The pupils in the blue eyes narrowed, then returned to round.

Silver hair swayed lightly above the mask adorned with malachite.

“No. I am not Orbis.”

A low voice mixed with laughter flowed between smooth lips.

With each gentle flutter of his clothing, a fresh scent imbued with the fragrance of grass wafted faintly.

“Not tonight.”

He gracefully moved in a circular motion, naturally embracing and turning her body to prevent Litania from colliding with others.

Litania took steps, relying on his hand, and retorted primly.

“Then, what is your name tonight?”

“Well. How about a butterfly drawn by the sweet scent of spring flowers?”

“Wouldn’t butterfly be a title more fitting for me, since it’s the shape of my mask?”

“Then I’ll be the flower.”

“I’ve never seen a flower approach a butterfly first and ask for a dance.”

“It might be possible if it’s an enchanted flower.”

As the man calmly replied, Litania rolled her eyes.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I heard this is an occasion to enjoy amusement while concealing one’s identity. Is it not?”

“So you came here changing even your face? How did you get in without an invitation?”

If news of the divine dragon Orbis attending had been sent, naturally Emperor Ferus would have known, and he would have either forbidden Orbis’ entry or changed the nature of the ball, given their poor relationship.

“Within this world, there is nowhere I cannot go.”

Indeed, there was truly no place Orbis couldn’t reach if he only changed his appearance, flying through the sky in dragon form for long distances and using magic for instant teleportation for short distances.

Perhaps, before meeting her, he had always changed his appearance like this when observing the human world.

“Have you never thought it’s pathetic to cling like this to a woman you’ve broken up with?”

“Oh my. I am not clinging.”

“Then what?”

“I’m making advances.”

“Goodness.”

Towards Litania, who glared in disbelief, the man gave an eye smile.

Whether it was because of the mask or because he changed his hair color to silver, he looked even more brazen than she remembered.

“Your cheeks are red.”

“This is because of the alcohol…”

“You look just like a drunk tomato.”

“What kind of strange comparison is that… Ah!”

Orbis lifted Litania and held her tightly. She felt pressure on her back and waist as her face was buried in rustling lace.

The fresh scent grew stronger, and Litania closed her eyes and let out a small moan.

It was Orbis’ scent.

“It feels cool.”

“Are you sobering up a little now?”

His hands were warm, but his clothes were cool. Litania instinctively wrapped her arms around Orbis’ neck, pulling him closer.

As she breathed in the scent she loved, her tipsy feeling subsided and her mind became calm.

The melody that had been continuing as if about to break off but never quite doing so stopped, and the surrounding murmur grew slightly louder.

“If you do this in front of people, no one would say anything even if I carried you off to the lounge like this.”

Realizing she had unconsciously clung to him, Litania quickly removed her hands and turned her head.

“Stop talking nonsense and put me down.”

“You mustn’t stumble, miss alcohol-soaked apricot.”

“Your nicknames are getting stranger and stranger?”

Orbis smiled brightly and lowered her so her feet touched the ground, but he didn’t let go of her hand.

When Litania looked back, he had intertwined his fingers with hers, holding them firmly.

Feeling the warmth rising through her bare hand, Litania quickly adjusted her butterfly mask.

‘I should have worn a larger mask.’

Even though it was covered by the mask, she could feel her face burning red on her cheeks.

“The music has ended.”

“The ball isn’t over yet.”

It’s the rule of a masked ball to change partners with each change of dance music. Of course, if there’s a fixed partner, they might dance together several times, but usually, one would dance with someone else at least once before returning to the original partner.

“People are watching. You just appeared at the ball today, it would be strange if I didn’t dance with other men.”

“Then I’ll just have to look like another man.”

“What?”

Snap.

As Orbis snapped his fingers, his wavy silver hair changed to smooth black hair. His deep teal outer garment changed to a bright light purple color.

Still holding Litania’s hand, he bent his waist to bring his face close, and blew a soft breath near her eyes.

“What, what are you doing…”

“Now we’ll look like different people.”

Did he use magic to change Litania’s appearance as well?

She quickly looked around.

The gazes of people who had been surrounding and watching Orbis and Litania until just now had moved away. Whether he had also cast a spell to lower their perception, people were now dancing with their new partners.

“Well then, shall we dance again?”

“Wait a moment. I didn’t come here intending to dance only with you, you know?”

“Then who did you intend to dance with?”

His lips, which had come closer with the slow melody, brushed against her ear.

“Your knight?”

“…!”

Litania tried to push Orbis away and pull her body back, but he didn’t let go of her hand.

“Orbis. Was it you who stole all the magic stones from the corridor lamps?”

“That’s a bit inaccurate. First, it wasn’t me who did it. And they weren’t stolen, but piled up in a corner.”

Litania recalled the moment when her eyes met with a crow outside the window as she was entering with Bain.

Crows like shiny things. Could it be that Raven had caused an accident by taking them all out and carrying them somewhere else?

“You had Raven do it to separate me from Bain.”

“Even if we’re friends, isn’t that too little trust?”

“What?”

“Raven ordered me to do it.”

“…What?”

“He said that without you, the dragon city doesn’t feel like a place where people live, everyone was making a fuss.”

Litania married Orbis by the emperor’s order.

But she heard that it was the ministers who first brought up the story.

The emperor forced their marriage because their interests aligned. It was also because the ministers approved, and they could use the power and presence of the divine dragon for the Beriberbium Empire.

“As you know, I’m the master of the dragon city and in a position to command subordinates.”

It means that the servants who wanted to serve Litania as the lady of the house pressured from below, and Orbis himself wanted to meet Litania, so their interests aligned and he plotted this ridiculous secret visit.

“Don’t make excuses about the servants. The lives of the dragon city servants depend on you, so no one can defy you.”

“That’s why it’s even more of a fuss. Without you, they can’t return to how it was before.”

No matter how much they restored the appearance of the dragon city to how it was when she was there, a dragon city without Litania felt somehow desolate. Even though spring had come, it didn’t feel like spring.

The servants of the dragon city missed their departed lady. When she was there, the dragon city was full of vitality, and even their cruel master treated the servants generously.

But now?

They pestered Orbis with very trivial struggles, and Orbis, who had stabilized a lot after the farewell trip with Litania, could afford to pick out only the words he needed to hear amidst the servants’ clamor.

“Are you trying to say you came for the peace of the dragon city?”

“No. I just missed you.”

“…”

She thought he would beat around the bush, but unexpectedly, he answered honestly, causing Litania to chuckle despite herself.

In the meantime, the dance music changed once more. This time, Orbis changed his appearance to have the same brown hair as Litania.

“Spring is the season I met you.”

The spring ball. The day Litania remembers first meeting Orbis.

They met in spring, married in autumn, divorced again the following autumn, and completely parted ways in winter.

“Orbis. I told you when we parted. We need to live our own lives now.”

“I know.”

“Our love is over.”

“Because it’s over, can’t we start again?”

“Women hate men who pathetically cling to them again after breaking up.”

“Are you the same?”

The toes of their shoes lightly touched. Litania tried to pull her foot back but ended up losing her balance and falling into Orbis’ arms.

“Ah, sorry…”

“Let me hear your answer, Litania.”

Orbis embraced her as she tried to get up, and whispered softly in her ear.

“I told you, didn’t I? That I won’t constrain you. That I’ll let you live your life freely as much as you want.”

Orbis had clearly said so to Litania, who was troubled by the forced marriage pushed by the emperor.

“That was my true heart.”

“…”

“Do you dislike me for coming to you and courting you even after our separation?”

Litania quietly listened to Orbis’ heartbeat. His heartbeat was surprisingly quite fast.

It was a loud and intense sound, as if beating a drum.

Is it because a dragon’s body is huge? She hadn’t known until now that Orbis’ heartbeat was this enormous.

“Orbis. I have no intention of starting over with you.”

“Litania…”

“So.”

Litania raised her hand to remove Orbis’ mask and then pulled his hair hard.

He stared blankly at her for a moment, then belatedly pretended to be hurt, saying “Ouch,” and returned his hair to blonde.

Only then did she see the face of the man she had missed.

“Make me feel like I want to.”