Chapter: 44
The reactions of the people accepting my greetings varied.
“Ah… I see, Lady Ansi.”
Some noblewomen simply stared at me in astonishment.
“What a wonderful party. It’s certainly worthy of the Lady Claudia.”
Others were nobles who were keenly aware of the young duchess’s presence.
“Y-You’re really Lady Ansi? I mean… no, never mind.”
And there were even young noblemen who, so stunned that they almost asked an incredibly rude question, caught themselves just in time.
That wasn’t all.
“That person is Lady Ansi?”
Conversations drifted through the ballroom from behind open fans and champagne glasses.
I had assumed the center of everyone’s attention would be the young duchess.
But unexpectedly, a surprisingly large portion of the gossip was about me.
“My goodness, it’s my first time seeing her dressed like that.”
“She always wore those gloomy black clothes like a crow…”
“I never noticed because Lady Lopes is so beautiful, but once Lady Ansi is dressed up, she’s quite stunning too.”
I pretended not to hear the whispers.
There was one sight, however, that warmed my heart.
“Baroness Ansi! Lady Ansi—how is she so beautiful?”
“Her hair looks so silky. Does she have some secret? I’d love to do the same for my daughter.”
My mother was surrounded by her friends, standing with her shoulders proudly straight for what felt like the first time in ages.
And…
“Baron Ansi, you must have spent a fortune on your daughter’s dress.”
“Haha! How could I not spend that much on my only daughter?”
My father was laughing heartily in front of his friends as well.
My parents had always worried about their inadequate daughter.
But now…
It seemed they were smiling because of me.
Watching them made me smile too.
“Lady Ansi!”
At the same time, the young duchess hurried over to me.
“You look absolutely gorgeous today.”
She looked me up and down before proudly giving me a thumbs-up.
“This is how my friend should look!”
“Thank you very much, Your Ladyship.”
I answered politely.
She turned her head away with a smug expression before asking,
“So then… who was it that made Lady Ansi look this pretty today?”
“Well, who else but the young duchess herself—the one with such impeccable taste that she leads the trends of the Empire’s social circles?”
I shamelessly showered her with praise.
The young duchess burst into cheerful laughter.
Then…
She spotted the cookies laid out on the refreshment table, and her eyes sparkled.
“Oh! Those cookies! They’re my favorite!”
She skipped over to the snack table.
Watching her made her look exactly like a cat running toward one of those squeeze treats.
Our young duchess is just too adorable…
As I smiled to myself…
A man stopped in front of me.
“Lady Ansi.”
Hm?
I looked up.
A man stood there smiling broadly as he extended his hand toward me.
It was the proper etiquette for a gentleman inviting a lady to dance.
“May I have the honor of this dance, my lady?”
“…”
I stared blankly at the hand offered to me.
His name was… Philip Todd, wasn’t it?
Philip Todd.
The heir to Baron Todd’s family, and one of Serafina’s devoted followers.
He had never spared me a glance before.
How unexpected.
A flower blooming against the wall.
That had always been my nickname.
The one who always received dance invitations was Serafina.
My role had been to stand nearby in dull clothing with hunched shoulders, making Serafina shine even brighter.
Even Gregory, my fiancé, had only ever held out his hand to Serafina.
And now…
Someone was asking me to dance.
But…
Just because someone finally invited me… am I supposed to feel grateful?
I glanced at Young Master Todd.
And I saw it.
Of course you can’t possibly refuse my invitation.
The overwhelming sense of superiority written all over his face.
At that moment…
I made my decision.
“I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?”
Apparently, he’d never imagined I would reject him.
His face twisted instantly.
But I had no intention of changing my answer.
Young Master Todd… worshipped Serafina that much.
I remembered clearly.
The disgusting way he’d looked me up and down while inviting Serafina to dance, as though judging livestock.
“Lady Lopes and Lady Ansi together? Beauty and the Beast?”
His mocking voice had rung loudly as he laughed with his friends.
…And Gregory.
Instead of stopping him, Gregory had simply stood beside him and laughed as well.
“Lady Ansi!”
At that moment, the young duchess suddenly popped up in front of me.
“Y-Your Ladyship!”
Young Master Todd flinched and hurriedly fixed his expression.
After all, he couldn’t very well scowl in front of the only daughter of the House of Claudius.
For the first time, the overwhelming prestige of the ducal family felt incredibly reassuring.
“I think I ate too many sweets. I’m thirsty.”
The young duchess clung to me like a cat.
“Shall I bring you a glass of juice?”
“Bring it? Why would you do that? We’ll just go together.”
She deliberately linked her arm with mine.
Then she glanced sideways at Young Master Todd with obvious indifference.
“So, since that’s how it is, I’m borrowing Lady Ansi.”
“…”
Without waiting for an answer, she led me away.
The Young Master Todd who had openly shown his displeasure toward me…
Couldn’t even utter a single word to the young duchess.
Hmm… so this is what power feels like. It’s exhilarating.
As soon as we’d put some distance between ourselves and Todd, the young duchess leaned over and whispered eagerly,
“You rejected him perfectly! That ugly guy—how dare he hit on my friend?”
“Pfft.”
I bit down on my teeth to keep myself from laughing.
Honestly, Todd wasn’t ugly enough to deserve something that harsh.
He was simply… average-looking.
But the young duchess only shrugged smugly.
“It’s true. I can’t stand men uglier than me standing next to my friend.”
Ah.
So she herself was the standard.
In that case…
Fair enough.
If the young duchess’s beauty was the benchmark, then most men wouldn’t even be worth the dirt under her toenails…
“Geez, what’s taking him so long?”
Just then, she muttered impatiently while tapping her foot.
Who’s she waiting for?
I wondered.
Then…
Something unexpected happened in the ballroom.
“D-Did you see that?”
“T-The crest on that carriage…!”
A commotion spread from the entrance.
Who could have arrived to cause this much excitement?
I turned around in confusion.
But I immediately understood everyone’s reaction.
“The crest of House Claudius!”
Gasps echoed throughout the crowd.
Don’t tell me… the Duke himself came?
My eyes widened.
Everyone was in an uproar.
“My goodness! The Duke attended Baron Ansi’s party?”
“Did he come to see the young duchess?”
“If that’s true, then both direct members of the ducal family are attending this party!”
“I had no idea the Ansi family was so close to House Claudius!”
At that moment…
A man stepped into the ballroom.
How should I put it?
If someone turned the word nobility into a human being…
He would probably look exactly like that.
His pale platinum-blond hair was neatly styled.
He wore a perfectly tailored suit that fit him flawlessly, making him look as though he’d stepped straight out of a luxury boutique catalog.
His straight posture.
His unmistakable noble bearing.
No matter how I looked at him…
He was unmistakably the Duke of Claudius.
The Duke… really came.
I found myself momentarily speechless.
At the same time, the young duchess dashed over to him.
“Honestly, Brother!”
She puffed out her cheeks and shot him a glare.
“Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting!”
“…”
“You made a lady wait! That’s completely unbecoming of a gentleman!”
“…”
Well…
Let’s just say the Duke looked like he had an awful lot he wanted to say.
His elegant jaw tightened slightly before he slowly smiled.
A restrained voice slipped through his teeth.
“We’re going to have a little talk later. Understood?”
The young duchess’s eyes practically quaked.
“W-What are we talking about? I don’t have anything to talk to you about.”
“I do.”
The Duke answered firmly.
Did the young duchess get herself into trouble again while I wasn’t looking?
