole Yeuju's First Love
"Ah, no. I really didnāt expect you to come."
Because I thought it was just a passing remark. He is the emperor, and I am not his fiancƩe, just a contract partner.
This masquerade ball isnāt a grand banquet hosted by the royal family, nor is it a place where we need to show our relationship to the public.
"Seems Iām the kind of person who canāt even keep a single promise to my partner."
"Your Majesty, I know how busy you are."
At my excuse, Aster slightly frowned and asked.
"Did I fail to give you that much trust?"
"Your Majesty, thatās not the case."
"Seems I asked something unnecessary."
Recalling my previous fiancĆ©s, Asterās expression stiffened. Feeling guilty, I laughed awkwardly and excused myself.
"Haha, I just thought you were joking."
I didnāt believe it and didnāt expect it.
Every man who had said such things to me before had, for some reason, broken their promises.
And behind it all, there was always Tatiana.
When I had to choose between me and Tatiana, they always picked her without hesitation.
So I didnāt expect it this time either.
Aster, who had approached me, took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
"I thought you might think I wouldnāt show up if I wasnāt here by this time. Donāt worry too much."
"I didnāt really doubt you, Your Majesty."
Itās a habit to doubt othersā words.
"Is this a masquerade ball? Youāre being too obvious about my identity."
"Sorry, I didnāt mean to."
I couldnāt say anything for a moment.
Given his age, hair color, and striking purple eyes, many people would have recognized him as the emperor.
Seeing I was silent, Aster seemed embarrassed and stroked his chin, excusing himself.
"I thought this was quite a perfect disguise."
Judging by his clothes, it might be, but how should I say it?
Aster finally burst out laughing at my struggle.
"You really canāt lie at all."
"Iāll take it as a compliment."
His innocent smile, free of any ulterior motives, made my headache disappear.
Aster, who had been looking at me, extended his hand.
"Shall we go in and enjoy ourselves now?"
I placed my hand on his gloved one. I could feel his warm body temperature through the thin fabric.
"Letās go inside. Iām quite confident about what Iāve prepared."
"Last time, I was treated to some high-quality desserts. Iām looking forward to it."
Despite saying he didnāt like sweets, he ate them enthusiastically, saying they were delicious, which made me laugh.
The lingering unpleasantness from a moment ago had long since evaporated.
As we entered the room through the terrace door, peopleās gazes fell on us.
As expected, they seemed to recognize the man standing next to me.
'Even with a mask, itās hard to miss a man who looks like this.'
Frankly, his appearance was so striking that it would be hard to forget even if you saw him just once.
"See, no one knows, right?"
Seeing him genuinely enjoying himself, I couldnāt help but laugh.
Was he being shameless, or did he really not know?
Aster still smiled brightly and picked up an egg tart with plenty of vanilla beans to emphasize its aroma and texture.
Especially at such parties, it was rare to find a dessert that wasnāt overly sweet, which seemed to earn him points.
A bit of custard cream was stuck to the corner of his mouth after he took a big bite.
I reached out and wiped the cream away. Then, out of habit, I licked the sweet cream off my finger.
Maybe because I donāt like sweets, it tasted even sweeter than usual, making my tongue tingle.
"Isnāt the cream too sweet?"
When he didnāt answer, I looked at Aster.
He was looking at me with a slightly dazed expression, his ears red.
He covered his mouth with his large hand.
"Sometimes, you seem completely shameless."
I didnāt understand what he was saying and just blinked.
Soon, I realized what I had done.
"Sorry! Oh my. I didnāt mean to. Itās a strange habit thatās hard to break."
In my previous life, I had corrected most of the habits that didnāt fit my noble status, but this was the only one I couldnāt fix.
It had slipped out because I felt at ease.
"Well, itās fine. Thanks to you, I got to see you flustered."
His mischievous smile looked genuinely happy. I glared at him lightly.
He handed me a champagne glass. Then, he lightly clinked his glass against mine.
"Shall we enjoy this grand party? Actually, I donāt know what to do at such events."
We drank from our glasses, looking at each other.
We didnāt dance. We just sat in a corner, tasting desserts, drinking sweet champagne, and chatting.
"I never understood why people like masquerade balls so much, but now that Iām here, itās not bad."
"Itās a night where you can say anything to each other freely. You can inflate yourself as much as you want, and you can whisper false love."
Everyone here, with their faces hidden, pretended not to know each otherās identities and talked freely.
The basic premise of a masquerade ball was deception.
Pretending not to know each other, hiding oneās true identity, and lying were all forgiven on this one night.
At Asterās words, I laughed.
"Since I donāt have to expect anything, I donāt get disappointed."
"Iāve noticed before, but you donāt trust people. Itās understandable, though."
Maybe Iāll never trust anyone for the rest of my life.
Everyone I trusted betrayed me.
Betrayal hit me hard and tore apart my trust in people.
Regaining my composure, I smiled at him.
Aster was silent for a moment, then laughed again. I breathed a sigh of relief when he took a step back.
"Since you invited me to such a grand party, can I invite you to something as well?"
I tilted my head at Asterās words. If it was an official event hosted by the royal palace at this time...
"Are you talking about the hunting festival?"
Aster hadnāt held a hunting festival since he became emperor.
There were various reasons, but mainly because it was an event with a high risk of assassination.
"Now that the imperial power has been strengthened, I think itās time to resume it."
It was a hunting festival that hadnāt been held in years, and attending with the emperor was quite significant.
Would it be appropriate for me to take such a seat?
As if reading my thoughts, Aster tapped the table with his fingertips to get my attention.
"You donāt have to worry so much. You donāt need to be with me, just accept my prey."
"I canāt help it if I want to have a timid lady by my side."
Aster quickly smiled playfully.
I felt both grateful and guilty for Aster, who always stepped back and made concessions for me.
There was no need for him to go this far.
"You donāt have to feel sorry. Iām the one whoās more desperate in this relationship."
"So, you can be a bit more free with me."
My heart raced at his sweet, melting smile.
Tatiana stood there, dazed.
The unpleasant gazes directed at her made her shiver.
'Why, why did it turn out like this?'
She reached out and grabbed the hem of Andrewās clothes, hoping he would help her.
She hoped he would call her name affectionately as before and ask if she was okay.
A gentle voice echoed in her ear. Tatiana slowly lifted her head.
She felt a pleasant premonition that things could go back to the way they were before.
She touched her bracelet but then let her hand fall.
His voice was gentle, as soft and sweet as she remembered.
Tatiana let go of the hand she had been holding.
"Thereās no reason to stay here, is there?"
Andrew reached out and pulled Tatiana closer.
His touch was gentle, but his cold, harsh gaze pierced through her.
Then, the hand that had been holding her tightly let her go easily.
"I, I can go back on my own."
Her voice trembled with fear. Tatiana sensed that Andrewās patience had reached its limit.
'Heās going to kill me.'
Hiding her trembling hands, Tatiana tried to force a smile.