/

Chapter 16




Even the Duke of Elheim was shaken greatly for an instant but then immediately hardened.
Danterion couldn’t even laugh as would usually have done.
In the silence, Aynias murmured in a small voice.
“…..Mother.”
Liarte was dazzlingly pretty.
Aynias thought that it would be fortunate if she didn’t embarrass the family when Lianrius said he wanted her to attend the banquet.
And today, she was uncanningly resembling the Duchess of Elheim.
The Duchess of Elheim was from Elheim’s distant side, but she did not have the power of water.
To the extent that she was no different from the normal aristocrats.
However,  she was a very loving person, and she deeply loved and cared for Aynias and Danterion.
A blue dress was a favourite of the Duchess of Elheim.
Of course, the dress in front of him was almost navy.
With the exception of the delicate line that resembled the Duchess, Liarte resembled the face of the sober Duke of Elheim.
“Wow, she really looks like a lady.”
Princess Ninian clapped without thinking.
Only then did the silence break.
Hwi-Amin had a feeling of guilt as he alternated between the princess and Liarte.
“What?”
Lianrius asked.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Liarte in a dress like that.”
It was a dress that she could have never worn in the name of not allowing luxury to sinners.
Lianrius nodded.
Clearly, Liarte stood out.
The appearance that he didn’t know when she wore a gray dress was revealed.
Perhaps it was because her straight posture while facing the front made her stand out even more than her usual one where her head was always looking down at the floor.
Even her courtesy was not far behind other nobles.
Lianrius looked at the figure unfamiliarly.
The clothes he gave.
The trinkets he gave.
The twin sister who was alive for Lianrius and existed because of Lianrius.
‘I had been thinking of hiding and weighing myself down since I’ve been an unawakener just until a while ago.’
There was no soft conciliatory option.
Anyway, even if Liarte was not treated well, she still followed Elheim’s blood.
Was she like this because she was always hungry for affection and was too excited to be able to enter his family?
Today was the first time he thought that Liarte had also shared his blood.
Lianrius took a step.
“Where are you going?”
“To request a dance.”
“To the Princess?”
“No.”
Hwi-Amin expressed doubts about Lianrius’s words, but he didn’t dare to ask.
He was afraid of his brother, who was even younger than himself.
Liarte soon leaned against the wall.
She seemed to have given up on looking for someone.
Would Liarte laugh again like before if he relieved her mood today? Even if she doesn’t, her mood should still change and she could relax her expression.
Lianrius approached Liarte, who was leaning against the wall.
Her eyes still looked at him dryly when she swept through Lianrius.
However, there was no word for a request to dance.
Lianrius had never initiated to ask a woman to dance before.
He paused and realized he couldn’t talk.
It was the first time in his life that Lianrius publicly asked for something from the most humble being in the family.
Then the price of hesitation was immediately paid.
Someone approached them.
“The kind Princess.”
It was the same drowsy low tone he heard when the silver fox was taken away.
Michael Birce reached out his hand towards Liarte.
People held their breath at the boldness of the Young Master of Birce as he approached the Unawakened Princess.
“Would you like to dance with me?”
The promise to dance at the banquet was kept.
Lianrius felt, oddly enough, that the person Liarte was waiting for was Michael Birce.
However, he thought that it was just an illusion and brushed it away.
Liarte looked at the two men in front of her.
Lianrius. And Michael.
From the beginning, her choice when choosing between the two was already set to Michael.
“Liarte.”
Lianrius reached out his hand.
He didn’t know why, but he wanted to catch Liarte before she danced with Michael.
Then for the first time, Liarte spoke calmly.
“I’m willing.”
Lianrius got the illusion that the red eyes inside the velvet eye patch were somehow bent.
Michael then led Liarte to the center of the room.
“Next time, try to catch it quickly.”
The words he heard in the forest hunting ground were still vivid.
“You won’t realize if it’s going to be taken from you again.”
And his bright smile.
This time, the lips under the velvet eye patch were fully raised, giving an elegant smile.
It was an obvious sign of ridicule.
It was taken again.
Again.
What bothered Lianrius more was that Liarte seemed comfortable to be with Michael.
She looked like she couldn’t relax even if Lianrius gave her freedom and clothes.
Liarte looked more natural with Michael than when she was together with anyone else in Elheim.
It was different from how she treated Lianrius.
Lianrius’s blue eyes burned with anger.
He patiently endured the desire to launch an attack with water towards Michael.
There was nothing Lianrius could do.
Liarte had long chosen Michael.
Regardless of Lianrius’s reaction, Michael and Liarte listened to music.
The songs that played while they were dancing were romantic.
Before her regression, she used to think about a destiny for a romance with a knight.
However, she couldn’t immerse herself in that fantasy because she couldn’t even remember herself being loved by others.
She abandoned all her fantasies after her coming of age ceremony.
“Do you like this song?”
Michael laughed softly.
He was friendly as if the moment where he mocked Lianrius was a lie.
“A long time ago.”
As she followed Michael’s guidance, her movement became roughly correct.
Liarte’s movement, which was a little awkward because she didn’t know how to dance, became a little smoother.
Liarte whispered,
“Can we dance in public like this? The one behind the curse of your eyes is in the banquet hall.”
“The Crown Prince?”
Michael whispered low enough to be heard only by Liarte.
“I was going to tell you later because my thoughts have yet to be organized, but you noticed it first. But it won’t be a problem. Even if I was really blind, I would have acted like I am now.”
Well, even when he really was blind, Michael would still have looked at Liarte exactly like a man who still had his sight.
“What’s in front of you?”
“You. I can see you.”
Michael moved very slowly so that Liarte would not get hurt. The man who made Elheim a sea of fire in the future was as gentle as spring to Liarte.
“You look pretty today.”
“You look good, too. That outfit.”
“Actually, I wanted to send you a dress.”
The Duke of Elheim’s people were abusing Liarte.
It didn’t matter if she danced only once, but if he got deeply involved, such as sending a dress, the duke and his other children would question Liarte.
“There’s no point in that. It’s expensive.”
“Birce is overflowing with useless money. Actually, such a material thing can’t be compared to what you did to save me, Liarte.”
It wasn’t just Michael that Liarte saved.
In principle, a Birce, who could not control the power of death, had to be killed directly by the hands of his immediate family.
The only relatives left for the Duke of Birce were his father Carmen and Michael.
“I don’t want to kill my blood.”
He remembered Carmen muttering bitterly to Michael.
“My father had locked me up, but I can’t do that to you.”
Carmen, who was like that, was also saved by Liarte.
Birce owed her a debt he could not pay even with his entire life.
Liarte thought and became convinced.
“That’s possible.”
She did not intend to refuse to be treated with such excessive humility.
“That’s why,”
Michael asked.
“If you ever leave this place, where would you like to stay, Liarte?”
She was unfamiliar with the question of how she would live in the future.
“I don’t have a place in mind yet. But, I want to be with you.”
Michael’s first thought was to ask Liarte to come to Birce.
He was planning to give her everything, saying she could live there her whole life.
But it turns out that he was not the only one who wanted to meet her after her coming of age.
“How about Birce? All Birce people will welcome you. And I also wish to be together with you. Let’s go together to Birce, Liarte.”
“Can I?”
Liarte asked Michael, leaning closely.
It was an important matter, so she intended to avoid the ears of people around them.
The whispering voice was very close.
“Of course.”
The scent that was a mixture of a refreshing scent and perfume was emitted from Liarte.
Michael’s ears burned red as Liarte leaned against his chest.
“What is it?”
She was too close as she looked up.
“Shall we keep a little distance?”
“No. Let’s continue.”
Michael smiled sweetly. The two looked like lovers.
After performing a few more songs with Michael, Liarte left the banquet hall and returned to her room.
Lianrius had watched them the whole time.
“Young Master Lianrius.”
Princess Ninian pulled his arm.
“My feet would hurt if we danced to one more song. Why don’t you go and talk with my brother?”
Ninian was like the protagonist of this banquet.
She wore colourful clothes, had a bright personality, and had high status.
But he wasn’t focused on her at all.
Soon enough, the Crown Prince and those of Elheim gathered around.
“I will report to my father and mother as soon as I get back, Duke.”
“Please send my greetings to His Majesty.”
The Duke of Elheim and the Crown Prince were having a conversation with a friendly atmosphere.
Lianrius was the only one who felt a burning sensation.
It shouldn’t be like this.
When Liarte leaves, he…
“Can I send the engagement documents as customary?”
The moment the Crown Prince spoke, Lianrius stepped forward.
“No. I won’t be engaged.”
To avoid embarrassment, Lianrius brought up the most plausible reason.
“I’m over 16 years old, so I’m going to hold the coming-of-age ceremony first.”
He sounded as if he wanted to be engaged in adulthood.
But Lianrius didn’t know.
The fact that Liarte was waiting for the coming of age ceremony.