LUCIA

Chapter 81 Realization

When Katherine and Lucia returned to the party hall, the Queen made her entrance. Beth was more than a little surprised to see the two sisters coming to greet her together. It was an odd combination. Inwardly, she was worried that the two of them might have had quite the rough start when they met. The Duchess' character didn't worry her, Katherine was the problem.

"Duchess. Princess Katherine is used to speaking comfortably. Please understand."

Beth tried to excuse Katherine's mistakes; she didn't have to see it for herself, it was obvious. Katherine's counterattack came right away.

"Your Highness the Queen is lacking in energy these days. Yesterday must have been hard, I see wrinkles under your eyes."

"Ho...ho-ho. Of course. I'm older now."

Lucia suppressed a smile as she looked at Beth who was forcefully smiling with a protruding vein on her forehead.

The atmosphere of the party ripened in earnest. The musicians took their place and began to perform pavane, minuet and passepied in rotation. Every time the music changed, the men and women formed pairs and went to the vacated center of the dance hall to dance. One after another, the noblewomen who were gathered around Lucia and the Queen, stepped away after receiving a dance request. Katherine also stepped away after receiving the request of some young man.

"Would you please give me the honor of having a dance with a beautiful lady?"

Lucia looked at the hand held out to her then she looked up. It was a man she had never seen before. He looked like he was in his middle twenties. With black hair and a gentle smile, he was an attractive man that gave a moderately favorable impression.

In a ballroom, accepting a dance request and dancing was nothing more than having a simple conversation, there was no need to reveal one's specific status. The noblewomen at her side began encouraging her when they saw that she was still just looking.

"Go ahead. Duchess should have a dance on a day like this."

"Oh yes. The Duchess' elegant dancing will make the ball more interesting."

"He's Count Yungran, very popular with the single women."

Whether he was popular or not didn't matter to Lucia. She was only just attending but she didn't think it would be very good to be too passive in the party. Lucia took the unfamiliar man's hand and stepped out onto the dance hall. A minuet was played. Lucia placed her arms on the man's shoulders and began to move slowly to the music.

"You, my lady, are shining like the brightest and most elegant flower today. You are really beautiful."

"...You flatter me."

The man's stereotypical compliment didn't sound very interesting to Lucia. The man's hand on her waist kept bothering her and the smell of his perfume was unfamiliar. She kept comparing him to her husband. And her husband seemed to have a bigger lead.

'It looks like I stepped out for nothing.'

Lucia was already regretting it before the music verse ended. It was too boring. Moreover, her shoe was chafing and hurting her heel. Because she moved more often as she danced, she seemed to have bruised herself. Every time she took a step, it throbbed with pain so Lucia gradually voided her face of expression.

The atmosphere of the ball was ripe. When the King and other important figures arrived, people stirred. They bowed deeply to the King as he passed, showing their respect. The King walked through the path made by the crowd and approached the Queen. The Queen payed her respects to the King and greeted the retainers of the King.