Beautiful dance music played in the castle hall, and each noble lady had a personal etiquette teacher. Learning ballroom dancing and social etiquette was an essential part of their curriculum.
Eve did not choose any of the gentlemen. Instead, after each of the young ladies had chosen their dance partners, she gracefully extended her hand to Maggie and asked in a cautious tone.
"May I invite Your Highness to dance with me?"
The lighting was dim, and Maggie's mind was already preoccupied with the possibility of a vampire's appearance, so she looked somewhat bewildered when she heard Eve's words.
"?"
Fortunately, the light was dim enough that no one noticed her somewhat bewildered expression.
What's going on? Why did Eve invite her to dance ballroom dance? And she doesn't have the original owner's memories and doesn't know how to dance. What should she do now?
Maggie had a million ideas in her head, but after meeting Eve's expectant gaze, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"I'm not very good at it."
Maggie took Eve's hand and whispered in her ear.
"It is already a great honor for me that Your Highness has agreed to dance with me. Leave the rest to me."
Eve winked playfully at Maggie. Although she couldn't see Eve's eyes clearly, for some reason, in Maggie's eyes, Eve seemed to sparkle. If she had to find an adjective... should she call her cute?
In the center of the hall, most of the dance partners were male and female pairs, except for Maggie and Eve, who were two girls.
Eve's Rococo dress was sweet and exquisite today, while Maggie was still wearing her saintly robes, but under the dim lighting, she appeared even more sacred.
The two women's skirts twirled in the light, and no one realized that Maggie couldn't actually dance.
Eve guided the dance very well; even when it was the men's step, there wasn't a single mistake.
Maggie thought that perhaps she was well-suited to be a teacher. Thankfully, she had nipped the undead calamity in the bud, preventing Eve from being torn apart by the skeleton lich in her isolation, from becoming an undead, from turning into a ghoul, and from...
She died at the hands of her beloved father, the emperor.
Maggie closed her eyes, and a faint sense of relief rose in her heart.
Fortunately, the Eve in front of her did not turn into the ignorant, crazy, love-struck, cannon fodder princess in the comics.
At least in Maggie's eyes, she didn't mess with the teleportation array, nor did she choose to betray the kingdom when threatened by Joyce. She was already different from the fixed character in the comics.
It seems she has changed someone's future once again.
As Maggie was thinking, suddenly the crystal chandelier at the top of the castle went dark, the music stopped abruptly, and everyone at the ball was forced to stand still, with some people screaming in fright.
"Yes! There are bats!"
"Vampires! Vampires have entered the palace! Your Majesty, save us!"
"Stop it quickly! Where are the bats?!"
In an instant, the banquet hall erupted in chaotic shouts, mixed with rustling sounds, seemingly the sound of bats rubbing their wings together in flight.
Maggie instinctively pulled Eve behind her and tucked her behind the nearest pillar, listening intently to the peculiar flying sound; there was no doubt it was approaching her.
Suddenly, she heard a soft laugh, which sounded both playful and excited, making her heart flutter with unease.
Maggie immediately looked in the direction of the sound. Because it was too dark, she could only vaguely see a blurry outline in the distance, which looked like a woman.
Meanwhile, the Duke's men also sprang into action. When Maggie made it clear that the attackers would be vampires, the roles of prey and hunter in this hunt were reversed.
With an even sharper scream, Maggie saw the woman charging straight toward her. In the darkness, by the moonlight from the window, she could vaguely see thin, blood-red lines surrounding her, wrapping tightly around Maggie.
Maggie instantly activated a defensive barrier, but unfortunately, her magic, cast by a mid-level mage, was as fragile as paper in the face of the bloodline.
The bloodline pierced through Maggie's defensive barrier in a single strike, and with a 'bang,' the barrier turned into white light fragments that gradually dissipated in the air.
Maggie did not raise her staff to defend again, but instead counted down in her mind: three, two, one.
The countdown ended, and a sudden gust of wind blew her skirt away.
In Eve's pupils, the shadow of a demon of unknown rank gradually magnified in her eyes, like a cannonball crashing straight into the woman who attacked Maggie.
The woman was smashed through the castle wall by the demon and fell down with him.
Keep in mind that this is the top floor of the castle, dozens of meters high. Without magical protection, even vampires and demons would not be able to withstand the impact of such a tall castle falling.
With a deafening roar, the castle's crystal chandeliers shone brightly again. Everyone looked in the direction of the noise, and many widened their eyes, while others nearly dropped their jaws in astonishment.
The castle, which the Beard royal family had just repaired not long ago, was once again breached, leaving a hole through which one could see the dark sky outside.
A silent atmosphere permeated the ball, but Maggie simply put away her staff slowly, calmly dusted herself off, as if she hadn't seen the large hole she had created.
When that demon flew out, it dirtied her clothes again.
Saintess robes are very difficult to maintain; they can't be cleaned simply with magic. Otherwise, she wouldn't hate getting her clothes dirty so much.
Eve, who had been hidden behind the pillar, finally came to her senses. She stood up shakily, leaning on the pillar, and looked at Maggie's back with a faint, complicated expression in her eyes.
"Holy Maiden... Your Highness."
Her voice calling Maggie's name was even more timid; if it weren't for the absolute silence around them, Maggie might not have even noticed.
"Um?"
Maggie turned around, gave her a gentle smile, raised her eyebrows slightly, and looked as if she were asking her what she wanted to say.
"No, it's nothing. Thank you for saving me, Your Highness."
Eve's eyes initially showed a hint of hesitation, but it quickly hardened, and she looked at Maggie with even more affection and intimacy.
"It's alright, don't worry about it."
Maggie didn't notice anything wrong with her, assuming she was just thanking her for saving her.
It's normal for anyone to feel good about their savior, especially someone who has saved her time and time again, so Eve's reaction is perfectly normal.
"Investigate! Investigate immediately! How dare a vampire attack the Holy Maiden of Light in the royal palace? How is the kingdom supposed to explain this to the temple?!"
The emperor, realizing what had happened, flew into a rage on the spot, even more furious than when he dealt with the Motley family. This was an act of defiance right under his nose.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com