The night deepened, and outside the brightly lit ballroom, roses were in full bloom.
The duke's magical advisors spent an extraordinary amount of energy each day maintaining the "natural" growth of these roses. Their vibrant colors and enchanting glow harmonized with the dazzling lights inside the ballroom. In the center of the rose garden stood a black iron swing, slightly crude in design, with a bed of thorny roses beneath it.
On the swing sat a melancholic young man, his aristocratic aura evident in every feature of his striking face. Even draped in a burlap sack, he could outshine everyone on the street. His perfectly proportioned figure was clad in a pristine tailcoat, his sorrowful gaze fixed on the stars above, radiating an air of artistic despair.
"You're pushing me off!" Shu muttered, his voice low and irritable, all while maintaining his brooding expression. "Move over!"
Amora, seated back-to-back with him on the swing, dangled her legs as she swung gently. "Nope," she replied curtly. "We're splitting this swing equally."
"I'm twice your size!" Shu protested, jostling her in an attempt to reclaim space.
Amora remained unmoved, her composure unshaken. Shu's strength was laughable compared to Lian's. "Regardless of size, we're both individuals. Equality, remember?"
"What nonsense are you even talking about…" Shu grumbled, clutching the chains tightly to keep himself from being pushed off.
"You could just go and dance," Amora suggested calmly. "You've got your fancy suit and everything. No need to fight over this swing with me."
"I don't want to dance!" Shu fumed, giving her another nudge. "I don't want to deal with those politicians!"
Amora didn't quite understand his logic.
He'd come here, grinning foolishly, just to catch a glimpse of the Frost Valkyrie. Yet here he was, sulking in the garden, swinging aimlessly. Even if he stayed here all night, the "chance encounter with the ice-cold beauty amidst the roses" he seemed to hope for was never going to happen. Why didn't he realize that?
"Stop squirming. This frame might collapse," Amora warned him sharply. She had initially come to see if anyone was wearing the black jade ring, but upon arriving, she had encountered a serious problem.
Everyone. Was. Wearing. Gloves.
Unless she provoked someone enough to challenge her to a duel and throw their gloves in her face, there was no way to figure out who had the ring.
And so, she had retreated to the garden swing. Shu had soon followed, declaring himself a "noble artist" unwilling to mingle with the vulgar crowd.
After a moment of silence, Shu finally burst out in frustration. "She has a dance partner! Can you believe it? The Ice Queen actually has a partner!"
"I can not only believe it, but I also saw it," Amora replied mercilessly. "Her partner is a prematurely aged, white-haired commander who barely reaches her chest."
Shu groaned in agony. "What does he have that I don't?"
"Well, for starters, you also only reach her chest," Amora pointed out, completely matter-of-fact.
Shu clutched his face dramatically, his voice filled with anguish. "But she's wearing heels!"
"So are you," Amora said flatly, as if that settled the matter.
Shu: "…"
Amora turned her attention back to the ballroom. The Frost Valkyrie exuded an icy aura that kept everyone at a respectful distance. The only person within five meters of her was her somber-faced dance partner.
The Frost Valkyrie had short, fragmented blue hair that accentuated her clean and striking appearance. She possessed an androgynous beauty, sharp and commanding.
Her gown was a deep oceanic blue, designed with fluid, wave-like curves. But on her, it seemed frozen solid, as if the very waves had been turned to ice. Amora could almost feel the sharp icicles embedded in the fabric. Her moonlit skin was flawless and chilling, and the air around her seemed to freeze in her presence.
She wore a single earring: a frosted crystal pendant shaped like the icicles that hung from rooftops in the harsh northern winters.
At that moment, the Frost Valkyrie leaned toward her partner, her icy demeanor unchanged, and spoke to him in a low voice.
"If we're both here at this pointless ball, that means she's alone at the embassy…"
Her partner frowned. "She'll be fine." His tone was curt and direct.
"This land is steeped in darkness," the Frost Valkyrie murmured, leaning closer to his ear. "A darkness opposed to her."
"The divine do not fear the dark," he replied, maintaining his frown as he distanced himself from her. "She said, 'Let there be light,' and eternal night fell into death's embrace."
The Frost Valkyrie let out a cold laugh. "Don't forget, eternal night is also divine."
Her partner shook his head, unwilling to continue the conversation.
Amora tried to read their lips, hoping to discern what they were saying. But before she could recalibrate her divine language system to interpret the dialect of Saint Lanskat, the Valkyrie stopped speaking.
Just then, her partner removed his gloves and, in a gentlemanly gesture, poured her a drink.
Amora's attention snapped into focus. She lightly smacked Shu on the back.
"You still have a chance."
"Ahhhh!!" Shu exclaimed in disbelief.
At this point, the swing had already started moving. The frame wobbled precariously, and Shu, caught off guard, was slapped off the swing and into the rose bushes. He let out a short, sharp cry, convinced the thorns had ruined his prized face.
"I'm so sorry," Amora said as she jumped off the swing. She crouched beside him to check on his condition. "Can you still stand?"
Weakly, Shu groaned, "…If I die here, bury me in this beautiful yet sinful rose garden. Let its petals next year be tinged with the red of my blood."
"I think you still have a chance to dance with the Valkyrie," Amora said, administering a verbal shot of encouragement.
"What!" Shu sprang up instantly, pulling his face free from the thorns, his eyes glowing with hope. "What do I need to do?"
"Switch partners," Amora suggested with a mischievous glint. According to tradition, during one segment of the dance, there would be an opportunity to switch partners. Though Amora couldn't guarantee Shu would be able to get close to the Valkyrie, it was his best shot.
Shu immediately saw the flaw in the plan. "She'll just push me away."
"Then cling to her," Amora said boldly. "I'll take care of her partner."
With her partner out of the picture, Shu's chances would more than double. He hesitated, then asked, "You?"
"Yes." Amora tried to make her voice sound as steady and convincing as possible. "Find someone to dance with, and when it's time to switch partners, move toward the Valkyrie. I'll handle her partner."
"How exactly are you going to do that?" Shu was skeptical.
"I'll improvise," Amora replied confidently, though her tone betrayed the unreliability of her plan.
Fortunately, Shu loved this kind of romantic, reckless adventure. "Alright, I'm in!" he declared enthusiastically.
As Shu made his way toward the ballroom, Amora followed close behind. She helped herself to some food from the long banquet table, then hid behind a bouquet to observe the Frost Valkyrie's dance partner.
He had silver-gray hair, but a youthful face—exactly what she had earlier described as "prematurely aged." He was about the same height as Shu in his heels but still shorter than the Valkyrie. His tailored suit emphasized his well-proportioned, athletic frame. His stern expression and furrowed brows made him look less like a ballroom guest and more like someone planning another airstrike.
During the brief moment he had removed his gloves earlier, Amora caught a glimpse of the black jade ring.
It was almost too convenient—a coincidence so perfect it felt like a conspiracy.
And without hesitation, Amora decided to step into this conspiracy.
As the music grew livelier, the Frost Valkyrie extended her hand to the silver-haired commander, and the two began to dance. Their movements carried an odd dissonance, yet somehow their coordination was seamless, likely the result of years of military teamwork.
Shu, meanwhile, had quickly secured a dance partner with his charming face and began twirling her across the floor, slowly maneuvering closer to the Valkyrie.
Despite the dance being in Shu's honor, a few local nobles from Flynne County were present to fill out the crowd. As the lively music played, nearly everyone joined the dance floor.
Standing alone with a plate of food, Amora became conspicuous. To blend in, she reluctantly stepped onto the dance floor, inching closer to the Frost Valkyrie.
Shu scanned the crowd for Amora, but she was too short to be spotted.
Grinding his teeth, he muttered, "She's so unreliable…"
"What was that?" his dance partner asked, startled.
Shu flashed a dazzling smile. "I said, you're absolutely stunning."
His partner blushed and looked down shyly.
Meanwhile, Shu kept a close eye on the Valkyrie. She and her partner were still closely engaged, showing no sign of separating. With the music nearing its end and the partner-swapping segment approaching, Shu knew he couldn't afford to wait for Amora's intervention.
He twirled his partner expertly, guiding her closer to the Valkyrie until he was within five meters of her.
The song reached its climax, concluding with a move where the male dancer lifted his partner, spun her once, then let her step back as they extended their hands apart, only to reunite in the final beat. Shu performed the move with precision, lifting his partner and spinning her before releasing her hands.
Now, as he stepped back and turned, he prepared to grab the Valkyrie's hand.
"Wait!" Amora's voice rang out, urgent but drowned in the cacophony of music.
Shu's hand reached out, pulling someone toward him. He turned to find himself face-to-face with… the silver-haired commander.
The two stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded.
In that moment, Amora finally understood the source of the dissonance in the Valkyrie's earlier dance.
The Frost Valkyrie had been leading the male steps all along.