How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 80

“Princess Elizabeth… it has been a long time.”

Prince Edward walked directly up to Elizabeth and bowed with polished courtesy. He took her hand and formally brushed the air above its back with his lips, neither too distant nor too intimate. His expression, manners, and bearing were flawless. He could have been presented to the world as the model of a perfect prince.

After greeting Elizabeth, he turned to Aisha beside her. He paused, then smiled.

“And this must be… Miss Killott. Good evening. It is an honor to meet you.”

After they exchanged nods, he repeated the formal gesture over Aisha’s hand, leaving a respectful distance between his lips and her skin.

Aisha withdrew her hand. Edward had already turned his attention back to Elizabeth. Pressing his lips together, he said, “My father asked me to come and greet you… Have you been well?”

“…Quite well,” Elizabeth answered with her head lowered. She did not seem able to meet Edward’s gaze, and her face was extremely pale. “My health… has not caused any trouble recently.”

“I see…”

“Yes.”

Silence followed.

After only a few words, they appeared to have run out of things to discuss. Aisha stood beside the apparently soon-to-be-engaged couple as they stared awkwardly at one another. Elizabeth still clutched her hand, and Aisha could feel the icy chill of her palm.

Elizabeth stared at the tips of her shoes. Edward looked distracted. When Elizabeth did not speak, his patience for remaining there seemed to fade as well. After several seconds, he said with polite distance, “…In that case, I’ll return to my friends, if that’s all right. Unless… you would like to dance with me?”

As he spoke, Edward offered Elizabeth his hand and watched her calmly.

Elizabeth stared, then nodded instinctively. She hurriedly released Aisha and awkwardly began to place her hand in Edward’s. Yet just before they touched, her motion inexplicably stopped.

Edward’s brows drew together so faintly that it was almost imperceptible. A flash of impatience crossed his face, but it vanished so quickly that Aisha wondered if she had imagined it.

Elizabeth hesitated, then finally seemed to gather her resolve and set her hand in his. Lifting her skirt lightly with the other hand, she looked back and whispered, “I’ll be right back,” before following Prince Edward onto the dance floor.

It was perfectly normal for either member of a pair to accept an invitation to dance, especially when the two of them would soon be engaged. Aisha naturally let Elizabeth go, though for some reason, a faint unease remained in her heart.

A new piece began almost as soon as Edward and Elizabeth entered the dance floor. Within a few minutes, Aisha declined invitations from two officers who approached her. Concerned about Elizabeth, she continued observing the couple and soon discovered that their steps did not fit together very well.

Elizabeth had been frail and sickly since childhood and rarely attended social occasions. Naturally, she had little opportunity to practice dancing. She might even have learned her current steps only recently from her private tutor in preparation for the engagement, and she was not especially proficient.

Edward was entirely different. He was plainly accustomed to occasions like this and moved with effortless ease. Beside his elegant steps, Elizabeth appeared rigid and clumsy, forcing him to accommodate her more often than not. As the dance continued, disappointment crept into Edward’s expression, though his manners kept him silent. Elizabeth, meanwhile, grew so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead.

No matter how Aisha looked at them, they did not suit each other.

The moment the music ended, they exchanged a stiff farewell. Both appeared relieved.

Elizabeth quickly returned to Aisha. The instant she saw her again, her expression relaxed, and color finally returned to her deathly pale cheeks.

“I was so nervous just now…” Elizabeth said with a hand over her chest, smiling at Aisha. “I danced terribly. Oh, and I’m sorry I held your hand like that before—and made it sweaty because I was so anxious…”

Her apology was deeply earnest, as though she genuinely feared Aisha would be angry. Aisha did not consider it important. She was far more concerned about Elizabeth herself.

That prince had certainly been polite, and he was every bit as handsome and elegant as the rumors claimed. Yet the distance between him and Elizabeth was astonishing. Since Elizabeth had admitted they had met only a handful of times, perhaps that was understandable, but…

Prince Edward had conversed cheerfully with the other men and appeared quite talkative. He had smiled at Aisha when he came to greet them. Yet every gesture directed at Elizabeth had been especially formulaic, as though he were merely completing an official obligation. Of course, Elizabeth’s own response had also been…

Aisha frowned with concern and asked carefully, “Elizabeth, do you truly… like him?”

“Huh? I think… I do?”

Elizabeth stared, then smiled shyly at Aisha.

“My feelings toward him have always been unusual. I’ve known since childhood that we might marry, so every time I see him, I feel terribly awkward… Isn’t that what liking someone feels like?”

Feeling awkward meant liking someone?!

Although in a certain sense, one did feel awkward upon seeing the person one liked…

Aisha pressed her lips together and took Elizabeth’s hand.

“But… aren’t you afraid to become engaged like this?”

The moment she asked, Aisha froze slightly. Elizabeth’s hand was trembling. She did not know when it had begun.

“…I’m very afraid.”

Elizabeth smiled at her.

“I often wonder whether it’s wrong to go through with things this way. As a child, I always believed I would marry Edward. Once I grew older, I became uncertain. But although I can’t bring myself to agree, I can’t bring myself to object, either.

“My father and mother want us to marry, and so do Edward’s parents. I don’t know any other young men, and there is no one I absolutely must be with… Still…”

Elizabeth paused briefly before continuing.

“Before I marry, I truly wish I could see more of the world. Places beyond my home and the royal capital… The only time I left Vitas for Wold, I failed the examination almost immediately and returned home for treatment. I spent so much of that trip preparing for the test that I never had a chance to look around properly. Now that I think about it, I regret that very much.”

As she spoke, yearning appeared on Elizabeth’s gently smiling face.