Chapter 20: 19

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After a while, Grace, who returned from the carriage and drank the medicine, sat on the sofa and rested. When she recovered her strength to some extent, the emperor, who was sitting on the throne drinking and talking to the nobles, suddenly called the consul and whispered in his ear. After a while, the consul bent over to show his respect, walked straight toward Grace and said, “Duchess Felix,His Majesty asked how you were feeling.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to have caused him so much concern, please tell him that I’m fine now.”

“You still look pale. Will you be alright?”

“His Majesty can order the party to resume immediately, I don’t mind.”

“Alright. Then I’ll deliver it to His Majesty.”

The consul returned to the emperor’s side after placing a short kiss on Grace’s hand. He leaned down and gave Grace’s answer to the emperor, who smiled and clapped as a signal. The conductor standing at the front of the band, waved the baton, and they began to play an exciting waltz.

Starting with the music, the royal family and nobles, who had been eating, drinking, and chatting among their close friends, gathered in pairs to the center. Standing in a row, they waited for Arthur and Grace, the stars, to come to the center and start dancing. Arthur glanced at them and reached for Grace.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask you to dance, my lady?” Grace looked troubled at Arthur’s hand politely reaching out. By the time Arthur’s expression had hardened at her unwillingness to hold his hand, Grace held it, as if she had made a big decision.

Then, holding his hand, she came close to him and whispered in a small voice.

“… Duke. I apologize in advance.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“Actually, it’s my first time attending a ball. I’ve only learnt how to waltz in secret, and my steps will surely be a mess.”

“So?”

“…be careful. I’ll probably step on the Duke’s foot countless times.”

Shameful of confessing her poor dancing skills, Grace blushed slightly.

Arthur, who was listening to her with a stiff look, laughed and answered, clenching her hand.

“If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry at all.”

Arthur walked to the center holding Grace’s hand. Standing across from Grace, who had been left speechless, Arthur bowed politely.

It was a sign of the beginning of the ‘first’ dance. The band played a cheerful waltz as if they had waited, and people began to dance to the music. Grace floundered and copied the movements of the other ladies who danced skillfully beside her. She had never danced with many people before, so her feet kept getting tangled. Only then did Grace move her head down and look at the tip of her toes, as she felt ashamed of herself.

She eventually stomped on Arthur’s foot, and screamed, “I’m sorry!”

“My Lady, look at me.” Holding Grace’s hand, Arthur moved around skillfully and whispered in her ear.

As Grace looked at Arthur, as she said, he lightly turned around and put his hand on her shoulder and said, “There’s nothing to worry about. Just look at me and focus on my movements.”

“……what? What if I s-step on the Duke’s foot again?”

“I told you a while ago. You don’t have to worry. Here we go.”

“Oh my!”

When Grace hesitated to move again, Arthur gently grabbed her hand reassuringly. Then he started to move, keeping pace with her slow pace. It was like he was doing his own moves.

And she was in sync with him.

Grace danced, chasing him with her eyes. At first, she was desperately busy following his movements, but over time Grace felt increasingly adept at dancing to the music.

Arthur gazed at Grace, who had already brightened up, and said, “I think you’re pretty good now.”

“I know right! Oh, I’m sorry. You got stepped on again, didn’t you?”

“It’s okay. Keep dancing like that.”

“……I’m not stepping on it again. Just wait and see.” Grace answered him in a cheerful voice, circling around him as she had learned.

‘At first, I was so nervous that I was in a hurry to follow the dance.’

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Now, she enjoyed the music she heard, and it was fun to move her body according to Arthur’s dance style.

‘I didn’t know dancing would be so much fun.’

Grace thought so and leaned towards Arthur’s with the lilting music.

***

While dancing happily after Arthur, one song ended before she knew it. The first dance was finally over. When the music stopped, Grace greeted Arthur, like the other ladies, with the hem of her dress lifted slightly.

Grace smiled broadly at Arthur looking at her. Thanks to him, she was able to finish the dance safely.

“Well, if you all don’t mind, why don’t we do one more song? Just like before!”

Then the emperor, who was dancing with the empress, shouted cheerfully.

At the sound of the voice, the band began to play music again. The genre was similar but a different song. Everyone began to dance to the joyful music that filled the party hall again. Grace slipped away from the people, taking a step back.

Although there was still a pleasant lingering feeling, she felt that she had passed the crisis safely and that she wanted to rest more. As she walked past the crowd, Grace followed Arthur with her eyes.

But she couldn’t see him getting out of the crowd like her. Grace tilted her head and gazed around.

‘That’s weird. Where’d he go?’

Because she was now mingling with people who wanted to rest for a while like her, she couldn’t find him among the people who kept dancing.

Maybe he was looking for her somewhere else. Grace took off her leaning body and walked back among the crowd.

“Ah!”

While looking around for Arthur, Grace ran into someone. Grace took a step back with a single exclamation, then bowed to the gentleman who had just bumped into her.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m looking for someone.”

“No, it’s fine.”

But the voice she heard was strangely familiar to her ears.

The only people she knew in this party were the Alberton family and Arthur. Grace tilted her head.

“…oh, that man from a while ago……”

It was the man whom she bumped shoulders with after arguing with Marianne.

He said while fixing a slightly disheveled hat as if he recognized Grace, “We meet again.”

“…Yes.”

Grace responded in a low voice to this new acquaintance. If she had thought she’d bump into him twice in this big party, she would have treated him more amicably the first time.

Looking sideways at his hidden expression under the broad-brimmed hat, Grace politely handed him an apology.

“I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop looking, so I’ve been rude twice.”

“That’s all right. It happens.”

Grace greeted him politely, “Thank you for accepting my apology. Uh… Mr… ”

“It’s Owen, My Lady.”

“… Mr. Owen. Then, I’ll leave you alone. I need to find someone.”

After saying sorry again, Grace bid him goodbye. Just when she was going to turn and walk the other way–

“Who are you looking for so urgently?”

“What?”

“Is the Lady looking for Duke Arthur Felix?”

Grace looked back in surprise at his question. He slightly raised his wide-brimmed hat, which was mostly covering his face, to reveal his face.

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