Chapter 18

"Don't you like it?" I asked, wiping cookie crumbs from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.

Kyle, who had suddenly produced a cookie from his pocket and watched me eat it with a complicated expression, then gently took my hand.

"No one has ever danced with me twice at the same banquet."

Oh, I see. So, let go of your aversion. In truth, it doesn't matter who I dance with. My only purpose is to get closer to Belial. I tried to pull my hand away without hesitation, but he held me with force.

"..."

You bastard. Be consistent with your words and actions. Your words and body are at odds.

"You said no one danced twice?" I asked, my voice sharp.

Kyle remained calm. "I never said no."

"Yes...." How could you be like this?

Still, I'd rather dance on his feet than step on someone I don't know. At least I wouldn't have to worry about following the dance steps.

The sharp violin signaled the start of the second dance piece. Was it Chaconne? If I listened more closely, I might understand, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to leisurely enjoy the music.

From the start, I blatantly placed my foot on his. Kyle moved smoothly as if he didn't feel my weight. I had to move faster than before, but I felt no difficulty.

'His strength is good.'

I turned my head, looking for Kyle and Sen. Luckily, Sen's green dress sparkled under the chandelier, making her easy to spot in the crowd.

Don't you know! Don't come to the center! Do you want a chandelier to fall on your back?!

"Oh." Unfortunately, the prince was indeed a prince, so when he stood in the center, others naturally stepped aside. Kyle considered it for a moment, then moved us a few steps away from the very center.

'Oh.... I can't do this.'

Knowing the future, I felt a burning anxiety inside. Anxiously, my gaze kept returning to the chandelier. Somehow, the lights seemed to be shaking slightly. I frowned at the dazzling light, but I kept staring, trying to catch even the slightest difference.

At that moment, Kyle subtly shifted positions, turning my back to the chandelier.

"Are you not concentrating?" he asked.

I replied, my voice low. "Is there anything to focus on? His Highness is dancing anyway."

So, just dance well, regardless of my expression. So that people don't laugh at us when they see us. I have no honor or human rights to lose, but Archduke Blake is in a different situation.

Kyle clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. He seemed to think that I cared about Belial, given how often I checked his location.

"Do you like Prince Belial?"

He must think I'm interested in marriage, given the flower exchange. I just received an invitation and gave him a white flower in return.

'... Well, that sounds suspicious.'

What if an unidentified commoner appeared out of nowhere, came with Belial's invitation, wore a suit he gifted him, and even gave him flowers? It's not just suspicious; it's incredibly suspicious. If it were me, I would have demanded an explanation.

"No, that's not it...." I followed Belial with my eyes. I know it's hard to believe me at all, but it's better than regretting it after the accident.

Kyle asked with a wry smile. "Looking at him so intently?"

"...Who's passionate? Not me, right?"

Some might think I'm utterly infatuated with Belial and don't know what to do. No, that's not it, is it?

Belial Serena Meinhardt is Kyle Blake's biggest threat and an important opponent. To me, who has to achieve a miracle by saving Kyle, Belial is a person who cannot be viewed favorably.

Look, you're fine, I'm fine. Protecting that enemy is protecting the North, and protecting your own life. I'm going to save my life.

"Let's finish dancing. But you're the owner of the castle, so why are you in this corner?"

"..."

"Over there, over there. Let's go to the center."

Kyle looked utterly exasperated, but in the end, he did as I said. He's nice. He listens to me.

Then, a shrill sound rang out. Squeak. Even with the faintest sound, I raised my head.

[⊙﹏⊙∥]

Seeing how the system reacted, it didn't seem like it was just my imagination. My heart went cold. Is it fate that something that will happen will happen somehow?

"No, it won't." It can't be like that.

I didn't want to give up easily just because I was following the original plot or because it was meant to happen. I'm here to do anything.

[Σ(っ °Д °;)っ] [(>︿<;;)っ] [()=()] Several system windows popped up simultaneously. It even blinked as if to represent its desperate feelings. The chandelier groaned a little louder than before and cast a shadow over Kyle's forehead for a moment.

"Believe me," I whispered. "No matter what I do, I'm not going to endanger your life." I smiled lightly and stepped down from Kyle's feet, pushing him away from his firm shoulder. It happened so quickly that Kyle's arm around my waist also loosened. I turned and threw myself at Belial.

The weakened support broke at the right time, and the chandelier fell. As Belial and Sen stood in the middle of the dance floor, the music's strings cried out for a climax. Kyle probably didn't realize the situation until later. He was still reaching out his arm behind my back. Of course, I didn't have time to look back.

"..."

Time seemed to pass strangely slowly. Or so it seemed. My desperately outstretched arm couldn't reach Belial. Instead, I pushed Sen away, and Belial, losing his own balance, embraced Sen's body as she fell to the side.

Bang! The chandelier crashed. Puck! At the same time, a loud roar shook my whole body, and then the glass shattered into thousands of pieces. The music had long since stopped. The crowd screamed, and Kyle roared. I felt like he had called my name. However, the thought did not last long. My vision became blurry. A distant pain came over me like a tidal wave. I don't know how many seconds it took me to lose consciousness. When I think about it, I'm glad I fainted so quickly. I didn't have to go through that terrible pain for long.

Kyle felt miserable. The grand ballroom, which had been shining brightly, quickly became a mess.

"Guards! Evacuate the guests!" he shouted urgently, and the doors opened all at once, and the guards entered. Kyle quickly picked up the fallen young man and looked at Sen. She was supporting Belial. It looked like Belial had injured his hand from a shard of glass that bounced off.

"I'll do it!" Sen quickly shouted, offering to help Belial.

Kyle couldn't even answer and gritted his teeth, the unconscious man heavy in his arms.

"Call a doctor," Kyle's command prompted the guards to nod their heads.

"Yes, Your Highness. He'll be here at once...."

It's too late to wait here. Kyle gritted his teeth and looked down at his own hand. His gloved hands were all red. It was because the young man in his arms was soaked in blood. Looking at his condition, it was too late to take him all the way to the infirmary. It would be better to meet the doctor halfway. Where is that? There was no need to think about it for long.

"I'm going to the study," Kyle muttered.

The young man, who had a foreign impression beyond exotic, had already fainted. He had been hit by the falling chandelier and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the chandelier did not fall directly on his head. If he had taken the full impact, he would have died without even having time to be cared for.

"..."

Kyle didn't even have time to look around the banquet hall. He went down to the study like crazy. He ran down the stairs four at a time, but he did his best not to shake the body he carried. He felt the young man's body getting colder. His clothes were soaked with blood. Kyle was very nervous. He should have caught him. It happened in an instant, but the young man immediately stretched out his arm. Kyle had an instinctive intuition that he had to catch him. However, he couldn't catch him by a narrow margin. Only the young man's thin brown hair swayed like a ghost before his eyes.

Was it because of my mood? Shu's body seemed to be enveloped in pure white light. Was it the light of the chandelier, or....

"Hey," Kyle wanted to ask this suspicious stranger. Tell me, did you even anticipate this moment? Why did you look around anxiously, as if you knew all this was going to happen? Was it because you had foreseen this catastrophe when you were looking around for Belial or looking up? Unless you are a prophet, you cannot foresee the future. No, even a prophet cannot predict events so accurately. If so, how did he know?

Kyle felt like his stomach was burning. He had fought for more than a decade on the harsh and harrowing battlefields of the North. Therefore, he had seen and received more wounds than this. Still, he felt a strange sense of crisis. It was hard to calm his throbbing stomach.

'Don't die,' he muttered to himself. 'Don't die,' you suspicious and strange guy.

"What about the doctor?" Kyle demanded of a guard.

"He was taking care of other injured people. He said he would come right away with the tools needed to treat the trauma, so he will be there in ten minutes."

"Yes. What about me...." Kyle wiped away a cold sweat. As soon as he made the young man lie face down, he took off his shirt, pulled out a shard of glass, and bandaged him to stop the urgent bleeding. Even if the guards were protecting this place, there was nothing more they could do for the injured man. Kyle glanced at Shu's face. The young man's chest was rising and falling, even if very shallowly.

'You'll hold on. Ten minutes.'

Especially if Belial is injured, it could pose a big threat to the future of the North.

"...I'm going to clean up the mess in the banquet hall. Follow me." Kyle instructed a subordinate.

"What should I do with the study?"

"Leave the door open, so the doctors can come in and treat him."

"I see," Kyle said, forcing his feet to move without falling. Even though he was on his way to the banquet hall, his mind was still in the study. Naturally, he was in a hurry to act. He felt like he had to finish his work and go back to the man.