The ballroom.
It could only be said that a male lead was indeed a male lead. With just a single glance, Wuli spotted Glenn seated high above on the second floor.
Glenn wore a black formal suit, a black leather glove on one hand. He sat casually on the upper level, his long legs wrapped neatly in tailored trousers. His polished leather shoes gleamed, a delicate chain hanging from them and catching the light with every flicker.
And his dark crimson eyes stood out strikingly beneath the ballroom’s magnificent chandeliers.
Wuli saw Glenn, and Glenn saw Wuli.
Or rather, everyone on the second floor saw her.
The young noblemen and noblewomen seated beside Glenn were all looking down, their gazes fixed on Wuli.
They were all curious about what sort of person the eldest daughter of the Sinclair family, the Duke’s daughter, Glenn’s fiancée, truly was.
What Wuli didn’t know was that before she had even arrived, she had already become the topic of their conversation, discussed enthusiastically and picked apart from every angle.
The white-haired girl’s pale blue eyes resembled precious gemstones. Yet at this moment, she silently met the ill-intentioned scrutiny directed at her from above.
Shuen, standing beside her, naturally sensed those gazes as well. However, he spared none of the observers upstairs a single glance. His attention remained fixed on the white-haired girl.
He wanted to know what Wuli was thinking right now.
If she felt disdain toward that First Prince, his mood might improve somewhat.
If, after only a single look, she had already been captivated by her fiancé’s status, position, and prestige…
Then he would brand the white-haired girl a fool.
And his mood certainly would not improve.
However…
The white-haired girl only glanced upward once.
As though the lights on the second floor had dazzled her eyes, she narrowed them slightly. There was also a trace of resistance in her gaze, gone in an instant.
The feeling had been so fleeting that Shuen had almost missed it.
Then Wuli’s expression returned to normal, and with a faint smile, she turned back to look at Shuen.
“Brother, the ball hasn’t started yet. Let’s find somewhere to sit for a while.”
Shuen let out a soft chuckle.
At least she wasn’t completely foolish.
This time, the white-haired girl took the lead while the white-haired young man followed behind her.
Wuli hated the gazes coming from the second floor. She wanted to find a seat tucked away in a blind spot where those people couldn’t see her. If she allowed the white-haired young man to choose the seat instead, there was a ninety-nine percent chance it wouldn’t be where she wanted to sit. So, without a word, she quietly took control of the decision herself.
Just as she was about to walk away, she heard a teasing voice drift down from above.
“Your Highness Glenn, your fiancée is quite beautiful. You’re truly fortunate.”
The speaker made no effort to lower their voice. Even amidst the noisy conversations and orchestral music filling the ballroom, Wuli heard it clearly.
Shuen heard it too.
His deep eyes flicked toward the second floor, as though committing both Glenn and everyone seated beside him to memory.
The remark had been directed at Glenn, so his response could naturally be heard as well.
The black-haired young man glanced at the person who had spoken. His gloved hand slowly traced the rim of his crystal wineglass.
In the end, a smile curved his lips.
Yet it was not the sort of smile that suggested happiness.
He let out a quiet laugh, his voice carrying an icy chill.
“Beautiful?”
“She’s an eyesore.”
“……”
Wuli pretended she hadn’t heard a thing.
Without the slightest hesitation, she continued walking forward.
Yet it didn’t look like she was fleeing in embarrassment.
Rather, it was as if she had heard something filthy and simply chose to avoid it.
Everyone on the second floor witnessed her reaction.
Including Glenn.
Glenn found himself laughing as well.
His cold crimson eyes remained fixed on Wuli, watching her until she disappeared into a corner beyond his line of sight.
Although the white-haired young man was walking behind her and couldn’t clearly see Wuli’s expression, he could still sense her displeasure after hearing those words.
He followed behind her in silence until Wuli finally found a place to sit.
Shuen took the seat opposite her.
The two shared remarkably similar features: the same white hair, the same blue eyes.
The white-haired young man’s white shirt was impeccably tailored, the intricate patterns embroidered along the cuffs exuding elegance and nobility. As for the white-haired girl, everything from her hair ornaments and jewelry to her attire had clearly been chosen with meticulous care. There was nothing improper or out of place about her appearance.
Simply sitting there quietly, the siblings were a breathtaking sight.
Countless eyes were drawn toward them.
Yet the white-haired young man’s gaze seemed focused on only one person.
“Are you angry because of what your fiancé said?”
His tone was calm, carrying no trace of deliberate provocation.
If not for the way his gaze cut like a blade, forceful enough to feel as though it wanted to carve a piece from her, Wuli might have believed he was merely asking casually.
Drawing on the instincts of a professional actress skilled at reading people’s thoughts, Wuli immediately recognized it.
He was testing her.
Testing what?
Could it be how much she cared about her fiancé?
Whatever.
She would deal with that first and figure out the rest later.
“Not to that extent. As the Duke’s daughter, what kind of person I am isn’t for others to judge.”
Others…
The moment she finished speaking, the coldness in Wuli’s pale blue eyes vanished, replaced by a sparkling brightness.
Smiling sweetly, she met the gaze of the white-haired young man across from her.
“And besides…”
“My heart belongs only to my brother.”
Only…
Her brother…
The white-haired young man curved his lips into a smile.
There was little emotion in his deep blue eyes, as though he were gazing through Wuli at something far beyond her. His tone was leisurely, carrying a trace of amusement.
“Is that so?”
The final note of the elegant melody faded away.
In the brief silence that followed the last beat, the ball officially began.
With a faint smile lingering on his lips, Glenn descended from the second floor.
He looked like an emperor surveying all beneath him.
Though, in truth, he was the son of an emperor, the future Crown Prince.
His black leather gloves encased his hands neatly as his polished shoes tapped against the stairs, one step after another.
Naturally, several young noblemen and noblewomen followed behind him.
Yet nearly everyone’s attention was drawn to His Highness Glenn alone.
And Wuli once again witnessed the overwhelming presence of a male lead’s entrance.
She paid little attention to the spectacle itself.
Instead, she shifted her gaze toward Shuen.
As one of the male leads himself, Shuen was no less impressive.
The magnificent chandeliers fragmented the light as it fell upon him, making it seem as though he were being crowned by radiance itself.
Meanwhile, Shuen merely wore a faint smile, effortlessly navigating conversations with the young noblemen and noblewomen around him.
It wasn’t only the one on the stage who commanded attention.
The one below drew no fewer gazes.
Seeing this, Wuli couldn’t help clicking her tongue inwardly in admiration.
A glass of red wine rested in her hand as well.
As the Duke’s daughter, she too was someone people sought to approach and curry favor with.
Before transmigrating, Wuli had been an award-winning actress who had attended every kind of high-society gathering imaginable. Faced with a scene like this, she moved among the crowd with equal ease and confidence.
By the time the ball reached its midpoint, however, Wuli noticed that the most important person at the event had disappeared.
Shuen eventually returned to her side.
Both of them had drunk a little wine while socializing.
It wasn’t enough to make them drunk, but it left Wuli feeling slightly distracted and absent-minded.
‘It’s almost time.’
Wuli silently kept track of the timing in her head.
Just as she had expected, a young servant approached her.
“Miss Sinclair, you may go to the rooftop now.”
Wuli was still distracted and reacted a beat too slowly.
Before she could respond, Shuen’s gaze swept toward the servant like a thrown blade.
The servant froze for a moment before hastily adding,
“This is the Duchess’s instruction.”
“Very well.”
Heh.
Shuen raised his wineglass to his lips and took a small sip.
A moment later, a faint crimson tint stained his lips.
Wuli offered no objection. She simply greeted Shuen before following the servant away, completely missing the straight line of his mouth and the sharpness in his eyes.
And she claimed she hadn’t come here to seduce the First Prince.
And she had said things like, “My heart belongs only to my brother.”
A liar.
Then, the corners of Shuen’s lips curled upward.
The amusement returned to his gaze.
Glenn was not so easy to deceive, little liar.
Watching Wuli’s retreating figure, he casually lifted his wineglass.
Beneath the overlapping play of light and shadow, the red liquid inside looked almost like blood.
Everyone nearby was captivated by the sight.
Shuen’s beautiful deep-blue eyes were tinged red by the reflection of the wine.
The white hair unique to the Sinclair family shimmered beneath the lights like freshly fallen snow, dazzling and radiant beyond compare.
Only Shuen knew what he was truly doing.
Through the crimson liquid in his glass, he was watching Wuli’s figure as it, too, seemed to be stained red.
He was wishing his sister good luck.
The servant escorted Wuli to the entrance of the rooftop and did not leave.
Instead, he stood quietly by the door, waiting for her to enter.
Wuli knew exactly who was waiting on the other side.
Strictly speaking, this was supposed to be the first official meeting between Wuli and Glenn in the game.
It was a trap personally arranged by her mother.
A trap that had nearly gotten her own daughter killed.
Wuli took a deep breath.
Her pale blue eyes were concealed within the shadows, their expression unreadable.
At last, under the servant’s watchful gaze, she pushed the door open.
Only the black-haired young man stood on the rooftop.
He had been drinking as well, and an aura of killing intent that no one dared approach lingered around him.
His black leather shoes gleamed beneath the intertwining bands of light and shadow.
Hearing the heavy creak of the door opening behind him, he turned around.
Several meters away, before she had even gotten a clear look at his face, Wuli immediately performed a flawless curtsey toward the black-haired young man.
She looked so respectful that she could scarcely have appeared more so.
“Good evening, Your Highness.”
At this moment, all Wuli wanted was to leave.
Unfortunately, the servant was still standing outside, waiting to see how she performed.
“I am Wuli, daughter of Duke Sinclair. My apologies for disturbing you.”
Glenn stared at the white-haired girl in silence.
The corners of his lips curled upward.
His crimson eyes were filled with mockery.
Perhaps because he had drunk a little too much, he seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood.
Only after Wuli finished speaking did Glenn finally respond.
His words carried unmistakable killing intent.
“My fiancée?”
He enunciated each word slowly.
Every syllable was cold enough to freeze the air.
Wuli said nothing.
Hearing Glenn’s response, the servant assigned to monitor her quietly withdrew.
The vast rooftop was left with only Wuli and Glenn.
Looking at the shadow cast by Glenn beneath the lights, only one phrase came to Wuli’s mind.
A dark night with a high wind.
Perfect for murder.
Glenn crooked a finger, signaling for Wuli to come closer.
Wuli swallowed.
Her gaze flickered to the low railing and the dizzying drop beyond it.
It would be incredibly easy to fall.
And if she did, death was all but guaranteed.
The music from the ballroom had long since faded into the distance.
The space she occupied now was eerily quiet.
Quiet enough that she could hear the erratic pounding of a nervous heart.
“Wuli? Are you afraid of me?”
Glenn was still smiling.
Yet impatience had begun to creep into his voice.
It sounded like the summons of death itself.
Fine.
Wuli stepped forward.
She continued walking until only a meter separated them.
Even then, she kept her head lowered, looking almost excessively obedient.
‘Wasn’t she supposed to be arrogant?’
‘Then why is she afraid?’
‘Though I suppose it makes sense. She’s acting obedient because she’s afraid.’
Glenn’s dark crimson eyes remained fixed on the small portion of her profile visible beneath her lowered head.
‘They all say you’re beautiful. Then let me see for myself.’
Glenn extended the hand clad in a black leather glove and seized Wuli’s chin.
Without giving her any chance to refuse, he tilted her face upward, exposing it completely to the light.
Wuli’s pupils lost focus for a brief instant from the sudden assault.
But she did not struggle.
Their gazes locked tightly together.
The white-haired girl’s pale blue eyes reflected Glenn’s image, while the corners of his lips curved upward in a mocking smile.
“Not bad,” Glenn pronounced, as though bestowing a favor.
His gaze wandered leisurely across the white-haired girl’s face.
“Rounded eyes.”
“A delicate nose.”
“Fair skin.”
“Pink lips.”
With each word spoken by the black-haired young man, the white-haired girl drew closer to her final judgment.
Clack!
In an instant, the world spun.
Wuli found herself pinned against the railing, a hand clamped around her throat.
Half her body hung suspended over empty air.
If he released his grip, she would plummet straight down into the ballroom below.
By tomorrow, the Sinclair family would be arriving to collect her corpse.
Wuli desperately grabbed the hand crushing her throat.
The brief lack of oxygen left her mind blank.
She forced her eyes open.
Yet at that very moment, the pressure around her neck intensified.
It felt as though he intended to snap it in half.
The black-haired young man leaned closer.
His words brushed against her ear like the whisper of death itself.
“The Duke’s daughter. What kind of person she is isn’t for others to judge?”
“Hm?”
That sentence…
That sentence was…
What she had said to Shuen.
Wuli’s eyes widened.
Her instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else.
She clutched the black-haired young man’s wrist with all her strength, terrified that he might let go, yet equally terrified that he wouldn’t and would simply strangle her to death.
“L-let… me go…”
Wuli forced out the final words with every ounce of strength she had left.
The black-haired young man let out a mocking laugh.
And sure enough, he released her.
Though it was the sort of release meant to send her tumbling off the rooftop.
Fortunately, Wuli had been prepared.
The instant he let go, she grabbed onto him with all her strength.
Instead of resisting the momentum, she used the force to her advantage. Twisting at the waist and throwing herself forward, she slid onto the edge of the rooftop beside the railing.
‘I’m really going to develop a fear of heights after this,’ she thought.
The moment her throat was free, Wuli broke into violent coughing.
Uncontrollable tears welled in her eyes from the strain.
Watching her nearly fall to her death only to claw her way back using his arm, Glenn’s smile widened further.
It was as if he were watching an entertaining acrobatic performance.
“You really are persistent.”
Wuli was still coughing.
This Glenn…
Just as she’d thought.
A complete madman.
The black-haired man lowered himself onto one knee.
With an almost affectionate expression, he reached out and brushed aside the loose strands of hair that had fallen across Wuli’s face during the struggle.
Smack!
Wuli slapped his hand away with force.
The pale blue eyes of the young girl met the crimson eyes of the young man directly.
And the emotion in her gaze…
Was contempt.
“So you hate me that much?”
“Then stay away from me.”
“Not everyone admires you, Your Highness.”
“And besides, when it comes to this engagement, you’re far more qualified to break it off than I am, aren’t you?”
“You’re the one who’s been holding me back, not the other way around.”
The taste of blood and salt surged in Wuli’s throat.
Her anger became blades forged from words, each sentence slicing toward him.
After delivering the final strike, she doubled over and began coughing again.
For several moments, silence hung in the air.
The only sound was Wuli’s coughing.
‘Interesting.’
‘My fiancée…’
‘She’s rather interesting.’
The black-haired young man let out a low laugh and withdrew a red gemstone pendant from the pocket over his chest.
“Indeed. I am more qualified to break off the engagement.”
“But suddenly…”
“I find myself reluctant to do so.”
The black-haired young man personally fastened the red gemstone pendant around Wuli’s neck.
His movements were gentle, so different from moments ago that it was as though he were a different person altogether.
Like a coronation.
“My fiancée.”
“We have plenty of time ahead of us.”