A Way to Confirm Your Husband’s True Feelings - Chapter 21
A brief, awkward silence settled among the four of them.
“Uh, Margrave—”
“The Margrave is a very considerate man, it seems. The truth is, I absolutely must take a short break after dancing with His Highness Edgar.”
Forcing her lips into a smile, Beatrice spoke, and Edgar, catching on to her intent, immediately played along.
“So you say, but that doesn’t make up for the history of my poor feet being trampled, Beatrice.”
“You do tend to dance a bit fast, Your Highness.”
Whether Caesar realized he had just dropped a small emotional bomb on Beatrice or not, he simply watched them silently.
“It seems the music is about to start. Shall we go?”
She clung to Edgar’s arm and said in a deliberately cheerful tone, trying her best to hide her disappointment.
“I’ll see you again, Your Excellency. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Thankfully, Edgar didn’t seem to notice her sunken mood, even as she curtsied to Caesar, who also offered only a silent nod in return. That was the final exchange between the two of them that evening.
The only consolation was that one bold young nobleman had stepped in to write his name in the empty slot that Caesar should have filled.
It was childish, but she couldn’t help it. There are plenty of men who would dance with me even if it’s not him! With that petty self-assurance, Beatrice tried to recover her wounded pride.
But as time passed, she felt only sorrow. What meaning was there in having a hundred men she didn’t want vying for her attention, when the one man she did want didn’t even look her way?
For the first time in her life, she had truly fallen for someone—and that man hadn’t the slightest interest in her. When it came to winning someone’s heart, pride and status meant nothing.
Then what was she supposed to do? Of course, she had no answer. Beatrice felt like she was lost in a maze.
From the day they first met, and even today. The moments had been brief, but she had made her interest in him quite clear.
She had even extended her fan to him, hoping he would accept a dance.
There was no way a man like Margrave Valentin hadn’t noticed. He was said to have survived countless battlefields thanks to sharp instincts and keen judgment.
If he didn’t know how to dance, she could have understood. But from what Edgar had said, that wasn’t the case. Even if he was unfamiliar with etiquette, he surely must have realized refusing her would leave her feeling humiliated. Which meant, quite simply…
He wasn’t interested in her.
What was I even expecting, to be this disappointed?
Margrave Valentin hadn’t done anything wrong. The one who’d gotten all worked up on her own, creating a fuss in her head, was Beatrice.
It was childish of her to sulk just because he hadn’t acted like the other men—those who fawned over the name Estern and fell head over heels at their first meeting.
Even the handful of conversations she’d had with him weren’t really his doing. Thanks to Freya, she’d had the chance, and then made the mistake of thinking she was somehow special.
From that moment on, Beatrice decided to give up on the Margrave.
Looking back, that had been his last chance. Before her feelings grew any deeper, it had been his final opportunity to walk away. If he truly found her burdensome, he should never have approached her again after that night.
And yet, as Beatrice danced with other men that evening, Margrave Valentin occasionally cast glances her way. For a moment, she dared hope—Does he want to say something?—but he never approached her, and she swallowed her bitter disappointment, almost to the point of tears.
Her only true comfort was the fact that Caesar did not dance with a single other lady that night.
Maybe it wasn’t her specifically. Maybe he was just uncomfortable in such settings.
But even that comfort felt more like self-deception.
Even so… if he’d had the slightest interest in me, wouldn’t he have tried to dance with me, no matter what?
Nothing had changed. The only thing that remained certain was that he didn’t want her.
It’s fine. A single rejection from a man isn’t the end of the world. Don’t be pathetic, Beatrice.
Which is why the next day, when Caesar Valentin came to visit the Duke of Estern’s estate, Beatrice couldn’t help but be shocked.
And it didn’t take long for that shock to turn into unreasoned joy.
