Chapter 80
It wasn't because I looked strange that I wore a dress after a long time.
'Why am I smiling?'
I was smiling.
A broad smile, as if I were waiting for something joyful.
That was so confusing that Idell gently slapped her cheeks with her hands.
"Stay strong. This isn't my party."
Instead of being a joyous occasion, rumors about me are likely to spread after my dance with Laszlo today.
Edel decided to face the situation and began adjusting her appearance, then she took a deep breath.
After that, she quickly went down to the hall alone.
She was thinking about the stares that would follow her until she reached Laszlo, but she was surprised when he immediately recognized her and stepped forward, extending his hand.
“…You definitely look better than in your formal attire.”
"Later, I'll arrange a session to discuss fashion, I promise!"
"There's no need for that."
“But there is a need.”
Idil threatened with a smile that barely moved her lips, while her feet did not stop walking towards the center of the hall.
The hall was stunned by her presence, but Laszlo broke the silence with a loud voice.
“We’re a little late for the start of the first dance. Let’s begin.”
Laszlo gave a slight nod to the conductor, who gathered his baton in front of him and then raised it high.
As the bows of the stringed instruments moved, Laszlo and Idel's feet began to move smoothly.
To a slow, repetitive rhythm, a joyful melody flowed, and they held each other's hands, swaying gently before they began to spin around the wide hall.
People were momentarily shocked by the appearance of “Edeal Lancaster”, but they were quickly impressed by the beauty of her movements and her still-outstanding elegance.
"Oh my God... she's still dancing beautifully."
“Of course, she was considered the best in high society.”
It was not necessary to specify who this praise was intended for, as everyone knew it was for her.
It has only been one year since the collapse of the Duke of Lancaster's family.
Until then, Idell was the most elegant and beautiful dancer of all.
There were also those who were surprised by Laszlo.
"Even Count Crisis dances surprisingly well."
"That's right, did he hire a private tutor?"
“I have never heard of a dance teacher in Count Crisis’s family…”
Laszlo's movements as he guided Edel were smooth, but they carried a certain power.
It may look less flexible than traditional dance, but it fits its image perfectly.
Of course, the conversations behind the fans revolved more around Idil and Laszlo's relationship than their dancing.
'People's whispers don't affect me.'
Edel thought as she moved in the same direction as Laszlo's steps.
From her childhood, she grew up in the heart of high society, so she knew very well what people were talking about now.
The situation may be better now than when she married the Duke of Lancaster, but it could get worse soon.
However, that was not important.
'I will give him all the help I can. Count Crisis gave me far more help than that.'
When she was dragged to the capital, she was so terrified of the miserable life that awaited her that she considered ending her life rather than facing it. Given this, the very fact that she is breathing and living now is thanks to László.
Moreover, she was no longer noble, so there was no reason for her to care about her reputation.
Therefore, even as she stood now as Laszlo's partner in front of people, she was not afraid.
Honestly, getting people's looks at her was much better than seeing Laszlo dancing with Angela.
'Miss Bliss is only using Count Crisis to promote herself.'
Angela was someone who cared deeply about her appearance in front of others. Perhaps she wanted to feel that all women envied her.
Therefore, if Laszlo's appearance had not become attractive, I would never have considered proposing marriage to him, no matter how tempting his title and wealth might have been.
There was no way that she would suddenly feel a fateful connection to Laszlo, in whom nothing had changed except his appearance.
'When Count Crisis became attractive, she saw that it would be wonderful to have him by her side, and only then did she notice his title and wealth.'
Of course, Edel knew she wasn't in a position to blame Angela. But she simply hoped that this still-innocent man would meet someone who genuinely appreciated and respected him.
'If this man had loved Miss Bliss from the beginning, I wouldn't have thought this way.'
Edel looked at Laszlo, who was dancing better than she had taught him, and smiled gently.
He was also looking at her with a smile.
His smile looked sweet for a moment, but Idil felt a strange bitterness in her mouth.
***
"Oh my God! What's going on here?"
"Really, why is he dancing with that woman when Miss Angela is here?"
While the women who tried to bring Laszlo and Angela together whispered amongst themselves with tense faces, Angela struggled to calm her rising anger.
'He said he didn't care about me before, and now? Is he trying to punish me or what?'
When her marriage proposal was rejected, she accepted it easily and said to herself, “It could happen.”
Of course, she hoped he would be attracted to her beauty, but she understood that someone close to the emperor would not easily agree to the first marriage proposal he received.
All she wanted was to make a strong impression on him before anyone else.
'I'm the first, aren't I? And it's hard to forget the first.'
During the preparations for the party, Angela was very confident that Laszlo would not pay attention to any other woman besides her.
But her hopes were completely shattered.
The other men were overjoyed as soon as she spoke to them, while Lazlo appeared visibly annoyed.
Even when the women he had previously courted spoke of marriage or dancing, he seemed to be barely containing his anger.
'Well, I can accept that. But to reject me to choose a partner like Adele Lancaster? A woman who is no longer even noble and is considered a criminal?'
If I remain like this without doing anything, the women I asked for help will turn to mocking me.
Angela whispered softly and with gentle features to the aristocrats who tried to console her.
“Count Crisis seems to have felt pressured. Because of my actions, I have embarrassed you. I am sorry.”
“My dear, there is no need for you to apologize. The fault lies not with you, but with Count Crisis, who still needs to learn a great deal about the manners of noblemen.”
“Exactly, it was his first time attending a party like this, and his first time dancing with a woman who wasn’t his sister. He was probably confused or embarrassed. That’s why he chose to dance with the housekeeper instead of someone else.”
Everyone tried hard to ease the awkward situation. Angela, however, looked like a poor princess receiving sympathy, until she decided to seize the right moment to speak.
“But rumors seem to be something we can’t ignore.”
"Rumors? What rumors are you referring to?"
“Because of my admiration for Count Crisis, I have been following his news closely. And through a reliable source, I heard something… Ah, I don’t want to embarrass him…”
When Angela interrupts her speech like this, it piques the curiosity of even those who weren't interested. The women move closer to her, determined to know the details.
"Do you think we will misunderstand Count Crisis? Speak freely, we are here to understand the situation."
“Of course, we are listening and we will judge fairly.”
Only then did Angela glance at Idil and Lazlo as they danced, and say:
“When that woman first came to Count Crisis’s palace, she was hired as a laundress. But she was promoted to housekeeper in just one year. Do you think this happened only because of her competence?”
By normal standards, this was impossible.
A captive implicated in treason reappears in public; a laundry worker becomes a housekeeper within a year; and a housekeeper dances as the master of the manor's partner at a party?
"Do you mean there's a specific reason for that?"
“According to that reliable source, that woman is not what she seems. She is extremely ambitious and is using Count Crisis to regain what she has lost.”
"Really? And who is this source?"
“She had been working as the head servant since Count Crisis Manor was founded, but was dismissed after Edel Lancaster took her place.”
The women looked at Idle in surprise, while Angela added a final sentence.
"I am very worried about the Count."
But what really worried Angela was the fear of losing Laszlo to Edel, a woman who, in her eyes, was now nothing more than a “remnant”.