“You made a wise choice,” Esteban said with a mischievous smile, leading Roselia by the hand to the center of the ballroom. Klaus, arriving too late, could only watch them walk away like a dog that missed its prey.

Roselia, feeling Esteban’s hand around her waist, tensed up and attempted to sound casual, “You’re quite mischievous.”

To her sarcastic comment, Esteban looked at her curiously.

“You’re doing this on purpose to trouble the Crown Princess, aren’t you?”

At her words, Esteban’s lips curled into a smirk.

“Quick to catch on, I see,” he said, pulling her waist closer with a teasing smile.
“You’re quick to notice,” Esteban remarked, pulling her waist closer with a mischievous grin.

Caught off guard, Roselia inadvertently swallowed hard, her eyes locked with Esteban’s.

“What do you mean…” she tried to maintain her composure, but Esteban looked as if he could see right through her.

Esteban’s hand, which had been holding Roselia’s, slid naturally down to grasp her wrist, reminiscent of how he had once seized her wrist in the royal palace.

“Your wrist is excessively slender,” Esteban noted, smiling meaningfully as he met her gaze.

Roselia quickly jerked her wrist out of his grasp.

Despite her reaction, Esteban remained unfazed, naturally taking her hand again to lead the dance.

Esteban’s gaze briefly shifted towards Klaus, who was standing nearby with a cold expression, glaring intensely at them.

Observing Klaus’s displeasure, Esteban commented, “It seems Duke Balthazar is still in the dark.”

Receiving no response from Roselia, Esteban appeared amused, “We’ve inadvertently shared a secret.”

Roselia glanced at him incredulously, “I don’t know any of your secrets.”

“You’re aware of the strained relationship between me and the Crown Princess, aren’t you? That’s a crucial secret, involving the welfare of the royal family.”

Roselia exhaled in disbelief, “It seems like everyone knows by now, just by the fact I’m dancing with you.”

Esteban smiled slyly at her words, “No, this isn’t enough.”

With that, he suddenly pulled her closer, leaning in until their lips were almost touching. To an onlooker, it might have seemed like they were about to kiss.

As Roselia gaped in shock, Esteban straightened up with a playful smile, “Now, everyone will surely know.”

Around them, the crowd began to buzz with excitement.

“Did you see that?”

“Oh my, what just happened?”

Everyone’s attention naturally turned to the Crown Princess, who stood rigidly, trying to maintain composure as if unaffected by their actions.

Roselia felt a pang of guilt at the sight of the Crown Princess, standing like a statue, while Esteban engaged in a glaring match with her.

“Why drag me into this love spat! I want to jab my fingers into those proud golden eyes of the Crown Prince!”

Frustrated, Roselia managed to restrain her anger. But then, her gaze met Klaus’s, who was glaring at them, exuding hostility.

Was it because of the scene she had just shared with the Crown Prince, or because she had hurt the beloved Crown Princess? Klaus’s eyes burned with an indecipherable emotion.

Feeling unjustly accused, Roselia glared back at Esteban, who merely shrugged.

“I won’t forget this debt, Antonio.”

“Right now, I’m Roselia,” she hissed under her breath, glancing around to ensure no one overheard.

“Hmm, that name isn’t bad either. Alright, Roselia. But…”
At that moment, Esteban cut off his sentence and grinned, looking past Roselia.

“It seems the Duke has something to say to you,” he remarked.

Puzzled, Roselia turned around and tensed up.

There was Klaus, approaching through the crowd, his expression as furious as a raging rhinoceros, heading straight for the center of the ballroom – and precisely towards her.