You, You!

"Get lost!"

When Celine hurled a string of curses and flipped him off, I felt secretly exhilarated.

My little sister, through and through. She really takes after me.

Thud-!

"Ngh, my heart......!"

Damien clutched his chest and dropped to his knees.

I thought that would shock him enough to make him back off.

Anyone with a normal way of thinking surely would.

"Such a bold and uninhibited young lady. My heart is pounding beyond what it can bear. The other young ladies were too busy putting on affected smiles!"

It only backfired. Fuck.

"Lady Celine. My heart, my soul, yearn for you! Please accept my feelings!"

"I said I don't like you!"

"Young Master Astin! Big Brother Astin! Please, I beg you!"

Apparently shameless, Damien knelt in the middle of the ballroom.

As if that weren't enough, he grabbed onto my trouser leg.

At this point, he wasn't merely a clingy loser or a pathetic man; he was a complete fucking lunatic.

I could feel the blatantly obvious stares from around us, but this madman seemed not to notice them at all.

And to think this man was the second-in-command of Sirius Tower, possessing power, intellect, and dignity.

'I wish every romance-fantasy male lead would just drop dead. Except Julian.'

I had no idea what love could possibly be to make him crawl so low.

Did romance-fantasy male leads have a different brain structure from normal people?

"Stop being so damn clingy. Can't you see the kid's face is sour?"

Damien, stuck to the floor, looked up at Celine. Her expression was as cold as could be.

"Ngh, I like that scornful look too....."

Had he always been this kind of character?

Damien flinched, as if realizing he had misspoken.

He staggered to his feet and let out a long throat-clearing cough, as though trying to salvage his crumpled dignity.

"Ahem. The young lady seems quite startled today, so I'll withdraw for now. For today."

"Give up forever. Let's never see each other again."

"I look forward to next time, Lady Celine. My love for you will never fade. And please visit Sirius Tower whenever you wish. You'll be welcomed with open arms."

Damien turned around, fussily fluttering his cloak.

As I watched his retreating back, I became certain of one thing.

That bastard absolutely hadn't given up. The way he occasionally glanced at Celine was drenched in lingering attachment.

I lightly patted Celine on the crown of her head.

"Sorry for attracting that weirdo. Just think of him as a poor fellow who hit his head."

Celine quietly grabbed my sleeve. I could tell she was relying on me, and it made me strangely pleased.

I barely managed to suppress the urge to pinch her cheeks.

After the commotion died down.

Only then did I realize that the air around us was strangely charged.

Everyone stopped talking at once and turned their gazes toward the central platform. A murmur rippled through the hall, as though they were expecting something.

I could feel the taut tension that came just before the start of a grand event.

Tick—

Suddenly, the chandelier lights went out. The hall was plunged into darkness, and every sound around us ceased.

At that moment, a breathless silence descended.

Tak—!

Soft lights began illuminating various spots like spotlights.

A gentle melody from string instruments flowed from the platform.

It was the signal announcing the start of the Founding Festival's finale, the debutante ball.

Looking around, I saw nobles pairing off into mixed-gender couples and stepping into the center of the hall.

Perhaps they had made eye contact beforehand, because the nobles immediately began taking graceful steps.

"Shall we go too?"

"Y-Yes......"

Celine was visibly tense.

As far as I knew, she had attended a few social events, but this was her first ball. It was only natural for her to be nervous.

I stepped into the center with Celine.

After exchanging a slight bow, I took her small hand in one of mine and carefully placed my other hand on her lower back.

We began moving our feet to the string music.

Our steps were hopelessly offbeat. Our movements were stiff, and neither of us knew where to look.

"Ah! S-Sorry, Big Brother."

"It's all right. I almost stepped on your foot just now too.

I had forgotten one crucial problem. Celine and I were both hopeless at social dancing.

Even though this was my second life, I had only ever lived on dirt floors; I'd had nothing to do with aristocratic social gatherings.

Celine had no experience with balls either, so we kept stomping on each other's insteps.

While the other men and women drew graceful dance lines like swans, only we clunked around like wooden dolls.

I even wondered whether we should simply return to being spectators.

"Um, Big Brother."

Before the music had even ended, Celine gently slipped her hand out of mine.

"May I go to the restroom for a moment?"

She must have been feeling awkward too.

"I'll go with you. It's a big place, so you might get lost."

"No, I can go alone. You stay here."

Celine walked toward the entrance, then stopped. She spun around to face me.

A mischievous smile, far removed from her usual innocence, played at the corners of Celine's mouth.

"Big Brother."

"Hm?"

"Dance well with Big Sister!"

"......?"

Leaving behind those incomprehensible words, Celine disappeared into the crowd.

Left alone, I merely stood there blankly.

Dance well with Big Sister......

There was only one person Celine could possibly call Big Sister.

"Selena? Why would she suddenly come up."

My sister Selena had been dispatched to the Northern Front and should be on her way back by now.

I hadn't heard anything about her attending the Founding Festival, and she wasn't the sort of person to make a surprise appearance at a place like this.

She was interested only in martial arts, determined to break free of the eldest-daughter stereotype.

She probably didn't have even a speck of interest in high society.

.......

I looked around, just in case.

There wasn't a single woman who could have been Selena anywhere.

"What the hell was that about."

I could only mutter blankly to myself.

***

Lucia stood still, looking around.

When young ladies blushed and held out their hands, the men gladly smiled and stepped into the center of the hall.

"What a wonderful time of life."

The young nobles' steps were clumsy, yet fresh.

Lucia was nineteen herself and approaching her coming-of-age ceremony, but that freshness was only a memory for her.

The debutante ball was not merely entertainment.

On the surface, it was an event where young ladies chose the men they favored and danced with them.

But beneath the surface, it also implied choosing a future spouse as well as a dance partner.

Even now, it surely remained a means for young ladies to convey their romantic feelings.

There was no close embrace around the waist as in a waltz. They simply stepped to the rhythm of a minuet.

The restrained distance, with only their fingertips touching, felt all the more wistful.

The corners of their lips lifted in small, inconspicuous smiles; their cheeks flushed red; and whenever their eyes met, their lashes shyly lowered.

Wistfulness filled Lucia's eyes as she watched them.

She couldn't help but envy them, since they seemed to be experiencing true love.

Suddenly, three men approached, blocking her view.

"Lady Lucia."

"Lucia."

"Miss Sia."

The head of the Patrian Trading Company, the second son of the Northern Grand Duke, and the Crown Prince.

The three men glanced at one another, subtly sizing each other up.

In the end, all three stared at Lucia as if bewitched.

"Miss Lucia. Would you do me the honor of opening the first dance with me?"

"Choose me. I earnestly wish to match steps with you, my lady."

"You alone are the partner worthy of me, the Crown Prince. Please take my hand."

The head of the Patrian Trading Company's sly, persistent gaze was like a snake's. The second son of the Northern Grand Duke had a physique that filled Lucia's view. Crown Prince Zenon wore a relaxed yet arrogant smile.

The three men politely extended their hands toward Lucia.

It was the moment when every eye in the hall focused on them.

Even those who had been dancing stopped and stole glances in their direction.

To those watching, it must have looked like a romantic painting. They would envy her, saying that she truly was the star of high society.

But to Lucia herself, it was merely another extension of her burdensome days.

Lucia squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again with difficulty, the three men's hands came into view.

"I......"

Whenever she was presented with choices like this, she would simply pick one that seemed appropriate.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes watched in bated anticipation of a romance, and the atmosphere around her pushed her forward.

That was not a choice made freely.

Unable to refuse, it was nothing more than an escape she had forcibly squeezed out.

―People don't get pushed; they fall. Then I'd be the only victim, because I'd be the one who got hurt.

The words Lucia had tossed out self-deprecatingly to Astin on the terrace just moments before. Her own voice echoed in her ears.

If something feels unfair, express that it's unfair; if you dislike something, say you dislike it; if you like something, say you like it.

Be honest with your own heart. Don't keep things bottled up; try living openly, saying whatever you want to say.

'I haven't been like that until now.'

Who was the person I truly wanted to get to know?

Lucia asked herself that question in her heart.

It wasn't immense wealth, rugged martial prowess, or the power of the Imperial Family.

Even now, the men's overpowering perfume assaulted her sense of smell.

What was he like? Lucia easily found the answer to her own question.

A person with a fragrant natural scent.

A person who knew honor and chivalry.

A person she inexplicably kept being drawn to, in both gaze and heart.

A person whose casually tossed-off words made laughter escape her.

A person who had paid a fortune for General Vermang—not merely her benefactor.

A poor man.

Her gaze passed over the three men's hands.

Her ruby-colored eyes landed on the center of the ballroom, beyond the men's shoulders.

"......Ah."

Lucia's pupils contracted with disappointment.

That man was already dancing with a partner.

She had forgotten something important.

A relationship could only exist when two people's hearts met.

No matter how much she wanted to approach him, his feelings might be different.

Human relationships were that ambiguous.

Lucia forced down her feelings with a bitter smile.

As always, she had to choose from among the options laid out before her.

"What a shame......."

If possible, she had wanted to dance with him.

Resigned, she slowly reached out her hand.

At the end of her absentminded gaze, her eyes met those of a young girl.

The girl released the hand of the man she had been holding and walked away, leaving the bewildered man standing alone.

As Lucia blinked in confusion, Celine turned around.

She clenched both fists at chest level and struck an adorable pose.

'F·i·g·h·t·i·n·g!'

She silently and clearly mouthed the word. Lucia realized its meaning a beat late.

Lucia's crimson eyes trembled faintly. Unable to hold back, a chuckle escaped between her teeth.

The man left standing alone was merely looking around like an idiot.

He really seemed to have no idea what was going on.

'How can he be so transparent?'

His embarrassment and bewilderment were completely visible in his gestures.

A fresh smile spread across Lucia's lips.

As expected, he was a transparent person.

That was why she felt she could act without hiding anything either.

Swept along by the atmosphere, watching the other person's reactions, making choices she didn't truly want to make.....

She had been an insincere woman who killed her sense of self in the face of choices with no right answer.

Lucia finally realized what her heart wanted.

If there was no right answer among the choices, she only had to find one herself.

Lucia raised her hand without hesitation. Her index finger pointed in one direction.

Not at the three men before her, but at a man standing alone in the distance.

"Gasp...!"

"What is this—she didn't choose His Highness Zenon?"

"Whom did she point at?!"

The nobles forgot their decorum and gaped with their mouths hanging open.

The three men's faces stiffened as well. They turned their heads, following the direction of Lucia's fingertip.

It was the moment when every eye in the ballroom converged on one person.

"?"

The man who had been pointed out blinked, unable to understand the situation.

Receiving the full force of everyone's attention, he whipped around to look behind him, as though it had nothing to do with him.

"Ahahaha!"

Lucia burst out laughing at his foolishly oblivious appearance. It wasn't a fake laugh, but a genuine one.

It had been the same on the terrace.

At that moment, Lucia had been a woman, not the star of high society.

No one but that man had made her that way.

"You, you! Don't turn around—look over here!"

Even from that distance, their gazes became tightly entangled.

A feeling of elation welled up inside her.

For the first time, Lucia felt her heart plainly.

That man was my answer.

"Young Master Astin! Dance with me!"