It was clear that the nobles present today would soon spread the rumor throughout the empire.

He had instilled the perception that he was definitely the next emperor.

The young ladies stood still in their places, only looking at Joshua.

The eyes of the young ladies towards Joshua were filled with respect, admiration, and affection.

In addition, there was a mixture of expectation and desire to receive a dance invitation from Joshua at today’s imperial palace ball.

“……?”

Among the young ladies eagerly awaiting Joshua’s selection, Joshua felt a slightly different gaze. As if searching.

‘Interesting.’

Joshua’s gaze lingered on that young lady for a moment.

That unique reaction, different from other young ladies, piqued Joshua’s interest.

Staring intently at the slender and graceful young lady in a red dress, Joshua didn’t hesitate much and took a step towards her.

And he extended his hand to the young lady.

“Duke Amaterasu’s daughter. Would you dance with me?”

“……!”

The young ladies lined up let out a silent exclamation.

Joshua, ignoring the reactions of such young ladies, stared only at the young lady before him.

The young lady didn’t immediately take Joshua’s hand, but he wasn’t flustered at all.

‘She must be shy.’

In fact, there would be nothing more face-losing for a young lady than to readily take a man’s hand when asked to dance.

So pretending to hesitate slightly before accepting the dance invitation would maintain dignity.

“……”

But Joshua’s generous mood didn’t last long.

‘This can’t be happening……’

Joshua’s green eyes trembled slightly.

As the young lady’s hesitation prolonged, Joshua’s heart grew more anxious.

At this point, Joshua wondered whether he should withdraw his outstretched hand or not.

But there were too many eyes watching.

Whether the young lady in front of him rejected the dance invitation or not, his face would plummet to the ground.

Just as Joshua decided it would be better to resolve the situation before that, he was about to withdraw his hand.

“I have no reason to refuse.”

With a refreshing smile, the young lady placed her small white hand on Joshua’s.

Only then did Joshua realize that he had been so tense that he had momentarily stopped breathing.

However, trying his best not to show it, he moved his steps.

The two passed by the astonished young ladies and moved to the center of the hall.

Perfect symmetrical features as if meticulously drawn by a master artist’s brush, a height at least a span taller than the average man, and broad shoulders.

The suit couldn’t hide his body, tightly packed with muscles without an ounce of fat.

When expressionless and still, he exuded a cool impression that made it difficult to approach, but that only enhanced his charm.

It made observers feel as if he existed only in a place that could never be touched.

The gazes scanning Cabelased were quite attentive.

He inwardly sighed.

‘Hah……’

Even as he tried to focus on conversations with the nobles, the gazes directed at him were intensely prickly.

The group of young ladies and noblewomen who had been hovering around him since earlier, hoping to receive a dance invitation, and even male admirers…….

Their attention was quite bothersome, but Cabelased didn’t lose the faint smile on his lips.

If he were expressionless, it was clear that even the nobles he needed to talk to would all flee.

Moreover, they couldn’t even bring up the important topics.

This was because the young ladies, noblewomen, and even the male admirers were all listening intently to every word Cabelased uttered with their ears perked up.

So, unable to speak directly, the conversation revolved around abstract topics without progress.

Of course, it wasn’t that there was no way to drive them away from his side at once.

It was just that all the methods that came to his mind were rough ones.

For instance, he could glare at them with a fierce expression and tell them to get lost.

However, if he did that, it was clear that he would drive away not only the unwanted people but also the nobles with whom he needed to share information.

‘How boring.’

Feeling bored with this uncomfortable situation, Cabelased carelessly turned his gaze.

Soon, his eyes caught an unusual pair of man and woman.

‘I thought the hall seemed a bit noisy… It must be because of those two.’

Cabelased stared at the center of the hall with his brows slightly furrowed.

The pair of man and woman greeted each other and joined hands.

It seemed they were about to start dancing.

“Duke Cardia, what’s over there?”

One of the nobles conversing with Cabelased keenly noticed his gaze and turned his head.

Before Cabelased could withdraw his gaze, the other nobles with him also turned their heads towards the center of the hall.

“Oh, His Highness the Crown Prince is dancing.”

His words became a signal for all the nearby nobles to turn their heads towards the center of the hall.

“They truly make a well-matched pair.”

An old noble said with a chuckle.

Whether the two were well-matched or not was beside the point; they certainly caught attention.

Every time the woman dancing with the Crown Prince took a step, the gold embroidery at the hem of her red dress sparkled like jewels, her slender yet curvaceous body moved with fluid grace, and her dance was elegant and refined.

The long sleeves fluttered delicately with every movement of her body.

One of the nobles, mesmerized by their dance, spoke.

“But who is the lady dancing with His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“……It must be Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.”

But as soon as her identity was revealed, the nobles who had been praising her just moments ago fell silent.

However, whispering voices soon followed.

“The gods are truly fair. It seems they gave her such beautiful looks in exchange for not giving her a sharp mind……”

“Indeed. It seems she couldn’t even open her mouth in front of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Sounds of snickering could be heard.

Malicious voices of criticism towards Jieselgrante began to erupt here and there.

“The gods are truly fair. They gave her a dull mind and a tongue to match.”

At Cabelased’s heavy words, the surrounding air froze instantly.

He swept his gaze over the nobles who had been criticizing Jieselgrante earlier with an expressionless face.

The nobles who received Cabelased’s cold gaze flinched, then began to slink away.

Thanks to this, Cabelased was able to drive away all those who had been annoyingly following him wherever he went.

Of course, it came with the added result of driving away the nobles he had wanted to converse with as well.

Meanwhile, Count Frederick was unable to properly enjoy the imperial palace ball as he was busy searching for the nobles Jieselgrante had said would be good to build connections with.

Of course, even if he hadn’t had any particular tasks to handle, he probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the imperial palace ball anyway.

‘Where is Baron Cypress……’

As Count Frederick wandered around the hall looking for another noble he needed to build a connection with, he felt an intense gaze and flinched.

He didn’t have the courage to turn his head in that direction.

The young lady who had attended as Count Frederick’s partner had been glaring at him as if she wanted to tear him apart.

‘If only she would enjoy herself moderately……’

At that moment, Count Frederick made a resolution.

If he had to attend another partner-accompanied gathering in the future, it would be better to bring a partner who enjoyed drinking or was good at socializing with people.

She had been standing guard in front of the cream-colored wall like a decoration since entering the hall until now.

Occasionally ignoring the proposals of men inviting her to dance.

And she had constantly kept her eyes on Count Frederick.

‘I hope she doesn’t harbor any resentment.’

Count Frederick let out a faint sigh and busily met with the nobles on the list Jieselgrante had given him.

Fortunately, he had managed to set up future appointments with a few nobles from the list.

‘With this, I’ve finished all my tasks for today.’

Now all that remained was to improve the mood of his partner who had accompanied him to the imperial palace ball.

However, his feet wouldn’t move easily.

‘Let’s drink a little more.’

Count Frederick decided to add to his tipsiness and picked up a glass of wine.

And just as he was about to bring the glass to his lips to wet his dry throat, the hall became a bit noisy.

‘What’s happening?’

Count Frederick quickly scanned the hall.

And he discovered Jieselgrante and the Crown Prince dancing in the center of the hall.

“……!”

It was a sight so surprising that he would have spat out the wine if he had just taken a sip.

At that moment, he recalled a conversation he had with Jieselgrante not long ago.

‘I heard this imperial palace ball requires partners to attend.’

‘Yes, that’s what I heard.’

‘Seeing how relaxed you are, it seems you already have a partner, young lady?’

Count Frederick had naturally thought that Jieselgrante wouldn’t have a partner.

Hence, he assumed she would also be in quite a difficult situation right now.

However, Jieselgrante’s response simply defied Count Frederick’s expectations.

‘Of course, I do. Have you found a partner, Count Frederick?’

For a moment he was at a loss for words, but Count Frederick managed to get through that moment without showing his confusion.

Even after that, he couldn’t bring himself to offer to be Jieselgrante’s partner for the imperial palace ball, nor could he even ask who her partner was.

After all, they had agreed to keep secret the fact that he and Jieselgrante had joined hands for the same purpose…….

‘So it was the Crown Prince. Duke Amaterasu’s daughter’s partner.’

Count Frederick stood there, watching Jieselgrante and the Crown Prince dance.

More accurately, he couldn’t take his eyes off Jieselgrante.