97 – Imperial Palace Ball #3
Just before entering the ballroom, Elizabeth put a mask on me. It was a black wolf mask with delicate golden patterns engraved on it.
“… If you’re going to wear a mask anyway, why are you wearing makeup?”
I said awkwardly, stroking the ends of my oiled hair. The tailcoat, which was designed to be completely inactive, tightened the body in a frustrating way.
Elizabeth gave me a natural smile.
“I wanted to see the instructor dressed up. And people usually look at a mask and imagine the face hidden underneath.”
Elisabeth spoke in her playful tone, and herself wore a white fox mask.
“From now on, you have to be careful with what you say. As soon as you enter, your attention will be drawn immediately. And you are not allowed to call me Elizabeth here.”
“Then what do you call it?”
“Usually, I choose a pseudonym. It is also called according to the shape of the mask. Hmm… Then I will call you the wolf gentleman, so would you like me to call you fox lady?”
“… ….”
“Whoops, you can call me Elise if you don’t like it.”
Honestly, I didn’t like either, but it was time to enter the prom independently of my mood.
Since it was a masquerade, there were no special comments to announce the position. But her Elizabeth’s silvery-white hair was a distinct feature that no one could recognize.
As she said, as we entered the entrance, the surroundings instantly fell silent. People’s eyes turned to me and Elizabeth.
“Look over there. He’s obviously….”
“Oh my God, you are really safe!”
“But who is the person next to you?”
Elisabeth didn’t care at all about people’s gazes, and as if she was showing off, she gently leaned on my arm and walked away. Perhaps because of her appearance, the eyes around her were stained with astonishment and bewilderment.
I felt astonished gazes from Marian and Schurz, as if they had recognized my identity from afar.
“After today’s party, there must be a lot of noise about picking black hair out of the aristocratic men. Of course, no one is like that.”
Elizabeth smiled secretly from an angle that could only be seen by me and whispered softly. Her whispers were inaudible to others, perhaps because of the quiet music, the buzz of people, and the unusually close distance.
I answered in a calm tone.
“Isn’t there a law that says you must only look for nobles?”
“Even so, it won’t be easy to find. I already sent someone to the intelligence department. Didn’t you ask me to hide it?”
“Um….”
Could it be said that he is hiding the situation that has attracted people’s attention like this….
Obviously, Elisabeth’s reason for inviting me to this party was to find the right place to have a conversation. However, this attention-grabbing place did not seem to be the “Appropriate place” She had been talking about.
I said with a frown on my face.
“I want to hear the main point soon. Why did you bring me here?”
“Whoops, already? The prom has just begun. Wouldn’t it be okay to enjoy at least one dance?”
“Sorry, I never learned to dance.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you can do well with me.”
I still didn’t know what Elizabeth was thinking. However, it seemed that it would not mean much if she refused since she had already come all the way to the ballroom. For now, it was decided to tune in to her Elisabeth’s melody.
Elizabeth led me to the center of the ballroom. It was a place that drew people’s attention incomparably to the area near the entrance.
She said, placing her hand on my shoulder and holding hands on the other side.
“Put your right hand under my waist.”
“Is this here?”
“No, not there… A little further down. Yes there that’s right.”
We started moving slowly to the music. Elisabeth led me with her light, skillful steps, and I followed her, slowly moving her pace.
Elisabeth’s dancing skills were truly excellent, befitting her name as a princess. Even I, who knew nothing about dancing, could feel it. Her lead was very natural and even seemed to set the pace for me.
She whispered softly with her red lips as she pressed her upper body closer together.
“Don’t think you’re dancing, think you’re cooperating with me.”
“It’s breathing….”
From then on, I began to focus on Elisabeth’s movements as if sparring. When she pulled, I was pulled accordingly, and when pushed gently, I was pushed away.
At first, I only focused on matching Elizabeth’s movements, but as time went on, I gradually got used to dancing, and it became me to move to her tunes before I knew it.
Elizabeth looked at me and smiled faintly.
“Now you are doing better than me. Even if I say that this is my first dance, no one will believe me.”
“It wasn’t difficult once you got used to it.”
As the orchestra’s performance gradually accelerated and reached its climax, our steps also moved more energetically in line with it. Despite her quickened tempo, Elisabeth kept pace with my lead with her fluid movements.
As the climax of the song ended quietly, Elisabeth and I stopped dancing together. At the same time, cheers and applause poured from all over the ballroom.
Clap clap clap clap!!
“Awesome! What a perfect dance!”
“How can you move so beautifully!”
Standing at the center of the stage, we were already receiving the attention of all the aristocrats.
I wouldn’t have gotten this much attention just by entering the ballroom. I had an intuition that this cheering was the purpose Elisabeth had been aiming for from the beginning.
At this moment, the main characters of the ballroom were none other than me and Elizabeth.
And there was one person here who didn’t like it.
“What a great dance! That’s great!”
It was Prince Wilhelm.
“… ….”
He was a man who had bad ties with me. I looked away for a moment, but only for a moment. It’s been a long time since I was young when I felt angry about it.
I knew we would meet anyway. It wasn’t particularly surprising.
Seeing each other face to face like this… It’s already been 5 years.
From noble mtl dot com
Wilhelm walked away clapping with a bright smile. It was a very hearty laugh, but the stiff appearance of the corners of his mouth made it easy to read the discomfort he was feeling right now.
He naturally caught people’s attention and opened his mouth in an exaggerated tone.
“My dear friend… Big! Here… Um, the lady in the fox mask? It was a beautiful dance, like a painting.”
“Oh, thank you. It’s just embarrassing to be praised too much for my lack of skills.”
“To say that it is too much is absolutely not the case. My applause was not worth it at all. So, how about me for the next dance? There will be no shortage of opponents for you.”
Wilhelm’s tone was clearly an invitation, but his voice conveyed confidence that he did not consider the possibility of being rejected.
His intention was clear. He must have danced with Elisabeth to draw people’s attention back to him.
But Elizabeth politely smiled and replied.
“Thank you very much, but I think it will be difficult. I already danced with my partner today, so I have no intention of dancing with anyone else.”
“What, what… ?”
Wilhelm’s voice was tinged with bewilderment. At the same time, the whispers of the surrounding nobles intensified.
It was a natural reaction since she rejected the prince’s proposal, but the degree of the reaction was worse than expected. I felt something different than simply rejecting the prince’s offer.
Does dancing with only one person at a prom have any meaning that I don’t know about? It was a fact that I, who was completely unfamiliar with the culture of the aristocrats, could not know.
Only then, Wilhelm’s gaze turned to me.
“No, that… Are the two of you related? Really? It’s hard to believe….”
He looked at me suspiciously.
I calmly accepted Wilhelm’s gaze.
Despite the direct exchange of glances with the prince, there was no fear or politeness in my demeanor. Wilhelm’s face distorted a little at my expressionless gaze, but soon he tilted his head and opened his mouth in a puzzled voice.
“Hmm? For a moment… Where did you see us?”
He stroked his chin, deep in thought, then finally spoke in an uncertain tone.
“No, no wonder I saw it somewhere. How many people do I meet? But I think I saw it somewhere….”
At that time, Elizabeth suddenly intervened gently between me and Wilhelm.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a little tired from the intense dance during the conversation. Would it be all right if I take my partner and spend some time alone?”
“… That, that’s right Then you can’t get in the way. Have a good time.”
“Thank you. Oh, and gentlemen….”
“Hmm?”
Elisabeth lifted the ends of her skirt and greeted her elegantly, calling Wilhelm to stop her as he was about to leave.
Elisabeth pulled up her dark red lips, she said.
“Did you hear the news? There are traces of powerful black magic left in the wreckage of the airship that was destroyed this time.”
“… What? What does that mean?”
“My God, black magic! Aren’t you too afraid? Could it be that someone is colluding with the demons? Even the airship looks like someone deliberately exploded it… As a proud member of the Empire, I am deeply concerned that there has been a hole in the security of this country. According to rumors, the person behind it is actually the noble little sun of the empire…….”
Elisabeth’s frightened voice made the nobles around her whisper even louder. Their faces showed shock and bewilderment at the same time.
Wilhelm noticed the buzz around him and shouted in a fit.
“Bullsh*t! The airship explosion was an accident! And what a demon! Prince Wilhelm! What nonsense! How are you going to take responsibility for your words now!?”
“… Oh, sorry if it wasn’t. It was just casual chatter by a girl who liked gossip…. And I didn’t say Prince Wilhelm. Is that your personal opinion?”
At those words, Wilhelm seemed to think, Oops. He shook his fisted hand. Elizabeth giggled, she said.
“Don’t be too angry, gentleman. This is a masquerade ball. The horses behind the mask are just a one night dream. Or maybe… Would the gentleman take off his mask and reveal his identity? Could it be that you are not? I don’t believe you would be the kind of person who would break the mood of such a prom.”
“You, you… ! Dare! To make fun of that mouth… Like you… !”
Wilhelm was clearly angry, but he couldn’t do anything in the end.
It was because he knew that revealing his identity here, unable to tolerate ‘a rumor’, was truly a loss of face.
At that moment, Elizabeth gave me a glance, and I knew it was time to back off.
“… Let’s go, Elise.”
“Whoops… yes. Excuse me. I hope you all have a good time.”
There was no one who didn’t know that it was her nickname for the princess. Leaving behind the prince’s anger and the surprise of the people around us, we entered the terrace attached to the ballroom.
I spoke to Elizabeth as soon as the curtain was drawn behind my back.
“Get off now.”
She let go of her arms only after I glanced at her.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?”
Elizabeth said with a laugh.
“Did you like the one-act play I prepared?”