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Since when had he been there? Idris was leaning against the entrance to the room.
Startled, I stumbled and almost fell.
"Careful."
Idris quickly reached out and caught me as I faltered.
As a result, I ended up in his arms, and my eyes met his golden ones, which seemed to hold the moonlight.
In his eyes, which reflected my image, light and darkness coexisted in a strange harmony.
I stared blankly, mesmerized by his eyes, and suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
'Why do these eyes look so familiar?'
Not just because I've grown accustomed to his face, but as if I've known them for much longer...
As I searched my memory, I paused when I saw his eyes darken as the moonlight was obscured by clouds.
The darkness that had been hidden by the light was now fully revealed, and his eyes were still beautiful, but they also looked dangerous.
Only then did I become aware of our bodies touching.
I belatedly startled and pulled away.
"Oh, how long have you been watching?"
Idris, who had been looking at me with a strange light in his eyes for a moment, replied in his usual languid voice.
"Hmm, since you started taking deep breaths?"
...So he saw everything from the beginning?!
My clumsy humming, my awkward steps.
The thought that he had seen all of my clumsy 모습 made my face flush.
'I came to practice late at night because I didn't want to show my clumsy 모습 to anyone...'
Between the incident with Pedan and this, it seems like I'm unintentionally showing all my embarrassing 모습을 to this man.
Idris, who was watching me bite my lip, chuckled and asked.
"Don't you need a partner?"
Unable to answer easily because of embarrassment, I only moved my lips.
"I need one."
Idris held out his hand to me.
As if asking me to dance.
As I stared at his large hand, it beckoned to me as if to entice me.
"Aren't you going to accept? You heartless lady?"
In the end, I smiled as if admitting defeat and carefully placed my hand on his.
Idris gently but firmly wrapped his arm around my back.
"Shall we begin, then?"
Soon, the dance began.
At first, I hesitated because of the sudden closeness, but soon I focused all my attention on the steps to avoid making mistakes.
'Okay, now that it's come to this, let's think of it as practicing in a real situation.'
One step, one step.
The hem of my dress rustled between my legs, and his warm hand guided me.
My body moved closer to Idris, then slightly further away again.
At first, my body moved a little awkwardly, but gradually it loosened up.
As a result, my stiff expression gradually softened.
Despite my initial nervousness, Idris's movements were very graceful, and I was able to adapt quickly as I was led by him.
Only then, after taking a breath, did I unconsciously raise my head.
And I met his shining golden eyes at a very close distance.
Eyes that were calm and without the slightest flicker.
As if he had been looking only at me for a long time before our eyes met.
'It's those eyes again.'
It had been about a month since I noticed it.
Originally, Idris was someone who always responded with a nonchalant smile, but around that time, the look in his eyes when he looked at me became even softer.
Feeling embarrassed by that meaningless gaze, I quietly broke the silence.
"You don't seem to need a partner..."
"I did. It's the first time I've danced with someone other than a dance teacher."
Come to think of it, I realized that I had never seen Idris dancing with anyone else at banquets.
"Why haven't you ever danced before? There are many young ladies who want to dance with you."
"I don't like other people."
'Then what about me? Is it just because it's a play?'
The question naturally arose, but it was drowned out by the turn that followed.
Soon, the dance ended.
Under the silent moonlight, we stepped back and bowed.
Idris kissed the back of my hand as a closing greeting.
In the brief moment I paused at the hot breath that brushed against the back of my hand, he murmured softly.
"Don't worry. You'll do well."
His golden eyes, which he had raised slightly, shone brightly under the moonlight.
For a while, I stared blankly at him.
Unlike what he had said about not becoming a prince on a white horse...
At this moment, he looked just like a prince in a fairy tale.
Evening on the day of the Founding Festival.
The butler was helping Idris with his attire and admiring it.
"Is the designer of this outfit really a man? Aside from Your Highness, I've never seen a man with such a sense of aesthetics."
"Well, Leticia chose him."
"Lady Leticia has a knack for spotting talent."
At the compliment about Leticia, Idris's shoulders seemed to subtly tense up.
Knock, knock—
Heather entered with a knock.
"Your Highness, I have finished the preparations. Lady Leticia's side is also ready."
"Okay."
Idris, who had finished decorating with the butterfly-shaped tie pin that Leticia had given him, left the room.
As he reached the stairs leading to the central hall, he saw Leticia just arriving at the opposite staircase.
Idris reflexively tried to greet her, but stopped.
The wisps of hair that had naturally fallen next to her neatly styled hair accentuated her white, slender neck and small face.
As he took in her beautifully shaped reddish lips and straight nose, and then met her blue eyes looking at him.
Leticia, who had met his gaze, blinked for a moment, then smiled.
Awkwardly, somewhat shyly.
Seeing that 모습, Idris could not help but feel it more keenly than ever before.
Leticia was beautiful.
To the point where he couldn't think for a moment.
Idris, who was staring blankly at her, covered his face with his hand as if to hide his somewhat flushed cheeks, and averted his gaze.
'...This is driving me crazy.'
Normally, he would have responded with a leisurely smile, but the moment their eyes met, he couldn't do anything, as if he had been paralyzed.
At the same time, the dangerous thought that he wanted to see that 모습 only for himself dominated his mind.
Only after finally turning his gaze away did the dress Leticia was wearing come into view.
It seemed that Ahmon's words that he had put his heart and soul into making it were not an exaggeration; the dress was beautiful.
Large and small glittering diamonds flowed down the deep navy blue dress.
It was as if it had been cut out from the Milky Way in the night sky, or perhaps it looked like the wings of a magnificent butterfly covered in dew.
Leticia perfectly pulled off the extravagant dress, which could have felt a little too much.
To the point where it wouldn't have been awkward if she were the star of today's banquet.
Since today's banquet was an important occasion to publicly conclude Leticia and Pedan's relationship and announce her new beginning, it was truly a fitting attire.
At that moment, Heather approached Idris, who couldn't take his eyes off Leticia.
"Your Highness, there's news from Santes."
"Ah, that."
It was something he had sent people to find Aria a month ago, but had since forgotten about.
"They couldn't find her in Santes, but they received news that they found a woman with a similar appearance in nearby Nervian. They are heading there immediately—"
"No, it's okay."
"Yes?"
"There's no need to look for her anymore."
After searching desperately for her for years, he suddenly says there's no need to find her?
While Heather, who didn't immediately understand Idris's command, blinked her eyes.
Idris and Leticia, who had finished descending the stairs, stood facing each other.
Idris stared at her for a long time without saying anything, and Leticia, feeling awkward, opened her mouth first.
"You look very handsome today."
"......"
"Ahmon should thank you. His masterpiece, which he put his heart and soul into, will properly attract attention thanks to you."
"......"
"Idris?"
Leticia looked up at Idris with puzzled eyes.
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