Students who encountered Nigel’s terrifying face skillfully avoided eye contact, sneaking around like when taking assignments from their desks while avoiding Cledian’s gaze.

“It seems you have the luxury to be distracted while leaving your partner behind?”

At that moment, a waltz tune began with three lively beats on the piano.

Nigel freely moved across the dance floor, led by Kyle’s lead.

“Well, I find Kyle’s attitude change, as quick as flipping a palm, more incomprehensible than my strange classmates.”

Nigel smiled faintly, drawing close to him to whisper along with the soft melody, then moving away from Kyle as the intense cello tune resonated.

Simultaneously, she felt piercing gazes directed at her from various corners.

“You’re quite popular, my lady.”

As Nigel frowned and shot glares around, her classmates scattered like startled sparrows.

Only one, Noah Beselion, fully withstood Nigel’s gaze.

“……”

Feeling that opening the lid of those emotions might reveal an unfathomable depth in those blue eyes, Nigel averted her gaze from Noah first.

As she turned her head, she caught Kyle staring at her intently before breaking into a smirk.

It was a familiar face. Kyle’s expression closely resembled Zeronin’s when he mockingly said this is why children are no good.

“……Don’t treat me like a child.”

“I’m merely stating facts, not treating you as such.”

With no room for rebuttal, Nigel clicked her tongue, expressing her displeasure.

As the waltz reached its midpoint and the melody deepened, Kyle, who had been watching Nigel with an indecipherable, curious gaze, slowly opened his mouth.

“I did some personal research out of curiosity, and discovered quite an interesting fact.”

“Wow, congratulations. I’d like to applaud, but unfortunately, the situation doesn’t allow it.”

Nigel sarcastically tightened her grip on Kyle’s shoulder and palm.

Kyle let out a small laugh, drawing closer to Nigel before speaking again.

“It’s the fact that only those who haven’t received divine power through human methods, but are naturally born with it, can manipulate others’ divine power affinity.”

Nigel’s eyes narrowed at the whisper reaching her ears.

“Why are you telling me this……”

Nigel, looking up at Kyle, couldn’t continue her words.

Kyle’s face showed no thick mask, no sign of doubt. He was certain that Nigel was a saint.

“Are you…… threatening me?”

By now, the heavy waltz melody had reached its climax.

“No, quite the opposite.”

“……”

“Nigel Ars, I wanted to thank you.”

The melody, descending from its peak, gradually calmed to return to its original theme.

And soon, the initial bright tune resonated even more vigorously and brightly.

Kyle gazed directly at Nigel.

“For not turning a blind eye to my and my sister’s problem.”

“……”

“For extending a helping hand to those seeking help.”

The dance tune, rising as if in dialogue between string instruments and piano, neared its end.

The most splendid final note signaled the end of the waltz, and cheers erupted from all around.

“I sincerely thank you.”

Amidst the commotion, Nigel felt an indescribable emotion at his faintly trembling voice.

Then, Kyle bent his knee and kissed the back of Nigel’s hand.

“Nigel Ars, if you ever need the help of the Cromwell family, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Nigel was left speechless by the pure kiss of respect.

It was a first.

Not being praised as Nigel, but being praised as a saint.

After a long silence, Nigel finally managed to speak.

“……You’ll keep this a secret from Sid, right?”

“Of course.”

The two facing each other exchanged smiles.

After the dance, as Nigel was chatting with Kyle, using the piercing glares from her classmates as a distraction, her face suddenly stiffened.

She felt the communication stone hidden in her dress vibrate.

The only one who would contact her now would be Widrun.

As Nigel looked up at Kyle with a troubled expression, Kyle bowed, placed a simple kiss on the back of her hand, and left.

Thanks to Kyle’s perceptiveness, Nigel, now alone, quickly scanned the ballroom for a secluded spot.

“……Karl, isn’t Nigel too beautiful today? She was as elegant as a princess… no, a queen from a fairy tale.”

Meanwhile, Calaine, who had danced flawlessly with her fiancé, was far from smiling.

Calaine had prepared her attire more meticulously than usual for the Flores ball.

Taking a full day to complete her grooming, servants and maids praised her appearance with every step, and quite a few maids even blushed.

Yet, her fiancé, whom she most wanted to impress, paid no attention to her efforts and was distracted by some other woman.

She was relieved to find that ‘Nigel’, the name more frequent on Yenika’s lips than her own, wasn’t actually a man, but she still felt hurt by Yenika.

“You’re right, Yeni. As you said, Lady Nigel was breathtakingly beautiful.”

“Right? I knew you’d understand, Karl!”

Moreover, despite praising someone other than his fiancée’s appearance, Yenika showed no signs of jealousy, instead eagerly continuing to praise Nigel.

About that lady who was busy avoiding her gaze from afar.

“That lavender dress enhanced Nigel’s innocence… I almost lost focus while dancing!”

“Yenika, you’re not from the country of art for nothing. Your eye for beauty is exceptional.”

“Your Highness’s words are all correct.”

To make matters worse, her only friends, her cousin Meriel and Noah, both agreed with Yenika’s words.

Only Calaine’s guard knight, standing a bit apart, was at a loss, seeing through Calaine’s fake smile.

“……”

Calaine looked at her fiancé again with a pitiful expression.

“Yeni, who are you looking at with me right beside you?”

“Really, to think we can only see such beauty with our eyes… If I had known, I should have brought a recording stone.”

“Ah, I understand that feeling.”

Nod, nod.

But while the guard knight’s face grew even paler, still no one looked at Calaine’s face or spoke to her.

“By the way, Meriel, thank you for granting my request.”

“It was nothing. I wanted to do it.”

Meanwhile, Calaine, whose pride was hurt that her lovely fiancée relied on her cousin sister rather than herself, the Imperial Crown Prince, finally opened her mouth.

“Request? What do you mean by request, Yeni?”

“Ah, Yenika asked me earlier during the entrance. She asked me to request a dance with Noah if there were any ladies approaching Noah other than Nigel.”

Hmm, even I couldn’t do that.

Calaine’s lips, which were about to curl up as her misunderstanding cleared, dropped again.

“Wait, what hidden charm does that lady possess that everyone except me is captivated?”

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Just… I liked her from the first time I saw her.”

Despite the clear answers from her fiancée and Meriel, Calaine’s expression didn’t brighten.

Throughout the dance, obscured by Viscount Cromwell’s tall stature, all Calaine could see was Nigel’s occasionally visible mouth.

Towards the end, when her lips curved upwards, she was quite presentable, though not as much as Yenika.

But other than that, she was consistently stubborn and cold, resembling her difficult-to-approach uncle even after several meetings.

Calaine, frustrated, was about to ruffle her hair but remembered the head servant’s sharp smile and lowered her hand.

“Noah, what do you think of that lady’s……”

Calaine, addressing Noah, noticed her friend’s eyes had sharpened like daggers.

Wondering if he had sensed any killing intent, Calaine quickly followed Noah’s line of sight.

There stood the lady in question with Kyle Cromwell.

The two, who had been chatting amicably, parted after the Viscount’s kiss.

Yes, now was the perfect time to understand how Nigel had captivated her friend and fiancée.

Of course, as the Crown Prince, she couldn’t request a meeting herself, so the person to bring her over was already decided.

“Noah.”

“What.”

Noah responded only verbally, his gaze fixed on Nigel.

As the Imperial Crown Prince, Calaine patiently opened her mouth once more.

“My dear friend, Lord Noah.”

“Speak, Karl. I’m listening.”

But Noah’s head still showed no sign of turning.

Not wanting to do this, Calaine sighed inwardly and said,

“This is an order from the Crown Prince. Noah Beselion, turn your head.”

Faced with an irrefusable command, Noah’s face reluctantly turned.

Her friend’s face clearly showed his unwillingness. His contorted face almost looked like he was about to cry.

“……”

Unaware that Noah’s expression was due to losing sight of Nigel, Calaine, feeling sorry for her friend, began the conversation in a gentle tone.

“Noah. Are you close with that lady, Nigel Ars? If it’s alright, could you bring her to me?”

At that moment, Noah’s face brightened.

“Noah, I’m sorry to interrupt your time, but could you bring Lady Nigel Ars to me?”

In that instant, Noah’s face lit up.

“What’s with him… Why is he like that?”

Her friend’s face, usually grimacing at her orders, was now filled with happiness.

“You’re slow on the uptake, Karl. Noah, that guy, he’s completely fallen for Nigel.”

Meriel teasingly mocked her cousin brother.

Calaine, who had been secretly worried about Yenika falling for Noah’s handsome exterior, felt her lips curl upward.

“Really? How could Noah betray the angel he met in the North when he was young and find a new love? I clearly remember him crying and suffering from lovesickness, troubling Viscount Beselion.”

Meriel hesitated for a moment, then nudged Noah, who looked ready to dash off in search of Nigel.

“It’s the same person.”

With that brief answer, Noah bowed to Calaine and immediately strode off to find Nigel.

Calaine blinked at this completely unexpected revelation.