The Knight of Clingy Young Ladies

085.

Kalen speaking with such firmness was such a rare occurrence.

The young ladies who were waiting for a response, and Laris who was watching them with great interest, seemed to understand.

If this was the Kalen they knew, there must be a reason he had to act this way.

Of course, it meant they wouldn’t be able to dance together at the exact time of the ball.

“Isn’t it simple? Let’s just not end the ball. Instead, we’ll have our own exclusive ball where only we dance.”

Moreover, there was no resisting his suggestion.

Especially since he was asking humbly, showing a side he usually kept hidden, and proposing an event that would be special only to them and no one else.

There was simply no way to refuse an offer to host a private ball, just for them.

Imagine this.

After the grand banquet of Drannus and its consecutive ball came to an end, and people were starting to leave with pleasant memories, a ball that hadn’t truly ended would commence—a secret, wonderful ball that no one else knew about.

Thinking about dancing with Kalen at such a place didn’t sound at all bad.

While there were a few things the young ladies found less satisfactory, they understood Kalen’s situation at least a little.

Sensing this atmosphere, Kalen thankfully bowed his head.

Actually, this was purely based on instinct. More precisely… Yes, it seemed to start around the time Sineath confessed her innermost feelings.

Until then, he was more of a close friend than family. But since that event, a possibility arose of becoming something beyond a friend.

That gave Kalen a great deal of thought.

Even now, Kalen hasn’t managed to completely remove that thought from his mind, finding it awkward to choose a dance partner among the young ladies surrounding him.

It was more in the realm of intuition rather than logical thinking. For some unknown reason, it felt like if he were to choose someone here and now, it would lead to an irreversible situation.

Blamia’s advice wasn’t forgotten either. This meant there were two reasons for Kalen’s inability to choose a partner.

Even though Eliana and Serasie hadn’t directly confessed like Sineath, their occasional abnormal behavior was enough of a reason.

Therefore, Kalen did not designate any of the young ladies as his dance partner for the ball, and the young ladies accepted the situation gracefully, taking a step back.

“…Should we just watch the ball?”

Still, the awkward atmosphere couldn’t be avoided. The tension that was previously high dissolved somewhat because no one was chosen.

Despite Kalen’s attempt to ease the mood by looking toward the center of the banquet hall, the young ladies clung to him.

It seemed the ball without Kalen was not worth watching at all. Their eyes were completely focused on Kalen.

“…All right.”

Kalen stopped speaking and started eating a few snacks that Seline had brought while maintaining his gaze fixed on the center of the banquet hall.

Watching the harmonious coordination of the young lords and ladies as they carefully danced with each other inspired Kalen to naturally imagine what was to come shortly.

All the ladies surrounding Kalen were as beautiful as any that could attract attention by their looks alone. The thought that he, who had never considered dancing like a noble, would dance with such beautiful girls was strange.

Could he perform well?

He didn’t want to disappoint their expectations for him.

With that thought, Kalen intently studied their dancing.

In no time, his eyes were calculating the movements of the young lords as if in some life or death situation, learning from their motions.

*

After much time had passed,

it was an unreasonable time to continue the ball much longer.

Finally, the banquet that lasted for a week,

and the ball that closed out its last day, came to an end.

Sineath brought the banquet to a close as excellently as she had started it and, in front of the whole empire’s eyes, demonstrated her worthiness as the head of the Drannus household.

While her true power remains unknown, at least it seemed that this young lady named Sineath had an ample capacity to bear the grand name of Drannus.

Thus, the celebration that heralded the revival of Drannus was successfully concluded.

After the people who had crowded the banquet hall, filling it completely, returned to their respective places,

only candles faintly illuminated the inside of this grand hall. The shadows of those who hadn’t departed yet swayed gently.

Compared to the magnificent banquet, this might seem insignificant.

But precisely because of that, it was more meaningful and tense, their own exclusive ball.

When everyone had left,

the silence that filled the quiet banquet hall was theirs and theirs alone.

In the center of the banquet hall, five young ladies held their breath in anticipation.

Technically speaking, there were six of them, but Laris had distanced herself slightly, merely watching them.

And facing them,

of course, was a boy.

Dressed impeccably in his banquet attire, the boy with the dark eyes closed them.

The young ladies only looked at his lips, waiting quietly. The decision was solely his. Even though they trusted that they would be chosen, feeling nervous was a perfectly natural reaction.

Actually, they were not wrong in their trust, for the young ladies truly believed that Kalen would choose them until they saw him being intimate with other young ladies.

They trusted Kalen.

They trusted the precious memories they shared with Kalen.

Precisely because of that trust, they thought they had the advantage, only realizing later that it wasn’t exclusively theirs.

This realization created a small crack, and that crack soon spread, manifesting into anxiety.

What if Kalen cherished the memories with another lady more than theirs?

What if, despite believing without doubt that they would be chosen, they were not chosen for the ball?

This anxiety led them to restless thoughts, which in turn connected to other emotions.

Like how Eliana and Serasie began to become more aware of each other,

the girls suddenly were looking at each other with clearer focus.

And so,

at this moment, the young ladies eagerly waited for Kalen to speak.

“Who do I want to dance with…?”

The moment stretched, feeling as if an eternity had passed, with some swallowing dry and others fidgeting nervously.

Who could it be?

Would they have to stand and watch as he calls out someone else’s name?

Just when such thoughts filled their minds,

“I can’t decide.”

Kalen chuckled lightly.

The young ladies froze in their positions under this unexpected situation. If the smile they saw earlier was an indication that they weren’t angry,

this one was genuinely pure.

It was a rare occurrence. Kalen seldom displayed a bright expression or openly showed strong emotions.

It might as well be considered non-existent.

After all, how often did even the ladies from the northern lands describe him as cold?

Although this wasn’t a radiant smile or a warm grin,

the chuckle carried enough significance.

“Since I can’t decide…”

It was Serasie who spoke up, her as a northern lady who had made that initial impression of coldness towards Kalen feeling that his smile had touched her deeply.

This smile, directed at them, was clearly different from before. It was undoubtedly a warmth that only belonged to him.

Serasie looked at Kalen with yearning, and Kalen answered her gaze.

“Let’s all dance. All five of you.”

The young ladies couldn’t comprehend it.

It was surely something they couldn’t accept, but they were at least prepared for something.

No matter who Kalen chose, they were willing to nod in agreement.

However, Kalen chose no one.

He simply presented the selfish and arrogant answer that it’d be everyone.

“Kal…”

“Sineath.”

Kalen interrupted Sineath before she could say anything.

“I can’t choose. Just like I cannot rank my feelings for you, Eliana, or Serasie-nuna.”

“…”

“And also, Daphnis and Licheisa are the same. If I were to choose someone here, those not chosen would find it difficult to accept.”

Kalen neither got angry nor frowned.

He was simply conveying the fact plainly, sharing his thoughts with Sineath.

Since I already proposed dancing together in this reception full of influential people from high society, it will inevitably leave some impression, no matter who it is. I don’t want Ecllesia to split because of me.”

Indeed, quite profound thinking.

Even disregarding Kalen’s feelings, this was quite an important matter.

Daphnis and Licheisa were young ladies from noble backgrounds who grew up without shortage.

Eliana, Serasie, and Sineath, on the other hand, were girls with some inner defect since childhood.

The rejection of such girls after showing courage can develop into a matter of pride. Though there may be no problem, there’s no guarantee that this won’t turn into a sense of inferiority or jealousy.

Such matters naturally relate to Ecllesia too.

Sineath, as the new head of the Drannus house, must rise with the help of Ecllesia.

As Eliana and Serasie share a close relationship with her, the existence of an unselected person within Ecllesia might cause discomfort.

Even though Daphnis and Licheisa have not had as long or deep a relationship as the others, it’s not much different considering the interactions during Ecllesia meetings or how Kalen extended the dance invitation.

In short,

Kalen doesn’t want anyone to be hurt.

He doesn’t want to disregard their courage or risk the issue turning into a matter of pride.

Therefore, he chose everyone, not just one individual.

The young ladies realized Kalen’s thoughts were considerate of them.

Eliana, Serasie, and Sineath’s feelings stirred seeing Kalen’s thoughtful, characteristic behavior.

Daphnis and Licheisa, appearing cold on the surface, were quite surprised by Kalen’s warm interior.

Kalen glanced at Laris nearby.

Having caught his gaze, Laris smiled faintly, indicating that it was fine.

For a while, silence flowed.

The young ladies needed time to digest Kalen’s thoughtful consideration.

Finally, after exchanging glances, the young ladies nodded.

“Thank you.”

“…Kalen.”

Eliana made eye contact with Kalen and asked,

“About the order…”

“Let’s decide it by a simple game.”

“Game…?”

“Simultaneously extend our fingers. Whoever guesses the number I choose first.”

An incredibly fair method.

Since it all depends on luck, there’s no way Kalen can influence the result.

The young ladies conceded to this faultless solution.

As soon as Kalen set his posture, he revealed his fingers.

Thus, the order was settled almost instantly, and Kalen courteously extended his hand to the first chosen young lady.

Just like what had been observed before.

The etiquette a young lord extends to a young lady.

The young lady hesitated for a moment, then gently took his hand.

In the banquet hall draped in deep darkness,

the sound of quiet footsteps echoed.

Though there was no music,

nor anyone to light up the place,

the midnight ball that repeated five times

produced a dance far more beautiful than any other ball.

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