With the Duke of Bellerus’s unconventional declaration, the party began in full swing.

Not long after the party started, Lea, exhausted from dealing with endless noblewomen, had retreated to a corner.

‘Uncomfortable.’

She pretended to casually tilt her champagne glass, but Lea felt uncomfortable in this place, as if wearing ill-fitting shoes.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on Lea, as if watching a trapped monkey.

Even Dmitry had temporarily vacated his seat to engage in deep conversations with nobles he hadn’t seen in a while.

‘If only the Duke were here…’

Wouldn’t she be a little less tense? Since a while ago, Lea, pretending to sip champagne, looked around for Akkia.

But he seemed absent from the party; not a single strand of his hair was visible.

‘Grandfather said all the nobles in the capital would attend.’

Maybe the expectations were too high, resulting in great disappointment. Even if they couldn’t have a conversation like before, Lea had hoped for at least a distant exchange of glances.

But instead of a glance, she couldn’t even see his face, which was quite disheartening.

‘I’m here because of someone.’

While inwardly expressing unspoken resentment, Lea swirled her glass.

Her feet were beginning to ache. As she pondered whether to enter even the terrace, which was deserted by people, Edward approached her.

“Lady Bellerus.”

He extended his hand to Lea with a polite gesture.

“Would you honor me with the first dance with Lady Lea?”

“As much as you’d like.”

Setting down the champagne glass she held, Lea shook hands with him. As Lea, almost the protagonist of the party, approached the center of the stage, everyone made way for her.

“Lord Edward, just to let you know, this is my first time dancing.”

In reality, she had only mastered the basic steps.

Although she had learned basic etiquette and dance as part of her education before coming to the capital, she hadn’t mastered them perfectly.

‘If only I had mastered all of that perfectly, I would be a born genius.’

As Lea sent a cute warning about her feet, Edward’s lips loosened slightly.

As the gaze of hundreds of eyes felt like a prick on her back, making Lea stiffen, he whispered softly.

“My feet are much sturdier than Lady Lea thinks, so there’s no need to worry.”

With Edward’s confident words, this time Lea burst into laughter. It was the first smile she had shown since the party started.

“Alright, I’ll trust you, Edward. If I get hurt later, I’ll ask you for treatment.”

“I promise.”

Soon, a gentle melody announcing the start of the dance echoed throughout the hall. Simultaneously, Edward pulled Lea’s waist.

“Relax your body and lean on me. I’ll lead.”

“Yes.”

‘Maybe I’ve become a little more comfortable after spending these few days together.’

At Edward’s words, the tension in Lea’s muscles seemed to relax slightly. His dancing skills were beyond her expectations. He led so naturally that Lea’s clumsy movements were buried in the flow.

When Lea, completely relaxed, turned her gaze, she suddenly saw Inyoung, familiar to her eyes.

‘Grandfather?’

It was a momentary glance while turning around, but it was undoubtedly Akkia. No matter how far away he was, there was no way she wouldn’t recognize Akkia.

The thought of being in the same space as Akkia made Lea’s heart beat rapidly. And once again, she looked at Akkia as if to confirm that she hadn’t seen him wrong.

Akkia stared at Lea with an inscrutable gaze.

‘The Duke is here.’

A smile spread across Lea’s lips. Just the fact that she could meet the Duke made her heart flutter like a young girl.
From the moment Lea was convinced that Akkia was here, she eagerly awaited the end of the dance. And just as she turned for the last time, the Duke disappeared, as if it were a lie.

Lea, startled by the sudden disappearance of the Duke, was taken aback. Edward, who noticed a subtle change in Lea, gently inquired.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s just…”

But she soon fell silent.

“No, it’s nothing. I thought I saw someone I know.”

Lea smiled awkwardly at Edward, shaking her head.

Several days had passed since the debutante ball.

As the renovation of Lea’s townhouse in the capital was not yet complete, she was researching side effects of the cure in Edward’s laboratory.

On this day, she rushed to the carriage for a tea party appointment she had barely remembered amidst her hectic research.

Since the debutante ball, Lea had received numerous letters inviting her to various gatherings.

Among them, the most conspicuous invitation was from the place Lea was heading to now.

“A tea party gathering hosted by Viscount Wayne.”

It was described as a social gathering of noble young ladies similar to Lea.

“Is this fortunate?”

As she had grown up as a commoner, she thought it would be difficult to mingle with other nobles. But upon receiving the invitation, it didn’t seem as daunting as she had thought.

As Lea gazed at the passing scenery through the carriage window, lost in thought: