Chapter 649: Pairs of Ash

Prince Daniel Aethelmont flinched when he found Ezra and Vera looking at him.

Their plain black eyes met his almost by accident.

Neither seemed to have any particular reaction to his outburst.

They simply stared at him, their expressions as calm as before.

Daniel had not even realized that he had moved until he noticed the sudden change in his surroundings.

The Grand Royal Hall had gone quiet.

Several guests were still whispering, but most had turned their attention towards him.

The Dukes, Duchesses, Counts, Countesses, Viscounts, Viscountesses, and other high-ranking Nobles stood on the dance floor, ready for the Last Dance Core.

The wealthy Non-Nobles among them had also stopped to watch.

Their gazes moved between the Second Prince and the two young Ashenlockes.

Daniel felt those looks on him.

He had expected Ezra to respond to his challenge.

After all, he had publicly declared that he would not allow another man to take Vera’s hand for the Last Dance Core.

Yet Ezra stood there with Vera’s hand in his, looking at the Prince with the same plain expression he had worn before.

Vera was no different.

Neither of them seemed to care that the Second Prince of Britannia had just challenged Ezra in front of the entire hall.

The silence grew increasingly awkward.

Daniel’s expression tightened.

He had made his intentions clear, yet the pair seemed more interested in staring at him than acknowledging his words.

To most of the adults in the hall, the Prince’s behaviour looked like a child’s tantrum.

He had interrupted an important part of the closing evening because he could not bear to see another man dance with a girl he fancied.

Some found it amusing.

Others were curious to see how the Ashenlockes would handle the situation.

After all, Daniel was the Second Prince of Britannia, while Ezra was a young Noble who had dared to stand beside the very girl the Prince had publicly claimed as his own.

It was an awkward situation, but not everyone was worried about Ezra’s position.

Some people knew better.

They understood that the silence in the hall did not necessarily mean that nothing was wrong. They also knew that the young Ashenlockes were not the sort to behave as Daniel expected.

But those who knew...

Knew.

On the Upper Floor of the Grand Royal Hall...

Duke Valentine Ashenlocke stood at the railing, looking down at the commotion.

His black eyes remained calm.

His expression showed none of the concern one might expect from a father watching his son become the target of a Prince’s public challenge.

He was still holding Duchess Regina Ashenlocke by his right arm and Duchess Hailey Ashenlocke by his left.

The three had been preparing to descend to the dance floor for the Last Dance Core when Daniel’s outburst interrupted the occasion.

Now, they had stopped to watch.

Duchess Hailey slowly raised her free hand and rubbed her forehead.

"Ahhh... This is bad."

Her voice carried the helplessness of someone who had already guessed how the situation might end.

Valentine glanced at her before turning towards Queen Althea, who was watching the scene with an amused expression.

The Queen sat comfortably, a white ceramic plate resting nearby.

Its surface was decorated with fine golden patterns.

She picked up a green grape and placed it in her mouth as though the disturbance below had done little to interrupt her enjoyment of the evening.

"Your Majesty."

Valentine spoke in his usual calm voice.

Queen Althea turned her attention to him, waiting for him to continue.

"I apologize in advance for everything that is about to unfold."

He lowered his head.

Regina and Hailey followed his lead, bowing their heads alongside him.

For a moment, the three Ashenlockes remained in that position.

Then Queen Althea laughed.

"Hahahahaha!"

Her laughter was light, but she made little effort to hide her amusement.

She understood very well what was about to happen, and Valentine’s apology had only made the situation more entertaining to her.

Back on the First Floor...

Silence continued to hang over the dance floor.

Ezra and Vera stared at Prince Daniel with their usual plain black eyes.

Neither had still spoken, and neither seemed inclined to offer him the reaction he wanted.

Daniel’s expression only tightened further.

He was the one who had raised his voice.

He was the one who had stopped the Last Dance Core from beginning.

Yet the pair he had challenged behaved as though he were little more than an interruption to their evening.

The awkwardness grew with every passing second.

Staying silent was hardly the best choice for Ezra.

After all, a Prince had openly accused him of trying to steal his lady’s hand.

Ignoring the matter could easily be taken as an insult, while answering carelessly might make things worse.

Still, Ezra showed no sign of being troubled.

Vera, on the other hand...

She already noticed something Daniel would have preferred her to miss.

She looked at the hand she held.

Then, deliberately, she tightened her grip on Ezra’s fingers.

She did it slowly enough for Daniel to notice.

The Prince’s eyes dropped to their joined hands.

His fist clenched.

The sight of Vera holding Ezra so comfortably was already enough to irritate him.

But her deliberate movement only made it worse.

"This bastard..."

He muttered the words through his clenched teeth.

His shoulders stiffened, and he drew a breath as though preparing to shout again.

"You dare ho—"

"You know, I don’t blame Prince Two for his behaviour."

Ezra interrupted him.

His voice was plain.

He had not raised it, nor had he made any effort to sound disrespectful.

He simply spoke over the Prince as if Daniel’s unfinished words were not worth waiting for.

Daniel froze.

Ezra turned his eyes towards Vera.

"I blame you."

"Huh? Excuse me?"

Vera placed her free hand against her chest.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she wore an expression of perfect disbelief.

It was a convincing performance, if one ignored the faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

Ezra looked at her without changing his expression.

"You keep putting me in trouble time and time again because you keep attracting people like that."

He delivered the words in a straightforward tone.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

If anything, he sounded as though he were complaining about an inconvenience that had occurred far too often.

First Strike.

For some reason, Daniel felt as though something had pierced his heart.

His eyes widened.

He took a step backwards before he seemed to realize what he was doing.

The people watching him noticed the movement.

Ezra had not insulted the Prince directly.

He had not even called him a name.

Yet his words had somehow struck a nerve, leaving Daniel standing there as though he had just received an unexpected blow.

"That’s so rude, Troublemaker. You’re saying Prince Two is ugly."

Vera said it casually.

Her gaze remained on Ezra, she did not even bother to look at Daniel while making the accusation.

Second Strike.

Prince Daniel brought a hand to his chest.

The pain he felt was entirely different from the one caused by Ezra’s earlier words.

This time, the insult had come from the girl he was trying to win over.

Worse, Vera had delivered it in a very casual tone.

The hall erupted in gasps.

"Ugly?"

"The Jewel of Ash just called the Prince ugly?!"

"Wait, what does Prince Two mean?"

Whispers spread across the dance floor.

Some guests looked at Daniel, while others turned towards Ezra and Vera, struggling to decide which part of the exchange was more surprising.

The two Ashenlockes were discussing the Second Prince as though he were not even present.

And Vera might have just called him ugly.

Daniel’s face grew stiff.

Ezra narrowed his eyes at the girl beside him.

"Since when did I ever say Prince Two is ugly, Vera?"

His tone remained dry.

Vera tilted her head slightly to the right.

"You were definitely insinuating that my beauty only attracts ugly people."

Her answer came without the slightest pause.

Third Strike.

Daniel held his chest more tightly.

He took another step backwards, his expression growing more complicated with each passing second.

He had come forward to challenge Ezra, yet he was now being dragged into an argument about his appearance.

The worst part was that neither of them seemed to care about what they were saying.

This time, however, Daniel was not the only person who felt the sting of Vera’s words.

A Short Distance Away...

Lucien Derlis held his glass with a warm smile.

He had been watching the exchange from a short distance away.

His expression remained pleasant, but he lowered his eyes towards the drink in his hand.

"Ah... It stings."

He spoke lightly.

"Sir Lucien!"

Three Highline Ladies of Derlis, who had been standing near him, moved closer.

They had approached him earlier to discuss becoming his dance partners for the Last Dance Core.

Since Lucien had already danced with Lady Eleanor Tempest and Lady Lydia Bergwyn during the Second Dance Core.

The Young ladies of Derlis had been hoping he would choose one of them or maybe all of them for the final dance.

Their conversation had begun long before Daniel caused the commotion.

Now, all three looked at Lucien with concern.

One of them leaned closer, trying to understand why he had suddenly made such a comment.

Lucien merely kept his warm smile.

He did not explain why he said those words.

On Another Side of the Hall...

Carmine Bergwyn had a different concern.

"Does she really think I’m ugly?"

He stared at his reflection in one of the silver plates arranged neatly on his table.

He tilted his head slightly, examining his face from another angle.

Then he leaned closer, as though a better look might reveal something he had missed.

Unfortunately, the reflection offered him no comfort.

Carmine was not the only young Gentleman having such thoughts.

Among those who admired Vera Ashenlocke, many had reacted to her words as though she had delivered a personal insult to every one of them.

Some glanced at their reflections.

Others lowered their heads, suddenly uncertain about their looks.

Leofirc Hawthorne was among the worst affected.

Tears had gathered in his eyes.

He stared towards Vera, looking as though her casual remark had dealt him a terrible blow.

He had not been the target of her words, but that hardly seemed to matter.

The Jewel of Ash had called the Second Prince ugly.

And if she thought the Second Prince was ugly, what did that mean for the rest of them?

For a few unfortunate young Gentlemen, the question was far more serious than it had any right to be.

Back on the Dance Floor...

"I did not insinuate anything like that."

Ezra answered without changing his expression.

He knew Vera was deliberately taking things too far.

The faint smile she had been wearing made that much clear.

She was enjoying herself.

Ezra had seen this side of her often enough to recognize it.

Vera had found a way to turn his complaint into an entirely different argument, and she had no intention of letting him escape so easily.

"If you didn’t mean that, then what did you mean?"

Vera asked.

She tilted her head to the left slightly. watching him with those calm black eyes.

Her hand remained in his, and she made no attempt to loosen her grip.

Ezra looked back at her.

"I mean that you keep attracting people who refuse to listen to common sense and keep making a big deal out of nothing. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but you and I don’t have that kind of relationship."

He paused briefly, his gaze still fixed on Vera.

"Yet here I am, being questioned because I’m supposedly taking another man’s lady’s hand to do what? Just a dance?"

His voice was as straightforward as ever.

He had explained himself clearly enough.

At least, that was what he thought.

Vera, however, seemed to have found another opening.

"Ehn... How can you say that when we’ve already gone on two dates?"

She leaned closer to Ezra and looked up at him.

The movement was small, but it brought her face nearer to his.

Her expression remained composed, and the faint smile on her lips suggested that she had no intention of letting his explanation end the conversation.

"We have already passed the stage of being just business partners, Ezra..."

She lifted her free hand and pointed her index finger at his chest.

Then she delivered her next words with the same easy tone.

"We are close business partners from now on."

Her voice remained light, but there was a hint of possessiveness in the way she said it.

Fourth Strike.

Prince Daniel stood completely frozen.

The words kept echoing in his head.

Close business partners.

He had interrupted the Last Dance Core because he could not stand seeing Ezra take Vera’s hand.

Yet the girl he was trying to win over had just leaned closer to Ezra, reminded him of their two dates, and declared that their relationship had moved beyond ordinary business partners.

Daniel’s face stiffened.

And the words continued to echo.

Close business partners.