The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 77
“I offer my greetings to the Crown Princess, the sunshine of the Empire.”
“Oh.”
Eloise looked at the man with a mischievous smile.
“I didn’t expect to meet you at a family-oriented ball like this. It’s hard to believe you have any ties to Viscounty Adinne. Did you sneak in under a false name?”
“A new friend of mine let me in as their companion. I do feel a bit bad about it, though, with the Viscountess.”
“Do you have that many friends already?”
“Two weeks is more than enough. I’m quite good at making friends.”
“The Viscountess will be quite upset if she finds out.”
“If Your Highness doesn’t call me by name, who will know?”
“Well, among today’s guests, there might be some who got invitations just to meet me, so who knows.”
“I just hope the secret stays hidden until tonight.”
Eloise smiled. It didn’t seem like a difficult task to her.
“I’ll be fine if it’s just kept for the time I dance with you.”
“Haha.”
Eloise happily smiled at the man who confidently extended his hand.
This prince from the southern kingdom of Eimmel had visited the capital two weeks ago.
He wasn’t a formal envoy but had come unofficially, with a personal invitation from Duke Riagan. Since his visit was under a false name, there had been no official welcome ceremony.
However, it was impossible for either the Emperor or Eloise not to know of his presence. After all, she had been asked by Pavel to look out for him.
What he hoped to gain from this visit was still unclear. He claimed it was to broaden his knowledge and build connections, but many of the court’s close aides suspected that there had been trouble within the royal family of Eimmel, and he was simply laying low for a while.
Eloise didn’t fully dismiss this theory. It was true that the royal family had been in turmoil since the king remarried. However, she found it hard to believe that such an ambitious man would run away for such a reason.
When Eloise didn’t take his hand, the man pretended to be disappointed, letting his hand fall.
“Don’t make that regretful face. I brought my little sister to teach her about balls, and if I just grab a handsome man’s hand and leave, she’d be so worried.”
Saying this, Eloise nodded toward Artizea, who had been standing a step behind.
Artizea, who had been standing there without thinking, flinched at Eloise’s glance and quickly stepped up to her side. Eloise smiled and introduced her.
“This is Artizea from Marquisate Rosan. She’s like a little sister to me.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rosan. Thanks to hearing so much about you from Duke Riagan, you don’t feel like a stranger to me. I’m called Odwal.”
“That’s a pseudonym he’s using. He’s Prince Cadriol of Eimmel.”
Eloise added in a soft whisper. Artizea was startled and quickly bowed her head. She had guessed he was from the south based on his sun-kissed, tanned skin, but she had never imagined he was a foreign prince.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve also heard about the Prince from Duke Riagan.”
“Please don’t call me that, Lady. This is an unofficial visit. Just call me Odwal.”
“Yes.”
Artizea answered cautiously. Eloise grinned and asked,
“Odwal, I assume you’re confident in your dancing?”
“I’m bold enough to extend my hand in front of Your Highness.”
“Then that’s good.”
As if asking for a favor, Eloise mimicked a motion where she stepped toward Cadriol and pretended to ask Artizea for a dance. Cadriol smiled and, in the same elegant gesture, extended his hand to Artizea.
“May I have the honor of a dance?”
Not being very familiar with balls, Artizea hesitated for a moment before cautiously taking his hand.
She had attended a few parties with a dance floor, but she usually danced with her partner Cedric, and otherwise, it had been Pavel at most. This was the first time she had danced with someone so unfamiliar.
“You don’t need to be so nervous. I won’t step on your feet.”
“I’m just not very good at dancing.”
Cadriol felt an odd sensation watching the nervous girl.
He knew who she was. While they hadn’t met often, he had formed a deep bond with Pavel. He’d heard many times that this girl was innocent but sharp. In fact, Pavel often spoke about her almost proudly.
‘The latter may still be uncertain, but the former seems quite clear.’
Well, even if Pavel had exaggerated things due to his bias, it didn’t concern him. He had come to the ball today mainly to meet Eloise.
Artizea was a pleasant bonus. It wouldn’t hurt to make connections with the future Duchess Evron, who was close to the Emperor’s children.
And intelligence came in many forms. Being scholarly, being able to stand out in social circles, and having political acumen were completely different skills.
‘It would be troublesome if she fell for me though.’
He muttered this thought under his breath, mixing it with a laugh, and gracefully led Artizea on the dance.
Although Cadriol was wearing gloves, Artizea couldn’t help but feel aware of his hand on her back, and she couldn’t completely ignore the sensation.
Part of her mind was focused on the cool air brushing her back, another part on making sure she didn’t miss a step, and yet another part was preoccupied with maintaining an appropriate conversation with her partner. She was so careful that she lost some of her usual composure.
“I suppose the reason His Highness came to the capital is to find a trustworthy merchant?”
“Why do you think so?”
Cadriol should’ve pointed out the title, but his curiosity piqued, so he asked with a puzzled look. He had only been in the city for two weeks and had mostly focused on socializing.
This girl couldn’t possibly know about his activities, and even if she did, it was still too early for anyone to make a judgment.
But Artizea answered calmly. Though in truth, her concentration was more on her feet than on keeping her face relaxed.
“If you had come for an agreement, I doubt Her Highness Eloise would have been so familiar with you. You can’t just leave your kingdom at such an important time for political reasons, so it seems you must have a more practical matter at hand. Since you can’t handle matters from Eimmel within the Empire, I thought perhaps you were looking for someone.”
“Hmm. That seems reasonable. But why a merchant?”
“Unless you mobilize military forces, the only thing Eimmel can do from the southern seas is trade, and the Ianz Kingdom is closer to the Queen than to the Prince… Ah, I apologize. I’ve addressed you incorrectly again.”
At last, Artizea’s gaze met his. Her clear blue eyes were sparkling with a bright light.
The dance was reaching its final phrase. Cadriol wanted to hear more of her brief but intriguing explanation, but out of courtesy, he supported her, allowing her to finish the dance gracefully with a beautiful posture.
Taking a step back, Artizea curtsied elegantly. Cadriol escorted her out of the dance floor.
A few young men, confident in their appearances, had gathered around Eloise. Normally, Cadriol would have retreated to join them, having already shown his courtesy to Artizea. However, he didn’t have that intention anymore.
He wanted to talk to this girl. He wanted to talk while she wasn’t distracted by other thoughts but was fully focused on their conversation.
He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing servant’s tray, intending to offer one to Artizea.
He was about to do so, but just before he could, a hand reached out from behind Artizea, slightly blocking the glass, and it was swiftly taken.