Chapter 33 Are you mine?
Chapter 33 Are you mine?
I headed to the middle of the banquet hall with Cecilia. Even while holding her hand.
‘Wow Mr. People stare nonchalantly.’
I fully understand with my head that such a situation is possible.
The highest-ranking empress in the empire accepted an application for a dance partner like a secretary?
It is even the first dance performed at a banquet hall since Cecilia became empress.
It’s rather strange that this isn’t getting attention.
“… ….”
The gathered people split to the sides and opened the way ahead. Could this be the miracle of Moses?
But I had a feeling that I would rather block the road.
The moment I reach the center of the banquet hall, I have to dance with Cecilia.
My heart beats like crazy.
I never run because I feel her rational crush on Cecilia.
It’s just that this situation itself is burdensome and trembling.
‘It was really X… ….’
In the meantime, what about the eyes of the aristocratic Youngsik looking at me?
It was a look of jealousy and envy.
I feel like I’m going to die of pressure, but receiving such attention made me even more nervous. Will I be able to dance properly with this…….
But contrary to my wishes, we quickly reached the middle of the banquet hall.
“Hands up.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
We held each other’s hands and got into a position to dance. Then, silence fell in the banquet hall.
The orchestra didn’t even play, and the people who were talking about it kept their mouths shut.
The first dance of today’s banquet.
In addition to that, Cecilia’s first dance at the banquet hall.
We were the only ones in the center.
That was natural. The first dance is usually performed by the host or host of the banquet. Cecilia meets both conditions.
And it was customary not to disturb the other guests when the main character performed the first dance.
In other words, the moment you make even one mistake, you will be ridiculed for the rest of your life!
“Luke.”
Cecilia called me by her small voice.
Because we were so close that our bodies almost touched each other, it sounded very clear to my ears.
“Yes.”
“Have you ever learned to dance?”
“I have learned, but I am not very good at it.”
“Hmm… ….”
A troubled expression appeared on Cecilia’s face.
But it was impossible to reverse what had already happened.
“Fortunately, the tempo of the first song is not fast. I will lead you properly, so follow me well.”
“I will do my best, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia motioned for her band to play. The orchestra played a song with a slow tempo, and the banquet hall was instantly filled with music.
Cecilia stretched her left hand and left foot to her side at the same time in time with her beat. Fortunately, it was a song I knew, so I was able to follow her movements without difficulty.
“Looks like you know how to move?”
“Yes. I practiced a few times with this song.”
“Thank God.”
Cecilia looked genuinely relieved.
The next step is to take two steps to the left. Facing each other at the same time and turning her head towards the front at the same time.
As I recall, this move should be a little bit faster. But Cecilia did it slightly slower than the tempo I knew.
Maybe it’s a consideration for me.
The more you do this, the more you have to be alert.
If you make a mistake, not only me but also Cecilia will become a laughing stock.
“You followed me better than I thought, so I feel relieved.”
“I am concentrating as much as I can to match Your Majesty.”
“It’s a good attitude.”
A faint smile crossed her lips.
The tune, which flowed with a slow tempo, sped up a little. The middle part here.
“Luke. Aren’t you curious why I picked you as my dance partner?”
“Yes?”
At an unexpected question, I unknowingly gave out a stupid voice.
Fortunately, our voices did not reach other people’s ears thanks to the sound of music filling the banquet hall.
“Because you would be curious. It’s also something I think needs an explanation.”
“Yes. I wonder.”
She has no reason to refuse now that the Empress laid her plate.
Cecilia opened her mouth as she naturally moved on to the next movement.
“Actually, I saw you on the podium with the Marquis of Marlborough. The sight of going out through the side door together.”
“… ….”
Shouldn’t you have said that you were curious?
But I couldn’t pick it up because the water had already been spilled. sh*t.
“We apologize for causing concern.”
“I am not trying to reprove you. You wouldn’t have gone to see the Marquis first.”
“Yes… …. It is.”
Ah, that’s good.
I let out a sigh of relief.
“What did the Marquis ask of you?”
I couldn’t answer that question right away. It was because the motion of turning the female partner 360 degrees continued.
“The movement just wasn’t bad.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“So the answer to your question?”
Cecilia asked again.
Yes. After all, since he saw me with the Marquis, he couldn’t hide it.
And Cecilia is a more rational person than I thought. She’s not going to do anything right away if she hears this.
I believed her in this and told her in detail about her story with the Marquis.
“Whoa. Asking to trade information about me.”
“Yes. He clearly told me so.”
After hearing my explanation, Cecilia put on her thoughtful expression. Even so, we continued to dance.
A secret conversation while dancing.
This certainly won’t be easy.
“The marquis moved rather hastily.”
She gave her impressions of her marquis’ behavior in a calmer voice than her thoughts.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to take it as a sign that you are such a coveted talent?”
“… ….”
When I couldn’t answer anything, Cecilia smiled lightly.
To be honest, I didn’t understand Cecilia’s reaction.
I thought she would get angry or at least breathe.
“Just…… Since I am the closest person to His Majesty, it seems that he tried to placate him.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Is that so?”
I asked back, and Cecilia answered yes in a low voice.
“Of course, it is true that you and I are close. There is also a lot of information that comes into contact. But was the purpose of the marquis really just for that?”
There was a strange anticipation in her ruby red eyes as she looked up at me. It was like the look in her teacher’s eyes, expecting her own student to come up with the correct answer.
The next move is to take five big steps while keeping each other’s bodies close together.
I rolled my head, conscious of my movements so as not to make a mistake.
“In the end, I think they may be trying to coax me into joining the aristocratic faction.”
“I think so too.”
There was little satisfaction in Cecilia’s eyes.
“If that happens, I can deal another blow to my imperial authority.”
“I will never get along with them.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.”
Now the tune has reached its climax. The time to dance with Cecilia like this was only 1-2 minutes at most.
If you finish that time well without any mistakes, you won’t get gossip from the nobles!
“You should have noticed by now. The reason why I named you as my dance partner.”
“You mean to warn them?”
“Warning, la… ….”
A strange smile appeared on Cecilia’s lips. It sounded like a mockery of the Marquis of Marlborough, but it didn’t seem to have the same meaning.
“Then what do you think the warning means?”
The answer to this question is easy.
“It is impossible to find out about His Majesty’s weaknesses through me, so don’t you even dream about it?”
“You are only half correct.”
This time, the left leg was stretched out backwards while holding each other’s right hand lightly.
I almost made a mistake as my concentration was distracted for a moment, but fortunately I was able to avoid it thanks to Cecilia’s guidance.
“If you’re not rude, may I ask what the other half is?”
“Whoa. How can you not notice this?”
Cecilia folded her eyebrows and gave a coy smile. As if it’s rather funny that I didn’t notice.
Now our dance had only one last move left.
The performance ran towards the end of the climax, and we started preparing for the closing movement by stepping more lightly than before.
Even so, Cecilia moved her lips without looking tired.
“It’s okay to keep it a secret like this, but I’ll let you know since you seem to care about it.”
Now it’s time to make the final move.
The action is to hold her left hand with her female partner while the rest of her arm supports her from falling over as if she is about to fall behind her.
Take a deep breath,
“That’s right… ….”
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The performance has reached its climax!
I put my right hand on Cecilia’s shoulder, keeping her from falling completely to the floor.
You managed to finish the dance without any mistakes!
That fact gave me an uplifting feeling.
“… ….”
Since we were so close together, each other’s slightly rough breathing lingered in my ears. If I concentrated a little more, I could even hear my heartbeat.
“That is, to let everyone know that you are mine.”
“!”
At that moment, it was as if my breath stopped. I never thought you would say it that way…….
I was at a loss, but now it was time to finish the dance.
I got her right up. Immediately after that, applause poured in from all over the place.
“I can’t let other guys take away a competent secretary like you. You can think of it as a message for that.”
“Ah. That’s what it meant…….”
“Hmm? Were you expecting something else?”
“Oh no… ….”
At that moment, they said ‘my person’, so I took it as the meaning of the opposite gender.
To make it clear that no…….
On the contrary, thank you!
“You can go back now.”
“Yes. Thank you for leading me, Your Majesty.”
I nodded to Cecilia and returned to my original seat.
* * *
The Duke of Montersen did not hide his discomfort at the sight of a mere secretary dancing with Cecilia.
“Looking at it that way, it seems like it suits them well… ….”
Standing next to him, the eldest son, Theorod, sounded carefree.
Theo Rod was one of the many men who applied for dance partners when Cecilia stepped from the podium.
“Why can’t you even ask for a dance partner properly?”
“I tried, Dad. But how can you get closer to someone who doesn’t even say no?”
Duke Montersen felt upset at his son’s answer. If there were no viewers, he would have slapped the back of his big, immature son.
“Then you should have pursued it to the end.”
“A. You’re not the kind of person that can do that.”
Duke Montersen, feeling the pain of his son fighting back without losing, let out a heavy sigh and touched his forehead.
In the meantime, the duke watched Luke’s every move as he left the center of the banquet hall.
‘Something must be done.’
-Continued