Chapter 178

Rashid withdrew his long, penetrating gaze into her soul. As the music gradually slowed towards the end, her heart only beat faster. Just as both feet touched the ground, he nonchalantly tilted his chin, pretending to be unaffected as much as possible.

“Without even mentioning my daughter, Selene, just ask her to give me a call. I’ll show her what happens to traitors in the end.”

“It sounds like you want me to do that to you.”

“… ”

When she didn’t explicitly deny it, Rashid’s smile deepened. She shouldn’t look at him, that’s what she had resolved countless times, yet unknowingly, her eyes followed him. Others might think the same, but she knew the meaning behind his gaze better.

“This isn’t right.”

Rashid’s frequent chuckles made her swallow hard. It was all uncomfortable for Catherine. If it shouldn’t be uncomfortable, and if it was part of the plan, she tried not to think about it at all. However, Rashid’s hand remained firmly on her waist, making it impossible.

“Sorry, Your Majesty. But when will you let go of me?”

“I’d like to do that, of course, but I feel like you’ll be devoured if I do.”

Rashid subtly turned his head towards Catherine’s stepdaughters. Until now, he had never looked at them properly, but now his perceptive gaze became incredibly sharp. “For whom—-”

“Your Majesty.”

Was she his prey? Amidst all this, not because she was worried, but because she couldn’t stand seeing someone else’s good fortune, a burst of hollow laughter escaped her lips. However, Rashid’s eyes grew noticeably gloomy, as if he didn’t like such behavior from Catherine.

“Do you plan to make use of me with such audacity? Use me when the time comes.”

“Are you suggesting they’ll be punished instead of me?”

“What if?” In his questioning gaze that implied the obvious, she took another step closer to his chest. Gently. With just that one step, Rashid’s body tensed, and the expressions of the two sisters turned fierce. This was closer to the utilitarian value she desired.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but it seems you don’t understand your worth very well.”

“What did you say?”

When he gets angry at Catherine, his head gets even closer to her face. She didn’t know when she found out about it, but she had no reason to avoid it.

“I’m trying to be as careful as possible.”

“… ”

She smoothly removed Rashid’s hand from her waist and bent her knee. As she placed one hand on her chest and looked up at him, the music finally quieted down.

“So, please don’t let go of me then.”

“Madam, it’s a pleasure to greet you. I am the Countess of Sutton——”

“Ah. So you’re the Countess of Sutton!”

Just by having danced the first dance with the Emperor, the way people looked at her changed. Many people came to greet her with fear in their eyes as soon as the dance ended and she returned to her seat. The first lady who approached her looked surprised when she realized that she recognized her.

“H-How could the Duchess recognize me?”

“I know about you. Sir Robert, who participated in the Great Battle on behalf of the North, was from Count Sutton’s Family, right?”

He’s now working under her to ensure the security of the lake. Feeling genuinely pleased, she looked at her, and the Countess belatedly widened her eyes, as if caught off guard. When she mentioned her family’s story, she dropped all pretense and quickly raised her head.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just trying to say hello to the Duchess.”

“There’s no problem. I understand your intentions perfectly.”

The fact that she approached Catherine first likely meant that she was in a disadvantageous position on Princess Lania’s side. Lania’s rejection could be seen as a blow to her pride that she wanted to have a connection with Catherine, instead. But honestly, it didn’t bother her at all. The fact that some relatives were affected by Lania’s curse also meant that their values were relatively correct.

“I was surprised to see the Duchess today. I didn’t know you were hiding your beauty in a black veil.”

“Oh, please stop it.”

Well, she’s perceptive even in her observations. As she smiled and responded to them, more and more people quietly approached her. Rashid, who had been heading somewhere with the princes, glanced at Catherine for a moment and smiled as if saying, “Look.”

“Do you think you can handle this on your own?”

“… ”

Rashid’s red eyes narrowed as if he couldn’t stand it, but he didn’t need his help from the beginning. To put it frankly, except for being the Emperor, he was good at socializing and networking. He never imagined that he would even offer to help, except in situations where he needed to exert an intimidating presence or wield his sword to cut down everything.

“No. That won’t work.”

If he cut down everything, he would be the one receiving all the blame. He’s a man who didn’t even consider making up for his mistakes so he felt more at ease handling it on his own. And even if he received help in that way, he would be like a fox riding on a tiger’s back. Nothing more and nothing less. Once the tiger disappeared, he would be the first to face the spear of anger.