NOVEL WEB Chapter 84
084.
An early evening that had turned slightly cool.
As the gentle darkness settled, music began to play.
The renowned high-class orchestra, whose tunes were familiar to most, played softly.
Resembling the dignity of nobility, the music was elegant and refined, fitting for graceful and measured movements.
As the atmosphere befitting a “ball” took shape, people who had been hesitating started to move.
The young lords and ladies, aware of this, took the initiative, stepping forward with their prearranged partners.
Others, though perhaps caught off guard, began scurrying around in search of a dance partner, intent on enjoying the ball.
Since everyone had dressed up for the occasion, the young boys and girls were blushing as they interacted with each other.
The young lords mustered their courage to extend their white-gloved hands, and the ladies, gaining similar courage, gently took them.
With that, several pairs moved forward and began dancing to the pleasant music.
Encouraged by this, others couldn’t remain still, and soon the banquet hall brimmed with a youthful ambiance.
Seeing this scene, the heads of powerful families who watched contentedly also took to the floor with their wives. After all, an opportunity to dance at a ball hosted by a house like Drannus didn’t come around often.
As the atmosphere fully took hold, lords began to extend their hands to the ladies surrounding Kalen.
The initial spectators, emboldened by the ambiance, were now taking action. Those confident in their appearance or poise approached the ladies, extending their white gloves with the assumption that not every lady would choose the same young man.
And the result?
Each approach was met, without exception, with rejection.
Eliana, Serasie, Sinat, Daphnis, Licheisa, and Laris—every one of them.
Laris seemed momentarily contemplative but, upon seeing the others all refuse, lost interest. Instead, she found herself fascinated by the bizarre situation of five ladies showing interest in a single boy.
One by one, without hesitation, even with cold indifference, the ladies turned down the requests. Some didn’t even bother to face the suitors when rejecting them.
This shattered the courage drawn from the ambiance, and an impossible assumption became reality: these ladies were all interested in the same young boy.
In one corner of the banquet hall…
An absurd event was unfolding.
The leading ladies of the five great houses and other influential families were all showing interest in a single young man.
It didn’t make sense.
*
“What do you think, Kal?”
“…”
How should he interpret this?
Since Sinat first mentioned the ball, a high-class orchestra had begun playing, and couples around him were pairing up and moving to the center.
Kalen wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of a ball. However, it was odd that Sinat hadn’t mentioned this grand event beforehand.
Kalen was one of the few who knew Sinat best, along with Blamia. Considering her lively and talkative nature, it would have been odd for her not to mention an event like this in advance.
There should’ve been conversations about dresses, choices of attire, perhaps in the presence of Kalen himself, as they prepared for the banquet.
But Sinat hadn’t said anything, only casually mentioning that there would be a banquet.
Only then did Kalen understand.
Despite belonging to illustrious families, these young ladies had gone beyond just dressing well—attending a Drannus-hosted banquet demanded nothing less. Yet still, they shone with an brilliance that almost hurt to look at.
Outfits that seemed impossible to conceive of unless it was this very occasion. Makeup that perfectly highlighted their natural beauty. Necklaces and bracelets that balanced perfectly without being excessive.
Their appearance was as if they were trying to impress someone.
Therefore, it made sense in some ways.
Even after the banquet had ended, these ladies hadn’t left, as if waiting for something specific. Or when the ladies had suddenly disappeared and reappeared together. The “dance” that Eliana and Licheisa had cryptically mentioned…
“…Sinat.”
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t say anything, Kal. It was a promise.”
“A promise?”
“Um, something like that.”
With a nonchalant shrug, Sinat adjusted her dress, twirling around to display it.
“What do you think? Does it suit me?”
Just as Kalen was about to nod…
Eliana gripped his arm tightly.
“…Kalen.”
Turning his head toward Eliana, she stepped back and showcased her own dress.
“Kalen.”
Next to her, Serasie approached with a soft smile, elegantly lifting her own gown.
“Kalen-sama.”
This wasn’t the end. Daphnis, standing nearby, took a deep breath and made direct eye contact with Kalen.
As Kalen glanced around, their gazes met with Licheisa, who was looking at him expectantly but demurely.
“You shouldn’t even bother calling me by my name.”
Something was different from before, and Kalen found himself at a loss. He could only try to comprehend the situation.
The ladies exchanged glances, then nodded collectively. Sinat then spoke.
“Kalen.”
Her tone was unusually solemn.
“Do you see?”
She pointed toward the dancers in the center of the banquet hall. Kalen glanced and nodded.
Dancing.
What else could it mean at a ball like this?
And based on this flow, it seemed undeniably clear: it was about dancing.
“Because I proposed it. Whoever Kalen chooses to dance with will be decided by him.”
Kalen had many questions. Why wasn’t this decided beforehand? The claim that all the ladies wanted to dance with him was hard to accept.
Not that he doubted his relationship with them—they had gone through countless experiences far deeper than just dancing.
But this was different.
A Drannus-hosted banquet. A ball within it. Dancing together here could carry significant weight.
Deciding this, with their noble and dignified status, was not an easy matter.
As Kalen stiffened his expression, realizing the gravity, an unusually tense Sinat spoke.
“Sorry for deciding this on a whim. But… everyone wanted to dance with you, Kalen…”
Kalen glanced past Sinat to see the ladies, their faces hardened, staring at him directly.
They were all intelligent girls. They understood their own standing and the implications of their actions.
The meaning of this gesture wouldn’t go unnoticed—it would spread throughout the social circles starting tomorrow and ripple across the entire empire.
The ladies, who were already subjects of heated gossip, would now step into a world they could no longer hide from.
Kal himself would undoubtedly be implicated. Their prior interactions, once considered mere rumors, would now be seen as something far more tangible. People would surely take notice.
Kalen looked at the girls, his expression serious.
He knew what Blamia had said: while she could be forgiving when things were calm, her instincts would surface when her possessions were in danger.
That was the deeper implication of dancing with these ladies. Casual conversations at a banquet might raise eyebrows, but a dance would cross a line. It amounted to publicly acknowledging the depth of their relationships.
Kalen still couldn’t reveal himself. These girls had, perhaps unknowingly, extended him an opportunity far greater than they realized.
There was an example in Laris. They would be even more sought after. Even without considering Daphnis and Licheisa, the images of three others were already intertwined with Kal.
Could the empire’s high-ranking figures not notice this connection?
Blamia had also warned him: when there was free time, she was infinitely gracious, but when her possessions were in danger, her natural instincts emerged.
Dancing with these girls carried such weight. A casual greeting at a banquet could pass as suspicion, but this couldn’t cross the line. It would mean acknowledging a bond beyond ordinary friendships.
Kalen, who couldn’t yet fully reveal himself, was touched by this excessive gesture.
“Could you help me choose…?”
Sinat’s remark cut through his thoughts.
Kalen silently watched, standing there for a long while.
The atmosphere, now slightly chilly, was felt by the six ladies.
“No.”
A heavy voice resonated, shaking the hearts of those present.
“Eh…?”
Caught off guard, Sinat instinctively stumbled back a step.
Eliana, though remaining composed as usual, trembled slightly at her lips upon closer inspection.
Serasie, unfamiliar with this tone in Kalen’s voice, nervously fidgeted with her fingers.
Daphnis tried to calm her racing heart. Licheisa stared wide-eyed in surprise.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t dance with anyone.”
And the response fell, unchanging.
“Why?”
Sinat reflexively questioned, the smile fading from her lips as anxiety rose.
After all, it wasn’t something she had imagined.
The cruel reality that Kalen would refuse.
The other ladies felt the same. His single word was so far from what they had imagined, bringing an unexpected wave of tension.
“Did I upset you by acting on my own…?”
“No.”
Relieved by this retort, Sinat’s sigh eased. At the very least, Kalen didn’t seem angry.
Gradually, his rigid expression softened.
“Not now.”
Kalen said, looking around.
Following his gaze, the ladies turned their heads as well to see the hall filled with leaders of various houses, young lords, and ladies enjoying the ball.
Kalen was gesturing toward them.
No one failed to grasp the meaning. Even if they hadn’t understood the specifics of the “5th-tier” boundary, they realized Kalen couldn’t dance with anyone in the current situation.
“So… after?”
“After the banquet.”
The ladies, turning again to listen, heard his soft voice.
“After this ball, we’ll talk.”
He wore a gentle smile.