Chapter 3
“Foolish Turner.”
When Elaine was very young, she once barely survived after ingesting poison. The ordeal left her with a frail body, dependent on medicine for the rest of her life. Turner blamed himself for the incident and, ever since, had taken it upon himself to be responsible for her in every possible way.
“It would be better if he could just let go of that foolish guilt.”
The problem was that the form his guilt took resembled love a little too closely.
As Elaine was lost in thought about Turner, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the ballroom.
“Presenting Lord Fernando, Lady Vanessa, and Lady Elaine of House Aiola!”
With a grand creak, the massive doors opened, and dazzling chandelier light poured down upon them. Everyone inside the ballroom turned their eyes toward the entrance.
“My goodness, that shimmering platinum hair…”
“She’s the spitting image of the late Lady Aiola…”
“No wonder the royal family keeps an eye on her…”
The crowd could not hide their open admiration—especially for Fernando and Elaine.
Though the Kingdom of Hermanda was small, the Aiola family carried the bloodline of the Kartan Empire. The siblings’ radiant platinum hair, inherited from their mother, was considered a trademark of the imperial family, rulers of the continent. Their late mother, Chiara Aiola, had once been a Kartan princess.
Soaking in the crowd’s gaze, Elaine stood taller with pride. She showed no sign of fear or tension at being the center of attention.
After greeting the Queen and Turner, the ball officially began with the music of court musicians.
Traditionally, at a debutante’s coming-of-age ball, the first dance was performed with either a fiancé or a close family member.
Since Elaine, effectively the evening’s star, had no fiancé, she took her brother Fernando’s hand for the opening dance. Afterward, she danced three more times with unfamiliar gentlemen she had just met.
Turner approached her while she was catching her breath and sipping water.
“You look like you’re having fun.”
“Turner!”
Elaine, who had refrained from calling his name openly in front of the Queen, now beamed with delight as she welcomed him.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes. Thank you so much—for putting together such a beautiful ball.”
“Well, it’s nothing, really.”
Turner gave a smug shrug just as murmurs rose from the direction of the entrance Elaine had come through earlier. She turned her emerald eyes toward the commotion—and widened them in surprise.
“Oh… That man is…!”
A man had just entered, fashionably late. Though he made no sound, his mere presence stirred the crowd with a formidable, imposing aura.
“Dominic Cheshire…”
He was the man who had strolled with Elaine around the Aiola estate.
“That’s the ‘Cheshire’ you mentioned?”
Noticing her interest, Turner couldn’t hold back his question.
“You know Lord Cheshire?”
Elaine’s bright, spring-like eyes blinked innocently.
“…”
Turner didn’t respond right away, but Elaine, now fully captivated by the man’s entrance, didn’t notice his hesitance.
As she feigned conversation with Turner, she kept stealing glances at Dominic—until, at last, her eyes met his jet-black ones, deep as the midnight sky.
“…!”
Startled, Elaine froze in place like a fool. The corners of Dominic’s lips curled upward in a captivating arc.
Step. Step. Step…
The sound of his approaching footsteps made Elaine involuntarily tense up.
She, who had shown no fear even under the gaze of the entire ballroom, now stiffened at the barely audible sound of his slow, quiet steps—barely perceptible amidst the music and chatter.
Dominic stopped directly in front of her.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Lady Aiola.”
His intense eyes fixed directly on her.
“I’ve come to keep my promise.”
With a languid smile, he whispered beautifully.
“May I dare ask for the honor of a dance… now that you’ve come of age, Lady Aiola?”
His voice—undeniably compelling—made his request sound more like a command. Elaine had thought it back then, too: his voice was wonderfully pleasant to hear.
As though entranced, she placed her hand in his.
On the terrace, where cold wind poured in, two figures stood with a slight distance between them, the air between them thick with awkwardness. Elaine rubbed her goosebump-covered arms and grew more conscious of the man beside her.
“I hoped we’d meet again… but I didn’t actually expect it to happen.”
From the moment their eyes met as he walked into the ballroom, Elaine felt as though her heart had lifted off the ground, floating freely in the air.
She had never heard the name “Cheshire” anywhere before, and so she’d worried—what if he hadn’t been invited to the ball?
She even wondered if he might have forgotten their promise over the past month. Of course, forgetting a promise made with the Lady of House Aiola while in Hermanda would be unthinkable—but still.
Just as she was about to feel disappointed at his absence, Dominic appeared with perfect timing, making her heart flutter.
Beneath the bright chandeliers, he was just as striking as the first time she had seen him under the dark night sky—so much so that every woman in the ballroom turned to look at least once.
As Elaine danced with him, holding his hand, she felt a shiver run down her spine, remembering the countless gazes filled with admiration, envy, longing, and jealousy all directed at her.
“It’s still quite cold tonight.”
His low voice brushed against her ear as he gently draped his coat over her shoulders. The warmth lingering in the fabric from his body made it feel especially comforting. Elaine clutched it tightly.
Thump, thump.
Her heart beat with a peculiar excitement.
“I thought you weren’t going to come.”
“How could I possibly break a promise made to the Lady of House Aiola? I’d have sold everything I owned just to gain entry to this ball.”
“So… did you actually sell it all?”
“Who knows?”
Dominic chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling. That easy smile sent a ripple through Elaine’s heart.
“Congratulations on coming of age, Lady Aiola. You’re finally officially permitted to attend these grand balls.”
“Thank you.”
She wanted to reply kindly, but in trying to suppress her fluttering emotions, her tone came out more aloof than intended. Elaine immediately regretted it.
What if he was offended by the way I said that?
What if he thinks I’m just some arrogant girl relying on her family name?
As she nervously tried to maintain her composure, he spoke again.
“The man who was with you earlier—is he Prince Turner? I’ve heard House Aiola is close to the royal family. Some say this entire ball was held in your honor.”
“Not at all! A ball… for me?”
Elaine’s face turned bright red at Dominic’s comment about her relationship with Turner. Normally, she was the kind of proud, sly girl who could shamelessly bask in and even exploit Turner’s quiet affections—but just this once, she wanted to hide it. For reasons she couldn’t even explain to herself.
“You’re Dominic Cheshire, right?”
She threw the question out to change the subject, but Dominic looked a little surprised. Though they had walked together and danced, he clearly hadn’t expected that the esteemed Lady Aiola would remember his name.
“You remembered my name?”
“…”
Elaine simply nodded in response. Of course I did. How could anyone forget a man that handsome, with such a striking presence?
Shhhh—
In the quiet moment, a chilly breeze slipped between them.
As he stared at her steadily, Elaine felt as though she might be devoured by that gaze. Then, all at once, he leaned in—as if to kiss her.
But instead, he gently tucked a strand of her wind-blown hair behind her ear and stepped back.
“I’m honored that someone like you would remember the name of someone like me.”
Though Dominic humbly lowered himself before her, his presence never felt servile. On the contrary, it felt as though he was the one ruling over her from a higher place.
Yes, ruling…
It was as though he had taken full control of her heart. Though it clearly belonged to her, it no longer moved according to her will. It only responded to him.
Thump, thump, thud, thud, thud, THUD, THUD—
Her heart was pounding wildly. Elaine could no longer bear his gaze.
“I think I’ve been away too long.”
Clinging to a flimsy excuse, she removed his coat—the one that had shielded her from the cool spring breeze—and handed it back to him.
“…”
Dominic accepted it wordlessly.
“I’ll go back inside.”
Ignoring the warmth still burning in her cheeks, Elaine turned from him and left the terrace—resisting the urge to bolt, instead walking as gracefully and composedly as she could.
As the terrace door closed behind her, she glanced back and saw him still standing there, staring down at the coat she had returned. What could he be thinking right now? she wondered.
At that moment, he slowly looked up. Their eyes met—and he gave her a languid smile.
Elaine’s face flushed instantly. She turned her head away sharply in embarrassment.
“Where have you been?”
Turner asked as she re-entered the ballroom.
“Nowhere. Just… getting some air.”
She replied nonchalantly, trying to hide the quickened beat of her heart. Now that Dominic was out of sight, her heart—so wild moments ago—began to settle.
Turner glanced at her with a nervous expression.
