Chapter 65
Janice was receiving requests to dance by gentlemen at the stairway, when she stiffened and stared straight at them.
Adele felt embarrassed and tried to escape to a corner. Their footsteps stopped and Noah grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Aren’t you giving your lips too easily?”
“Be quiet! I already told you the last time that I’m not that kind of person.”
“I’ll believe it if you do it one more time.”
“Ha! Let me go!”
Not wanting to argue with him, she shook off his hand. Noah quickly lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
“Promise me, you won’t give your lips to another man.”
Adele turned around and stared at him silent rebuke, Noah knew that it was time for him to back down.
“I shall see you in the carriage later. I want to stick close to you, but I’m afraid there are so many people calling for me.”
Noah, who was smiling brightly and wanted to escape her wrath, quickly sauntered over to the Crown Prince and the other nobles and made polite conversation.
Adele grumbled underneath her breath when she saw his fleeing back and quickly moved her feet to get out of the hall. But she was stopped when another flurry of young ladies approached her with joyful expressions.
“How romantic! I can feel that the duke loves you a lot!”
“I want to marry that kind of man too.”
Adele sighed in exhaustion. She thought that there was nothing she could do, so she decided to end the conversation. At that time, her eyes met the emperor who was still talking to his ministers. After a few seconds passed, he walked towards her with a bright smile.
He rejected the young ladies who were asking him to dance. He approached, looking only at her light brown eyes, and held out his hand to Adele.
“Would you like to dance one song with me, Lady Maktus?”
“Ah…”
The young ladies quickly changed expressions and glared at Adele. This was their male deity! But as they remembered the incident with princess leaving in defeat, they meekly retreated to the side.
Adele was conflicted.
This was the emperor! Wouldn’t she be trampling on his dignity if she outright refused in front of his subjects?
Adele smiled awkwardly and decidedly took his hand. Leaving their jealous gazes behind, she walked towards the center of the hall with the emperor. Unlike the slow waltz from before, there was an exciting and fast-tempo music playing.
“Do you like sweet waltz, milady?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
Adele nodded her head in agreement, and he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. The sweet waltz was performed by men and women in light steps to exciting music. It was less burdensome than the waltz she danced with Noah.
As she began to move, she faced the emperor. With his fringes similarly combed back neatly, revealing his handsome features.
He smiled brightly.
The emperor held her interlaced hands and moved with light steps. She, too, danced to the rhythm while stumbling. For a moment, he supported Adele’s leg with his calf.
They both burst out laughing at the same time.
Seeing the smile of the emperor as innocent as a lily, she thought she made the right choice to dance with him. She thought that he would be more comfortable to dance with herself, who already had a husband, than to be unnecessarily entangled with those unmarried young ladies.
But he won’t be able to leave the empress position vacant forever.
A question came out of Adele’s mouth, “Why aren’t you dancing with those beautiful ladies?”
He hesitated.
“Your Majesty, you can request a dance from any lady here.”
He said a little distractedly, “I have another lady in my mind.”
“Truly?” Adele felt some surprise, “Is she the first love that you have told me about?”
Somewhat embarrassed, he asked, “Isn’t a bit pathetic if a person still remembers his first love?”
“No, actually, I think it’s pretty romantic.” Adele felt a little intrigued, “I’m curious to know what kind of lady she is to be able to win Your Majesty’s heart.”
At her words, the emperor paused for a moment and said, “She has beautiful eyes, clear and innocent.” He looked at her with a gentle gaze, “I laugh in every moment that I’m with her.”
She didn’t know why he looked into her eyes while talking about another woman. But Adele’s face still heated up as her mind wandered, then she quickly stamped on those thoughts.
She didn’t want to be mistaken in thinking that it was her simply because his eyes were staring fondly at her.
“Your Majesty, you can meet ano—”
“Adele.”
When he called out her name instead of honorifics and her title, Adele halted her steps.
The emperor said, his hands taut while he gripped her tighter.
“Do you love him?”