I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 81

“……you look beautiful today, too, Edith.”

I actually liked the fact that he hesitated a bit before speaking.

He could have said nothing, but it meant he worked up the courage to compliment me.

“You look great today, too, father. Your two sons better be on their toes.”

The Duke chuckled in response, and we made our way to the palace in good spirits.

The Ludwigs headed to the palace in two separate carriages, while I, Killian, Lizé, and Cliff traveled together in a single carriage.

The weather was a perfect fall day and the air was getting colder.

The fall foliage lining the main road to the palace was as beautiful as the bright spring flowers, and the nobles seemed to be in good spirits as they headed to the biggest ball of the year.

I was gazing out of the carriage window with excitement when Killian gently poked me in the side.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to bring a shawl or something?”

“Yes? Me?”

Killian looked at my exposed shoulders and forearms and nodded.

“This is fine, it’s not like we’re going to be walking around outside.”

“And if you catch a cold……”

“It’s okay. Everyone comes dressed like this, and Lizé’s not much different than me.”

Lizé’s dress had sleeves, but they were see-through.

Killian remained silent there, but after a moment he looked at me again and tapped my foot.

The closer we got to the palace, the more the carriage slowed down as many other carriages were moving, and it seemed he couldn’t wait to play a prank on me.

I found it both surprising and cute that he would play a prank on me, so I tapped his foot twice.

This childish prank was taking place beneath the width of my wide skirt, so neither Cliff nor Lizé could see it.

“Ahem!”

Killian giggled, feigning a coughing fit, and tapped my foot again.

By the third time, it took quick, light footwork and the ability to pretend it wasn’t happening.

I pretended to be looking out the window and moved my foot as he tapped.

Killian and I distracted ourselves with childlike antics, biting our lips tightly to keep from bursting out laughing.

But our prank ended sooner than we thought.

“Don’t you think there’s a weird noise coming from somewhere?” Lizé asked Cliff with a worried look on her face.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Lizé.”

“But maybe it’s the noise of something breaking somewhere in the carriage?”

“Hmm…… well, more likely than that…… it could be two friendly canaries pecking at the carriage.”

“Yes?”

Lizé furrowed her brow, then looked at me and Killian.

“Uh…… I’m sorry if I caused you worry. Did I scare you?”

“Were you really worried that the carriage was going to break?”

I asked with an awkward smile and Killian followed suit, and Lizé smiled in response.

“Don’t be nervous, Lizé. You’re going to be the star of the ball tonight.”

Cliff, sensing that Lizé was nervous, put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

I cringed at Cliff’s open display of affection in front of Killian, but Killian only glanced away and didn’t look hardened or sad.

On the contrary, Lizé’s shoulders hunched slightly, as if she was trying to get away from Cliff.

Perhaps she was embarrassed to do so in front of us.

Meanwhile, we finally arrived at the palace.

‘Wow……! It’s no joke.’

As befits the biggest event of the year, there was a festive atmosphere in and around the palace.

We were ushered into the huge ballroom by palace servants.

“Oh my! It’s the Ludwigs!”

“My goodness, look over there!”

“Hmm? That one’s…… from the Sinclairs!”

There was chatter here and there.

Normally, that sort of thing would be whispered in hushed tones, but in the world of Rofan, you have to shout it out within earshot.

‘Yes, they must be surprised that Lizé showed up holding Cliff’s hand.’

I looked around quickly, reveling in the joy of seeing the highlights of the fourth volume of “I Refuse Your Obsession” before my eyes.

I saw a young man and woman with Damien Sinclair standing nearby, their eyes wide with surprise, and I am sure they are the Sinclairs’ children.

Their gazes seemed to pass over Lizé and focus on me, but I was probably mistaken.

‘But it is still too early for them to be surprised.’

I know the event that would cause their faces to become blank.

It’s almost time for her to come out……

“Lizé!”

“Oh! Princess Catherine!”

There she is.

Princess Catherine Iberia.

Originally, she was an imperial spoiled brat who had a crush on Cliff, but after several episodes, she befriended Lizé.

However, everyone was surprised to learn that the two were actually friends, as it was revealed for the first time today.

“Why would the Princess allow that illegitimate child to……!”

“It seems like they two are close?”

“Didn’t you say that she was sold from the Sinclairs to the Ludwigs as a maid or something?”

They all stammered in puzzlement.

Thanks to this, the Sinclair family’s faces became even paler.

‘Is this where the cider [1] revenge begins?’

[1] Re-read chapter two if you forgot what Cider means.

But the Sinclairs weren’t the only ones worth watching.

A group of young ladies who clearly had a crush on Cliff were staring in shock at Lizé and Cliff.

“T- that necklace……”

“That’s it, right? The Ludwig’s treasure……”

“Does that mean that she is Sir Cliff’s bride-to-be?”

They shuddered, as if they hadn’t expected to lose to an illegitimate child.

It was so funny, it made me want to grab some popcorn if there was any around.

“There’s a lot of people, so don’t fall off my side,” Killian whispered in my ear as I got more and more excited with people watching.

Oh, my eardrum is about to melt.

“Okay,” I replied, feeling good.

And at that moment I locked eyes with Count Riegelhoff,

“Ah!”

I hadn’t been paying attention, but this is the biggest ball held in the palace, so it only makes sense that the Riegelhoffs would be here as well.

Count Riegelhoff, Countess Riegelhoff, and Shane were staring at me in disbelief.

‘Aha! Well, you’ve taken Sophia and abandoned me at the same time, and you never thought I’d be here, escorted by Killian.’

The sight of their frozen faces gave me a thrill of pleasure.

‘How about a little more surprise?’

I clung to Killian’s forearm more, trying not to grin too wide.

“I’m sorry, Killian. My feet are a little sore, so I’ll…… just lean on you a little bit.”

At this rate, Killian and I must look pretty affectionate from over there.

I was getting a little excited just thinking about it, but then Killian suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and tilted his head toward me.

“Are your shoes uncomfortable, I can’t sit down because I haven’t greeted His Majesty the Emperor yet…… is that all right?”

Oooh, from this angle, it would look like we were kissing!

Even if my feet really did hurt, I would have forgotten about them when I saw Killian’s face from this distance.

“Oh, it’s okay, I just slipped a little bit earlier.”

“I- I’m glad to hear that, but…… if you’re in any pain, just let me know.”

Killian has been getting sweeter lately, but today is even sweeter.

‘Come on, this is nice, but it’s hard on my heart.’

I wasn’t sure if I managed to control my facial expression or not, but my face became relaxed.

But then I realized that there were quite a few people looking in our direction.

‘Oh, right, he told me there was a rumored feud between him and me.’

Apparently, the whole point of matching dresses was to put the rumors to rest.

It’s unclear how much of the rumor was inflated, but Killian seems to have decided it wasn’t good for the Ludwigs.

‘Gee, I almost didn’t realize it. So you’re telling me this is all a ploy to get rid of the rumors of our feud? Okay, got it!’

Killian has been so nice to me lately, I have to live up to his expectations, after all, it’s all for my own peace of mind.

I smiled and whispered into his ear, “Thank you, Killian.”

From a distance, we must have looked like happy newlyweds whispering lovey-dovey!

As expected, people’s eyes widened.

Okay, okay, this is going to be more convincing if I make it longer…… hm? But is Killian catching a cold or something?

“Killian, why are your ears so red? Oh, is it because you suddenly came into a warm place?”

“Well…… I guess so.”

“Ugh. You should have brought a shawl, not me. What if you get a fever from this?”

“I’ll be fine.”

He looked away, unable to make eye contact with me, embarrassed that he’d been found out to be more vulnerable to the cold than me with my bare shoulders.

‘No, don’t do that. That would make us look unfriendly!’

I quickly cupped both of Killian’s cheeks in my hands, forcing him to look at me.

“Umm…… I don’t think you have a fever……”

Luckily, Killian caught my meaning and just stared at me.

His throat was moving up and down quite a bit, but he managed to hold back what little dislike he still had for me and the embarrassment of this situation pretty well.