TDWO Chapter 19

There was a clause in the contract that allowed her to use Kristan if necessary.

Of course, if Kristan were to get injured, the Wentworth family would have to pay an amount that would be insufficient even if they sold everything.

However, since Catherine and Candice had already taken the horses and carriage, no other horses were available except for Kristan and Marilyn.

 

“Yet you’re still so late.”

“……?”

 

How did the man know she was late?

Anri was taken aback.

At that moment, the man suddenly raised his hand and spun her around.

At the same time, the other young people in the hall also spun around.

Without realizing it, Anri was spun around and then thrown back into the man’s arms.

…She had forgotten it was her turn to spin.

Noticing Anri’s dazed state, the man raised one corner of his mouth.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

“…Hmm.”

 

She almost made a mistake while dancing. It felt oddly humiliating in front of the man.

The man chuckled and seemed to be amused, which only made her feel worse.

After briefly turning her gaze away in embarrassment, Anri looked back at the man.

 

‘I won’t make a single mistake from now on.’

 

Anri steeled her resolve.

In fact, learning to dance at a ball was a fundamental social skill, much like learning a language to engage in conversation.

Anri didn’t want to appear like a young lady who couldn’t even master the basics.

Besides, she’d always been good at dancing at balls.

With renewed determination, Anri began to focus solely on the dance.

 

“Miss Anri.”

 

But suddenly, the man spoke to her again.

Anri continued to maintain eye contact with him.

It was strange to be dancing together and not be able to make eye contact.

Their eye contact was nothing more than polite acknowledgment, yet it felt very calm.

However, the moment the man said Anri’s name, his gaze traveled from her face to her neck and body, then returned to her eyes.

In that very brief moment, Anri felt a flush of heat, as if his gaze had touched a sensitive spot.

After that moment, the man’s indifferent gaze softened slightly.

Then, in a gentle tone, he spoke.

 

“…You look beautiful.”

“…….”

 

One, two, three seconds passed in silence and unresponsiveness.

Just as Anri was about to react, the man skillfully spun her around again.

Once more, she was spun around.

Edwin quietly looked at Anri, who was enclosed in his arms.

Her smooth forehead, pink hair cascading down one shoulder, and deep blue velvet dress all highlighted her petite yet feminine curves.

But it was the full and lively skirt that began from her slender waist that captivated him.

The elegant, calm, and romantic silhouette appealed to Edwin.

Amidst the extravagant dresses that were puffed out with crinolines, she seemed to maintain her own unique grace, which he found even more appealing.

 

‘No! Don’t be fooled!’

 

Meanwhile, Anri snapped out of her daze after a moment.

The man’s unexpected compliment left her momentarily stunned.

She hadn’t expected such words to come from him, of all people?!

Of course, Anri had heard compliments about her beauty often since childhood.

Her mother, father, grandmother, and servants all said she was the most beautiful in the world…

She had also received countless compliments from other men.

There were many who had straightforwardly told her she was beautiful, just like that duke.

Anyway, Anri was objectively charming, and she herself liked her appearance much more than in her previous life.

When she was a baby and looked in the mirror, she had been a rather unremarkable pink dumpling, but as she grew up and became prettier, she found happiness in simply existing.

Her mother even said this before she passed away.

 

‘My dear Anri, if hardships come your way, don’t cry—just look in the mirror.’

 

But now being called beautiful made her feel annoyed.

To Anri, it was as casual as saying “hello,” so why did her heart feel so uneasy?

Anri looked up at the man with an expression difficult to describe.

He seemed indifferent, facing her as if he hadn’t just stirred her emotions with his words.

He was obviously trying to provoke her into falling for him.

 

‘He probably still wants to convince me to become his wife.’

 

Otherwise, men wouldn’t casually tell a woman with whom they had no relationship that she was beautiful with pure intentions.

To Anri, a man who easily compliments a woman’s looks without romantic intentions is a bad guy.

He makes the other person misunderstand and misinterpret things.

 

“I guess you still haven’t found a fake wife.”

 

Anri’s smile turned a pinkish hue. Of course, it was a fake smile.

The man’s face tilted slightly.

 

“Didn’t Miss Anri come here?”

“I didn’t come to see the Duke.”

 

As soon as she finished speaking, Anri swiftly moved away from the man and spun around.

This time, she had done it right!

However, he was too skilled at dancing.

It was an understatement to say he was skilled; his every movement seemed to be second nature, instinctively ingrained in his body.

He prepared for his partner’s next move a step ahead, and without exerting effort or intention, their movements flowed naturally.

He had the skill to lead a partner who didn’t know how to dance, guiding them gracefully.

Anri couldn’t deny that this moment of dancing with him felt incredibly comfortable and light.

It felt as if she were floating smoothly on water, without any jarring sensations.

It was like riding in a perfectly aligned Roses and Hounds carriage.

Although she hadn’t attended many balls or danced with various partners, dancing with this man felt akin to the first time she had ridden in a Roses and Hounds after being jostled around in a clunky carriage like Lily’s.

As she gently followed the serene tempo, the song ended quickly.

It felt so short that she was almost left in a daze.

All the partners in the ballroom stepped back to acknowledge the end of the dance.

Anri also curtsied, lifting her dress and bending her knees toward the man.

In a few seconds, the next piece would begin.

They couldn’t dance with the same partner more than three times, and they were also implicitly discouraged from dancing consecutively with the same partner.

Before the next song started, she had time to decide whether to return to the private room or take a short rest.

Alternatively, another partner might come to ask her to dance.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

But just then, an unfamiliar voice suddenly approached.

Anri lifted her head slightly. A brown-haired man she had never seen before stood there, looking somewhat nervous.

 

“If it’s alright with you, would you dance the next song with me…?”

 

As the brown-haired man spoke, the introduction to the next song had already begun.

Anri quickly adjusted her posture and raised her hands like swan wings.

 

“Oh my, should we?”

 

The brown-haired man’s face brightened. Just as he was about to take Anri’s hand,

 

“Excuse me.”

 

Someone swooped in and snatched Anri’s hand away. In an instant, the man’s strong arm was around her waist.

What? In a brief moment of surprise, they spun twice and moved deeper into the dance floor.

Her body moved without her even realizing it.

 

“…….”

 

After spinning twice, Anri finally recognized the partner who had taken her away.

As expected, it was that man.

He’s very calm and collected, even after stealing a chance from a partner that Anri has already agreed to.

Anri turned her head to look at the brown-haired man.

The brown-haired man, who still hadn’t fully grasped the situation, blinked in confusion.

Anri smiled apologetically at him. Then she said to the man who had taken her,

 

“It was the duke who was rude, yet here I am apologizing without even realizing it.”

 

Her smile remained.

The man’s hands were resting between Anri’s shoulder blades and side.

Just like in the first song, he had a knack for touching her in a way that felt both intimate yet distant, maintaining a subtle space between his skin and hers.

It was a skillful touch that barely grazed the fabric of her dress without feeling intrusive.

But the man had just wrapped his arm around her waist and taken her away.

His strong arm felt like a firm grip that made Anri’s surprised stomach clench.

Anri had become more accustomed to the contact with the man than she was during the first song.

While gliding smoothly and subtly across the dance floor, maintaining direct eye contact with the man, Anri came up with a new hypothesis about him.

Could it be that the man expresses his feelings in an aristocratic yet indirect manner?

He expressed his desire to have her in a subtle way, saying, “I also want to try it once,” and then tested Anri’s willingness to dance with him by saying, “I was confused if you came here to eat or to dance.”

 

‘But he said I was beautiful.’

 

Anri maintained a calm and fresh smile around her eyes and kept her gaze fixed on the man.

If he truly had romantic feelings for her, he would be the worst type of man.

Even though he might be interested, he only expresses a subtle liking to avoid tarnishing his own noble presence.

It was unclear whether this trait was inherent to him or something learned as a habit from being born into high nobility.

If Anri were a naive young woman, she would have already fallen for him and signed the fake duchess papers.

Why is it that such a perfectly conditioned man isn’t naive and innocent? That would be even more perfect.’

Anri was somewhat convinced.

When a man truly wanted a woman, he wouldn’t say, “I also want to try it once,” but instead kneel, tears streaming down his face, and plead, “Please take me, Miss Anri.”