The ball of Countess Lieselotti, which began in the middle of the dark, was colorful.
In turn, whenever a lady's name was called, everyone looked toward the entrance with anticipation.
"The Earl of Romia!"
When the voice of the servant rang at the entrance of the hall, people's eyes were shaking. Ran smiled softly as she came down the stairs.
As she came down all the stairs, the hostess, Countess Lieselotti, smiled and greeted.
"I'm glad to see you, Earl."
At about the age of her early fifties, Countess Lieselotti, dressed in trendy clothes, gleamed her eyes and looked interestingly at Ran.
"Thank you for inviting me."
Ran also greeted politely.
"Are you here alone?"
When asked by Countess Lieselotti, Ran nodded.
"Yes, it just so happens that my partner is late."
Count Lieselotti grinned and said at her words.
"I hope you're on time. Then please relax and enjoy."
"Thank you."
Greeting each other lightly, Ran turned around and swallowed a bitter smile.
"That's incredible, cold-hearted."
Lumiere, who escorted her, looked suspicious.
"You mean just now?"
"She didn't even ask who Lumiere was, and she usually explains the ballroom inside. Well, I can't help it."
Ran also knew roughly what the rumor about Count Romia was like.
"Oh, my. Who is this?"
There was a knock-off sound of folding the fan. Ran smiled at her opponent and greeted her lightly.
"Duchess Usla, long time no see."
"I like Countess Lieselotti, too."
The Duchess of Usla said so without looking at Ran.
"I knew she was interested in something strange."
Then she passed Ran. Lumiere's face hardened, but Ran seemed to laugh somehow.
'I didn't think she'd end up ignoring me.'
I thought you'd insult me a lot.
"Ran"
At that time, a cheerful voice came to Ran and turned around with a smile.
"Lizze"
"Oh, what is it? Why are you here alone? This is....?"
"Oh, I'm Lumiere, Knights of Blue flame."
"Why did the Knights escort you? What about the Duke?"
"He said he had work, that he'll be a little late."
Elise's eyes were frowned upon. Her husband walked over there and asked the same question.
"What about the Duke of Lazia?"
"He said he had work."
"It must be urgent."
Ran nodded.
"It seemed so."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have let herself come alone. Ran had such faith. At that time, the women who were whispering came smiling.
"You're Earl Romia, aren't you?"
"Nice to meet you."
Ran also greeted politely.
"Yes, it's my pleasure to meet you."
One of them scattered her up and down with an arrogant face and said.
"Romia territory looks quite rich."
Ran grinned at her sarcastic remarks, even though she had no spirit.
"I have this much ability without a lot of land."
Ran said so, but another young lady said, "Oh my?" and suddenly stumbled.
"No way?!"
Ran was flinching in surprise, but her body was pushed back. It was Lumiere who stood in front of her, and wine poured down on his uniform.
The lady looked embarrassed at Lumiere, and she looked back at Ran and asked.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, yeah."
Ran replied in a dazed voice. I don't think I'd ever been bullied into an old-fashioned drama like this.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Sir, I made a mistake."
The lady blinked and said in a tone that she didn't feel sorry at all, and Lumiere smiled straight.
"It's alright, my Lady. Never mind."
She blushed slightly and laugh demurely. Marquis Cyrus said while watching the situation with a strange face.
"You'd better change your clothes first."
"Oh, right. Go change."
Lumiere hesitated at Ran's words and nodded. Anyway, he couldn't stay at the party wearing a wine-stained coat.
"I'll be back."
When Lumiere greeting and went out, Elise said with an amazing face.
"What the hell is the lady getting in trouble for?"
"I'm not feeling well these days. I was a little dizzy."
When she said so, all the women standing giggled.
"That's right. Baroness Brin is feeling weak these days."
"Yes, you can't help being sick, can you? Right, Earl Solus?"
Then the lady who saw Lan arrogantly up and down earlier, smiled.
"Sure, you can't blame me for being sick. Isn't that right, Earl?"
"Yes, I can't."
Ran spoke without any hesitation, narrowing the gap between young lady, Count of Solus.
Elise said quickly.
"May I monopolize the count for a moment?"
At the words, the lady, Count of Solus, smiled and said.
"Feel free, Marchioness."
The Earl of Solus, the lady, then looked at the Marquis and said, with her fan.
"My dance card is still empty, Mr. Marquis."
"I don't have a pen."
When Marquis Cyrus said no, the count, the lady, said, "I see," and dragged her flock away with an agonizing smile.
Ran asked earnestly.
"Has the Earl of Solus ever been like that before?"
"It was like that, but I don't think Ran knew. Duke of Lazia, you haven't had much to talk about with the young lady, have you?"
"But why are they so hostile?"
I'm even curious.
"It's him..."
The Marquis of Cyrus told me what Elise was trying to explain.
"Wouldn't you hate someone you thought was on the floor if you knew they weren't?"
Then he handed the lemonade he was holding to his wife and her friend one after another.
"And that classic trick."
Elise was full of energy.
"But it's weird that you're doing that with that alone-"
Elise's face darkened when Ran refuted Marquis' words. Ran frowned at her.
"What else is there?"
"The Empress."
"Ah."
Ran closed her mouth tightly and touched her forehead.
"I see. If the Empress doesn't speak well of me, that's a given."
The Royal Family is always the talk of the town, and the center of society is, of course, the Empress. It was something that couldn't be changed.
The Empress is shooting at her. It was natural for nobles and aristocratic women to do that.
"I mean Olivia."
"Think about it."
Elise went on to say.
"You're the reason why he even fought a duel, aren't you? Of course, I'm getting sympathy for the Empress. And even more so when the Emperor died."
"I see."
Ran smiled lightly.
"I'm glad Lizze is my friend."
"I'm lucky to be the daughter of a poor knight anyway."
"That's the same for me..."
When Ran said so, the two laughed lightly. Ran looked up for a moment and was lost in thought.
If Olivia's antagonizing her makes it difficult for society-
"Shall we divide the social world?'
I think we can find a way - but I've decided to quit soon.
I didn't want to do such a troublesome thing anymore. I don't really enjoy parties or social exchanges.
'But it's annoying as it is.'
Should I just block it lightly?
Ran smiled thinking so. Elise asked her with a trembling face.
"What kind of face do you have?"
"Huh?"
"Your face looks like a cat about to hunt."
"What kind of face is that?"
"The same face as before."
Elise said, "Oh my gosh," Ran covered her face with a fan and smiled lightly.
"I was just thinking about what to do with this situation."
"Anyway, it's all false rumors, so if you meet Ran and talk to her, you'll see that it's not."
"That's moderate."
Ran muttered like that.
'But I'm not me.'
She's the one who pays me back as soon as she gets it. Lan grinned and turned away from Elise and said, "Dance with the Marquis. I'm just gonna walk around for a while."
"Alone."
"Yes, of course. There are so many people who know the face."
After saying so, Ran greeted her cheerfully and left her side. The Marquis of Cyrus said, pulling his wife's arm, who was worried about whether it'll be alright?
"I don't think the Lazians need to worry."
Elise held her husband's hand together, saying, "I'm glad then."
It was the Duchess of Usla who Ran went straight to visit.
"Duchess."
When Ran spoke with a smile, the Duchess of Usla asked, laughing and snorting.
"What's going on?"
"No, nothing."
Ran's face turned a little dark.
"I'm worried about how the Empress is doing. She was very nice to me, but... I haven't heard from her lately."
The Duchess of Usla flinched at the word. She was a friend of the Empress Katya and used her power to stir up society.
Of course, Olivia couldn't do her carelessly because she had the title of Duchess, but it was true that she was treated as a back room in a bundle with the Empress.
"The Empress, she hasn't been feeling well these days."
"I see. I'm really worried. I haven't seen Empress Dowager since the incident-"
As Ran blurted out the end of her speech, the Duchess of Usla quickly knew what the incident was. It was an incident in which Prince Ruth attempted to rape Ran.
It was at Katya's night ball.
The Duchess of Usla's tone has softened.
"Then you must be worried."
"Yes, may I see the Empress?"
"Of course, Empress Dowager will be pleased."
The Duchess of Usla spoke softly. She also knew to some extent that Ran was trying to use her. However, it is natural in the social world for each other to use each other.
The Duchess of Usla said with a smile.
"I'll introduce you to a few more people. Oh, have you met Countess Lieselotti? The countess has a wide circle of feet."
We've already met, but it's as good as not.
"If you do, I'll be glad."
Ran said so and laughed up and down her words like that.
*******
As the sun went down completely and the atmosphere of the ball was heating up, the bell rang out.
"The Duke of Lazia!"
Again, the eyes came to the entrance and got stuck. Eustaf walked down the stairs at a quick pace.
The young ladies all looked at him and sighed and straightened up. Eustaf eyes were slowly looking everywhere and soon frowned.
Ran came into his eyes.
It's good to be in here-
The problem was that she was surrounded by men.
As he strode there, the hostess, Countess Lieselotti, quickly approached him.
"Duke, I didn't expect you."
The countess' eyes were glistening and her cheeks were flushed.
"Because my partner wants to come."
The Countess asked Eustaf with a suspicious face.
"Which lady are you with?"
She looked around, looking around, but he was alone when he entered, so of course he was alone when he came in..
"No, I sent her first because I had something to do."
While saying so, his gaze remained fixed on Ran, and Countess Lieselotti turned her head after his gaze and saw Ran.
Oops, my heart crossed.
It was Countess Lieselotti herself who introduced Ran to men. After being introduced by the Duchess of Usla, the fact that Ran was a single count came to her mind, and that the young men was triggered.
The empire is the inheritance of the eldest son.
Men born second or third had no title, so they had to take various ways to survive, and one of them was to marry a widow with a title.
By the way, Ran is not a widow, but a young and beautiful woman with a title.
Although there was no envelope, the succeeding count was a great attraction. You can take away or buy fish cake bags through the Hall.
In addition, there was no socialite who did not know that Ran was good.
At the thought of it, Countess Lieselotti began to actively introduce men, and as she expected, Ran's popularity soon soared and she was buried deep among men.
And the first thing that's popular with men is to become the flower of society.
Countess Lieselotti was very proud of her work. Until she saw the Duke of Lazia's face.
"Your Grace, Duke-"
The countess was about to say something, but Eustaf turned his head and said to her.
"I'll find my company and excuse me."
Eustaf then took a quick step.
*******
Ran held her hand and gave an awkward smile to her opponent who wouldn't let go.
'What's his name again? He was the second son of some baron--'
She sat on the sofa surrounded by about five or six men.
'I've heard that Countess Lieselotti was a pussy butler.'
I never thought she'd really introduce a man this aggressively.
"Your hair looks like moonlight. May I call you Ran in a friendly way? I already feel like I've known the Earl for a long time."
"Wouldn't you rather dance with me?"
"I'm not good at dancing-"
"Haha, that's all right. It's cute that you're bad at dancing."
Ran was thinking about how to get out of this situation, and she saw a person walking fast from the front.