They were the two top female candidates in the marriage market and if it wasn’t Lorelei, there was only herself.
“Then, with me——-”
Before Lila could finish, Uriel smiled politely and refused again. “It’s going to be difficult because I have to dance with someone else for the first time.”
Lorelei and Lila, as well as the other women who were there, looked at him in surprise.
“Well, who is it?”
Lorelei asked in a trembling voice, forgetting that she had to borrow Janice’s gift of gab for her quiet image.
She hadn’t expected this situation.
She never heard that Uriel, who didn’t show his face in society that much, already had someone special.
Many women expressed their affection toward him but he always replied that he had no intention of dating or marriage.
“It’s Her Highness. The Princess. However, I don’t know if she’ll accept my dance request.”
“What?” Both men and women shouted in unison.
“Are you serious about having the first dance with Her Royal Highness? Didn’t she skip dances except for her Coming-Of-Age ceremony?” Simon asked with a puzzled look on his face and other men and women around also nodded in response.
“I heard that she hadn’t shown her face at the banquet since her last breakup so I don’t know if she’ll be alright today.”
“Just because you’re a lord doesn’t make her obligated to dance with you, Count. How about dancing with Lady Lorelai, instead? She’s waiting for you to offer.”
“Honestly, what’s fun about dancing with Her Royal Highness? She looks beautiful but she has no charm and Lady Adrian Reese has it.” A short blond man spoke too candidly.
Shocked at his audacity, everyone looked around to make sure no one heard him but no one objected the statement, either.
Uriel’s glowing eyes sharpened for a moment. “The young knight must know the princess well.”
The way he talked to the blond man had changed and the man shrank his neck in fear.
He was a knight of the lower aristocracy who participated in this war with Uriel and was under his command.
“Not being careful with your words has the same consequences whether it’s the military or the banquet.” Uriel’s expression didn’t change much.
He was still calm and had a slight smile on his face.
However, there was an unprecedented coldness in his voice.
At his tone, the short blonde man’s shoulders stiffened.
Even in the military, Uriel often handled his duties alone but it just occurred to him that he might be cruel and ruthless when it came to treating his subordinates.
“Excuse me, count.” Lorelei spoke in a thin voice to sound appealing.
“None of us has any intentions to be rude to Her Highness. However, I don’t think it’s good for Her Highness’s reputation to make you her partner at the banquet. Was it not enough for her to have a count, who has made great contributions in the war, as her escort?”
She became timid the instant she heard that Uriel already had a partner, but when she realized that she was the princess who had been broken off six times, her confidence rose again.
Lorelei secretly intended to attract Uriel’s attention by convincing him to dance with another woman.
“How many times did she have to force an escort knight to dance with her just because she had no man? Something like that could come out. To prevent that, the Count must——-”
Her plan didn’t work out.
The door to the banquet hall opened and everyone’s eyes were focused on it before she could continue.
“Her Royal Highness. The Princess has entered.”
Apollonia came in upon the servant’s word.
“No!”
“Is that Her Royal Highness?”
“Nonsense!”
The young aristocrats poured out exclamations.
The person appearing in front of their eyes was so different from the princess they knew.
Apollonia came in wearing a red dress as dark as rose petals.
The ball gown, embroidered with silver threads, were bold and intense, making the sleeves and the black cloth on her waistline look sophisticated.
Her long blonde hair, which was fixed only halfway up, was decorated with delicately shaped dark green sapphires that glittered from a distance.
An elegant necklace with a dainty pendant hung from her neck which made the splendid dress stand out.
Above all, it was Apollonia’s gaze and attitude that caught everyone’s eyes.
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