Chapter 13 - A Dance (2)

Chapter 13 – A Dance (2)

At that moment, the familiar opening for waltz began to play. Even though Goyo had yet to take the marquis’ hand, some people began to flock to the dance floor and took position.

And since the emperor had approved it, no one in their sane mind would dare refuse. As such, Goyo had no choice but to take the marquis’ hand.

As she placed her hands into the marquis’ own, Goyo’s heart shook and her body tense for a moment. But she immediately hid her unsettled emotion behind the veneer of composure and smiled, showing the elegance and grace that had been trained into her bones. And they began to dance along with the tunes. When they started to move, the sound from musical instruments was interwoven with the whispers.

This slightly unnerved Goyo because to her it had been a long time since she had danced in the ballroom. So, she silently wondered to herself whether she had made some misstep somewhere or not; all the while keeping her expression perfectly serene. However, it was unnecessary worries on Goyo’s part as her movements were graceful and natural.

While Goyo was lost in her worries, a firm arm tightly wrapped around Goyo’s waist and pulled her closer, startling her out of her thoughts. When he did that, she took a measured breath to calm herself even as she was almost brought into that man’s embrace.

And her body instinctively tensed up when that pair of intense gray eyes focused on her. It was as if she was the only one in the whole one in his eyes. The marquis opened his mouth to speak, and due to how close they were, his low whisper seemed to permeate into her whole body.

“I apologize that my first greeting to you is done like this. I’m Annecy Bethelgius.”

His voice was deeper and lower than what she remembered. Originally, she had thought that Terio’s voice was also low… But compared to the marquis’ voice, it felt light.

“Despite your words, there was no hesitation in you when you chose me. Regardless, greetings Marquis Bethelgius. I am Goyo Rubiet, the eldest daughter of the Rubiet Family.”

“Likewise, I don’t think you were surprised by that.”

“Of course not, sir.”

Goyo sincerely answered. And indeed, to her, it was not a big deal. Nevertheless, as expected, no one would be free from embarrassment when something they didn’t expect happened. Thus, whether it was out of embarrassment or fear, she got an urge to avoid eye contacts with him as she moved her body to the music.

And as he looked at her attempts to keep her eyes on him, Annecy’s eyes danced with mirth.

“I had wanted to arrange for us to be seated together without others’ presence in the terrace. However, I was afraid of people’s eyes and wagging tongues. As such, I shelved that idea in.”

“Then, why did you decide to talk in front of everyone right now?”

“Isn’t this a good moment and place to hide the conversation?”

Indeed, he was right. No one would be able to eavesdrop on them when they were whispering to each other while dancing in the middle of the ballroom. Even if someone happened to overhear their conversation, they would only hear bits and pieces. And that would only fuel a trivial story that was easily refuted.

This is unlike what I knew from the past. For what reason did the marquis ask me to dance? Goyo wondered in her mind. But then, she suddenly realized something.

Simply put, the reason was most probably due to Goyo Rubiet’s presence in this event. Because… unlike what she had done before, she had attended the ball. Moreover, she had even broken up with Terio.

But in that case…

Will the events proceed in the same way as before this time?

Will the marquis propose to me once again?

It was only at this time that Goyo belatedly questioned it.

In her previous life, Bethelgius had proposed a marriage to Goyo, so she thought it would happen again this time. And she thought it would be easier now since Goyo had broken her engagement ties with Terio.

However, she didn’t take in account how her actions would be viewed by others. Especially since Marquis Bethelgius was known as an unpredictable person.

Moreover, there was a chance that in the past, the marquis dared to propose to her because she was engaged to Terio.

What is in the marquis’ mind right now? What if, for whatever reason, his actions change? What should I do then?

The sudden rush of emotions coming out from her worn out heart made her eyebrows twitched in consternation. Not wanting to feel anything, Goyo decided to stop worrying and bluntly questioned him.

“What do you want to say?”

“You broke off your engagement with Sir Alte, Miss Rubiet.”

He is quite a rude fellow, isn’t he? Goyo thought.

But without waiting for Goyo’s response, the marquis brought his face closer to her and continued speaking.

“Do you love Sir Alte?”

At that question, Goyo flinched slightly and opened her lips. But for some time, she couldn’t make a sound as she struggled to answer.

“… I loved him.”

“To me, it sounds like you’re saying that it’s not the case right now. Am I right?”

“You like to play with words, don’t you, Sir Bethelgius?”

“Oh, did you hate it Miss?”