"!!!"
The moment Cosmi looked toward the dance floor with the thought that even that shut-in had managed to find a dance partner, his expression immediately became fascinating. He saw a charming young Sanguine woman embracing that brain-damaged brat Emlyn.
Their steps matched so perfectly that Cosmi could not help but feel a touch of jealousy. Yet only seconds later, his jealousy subsided again, because he noticed that the "young Sanguine woman" had no signs of life at all.
That was a doll.
"Looks like he's really made something of himself! He even knew to bring his own dance partner..." Cosmi did not particularly like dolls, but his long life had given him sufficient appreciation for such things. Thus, he would not mock Emlyn for bringing this doll to a dance, because he knew that this doll might be worth more than the hospital and manor under his name combined.
Although Loen's social customs did not permit one to forcibly interrupt guests dancing on the floor, the Sanguine were not truly the proper Loen aristocrats beneath the Union Jack who relied on elaborate etiquette to maintain their dignity. Their surface elegance was merely an optional ornament. The source of their pride had always been their power.
At Cosmi's signal, the butler forcibly called Emlyn off the dance floor. This was obviously an extremely unpleasant matter for Emlyn, who was experiencing the joy of dancing for the first time.
However, before the master of this place, he seemed to have no grounds to refuse. Glancing at his parents chatting with other clansmen in the corner, Emlyn suppressed his dissatisfaction. After returning to his previous seat and handing Dorothy over to Emily, he approached Cosmi, puffed out his chest, and spoke in a noble, elegant manner, as though maintaining his poise before