Celebrity Lady - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Chapter 104
Hair that seized attention with fierce, alluring crimson.
In stark contrast, dazzlingly white skin and a slender nape.
“If we’re talking about the Duke’s daughters, there are two of them. Which one are they referring to?”
“Look over there. Lilia Diolus already arrived, didn’t she? They must mean Rubetria Diolus.”
A Black Evening Dress that ignored the white dress code.
It fit her slender frame perfectly, and in that attire, the woman clicked, clicked…….
Her distinct heel sounds echoed as she crossed the Ballroom.
Gulp.
Someone’s nervous swallow was audible throughout the room.
“I heard Rubetria Diolus is an enormously heavy red-haired young lady.”
“The red hair part’s right, though?”
The woman paused mid-stride and offered a bright smile toward the whispering noble girls.
“She, she, she just smiled at me.”
“What are you saying? Our eyes met?”
“Who exactly is she? Does anyone know her?”
“She said she’s Rubetria Diolus?”
The woman’s aloof gaze, with its characteristic upturned eyes, swept across the Ballroom as if searching for someone.
Then she laughed with a delighted exclamation and strode in a particular direction.
It was toward Lilia’s circle, clustered together with their jaws hanging open.
“Hello, Lilia.”
Lilia stood frozen, too startled to respond. As if mocking that reaction, the woman snapped open her fan and covered her mouth with it.
“Um, are you perhaps the Duchess Rubetria?”
“That’s right, Pelcan. I’m Rubetria.”
It was true. The few young ladies who knew Rubetria’s face looked aghast, unable to believe what they were seeing.
“The last time I saw you was two years ago, wasn’t it? You were buying macarons at the Dessert Shop—what did you say to me then?”
Nora, the girl clinging to Lilia’s side like glue—Pelcan’s closest companion—suddenly flushed bright red and panicked.
Rubetria let out a soft laugh at the flustered Nora and spoke in a generous tone.
“It’s been so long, I don’t remember well. It’s nice to see you after all this time. Let’s have tea together another day.”
“Ah, um, yes. Thank you. Th-thank you.”
“Ru, Duchess Rubetria. But is that dress you’re wearing right now…….”
“That’s right. You noticed? I mentioned I’d be making my late Debutante Ball, and Madame Becky sent me a dress she made herself.”
“Really? Is that truly the case?”
“My goodness…….”
Madame Becky, the exclusive seamstress of the Blanc de Rubis, considered the finest atelier in the current system.
Dresses one cannot wear even with money, according to rumors—and she received one as a Debutante Ball gift?
Among the noble girls left speechless, Lilia—who had barely managed to control her shocked expression—slowly parted her lips.
“You’ve become so…… thin in the time we haven’t seen each other, Rubetria?”
“Well, I suppose. Rather than thin, I’d say I’m finally in a healthy state now? It’s all thanks to you, Lilia. Thank you.”
“What am I thanked for. Haha……. You look, you look so much better…….”
Lilia forced a laugh and began taking a deep breath to compose herself.
“But Rubetria, you didn’t manage to find a partner? Don’t tell me you came to a once-in-a-lifetime Debutante Ball alone?”
There were no cases of anyone entering the Ballroom alone without a partner.
Yet Rubetria had come alone, hadn’t she?
Watching Rubetria’s expression sag as expected, Lilia quickly regained her composure.
“My, Count Cedric.”
Rubetria’s gaze quickly shifted. To someone who had approached Lilia’s side.
“How have you been?”
Perfect timing. Thanks to her partner Cedric arriving from across the way, Lilia was fortunately able to straighten her shoulders.
“……Ah, it’s been a while.”
“What would you do coming to a place like this alone? Why didn’t you ask Ricky to be your partner?”
Lilia, who had quickly linked her arm with Cedric’s, sneered somewhat, but Rubetria merely laughed as if amused.
“Ricky’s out of the question. He’s not fit to stand next to me. Wouldn’t he look too unimpressive?”
“What, what did you just say?”
“Lilia. I appreciate your concern, but I didn’t come alone. My partner’s position is such that we couldn’t enter the Ballroom together, so we arranged to arrive separately.”
“You couldn’t enter together?”
“Ah yes, according to Imperial Protocol, the party host cannot use the entrance where guests come and go.”
“The party host?”
“What do you mean?”
Lilia’s expression froze in an instant.
“You mean the Debutante Ball host? That’s…….”
“Prince Lark Van Rashmach Deccard, the Crown Prince, Your Highness!”
The beginning of the ball.
The moment the host, Crown Prince Lark, made his entrance.
‘Surely not, surely not, surely not? No, right? This is a dream?’
Watching the Crown Prince approach confidently amid everyone’s welcome, Lilia continued her futile prayers.
‘No. It can’t be.’
His beautiful appearance didn’t fall short even when compared to her own.
He wore a dress from the renowned shops everyone envied.
And if he had a partner who was perfect in every way…….
‘I’m supposed to be the protagonist today! Not that girl!’
Yet cruelly, Crown Prince Lark stood before Rubetria and smiled with that beautiful face.
His eyes were deep. Like a man standing before a beloved lover, uncertain what to do with himself…….
“I apologize for making you enter alone, when I’m supposed to be your partner.”
“It’s fine. It had to be this way, after all.”
Despite the somewhat audacious tone, Lark seemed utterly enchanted by Rubetria.
He brought his lips to her proffered hand with a soft kiss, and whispered something.
“You’re so beautiful today.”
Lilia heard it all clearly.
* * *
Fast tempo. Joyful melody.
“How do you feel?”
Lark asked as he stepped through the center of the Ballroom.
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone’s watching you right now.”
“Ha.”
I glanced quickly past Lark toward the cluster of noble girls visible behind him.
The moment I began dancing with Lark, Lilia—who had clutched the back of her neck and staggered—had already disappeared somewhere.
“It’s absolutely thrilling.”
As I stepped closer, Lark matched my distance backward and let out a soft laugh.
“I’m glad.”
He squeezed my hand firmly and pushed, and I extended my body gracefully, letting both arms stretch.
The entire landscape of the Ballroom came into view.
‘Your eyes will fall out, all of you.’
Instead of approaching the young ladies to request a dance, the young noble lords stood transfixed, gazing at me with enchanted expressions.
Like a dancer before an audience, Lark and I commanded the Ballroom.
We were the only ones dancing.
“What about you, Your Highness?”
I asked as Lark pulled me lightly into his embrace again, but he broke his step.
“Oh.”
“My goodness…….”
“Wow.”
Gasps of surprise erupted from various corners.
Instead of continuing the step, Lark had abandoned a beat and pulled me tight against him right then.
Somewhere around my nape where my hair tickled, Lark pressed his face and whispered quietly.
“I’m thrilled too.”
He pushed my body away and held me steady by the hips.
A perfect closing pose.
Dum, ta-da!
At the same moment, the dance music ended.
“Wow…….”
“That was magnificent.”
Clap clap clap clap……!
Like audiences moved to tears, everyone applauded in admiration.
Only after we got things started did those gathered in the Ballroom scramble to find partners of their own.
And predictably.
“Miss Diolus! I am Orlando Dran of House Dran. Might I request the next dance…….”
“Duchess Rubetria, I am Count Piache…….”
Young noble lords descended on me like hyenas, as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
“Hmm.”
Lark, who had let out a somewhat uncomfortable sound beside me, whispered in my ear.
“I promised…… I’d dance one song with Lizbet. I’ll be back soon…….”
His voice was so reluctant that I suppressed my laughter and replied.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“See you later.”
Lark left with a touch of regret, gently brushing my cheek as he departed.
“My apologies. Excuse me.”
I was about to push past the men blocking my way, when.
“Move.”
At the familiar voice, the crowd parted, and Cedric appeared.
He smiled confidently before me.
“Long time, Rubetria.”
Trying to act familiar.
“Yes, it’s been a while, Count.”
“You don’t have to be so stiff. Just talk to me the way you used to.”
At Cedric’s friendly remark, everyone around us held their breath. Some who had been trying to speak to me gave up and left.
“You’ve become incredibly beautiful since we last met. Back then, you used to hope I’d be your Debutante Ball partner, but circumstances didn’t work out.”
The men around us murmured among themselves.
Cedric’s intention was transparent. He wanted to show off his familiarity with me in front of all these people. He wanted them to know that I used to follow him around.
“Did I really?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Not at all. This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
I tilted my head in feigned confusion, and Cedric’s eyes widened.
“What? I heard you two were very close…….”
“Earlier you were telling me I followed you around?”
“Ha. Count, you’re not a bad person, but what could a Duchess possibly lack that she’d need you?”
The whisper was soft, but it reached both my ears and Cedric’s.
Cedric, thoroughly flustered, licked his lips and smiled awkwardly.
“Perhaps you’re upset because I didn’t contact you all this time?”
“……? When were we ever in a position to contact each other personally?”
That’s the truth, after all. The murmuring intensified.
As I tried to move past, this persistent leech blocked my way again in a panic.
‘Ugh, I’m really tired of this…….’
I wanted to blast him with words according to my nature, but with so many eyes watching, I couldn’t.
Then.
“Your Highness, let’s go, shall we?”
“Yeah, that’s fine!”
I glanced toward the commotion coming from afar and recognized a familiar face.
A face I hadn’t seen since the day I went to the Magic Tower to buy a portrait—Shane, the Tower Master.
‘Lark said he invited him, and he actually came?’
The timing wasn’t bad, so I was about to acknowledge him, but the moment Shane’s eyes met mine, he whirled around and left.
‘Wow, his manners are still terrible!’
What did I expect.
I sighed and tried to slip past Cedric again, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Ow!”
The moment he grabbed me, I let out a pitiful cry and frowned.
Cedric, startled, opened his eyes wide and bent down to whisper.
“Ru, Rubetria. Why did you scream? I didn’t even grab that hard…….”
Cedric trailed off, and I felt him slowly sweep his gaze around. Everyone was looking at him with clear displeasure.
‘Nice play.’
I drove the wedge deeper.
“Please let go, Count.”
“Ahem, show some manners to a lady, sir.”
“Dial it back a bit.”
At the reproaches flying from around us, Cedric went pale and quietly pleaded with me.
“Look, Rubetria? If you keep this up, my image gets damaged. If I’ve done something to upset you, let’s clear the air. Just one dance with me?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t wish to dance with you, Count.”
Unlike Cedric’s whisper, I deliberately raised my voice.
The murmuring around us grew louder, and Cedric’s face grew even paler.
And then.
“Hey.”
Someone wedged himself between us. It was Shane, whom I’d thought had gone.
He produced something before Cedric and me with a snap.
A Dance Card, the sort young ladies carried. My name was written on the cover.
“M-Magic Tower Master?”
Shane, looking down at the bewildered Cedric like an insect, spoke.
“Did you write your name?”
“Pardon?”
“Did you write your name here or not?”
“…….”
Shane then thrust the Dance Card with its ribbon toward me.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
“I wrote my name. Look.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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