Elegant dance music in the trendy three-eighth beats was played continuously. Popular noblewomen constantly received dance requests, filled out dance cards, and only returned to the edge of the hall when they were tired to rest their weary feet.
The gentlemen, waiting for their turn on the cards, drank golden sparkling wine incessantly while exchanging pleasantries with the resting ladies, or chatting among themselves about horse racing and gambling.
Even with all the windows open, the air in the ballroom was extremely stifling. The scent of incense on the terrace to ward off insects was mixed with the smell of nobles’ perfume along with various kinds of food, creating a peculiar odor unique to the ballroom.
So it is simply a ball that is not much different from any other ones except for some formalities.
Eugène concluded in his mind while listening with one ear to an ardent praise of a certain nobleman’s stables he had little interest in.
Contrary to the noisy rumors, it was surprisingly lackluster. If there was one peculiar thing, it was that the maids and servants attending the banquet were well-trained enough to be reminiscent of the imperial court attendants, though it was nothing impressive to him, whose eyes were raised by several court banquets.
All the noblewomen who tried to hold even a little bit better and dignified event to raise their reputation would have killed to steal these servants, but Eugène had no such tenacity.
“However, the mare’s temper is not normally difficult. She is not the Gray Widow, but if I try to simply breed her with the teaser stallion, would she not kick him with her hind legs, or bite the horseman? It is not too much of a fuss. Not long ago, she went on a rampage and broke the ribs of the teaser stallion.”
“Oh wow. Thank heavens, it was simply a teaser stallion. What would you have done if it were a stallion? I heard that the stallion you were trying to breed that day was a thoroughbred horse of Biaria, borrowed from the Marquis of Lebrüff?”
“Yes, precisely. I almost committed a great offense against the Marquis.”
The young Count Zecre, whose life’s pleasures were fox hunting and horse racing, shook his head and sighed in relief.
Eugène, who was half listening with the back of her ear, but pretending to be all ears outwardly, tilted his head slightly and asked lightly when a metaphor that was not easily understood came up.
“But what is ‘The Gray Widow’?”
In response to the thoughtless question, the group that had been conversing together stopped moving. Count Zecre, who spoke first, looked at him for a moment, then opened his mouth with a mischievous smile.
“I assume it has been quite a while since you have been staying at the court, do you really not know ‘The Gray Widow’?”
“Pardon me, but this is the first time I have ever heard of that name. What does it mean?”
“I think I saw you talking to her a while ago.”
“With me? I am not sure. I have talked to so many people, so I do not know exactly who you are talking about.”
Eugène replied bluntly as he figured out that it was someone’s nickname and that it did not have a particularly good meaning, thanks to Count Zecre’s blatant insinuation.
He implied that he was not interested since he didn’t want to hear the backstory of someone he didn’t know well
“In a more moderate way, she is also called ‘Virtuous Sertois’. The widow of Count Sertois over there. I heard rumors that she has been languishing for 7 years since she became a widow. There are no other stone women.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Count Zecre rolled his eyes slyly, showing his blatant pity.
Eugène narrowed his eyebrows in displeasure at the unexpected remark.
“So you mean to say that it is a problem for one to keep one’s fidelity?”
It was a habit of the high society to pretend to be modest in front of others no matter what they did behind the scenes. Though they were playing possum, it would be the standard to promote social virtue on the outside, but Countess Sertois was being criticized because of it, so Eugène did not readily understand that part.
Count Orte, who had been listening to the conversation between the two of them, intervened as if frustrated and explained the details of the situation.
“Who says something when you are being faithful in silence? It is a problem when you present yourself like that everywhere. It is not the fact that she is wearing a mourning dress. Look at her. The color of her dress is lavender. What does it mean to still be wearing a mourning dress even though 7 years have passed since? It means that you have still been mourning all this time.”
“Truly. The Duchess of Chirac, who could not bear to see her unusual behavior, sent a letter to her and scolded her, saying, ‘It is only a behavior befitting a swine-herder’s wife.’ Frankly speaking, is it not hypocrisy to truly love one’s spouse? But there is nothing worse than to mourn over the death of that spouse for years.”
The two of them went back and forth as they continued to gossip about Countess Sertois.
Eugène, silently listening to the story, was dumbfounded. So, in a high society where everyone dresses themselves up with hypocrisy, the fact that Countess Sertois was genuinely faithful was unsightly?
Louise said that she was debauched because she couldn’t respect the rules, but there were various ways to judge others. Eugène was disheartened when he learned that the high society had been shunning Countess Sertois for only that reason.
Not only were they hypocritical and deceptive, but they were also shamefully dirty. The more he socialized in this damned high society, the more he felt disgusted.
“Now that I have heard it, she seems quite charming. I like the fact that she persisted in her beliefs even in such a situation, not simply because she kept her fidelity. It is not exactly easy to find someone with a firm heart that will not be swayed by other people’s words.”
Eugène calmly opened his mouth as he recalled a gentle smile on his lips. Count Zecre and Count Orté, who were feverishly gossiping as if it were their job, looked at him blankly with bewildered expressions on their faces.
After a while, a strong look of embarrassment and displeasure began to appear on their faces, as if they had finally understood the situation. Eugène watched the scene with a cool gaze and held out a glass of champagne in his hand to a passing servant. Then he nodded proudly and said goodbye to them.
“There is a lady I would like to request a dance with, so please excuse me. Then, enjoy the rest of your time.”
He turned and walked away from them. He could hear sharp-edged voices pouring out behind his back.
It’s not that he didn’t know that they’d gossip about him later, but Eugène didn’t really care about that. After all, rumors about him were everywhere. What’s scary about adding one more twisted story to that?
Countess Sertois, standing alone on the edge of the ballroom, with no one speaking to her and no one asking for a dance, felt the presence of someone approaching her and turned her head. When she shifted her gaze, she saw the first and last person who had spoken to her tonight standing there.
“What is it?”
Countess Sertois, who had been alone until now, asked quietly without averting her eyes despite her embarrassment.
Had it not been for her precious princess, Madame Royale, Countess Sertois would not have come to such an event and suffered humiliation. However, Princess Anne Meredith was the most prominent woman in the current imperial family, and Countess Sertois had to make a public appearance on her behalf until she was fully grown and able to carry out her own duties.
“How long before it is time for the princess to go to bed?”
“I still have to stay a little longer. … Why do you ask?”
“It seems that I am lucky. I wanted to ask you for a dance before your departure, but I assume it is not too late.”
Eugène spoke politely and held out his hand. Countess Sertois, looking down at the stiff hand that was extended to her, asked a question in a shaky voice.
“Are you sympathizing with me now? Do you know what rumors will spread about you if you dance with me?”
“You do not need to worry about that. If it is about rumors, I am leading you in that area.”
Eugène answered calmly and raised one eyebrow. His attitude, which seemed to say; ‘Are you talking to me, of all, about the rumors now?’ was imbued with dry wit.
Countess Sertois gently bit her lip. No matter how much he denied it, this was sympathy. What Eugène asked her for was a charity similar to that of kind-hearted noblemen deliberately asking unpopular maidens to dance.
“I will dance like the ladies at their first ball, Baron.”
“Do you mean you are going to dance like a young girl?”
“No. I mean that I have not danced for so long that I am not sure if I will be able to dance properly.”
“That’s good. I am not used to Minuet either. It would not be bad for beginners to practice among themselves.”
But she had no one to even offer her such sympathy. Countess Sertois, who was tired of being unilaterally ignored and ridiculed for reasons she did not understand, took Eugène’s hand after hesitating a few times.
The feeling of a large man’s hand wrapped around her small one was unfamiliar. Eugène’s hand, which was much bigger than her dead husband’s, was hard and rough, and it gave Countess Sertois a unique impression. She didn’t know how long it had been since she had held hands with such a manly man.
Eugène led her and stood in the ranks of the group dance that was just beginning. He could feel the gazes of the surprised noblewomen and wide-eyed noblemen, but he didn’t mind and turned to face her.
He bowed deeply, making eye contact, and as he took the first move of the minuet, Countess Sertois, who had hesitated for a moment, smiled shyly, spread the hem of her dress, and bowed face to face.
The dance began with a light performance. As he said himself, Baron Amieux wasn’t used to dancing. However, it was not so bad to look at because his body movements were so refined and his sense of rhythm was unique.
Rather, unlike other aristocrats who consistently emphasized only elegance and delicacy, the distinctive masculine charm stood out in the firm motions, attracting people’s attention.
“You are doing better than I thought you would. I thought that someone like you would not be interested in dancing at all.”
Countess Sertois whispered in a curious tone as they held hands and moved to the beat. Eugène answered her question with a light smile.
“In life, people like me often have to dance.”
“Oh, is that so? When does that happen? Maybe at a victory party or the like?”
Currently, he was a hot topic who had appeared like a storm in high society, but in the past, he was a veteran soldier who quietly carried out his duties while protecting the sea for several years.
What would have caused such a person to perform ballroom dance?
The inland noblewoman, who had no desire to know anything about soldiers, especially the Navy, managed to wring out her poor imagination to ask a question. Before answering, Eugène let go of her hand, turned and stepped into the position of the person behind him, and again held hands with Countess Sertois. Then, in a calming tone, he disclosed an unimaginable backstory to the Countess.
“It is a fundamental obligation as the officer in charge to teach the culture of a gentleman to the trainee officers. So whenever I teach them to dance, I get to be their partner.”
“No, wait-. You dance with them as their partner?”
“That is right.”
“Are you saying that whenever you teach your juniors to dance, you play the role of the lady?”
“It is a secret, but thanks to that, I am more familiar with the female part.”
Countess Sertois, who was suppressing her giggle, couldn’t hold it any longer and burst into laughter when she imagined a big and strong man like Eugène dancing to the female part with the youngsters.
Hahaha. The sound of bright laughter, like that of a little girl, spread through the ballroom. The gazes on them became more blatant and tenacious, but neither Countess Sertois nor Eugène paid any attention to them.
“It is nice to see you laughing. You should laugh often.”
“I had no idea that you were such an interesting person. I always thought you were a strict and stoic person because you always gave off a firm impression.”
“One cannot be as strict and ascetic as a sailor. On the West Coast, when referring to the Navy, they say, ‘Drink like a sailor and vomit like a pirate,’.”
“Oh my God. Did you just use the word vomit in front of a lady right now?”
“Oh, my apologies. But I think you just used that word as well?”
“Oh my goodness!”
“No worries. I shall pretend I did not hear it.”
They chatted happily while dancing.
All conversations were sincere and warm, unlike in the past, when Eugène first showed kindness and everything felt awkward. The more Eugène talked to her, the more he liked her. He felt it when he saw the way she treated Princess Anne Meredith, but Countess Sertois was a type of woman rarely seen in high society.
Thanks for the chapters!! <333
EUGENE YOU’RE SO COOL AND HANDSOME AND LOVEABLE UGHHHHH
Lookoookkookookkveeeeelovevlove love love love…….. This is so interesting…
So basically being faithful to your spouse is frowned upon in this society?? Like let the woman mourn her husband however long she wants ffs, ..or maybe they are just projecting their own insecurities of engaging in debauchery and being unfaithful.
So anyone who shows fidelity to their spouses is a nuisance to them ..
Sigh …. I already like count Sertois
Thanks for the chapter