Golden sparkling silk adorn the walls below the numerous crystal lamps on the ceiling. Thick red carpet decorated the floor, every lady wearing their most luxurious gown, while the lords, adorned in their finest attire, exchanged words of power and influence, the air thick with the weight of wealth and tradition, befitting nobles.
The ballroom looks grand with no speck of poorness, filled with smaller groups who are chatting and laughing as more nobles fill the room. The melody from the orchestra flowing from the corner of the room, adding to the grandness of the occasion.
In the middle of the room, a stage stood, decorated with fresh flowers of different colors, representing several ladies that will be coming of age in this debut. The food and beverages are served at every table at the corner, filled with lavish culinary and alcohol, knights wearing full plate armor can be seen heroically standing on each corner of the hall.
Etrill Castle is now in a festive mood. The debut is being held in the main hall of the castle, every carriage has their own nobility symbol, reflecting the wealth and status of the kingdom with how many nobles attend the ball.
Standing in the corner, Claire makes herself unseen from the ball. Even though she wore a similarly gorgeous gown as the rest of the nobles, she had only done so to not tarnish the name of the Duke, she felt so alienated from the rest of the party.
For the first time in her life, she met an abundance of people. This is her first time leaving her gripping home. She feels like a small fish in a sea, every second that passes makes her heart heavier and heavier, feeling the cold sweat running on her back.
Claire circulates her sight, feeling her eyes wandering through numerous foreign faces. She tried her best to hide her feelings, only letting out a slight tremble as she grabbed a glass of beverage from a nearby table.
Unfortunately, in her awkwardness, she didn't recognize the drink was actually an alcohol! The innocent girl didn't suspect the bitterness in the cup and sipped some of it down to quench her uneasiness.
'God, I don't know what to do.'
As she continued to watch over the crowd, she felt a cold sharp gaze directed towards her from the corner of her eyes.
The tidy jet black hair slicked to the right, the domineering blue eyes that seem to command her to bow, a familiar face is looking towards her from the center of the crowd. The Crown Prince quietly observed every little movement she made, even her wary gaze towards him did not escape his observation.
Feeling uneasy, she turns her back to the prince, acting as if the scenery from the window is more appealing from the ball. Sipping some of the liquid in her glass, she mumbled.
'Who is looking at me?'
Claire can sense that she is being watched.
After watching from afar for quite some time, the black haired man decided to come closer to her. His graceful steps silently approach Claire, wearing a thin smile on his face.
"Lady Claire, you seem restless," The prince said, not concealing his cold tone.
"Tonight is supposed to be a grand night, a festive mood, yet you seem like a lost rabbit."
Startled by the sudden approach of the crown prince, Claire bowed her back a bit, lowering her head in order to show her respect, trying her best to conceal the uneasiness that couldn't escape the prince's gaze.
"Your royal highness, I-I'm not really used to being around a crowd, nobles at that. I feel a bit nervous when I think about it, not that I feel uncomfortable being around other nobles and especially you, your royal highness."
Fortunately, Claire has learned the basics of etiquette ever since she was young, the Duke brought a special teacher to teach her, avoiding future scenarios where she might offend some bigshot in the kingdom, such as this one. If the rumor about him is true then the crown prince could order her to be beheaded from the slightest of inconvenience.
She felt her arms trembling from the intense gaze of the cold blue eyes, feeling as if she was a rabbit being hunted by a wolf.
'Why is the Crown Prince here? Does he remember me because I stumbled into him yesterday?' she thought as she calmed her trembling hand.
A hint of amusement appeared in the blue eyes of the prince, a slight smile contoured on his lips as he saw Claire trembling and avoiding his gaze. She is like a puzzle for him, the innocent girl seems to attract attention–even the one she doesn't want.
"Ah, so this must be your first time joining a noble ball?" His voice softened although the tone is still as cold as before.
"It is normal to be nervous, I believe the daughter of a Duke must be accustomed with such commemoration."
He paused for a second to analyze Claire's expression. Then, he forcefully extended his hand to her, inviting her to dance with him.
"Tonight is your debut, Lady Claire. This is the moment you will be known to other nobles, it is simply inappropriate for me to let you hide yourself in the corner. Will you dance with me, Lady Claire?"
Even though his invitation seems courteous, there is an oppressing aura coming from his voice, the commanding tone hidden behind the amusement in his eyes.
Claire is shocked. The courteous voice of the crown prince attracted the attention of other noble ladies. She can hear their whispers, full of contempt, even to the point of raising the question of her birth. Since she never appeared on any other festivals, no one recognizes her.
Looking at his expression, Claire could only accept even if her heart is heavy and unwilling.
"With pleasure, your royal highness."
He felt a ticklish sensation in his brain as he looked at her defeated expression, trying his hardest to hold back his smile to not ruin his image as the crown prince.
Firmly grabbing her hand, the prince softly led her to the middle of the ballroom, curious gazes pointed towards the crown prince and his dancing partner, the unknown noble girl.
Claire's movement is very awkward, she is tumbling here and there, luckily, her partner is the famous crown prince, he leads the dance with elegance and beauty that fixes every fault of her dancing as he sweeps over the red carpet.
As they dance, the blue eyes keep glancing over her face, trying to find the fault within that innocent face.
"You danced pretty well, Lady Claire. Especially so since it's your first time being in the middle of a big crowd such as this," He loudly said, his warm gaze on her, yet there seems to be a hint of coldness behind it.
'The Crown Prince is paying attention to me?'
When I think about it, isn't it weird for the crown prince to take the hand of a lady who never socializes to dance? Even the tone of his words seems friendlier to her.
Suddenly, as they turn, Claire can feel a cold hand firmly holding her cheeks. Her whole body trembled, she shivered from the coldness, she looked at her dancing partner with curious gaze.
"Is the innocent expression of this face real?" His eyes squinted as he held her face, turning it left and right to his liking.