CCP Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Even as she handled the situation with perfect composure, Wilhelmina did not let her guard down. The Duchess of Priestley was as kind and benevolent as an angel, but at the same time, she was also the most meticulous and calculating person in the family.

Walking arm in arm with her sister-in-law—someone who was exceedingly difficult to deceive—Wilhelmina thought…

Perhaps this lovely Angeline already knew all about Wilhelmina’s secret midnight excursions and was simply choosing to turn a blind eye.

“So many people have gathered.”

Fortunately, Benjamin sighed at just the right moment.

“Well, the ball is being held, after all.”

Seizing the opportunity, Wilhelmina quickly chimed in.

“With such an extravagant affair underway, who could possibly refuse such an alluring invitation?”

Every aristocrat in Brighton knew that a ballroom was not simply a place to dance and have fun.

Between strong liquor and waltzes, calculations of backroom politics quietly seeped through the music. This place was already less a social gathering than a vast crossroads where enormous interests changed hands.

“I guarantee you, there isn’t a single person in Windstor noble society virtuous enough to tolerate being the only one left out of a place like this.”

“And there is no fool’s errand quite like looking for virtue in Windstor.”

Benjamin muttered cynically.

“So, Mina. What are you planning to do from here? If you happen to have some sort of scheme in mind, I think it would be best to come clean now.”

“There’s no such thing.”

Wilhelmina answered innocently, taking a slow look around the ballroom.

“Fortunately, the atmosphere is exactly as I expected.”

“What sort of expectation is that?”

“Well, you know… I mean that it’s appropriately fanatical, with just the right amount of insanity.”

At her remarkably candid response, Benjamin laughed and nodded. Then he leaned toward his sister and whispered affectionately in her ear.

“You know, Mina? Sometimes, when I listen to the things you say, I find myself missing Francesca’s shotgun.”

“I’m merely stating a fact, aren’t I? You’re married too, so you know what I mean. An inefficient and extravagant event like this has something inherently maddening about the way it operates.”

What was a ball, at its core?

It was a place where single men and women—or, more accurately, their parents, who were usually even more desperate than they were—went around literally“with fire in their eyes.”

All in search of the most suitable partner for a lifelong contract called marriage.

Yet the number of unmarried men and women who possessed genuinely desirable qualifications was always hopelessly limited.

Now, suppose an unmarried man appeared who possessed enough wealth or a lofty enough title to change the fortunes of an entire family.

What more needed to be said?

All the madness gently permeating the ballroom would inevitably turn toward that new and irresistible commodity— A single unmarried man.

And that would be the perfect moment for Wilhelmina to send him a bill twice as large as the original.

All that remained was to exercise a little patience until then.

At the very same time, Cassian Windstor was on the verge of breaking into a cold sweat.

It certainly was not because, as the gossips who did not know him might have assumed, he had been dazzled by the capital’s extravagant spectacle and the charms of beautifully dressed young ladies.

If anything, it would be more accurate to say that he was thoroughly intimidated by this strange and mindless fervor.

He had faced countless brushes with death since becoming a sailor at sixteen and eventually rising to the rank of admiral. Yet the threat he sensed now was unlike anything he had ever experienced in the midst of a naval battle with cannon fire raining down around him.

Why, exactly, did he have to feel as though he might be stripped naked in the middle of such an impeccably public place?

He did not even need to scan his surroundings as cautiously as he would at sea. Wherever he looked, all he could see were swaying layers of fabric.

Silver, white, purple, green…

Surrounded on all sides by eligible young ladies dressed in shades commonly considered demure, along with their guardians, Cassian thought:

Without a doubt, this is the most elegant prison in the world.

“Your Highness, Prince Cassian.”

And here was the man who had dared to throw him into this pastel-colored hell. “Count Wilbright.”

The amiable-looking man, flanked by his two unmarried daughters, executed a practiced bow.

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Your Highness. Though belated, I must say that I am truly sorry for the loss of His Late Majesty.”

Just how much sincerity was contained in those words of condolence?

Probably about as much value as the paper wrapping around a piece of chocolate, Cassian cynically estimated.

“Of course, my daughters here would also be honored to have the opportunity to personally offer their condolences to Your Highness…”

“How dutiful.”

Cassian muttered.

“I can see why my elder brother Edward trusts you.”

Despite the blatant sarcasm, Count Wilbright did not so much as flinch.

“To be of service to the House of Windstor? It is merely the good fortune of a humble man such as myself.”

“Your Highness!”

A man who had been hovering anxiously beside them, waiting for his opportunity, hurriedly spoke up.

“I, too, wish to offer my belated condolences. And I would also like to introduce my niece…”

“You mean I might have the honor of greeting His Highness? Then perhaps my younger sister could—!”

Cassian tried to smile politely.

More precisely, he tried his utmost to look like something other than a mass murderer.

“I’m afraid I already have a prior engagement.”

“Oh! You have a prior engagement? Then where, exactly, is your companion?”

“Surely they haven’t arrived yet? In that case, why not pass the time with me and my daughter until they do?”

The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.

Maintaining his polite smile, Cassian thought:

Damn Edward Windstor.

His second elder brother was a truly clever bastard.

Edward was using Cassian’s unmarried status as an excuse to keep him occupied, but at the same time, he knew perfectly well that marriage itself would not be particularly difficult for his younger brother.

Which meant this whole commotion was a warning of sorts.

When you finally decide to marry, it won’t be easy to find a woman beyond my influence.

That was what Edward was saying.

And, while he was at it, Edward probably hoped Cassian would simply grow sick and tired of the very idea of marriage.

If that had indeed been the plan, it was working remarkably well.

Cassian had been here for barely ten minutes, and already his desire to leave had risen all the way to his throat.

He would have felt the same even if he had not had a very definite reason he could not leave this place.

It was precisely at the moment Cassian secretly tensed his jaw that—

“Ah… I can’t breathe…”

A young lady standing to Cassian’s left pressed a hand to her forehead and murmured breathlessly.

“Miss Audrey?”

“I feel dizzy… Someone, please…”

She staggered as though she might faint at any moment, casting an unmistakably deliberate glance in his direction.

Her intention—to collapse directly into Cassian’s arms in full view of everyone—was almost embarrassingly obvious.

Cassian hated being manipulated by such cheap tactics, but he could not exactly dodge her either.

The hero of the sea fleeing from a young lady would make him the laughingstock of the entire kingdom.

There was no helping it.

He might not be able to avoid the nuisance of a scandal, but that seemed preferable to having his subordinates make useless comments about it once he returned to sea.

Cassian sighed and was just about to extend an arm when—

“Goodness! Are you all right, my lady?”

Someone suddenly emerged from the crowd and caught Miss Audrey just as she began to collapse.

Held securely in a pair of strong arms, Miss Audrey cracked her eyes open and murmured delicately,

“Your Highness…?”

“My, my. You must be talking nonsense.”

The handsome man with the gentle-looking features clicked his tongue.

Cassian recognized him as well.

“What are all of you doing? Step aside, everyone. I understand that you are delighted to see His Highness, but at this rate, you’ll have someone killed.”

With his dark-brown brows drawn together,

Benjamin Priestley firmly began herding the crowd backward.

It was an excellent display of composure from a gentleman of great repute in Windstor—and a married man, at that.

But Cassian was paying attention to someone standing behind him.