51 – For Elise (5)
Of course it bothered me. In a landscape full of Ellen, there were scenes that caught my heart. It was like a hangnail sticking out next to my finger, and even though I tried to ignore it, it kept irritating my nerves.
Without hesitation, the hem of the skirt sat down on Ellen’s desk. The familiar tilted hair and whispering voice. And, her secret touch as she secretly groped Ellen’s thigh.
All those memories came down like a curtain and wrapped around my body along with unfamiliar hems.
When I raised my hand, the blue hem of my dress, like the Milky Way, flowed down gently and brushed my fair skin. Even though I was wearing the dress sent directly from the Duke’s house, I didn’t feel any weight at all, so I even felt like I was naked. It felt like I was wearing clothes made in another world.
“…”
Ah, that’s right. This was a different world. I tried to lighten the mood with a dull joke, but it didn’t help at all. I still felt like I was crawling on the floor like muddy water. I played with the earrings shaking in my ears. I felt a very slight pain from the foreign body piercing my ear.
Pain became the driving force to awaken consciousness, and only then did I begin to walk slowly. Every time she took a step forward, the sound of her footsteps echoed through the hallway, and the brilliant dress and jewels on her body swayed, showing off their presence. Awkward yet familiar noises of pretense. And along with that, other people’s voices flowed in from around him.
“This is Miss Yuna.”
“As expected… The duke’s daughter is different.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in a place like this.”
“Who is your partner?”
“That’s…”
“Miss Yuna.”
“…”
At that time, I heard a voice calling me. I didn’t want to raise my head, but if I did, I felt like the man’s hand would grab my chin. Then I was sure to vomit and ruin everything again. So I forced my heavy head up and faced him.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
The night of the prom finally comes. I clenched my fists as I struggled alone in the awkward scenery.
“hahahaha…”
He smiled as soon as I opened my mouth. However, rather than warmth like Ellen, I felt hypocrisy. He looked at me with that fake smile and answered softly.
“Please call me Claes-kun, Miss Yuna. This is the academy.”
“…Yes, Claes.”
“I am truly honored that you are with me tonight.”
“No, it’s my honor.”
“And Yuna, today is really…”
Claes’ eyes turned to my ankles and then quickly scanned my entire body. I flinched involuntarily under his gaze, but he let out an exclamation as if that had nothing to do with it.
“It’s really beautiful. Really.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m serious, Yuna. And relax. Today is a day to have fun.”
Nice and obvious words that seem as if they are considerate of the other person. But I still didn’t feel the same kindness as Eren. He was obviously smiling, but strangely, his body kept shrinking. In this situation, a weightless dress didn’t help at all.
“Then, Miss Yuna. Shall we go?”
In the meantime, Claes reached out to me. When I looked at his soft hands without any scars, I suddenly remembered the blue bruises on Elise’s body. Did I hit Elise with that hand that was just reaching out to me? Those thoughts were messing with my head, but I had no choice but to hold his hand. An unpleasant warmth spread throughout his body, giving him goosebumps.
Claes held my hand and walked forward with strides. The lack of consideration that he could not bear to make up was revealed here. I had to follow him at a slow pace to match his pace. Compliments continued to pour in from those around him, whether he knew it or not.
“Look at that. It’s His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Yuna.”
“Miss Yuna is really pretty.”
“Where did Elise go?”
“I don’t know. It’s good.”
…
Voices that keep coming even though I try to ignore them. Stories surrounding me. I guess it’s good gossip. And people who have the same curiosity as me.
But at that moment, there was only one thing I cared about.
Ellen must have come dressed up nicely too. She wore beautifully pressed clothes and put on makeup like Illya said. I also trimmed her hair. She must have come like that.
And Elise will be next to Ellen, not me.
…
As soon as I had that thought, the door opened. Soon, a brilliant light poured in before her eyes, and a pain like a broken fingernail pierced her chest.
“You’re here, Claes. Miss Yuna. Let’s go inside. Almost everyone else is already here.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
As soon as we entered the ballroom, a tall servant greeted us. And as expected, countless people’s eyes were on us. I was uncomfortable with that gaze, so I lowered my head. Claes seemed to have noticed this and spoke in a worried voice.
“Miss Yuna. Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? You don’t look good.”
“No…It’s okay. Don’t worry Crown Prince…No, Claes.”
“I guess you haven’t gotten used to it yet. That’s understandable. A few months ago, I said something harsh to Yuna. So I was a little surprised. I never thought Yuna would send me an invitation first.”
“Ah…Yes.”
“When I received it, I thought about it carefully. I wondered what kind of meaning I should accept. But I soon realized that there was no need to think too hard about it.”
“…”
“Yuna was the first to offer a hand of reconciliation, and I thought it was right for her to accept it like the crown prince of an empire. We can’t remain in this awkward relationship forever.”
“…”
Claes kept talking about something, but he didn’t hear a word. Ever since I entered the ballroom, I have been looking for these two people with my eyes. But they were nowhere to be seen. It looks like it hasn’t arrived yet.
“Is Elise still there…?”
“Huh? What?”
“Oh…It’s nothing.”
“Then, let’s go inside, Miss Yuna. I’m already looking forward to seeing what the academy has prepared for us.”
“Ah…”
Claes tried to head forward, but I stopped. I didn’t want to move until I found Ellen and Elise.
“Now… Just a moment. Please wait a moment.”
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
“That’s…”
I desperately tried to find an excuse, but my mouth was so tight that I couldn’t come up with anything. Claes forcibly dragged me away.
“Let’s sit down somewhere and talk first. Drinking a glass of water will help.”
“No, I…”
“Where should we go? Let’s find it first.”
“Ugh…”
In the end, I headed inside the ballroom with him. Then again, the people surrounding us began to hear noise.
“You’re here, Prince. Who’s next to you?”
“This is Miss Yuna…I didn’t expect you to come.”
“In the end, Miss Yuna won the crown prince. Well, it had to be that way.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Well…How can a commoner…”
“It’s a good thing.”
“Uh, look at that. Who is that?”
“As expected, it’s Miss Yuna…”
“Hey, wait a minute. What is that? Who is that?”
“His Royal Highness…”
“Uh.”
“…”
“It’s Elise.”
At that time, the flow of conversation suddenly changed and the gaze that had been directed at us began to look backwards. The crown prince must have felt it too, as he stopped and looked back. It seemed like he, too, was concerned about Elise’s situation.
But I didn’t turn my head. No, I couldn’t do that. Even though Elise and Ellen, whom I had been looking for so long, came, I was so afraid to face them when the moment came. Eren stands beautifully dressed next to Elise. And I was afraid that Elise would provoke me with Ellen by her side.
I could already see the smile on her lips. In the meantime, every time she focused on Ellen, that unique smile was drawn on her lips. That smile you made on purpose in hopes of teasing me.
And this time, I thought I might really fall for that provocation.
But I had no choice but to face it anyway. That’s why I turned my head. Soon, Ellen’s figure came into view, making her way through the crowd of people.
And also the image of a girl who naturally linked her arms with him. It caught my eye.
And then the girl in his other arm also caught my eye.
And, another girl next to her.
…
…
…?
“Huh…?”
“Huh?”
A questioning voice flowed from both Claes and I’s mouths at the same time. But the sight before my eyes was real. Eren was walking leisurely with three women on her arms.
“What…What is he? Who is he?”
“Meanwhile, I think the one next to me is Elise?”
“Uh…”
Only then did I make eye contact with Elise. Instead of showing her provocative smile, she had her arms crossed with Ellen, her face scrunched up in a humiliating manner. Ellen, who was walking leisurely, put her arm around her shoulder and hugged her arrogantly.
“Ugh…”
“Come closer, Elise.”
“…!”
Then, another girl hugged next to him chuckled and leaned her head on Ellen’s shoulder. As I stared at the scene blankly, I realized belatedly that the girl was Illya. I couldn’t recognize her at first glance because she was wearing makeup and beautifully decorated, but the smile that made me think I was going to die from laughing at this situation was clearly noticeable.
“Haam…”
And next to him, clinging to him was a girl who was a huge beast that was difficult to ignore even if one tried to ignore it. It seemed pitiful that he was yawning boredly and trying to pretend to be fawning over Ellen. But unlike the other two, Guero did not wear makeup or nice clothes. She was dressed in a neat uniform like the servants who stood in front of the platform.
“hahahaha.”
And Eren was walking in a very bad mood, holding the three girls in his arms. A nameless, unidentified commoner and three girls in his arms. That cheeky appearance was enough to steal the attention that was focused on the crown prince and the duke. Even Claes couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“Oh.”
Ellen, who was walking through so many gazes, found me among them and came straight towards me. She then waved her hand very happily.
“Claes! Yuna!”
“Claes…?”
The crown prince repeated his name in a dumbfounded voice. When I saw that image, it somehow reminded me of my past self and made me laugh without realizing it.
“hahahaha…”
“Hello, Claes. You’re dressed nicely, aren’t you?”
“Uh…Yeah. Eren. Nice to meet you…”
“Oh, and Yuna. Nice to meet you.”
The crown prince greeted him, but Eren ignored him and turned her head towards me. Then she winked and said a word with her mouth visible only to me.
‘Ball.’
“?”
Even before I realized what it meant, Ellen suddenly approached me. She then lightly kissed me on the cheek, as if it were a natural greeting. In that brief moment, Ellen’s low whisper softly penetrated my ear.
“Shall we begin?”