Chương 27: Chapter 27: Unexpected Guests

On the day of the banquet that Joachim had mentioned, the entrance of Winter Castle was crowded with carriages coming in since morning.

The Edelweiss family was not only the leader of the north but also the owner of one of the seven Mage Towers on the continent, so I didn't think that only vassals under the family would attend this banquet.

Nevertheless, there were so many people gathered in front of the Winter Castle that one might think it was too much.

Of course, the question of whether the castle could accommodate them all was not my concern. After all, only a few of them would be able to enter the banquet hall.

What I really had to worry about was how to behave in front of that many people.

It was only two days, but thanks to my practice with Elena, I had succeeded in making moves that could be called dance, if not proficient.

Since I wouldn't be dancing with anyone other than Elena, as long as I had some kind of matching with her, I wouldn't embarrass myself in front of others.

"You seem very nervous, Young Master."

"I'm not feeling very comfortable."

Looking at the ring on my right hand, I answered Ken's words.

The small dragon engraved on the ring was holding a red gem in its mouth.

I didn't have a hobby of wearing rings like this, but I had to put it on my finger considering the occasions that lay ahead, even if I didn't want to.

This ring, which made me highly suspicious of its creator's taste, was not a simple ring but one of the items symbolizing the lord of Kraus.

In principle, the ring was the only thing representing the Lord of Kraus. However, my father entrusted it to me before I left with Merohim, and at the time, I couldn't understand why. But now, as I think about the banquet taking place today, I realized why he gave it to me.

The ring was a kind of proof.

It was a symbol of my important position that could not be ignored. Its presence also conveyed a warning that those who did not wish to quarrel with Kraus should refrain from any bad behavior and leave.

Unless the eyes of those attending this banquet were gnarled, no one would fail to recognize this ring.

Although it would have been amusing to see a person with the such limited knowledge that they couldn't even recognize the sacred objects of one of the most powerful individuals in the empire attend the banquet, Joachim, the host, would never allow someone like that to step foot into the banquet.

Thus, the ring not only revealed my status to others but upon reflection, I could now understand my father's true intentions behind entrusting it to me.

In fact, it could be said that this ring was too much for the purpose of letting others know my position.

At the beginning of the banquet, Joachim would introduce me to the public, and even if they only saw the emblem of Kraus' family engraved on my dress, there was no difficulty in recognizing who I was.

Even if I didn't wear this ring, there was no problem with people recognizing me as Kraus.

Therefore, my father entrusted this to me as a message to me, not to the public.

While having this ring, I should remember that I was Damian Kraus, and behaved accordingly in front of others.

It means the same thing as the saying 'Those who seek to wear the crown must bear its weight.', but I was more concerned about the dance with Elena today than the meaning contained in the ring my father gave me.

"Ken. I can't dance…"

"You've been practicing hard with the lady so far, don't be so worried. Don't worry about it. The young master is doing well enough. So put all your worries aside and enjoy today's banquet."

Ken smiled and told me not to worry, but I couldn't put my worries down even with Ken's consolation.

Certainly, due to training with Elena, it could be said that my skills had grown dramatically compared to before, how to evaluate them was up to the viewers.

It didn't matter what anyone said to me, but I couldn't help but worry because I didn't want to have a negative impact on Elena.

However, the beginning of the banquet was just around the corner, and I had no knack for turning back time, so I left the room to greet Elena, recalling the practice I had been doing with her.

This banquet also had the purpose of informing others of my engagement to Elena, so it was natural for me to escort her when we entered the banquet hall.

I didn't know the structure of the Winter Castle very well, but since we didn't just practice dancing in the room for two days, I knew the way to her room.

Standing in front of Elena's room, even though I had already checked my clothes several times before coming out of my room, I began to inspect my attire once again to make sure there was no wrinkle or anything out of place.

Once I confirmed that there was nothing different from before, I knocked on the door and called out to her.

"Elena, may I come in?"

"Yes, you may."

After Elena gave her permission, I carefully opened the door.

And the moment I peered into the room through the crack in the open door, I felt the same déjà vu as before, forgetting to even enter the room, staring blankly at her. It was the same as when I saw her earlier in her Morning Isilia Mansion. No, a stronger light than that time shone into my eyes.

As always, she shone like a star.

The pure white dress, contrasting with the black dress of the Kraus family I was wearing, was sparkling in harmony with her hair, and her transformed appearance as a star that descended to the earth was enough to captivate my gaze.

We stood there for a few minutes without saying a word while looking at each other.

"Uh…how is it?"

As soon as I heard Elena's voice, my head started spinning again. It was only then that I realized what I was doing, and I hurriedly took my gaze away from her and said.

"It is very beautiful."

"Oh, thank goodness! I was worried it might be too much, but if Damian says so, I'm relieved…"

Saying that, Elena took my extended hand.

When her gentle touch reached me, I could feel myself unconsciously putting strength into my hand. For a moment, I worried that she might be in pain, but Elena seemed to understand, gripping my hand tightly as if to assure me that she wouldn't let go.

We walked hand in hand like that through the corridors of the winter castle.

The scent of lavender faintly wafted from her as she drew near to me

The worries that had been occupying my mind were replaced by thoughts of her as I felt her pulse and warmth through our joined hands.

Rather than going to the banquet hall, why don't I keep walking with her like this?

With that in mind, I had no choice but to take regretful steps toward the banquet hall.

***

In the mirror in front of me, a pure white girl was standing.

"As expected of Madame Charlotte."

I always liked the dresses she made.

It wasn't that I was overly confident about my appearance, but with the dress she made, I was confident that I could capture his heart today.

In addition, the appearance that Hailey had worked on for hours was flawless and perfect beyond belief.

"Elena, may I come in now?"

As soon as I heard his voice, I hurriedly told him to come in.

The two days before the banquet, practicing dancing with him was the biggest harvest I had in recent times. It meant that our distance had decreased compared to before.

At that distance, where we could feel each other's breath right away, whenever our eyes met, he couldn't help but blush faintly, giving me a sense of accomplishment as well as the conviction that he was falling for me.

So, I had no doubt that this would be a decisive blow.

I was confident that it was perfect even from my own point of view, and that if he had weakened his immunity to me, he would definitely be more agitated than ever.

However, if there was one thing I was missing here, it was the fact that I had already fallen for him for a long time.

He opened the door and came in, dressed in a black suit that matched his dark hair like the night sky.

The suit had a golden thread embroidered on the arm with a dragon wrapped around a sword symbolizing Kraus. It was the clothes he wore when he first met me before, and since it was the clothes he usually wears, so it might have seemed no different to the outside eye.

However, with his unique restrained atmosphere, unlike before, his half-exposed forehead and sharp dragon-like eyes made my mind blank.

I was smiling confidently and looked at him, stunned by his appearance as he opened the door to the room and came in.

And silence fell between us.

We were looking at each other as if we had made a promise from the beginning without saying a word.

'Wake up! Elena Edelweiss!!'

"Uh…how is it?"

I was barely able to open my mouth in the silence, and he blinked a few times for a while, then turned his head slightly and held out his hand to me.

"It is very beautiful."

"Thank goodness! I was worried that it might be too much, but if Damian says it's okay, I'm relieved…"

Saying that, I took his hand and leaned on him, but unfortunately, he didn't show the same reaction as before.

I had sensed the same kind of nervousness from him. But nevertheless, there was no noticeable change in him today.

The only thing that had changed was that he had changed his hairstyle differently, but it felt unfair to be in a tie when I had worked so hard to prepare. But this kind of defeat had been a familiar experience for a long time.

Still, seeing him who couldn't take his eyes off of me, when I was about to be satisfied with that, I felt that his hand holding my hand was getting stronger.

It was strong, but it didn't hurt. Rather, the warmth in his hand made me feel better.

Then why did he suddenly put strength into his hand?

The question about it was answered by the sound of his heart in my ears.

As I held hands with him now, my heart was beating stronger than ever before, but the tremble I felt through my hand was not coming from me, but from him holding my hand.

Leaning on him, I could tell for sure. He was pounding harder than he had been during all the time he had been with me.

With that, I silently smiled at his appearance and tightly grasped the hand that was holding my hand.