Her tall figure looked elegant in the tight-fitting dress. Despite the distance, the shy smile on her face was so clear.

Grace Tanner blushed and said something, and Axel shook his head. However, he seemed much more comfortable compared to when he was surrounded by other women he didn’t know.

Finally, Axel smiled faintly. A smile also spread across Grace’s face.

For a moment, it felt like my heart had dropped to the ground with a thud.

Jade unconsciously clenched her trembling fingers to hide them. Seeing Axel’s cool eyes curve made her toes curl with anxiety.

As she had felt before, Axel and Grace seemed to be a good match externally. It was their tall stature, their strong bodies, and their knight-like long limbs.

She looked down without realizing it.

Her not-so-tall height, her slender frame.

No matter how you looked at it, she would not look harmonious next to Axel.

She knew that all the thoughts she was having now were not rational. It was Jade Broen who had kissed Axel, not Grace Tanner.

His feelings were for her. Jade knew Axel.

Rather, it was Axel who should be angry right now. Because he had caught her dancing with another man despite having a complicated situation where she couldn’t even declare him as her fiancé.

But jealousy had no logic.

She felt inexplicably angry. Jade didn’t want to see them smiling at each other at all. No matter what conversation they were having, she just really hated it.

It was even more so because she sometimes felt that Grace Tanner knew Axel better than she did.

“Are you not going?”

Sensing something odd behind her, Hank Melling carefully spoke to her.

“Ah….”

Jade closed her eyes and opened them again. Then she could smile perfectly again.

“This is my last request, could you please guide me to the garden? This is my first time at this party venue, so I don’t know my way around well.”

The frank assessment coming through the crack in the door made Jennison feel gloomy as he described Lycine Moretti’s party.

‘There are gatherings posing as proper events, but in the end, the purpose is a very flesh-baring party.’

‘It changes color at dawn. That’s when you really need to be careful.’

Axel immediately grabbed Jennison and ordered him to bring back an invitation, and Jennison, who had become accustomed to following orders from their long past together, hurriedly got Lycine’s consent and brought it.

The king, not knowing the situation, was even more excited to hear that Axel was going to the party and started picking out clothes. No matter how much the servants tried to stop him, he wouldn’t listen.

“Darker colors are better! Decorations should be silver rather than gold. Come on, try this on quickly.”

Axel irritably replied.

“I’ll take care of it myself. What kind of king is picking out clothes for a mere knight?”

“You’re not just any knight, but a knight I personally chose, so I can do that. Ah, aren’t you in a hurry? I’m telling you to put it on quickly. I’m busy right now too, you know!”

After enduring all sorts of annoyances and entering the party venue, the sight he saw as soon as he entered was the kind that made his anger rise to the tip of his head just by recalling it.

The cutely parted lips and round, wide-open eyes were certainly adorable, but the man’s hand she was holding was very unpleasant.

As he stared with his arms crossed, itchy music flowed out. Jade was timidly matching her feet with the unknown man’s in a shrunken posture.

Axel examined the man thoroughly with dissatisfied eyes.

As if deliberately chosen, he gave off a completely opposite feeling to the colors Axel had. Hair that was hard to call blonde but a light color, deep brown eyes, pale skin.

It matched well with Jade’s coloring too, as if painted by the same artist.

Axel unpleasantly frowned.

When on earth would this damned song end? Why was it so long?

Seeing the unknown man place his hand on Jade’s waist, wrap her shoulders, and hold her fingertips made his already unpleasant temper flare up.

“Did you say Earl Leon? I heard from a friend earlier….”

“Where are you staying now….”

Even sticking to the wall, the people chattering didn’t decrease. He got very annoyed.

At that moment, he saw a familiar face.

“Earl Leon.”

“Lady Grace.”

The knight with her curly hair thrown over her shoulders smiled. Axel, who was momentarily glad to see a familiar face, felt a strange discomfort again.

As Grace approached, the other women stepped back hesitantly. It was because her attitude was very confident and natural.

Grace, with her long hair thrown over her shoulders, stood next to Axel and leaned against the wall. Then she asked in a soft voice.

“What brings you to the party? I thought I’d never see a face like yours in a place like this.”

“I have something to do.”

Of course, the subject of that was currently dancing with another man.

Glancing at where his gaze was directed, Grace smiled slightly.

“Do you remember when I asked you to dance before? It was a really long time ago….”

Axel naturally made a face that said he was hearing it for the first time.

“Did that happen?”

“Yes. I think it’s been over six years. We had a small party with the knights of the North. After killing a huge monster hiding in the mountain range.”

Then it seemed like he vaguely remembered.

“I wanted to dance with Earl Leon at least once.”

Grace quietly pointed to the center of the party venue.

“Will you grant me that wish today?”

“No. It’s better not to.”

The music was almost over, and Jade, who had enthusiastically stepped on the man’s feet as if she had fought a battle rather than danced, was saying goodbye with a tearful face.

He had to snatch her up right away so that he could at least enjoy the second dance.

He also wanted revenge for having the first dance taken by another man, but if he did that, who knew when she would run away again. Jade Broen was a pro at stirring him up and running away. He absolutely could not give her a chance.

“Well, I’m not as sad as I thought I would be.”

At the sudden remark, Axel looked at Grace. The woman with a knight-like strong features laughed softly.

“Whether it was then or now, being coldly rejected isn’t much different. Actually, now I kind of know the reason, but do you know what you said when I asked you to dance back then?”

“What did I say?”

“You really said this. That you had no interest in spinning around in the middle of a space, garnering people’s attention.”

At that ruthless expression, Axel finally laughed in disbelief. Grace also laughed a bit louder, finding it funny again upon recalling it.

His past self was probably even more annoying and negative than he was now.

But now, he was jealous of other people’s dancing and aiming for the next turn, so it was definitely a big change if it was a change.

However, that change started solely from one person, so it was only right that that person took responsibility for it.

“It was a new definition of dance.”

“Yes, it was. Are you going to go spin around in the middle with someone else?”

“Maybe….”

As he was saying that, Axel was greatly surprised as soon as he turned his head again. He frantically searched for Jade with his gaze, but the center of the party venue was already empty, and there was no sparkling violet-eyed mage nor the annoyingly pale man.

Really, he only took his eyes off for a moment, where did she go again?

Axel hardened his face.

“Excuse me.”

Grace moved quickly with him to block other women from interfering, and Axel widened his stride so no one could keep up.

Not long after, he spotted a familiar figure moving away through the glass window. And the shoulders of the unfamiliar man guarding her side.

He began to follow with long strides. As expected, she was an expert at stirring him up.

“Thank you.”

Jade’s greeting was plain. Hank Melling was no fool and knew when to back off. He left with a quiet farewell.

Jade watched his knight-like sturdy shoulders, though not famous, and inwardly considered Hank Melling’s future.

Hmm, our family name still carries some weight, so if word gets out that marriage talks were exchanged, it would actually benefit him. I should continue exchanging a few cordial greetings. That way there’s no harm to him either.

Anyway, did Axel see my back? Why isn’t he coming? I thought he would follow right away seeing how he was glaring….

Jade, who rubbed the tip of her nose for no reason even though it wasn’t cold, leaned her back against a tree. When she rubbed her exposed shoulders feeling oddly embarrassed, her delicate skin easily flushed.

And instead of the man she expected, another man came.

“Hello.”

When she raised her head, there stood an unknown man with his clothes open down to his solar plexus. Jade gave an unpleasant smile.

“Ah, yes…. Hello.”

A greasy eye-smile came back in return for the greeting. It felt like her whole body had been buttered. In the meantime, she quickly opened her mouth with the thought of satisfying her curiosity.

“This may be untimely, but I’m curious about something. How did those… open clothes become a trend?”

“Well, I’m not sure either. Maybe it was to show off a strong body?”

The man, who suddenly spoke casually, opened the front of his clothes a bit more with another wink. But to Jade, who was already used to the bodies of knights, he just looked overly scrawny.

Of course, Jade politely didn’t point that out.

“I just can’t leave young ladies alone. Why don’t we take a walk over there? There’s a place where you can see the stars quite spectacularly.”

The man had a very confident face. He seemed to have an inexplicable conviction that she would naturally follow him.

Or he had another reason for that to happen.