Oh no. Ethan laughed, gritting his teeth, observing the ladies who appeared with their nieces and sons. They were definitely unmatchable.

“Please introduce us. We also want to exchange a few words with the empire’s hero!”

Help me, please. Ethan laughed with bared teeth. There was no way a single count could handle several ladies. Moreover, these ladies were intimately related to the West, particularly close to Milene, his wife, or more precisely, difficult because they only exchanged greetings with Ethan.

In the end, Ethan stuck close to Ru and began introducing each lady one by one.

“Ru, this is Lady Pantham.”

“Nice to meet you. She’s our son.”

“I’m Nicholas Stewart. Hello, young lady.”
In an instant, Ru let various names pass by without even remembering them.

John, Smith, Callin, Harriet—they were surely introduced, but they were forgettable people. Moreover, they made good use of this opportunity provided by their female relatives, including their mothers, aunts, and cousins. It went something like this:

“The young lady is quite remarkable.”

Whenever her mother spoke, she would always agree, trying her best to appeal in some way.

“I, too, was deeply moved, Miss Yeonga.”

With a very solemn look, he placed his hand on his chest and nodded. Ru stood by her father, offering a vague smile.

What should she do? Although her father was standing firm, acting as her shield, she knew that casually chatting and mingling would be more natural.

‘Rather than the Emperor, this side is better.’

It suited her manners and position. Recalling her mother’s words once again, Ru accepted the gentlemen’s words and responded to a polite man’s request for a dance.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

Although her dad spoke in a low voice, Ru just smiled and shook her head.

“It’s fun, you know.”

Since his daughter spoke so, he couldn’t stop her.

“All right, then go and enjoy yourself. Oh, Ru?”

Nicholas Stewart, if he’s a Fanham Viscount, well, he’s not bad. It’s obvious because he’s a viscount going into the Fanham family as a son-in-law. Ethan looked at Fanham Viscount Nicholas with eyes that didn’t please him very much and said to his daughter.

“Let’s dance next time, with Dad.”

“Oh, sure.”

Ru, who was about to take Fanham’s hand and leave without expression, suddenly smiled brightly.

“Sure.”

She was very happy to dance with her dad. Accepting his dance request was simply because Fanham Viscount Nicholas, unlike other gentlemen gathered there, did not openly show what he expected from Ru.

Anything ordinary is good. Aren’t all her peers already coming out to dance wildly with gentlemen like Fanham Viscount? Ru also had to blend in appropriately.

‘And I need to get out of here for now. Wow, it’s so chaotic.’

Shaking her head with a jittery feeling, Ru sought forgiveness from Fanham.

“Um, Viscount, I’m still not good at dancing, so I might make mistakes. Please forgive me in advance.”

“I’m not skilled either. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness.”

Yeah, that’s why this man is better. At least, in terms of attitude, he was fine. There were ladies who directly asked, “Does Viscount Genesis want a son-in-law?” It was better to be more courteous.

Ru learned that his hands were slightly small, and he was of average height. Except for horseback riding and hunting, there was almost no exercise. The music started.

“How did you come to bring such a precious treasure?”

Instead of answering, Ru smiled slightly. It was a formal smile.
“I only learned about such symbols of power in history books.”

“That’s right.”

Responding appropriately and stepping lightly was surprisingly easy. It seemed that she didn’t dance so gracefully with Hayden.

Dancing with him made her feel like she couldn’t fully concentrate, and she ended up feeling scattered and distracted. She could remain calm only when she made up her mind to focus solely on the dance without mixing in any words.

“But bringing such an item here by Yeonga…”

Ru casually met eyes with Hayden beyond the low shoulders of Viscount Stewart. He was clearly looking at her.

“Ah.”

Certainly, in this part, the other party should support her, but Ru felt that Viscount Stewart’s outstretched arm was weak, so she exerted force on her heels.

A trained body easily withstood the dance without any problem. She just realized now that she had to ‘endure’ her posture. Hasn’t she ever had an experience like this before?

“Everyone is admiring.”

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

She couldn’t hear Viscount’s stories well. Ru turned around in front of the throne and moved away. But Hayden, who was still listening to the Treasurer’s words, was quietly watching her.

Ah. The hand supporting her now is much smaller and weaker than his. The gaze from behind his shoulder was more intense than the unclear face of Viscount, with a smile or whatever expression it might be.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”