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“Yes, I will protect her with my life.”
“Ah… your life. I am grateful that you hold Lara in such high regard.”
Vasily cut a piece of eel jelly in half, popped one half into his own mouth, and stuffed the remaining half into mine. Then, he naturally left the scene while escorting the Duchess.
The eel jelly offered a taste and aroma beyond imagination. Naturally, I swallowed it without chewing. Keeping my head lowered, I rinsed my mouth with alcohol and looked back at Igor with the most sociable smile I could muster.
“You’re going to find me a nuisance, Igor. This is my first time attending such a banquet, so I expect to be quite clumsy.”
“Please do not say such things; there is no way I would ever find Your Highness a nuisance.”
With that polite response, our conversation paused briefly.
“You’re used to these kinds of balls, aren't you? I'm still a novice, so it feels awkward.”
“Yes, it is not unfamiliar to me.”
Another brief pause.
“Have you tried the eel jelly? The taste is quite… unique.”
“No.”
And another pause! Why? Because this blunt man wasn't properly sustaining the conversation!
“…You must have met Ivan often. My second older brother loves crowded places.”
“I have seen him a few times. Prince Ivan is a wonderful person.”
Ivan is wonderful?
‘On what basis, exactly?’
What on earth was the great and admirable reason that he described Ivan—and not Vasily or Tatyana—as wonderful?
I stared at him, waiting for more, but to my disappointment, Igor’s lips closed again. That was the fourth time he had ignored me.
‘As I thought, is he uncomfortable being in the same place as me?’
Of course, considering my status, it would be hard to be comfortable. But how could he not manage a single proper sentence? No matter how hard I tried to think the best of him, the situation only made me sigh.
‘Tiring.’
And boring.
Was making connections always this exhausting and tedious? However, I couldn't just leave the man Vasily had entrusted to me (though no matter how I thought about it, I didn't feel like I was the one being entrusted) all alone.
I forced the corners of my drooping mouth upward.
“Emma is…”
“To Emma…”
For a moment, our eyes met and widened. Our voices had overlapped by chance. Quickly masking my surprised expression, I made a suggestion.
“You go first.”
“Please speak first, Your Highness.”
And even this overlapped.
I decided to hold my tongue, wondering if we would overlap a third time, and as expected, Igor was no different. However, this time, it didn't seem like he was just going to be quiet.
‘The tips of his ears are red.’
If one had eyes, it was a distinct difference in color that was impossible to miss. Since when had they been that red? It wasn't hot here at all, and he hadn't even had a proper drink yet.
[But that person doesn't seem interested in me.]
[I wonder which part gave you that impression.]
[Which part? The expression? He doesn't look particularly happy talking to me.]
[If even you say so, Igor must be incredibly nervous. He is a man who is confident even before me and the Emperor. How interesting.]
Was he struggling to talk to me because of nervousness? If a heart that remained steady before my father and Vasily was trembling only in front of me, then that meant…
‘Does he like me?’
I mean, not as Emma’s friend, but as a woman he could marry and have children with?
“Pfft!”
The alcohol in my mouth took flight into the air and soaked right into Igor’s shirt. I froze for a moment, covering my mouth. Coming to my senses, I hurriedly brushed off his shirt.
“I-I’m sorry. Are you okay…?”
However, my apology couldn't reach its period. Duchess Nikitin appeared from nowhere and hurriedly wiped my chest, chin, and arms with a handkerchief, and even gave Igor’s shirt a decent brush-off.
“Such mistakes are common at these banquets, Your Highness. The scent of the champagne is lovely.”
With a gentle smile, she took the empty glass from my hand and disappeared into the distance. The sight was so natural that I burst into a loud laugh without realizing it.
“Didn't she approach us incredibly fast just now? I think she must have been watching us from somewhere!”
Igor’s expression, as he smiled faintly back, was far more refreshed than before.
“She even wiped my clothes. There was no need for her to do that.”
“The Duchess is very attentive.”
The boisterous laughter gradually subsided. Perhaps it was the magic of the smile, but Igor’s face looked much more relaxed.
“…I am sorry, Your Highness.”
“For what?”
“It is difficult to explain precisely, but I think my behavior may have felt frustrating to you. I wanted to tell you that it was not my intention.”
The impression of being purely blunt hadn't vanished entirely, but the warm gaze that reminded me of Emma tickled my heart.
Thanks to that, I also felt greatly relieved. Thank goodness, he didn't hate me after all.
“This is the longest we've spoken today.”
“I think I was more nervous than I realized.”
“And that nervousness vanished when I sprayed alcohol?”
“Rather than that… I would like to say it vanished because of Your Highness's beautiful smile.”
Scratching his chin slightly, Igor looked at my reaction with an awkward glance.
“…Were those words a bit too cheesy? I apologize if you felt uncomfortable. I am not very skilled at dealing with ladies.”
“You've really been apologizing all day today.”
The conversation that followed flowed like magic. The process of getting to know Igor was interesting and comfortable in many ways, but the most enjoyable part was his polite yet slightly witty way of speaking. This, too, was likely because he reminded me of Emma.
But…
‘So this is how obvious it is when someone has a crush.’
Goodness, my face suddenly grew hot. If the dignified Igor was this obvious… then how much had I been… in front of Valentin all this time?
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“Ah, um. I’m fine. Perhaps because the alcohol is hitting me, I just remembered something from the past. I'm not very used to drinking yet.”
“I was inconsiderate. Please sit and rest for a moment.”
Igor naturally took my hand and guided me to a nearby chair. His fingers were larger than Sergei’s and slightly smaller than Valentin’s; the temperature was cool enough to soothe the heat of the alcohol, which felt pleasant.
As I caught my breath and scanned the surroundings, my eyes immediately met Sergei’s.
I didn't know since when, but it seemed he had been staring this way continuously. His pouting lips seemed to ask, ‘When are we dancing?’ Judging by the atmosphere, it looked like he had already matched steps with Maria of Shkurkov.
“Princess Larisa.”
Just then, Igor, who was standing beside me, carefully extended his hand.
“If it pleases you, would you care to dance a round with me?”
“Ah, of course. I’d love to.”
Nodding clearly, I smiled and playfully pointed behind my back.
“But there is a friend who has been waiting for me for a while. Would you mind waiting just a little bit?”
“Of course.”
Affirming kindly, Igor personally escorted me to Sergei. I stood between the two of them, feeling somewhat bewildered.
‘Uh… was it polite to escort someone all the way to this point?’
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