91 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 91
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“Are you going to do it, even knowing it’s reckless? Are you serious?”
“Yes, unless the person who will stop me appears.”
Perinnil sighed again and said, as if complaining.
“I really can’t win against you, milady. Fine. Walk lightly, hiding the glass bead shoes as much as possible. Then, like magic, that person will appear.”
Her hand was pointing to the center of the hall. But no matter how much I looked, there was no one specified on the invitation. As I hesitated, puzzled, Perinnil lightly pushed my back, urging me.
“Go on.”
In the central hall, where music was flowing, couples were dancing gracefully.
Was she telling me to stand alone in that space? Thinking it was another prank, I looked at her, but she only nodded with firmly closed lips.
So, with an unwilling attitude, I walked little by little, and before I knew it, I reached the place Perinnil had pointed out.
Standing alone among the dancing couples was not a pleasant experience. My body was gradually stiffening.
At that moment, there was a hand that grabbed my waist and lightly turned me. Whether it was in line with the dance move of lightly lifting a woman and spinning her around, I was caught in the hands of someone I didn't even know, drawing a circle in the air and landing.
The Glass bead shoes repeatedly flashed and disappeared through the softly spreading skirt. What followed was the appearance of sapphire-blue eyes and blue hair, watching me.
Crown Prince? No, his hair was more neatly arranged than his, and his clearly revealed eyes seemed to have less of an aura that intimidated others. But it was true that he was just as coldly calm.
Yes. Now I can see the difference. How could I have mistaken these two?
“Are you the one who wanted to see me?”
Theodore Vitraice, I’m talking about you.
Looking back, my encounters with him were always close to ‘approaches.’ Intense conversations took place as if trying to probe something, leaving uneasy room through an unsatisfying end.
I could only smile during the initial encounters; after that, it was always his victory.
A courteous handsome man, a drunken loafer, a man exuding a dangerous aura. This ever-changing man was always new every time I met him.
Therefore, as someone who maintained the same appearance, I could not prevent him from approaching in various ways by preparing in advance.
It was the same today. His appearance, silently leading as if he were meeting me for the first time, seemed like he was wearing another form of mask.
Perhaps he was the one who best suited the purpose of the Masquerade among the people gathered here.
The current Vitraice was closer to a ruler. If the Crown Prince was close to a wild beast exuding wild energy, he was a fierce carnivore who hid his wildness. A dangerous being who could reveal his teeth at any moment.
Perhaps, unless someone touched what the people of the East call ‘The Dragon's Inverted Scale,’ he would continue to wear this mask forever.
Vitraice silently danced as if he had come purely to enjoy the Masquerade. So, I had no choice but to follow his lead and keep my mouth shut.
Each time we made a move, we occasionally made eye contact, but he seemed to have no interest in conversation. He even seemed bored.
It was I who blushed at his rude attitude. He acted like he was going to make a huge proposal, but when we actually met, he didn't say anything, so how could I not be angry?
Therefore, I couldn't guess what he was intending now, or why he was maintaining this attitude. My head felt like it was spinning with countless doubts and suspicions.
I was impatient because I thought I would get a headache. If he wanted to fight for the initiative with me now because of the proposal, he was truly an ungentlemanly man.
It's funny. Even though I have the power to decide, I'm the one who's restless.
A small curiosity, a suspicion, was urging me on, making me anxious. I was about to reveal everything, unable to overcome just one silence. So, I let out a hollow laugh. I couldn't stand the man in front of me because he was so annoying.
Why do you always shake me up like this?
I wanted to ask if I could. What do you want to do with my inner thoughts?
Now it was a battle of patience. I held my head high and didn't let go of his gaze. A strange confrontation began, where the first person to open their mouth would lose.
Vitraice, wearing a mask similar to Perinnil's—but it fit him better—seemed to have a more open design, with his lips more exposed. His hair and eyes were also much more openly revealed than hers.
So, I could easily see him pointing to his ear, and soon I realized what he was trying to convey. He was telling me to listen to the surrounding stories.
Come to think of it, since I started dancing with him, I had forgotten to keep my ears open. I acted like a deaf person, focusing only on him. Vitraice naturally induced my interest as if he knew that.
What on earth was he trying to do? Anyway, as I dispersed my gaze according to his intention, I could naturally hear various words.
Perhaps because I was wearing a mask, I began to hear secret conversations that I couldn't hear at ordinary balls. Information that anyone could know, but couldn't be easily blurted out, was floating around in time with the melody.
Baroness of Flanders, Chatoul, Eastern goods, and Wolf Mask.
…Wolf Mask?
I widened my eyes and looked at Vitraice. He was giving a faint smile as if what I heard was the correct answer.
It was very subtle, as if making a secret proposal. While turning around once to his lead, I could hear the name Wolf Mask a few more times, and each time I looked at him as if confirming. Vitraice still had a smile like the daytime moon.
Ha, is this all he called me out for, just to make this proposal? This is really not it.
I shook my head. Wolf Mask was too difficult for me to handle. No, it would be difficult for anyone to handle him.
So, it would be better to have a vulgar woman with no intellect do it. Because she would be too ignorant to notice his scariness.
Above all, how could it be possible to approach a man I've only seen a couple of times, and who is in the position of the Crown Prince?
First of all, I am even more reluctant because I don't know why Vitraice is interested in him. This kind of proposal is basically made under the premise that there is trust in the other party.
What else can he and I do, when there is not even a proper connection?
So, I shook off his hand and took a step back. I shook my head again and showed a firm attitude.
Then, Vitraice finally opened his mouth. He was speaking down to me very naturally, which was no different from acknowledging that his position was higher than mine.
“You’ll be able to get one step closer to high society, you know? The Bishvarts Family doesn’t help you. Above all, this is just a trivial matter. So, if you just hang out with him for a while, you can see bigger benefits. So why are you hesitating?”
No. I didn't get here with the help of the family.
I felt like a hollow laugh was about to come out. Vitraice was making a big mistake. That I needed their help.
But there's no need. Being able to come this far is just the product of my efforts, and I am full of confidence that I can go further.
Things that I could have done if I had the Bishvarts name, things that I had missed in the past due to carelessness and negligence, I was slowly putting back in place with my own strength.
So, the choice, as well as the despair, frustration, joy, and hope that come with it, are mine. He probably thought that I had ambitions to enter the court because I was hanging out with Chatoul, but this time I could say that he was wrong.
So, this time I was silent. I took a step back from him, who was reaching out to me, and clearly expressed that I had the initiative in the choice.
I don't know what he gets by having me approach the Crown Prince, but his appearance this time only increased my wariness of him.
At the same time, I could be sure that Vitraice was not at least in a cooperative relationship with the Crown Prince. What a great gain this is.
“If it’s because of Sir Ayres, I’ll thoroughly block the rumors. If you’re worried about that. You’re just learning in advance that there’s no word as useless as ‘trust’ in high society.”
Usually, when this kind of proposal is rejected, they give up quickly, but he was trying to coax me with a more persistent attitude. As if it had to be me.
So, I was puzzled. The Crown Prince and I had only met a couple of times. There was a danger that we were about to have a physical relationship—but my consent was not taken into account at all—but it ended cleanly because he gave up.
No matter how much men are hunters full of conquest, if they fail to hunt twice, wouldn't they leave to find easier prey? There are so many beautiful women drooling over him.
“You’re the first woman who has caught his interest enough to give you a nickname even though he’s only seen you a few times. Doesn’t it make your mouth water? You can become the noblest woman in the world. It means you can overcome your status limitations.”
“…Like the Baroness of Flanders.”
Yes. An ordinary woman would have nodded stupidly with a bright expression. Approaching the wolf means that they have full support, so would those who pushed out Chatoul not be able to attach a woman to the Crown Prince?
But I'm not Perinnil. I'm not a stupid woman who is tempted by the word 'high society' and makes her worth cheap and easily sells it off.
Above all, didn't I see it before I came back? Who was next to the wolf. Yes. It was Roena de Bishbalz, who was so lovely that I hated her.
He flinched at my answer. I reached out and pulled him towards me. And I growled lowly, as if grinding my teeth, towards his approaching face.
“You damn, filthy pimp. I’m not a whore.”
Was my words unexpected? He, who had been frozen for a moment, smiled in an unknown way.
“Oh, really? I’m so sorry. But I don’t think he thinks so? So, if you ever need help, come to the Baroness of Flanders.”
At the same time, he shook off my hand and subtly moved me back, and because it was an unexpected action, I started to fall over without even being able to prepare.
But unlike the expectation that I would fall backwards, there were firm hands and a chest grabbing my waist and shoulders.
Vitraice raised his finger and blocked his lips as if he had expected it. It must mean not to let the man who supported my body know himself.
And as if the proposal from just now was a lie, he disappeared into the crowd in an instant. What pulled me, who was dazed by the sudden change in attitude, back to reality was a chillingly familiar voice.
“Oh, Kerula. You seem to be much more familiar with the Masquerade.”
Somehow, because it was an intonation close to reproach, I raised my head and looked at his chin—unfortunately, only his chin was visible in this state.
Whether he didn't care if his identity was revealed, he continued to wear the Wolf Mask that he had worn during the first and second encounters.
“Otherwise, there’s no way I could dare to come here. Because deer are also animals.”
At the same time, I thought. Was it such a good meeting that you greeted me so happily? No, more than that, how did you appear as if you had been waiting?
So, I tried to get away from him, and the wolf wanted to turn my body and continue dancing. Unfortunately, because the difference in strength was so clear, I had no choice but to be caught in his hands.
Cheerful music flowed out, and my body stepped as if it had been waiting. The dance I had desperately learned in the past to go to high society was properly shining.
He and I turned naturally as if we had been dancing from the beginning. With the appearance of the Wolf Mask, the voices of the people around us were gradually getting louder.
It was also connected to curiosity about the other partner, so I had to try to hide my shoes while dancing with him.
