The people gathered in the ballroom pretended otherwise, but they kept stealing glances at one another.
It was a hall filled with men and women in their prime.
And considering the occasion, everyone had put special effort into their appearance.
It was like tossing dry kindling onto a lit spark.
Men were conscious of the women, and women of the men.
They wondered how they might get closer, and some even found the courage to invite a partner to dance.
Those who were accepted wore smiles of joy.
Those who were rejected held back tears of disappointment.
The gradually ripening atmosphere of the ballroom was suddenly and completely stirred.
Because a single girl had appeared at the entrance.
Her ash-gray bob swayed with her steps.
It was normally cut short in the back, but she had gathered it as much as possible, leaving the nape of her pale neck fully exposed.
Around that neck hung a necklace of pure white gems, each bead glittering faintly.
Her white dress rustled as it flowed, like a cloud drifting in the sky.
It was as if time in the ballroom had stopped; a quiet stillness descended.
Even the music that had been subtly warming the room came to a halt.
The violinist, who should have been focused on the sheet music, could not take his eyes off the girl.
Step. Step.
Rine walked forward, cutting through the strange shroud of silence.
Every time she passed, people’s eyes followed her.
She had no room in her mind to pay attention to their reactions.
The unfamiliar shoes she was wearing for the first time felt as though the slightest lapse in concentration would send her tumbling.
She thought it might get easier if she kept walking, but for now, she had no such luxury.
At the moment, simply walking forward demanded her full concentration.
“My goodness.”
Erendir, seeing Rine, let out an unthinking murmur of admiration.
Saying that beauty draws people’s eyes was such a trite phrase.
But looking at Rine right now, no other words came to mind.
Everyone in the ballroom had already drawn out their own charm to the fullest.
Even those who normally looked plain had transformed completely with makeup and elaborate outfits.
Yet Rine radiated a beauty on another level.
Where in the world did she get that dress?
Erendir’s gaze naturally shifted to Freuden.
She suspected that perhaps he had forced it on Rine.
If that were the case, she intended to say a word or two, but one look at Freuden’s expression told her it was not so.
Completely lost in a daze, huh.
The face that stared at Rine was nothing like the usual severe mask he wore.
As if the mask had been stripped away, he gazed at her with a vacant, spellbound look.
He was already infatuated with Rine, but to react like this... it’s strange, but also kind of amusing.
In that case, perhaps she should tease him a bit.
Erendir cleared her throat lightly, then called out to Rine.
“Rine.”
“Ah, Senior Erendir!”
Rine spotted Erendir and smiled brightly, slowly making her way over.
“Have you been waiting long? I’m sorry. I meant to come out earlier, but—”
“I’m fine.”
“Really? Ah, your dress is beautiful, Senior. It suits you well.”
“R–Really?”
Erendir’s shoulders rose instinctively at the compliment.
She had liked the dress herself, but no one had praised it yet, which had left her faintly disappointed.
“You too. That dress—where did you get it? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”
“Oh. I happened to meet the manager from the House of Verdi, and she let me have it. She told me I’m the first to wear it.”
“The House of Verdi? The one on Royal Street that’s been so popular lately? And it’s a new release from there?”
Erendir looked Rine’s dress over carefully.
She thought she could feel the faint flow of mana in it.
It was certainly no ordinary dress.
She was just about to ask how on earth Rine had gotten such a thing when Freuden stepped in between them.
“Rine.”
“Oh, Senior Freuden. Hello.”
“...You’re beautiful.”
“Ah, thank you. I think so too. The dress is lovely, isn’t it? Feels a little too much for me, though.”
“...”
He hadn’t been talking about the dress—he’d meant her.
But with so many eyes on them, Freuden couldn’t say it outright.
“...I was going to give you a dress as a gift, but I see now there’s no need. I can’t imagine finding anything that would suit you better than that.”
“You don’t need to flatter me so much.”
“I mean it.”
Freuden spoke with earnest weight.
His tone was so certain that Rine just smiled faintly and said, “Is that so?”
But Freuden himself didn’t feel at ease.
To be exact, he couldn’t.
There are more eyes on her than before.
Even as they spoke, he could sense it.
There were far more sidelong glances cast their way now.
Before, it had mostly been women looking at her, but now the male students were all watching Rine.
Not that the women had stopped looking.
Envy, jealousy, admiration—
Freuden could feel all those mixed emotions directed toward her.
I can understand it.
He had felt the same.
The moment Rine walked into the ballroom, he had forgotten even to breathe.
From childhood he had been raised under strict noble etiquette, so upholding dignity was second nature to him.
But in the face of Rine’s beauty, even the thought of maintaining that dignity vanished.
If he was like this, how much more would others be?
Even now, he could see male students staring blankly at her—
—Only to have their feet stepped on or their cheeks pinched by their partners.
And the one who caused all this trouble has no idea.
But that, too, was part of what made her Rine.
Perhaps what drew him to her was precisely this naturalness, unbound by position.
Freuden made up his mind.
This was the moment.
If not now, there might never be another chance to tell her how he felt.
“Rine.”
He looked into her eyes, about to invite her to dance.
He intended to claim the honor of being her first partner—when Erendir cut in.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“...”
Freuden’s gaze turned cold at her attempt to interfere.
Usually, that look was enough to frighten other students into silence, but Erendir was unfazed.
“You’re not being very considerate of the lady. Look closely.”
She clicked her tongue at him in mild reproach.
“Rine isn’t used to places like this. It’s her first time. Didn’t you notice how unsteady her steps were when she arrived? It’s because she’s wearing party shoes for the first time.”
“...”
“And you want to ask her to dance? Well, I can tell you’re eager, but at least pick your timing. Wait until she’s gotten used to it.”
Freuden recalled the moment Rine had entered the hall.
Everyone else had been too enchanted by her beauty to notice, but she had been focused entirely on walking without stumbling.
“...I wasn’t thinking.”
“At least you realize it.”
At that moment, Rine came closer and asked,
“What are you two talking about?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s nothing.”
Oh.
Hearing them speak in unison, Rine let out a small exclamation.
“You two seem to get along well. Is it because you’re close?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What are you talking about?!”
They answered at the same time again, then glared sharply at each other.
“Anyway, it’s nothing.”
“Anyway, it’s not.”
“...”
Seeing that, Rine started to say something, then quietly closed her mouth.
* * *
“Wow. Oh my god, look at that dress. That’s insane—completely insane.”
From the railing of the second-floor terrace overlooking the central ballroom, Sheryl had spotted Rine and was practically bouncing in excitement.
“Sheryl, calm down.”
“But Flora, you can’t not think that way when you see that dress. Didn’t you just see what happened? The music literally stopped for a moment. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”
“That’s...”
Flora had to admit she agreed on that point.
Sheryl added,
“And this was supposed to be your night, Flora!”
“What are you talking about? I hate things like that.”
Flora frowned and gave Sheryl a sidelong glare.
“I’ve never cared about that kind of thing.”
“For someone who says that, you still wore the dress I gave you.”
“That’s... because I had to follow the ballroom’s dress code...”
“And?”
“And what?”
“There’s more, isn’t there? I know you’ve got something else to say.”
“...Fine. You’re right. I couldn’t exactly turn down a gift from a friend.”
“Thanks, Flora!”
“...Hmph.”
A faint flush crept up Flora’s cheeks.
In the past, she would never have said something like that.
And Sheryl knew it, which made her all the more pleased by this change.
The once gloomy, aloof, and constantly cynical Flora had brightened—it was a good look on her.
“Still, it’s a shame. You’re dressed so beautifully, but no one’s paying attention to you.”
Sheryl’s eyes roamed up and down Flora’s dress, her tone dripping with genuine regret.
Flora looked down at herself.
It was a pitch-black gown chosen to match the black tint her hair now carried.
It was like draping a piece of the night sky, neatly cut out with scissors, around her body.
At least Sheryl was confident she had picked the perfect dress.
But even so, Flora had stayed where there were fewer people—while that girl Rine had stolen all the attention.
And what was with that ridiculous, overpowered dress of hers?
“I’m not that bothered. And you shouldn’t be either, Sheryl.”
“How can I not be? That dress is...”
Sheryl hesitated, remembering what she’d seen that day.
Should she say it or not?
After a moment’s indecision, she made up her mind.
“...It was made for her by Professor Ludger Cherish.”
At the very least, her friend deserved to know the truth.
“...Professor Ludger?”
Even Flora’s eyes widened slightly at that unexpected detail.
Ah.
Sheryl immediately wondered if she’d made a mistake in saying it.
But she didn’t want to hide it from her friend.
“I saw it while walking down Royal Street. He came out of the House of Verdi with that girl Rine.”
“The House of Verdi... I’ve heard of it. That’s the shop you’re always talking about, isn’t it?”
Flora glanced toward Rine.
Standing naturally among Erendir and Freuden—a commoner so seamlessly mixed into the company of a duke’s heir and the Empire’s princess—it was almost unsettling.
“Well... she is pretty.”
“H-Huh?”
Sheryl stared wide-eyed at Flora.
Flora replied curtly to the look.
“What? Did you think I’d be disappointed or angry to hear that?”
“N-No! I didn’t think that. I swear!”
“Good. I’m not a child anymore. I don’t get jealous over something like that.”
Of course, there was a faint trace of disappointment.
But it didn’t sway her much.
“She’s a commoner, after all. It’s not like she can easily get a dress like this. Considering the difference in circumstances, it’s not strange that Professor Ludger would help her. It’s nothing worth fussing over.”
“Flora...”
Sheryl’s voice wavered, moved by her friend’s change in attitude.
Flora frowned at her.
“Don’t make that face. Keep it up and I’ll get annoyed.”
“...Okay.”
Just then, the ballroom grew noisier.
Wondering what was going on, Flora looked down—only for Sheryl’s excited exclamation to ring in her ear.
“They’re starting the contest!”
“Contest?”
“Don’t you remember? The Miss Seorn—to pick the most beautiful woman at this year’s ball! The sun’s almost down. This is when the real contest begins.”
The true Seorn ball didn’t start until after the sun had fully set.
Flora hadn’t cared enough last year to pay attention, but Sheryl—famous for knowing every bit of gossip—certainly had.
“This year, you could totally win, Flora!”
“...I told you I don’t care about that.”
“So you’re fine with someone else taking it?! And if you win, you get to choose anyone you want to dance with!”
“Anyone I want...”
Flora’s gaze flicked toward the opposite terrace on the second floor.
There stood Ludger Cherish.
With a champagne glass in hand, he looked down at the ballroom with a calm, almost detached gaze.
And just like that, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} an image was painted so beautiful it made her heart tremble.
Even passersby couldn’t help but glance his way.
Flora found herself imagining it—
Being named Miss Seorn and inviting Ludger to dance.
As if that would ever happen.
Even as she thought that, part of her quietly wished for it.
In the meantime, the contest to choose Miss Seorn began.
Eligibility was equal for every woman attending the ball.
A proper stage had been set up, with even a panel of judges in place.
Now the question was—who would win this year?
While everyone was thinking the same thing, the first candidate stepped onto the stage.