147. The Great Intersection (3)
The one-hour private lesson had been going on for a while, but it wasn’t easy.
It was only natural.
Learning to dance in this short amount of time was difficult, and on top of that, we had to move in sync with each other while following the etiquette of the nobles. It was hard to show a satisfactory performance that would please the ladies of the social circle.
Moreover, one of us was a beginner, and the other had only practiced with a mannequin, so we had no experience dancing with a real partner.
Time was also pressing.
We tried to make the most of the remaining time, but scenes of us stumbling and struggling to keep up with the difficult tempo and complex dance moves kept repeating themselves.
However, the real reason we weren’t making progress was something else.
-Thunk.
Someone stepped on someone’s foot. It seemed like Carsein, who was new to dancing, had stepped on Harunie’s foot.
“Ow.”
“Ah, no, I… I’m sorry.”
Ironically, it was Carsein who had been stepped on, not Harunie. The one teaching had been stepped on by the one being taught.
“Let’s try again.”
“Yes… let’s.”
Carsein, who was having a hard time but not giving up. Harunie also started practicing again, following him.
But,
-Thunk.
“Harunie, your left foot is being stepped on.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
-Thud.
“Harunie? If you do that, I won’t be able to move.”
“Ah…! I’m sorry.”
-Clang!
“What, what, what?! This is going to collide…!”
“Ahk!”
-Thunk!
She took another step back, exerting a force that could interfere with her partner’s movements. Even with this, she couldn’t focus, stumbling and getting her dance moves mixed up, bumping her head.
On the contrary, Carsein was focused, and his skills were improving noticeably.
“I think we should take a break for the remaining time.”
Carsein suggested, “It’s pointless to practice more here, and if we’re too tense, we might make more mistakes.”
Harnien nodded silently to his proposal.
“I’ll do my best. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just pretend to be confident and try to recover.”
In the end, the practice ended like that. Carsein said he would go out first to get some fresh air, and Harnien was left alone on the terrace.
As soon as Carsein left, Harnien let out a sigh.
“Ah… I need to calm down. Why am I like this…”
Honestly, Carsein was improving at an incredible rate. Even with just a little guidance, his skills were growing noticeably.
But she couldn’t focus on her dance moves.
Time was pressing, and she needed to practice more to perfect her skills, but her mind kept wandering.
That wandering mind was really… even now, she couldn’t understand why she did what she did. When she thought about it, there were so many things she didn’t understand.
When Carsein was surrounded by the girls, she felt strangely upset. It wasn’t like there was a particular reason to be upset, but somehow, her brow furrowed. Why did she do that?
She had grabbed Carsein’s hand and dragged him away, as if she was enjoying the feeling. But when she thought about it, it didn’t make sense. Why did she do that?
Even now, she felt uneasy about the way he was treated. It seemed like the girls’ hands were touching his arms or wrists, and her eyes would twitch involuntarily. Really, why did she do that?
She didn’t know.
One thing was certain – she had done many inexplicable things.
“Ugh…! Why am I like this…?”
She was acting strangely, getting upset over nothing.
She couldn’t bring herself to talk about her fiancé, and instead, she would sarcastically remark on how she didn’t care.
That wasn’t all.
She had pushed Carsein away, and suddenly, her face grew hot, and she turned her head away.
Looking back, every single one of those actions was embarrassing.
Her face was burning with shame.
What was funny was that even though she got upset, Carsein’s few words had immediately lifted her mood.
-But I think you might dislike that.
-I thought that if I said that, considering how you’ve been hurt by men’s flattery and attention, it wouldn’t be right.
You might dislike that.
It wouldn’t be right to say that.
It was the first time someone had understood her position like that.
She had always been misunderstood, receiving jealousy and suspicion from women, and giving up on being understood by men to avoid being hurt.
However, in this ambiguous relationship bound by contract, this man was showing endless consideration.
It must have been then.
I felt something pounding in my chest, like a drumbeat.
So, every time I danced, my breathing would falter, and I’d lose my tempo.
“…Really, why is it like this, Harinee?”
It’s just something a contracted fiancé would say.
Because of that, I couldn’t even sigh in frustration, which was unusual.
But what was even more unusual was that my heart still didn’t feel bad about this.
-Pfft.
“No, I need to calm down. What am I thinking?”
Harinee shook his head and stood up immediately.
It was just a contractual relationship, after all.
It was bound to end someday, just like Carcsein said.
-You’ll meet a good man and get married someday, won’t you?
It wasn’t a real engagement, between a real fiancé and fiancée.
“I need to get going. It’s not like I can keep thinking like this forever.”
What was important now was to make sure the lie I told the young ladies didn’t get exposed.
I had to focus on naturally harmonizing with him and dancing.
However, Harinee, who got up from his seat, immediately stumbled and frowned.
“…Of all times.”
His eyes narrowed in pain due to the discomfort in his upper body and legs.
Although he could bear it somehow until now, the pain intensified as he practiced dancing with Carcsein.
The Ducal family had prepared a slightly tight outfit for Harinee, hoping he would leave the party early.
And on the socialite side, Helly Young Lady had spread rumors about the gift, making it impossible for him not to wear it.
The dress and shoes, which were forcibly delivered, were conspiring to make Harinee stand out.
Still, Harinee endured.
“I’ll be fine, Harinee. I’ve experienced this a lot, so I’ll get used to it.”
He had endured the oppression of the Ducal family countless times before.
He had even complained about the hardships of the socialite world, but no one listened.
He was familiar with both, so he should get used to it.
It was impossible to leave the party and cause trouble for Carcsein because of this.
-Pfft. Pfft.
Naturally.
As if he didn’t feel any pain at all.
Harinee approached Carcsein with a smile.
***
When the dance practice with Harinee was over, and we went outside…
The main hall was already filled with the presence of the Ducal family.
“Look over there. It’s the Bagrand Duchy!”
“Oh my…!”
As soon as the Bagrand Duchy appeared, the party venue became bustling.
I didn’t want to admit it, but that kind of voice was fitting for the nobles.
Each and every one of them, standing at the pinnacle of the nobility, possessed a certain dignity.
“Flora-sama is still as lovely as ever.”
“But lovely as she is, she really doesn’t care about etiquette…”
“It’s impossible to hide the nobility etched into that small body.”
To me, Flora was just an annoying little kid.
“Could it be that you’re directly promoting the new product by wearing it?”
“I heard Claire-sama has launched a new brand…”
“It’s amazing. How do you not get tired of wearing such clothes?”
“You’re the one leading the nobles’ fashion, creating all sorts of trends.”
Even Claire, who was saying annoying things and holding my hand, was…
“Welcome! The next heir of the Bagrand Duchy, flawless in every way!”
“Arena-sama is a model for the nobles just by existing, don’t you think?”
“She has enough talent to lead the Bagrand Duchy.”
Arena, who didn’t have a single thing in common with me, was also…
After all, they were nobles, descendants of the Bagrand Duchy’s bloodline.
Just looking at their reactions, it was clear that they were on a completely different level from me, a mere spectator.
‘On the other hand… this side is being treated like dirt.’
-Hmph.
“By the way, isn’t someone missing?”
“Do they know their place and left? If that’s the case, I can understand.”
“If that’s the case, it means they have a bit of concept in their head, ho ho.”
The murmurs and whispers I heard were criticisms directed at Carsain, who was completely different from the three people who had stepped on the carpet earlier.
Well, go ahead and talk all you want.
As I smiled and waved my hand, a hand gently covered mine.
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It was obvious whose hand it was.
“Will it go well as practiced?”
I chuckled and held her hand.
“I don’t know. I made a lot of mistakes earlier, so I’m not sure if I’ve practiced enough…”
My condition didn’t seem to be recovering well.
In fact, dancing was unfamiliar to me, and the problem was that I wasn’t good at it.
“I’ll do my best, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll make excuses for you, so don’t worry.”
“There’s no need for you to go that far for me…”
“It’s just a small criticism, and it’ll end there, so what’s the big deal.”
I’ve experienced worse things than that. That level of criticism was cute.
Meanwhile, a group of young ladies approached us.
“Do the two of you really get along well?”
That woman.
“Helley Young-ae.”
“I saw you last time, but you’re really close, aren’t you? As much as that, like Haruni Young-ae’s words, I’ll dance perfectly, right?”
The laughter of the young women echoed.
“I’ll be looking forward to it. Both of you.”
With those few words, they disappeared.
There was no need to respond or say anything more. It was worthless.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the Eastern Nobility Association, ahead of the esteemed meeting! Nice to meet you. I am the host─”
Meanwhile, the lights went out one by one.
A spotlight shone behind the host, who appeared.
“Today’s ball is special, with distinguished guests! Please give a big round of applause!”
He briefly announced the start of the ball, shining the spotlight on us.
Bastard. He’s sending a signal to come out with everything, no holds barred.
“There’s no choice. Let’s do as much as we can.”
The entire Bagrand family is watching me.
It’s not a big deal to be torn apart, but if I fail miserably, it will definitely have an impact.
I may not be able to dance, but at least I won’t be caught by Haruni’s feet…
– Tingling!
“What?”
▶Emergency Mission Occurred!◀
▶Perform the given pose at the right timing to increase your score!◀
▶The higher your score, the less ridicule you’ll receive from the nobles and the less penalty you’ll get!◀
▶You, dancing at the ball! Become the best dancer!◀
“For a moment… this might…”
It might be possible.
To dance properly.