Confession (8)

The problem was that Alicia seemed to have misunderstood him again.

With a practiced smile meant for appearances, Alicia had boldly grabbed Reichardt’s hand and raised her voice.

It looked as if he had asked her to dance and she was pretending to shyly refuse.

She was holding his hand out of concern for his condition but had no intention of acting too friendly.

With so many eyes watching, it seemed like she brought up dancing just to put him in an awkward spot.

“I’m not very good at dancing.”

Alicia said this with a bashful smile, like a girl easily embarrassed.

The way she fidgeted and curled her lips made it seem sincere.

She would help him, but likely leave him flustered when he inevitably proved he couldn’t dance. That seemed to be her plan.

“I dance quite well.”

Reichardt replied lightly, savoring the rare moment of feeling clear-headed.

With the unpleasant noise gone from his mind, he could think smoothly.

He could have played along with Alicia’s harmless mischief, but he didn’t mind being honest.

“W-What?”

Her soft smile briefly broke.

‘You? Dance? Well?’

A flicker of those words passed over Alicia’s face.

“May I have this dance, Lady Alicia?”

Reichardt asked nonchalantly.

“Your Highness, I thought you… couldn’t…”

Alicia whispered in a low voice, struggling to maintain her smile.

She had never heard of Reichardt dancing.

The Grand Duke of Tessen was known for signing the marriage certificate and skipping the rest of his own wedding.

Naturally, she assumed he was hopeless at dancing.

If not, maybe he hated it as much as he hated marriage.

“That’s not the case. Shall we?”

Reichardt gently pulled the hand he was holding.

“Wait—Your Highness!”

Alicia didn’t particularly enjoy dancing.

Before her debut in society, she had learned many things—dancing among them.

But dancing was more complicated than it looked.

Each piece of music called for a different dance, with distinct arm and foot movements, requiring perfect coordination with one’s partner.

Some dances had the same arm movements but different steps, others had the same steps but required changes in direction or height.

Remembering all of it was more dreadful than splitting open a demon beast’s skull.

Before she knew it, Alicia found herself standing at the edge of the red-carpeted floor.

As she and Reichardt approached the dance floor, those already dancing quietly stepped back and cleared the center, like a tide receding.

Just like when the Emperor danced with the Empress or a concubine.

“What do you think I am?”

Reichardt adjusted Alicia’s hand for the opening pose and leaned in with a whisper.

The grand dance hall’s center waited for them.

The couples who had been dancing now circled around them, sneaking glances at Alicia.

In this luxurious space, under the scrutiny of extravagantly dressed nobles, the pressure was suffocating.

Their eyes seemed to say, Let’s see how well you do after pushing us aside.

“You’re… the Grand Duke of Tessen.”

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Alicia blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

Ironically, it was the correct answer.

“Exactly.”

Reichardt whispered, visibly amused.

Royalty.

Alicia finally understood why the center had been cleared.

Because the man holding her hand was royalty.

Damn it—royalty.

She also realized why Reichardt had confidently claimed to be good at dancing.

Royalty, born into reverence and duty, had much to master.

Even if they didn’t dance publicly often, someone at the top of the social ladder couldn’t possibly be bad at it.

“Damn it.”

Alicia muttered quietly, unable to hold back.

“Starting with the right.”

Reichardt whispered pleasantly, feigning politeness in response to her frustrated mumble.

“I know.”

Alicia flashed a sweet smile, trying to maintain her soft demeanor.

Despite the gritted tone, the smile on her lips looked nothing but gentle.

“I’m glad.”

“Yes. Once we’re dancing, no one will question us holding hands.”

Alicia tried to rationalize the unexpected dance.

Thanks to that, she was able to calm herself a little.

“That’s not the reason.”

Even as the music began, Reichardt stood still and looked at her.

Alicia didn’t know what to say.

“……”

Everyone in the hall was watching the two of them, frozen at the starting point of the dance floor.

Alicia thought if gazes had physical force, her cheek would have a hole by now.

Standing closest of all, Reichardt stared directly at her.

“You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

Alicia just wanted to escape the overwhelming attention as quickly as possible.

But unlike her anxious state, Reichardt was perfectly composed.

He had pushed everyone to the sidelines and still carried himself with the ease of royalty.

“Right foot.”

“I know…!”

As soon as Alicia finished speaking, Reichardt moved into a step that matched the music.

Their position, which had been at the edge of the hall, was now suddenly at the center—as if teleported.

Each time the dance required them to briefly release hands, Alicia felt uneasy.

Meanwhile, Reichardt remained composed throughout.

Thanks to him, Alicia was able to focus completely on the dance.

Whenever their hands touched and the distance between them shortened, her tangled thoughts vanished, and only his approaching face remained clear.

Feeling the warm temperature of his hand, she leaned into the support of his grip and spun in wide, continuous circles.

The spinning motion made her laugh like a child.

Matching the rhythm, they returned to a static pose, arms crossing, and joined hands again.

They exchanged glances and, in sync with each other’s breathing, moved smoothly toward the same direction. When they pulled it off, Alicia exhaled in relief.

She couldn’t quite hide the childish sense of achievement.

As Alicia spun quickly around Reichardt, her voluminous dress fluttered playfully.

Her jingling hairpiece and long earrings swayed with the motion.

As the music neared its end, her fluttering hair calmed.

Still holding one of her hands, Alicia offered Reichardt a closing bow to signal the end of the dance.

Her face, softened compared to when they started, showed how much more at ease she had become.

In response to Alicia’s lady-like bow, Reichardt returned a bow and then kissed the back of her hand.

“……!”

The moment his lips touched the back of her hand, Alicia’s gaze locked onto him.

It was just a dance.

A standard gesture, she reminded herself—yet she couldn’t hide her surprise.

The loosened expression faded from her face, and to the untrained eye, it may have just seemed blank—but Reichardt, who knew her expressions, could tell she was startled.

As the dance ended, Reichardt extended his arm toward her.

Despite her surprise, Alicia did as she had learned and gently placed her hand on his extended arm.

Following Reichardt’s lead, Alicia walked in step with him.

With a graceful movement, Reichardt guided them out of the hall and onto an empty terrace.

Standing in the lavishly decorated terrace and feeling the night breeze, Alicia felt as if she were dreaming with her eyes open.

Only after standing in the cool breeze for some time did the daze begin to lift.

And then it hit her.

She was now standing in the very kind of terrace scene she’d only ever read about in romance novels—

The place where people would exchange knowing glances before stepping away together.

And her hand was still looped around Reichardt’s arm.

Alicia felt her head go fuzzy from the surreal atmosphere.

What did people usually do at times like this?

As she pondered and turned to look at him, Reichardt also turned toward her.

That face—hard to look away from—gazed at her in silence.

His striking golden eyes, which changed shade depending on the light, drew nearer.

His face, slowly approaching, suddenly fell forward.

Alicia’s widening eyes, startled, suddenly lost focus.

But even as her gaze scattered, her arms instinctively reached out to support the solid weight that fell into her.

“Your Highness…?”

Alicia whispered at the breath she felt near her ear.

The breathing, initially labored, gradually steadied, but there was no response.

She managed the weight pressing against her shoulder with ease.

Since Reichardt was much taller than her, anyone seeing their reflection in the terrace window would have thought he was embracing her.

“…I’m sorry.”

After a moment of silence, Reichardt apologized with a slightly awkward voice.

“Are you in pain?”

“I’m fine now.”

“Should I hold your hand?”

Alicia asked with a steady, straightforward tone.

“Just a moment… like this.”

“All right.”

Alicia answered stoutly to Reichardt’s request.

But her heart was pounding so loud it felt like it might burst.

The heat of his body was vividly present.

Then she remembered—Reichardt’s hearing was different from most people.

Realizing he could probably hear the thunderous beat of her heart, a wave of despair washed over her.

She felt like she had to say something to excuse it.

‘It’s because I was surprised.’

Maybe even a dumb excuse like that would help.

“Alicia.”

Just then, Reichardt, leaning against her, spoke.

Alicia thought he might be about to say something.

‘I’m sorry my heart is so noisy,—some idiot thing like that.’

“Yes.”

But all she could manage was a short reply, her heart thumping uncontrollably.

“I like you.”

The words, a hazy whisper, spread through her ear like a dream.

“……”

Alicia blinked.

Her dazed face was half-hidden, buried in Reichardt’s shoulder.

She began to doubt her ears.

What had she just heard?

A confession.

If she heard correctly, the words that had grazed past her ear were a confession.

But the moment Reichardt said it, he collapsed further into her shoulder like he was sliding down.

Reflexively, Alicia’s arms caught him, now feeling a much heavier weight.

And then—silence.

Alicia tentatively moved her hands across his body, which was slumped against her.

No one was watching, but she swore to herself she had no inappropriate intent as she felt around him.

Eventually, she found his hand.

The large hand she touched was ice-cold.

“No…”

It felt colder than a river in the dead of winter.

Alicia instinctively realized Reichardt was suffering from the same agony he endured during the time of Rua—the moon.

She steadied his body and helped him sit on the romantic sofa set into the terrace wall.

“Your Highness.”

There was no antidote or temporary remedy for the curse that plagued Reichardt.

Alicia placed a finger beneath his nose to check his breathing.

Thankfully, though it was labored from pain, he was still breathing.

She pressed her ear to his chest and heard the beating of his heart.

To an outsider, she might have looked like a strange woman doing something unthinkable, but Alicia didn’t have the luxury to care.