Chapter 16
“A pumpkin with lines drawn on it does become a watermelon.”
The Crown Prince sneered as he looked at Marion.
He was always like this. With a cold demeanor, he belittled and mocked Marion.
Marion, who usually fawned over the Crown Prince despite this, would twist herself into knots in his presence. Because of this, nobles found it easier to mock her.
But the Marion now was somehow different.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
There was no focus in Marion’s eyes. Kaiden, a Swordmaster, couldn’t possibly miss her gaze.
“Hmm.”
“…….”
“Marion. Dance with me.”
The surrounding nobles were shocked. It was an offer no one had anticipated.
“What?”
Marion let out a dumbfounded sound. The Crown Prince, unfazed, raised one corner of his mouth and extended his hand.
Flustered, Marion looked at Kaiden. Her face seemed to ask, What do I do?
“Oh, did you already promise to dance with Kaiden?”
When the Crown Prince asked, Marion shook her head.
“That’s not it, but… Your Highness, I’m not good at dancing.”
“No matter. Surely a Swordmaster wouldn’t step on my feet.”
The Crown Prince looked at Marion with an expression that said, Would you dare refuse my invitation to dance? Marion gave an awkward smile.
“How could I possibly… Haha, it’s an honor to dance with Your Highness.”
Marion’s hand slipped out of Kaiden’s.
The Crown Prince glanced at Kaiden and naturally placed his hand on Marion’s waist. Kaiden found that hand irritating.
“Shall we?”
All the nobles watched the two with astonished eyes. Those who had been dancing naturally cleared the floor for the Crown Prince’s arrival.
The center of the banquet hall became a stage for the Crown Prince and Marion.
“Who is that young lady dancing the first dance with His Highness?”
“Don’t be shocked. It’s that reckless fool!”
“Good heavens!”
Whether or not he heard the whispering nobles, Kaiden watched Marion and the Crown Prince dance with a sunken gaze.
—
Has this guy suddenly gone mad?
While dancing with the Crown Prince, my head was spinning so fast I felt nauseous.
To suddenly ask me to dance—there’s definitely something he’s after.
At that moment, the Crown Prince, now close, whispered in my ear.
“Marion, I heard the marriage meeting between Archduke Baltstein and Princess Serena didn’t go well.”
As expected, he had a reason.
“Princess Serena left first. But Lucas stayed for over two weeks and only showed himself today.”
The Crown Prince was curious about the movements of his rival, Lucas.
From his perspective, it was threatening enough that Kaiden, a Swordmaster, and Lucas were getting close.
So he’s probably using me, knowing I like him, to easily dig into what’s going on.
“What was Lucas doing there?”
I was a bit annoyed.
Ugh, seriously. I’m trying to focus so I don’t mess up the steps.
Why can’t they handle their power struggles on their own and leave an innocent Swordmaster alone?
“He was learning swordsmanship from me.”
I spat out the words without even looking at the Crown Prince’s face.
“What? Lucas, from you…?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
Because I’m a Swordmaster that swordsmen admire, obviously. That’s kind of offensive.
“He said he wanted to learn from me.”
“…….”
Ugh, I wish this dance would end already.
Oblivious to my feelings, Marius kept asking.
“So you taught him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Why? Because he paid me, so I had to teach him.
“Because money was involved.”
“What? How much?”
“One gold.”
“…That’s it?”
“Yes.”
I could feel the Crown Prince staring daggers at me.
But I ignored his gaze to focus on the steps.
“Why?”
Ugh, seriously. What’s wrong with this guy?
He’s not a toddler just learning to talk, so why does he keep saying “why, why”?
“Because I was paid for the lesson…”
“You like me, don’t you?”
I snapped my head up at those words.
That’s when I met the Crown Prince’s green eyes. There was anger in them.
“And yet you taught that guy, Lucas?”
I almost let out a dumbfounded “Hah.”
Childish.
You like me, so don’t get close to my rival, Lucas.
Isn’t that what he’s saying? Was the Crown Prince always this kind of guy? I opened my mouth, incredulous.
“Your Highness.”
“Go ahead, make your excuses.”
The Crown Prince remained arrogant to the end. I couldn’t hold back a smirk.
“I don’t like Your Highness anymore.”
—
The Crown Prince, Marius, thought he’d misheard for a moment.
“Marion Krugman likes the Crown Prince.”
That sentence had been an unchanging truth since he met Marion. But just now, Marion had said it with her own mouth.
Marius was stunned.
“What…?”
“I said I don’t like you.”
“…Why?”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Marion is annoyed with me.
It was a sentence that couldn’t exist in Marius’s world. Marion had never so much as frowned in his presence.
But that same Marion, now looking at him with cold eyes, spoke.
“There’s no particular reason. My feelings just cooled.”
Impossible things were happening to Marius.
—
“…You don’t like me anymore?”
The Crown Prince muttered. I frowned deeply.
“I didn’t say I don’t like you.”
Let’s not misunderstand. I just—
“I’m no longer interested.”
I spoke my honest feelings.
And staying close to the Crown Prince would only put my life at risk. The further away, the better.
Just then, the song ended.
Finally, my dance with the Crown Prince was over. I let go of his hand without any lingering attachment.
Recalling what noble ladies did, I grabbed the hem of my dress and curtsied.
“It was an honor. Farewell.”
Now free, I turned away from the Crown Prince without hesitation. I felt his piercing gaze from behind but ignored it.
I looked around for Kaiden. That’s when the nobles’ murmurs reached my ears.
“The reckless fool can dance too?”
“His Highness is truly generous.”
“Exactly. Who’d want to dance with a reckless fool like that?”
The nobles’ whispers, putting me down, grated on me. In the past, I would’ve confronted them directly and argued fiercely.
But their words were true. Who would want to dance with me?
“Marion, will you dance with me too?”
At that moment, Lucas appeared out of nowhere and extended his hand.
“Prince Lucas, what about Princess Serena?”
I asked, taking his hand instinctively.
The next dance started quickly. I naturally began dancing with Lucas.
I thought my dance with the Crown Prince would be my last.
“Serena danced the first song with me and is now dancing with another young lord.”
“I see.”
This dance was more challenging than the one with the Crown Prince.
As I focused entirely on not stepping on his feet, Lucas asked a question similar to the Crown Prince’s.
“Marion, you were dancing with my brother. Could you tell me what you talked about?”
I thought to myself.
Of course.
I told Lucas everything about my conversation with the Crown Prince. Well, except for the part about no longer liking him.
After the dance with Lucas ended, the Emperor and Empress finally appeared.
The Emperor gave a brief speech, thanking everyone for attending his birthday and telling us to enjoy ourselves, then sat on his throne to chat with the Empress.
I hurriedly left the banquet hall. Stepping into a quiet corridor open to the outdoors, I finally felt like I could breathe. It was already the middle of the night.
“Marion.”
“Your Grace.”
Kaiden was approaching.
In my excitement, I started to jog lightly toward him. Until the unfamiliar high heels twisted my ankle.
“Argh!”
“Marion!”
As I nearly fell, the Archduke rushed over in an instant and caught me by the waist. I grabbed his clothes to avoid falling. But the position was a bit awkward.
“…Your Grace, how do you work out your pecs?”
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By Anna
