Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“Um… I don’t know how to dance well.”

“Don’t worry. Just leave it to me.”

His eyes curved even more roundly. I hesitated for a moment, then placed my hand over his. He clasped it and led me toward the banquet hall.

And so we stood in the center of the hall, holding each other’s hands and shoulders or waists. I began to step slowly in time with his movements. Caught off-guard by the sudden situation, I was tense with the fear of accidentally stomping on the royal’s feet — though the royal himself seemed perfectly at ease.

“Luision usually sent someone else to His Majesty’s birthday banquet. What reason brings the Duke of Cuvershaiden here this time?”

He looked down at me and asked.

“I’m just a secretary, so I don’t fully know the Duke’s intentions…”

Of course, there was another reason for being here, but I couldn’t very well tell him the truth. I shrugged, feigning complete ignorance.

“Is that so?”

Luckily, he didn’t press further. He fell silent for a moment, as if lost in thought, but he didn’t let the pause drag on.

“Young lady, you should ask me what you wish to know as well.”

He spoke again.

What I wished to know… Is there someone among your bloodline who looks very much like you? Does that person know the Red-Haired Maid?

I sifted through possible questions in my mind. I needed a query that would lead to the most definitive inference.

“Well, by any chance… Do you have a knight in your family?”

“A few. The most famous would be my father. You probably know him — he was a celebrated boy-hero of Krentis, quite well-known even in Luision. ‘Adrein Krentarion.’ That’s him.”

“Ah!”

Adrein Krentarion. The hero who’d cleanly ended Krentis’s civil war. He’d swallowed the small state wedged between our country and Krentis in a mere five days of force. And after that, they said, he received the command of the borderlands he’d expanded himself.

Anyway, because of that Adrein, our country suddenly found itself facing Krentis across the border. And all within just five days of hearing that a war had broken out in the neighboring nation. Since Krentis was a considerable great power, Luision’s atmosphere was steeped in tension for a while.

Even so, the fact that Adrein Krentarion’s story was passed down as a heroic tale in our country too was because he was genuinely an undeniable powerhouse.

But that man is his father?!

“I’ve seen it in history books too! All of Adrein Krentarion’s great feats.”

“Is that so? Yes. History is, after all, the record of the victors.”

“…….”

The tone as he let out that answer was somehow subtle. Wondering if I might have unknowingly offended him, I snuck a glance at his face.

“Are you also curious whether I resemble my father?”

As if aware of my scrutiny, the man gave a faint smile and continued speaking.

“……Do you?”

“In terms of appearance alone, yes. Everyone says I look very much like my father in his youth.”

So, regardless of whether his father was a famous hero, he was indeed a knight, and he himself bore a striking resemblance to that man. The thought that the person the maid ghost was looking for might really be ‘Adrein Krentarion’ was growing strong within me.

“So you mean you look very much alike in outward appearance?”

“Yes.”

“Then, by any chance, did that gentleman also come to the banquet?”

I recalled hearing somewhere that most imperial family members attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet. And he too was of the imperial bloodline. With a nervous heart, I waited for his answer.

“No. My father was unwell and could not come. He said he would remain behind to guard the border.”

“Ah…….”

Damn. Of all times, why did he have to be unwell now? That meant I’d have to go directly to his domain to meet Adrein. To do that, I’d need an invitation from the house, but whether the man before me, whom I’d met for the first time today, would suddenly invite me to his home was highly doubtful. No. He probably wouldn’t. My brow furrowed of its own accord.

“However, Duke Cuvershaiden is glaring at me. He seems angry that I’ve stolen his partner.”

Just then, the man cast a glance over my shoulder and made an abrupt remark.

What the hell is he talking about?

I tried hard to roll my eyes. But unless I had eyes in the back of my head, I probably couldn’t catch the duke’s gaze.

“I was concerned the Duke might be too busy for a private word, but thanks to you, young lady, I managed to hold his gaze long enough.”

What the hell does that mean?

His words landed like code only he could decipher. I shot him a look thick with confusion, but he offered no explanation. Just then, the orchestra’s music tapered off, and our dance came to an end simultaneously.

I turned to look behind me. Sure enough, there was the Duke, standing at a distance, watching us. But unlike the man’s claim that he’d been glaring, his expression was merely flat, impassive.

He brushed past me and headed toward the Duke. I hurried after him.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

“Yes, it has. Sir Dylan.”

The man offered the greeting first, and the Duke replied.

“Are you enjoying the banquet?”

“Of course. One could hardly fault the Imperial Family of Krentis for their hospitality.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Then… we’ll take our leave. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

The Duke cut the conversation short, then turned to me. He gestured with his eyes for me to come over.

Wait—I still have a lot to say to that man! I can’t leave now. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t let him go.

Standing behind the man, I shook my head at the Duke. He shot me a look as if to ask what was going on. Damn. Unlike the butler, there was no telepathy between us…

Just then, a manservant carrying a silver tray with wine glasses passed by. The man called him over, took a glass in each hand, and offered one to the Duke.

“I don’t drink.”

The Duke refused, showing his palm.

“Is that so? I’d forgotten.”

He chuckled lightly and then turned the glass toward me.

“And you, young lady?”

“Ah. Thank you.”

I wasn’t much of a drinker, but I knew how to enjoy it, so I had no reason to refuse. Besides, I still had plenty to say to him.

*Clatter—*

But in the handoff, his grip seemed to slip, and he dropped the glass. It shattered against the floor, scattering shards everywhere, and the hem of my dress soaked up the red wine.

“I’m so sorry, young lady. I lost hold of the glass.”

He said it with a smile still fixed on his face. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d dropped it on purpose. It was hard to be certain, but something about that smile told me so.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The Duke scolded him, his tone stiff.

“My apologies. Please forgive my rudeness.”

The man offered a polite apology. But it came across more as a formality than genuine remorse—cold and almost businesslike.

“Young lady. The lounge will be crowded now… would you like to go to the drawing room? I’ll have a manservant bring something to clean up with.”

He turned to look at me, then spoke again in that same courteous tone.

“Ah… yes.”

I glanced down at my dress and nodded. Of all colors, it had to be a light one — the wine-stained fabric was spreading in vividly crimson patches.

“I’ll take you.”

The Duke stepped ahead of me and began to lead the way. I couldn’t tell if I was imagining it, but he looked almost sulky — like he was swallowing some unreadable emotion. In any case, I followed him in silence without adding a word.

“What business did you have with that fellow?”

Once we’d left the banquet hall, he slowed his pace to fall in beside me and asked.

“He reminded me so much of the man in that maid’s memories. So I spoke with him a little — his father is a knight. And he said he looks exactly like his father. Maybe he’s the one the maid is searching for.”

“Adrein?”

“Do you know him, Your Grace?”

“Not personally. But he’s a hero well-known even in our country.”

He walked straight down the corridor until he stopped before a door.

“Go on in.”

I answered with a short ‘Yes’ and stepped inside first, then scurried over to sit on the sofa. The Duke walked in slowly and stopped dead in front of me. I looked up at him in bewilderment, and he gazed quietly back down.

“Glass shards flew. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

The concern in his voice made me nod several times. Truth was, I hadn’t been scratched at all, which made the whole thing feel a little awkward.

“I see…”

And then. Behind the Duke’s back, as he looked at me, I saw black smoke begin to rise. The sun must have fully set by now — it was late enough for ghosts to appear. And soon, the maid ghost materialized soundlessly at my side.

‘Good. I need to show the maid ghost Sir Dylan. I’m not certain, but since he resembles the man she’s searching for, at least I can have her take a look.’

I glanced sideways at her and thought.

*Thump—*

But just then, something dropped from directly in front of me.

Huh? What was that?

I slowly lowered my head to look at my lap. But all I saw was the wine-stained fabric — nothing else.

Ah, did I imagine it?

I blinked and was about to raise my head again. Then, right at that moment, a black, rotted hand thumped down onto my knees.

The hand—severed at the wrist, no, torn off—twitched, its fingers curling. Then, after a moment, it began to tremble wildly, as if in convulsion. It stopped all at once and then dissolved away, fading without a trace. I was too stunned to look away.