I'm Done Being Your Best Friend

Recalling what happened the previous day, Chloe said excitedly.

“Did you see that face? She was totally pale! I have been thinking about it since the salon. I think we will get along quite well.”

Chloe must have had the same thoughts as me. I wasn’t the only one who wanted to get to know her.

Chloe even went so far as to dramatically mimic Daisy’s tone.

“Honestly, how could people even fall for her? No matter what she does, she just overdoes it. Isn’t it weird? I mean, like, Oh my, my nails are broken! What should I do? I’m going to die!”

She must have really hated Daisy. Following Chloe’s smirk, the lady of Cruz County, who was next to her, also laughed amusedly.

As we chatted in a friendly manner, there were men approaching us. It’s a ball, so they were probably asking for a dance.

First, the young lady from Marquis Roberts left the group to dance.

Chloe turned to look at me and said.

“Shouldn’t you dance today? You haven’t been able to dance a single song back in Earl Parker’s ball.”

“…I guess so.”

However, in order for me to dance, I must get asked by a gentleman.

Last time I could not dance because I was looking for Heidi. It was a proper excuse, but today? Even during my stay at the ballroom before the walk, I didn’t get any dance requests.

It wouldn’t be bad to dance to a song after a long time. But I didn’t think anyone would ask me to dance at this point.

When even Chloe received a dance request, only me and lady Cruz remained. Lady Cruz had danced twice in a row and was already resting.

Why does no one ask me? As I contemplated…

“If you don’t mind, would you like to dance to a song with me?”

A man in a white mask reached out to me.

How could he ask for a dance at such a perfect time? I took his hand with delight.

“Finally, my first dance. Let’s go.”

As lady Cruz waved to me, I smiled and headed into the dancing circle with him. And as we walked, I looked up at his side.

How old is he? Looking at the part exposed below his mask, he was clearly a young man. He was tall, and I felt like he was handsome for some reason.

Why would I feel that way? It must be because if a face was truly handsome, whether with the mask on or off, it would pretty much be the same. Pretty sure it would not be disappointing when the mask’s taken off.

I could just tell by looking at Chloe. Beauty could not be hidden by a mere mask.

In that sense, today’s first partner wasn’t bad. I could not help but smile.

The man asked as he moved.

“Did you say this is your first dance today?”

“Oh, yes. I’m ashamed.”

“It’s okay. This is my first too.”

It’s his first dance too? Why hasn’t he danced yet?

That matter asides, the man’s voice was fairly familiar. This calm and pleasant low tone. A voice that made him good-looking just by the sound of it.

I don’t think I know anyone handsome though. Where did I hear this voice? I thought hard. It was definitely a voice I had heard recently. That’s when…

It was at the library!

The moment I came to realise that, the man wrapped his arm around my stiff waist. It was the beginning of a waltz.

As of aristocracy’s basic knowledge, I had mastered dancing, so my body moved on its own.

But I could hardly concentrate on dancing. I took a closer look at the man’s half-covered face again.

A sharp jawline with no fat, tightly closed lips, and all together combined with this voice.

Duke Harrison!

Why is the duke here? My eyes widened under the mask.

I couldn’t help but be astounded. Originally, Duke Harrison never attended social events such as balls.

But what on earth was going on? Maybe he only went to places where he didn’t have to show his face like a masquerade?

He could still be exposed by his voice though. Those who knew his voice would be able to quickly infer through his physique and his face’s lower part. The layer of disguise that this man put on was more delicate than I thought.

“There was such a commotion a while back, are you alright?”

Leading me, Logan asked. It was a question asked knowing my identity. How did Logan recognise me and ask me to dance?

“Yes. Fortunately, it wasn’t much of a problem. I’m fine.”

I answered calmly. I pretended not to know who he was. It seemed like he wanted to keep it a secret, so were I to expose him here, our relationship in the future would also become ambiguous. 

“I was worried. It was such a dangerous thing… It is good to save others, but safety must come first, milady.”

As always, his voice was filled with sincerity. He was worried about me in a polite way.

For some reason, it reminded me of Percy, who I saw in the garden earlier. It wasn’t a praise for my courage, but a voice full of concern about my well-being, about what would happen to me if something big had occurred. Unlike Percy, who was agitated, he was quite calm, but the meaning he was trying to convey seemed similar.

Seeing Logan thought of me… even though I was surprised to see him at the ball today, my mind had been appeased.

I answered seriously.

“I will be more careful in the future.”

“Are your hands hurt?”

“Ah…”

They were a little painful that day because of the contact with the rough stone. Maybe he noticed it when we held hands earlier. It didn’t hurt because it was covered with a band-aid, but the marks left behind could clearly tell that I was injured.

“I wasn’t seriously injured. It’s almost all better now.”

Why did I feel like making excuses? I said it rapidly and he chuckled as if it was funny.

“Oh?”

Unknowingly, I uttered my thought.

It was the first time I had seen him laugh. He was impeccably polite in front of me, but he never showed his smile. So I thought he might not know how.

Why the first time he smiles must be when he’s wearing a mask? I suddenly felt a sense of discontent.