It Seems that My Fiancé Has Fallen in Love at First Sight - Chapter 3
After parting ways with Alice, Louis wandered through the castle, glancing around curiously.
“Ah…”
He spotted Caroline standing alone and let out a breath of relief before approaching her.
“Are you by yourself, Lady Caroline?”
“Huh!? Oh… Lord Louis…”
“You don’t need to call me ‘Lord.’ Just Louis is fine.”
“…Louis, then. Is something wrong? Where is Lady Alice?”
“She’s having fun with her friends. Look.”
Louis gestured toward Alice, who was happily enjoying the lavish banquet.
“My… Haha.”
“Shall we eat together later as well?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
Just then, the king and queen rose from their thrones. Following behind them, the First Prince, Camille, and his fiancée made their entrance. The chatter among the nobles died down, and Alice and Colin also paused their meal.
“Thank you all for gathering here today. Today marks the twentieth birthday of the First Prince. In addition, I am pleased to announce his engagement. Prince Camille, Lady Ameline Perrin, step forward.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“On this occasion, we bless the engagement of these two. May they support each other and our kingdom in the years to come.”
With the king’s blessing, the two were officially engaged. The banquet hall erupted in celebration. Alice, watching Prince Camille and Lady Ameline standing side by side, found herself imagining her own future with Louis.
“They were childhood friends too, just like you and Louis,” Colin remarked.
“…Childhood friends…”
Hearing this, Alice smiled and resumed eating.
As music filled the hall, Prince Camille and Lady Ameline began their first dance. One by one, the nobles paired up and joined them on the dance floor.
“My lady, may I have this dance?”
“Huh? But… what about Lady Alice?”
“I can always dance with her later. Right now, I’d like to dance with the lady in front of me.”
Louis extended his hand toward Caroline. She let out a soft chuckle before placing her hand in his.
“I might step on your feet.”
“I’m used to it, so don’t worry.”
“My, how kind of you.”
Giggling, Caroline and Louis began to dance.
Meanwhile, Colin and Alice were still enjoying their meal when Colin suddenly looked up and gasped.
“Hey, Alice… Didn’t you say Louis promised to have the first dance with you?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, but I’ll wait here until he comes to ask me.”
“…Well, he’s already dancing with someone else.”
“What!?”
Following Colin’s gaze, Alice’s eyes widened.
Louis was dancing with Caroline. Their expressions were bright, just like when they had talked in the carriage. Alice stared at them in stunned silence.
“…”
Colin glanced at Alice’s darkened expression before shifting his gaze back to Louis.
“Alice…”
“He’s just being kind. She was alone, so he offered to dance with her. He’s always been that way with everyone…”
Alice took a bite of her food, repeating those words as if trying to convince herself.
“…Do you know her?”
“No, it was Louis’s first time meeting her too. He found her stranded when her carriage broke down and offered her a ride.”
“I see… I understand her situation, but I thought you were looking forward to dancing with him tonight.”
“It’s fine. We can always dance later. I’m sure Louis will come ask me soon.”
“Y-yeah, you’re right.”
“For now, let’s enjoy the food in front of us.”
Though Alice told herself that Louis was simply being polite, she couldn’t stop glancing toward the dance floor. She recalled previous banquets where Louis had danced with other noble ladies. It’s normal for him to dance with others, she reminded herself.
But then, the first dance ended, and Louis continued dancing with Caroline for the second song.
“…”
“Alice, look! There’s only one chocolate cake left. Don’t you love chocolate cake?” Colin pointed out, trying to cheer her up.
“…Yeah.”
Understanding Colin’s concern, Alice reached for the last piece of cake.
“Ah!?”
Just as she was about to grab it, a large hand took it before she could. Startled, she turned to see who it belonged to.
A tall man in black formal attire stood beside her. His jet-black hair and piercing dark eyes looked down at her. Alice gazed up at him, frozen in surprise.