Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 55

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just… Here I am, able to see the night sky, yet I’m inside this grand ballroom. In Harzen, whenever there was a big festival, the count’s family and guests would enjoy a party inside the castle’s banquet hall, while the townspeople danced in the village square. This feels like something in between. It’s a ballroom, but I’m under the night sky like this.”

Dancing beneath the night sky.

Lucius tilted his head up, gazing at the dark sky. He realized that he had never thought about dancing under a sky filled with stars, rather than under a grand chandelier.

“Dancing under a sky like this must be a unique experience.”

Even as he said those words, Lucius found himself surprised. A unique experience? He had never enjoyed dancing. For him, it was nothing more than a mandatory social act. Following the prescribed steps, exchanging words like lines in a play, and then parting—it had always been a tiresome task for him.

Yet now, a new thought crossed his mind: this might be the first and last time he would ever get the chance to dance with Brianna Everett.

He felt a pang of guilt toward Florian, but this was the first and last time he would allow himself to want something for himself.

Just then, the soft background music in the ballroom shifted into a full dance tune. Brianna, startled by the change, hurriedly spoke, “Is it already that time? You should head back to the ballroom quickly…”

Lucius extended his hand toward her. When Brianna looked up at him with a confused expression, he whispered softly, “Miss Brianna Everett, may I have this dance?”

Her beautiful turquoise eyes widened in surprise. She hesitated for a long moment before cautiously placing her fingers in his hand. Lucius grasped her small, delicate hand firmly.

Following his lead, Brianna rose from her seat. Lucius placed his right hand gently around her slender waist while supporting her left hand with his.

They began moving slowly to the rhythm of the music.

Though etiquette dictated that their eyes should meet while dancing, Brianna, feeling awkward, quickly averted her gaze as their eyes locked. Her cheeks grew hot. Everywhere his hands touched her seemed to tingle with an indescribable sensation, and she wasn’t sure how to react.

While Brianna was flustered, Lucius skillfully led the dance with ease. Gradually, her stiff movements softened. She realized that she didn’t need to try so hard to dance well. As long as she followed his lead, her body moved naturally with the rhythm.

Under the black sky, with the ballroom’s music playing, they danced. The crisp spring night breeze gently enveloped them, a stark contrast to the harsh winter that had passed. The moonlight above, far brighter than any chandelier, illuminated the two of them as they swayed in the night.

During the dance, polite conversation was usually exchanged, but not between them. Instead, a subtle tension filled the space between them. It was a type of feeling that shouldn’t exist between a friend’s lover and a lover’s friend, and it made the atmosphere all the more precarious.

That dizzyingly fragile moment ended as the music stopped.

Lucius gazed at Brianna, who was still looking downward. He imagined lifting her chin with his fingers, meeting her startled turquoise eyes before pressing his lips to hers. The thought of his tongue slipping past her lips, exploring every part of her mouth—her teeth, her soft tongue, and everything within—made his breath quicken.

She has no idea, does she? She can’t possibly imagine the impure thoughts I’m having about her right now.

What if he confessed his true desires? What if he told her he wanted to push her against the balcony railing, press his body against hers to prevent her escape, and take control of her most private places? How would she react?

“…Um.” After a pause, Brianna spoke hesitantly, “I heard you’re leaving for deployment soon.”

At her words, reality crashed back into Lucius. He slowly released his grip around her waist, which had felt like a shackle. He also let go of her hand.

Brianna gathered her now-free hands and looked up at him, making up her mind as she smiled brightly.

“I hope you return safely without a single scratch. Also… though it’s a bit late, congratulations on your engagement to Miss Adelheid.”

There was only one possible response he could give her.

“Thank you. I wish you happiness with Florian as well.”

Brianna gave him a shy smile, and with that, Lucius let go of the last remnants of his lingering feelings.

“By now, Florian should have arrived. Let me escort you back to him.”

“Yes.”

Brianna reached for the shawl she had left on her chair. While it was dark enough outside to hide her altered dress, the bright lights inside the ballroom would surely reveal the rushed mending at the back if she didn’t cover it.

Seeing her struggle, Lucius picked up the shawl before she could.

“Allow me to help.”

He spread the shawl wide and stepped behind her to drape it over her shoulders. As he did, he noticed the poorly stitched seams that didn’t match the elegance of the dress. It was clear that the dress had been hastily mended.

His eyebrows twitched. Perhaps this was the reason she had been late. The method used seemed eerily similar to what had happened to Florian.

With an unreadable expression, Lucius carefully arranged the shawl over her shoulders. Then he stepped in front of her, removed a small brooch from his chest, and fastened it to the shawl.

“This will keep it from slipping off. You don’t need to return it.”

Brianna was taken aback by the jewel-encrusted brooch. “Oh, but it’s too expensive…”

Ignoring her protest, Lucius offered his elbow to her.

“Shall we go?”

It wasn’t difficult to find Florian in the ballroom. The center was occupied by couples dancing, so all they had to do was look for a lone blonde man on the periphery. Lucius quickly spotted him with his hawk-like eyes.

“There he is.”

The two descended from the second-floor balcony to the ballroom below. Florian, who had been anxiously scanning the room in search of Brianna, jumped in surprise when Lucius tapped him on the shoulder.

“…Is that you, Lucius?”

He turned and immediately brightened when he saw Brianna.

“Brianna!”

Florian pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be late… I really didn’t…”

Brianna smiled as she hugged him back, gently patting his back. “It’s fine, Florian. I was late too.”

“It’s not okay if I’m late, though. Ugh, I’m so sorry!”

“I said it’s fine.”

Releasing the embrace, Florian began checking Brianna over. “Nothing happened while I wasn’t here, right?”

“No, thanks to Lucius…”

She turned to the side but realized Lucius had already left.

“…Thanks to Lucius, everything was fine.”

He had appeared to save her out of nowhere, and now, without a word, he had disappeared just as easily. Well, now that she had reunited with Florian, there was no reason for Lucius to stay. He had probably returned to his partner by now, Brianna thought.

“Let’s dance first, Brianna.”

As the waltz began to play, Florian extended his hand with an excited voice. “Miss Brianna Everett, may I have this dance?”

For a moment, his figure overlapped with the image of Lucius from earlier. Brianna smiled, doing her best to erase the lingering memory of Lucius from her mind.

“Of course.”