Vera stopped walking.

The soft sound of her footsteps faded as she slowly turned around to face Ezra once more.

Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him with the same calm, unreadable expression she always wore.

"Yes...Dancer."

Her reply was as dry as ever, yet the faint teasing hidden beneath her flat tone hadn’t disappeared.

Ezra looked at her quietly.

The night breeze continued flowing between them, gently brushing past their clothes and carrying strands of Vera’s loosened black hair across her shoulders.

Then, without any warning...

Ezra asked,

"Do you truly love the Ashenlocke Family?"

The question arrived so suddenly that even Vera was caught off guard.

For the briefest moment...

Her eyes paused.

It was only for an instant.

No ordinary person would have noticed.

Yet inside...

She genuinely hadn’t expected that question.

She had prepared herself for countless possibilities.

None of them sounded remotely close to this.

Once again...

She found herself unable to understand what was going on inside Ezra’s head.

"I don’t know."

Her answer came almost immediately.

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation.

She calmly turned back toward the exit.

"I don’t know what made you ask something like that."

Her tone remained perfectly flat.

However...

Hidden beneath that calmness was a faint trace of pettiness.

It wasn’t anger.

It wasn’t even, annoyance.

It was simply revenge.

A very small one.

Ezra recognized it immediately.

After all...

She had simply returned the exact same answer he had given her moments earlier.

’I wonder what made you think that.’

Now she had returned the favor.

A perfectly timed counterattack.

Ezra simply watched her leave.

The corner of his mouth almost moved.

Almost.

But it disappeared before it could become a smile.

The balcony door quietly closed behind Vera.

Silence returned once more.

Ezra slowly turned around and rested both hands upon the stone railing.

His eyes quietly wandered across the academy.

From this height...

The entire central district looked peaceful.

Rows of elegant street lamps stretched across the roads like rivers of golden light.

Ezra wasn’t standing there because he enjoyed the cold soft wind...

He stayed, because the silence felt comfortable.

He simply stood there without thinking about inventions...

Alchemy...

Politics...

Or noble families.

Only the quiet scenery before him.

Several minutes passed without him realizing it.

His thoughts slowly wandered elsewhere.

Maybe...

I should add a balcony when I renovate the mansion.

The thought came so naturally that he almost laughed at himself.

A balcony like this wasn’t a bad idea.

A place where he could occasionally watch the beautiful scenery of the night in silence.

After remaining there for a little while longer...

Ezra finally pushed himself away from the railing.

He quietly returned inside.

The moment he stepped back into the Grand Ballroom...

The peaceful silence disappeared completely.

Laughter.

Music and conversations.

The lively sounds of the celebration rushed into his ears once again.

Ezra’s eyes instinctively moved toward the stage.

Two elderly figures stood there, drawing the attention of almost every nearby student.

Both hosts from the News Club also stood respectfully beside them.

The two newcomers were professors.

Although none of the professors had appeared openly since the Welcome Party began...

That didn’t mean they had been absent.

Throughout the evening...

The two professors had quietly remained hidden throughout the Grand Ballroom.

Their duty wasn’t to participate in the celebration.

It was to supervise it.

Majorly, in case any serious incident occurred...

They would immediately step in.

Like the situation that happened before the first core...

If Ezra and Desmond had truly exchanged blows...

The hidden professors would have intervened before either side could escalate the situation.

Fortunately...

That never became necessary.

Now that the evening had progressed smoothly...

They finally revealed themselves.

One of them was a woman wearing an elegant light-pink evening gown tailored to fit her mature figure.

Her posture carried the grace expected of a noble lady.

The other professor stood quietly beside her with a relaxed smile.

"Professor Perry is really cute!"

Henry Ashenlocke suddenly shouted from below the stage.

His calm smile somehow made the teasing even more shameless.

Several students immediately burst into laughter.

Professor Perry’s cheeks instantly reddened.

"Oh my...Stop it."

She repeatedly waved both hands in embarrassment.

Her smile remained polite.

Almost too polite.

More voices quickly joined in.

"Professor is really cute!"

"Absolutely!"

"So cute!"

The male students laughed even harder.

"Seriously...Stop teasing me."

Professor Perry continued waving both hands.

She tried maintaining her elegant smile.

Unfortunately...

The smile slowly became more and more strained.

Cute?

How on earth am I cute?

Are these children blind?

No...

They’re definitely doing this on purpose.

Inside her heart...

She felt like crying.

I’m already this old...

And I’m still single...

I even spent so much time choosing this dress because I heard Professor Kent would be supervising tonight...

And look what happened instead.

Her thoughts immediately shifted toward the dazzling figure standing beside her.

Professor Liliana.

Unlike Perry...

Liliana greeted everyone with endless energy.

She cheerfully waved both hands toward the students.

Her bright emerald-and-white dress seemed to sparkle beneath the ballroom lights.

Every smile she gave effortlessly attracted attention from both the male and female students.

In truth...

She was the real reason everyone had started laughing in the first place.

Seeing the overwhelming attention directed toward Liliana...

Professor Perry’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly.

Ah...

Damn it.

Meanwhile...

Ezra quietly walked toward the collection table where he had left his vanilla cake earlier.

The butlers stationed there noticed him almost immediately.

Then...

Every one of them awkwardly looked away.

Several even began sweating.

None of them seemed willing to meet his eyes.

Ezra calmly looked across the table.

His vanilla cake was gone.

He shifted his gaze slightly.

Vera’s red velvet cake had also disappeared.

He quietly pieced everything together.

She probably gave her own cake to Nina...

...and took mine.

The conclusion came naturally while his expression didn’t change.

He simply accepted it.

Without saying a word...

Ezra turned around and prepared to leave.

One of the butlers hurried after him.

"Mr. Ezra!"

The man bowed respectfully.

"Would you perhaps like something to drink instead?"

He gestured toward another servant carrying a polished silver tray.

Several crystal glasses rested upon it.

Each contained chilled fruit juice with small pieces of ice floating near the surface.

Cold droplets slowly rolled down the outside of the glasses.

Ezra lightly raised one hand.

"I’ll pass."

His answer remained as calm as always.

The butler watched him leave before quietly sighing.

"I honestly don’t know if that ended well..."

He muttered beneath his breath.

The surrounding butlers silently agreed.

After all...

The two students involved were Ezra and Vera.

Perhaps the two most unreadable people in the academy.

Trying to understand either of them usually ended in complete failure.

As Ezra continued walking...

A cheerful elderly voice suddenly echoed throughout the ballroom.

"Oh? Isn’t this today’s leading gentleman?"

Ezra stopped.

He slowly turned toward the stage.

At once...

Dozens of students also followed the professor’s gaze.

Every eye landed on him.

Professor Liliana smiled brightly.

"My heart almost skipped several beats watching you and little Vera dance. You two were absolutely wonderful."

Several students nodded enthusiastically.

Professor Liliana continued with a playful smile.

"If my dear little niece hadn’t been busy playing the piano... I would’ve wished for the two of you to dance together."

She placed one hand against her cheek dramatically.

"Actually... I think someone with your dancing ability should’ve been my niece’s first dance partner."

The moment those words left her mouth...

The atmosphere inside the ballroom subtly shifted.

Many young ladies nodded in agreement.

"I think Professor Liliana is right."

"He really is."

"He matches Lady Selena perfectly."

On the other hand...

Several young noblemen frowned.

Their expressions darkened almost immediately.

Across the ballroom...

Selena was politely entertaining a small group of influential young nobles.

Each of them hoped to become her partner for the Third Core.

After playing continuously throughout the Second Core...

Her hands still felt slightly sore.

Because of that...

She had already decided not to perform again.

After all...

A refined noble lady wasn’t expected to exhaust herself throughout an entire ball.

She gracefully held a crystal glass in one hand while politely declining every invitation with her usual gentle smile.

Then...

She heard her aunt’s words.

The glass in Selena’s hand trembled ever so slightly.

Almost imperceptibly.

Still...

Her elegant smile never disappeared.

"Lady Selena..."

One noble girl smiled.

"Your aunt is right. The only gentleman worthy of sharing the Third Core with you... is Sir Ezra."

Another girl nodded seriously.

"I completely agree."

Selena gently lowered her eyes.

"Is that so..."

She smiled softly.

"His dancing really was very refined."

Outwardly...

She remained calm.

Graceful and elegant.

Inside, however...

Her thoughts had already become a complete mess.

Id...

Mmm...

You’re all making this sound far too obvious...

And Aunt...

Why did you have to say that here?

Almost as though sensing Selena’s gaze...

Professor Liliana looked directly toward her.

Their eyes met.

For only a brief moment...

Liliana’s bright smile transformed into a mischievous smirk.

Then...

It disappeared.

So quickly that no one else noticed.

Except Selena.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Among the entire Galehart Family...

Her aunt was the only person who knew about her quiet feelings for Ezra Ashenlocke.

Turning back toward Ezra...

Professor Liliana clasped both hands together, with the mic still on her hand.

"So... What do you say...Child of Ash? Would you honor my niece with one more dance?"

Her bright smile never faded as she looked directly at Ezra.

The lively atmosphere inside the Grand Ballroom seemed to pause for a brief moment.

Countless pairs of eyes instinctively shifted toward Ezra.

Even those who had been busy talking among themselves gradually fell silent.

Across the ballroom...

Selena unconsciously lifted her eyes toward him.

She hadn’t planned to.

It simply happened before she realized it.

Her beautiful emerald eyes quietly carried a trace of anticipation that even she failed to notice.

Around her...

Many students also waited for his answer.

Some held excitement.

Some carried curiosity.

Others watched with completely different thoughts.

Many wanted to witness another unforgettable performance after the breathtaking dance Ezra and Vera had just shared.

To them...

The final dance between Ezra and Selena promised to become another spectacle.

However...

Not everyone welcomed the idea.

Several young nobles continued to quietly frown.

The thought of watching yet another Flower of Britannia share her first public dance with Ezra Ashenlocke left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Especially when, in their eyes...

He was merely a Lowline noble who had suddenly risen to fame because of an invention.

The ballroom quietly divided itself.

One side hoped he would accept.

The other silently wished he would refuse.

Standing in the center of everyone’s attention...

Ezra remained completely calm.

His expression didn’t change.

Yet behind those quiet black eyes...

His thoughts were already moving.

He understood very well what this decision represented.

If he accepted...

He would satisfy the expectations of almost everyone watching.

But at the same time...

He would inevitably attract even more attention.

If he refused...

He would avoid one problem while creating several new ones.

Neither choice came without consequences.

After all...

He had already danced with one of the academy’s biggest targets.

Vera Ashenlocke.

Among every noble house...

Among every academic year...

There were countless young heirs hoping to become closer to the Flowers of Britannia.

Whether for admiration...

Status...

Or political reasons...

Everyone had their own ambitions.

The moment the Flowers of Britannia entered the Royal Academy...

An invisible struggle had already begun.

A silent war.

One fought with reputation...

Influence...

Connections...

And opportunities.

Among the Flowers...

The fiercest competition naturally surrounded Vera and Selena.

Now...

Ezra had already stepped directly into that battlefield.

The first dance with Vera had already placed countless pairs of hostile eyes upon him.

Already...

The recording of tonight’s Welcome Party was spreading throughout the academy.

Second-year students.

Third-year students.

And even graduates connected to influential noble families.

Would sooner or later...

Know about this event.

By now...

Making enemies had become unavoidable.

Since that was the case...

There was little reason to hesitate.

Ezra calmly looked toward Professor Liliana.

"It would be my pleasure."

His voice remained as steady as ever.

The moment those words left his mouth...

A wave of gasps swept through the Grand Ballroom, filled with excitement.

"He accepted!"

"I knew he would!"

"This is going to be amazing!"

The atmosphere instantly became lively again.

Excited conversations erupted throughout the hall.

Many students couldn’t hide their smiles.

Even Professor Perry quietly smiled with amusement.

Across the ballroom...

Selena’s thoughts froze.

He...

He actually agreed...

For a brief instant...

Her mind became completely blank.

The elegant smile on her face nearly faltered.

Fortunately...

Years of noble etiquette saved her.

Before anyone noticed...

She naturally regained her composure.

Only the slight tightening around the crystal glass in her hand betrayed the excitement quietly blooming inside her heart.

The noble girls surrounding her immediately became excited.

"I knew Sir Ezra would agree!"

"This is going to be wonderful!"

"I can’t wait to see you two dance together!"

They spoke one after another, barely containing their enthusiasm.

Not far away...

Several young noblemen felt as though something inside their chests had completely cracked yet again.

The first dance with Vera had already been painful enough.

Now...

Even Selena.

Some quietly sighed.

Others forced bitter smiles.

None of them could openly complain after Ezra had displayed such extraordinary dancing.

At another corner of the ballroom...

Vera quietly sat beside one of the refreshment tables.

She calmly continued eating Ezra’s vanilla cake as though nothing unusual had happened.

Beside her...

Nina folded both arms while puffing out her cheeks.

"That Ezra is such a player."

She complained with obvious dissatisfaction.

"He just finished dancing with you... And now he’s immediately dancing with Lady Selena Galehart."

Nina continued muttering under her breath.

"If this keeps happening... How many noble ladies is he planning to charm tonight?"

Despite Nina’s nonstop complaints...

Vera didn’t react.

Not even once.

She simply cut another small piece of vanilla cake and calmly ate it.

To everyone else...

Ezra’s decision looked impulsive.

To Vera...

It was anything but.

She understood exactly what he was trying to accomplish.

Using Lady Selena...

...would still create resentment.

She quietly thought to herself.

But it will also weaken the rumors surrounding me.

If Ezra and Vera were truly involved with one another...

Why would he willingly accept another Flower of Britannia’s invitation?

Especially one as famous as Selena.

To many proud young nobles...

This would become a far more reasonable explanation.

They would naturally conclude that Ezra had simply been chosen because of his extraordinary dancing skills.

Nothing more.

It wouldn’t erase every rumor.

But...

It would redirect many of them.

A simple move.

Yet surprisingly effective.

Without saying a word...

Vera calmly took another bite of the vanilla cake.

As she chewed...

A memory quietly surfaced.

Ezra suddenly leaning forward...

Taking a bite of her red velvet cake...

Using the very fork she had been holding.

The image replayed itself without warning.

For some reason...

Her thoughts stopped on one small detail.

The fork.

Her gaze slowly drifted downward.

Without realizing it...

She left the fork resting lightly against her lips for several seconds.

Almost as though she were trying to remember exactly how that strange moment had felt.

She couldn’t quite explain it.

She simply found herself thinking about it again.

A tiny smile quietly appeared at the corner of her lips.

So, faint...

And so small...

That even Nina, sitting only a short distance away, failed to notice it.

The smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Vera lowered her eyes toward the remaining cake.

She tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Was...this vanilla cake...always this sweet?"

She quietly murmured to herself.

Her voice remained perfectly calm.

No one nearby heard her.

Or perhaps...

No one could have guessed the true reason behind those words.

Not long afterward...

The announcement for the Third Core echoed throughout the Grand Ballroom.

Students gradually returned to the dance floor one pair after another.

Servants quietly cleared empty glasses and dessert plates while the orchestra prepared for the evening’s final performance.

This time...

The attention of the entire ballroom gathered upon two figures.

The Precious Wind of Gale.

Selena Galehart.

And...

The mysterious Child of Ash.

Ezra Ashenlocke.

Whether the gazes directed toward them held admiration...

Jealousy...

Envy...

Expectation...

Or resentment...

Ezra paid none of it any attention.

To him...

Those emotions carried little meaning.

The only thing that mattered...

Was continuing to make the decisions necessary for his own survival.