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After finishing their dance, the two exchanged polite bows and, without a word, burst into laughter.

It seemed that such formal occasions were not suited for them after all.

Yet, there was something refreshing about it.

Even though they were childhood friends, it was a rare sight to see each other like this.

“Not bad, huh? I’m surprised you dance better than I thought.”

“Of course. I worked hard to learn because of you.”

Ariel felt a warm flutter in her chest at his words implying it was because of her.

Actually, she hadn’t heard that Edgar had taken dance lessons separately. That was until just before the ball.

However, after it was decided that he would accompany her to the debutante ball, she learned later that he had requested her dance instructor for lessons.

Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to go that far, and she was truly grateful that he had made such effort on his own.

“This time, since I feel grateful, I’ll allow you to go talk to those girls over there.”

“Allow me? Wow, thanks a lot.”

“Don’t be sarcastic! Just go!”

As Ariel raised her fist in a threatening gesture, Edgar exaggeratedly pretended to be scared and hid behind a pillar.

He was really good at putting on a show.

Ariel chuckled, incredulous, and gestured for him to come over as quickly as possible.

She didn’t want to postpone this, so it would be better to finish it quickly and move on to the next agenda.

“Where did you say you saw them?”

“I was right behind you… I think they’re over there.”

Thank goodness, Edgar, being the taller one, peeked out and searched among the crowd for the two women.

Fortunately, one of them had a rare lavender hair color, making her easy to spot quickly.

There weren’t many people around, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to approach them.

Slipping through the crowd, they finally arrived next to the two women, who seemed to notice their approach and turned around in surprise.

And they took a step back, eyes wide open, as if witnessing something unbelievable.

“Are you the Princess Dwalros and Princess Jernin? I’m Edgar Billhark, whom you met a while ago.”

“I’m Ariel Robeheim. I apologize for earlier.”

Edgar smoothly struck up a conversation, seeming to have memorized their family names by now.

Though Ariel found his behavior a bit annoying, she made an effort not to show it and greeted them, including an apology for what had just happened.

Who would have thought they would speak first?

The two surprised women, still in shock from the unexpected greeting, turned their heads to look at each other and then quickly returned their attention to him.

“Oh! Yes…! Of course, I remember. I’m Sally Dwalros. We also owe you an apology for the earlier incident…”

“I’m Gria Jernin. I wanted to apologize for what happened just now, so I’m really sorry for coming directly to you.”

Sally, with her short blonde hair bouncing as she constantly bowed her head, and Gria, with her shoulder-length lavender hair and a relatively calm demeanor.

It was only now that the four of them had a chance to officially introduce themselves after Ariel had suddenly taken Edgar away earlier.

Since the atmosphere was a bit chaotic for a conversation, they decided to move to a quieter area.

Fortunately, there were a few rooms available in the ballroom that were suitable for conversation.

Once they sat down, Edgar awkwardly smiled at the silence, which didn’t help at all, causing the two women across from him to blush.

*Thud.*

At that moment, Ariel’s fist hit Edgar’s side.

Edgar looked at her with innocent eyes, puzzled by what he might have done wrong, but when she shot him a glare, he quickly turned away.

“Um, um… excuse me, are you two in a romantic relationship?”

“The reaction from the Robeheim Princess earlier suggested so… If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask?”

The two women who had been watching their brief banter finally mustered the courage to voice their curiosity.

It was well-known that there was only one heir in the Robeheim family, but they had never heard any news about her having a romantic interest or fiancé.

Based on Ariel’s earlier reaction, they had presumed they were lovers, but now the atmosphere felt quite different.

Rather than a sweet romantic vibe, it seemed more like the strong companionship of old friends.

Edgar cleared his throat and stepped in to clarify.

“Actually, we are not in a romantic relationship. We are privately friends, but in public, we are more like a master and servant.”

“A master-servant relationship… Ah, that’s right, you mentioned being the heir of the Billhark family earlier, right?”

Surprisingly, there aren’t many noble families that have such a master-servant relationship.

Thus, the Billhark family’s status under the Robeheim household was naturally learned by Sally and Gria as well.

“Yes, that’s correct. What Ariel just said was along those lines, but I didn’t get a chance to explain, so it must have led to some misunderstandings.”

“That’s why you said that. We had no idea…”

Sally nodded as if she now understood everything.

If that was the case, then it wasn’t too strange for friends to speak in that manner.

From Ariel’s perspective, Edgar might feel more like property than just a friend.

“What an unusual relationship. Did the Robeheim Princess permit such a thing?”

“It’s kind of like that. I don’t need my family’s status to spend time with a friend.”

“Such a wonderful mindset…! I can only respect that.”

When Gria asked the question, Ariel shamelessly pointed out that it was her who was the origin of this peculiar relationship.

The reactions from Gria and Edgar, however, were drastically different.

Gria was moved by Ariel’s broad-mindedness, remaining the heir of a great house while disregarding family status, treating only one person as a friend.

On the other hand, Edgar was dumbfounded by his childhood friend’s absurd claims of being honored just by being a friend of the Robeheim heiress.

“Fifteen years old? You seem so mature, I thought you were older than us.”

“Well, if you’re also fifteen, then the Billhark heir is as well, right? Wow…”

As they revealed their ages and other personal details, the two girls’ eyes widened in surprise.

Sure, Ariel looked a bit more mature due to her makeup, but Edgar, based on his height and build, did not at all seem like he could be fifteen.

Especially for Gria, who had an older brother, it was all the more surprising.

Somehow, Edgar felt even more adult-like than her eighteen-year-old brother.

“So, do you both not have any fiancés yet?”

“No, I haven’t developed an interest in that at all.”

At Sally’s words, Ariel’s brows twitched for a moment, but she masked it and replied in a calm tone.

Not that she was bothered by the question, but because she noticed Sally’s eyes constantly darting toward Edgar.

Although she was addressing “both of you,” it was clear that her question was aimed more at the other party.

But since she couldn’t directly flirt, it seemed she chose a subtle approach.

“Do you have any plans after the ball ends?”

“Not really, I’m not fond of wandering around.”

In response to Sally’s next question, Ariel replied somewhat resolutely.

Again, the questions were probably meant for someone else.

But now that she was aware of the master-servant relationship with Edgar, she understood the direction of the arrows had shifted.

If they were just friends, it wouldn’t matter, but since they had a public master-servant relationship, any future plans would highly likely depend on Ariel’s decisions.

“Does the Billhark heir have no plans either? Since this is an opportunity, I’d like to introduce you to some other people we know and chat a bit.”

“Um… I came as a companion, but I’m in the position of being Ariel’s attendant, so I don’t have the right to arrange my own schedule.”

Edgar’s schedule was very straightforward.

If Ariel wanted to walk around, he would go with her, and if she wanted to rest, he would rest too. That’s all.

Gria’s expression turned a little disappointed as she glanced at Ariel beside her, seeming to indicate she wanted Edgar to have some private time afterward.

Noticing it, Ariel raised her left hand and casually tucked her hair behind her ear.

At that moment, Edgar’s eyes widened slightly, as if something had caught his attention.

“Ed, I’ll head off to rest right after the ball ends, so go chat a bit more. Since it’s a rare occasion, it’d be nice to meet different people.”

“Thank you, Princess Robeheim. I’m sure it was a bit of an unreasonable request…”

“It’s fine, it’s not like you’re much help anyway. I don’t need anyone by my side to relax.”

Ariel smiled nonchalantly, signaling that they were done with that little exchange, as she gave Edgar a meaningful glance.

Edgar, who had been watching her with a weird expression, raised one corner of his mouth with a look of disapproval and then addressed Gria, who had made the suggestion.

“I’m sorry, but Princess Jernin, I will have to postpone meeting with others for another time.”

“Uh? Oh, was it too sudden a proposal that it turned out to be rude…?”

Gria looked at him with pleading eyes, almost on the verge of tears.

As Edgar found himself in an awkward situation, he couldn’t help but let a small chuckle escape, catching Ariel’s side-eye as she jabbed him in the ribs.

“Why are you acting like that? Are you really going to turn down such a good opportunity?”

But without responding, Edgar shook his head and placed his hand on Ariel’s head.

“My lady tends to feel lonely. Even though I said that, I’ll claim my time later, so please allow me this day.”

“Wha-what kind of nonsense is that in front of others!?”

Ariel vehemently denied his words, flailing her hands at her childhood friend’s casual behavior.

Meanwhile, the two women watching both of them slowly figured things out and quietly stood up to leave.

“We apologize for the disturbance. Let’s save the introductions for another time. Enjoy the ball.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Princess Jernin.”

As Edgar bowed slightly, Sally and Gria mirrored his gesture before leaving the room.

An awkward silence hung in the air between the two remaining, and eventually, it was Ariel who broke it first.

“Why didn’t you leave? I was fine with it.”

“‘Fine’ really? Do you think I don’t know you?”

“What do you mean? Did I lie or something?”

Ariel took a small step back, looking slightly guilty at his blunt reply.

Their eyes met, her crimson gaze locking with his golden one. Edgar chuckled as he pointed at the area near her left shoulder.

“You tossed your hair earlier. You don’t realize that’s a habit you only do when you’re genuinely upset?”

“I-I did that…?”

“Yeah. When you’re lying or feeling down, you do that sometimes. Not every time, but when you toss your hair like that, it means one of those two things.”

It was just like a childhood friend to notice such trivial habits.

The fact that even Ariel, the one doing it, had been unaware of such a fact was surprising.

“That’s so foolish. You should have just ignored it.”

Getting unexpectedly introspective over something trivial.

Ariel replied with a huffy tone, though her lips couldn’t help but curve into a smile.

Honestly, she was happy.

The fact that he had been watching over her so closely all this time, it was a bit overwhelming that he’d step up for her whenever it came to her.

Even knowing just how lonely she felt deep down.

And then,

“It’s already a past story anyway. Let’s just go out and enjoy the ball. How many times will I get to come to an event like this? We should make the most of it.”

To break the awkwardness, she was the first to reach out, ready to shatter the stillness.

It was indeed something only someone who knew Ariel Robeheim well enough could do.

So she felt compelled to respond in kind.

To ensure that the uncomfortable air that Edgar was trying so hard to dispel didn’t continue on.

“…Haha, fine. As for your efforts to dance today, I’ll stick with you until you’re dead tired.”

“Wow, so motivated! Oh, by the way, is there any food here? I suddenly feel hungry.”

“There should be something arranged just behind there. Follow me.”

Rising from her seat, Ariel set out first without asking Edgar to escort her this time.

Because for him to stand by her side, that would reveal their current state.

‘Why don’t you listen? Just plain idiots,’ she thought.

Ariel tried to smooth her uncooperative facial muscles with her hands, desperately attempting to return to her usual indifferent expression.

She needed to be back to normal before reaching the food display.

Lest Edgar catch a glimpse of her beaming smile, and misinterpret it for something else.

It was just her excitement for the culinary delights ahead.

There were no other reasons at all.