Chapter 652: The Party Resumes

The guests watched as Lady Vera Ashenlocke drifted through the air towards her father.

The dance floor had fallen quiet around them, and people standing nearby had turned from their conversations to follow her unusual journey.

A few guests exchanged looks, unsure whether they were meant to laugh or pretend not to notice.

No one seemed in a hurry to interrupt a Duke of Ash.

Duke Valentine stood with both hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

He looked as if nothing unusual had happened.

Vera, meanwhile, remained suspended in front of him, unable to move her body or change direction.

Only her eyes and mouth were still under her control.

“This is quite cute.”

Duchess Vivian Derlis laughed softly.

Several other Duchesses from the Duke Houses joined her, their amusement spreading through the group as they watched the Duke of Ash carry his daughter around like this was an ordinary part of the evening.

Vera looked at her father.

“You see what you have done, my oh, great Duke of Ash.”

Her dull black eyes settled on him, but Valentine did not even turn to look at her.

Duchess Hailey Ashenlocke pressed her lips together, doing her best to hold back her laughter.

The corners of her mouth still threatened to rise, and she had to look away for a moment.

Beside her, Duchess Regina Ashenlocke glanced at her husband.

Her voice was low enough to keep the question between them, though those standing close could still hear it.

“Duke, don’t you think you should let her down?”

“Yes, listen to your wife, Duke of Ash,”

Vera added casually.

She was still hanging in the air.

Her body would not respond, leaving her able to do little more than move her mouth and eyes, but that did not stop her from joining the conversation.

Valentine finally narrowed his eyes on her.

“Do you want me to block your mouth too?”

Vera looked back at him quietly.

“Ahhh… it’s happening again.”

Young Lord Veda Ashenlocke stared up at his twin sister.

She floated close to their father, and the sight left him with an awkward expression.

He stood among several Young Nobles and Non-Nobles from the Golden Circle Faction, some from his own year at the Royal Academy and others from the upper years.

They had been close enough to witness the entire exchange.

Prince Charles Aethelmont looked from Vera to the Duke of Ash.

“So, this isn’t the first time the Duke of Ash has randomly carried Lady Vera Ashenlocke away like that?”

He sounded genuinely surprised.

Judging by the way Vera was still talking to her father, however, it seemed the situation was not new to her.

Veda let out a small, awkward laugh.

“Well, it only happens when Father believes Vera has said too much and needs to be put on a timer. I mean, stopped.”

He corrected himself, though the explanation did little to make the situation less strange.

His gaze remained on his sister, while around him, the young Nobles and Non-Nobles waited for his explanation, some looking from Veda to Vera as though they were trying to picture the earlier incidents for themselves.

Veda could only offer an awkward smile before the memory drew his attention away from the group.

The scene brought back memories from before he had been branded the waste of the family.

Back then, their father had lifted Vera into the air more times than Veda could count.

It usually happened when she had pushed an argument too far, or when a situation involving her threatened to grow into something much bigger.

Vera had a talent for taking a small dispute and making it worse.

Adults could find themselves arguing with one another because of something she had said, while children who had been caught in the middle sometimes ended up crying.

Their father would eventually step in, lift her away from the scene, and carry her off before she could add anything else.

Veda remembered it well.

His twin sister was a real troublemaker.

He laughed lightly again, though he still looked embarrassed to be explaining it in front of the other young people.

“I’m sorry, but I will be leaving from here,”

Duke Valentine announced.

His voice was calm, as if he were simply informing the Queen that he intended to step outside for a moment.

Vera remained beside him in the air, her presence making his reason for leaving rather obvious.

His posture gave little away, and he did not seem concerned that the other Duchesses were still amused by the sight.

For Valentine, the matter appeared settled: Vera had said enough, and he was taking her away before she could continue.

“The Last Dance hasn’t started yet, though. And you want to leave?”

The Duke of Galehart turned towards Valentine.

His voice was calm, but his eyes followed the Duke of Ash with clear interest.

If you leave now when Aldous has already gone, I’m very sure Lionel will leave as well.

He glanced towards the Duke of Bergwyn.

The look was composed, and he kept his expression steady, but there was a small problem behind his words.

If the other Dukes began leaving one after another, he would have to consider doing the same.

Yet he still wanted to dance with his babies before the evening ended.

“Why not enjoy the Last Dance first? Then we can all leave together,”

He suggested.

Valentine looked at Vera.

She was still suspended beside him, looking back at him as if she had not accepted his decision in the slightest.

The exchange had drawn enough attention already, and the Duke clearly had no intention of giving her another chance to continue it.

“I don’t want her to keep acting out of hand.”

He pointed at his daughter as though that settled the matter.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong, though,”

Vera replied lightly.

Valentine did not answer her.

He kept his hands in his pockets and continued to stand as if her complaint had not reached him.

Queen Althea watched the exchange.

“Ehnn… Everyone is leaving now.”

Her expression had turned a little displeased as more of the powerful guests began discussing whether they should leave before the Last Dance had even begun.

Ezra had been watching everything unfold.

The light from the chandeliers spread across the polished floor, catching on the edges of dresses, coats, and jewelry as people shifted to make room for the departing Duke.

The music and conversation around the hall had been interrupted by the argument, and the guests closest to the royal party were still watching for the next development.

The scene had moved so quickly that Ezra had barely had time to follow each change.

One moment, Vera had been standing with the others.

The next, Duke Valentine had lifted her into the air and decided to leave with his wives and daughter.

The Queen was still near the dance floor, and Ezra’s side of the hall had become crowded with some of the most powerful people in the Kingdom.

The difference in their status was impossible to ignore.

Servants and guards kept watch nearby, while the other guests left a little more space around the group than they would have around ordinary students.

Even after the immediate argument had passed, Ezra could feel the attention fixed on the people around him.

Now, with several Dukes and Duchesses considering their departure, the gathering had turned into a scene he had never intended to cause.

Ezra lowered his head politely.

“I’m sorry for all this commotion. It seems to be my fault.”

His voice was calm, almost sincere.

He offered the apology without trying to draw attention to himself.

He had no desire to make the situation worse, especially when so many important people had gathered around him.

After he spoke, almost everyone nearby turned towards him.

“It’s not your fault, Young Ezra Ashenlocke,”

Elder Godwin Fraser replied.

The Vice Headmaster’s tone remained steady.

He did not seem to blame Ezra for the commotion, nor did he treat the boy’s apology as something that needed to be debated.

His answer was plain, and it allowed the attention to move away from Ezra without turning the apology into another discussion.

“You are fine, child of Ash.”

The Second Duchess of Bergwyn waved a hand towards Ezra and gave him a simple smile.

Her response was brief and reassuring, and she did not make a spectacle of it.

The exchange gave Ezra little reason to prolong his apology, so he kept his head lowered for a moment before the conversation moved on.

Around them, the attention was already shifting towards Valentine and his family as they prepared to depart.

“Well, I will be going now.”

Valentine lowered his head towards Queen Althea.

Once he had offered the proper courtesy, he began walking away with Vera floating beside him.

The two Duchesses of Ash lowered their heads to the Queen as well.

The Personal Servants and Guards of Ash followed their example, bowing before they moved after their Lord and Duchesses.

Their departure formed a small procession away from the gathering around the dance floor.

Vera looked at her father as he carried her towards the exit.

“I have a dance, though.”

“Do I look like I care?”

Valentine replied flatly.

“Petty.”

Vera delivered the word without raising her voice.

She made no attempt to hide what she thought of his decision, but she had no way to stop him from carrying her away.

The Duke continued towards the entrance of the Grand Royal Hall, ignoring her final remark.

The doors closed behind them.

With the Duke of Ash gone, the Duke of Bergwyn turned back towards Queen Althea and lowered his head.

“Since the Duke of Ash has left, I will be taking my leave.”

He spoke calmly, as if his decision had only been waiting for Valentine to go first.

“Goodbye, Your Majesty the Queen,”

The two Duchesses of Bergwyn said together.

They offered their farewell politely before departing with the Duke.

Duchess Vivian Derlis and her Husband left not long after them.

The Duke of Galehart also took his leave once he had watched the other Dukes and Duchesses go.

A few Counts and Countesses followed their example.

The doors had barely been closed for long before the guests began to adjust to the change.

Some turned back towards their companions, while others watched the entrance for a moment longer, as if expecting another member of the royal or noble families to leave.

The number of people in the Grand Royal Hall remained high, but the gathering had changed.

Many of the Kingdom’s most powerful figures were no longer standing near the dance floor.

The pressure that had settled over the surrounding guests began to ease with their departure.

Queen Althea remained where she was, while the people who had stayed behind slowly returned their attention to the evening.

“Alright, let’s get back to the moment we have been waiting for,”

Vice Headmaster Godwin said calmly.

His words helped bring the hall back to life.

Conversations resumed, and the guests began to wear the lighter expressions they had carried before the commotion.

The musicians and the waiting dancers once again became the center of attention, as people remembered that the Last Dance had yet to begin.

“Now I can dance without feeling pressure.”

A Young Noble boy said this as he took his dance partner’s hand and led her towards the dance floor.

He had been waiting for the powerful guests to move away before stepping forward.

Now that they were no longer gathered around the floor, he seemed far more comfortable.

Other young people followed.

A few adjusted their cuffs or straightened their dresses before approaching the floor, while others offered their partners an arm and exchanged quiet remarks.

Those who had hesitated to dance while the Dukes and Duchesses stood nearby began moving towards the open space.

Their conversations grew livelier, and the hall slowly returned to the mood of a grand evening rather than a gathering interrupted by a family dispute.

“It’s only sad that I didn’t get to watch Lady Vera Ashenlocke and Ezra Ashenlocke dance together.”

A Young Noble Lady looked towards Ezra.

He was already walking back to where his seat was, apparently intending to return there now that the commotion had ended.

Her words caught the attention of a young lady beside her.

The girl leaned closer, as if she needed to make sure she had heard correctly.

With Vera gone, the possibility of seeing the two Ashenlockes share the final dance had disappeared, and the young ladies who had been considering their own chances with Ezra were left to rethink their plans.

“Wait, did you just say Sir Ezra Ashenlocke won’t be dancing with Lady Vera Ashenlocke for the Last Dance?”

Curiosity filled her voice.

She had clearly been thinking about the same possibility, and the news that Vera had been taken away seemed to have spoiled the prospect.

“But wouldn’t it be awkward to dance with him? I mean, your parents…”

The first Young Noble Lady gave her friend a worried look.

She already knew what the other girl was thinking, and the question seemed to confirm it.

It wasn’t only her friend who had considered approaching Ezra, either.

Several young ladies had been watching him, waiting for a chance to speak to him now that the crowd of high-ranking figures had begun to disperse.

Yet before any of them could make a move, a familiar voice rang out from the direction Ezra had gone.

“Kyaaa… I have been holding back the cuteness all this while, but Ezra you are really a cute child!!”

Many heads turned.

The voice had been bright enough to carry over the conversations, and its familiar tone made several guests recognize the speaker before they had fully seen her.

Eyes widened across the nearby group, and some of the conversations stopped in the middle of a sentence.

The scene that greeted them was so unexpected that, for a moment, several guests seemed unable to believe what they were seeing.

Queen Althea had caught up with Ezra and was hugging him tightly.

She held him close with a bright smile, showing none of the distance people might have expected from the ruler of Britannia. Ezra, who had only just begun making his way back to his seat, had become the center of attention once again.

The Queen looked so delighted.

Her embrace was firm enough to halt Ezra’s return to his seat, and her bright expression stood in sharp contrast to the formality she had shown when the Dukes were still gathered around her.

The nearby guests could only stare at the unexpected change in her manner.

“Why don’t you let me adopt you from the Ashenlocke House and make you one of my children?”

Her smile remained bright as she made the offer, leaving the surrounding guests staring at the Queen and the young child of Ashenlocke.