You Are Gentle, But You Don’t Love Me - Chapter 11

“Juliet!”

“Commander!”

The first name called was Cassio.

As Juliet squinted her dazzled eyes, she saw Elijah Rogudoro approaching, his face lit with excitement. Behind him, a small group of people had gathered, glancing their way and murmuring amongst themselves.

Most were familiar faces, but a few were strangers. Juliet’s gaze scanned the crowd quickly before stopping at a certain point. In that moment, her grip on Cassio’s hand tightened, then loosened.

“…Ugh.”

Her drifting thoughts snapped back to clarity.

Thanks to this, Juliet noticed just in time the small figure trailing closely behind Elijah. She forced a smile onto her lips.

“Countess Rogudoro.”

“Melissa of Rogudoro greets the Duke and Duchess of Escalus.”
The middle-aged lady, with neatly arranged dark auburn hair and dressed in a deep green gown to match her eyes, lowered her gaze gracefully and curtsied.

Then, she nudged the young man standing beside her.

“Ow, Mother.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

Though the Countess seemed to have only lightly tapped him, Elijah let out a pained noise as if it had hurt.

Even as her fourth son clutched his side with a look of reproach, the Countess’s face didn’t betray a single crack. She wore a feigned expression of regret as she apologized to Juliet.
“You must have been startled to see this boy running out to greet you. My apologies. I should have come myself, but before I could stop him, he bolted out like that.”

As expected…

It didn’t seem like something the Countess would do by mistake. After all, Elijah was a man who had once nearly been betrothed to Juliet.

Whether his greeting was an act of courtesy or not, Juliet wasn’t sure. But it seemed more likely that it was the doing of a young officer overly eager to show respect to Cassio.

“It’s alright. His Grace is acquainted with Elijah, so it was rather considerate of him.”

“That’s a relief to hear.”

Despite her words, the Countess jabbed Elijah in the side again.
“Ugh…”

“Quiet down.”

Finally, the Countess smiled brightly.

“Would it be alright to continue our conversation later? The first dance will start shortly.”

“Oh dear, are we too late?”

“Not at all. You’ve arrived just in time.”

Cassio’s voice carried a note of laughter, and the Countess waved her hand dismissively, smiling. She offered another smooth bow before speaking again.

“Then I hope both of you enjoy yourselves.”

“Of course.”

Dragging Elijah along, the Countess disappeared into the crowd. Her son’s fading complaints could still be heard amidst the sound of musicians tuning their strings.

“Can’t we talk later? Honestly, you should have better sense by now.”

“Mother, come on…”

Pretending not to hear the mother-son exchange, Juliet turned her head. Judging by the atmosphere, she and Cassio were the last guests to arrive in the hall.

No wonder we didn’t run into anyone on the way.
It was a relief, in a way.

For now, no one approached them directly. Even those who had been whispering while glancing at Cassio’s conversation with the Countess dispersed, busy searching for partners as the first dance approached.

But…

Juliet bit her lip as she subtly scanned her surroundings. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted before they could take shape.

A resonant note from a viola sliced through the air, announcing the start of the dance.

The first to glide onto the floor were the Countess and Elijah. Following them, the first and second sons of the Rogudoro family led their respective partners onto the floor.

As the hosts of the ball began the dance, it was now the guests’ turn.

The most prominent of them, of course, would be Juliet and Cassio.

“It’s not a pavane,” Cassio muttered under his breath as he turned to Juliet. She gave a small nod, and he silently counted with his lips.

One, two.

And on three, they stepped gracefully onto the floor.
The opening dance was a Basse Dance.

Though it seemed simple with its slow tempo, it required precision down to the fingertips to avoid falling out of sync with the music.

Hand in hand, they moved elegantly to the rhythm, circling the floor. Juliet stole a glance at Cassio, but before she could linger, he twirled her around abruptly.

“Ah!”

Caught off guard, Juliet’s step faltered, but Cassio swiftly steadied her, seamlessly leading her movements.

Following his lead, Juliet glanced up at him.

“Two, three,” he whispered softly, the curve of his lips forming a smooth arc.

Her misstep was effortlessly smoothed over, and they danced on fluidly.

“Well done,” he murmured.

The light streaming down scattered over his prominent cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, turning white where it touched. His reddish hair shimmered faintly with golden hues, and his darker lashes framed his eyes.

“Juliet,” he said.

Through the shadows cast by his long lashes, his pale green eyes gleamed.

“You seem quite friendly with Elijah.”

“…What?”

“Did you know him beforehand?” Cassio’s expression was relaxed, but his question came out of nowhere.

“Well… yes, I did.”

“How?”

“How, you ask.”

As the music swelled, Juliet spun gracefully. Cassio followed her movement, his arm wrapping around her shoulder as they turned to face each other.

“Most of the people here know each other.”

“That’s not what I meant, um. What I mean is…”

Cassio’s hand slid to her waist, pulling her closer.

“That guy—he seems to like you.”

“…What?”

The Basse Dance melody resonated grandly throughout the hall, filling it completely. Aside from Cassio’s whispered words in her ear, no other sounds reached her.

“He keeps glancing this way, his eyes practically sparkling.”

“…”

“Would it be rude to say that it bothers me, Juliet?”

It was said that in court, if one wished to have a secret conversation, they shouldn’t hide in the bushes but dance instead.

Juliet found herself oddly agreeing with the sentiment, even though she couldn’t recall where she’d heard it. If anyone overheard Cassio’s words, they wouldn’t be able to suppress their laughter.

“That’s an absurd thought.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. Who would ever…”

Their conversation broke off as they turned. Moving past one another, they briefly parted, only to meet again, back to back, then face to face after another turn.

It was then that they looked at each other once more.

“…Besides, Elijah seems to be looking at you the whole time. He must admire you as a superior.”

“Haha, well, that’s not exactly flattering either. Respect like that doesn’t amount to much.”

“…”

When Juliet fell silent, Cassio looked down at her with a soft smile.

The already slow music began to decelerate further, signaling the end of the dance. As Juliet stepped back, Cassio’s arm encircled her waist again, pulling her close.

His long lashes cast delicate shadows over his pale face.

“I’d be much happier if you looked only at me, Juliet.”

Though her feet wavered precariously, the arm around her waist didn’t release her. Instead, it held her tighter, lifting her slightly off the ground.

“So, Juliet.”

Cassio spun her in a graceful half-turn before setting her back on the floor. His hand lingered as he steadied her swaying form before finally letting go.

And at that exact moment—

“Can’t you keep your eyes on me alone?”

Their eyes met.

Over Cassio’s shoulder, Juliet saw the late arrivals enter through the now-open doors.

A woman with cascading golden curls, intricately braided, wearing a gown of vivid blue like the ocean. Beside her, a man with slightly darker blonde hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck with a blue ribbon.

It was the Marquess and Marchioness of Arborea.
“Ah…”

Juliet inhaled sharply.

…Did you mean it? Did you really want me to be happy?
Why ask the obvious?

Then why…

She couldn’t breathe. It felt like she was submerged, her head sinking into unseen waters. Her hand reached out, grasping at empty air.

“Juliet?”

But the hand she extended couldn’t hold onto anyone.
After all, it had been her who let go first.
My dear sister.

Don’t forget. Even if we’re apart, I’ll always be on your side.
Be happy.

A sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed her. Juliet stumbled, retreating one step, then another.

Noticing her state belatedly, Cassio extended his hand toward her.

“Are you alright? What happened all of a sudden…”
Smack.

Without thinking, Juliet slapped his hand away. She stared at him in stunned silence, then slowly lowered her gaze to her own hand, and finally to the floor.

“…”

The first dance was already over. The slow and heavy melody of the Basse Dance had been replaced by the lively tempo of a galliard. The once-still guests now filled the floor with their partners, moving in a flurry of motion.

The spacious floor quickly became crowded.

And yet, Juliet and Cassio remained standing, frozen in place.
“I… I need to change my shoes,” Juliet managed to say, her voice strained.

She couldn’t even lift her gaze to meet Cassio’s face as he stood before her.

“It’ll only take a moment…”

The words barely left her lips, sounding foreign even to herself. Her voice trembled, as though something deep within her had been scraped raw.

“Juliet.”

Perhaps what had been scraped was someone’s heart.

“I’ll be back soon,” she whispered.

And then Juliet turned and fled.