“You’ve come, Kisa.”

Seiard greeted Kisa with a smile as she returned to the banquet hall, and immediately followed with a compliment.

“You look beautiful once again. Especially your shoulders look warm.”

“Well, my shoulders weren’t that cold earlier either. Anyway, thank you for the compliment.”

Kisa responded with an equally warm smile and looked around the banquet hall. The guests were still in their seats from the engagement ceremony, enjoying the course meal served by the ducal household staff.

“Now, let’s go to the guests. We should start with the princess’s table, of course?”

It was time for the couple to go around each table together, receiving individual congratulations on their engagement and greeting those they hadn’t properly met before the ceremony began.

‘The princess is a bit scary, but…’

Even if they were to hear veiled sarcasm disguised as congratulations, it couldn’t be avoided.

However, as Kisa was about to head towards the princess’s table, Seiard stopped her.

“It’s alright. I’ve already greeted them briefly while you were away.”

“Oh, Seiard went alone?”

“Yes, so let’s go have our meal now.”

“But these things should be done together…”

“Kisa, didn’t we agree to set aside strict formalities for our engagement ceremony?”

He placed one hand on his fiancée’s back and with the other, he pointed to the seats where they had sat while listening to Gabriel’s performance.

The table was set with food ready to be eaten at any moment.

“Besides, you must be getting hungry? You didn’t seem to eat much for breakfast.”

“Ah.”

That was true. Regardless of the excitement, it was inevitable to feel nervous about such an important event.

When she got engaged to Daniel, she was too young, and they had only a simple engagement ceremony with family members.

‘Honestly, it’s a bit hazy in my memory.’

In other words, this was Kisa’s first proper engagement ceremony.

And perhaps due to her somewhat sensitive constitution, Kisa had always been prone to indigestion when eating while nervous.

It was only natural that on the morning of the engagement ceremony, she ate just enough to keep her stomach from growling.

“…You were watching.”

“Of course. We ate together, after all.”

“But you were so busy.”

During the meal, he had been engrossed in discussing urgent matters with Gilliam, who had brought work that needed immediate attention.

As the Duke of Hillan managing a vast territory, it was impossible to focus solely on his own affairs even on the day of his engagement ceremony.

“No matter how busy I am, I naturally notice that much. Anyway, let’s go quickly. The food will get cold at this rate.”

As Kisa was led to the table by Seiard, a sense of relief spread through her chest.

‘This is the Seiard I know after all.’

Even if he had some peculiarities in his way of thinking, it didn’t change the fact that he was a good person.

Or rather, given his unconventional upbringing, it was natural for his thought process to differ from others.

Having reached this conclusion, Kisa completely dismissed the last bit of doubt lingering in her mind.

“Thank you, Seiard. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

She said happily as she sat down in her chair.

After the late lunch, the real reception could begin.

As the ducal household staff swiftly cleared away the tables and chairs, a space for the ball was quickly secured.

Needless to say, the couple to showcase the first dance in front of everyone would be today’s protagonists.

Kisa and Seiard stood at the center of the banquet hall, facing each other and taking their positions.

Soon after, the orchestra began to play, and the two moved to the melody.

With her waist entrusted to Seiard’s firm arm, Kisa recalled the memories of the past few days.

In fact, she hadn’t been frequenting the Hillan mansion merely to observe the engagement preparations as an outsider.

She had a rather serious purpose, which was to teach Seiard how to dance.

Although she might not excel in other areas compared to him, dancing was one domain where Kisa was confident.

She prided herself on her decent skills, and above all, Seiard was a complete novice when it came to dancing.

He had been sent to the monastery long before he was old enough to enter society, and even after returning to the capital as an adult, he had never danced in public.

There were even speculative articles suggesting that the new Duke of Hillan’s dancing skills would be catastrophic.

Kisa herself had clearly witnessed him merely watching others dance at the Habertz charity ball, where he attended as the princess’s partner.

For these reasons, Kisa had confidently said to him:

“Let’s practice dancing together! If there are any difficult parts, I’ll teach you as best I can. Believe it or not, I know a fair bit about men’s dance steps too.”

Not long after, she was frustrated.

“…What is this? Why are you dancing so well?”

The catastrophic part wasn’t Seiard’s dancing skills, but Kisa’s grand misconception.

He danced well, quite ordinarily so.

To Kisa’s question, Seiard answered with a face that seemed to ask why she was inquiring about something so obvious.

“Because I learned, of course.”

“You learned to dance?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“About a month ago. I thought I should at least be familiar with it if I’m to attend social gatherings.”

“Oh my, just a month ago?”

“Ah, to be precise, I’m still learning. I haven’t been able to call the dance instructor at all these past few days due to various engagements, but the course isn’t completely finished yet.”

He even said he was still learning. Kisa was left speechless.

Isn’t he too perfect, this Seiard Hillan?

Lineage, personality, ability – he seemed flawless in every aspect.

What she had thought to be his only flaw – being born the younger of twins – no longer seemed to hinder his path.

In any case, while Kisa had long known he was an outstanding person, it was hard to shake off a sense of bitterness.

‘Couldn’t you have left at least one area where I excel more?’

This time, she really thought she could be of help to him.

“Kisa, focus.”

At that moment, Seiard pulled her body closer to his and whispered quietly.

“What if you make a mistake?”

As he said, it wasn’t good to let one’s mind wander while in the middle of dancing.

“Well, don’t worry too much. I’ll catch you if you’re about to fall.”

How irritating his confident face was, Kisa grumbled inwardly.

‘Are you sure you’re not lying about learning for the first time just a month ago? Maybe you’ve been practicing intensively at the monastery…’

Of course, it was an unreasonable accusation.

While Seiard’s dancing skills were excellent, it became apparent that he hadn’t actually danced much elsewhere before.

His dance moves were too textbook perfect.

He lacked the personal habits that people familiar with dancing usually develop.

For example, omitting or minimizing movements they don’t like, and adding or exaggerating ones they do.

Fundamentally, dancing in social settings wasn’t about being evaluated by others, but about enjoying oneself.

People would often incorporate their own preferences as long as it didn’t interfere with matching their partner.

But Seiard’s dance was, how should one put it, colorless and odorless.

She hadn’t noticed when they first danced together, but after a few times, it became clear that for him, dancing was something to be learned, not enjoyed.

‘Even so, the fact that he learned so admirably in such a short time is astonishing enough, but…’

As she watched the man lightly lifting her waist, Kisa resolved to dance with him as much as possible from now on.

So that he could find his own style.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”

As the world was tinged with sunset hues, Kisa, who had escaped to the terrace, let out a deep sigh.

She had just barely managed to escape, thanks to Seiard’s intervention, after being thoroughly harassed by the guests.

Everyone showed great interest in the Duke of Hillan’s fiancée and tried to engage her in conversation.

From flattery about how fantastic their dance was to intrusive questions about when they would marry Seiard.

Everyone tried to corner Kisa and tell their own stories, to the point where she felt like losing her mind.

‘I knew it would be like this, but to this extent…’

Although she was aware, this was the first time Kisa personally experienced her newfound popularity since the engagement announcement, as she hadn’t attended any large social gatherings since then.

Fortunately, it seemed no one had seen her come here, as there was no sign of anyone approaching.

Thanks to that, Kisa was able to enjoy some alone time on the terrace for a while.

Until a familiar voice was heard from below.

“I understand. If you insist…”

It was Gabriel speaking in the garden.

He seemed to be conversing with someone not far from where she was, though unfortunately, the other person was hidden behind a large tree.

“Then, please come to the back of the annex an hour from now. It’s a place rarely approached by servants as it’s currently not in use.”

The other person must have nodded in response, as only Gabriel’s voice could be heard.

“Yes, then I’ll see you there later. I’ll make sure to convey my feelings for you clearly. And also say goodbye…”

His voice was tinged with deep melancholy, causing Kisa to hurriedly crouch down.

She instinctively felt that they shouldn’t know she was here.

It seemed Gabriel was planning to confess to Seiard, after all.