As soon as his words fell, Chester's face turned deathly pale.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
He staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Ron tilted his head, feigning confusion. "What's wrong? Do you still see a problem?"
"N-No… that's not what I meant…"
Only now did Chester begin to regret it, realizing he had been far too aggressive earlier.
But he had already spoken too boldly at the start, and never imagined the topic could be turned toward Emperor André III himself. That was why he had felt so confident, believing he stood on the side of righteousness.
And yet, with just a few words, Ron had pushed him directly into opposition against the Emperor?
This was absurd!
His mind was now a complete mess. He couldn't find any flaw in Ron's logic. All he could do was stand there sweating, unable to advance or retreat.
At that moment, a voice came from across the dance floor.
"Chester, don't waste everyone's time."
The First Prince's calm voice carried through the crowd, echoing across the hall.
Chester stiffened. He hadn't expected even the First Prince to speak up personally.
Compared to the Seventh Prince and Princess Mia, the First Prince's authority was far more intimidating.
He no longer dared delay. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Ron. "Your Highness Ron…"
"Don't rush." Ron raised a hand to stop him, then stepped aside slightly and gestured toward Mia behind him.
Mia immediately understood. She took Nora's hand and gently pushed her forward.
Still dazed, Nora walked to Ron's side. He took her hand and led her to stand before Chester.
"Go ahead, Mr. Chester."
Chester's expression darkened, and for a moment, he couldn't speak.
If it were just apologizing to His Highness Ron, that would be nothing.
But apologizing to a half-beast? By tomorrow, this would spread across the entire noble circle!
Where would he put his pride then?
"Music."
The First Prince stood up from his seat and invited another noble lady onto the dance floor, signaling that he intended to resume dancing.
The band quickly began playing again, and the flowing melody filled the hall once more.
Only then did Chester feel a slight relief—but his face was still flushed red. Gritting his teeth, he forced out:
"I'm sorry, Miss Nora. I apologize for my earlier words and actions."
Before Nora could respond, Chester turned and hurried away, not even bothering to look at his companion, Mapel.
Mapel, instead of being upset at being ignored, patted her chest in relief—as if glad to no longer be associated with him—and left through another door with the help of a maid.
"I'm sorry… are you okay?" Ron wrapped an arm around Nora and asked softly.
Nora had been holding herself together, forcing a calm expression and suppressing the mist in her eyes.
But the moment she fell into Ron's embrace, all her pent-up grievance broke free.
Tears rolled down one by one, silently soaking into Ron's clothes.
"…I-I'm fine," Nora said in a trembling voice.
The two fell into silence. Ron gently patted her back, helping her calm down.
Mia and Eileen quietly stepped away, and the surrounding crowd deliberately gave them space. No one dared to disturb them anymore.
After more than ten minutes, when Nora finally settled down, Ron leaned in and whispered, "How about I take you back?"
Nora's body shifted slightly.
After a long moment, she shook her head and looked up at him, her eyes still red.
Clenching her hands in front of her chest, she gathered her courage and said:
"B-Boss… can you teach me how to dance?"
"Here?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Mm!" Nora nodded firmly. She reached up and removed her white, wide-brimmed hat, exposing her pale black cat ears to the air, her gaze shining as she looked at him.
Ron lowered his head and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks, a smile forming on his lips.
He took the hat from her and casually tossed it aside.
The white hat spun gracefully through the air before landing neatly on a chair in the corner.
Then Ron stepped back, took Nora's hand, and bowed slightly, placing a gentle kiss on it before looking up with a smile.
"Miss Nora, may I have the honor of this dance?"
Nora bit her lip, her cheeks flushing red. Her cat ears twitched slightly.
She nodded, smiling softly.
"Of course."
Hand in hand, the two stepped to the edge of the dance floor.
Following Ron's guidance, Nora placed one hand in his and the other on his shoulder.
Under his instruction, she began moving—clumsy yet endearing.
From time to time, she stepped on his foot or tripped over her own steps.
Strange glances fell upon her from the surroundings, but she tried her best to ignore them, focusing instead on the dance.
Since Ron only taught her the simplest basic steps, after just two songs, Nora gradually got the hang of it.
Her movements became less stiff, more fluid.
"How does it feel?" Ron asked, holding her slender waist as he guided her gently along the edge of the floor.
Nora's cheeks were still slightly flushed, her expression cautious as she tried not to step on him again. "It's… it's kind of fun…"
"Ah!"
Distracted by talking, she tripped again and fell straight into Ron's arms.
Smiling, Ron caught her and steadied her. "Want to take a break?"
Nora nodded, her face red as she stepped back.
With her hands free, she instinctively reached up to cover her cat ears—then quickly stopped, lowering her hands again.
"It'd be nice if there weren't so many people around…" she murmured.
Ron took her hand and led her toward the corner.
Hearing that, he rolled his eyes thoughtfully, then smiled. "Come with me—we'll go somewhere else."
"Where are we going, Boss?"
Nora followed closely as Ron led her out of the hall and into the corridor, weaving through passageways.
Of course, Ron wasn't heading to the restroom—he wasn't Soren.
He led her out of the banquet side hall through a back path.
"Didn't you say you didn't want people watching?" Ron said with a smile over his shoulder. "Then I'll take you somewhere with no one else."
They walked deeper into the palace grounds.
Servants and guards greeted Ron respectfully as they passed.
Soon, even those figures disappeared.
The surroundings shifted from open paths to dense greenery.
Finally, after passing through layers of foliage, the view suddenly opened up.
Moonlight poured down from the sky—
illuminating an old, weathered pavilion.