The rest of the ball flowed as smoothly as water.
After his sweet rendezvous with Ariadne, Alfonso returned to his seat to find that Princess Lariessa had left the ball. The message was that she had gone to rest early because she was ‘not feeling well.’
‘Was our conversation during the second waltz that shocking?’
He felt a slight sense of guilt. But it was something that had to be done someday. Soon, he would be able to say goodbye to Princess Lariessa forever. Despite his guilt, Alfonso felt a sense of liberation as light as a feather at the fact that Lariessa was no longer beside him.
Ariadne too, after meeting with Alfonso, returned to her seat as if nothing had happened.
“Ariadne!”
Raphael, who had returned from dancing the waltz with Julia, had been anxiously uncomfortable knowing that Ariadne had been away from her seat for a long time. It was only after her return that he was able to let out a sigh of relief.
“You scared me, Ariadne. Where have you been?”
“Just out, getting some air with the spirits.”
Ariadne answered with a smile. If a spirit of daffodils was to be picked out at today’s ball, it would undoubtedly be Alfonso. Her man was really, extremely cool and at the same time, adorably cheesy.
Raphael, who had no idea what Ariadne was thinking, looked perplexed by her prank.
“You were dancing the waltz with Count Cesare while I was away. I’ve never seen such a troublemaker lady.”
“Oh my, have I done something I shouldn’t have?”
Feeling good, Ariadne teased Raphael with a beaming smile. Embarrassed, Raphael reminded Ariadne of her duty.
“Ariadne, your ‘friend’ will not let me off the hook for failing to prevent the waltz with Count Cesare.”
Ariadne responded with a twinkling smile.
“If that’s the problem, it’s been well discussed. The spirits said they would let it go because they had made mistakes too.”
Only then did Raphael realize what Ariadne was talking about, and he brushed his face awkwardly.
“It seems like I’ve failed as a partner.”
“Your college grades were good, so it’s okay.”
Raphael’s eyes widened in a question.
“How did you know that? I’ve never bragged about it.”
“I just thought you would be like that.”
Ariadne laughed and changed the subject.
“So, speaking of which…”
[This is the time separator]“Is it already time to say goodbye? That’s disappointing, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I had a lot of fun today, Viscount Baldesar.”
“Raphael.”
Ariadne realized her mistake in addressing him and laughed, sticking out her tongue.
Usually, when a ball is held, the nobles enjoy the party by moving around to several balls held on the same day, but the royal palace ball is an exception.
Out of respect for the Carlo royal family, most of the invited guests stayed until the end, and if they arranged a schedule afterwards, it was not a new ball but just a few close people getting together for an extra drink.
Typically, gentlemen would gather and share a drink in a salon, or ladies would partake in a light sparkling beverage and then part ways.
Rafael and Ariadne were not close enough to share drinks in private after the royal ball, so it was fitting that they would disperse separately as soon as the ball ended.
“But I can still escort you home.”
“I didn’t bring my carriage separately. If you don’t take me, I can’t go home.”
“Hahaha. What if my carriage is also gone after going to the rotary with the royal carriage?”
“Shall we walk home?”
“I’m fine with that. It’s romantic to walk home all night with a beautiful signora.”
“I don’t like that. I’m talking about shoes.”
The two were waiting for the royal carriage with the lily of the valley and deer emblem in front of the ‘Room of Lilies’, exchanging silly chatter. The royal carriages carried guests out regularly at 5minute intervals.
As many guests had already left, the area in front of the ballroom was quite deserted. A couple that had been waiting in front of them boarded the royal carriage and headed towards the rotary where the carriages of each family were lined up waiting. There was hardly anyone left nearby.
“Look, our carriage seems to be coming.”
“Ah? It’s coming soon?”
It was just after the couple in front of them had taken the royal carriage. Ariadne tilted her head at the broken 5minute interval that the royal carriages had kept orderly.
“There’s nothing wrong with coming early.”
“Well, that’s true.”
A delay is unpleasant but early arrival is welcome.
The royal carriage with the emblem of lily of the valley and deer stopped in front of Rafael and Ariadne. Rafael escorted Ariadne onto the carriage first. When Rafael tried to climb up himself, the plump coachman of the royal carriage stopped him.
“I have a message to carry the lady alone.”
“What?”
Rafael asked back in surprise.
“Who sent the message?”
The elderly coachman of the royal carriage, dressed in uniform, answered in a small voice, bowing his head.
“I came at the command of the Little Sun of San Carlo.”
“Oh.”
Rafael looked at Ariadne.
“Well, it seems your spirit is calling you?”
He asked her in a voice dripping with regret.
“Will the fairy of the spring go to meet the spirit of the narcissus?”
Ariadne burst into laughter at the ticklish title.
“Don’t call me that.”
However, she did not say she would refuse Alfonso’s invitation and go home with Rafael. Rafael smiled with a hint of regret.
“So, it seems my role as the deputy partner ends here tonight.”
Rafael de Balthazar took out a small gift box he had been carrying.
“It’s my ‘Signora Operetta’. Open it when you get home.”
Ariadne accepted the gift box with a smile.
“Thank you. It was a beautiful ball thanks to you.”
Rafael thought it was more beautiful thanks to ‘The Spirit of the Narcissus’ than himself, but he did not show it. Instead, he kissed Ariadne’s gloved hand, who had climbed into the open carriage, in farewell.
“Call me whenever you need a temporary partner.”
“I can’t bother you many times.”
“Bother?”
He strongly denied it.
“It will be my pleasure to respond to your call.”
Ariadne answered with a smile.
“I’ll think about it and contact you.”
Rafael knew it was time to say goodbye.
“Well, goodbye.”
The royal carriage, carrying only the woman in the blue dress, left her partner at the ball and began to run along the granite road.
The old coachman glanced back at the back seat.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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