—The lounge area on the second floor of the ballroom—
The sweet aroma of premium pine incense and warm black tea drifted through the air.
Leonhart von Edelstein stood alone by the railing, his eyes slightly cast down.
His golden hair, as dazzling as the sun, held a nearly perfect luster under the soft light. There was not a single crease on his white formal suit jacket, and the silver-gray tie knotted at his collar remained snug and proper.
The first-in-line heir of the Kingdom of Barton raised his porcelain cup and took a light sip of the lukewarm water.
He had finally brought an end to those unavoidable conversations.
As the brilliant star of the entire kingdom, from the very first second he stepped into this building, he had to wear that social mask named “Perfection.”
The elite of the upperclassmen from the Swordsmanship Department, the trusted confidants of the Finance Minister, the veteran professors of the grammar school... Everyone watched him with eyes filled with a mixture of awe, flattery, and probing. And he had to respond to each thread woven into this web of power with the most precise smile and the most fitting words.
Come to think of it, in another year, he would also be heading to the border.
“Phew...”
Leonhart set down his porcelain cup and slowly leaned back against his chair, exhaling a long sigh of relief in this private space where he was entirely alone.
At this moment, the face that others always saw as perfectly amiable finally revealed a trace of faint fatigue, one fitting for his young age of fifteen or sixteen.
The ballroom's bell would toll again in just a short while.
That would be the main event of tonight.
The “first dance,” which represented an incredibly high social honor.
Thinking of this, Leonhart reached up to touch the corner of his eye.
His ice-blue left eye cast downward slightly, his gaze falling upon the marble tabletop. He recalled the scene he had glimpsed earlier in the dining hall when he had activated his Innate Magic, 【The Eye of Longinus】.
An endless, boundless darkness.
The gaze of an indescribable evil god.
Leonhart gently rubbed his right eye again.
Even now, the abyssal chill seeping from the depths of his soul remained wedged in his heart like an unmelting shard of ice.
“Loris von Aldheim...” Leonhart silently repeated the name in his mind.
Since that indescribable darkness was not something his current self could touch, and since Loris had actually become gentler and more normal under the gaze of the evil god compared to the domineering tyrant she used to be, he would perfectly maintain the current status quo and continue playing the role of a proper fiancé.
For the sake of that largest political cornerstone that was the House of Duke Aldheim, he had to follow the rules and invite Loris to the opening dance.
This was his duty, and the most important weight on the prince's scales.
Just as Leonhart gathered his thoughts and prepared to stand up, ready to don his mask once more to welcome the second half of the ball, his gaze casually swept downward through the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
In a corner at the edge of the main ballroom, a rather unusual sight suddenly caught his attention.
The male lead is always drawn to the true female lead.
It was currently the recess after the first half of the ball. Long tables on one side of the hall were piled high with delicate desserts and drinks, and students gathered in small groups, eating and chatting excitedly.
And right next to a massive white marble pillar, Liliana stood completely alone.
Tonight, she wore a formal dress so exquisite it felt unreal. The silver ribbons gracing the folds of her skirt shimmered under the light, making her look like a pure elf who had accidentally strayed into the mortal world.
Yet this “elf” currently seemed excessively awkward and helpless.
Leonhart's sharp eyes swept across the room. He saw Liliana's two inseparable friends, Fiona and Sarah, who had already been introduced by their elders to several young heirs of prominent standing. Blushing, these heirs had invited them to the other side of the dance floor, leaving the two girls with no choice but to politely socialize despite their slight reluctance.
Around Liliana, however, lay a strange, empty “vacuum zone” spanning three meters in radius.
Whenever a young noble passing by caught sight of her beautiful dress, a flicker of admiration would flash in their eyes. But immediately after, as if seeing some kind of plague or taboo, their expressions would shift, and they would quickly pull their companions along, bowing their heads and walking past her in a hurry.
Not a single person dared to step forward and speak with her.
And absolutely no one offered a dance invitation card to this beautiful, moving commoner representative tonight.
Isolated, neglected, and at an absolute loss.
Looking at the aqua-blue figure standing in the corner, nervously clutching the edge of her skirt, a flash of understanding crossed Leonhart's ice-blue eyes.
Naturally, he knew why this was.
It was the “social ban” belonging to the villainous daughter, Loris. In this academy, which placed immense value on status and class, no child of high nobility would dare offend the future queen and the most powerful ducal family for the sake of a commoner girl.
“Loris... you really are something...” Leonhart sighed in his heart.
Yet, looking at Liliana's lonely, helpless, yet awkward state as she forced a smile to keep Fiona and Sarah from worrying in the distance, the perfect prince raised in the royal palace felt a subtle stirring in his heart for some reason.
Pure, fragile, yet resilient.
In a way, Liliana's purity—something utterly uncharacteristic of the nobility—appeared exceptionally appealing in tonight's hypocritical social scene.
Leonhart, after a moment of thought, set his empty porcelain cup back onto the saucer and smoothed the hem of his white suit.
Walking with a brisk, composed stride, he cut through the cold crowd under the shocked, disbelieving stares of the young noble lords and ladies, arriving right before her.
“Miss Liliana.”
Leonhart's voice was gentle, instantly pulling Liliana out of her endless isolation.
“Y-Your Highness?!”
Liliana snapped her head up, her eyes, as clear as lake water, instantly filling with astonishment and panic.
She looked at the youth in the white suit who had descended like a deity before her, instinctively trying to lift her skirt to curtsey. “Your Highness... Why... why have you come to this corner...”
“You may just call me Leonhart, Miss Liliana. There are not so many rules tonight.”
Leonhart smiled gently, raising a hand in a welcoming gesture to prevent her from curtsying.
Glancing at the glass of juice in her hand, which remained untouched, he asked with sincere concern, “Seeing you standing here all alone, have you run into some kind of trouble?”
Hearing this exalted prince ask about her so gently, Liliana's lovely face flushed a delicate shade of red.
She felt a bit uneasy. On the other side of the dance floor, Fiona and Sarah were looking over with worried expressions. Lowering her head, Liliana spoke in a soft, gentle voice:
“N-No, President Leonhart.”
“The desserts during the first half were absolutely delicious, and Fiona and Sarah just accompanied me through some very fun dance steps... Standing here alone... I just feel that tonight's ballroom is so grand, and everyone is so dazzling. As a commoner, just being able to stand here and witness such a beautiful sight is already a dream-like honor.”
She was neither servile nor overbearing. Even in the depths of her isolation, she still radiated consideration and gentleness toward others.
This ability to maintain her purity even when dragged through the mud made Leonhart view her in a whole new light.
Looking at the girl in front of him, the perfect prince's gaze turned incredibly complex and soft at this moment.
She and Loris were completely different.
Loris was someone who stood at the peak of power under the bright sun, yet built fortresses of pride.
Liliana, however, was a flower born under the moonlight who would always return gentleness to the world no matter how much oppression she suffered.
“What a... gentle girl...” Leonhart thought to himself.
In this very second, upon the prince's scales, beside that heavy political weight, an incredibly light yet impossible-to-ignore feather of personal emotion seemed to have quietly drifted down.
Since Loris had forced this gentle girl into a corner with her “social ban,” and since the world was so unfair to her—
then as the host of tonight's event, he should naturally grant this pure lily the protection she deserved.
Rate on N.U.
