The nameless young nobleman, or rather, Talprin, lingered behind the pillar for a long time, then finally caught sight of Diane and Edward entering the ballroom, his eyes wide with curiosity.
'What did they do?'
He knew better than anyone that Diane wasn't the type to easily switch partners. But he also knew that everyone was after her, beautiful, cute, and… (he trailed off). Especially that cunning Edward Ganiello, wasn't he known for being of a suitable status to be with Diane?
'Coward, opportunist, bad-tempered, twisted…'
He disliked the way Edward was smiling at Diane with his slick face. Talprin tried to discern whether it was the face of a man in love or not. He couldn't tell yet.
'Ah, Baroness Morie.'
Joan, who was enjoying the party with Aaron from the Morie Trading Company, spotted Diane and approached her. Joan's bright smile froze as soon as Edward entered her field of vision. In contrast, Edward's face suddenly lit up.
An ordinary person would have immediately realized from this sequence of events that Edward was interested in Joan. But Talprin's vision was extremely narrow at the moment. All he could see was Edward smiling affectionately at Diane.
'What's he flirting with her for?'
Talprin, enraged, recalled that Edward had glanced at him as soon as he entered the mansion. Could it be that he had seen him then and was reveling in his victory as Diane's partner…?
'That can't be it.'
He was a bit embarrassed, having come to the party alone, not even chosen as Diane's partner. Even for someone as shameless as Talprin. So he had disguised himself more carefully than usual.
'Let's see what he does.'
He had come this far, following Neris's orders and his own hopes. But Talprin was still pondering how to proceed. If he were to approach Diane in front of everyone and ask her why she hadn't chosen him, wouldn't she be embarrassed?
So he had to wait for an opportunity, no matter what he did, whether he assassinated Edward, pushed him off the roof of this house, or secretly drugged him and put him in a carriage and sent him somewhere… He had to wait for an opportunity to see how Diane was feeling and to separate the two of them.
Talprin frowned and continued to watch Diane and Edward.
***
"Your face is going to melt."
Edward chuckled, feeling the intense gaze. Diane raised her eyebrows, deciding that he was talking nonsense again.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, no. Are you two thirsty? Shall I get you some punch?"
Diane looked at Joan. Joan, as if at a loss for words at Edward's offer, was flattered but kept glancing at his face. Then her eyes glazed over, and she blushed slightly without realizing it.
Diane, who had been worried that she would be using Joan for her own purposes, was relieved. It seemed that Joan had feelings for Edward too.
Aaron, who was attending as Joan's partner, seemed to know the situation and cleverly dissuaded Edward.
"I'll get it. Please continue your conversation."
"No, Aaron…"
Edward skillfully cut off Joan's attempt to dissuade Aaron quickly.
"I'd appreciate it if you would."
What a fox, she must have never intended to go in the first place. Diane thought that, looking at Edward with annoyance. As soon as Aaron left, Edward asked Joan softly,
"May I have this dance?"
It was a perfectly acceptable proposal by the standards of the Empire's social circles, but Joan was terrified, as if she had heard something unspeakable. Even so, her honest eyes were fixed on Edward's face, then wandered elsewhere, in a frenzy. She mumbled something that wasn't quite a refusal, but not quite an agreement either.
"Yes? I, with Lady Diane here, why would I…?"
Diane was torn. She didn't mind them dancing, in fact, she found it amusing. But she needed to know why Joan was avoiding Edward. If there was something uncomfortable between them, she should have stopped him here, but if there was no problem between them, it would be good to let them talk.
Both Joan and Edward were much older than Diane. Diane was quick to notice romantic problems between her peers, but adult romantic problems were difficult. As Diane hesitated, Joan, seeing her expression, changed her words awkwardly.
"Oh, no. If it's alright with the Lady, I… yes, how could I refuse?"
Edward laughed at the implied taunt, "You're just pretending to be casual, considering your status and position, it's like covering your eyes and pretending nothing is happening," and Diane was reassured. Seeing that she could say that much, it seemed that Joan wasn't being oppressed by Edward's authority.
After the two went out to dance, Aaron returned with drinks in hand. Judging from the fact that he only brought one peach punch, Diane's favorite, it seemed that Aaron had anticipated this situation.
Diane sipped her punch and watched the dance floor. Edward's lead was extremely elegant and skillful, and Joan was clumsy but strong. Seeing them, she understood why Edward liked Joan.
'He seems like the kind of person who would like someone pure and strong.'
A woman he can tease and still respect. A woman with a vibrant life force that he lacks. Edward seemed to see Joan as that kind of person. But what would Joan see in Edward?
"Sir Aaron."
"Yes, Lady Diane."
Aaron had been knighted in recognition of his contributions to the war effort in Tropur. Still, Aaron called Diane "Lady" just as he had when he was a commoner. The gap between them was still vast. He wasn't as close to Diane as Joan was.
But the people of the Morie Trading Company and the McKinnon Trading Company got along well. Their working relationship wasn't determined by status.
"Does Joan like Duke Edward?"
"Yes, well. I guess so."
Oh, that tone sounded like Talprin. Diane thought that and suddenly felt very irritated. She couldn't understand why she was standing here like this.
The dress she was wearing today was a masterpiece, as expected, ordered from a famous dressmaker and waited for a long time. The emerald necklace and earrings were also chosen a week ago, the colors that would best match the dress.
The reason she had prepared so meticulously for this ball, where she wouldn't even be able to dance a few songs, was purely to spend time with the person she liked. Like when she was at the academy, she could enjoy parties filled with people she didn't like, as long as she was with Neris. To share memories with someone good.
'But what is this?'
She felt a surge of annoyance as she realized it was all a waste of time. She understood what Edward had said. And she didn't regret helping Joan with her love life. But she didn't like the situation that required her to use such tactics.
Everything was annoying. Edward, who acted like he was helping but was actually looking out for his own interests, Talprin, who was acting pathetically… and even herself, who suddenly understood why Talprin was acting so ambiguously after seeing Joan.
'I refuse to hesitate in the name of helping!'
Joan was attracted to Edward but couldn't approach him. Edward knew that, which was why he approached her through Diane. He must have judged that Joan's personality wouldn't allow her to ignore him just because he was uncomfortable.
Why would Joan, who was usually so straightforward, like Edward but avoid him? Unless it was because of his status, and she was worried that he would be at a disadvantage.
Unless she was concerned about the fact that her treatment in society was different from his, even though he had received a title after the war.
Aaron, watching Diane's increasingly sharp gaze, flinched, feeling uncomfortable himself. But Diane was lost in thought and didn't have time to notice the person next to her.
"If he's going to act like this, his mental state needs to be fixed in a different way."
What? Is he talking about me? Or Duke Edward? Or maybe Joan? Aaron, not understanding the context, rolled his eyes in surprise. But Diane didn't bother to explain, she just gritted her teeth.
"Sir Aaron!"
"Yes, yes?"
"Tell everyone that I'm not feeling well and I'm going home first."
"Yes? Oh, yes!"
It was obvious that Diane wasn't actually feeling unwell. Aaron answered quickly, not wanting to get into trouble for no reason.
***
'What? Where is she going?'
Diane suddenly strode out of the ballroom, and Talprin was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Joan, who had just finished a song and was heading towards the garden, and Edward, who was following her. Then he looked at Diane.
It would be better to finish the easy part quickly and devote tonight to the part that required time.
He had brought a nightingale with him to this ballroom, just in case. Talprin winked at his subordinate, who was disguised as a guest and infiltrated the other side, and went towards Edward. Just five minutes. No, two and a half minutes. He only intended to spend that much time.
"Duke."
Joan was no longer visible, as if she had already hidden among the trees in the garden. Talprin approached Edward, who was looking around the dark garden with a troubled expression, and spoke to him.
"Ah, Earl Wirtam."
Edward turned around naturally and greeted Talprin. Talprin was slightly shocked. …Too many people had recognized his disguise in recent years. Was it time for him to retire from the shadows?
Seeing Talprin's twitching eyebrows, Edward laughed.
"Don't misunderstand. I wouldn't have recognized you if I had seen you elsewhere. You've been staring so intensely at Lady Diane since earlier, anyone would know."
"Is that so?"
Well, he hadn't been paying attention to his gaze. Talprin frowned, humbly promising to be more careful next time.
"You know that, but why don't you know that it's rude to dance with another woman without even having the first dance with your partner?"
"Oh, you're quite aggressive."
"I'm just telling you about common sense and manners. Of course, you've received a much better education than I have, so you already know."
"You'd rather see another man dance with her than see Lady Diane not get the proper treatment? That's quite a passion. If you had expressed it to her, this wouldn't have happened."
What is he talking about? Talprin felt an immense aversion to everything Edward said and every expression he made. But he couldn't think of anything more aggressive to say. Edward and Diane hadn't done anything wrong. Even the talk about the first dance with a partner was something that only applied to young people who were jealous and nitpicky, not a general unwritten rule of society.
And Edward was right.
Seeing Talprin, who was furious but speechless because of his self-loathing, Edward shook his head. It was a pity.
"If you like her so much, why don't you go talk to her instead of standing here like this?"
What are you talking about! Do you think it's okay for anyone to talk to your partner, Duke?
Talprin couldn't believe it. How could he even think about letting another man talk to Diane McKinnon, after bringing her as his partner? He would never let that happen!
He wouldn't let anyone talk to her, let alone dance with her, let alone look at her. Of course, she's so beautiful that people would look at her, but that's something that can be fixed with some discipline…
Edward looked at Talprin with even more pity, having thought that far.
"Why not? People can talk to each other."
"What…"
"Now I understand. You've been meeting openly, but why have you held back from making a decisive move? You're not very good at controlling yourself. Were you afraid she would run away?"
Hmph. Talprin took a deep breath. He had never thought of it that way. His relationship with Diane wasn't something he could describe with common phrases. Control? Running away? Where would he find such ordinary words? Every word, every expression, every action in front of her was simply, simply…
"Let's go to the Duke of McKinnon's mansion. Your master will go home in a different carriage later."
Diane instructed the Ganiello family's servant while waiting for the carriage. Since she had come in the Ganiello family's carriage, she had to use it, and considering the relationship between the two families, it wasn't a problem. Edward was probably going to go home in Joan's carriage tonight anyway.
Normally, carriages used for these kinds of banquets would be lined up in the backyard or near the wall of the mansion. When the banquet was over, they would wait in front of the mansion door in a clever order, picking up their masters and returning home. So if you wanted to leave suddenly in the middle of the banquet, you had to call the coachman separately.
But instead of going to call the carriage, the servant said with an embarrassed expression,
"Excuse me, Miss. Actually, the carriage wheel has been a bit strange since earlier. It's being checked right now, so you'll have to wait a bit."
"Really? Well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'll wait."
"It's cold, why don't you go inside and wait?"
"That's okay. Tell him to come as soon as the check is done."
"Yes, Miss. I'll take care of it right away."
The servant ran off, looking relieved. Diane stood at the entrance of the mansion, where there were few people, and looked up at the night sky. The crescent moon was now shining brightly.
It was a desperate struggle with all his might. To be pulled into the sun as if it were natural, yet to avoid being completely consumed, to make the sun look at him even a little.
But was there anything wrong with what Edward said?
There wasn't.