Chapter 24
The ballroom fell silent, as though someone had poured cold water over it.
The Crown Prince and the other two men's faces twisted viciously, while the nobles gaped in shock.
Yet Lucia's eyes held only one person.
With hundreds of stinging gazes at her back, she walked forward without hesitation.
Following where my heart led me. This was the moment I walked toward the answer I wanted.
It was an overwhelming sense of liberation, something she was feeling for the first time in her life.
The rustle of her dress. The click of her heels. The pounding of her heart—all of it came vividly to her senses.
Lucia wanted to hold on to this excitement, something she had never felt before.
She felt the same even when she approached to within a hand's breadth of Astin's chin.
"......."
Astin knitted his brows as though he could not understand at all.
Fiiii—Stinging glares converged from every direction.
The gazes of the three men in particular flew at him as though they might pierce his skin.
Seeing his troubled feelings so plainly, Lucia's swelling emotions scattered into a youthful chuckle.
What a transparent and adorable man.
"Don't look so glum. Do you not want to dance with me?"
"It's not that I don't, but why did you go out of your way to choose me?"
"It's not that I merely don't dislike you—I like you. That's why I singled you out."
Even after she explained, Astin's face was oddly unimpressed.
Rather than hurting her, that expression felt refreshing.
Had she ever seen a man's face like that right before her?
Just then, the classical melody softly filling the hall shifted into a graceful new passage.
Taking it as her cue, Lucia gathered her skirt and lightly bent her knees.
Astin hesitated, then stiffly bowed at the waist.
Swish—
Lucia waited, slowly extending her fingertips into the air.
It was the moment when the gentleman was supposed to take the lady's fingertips first and lead.
But Astin's fingertips merely waved through empty air, hesitating as though he might take her hand but might not.
He truly was a man who could not hide his inner thoughts at all.
"Oh, come on. Give it here."
Having no choice, Lucia reached out first. Their fingertips lightly met in midair.
Only a few finger joints were touching. Yet even that small contact kindled a strange warmth.
Tap-tap—tap—
Graceful steps began across the marble floor. They traced a slow, spinning path while maintaining a set distance.
Within the gradually turning view, Astin opened his mouth in a low voice.
"Why didn't you choose His Highness Zenon?"
Even as she moved her feet, Lucia tilted her head.
"Why should I have singled out His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"......."
Astin closed his mouth like a man who had swallowed honey.
He could hardly say, 'Because that's what happened in the novel.'
"You remember what I said on the terrace, don't you? That I would be honest with my heart. I simply chose you because of that."
"Have you already developed feelings for me?"
A blunt question.
A faint smile formed at the corners of Lucia's lips.
"Who knows? Somewhere between curiosity and affection, I suppose. One thing is certain: I've come to want to know more deeply what kind of person you are."
"...Isn't that the same thing?"
A clear laugh escaped between Lucia's red lips.
Instead of answering, she gently applied pressure with her fingertips.
Pivoting around their joined fingertips, the distance between them repeatedly narrowed and widened.
Unlike hers, Astin's steps were clumsy and awkward.
His stiff movements brought military drill to mind.
"You could compose a military song, couldn't you?"
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. Nothing."
Even Astin's gaze remained fixed downward the entire time.
He was worried that his shoe might step on her dress or that his clumsy steps might disrupt her stride.
It was obvious that he was straining every nerve to keep his partner from getting hurt.
"I think you're pretending to be indifferent."
"I am?"
"Look. Even the pitch of your voice changes. You don't act this way around other people, but you do with me. Don't tell me you're trying to hide the fact that you like me...?"
The muscles in Astin's face twitched faintly. Soon, his expression went flat and cold.
"I'm not bluffing. I can trip you up too."
"......Pardon? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I can hook your foot and make you fall on the floor."
At the unexpected answer, every one of Lucia's movements came to a halt.
Only for a moment; then the corners of Lucia's eyes curved like crescent moons.
"What would you do after making me fall?"
"......."
Before they knew it, Lucia had taken control of the conversation.
The same was true of the dance.
Lucia's steps turned in a light, nimble spin.
A playful voice floated over the fluttering hem of her dress.
"This must be your first social dance?"
".....Yes."
For a man infamous as a wastrel to be this nervous over a single dance. The contrast was strangely charming.
The Astin she had seen on the terrace had possessed that same strange contrast.
"Don't be so stiff. I think social dancing is most beautiful when it's a little awkward."
"Don't say things you don't mean."
"I mean it. If every movement is precise and perfect, there's no room for emotion. If that's what we wanted, we'd bring in a dancing machine instead of a partner."
Dance was an art of communion, in which two people filled each other's gaps.
Lucia had thought so for a long time.
"You meet your partner's eyes and read their movements, reduce contact in case you make them uncomfortable, and sometimes tangle your steps while trying to accommodate their stride. Filling each other's gaps and communing that way—that is dancing."
Even in his stiff, drill-like movements, it was plain how considerate he was of his partner.
That was why she liked it. He was clumsy, but his feelings were unmistakable.
"They say you can learn someone's feelings by looking into their eyes. But sometimes avoiding someone's eyes reveals their feelings even more transparently. Like you are now, Young Master."
Astin was desperately avoiding Lucia's gaze, unaware that his reddening ears were revealing his feelings.
The moment he heard that, Astin abruptly raised his eyes. He truly was transparent.
Tap—tap.
As he followed Lucia's lead, Astin's steps gradually found the rhythm.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming considerably softer, Astin let his gaze drift beyond the ballroom.
There stood the three men Lucia had not chosen. They glared at Astin with bloodshot eyes, as if they wanted to kill him.
'I can't even dance properly.'
Astin's sidelong glance remained fixed in that direction. Distracted by it, his dance line faltered.
Suddenly, a soft sensation touched his chin.
Lucia's two hands had seized Astin's chin firmly.
"Don't look anywhere else."
Lucia forcibly turned his head and fixed his gaze so that they were facing each other.
"Focus only on me right now."
"......"
Astin did not turn his head again for the rest of the dance.
He let Lucia fill his vision completely and entrusted his body to her fingertips.
The unforgettable night at the Imperial Palace was drawing to a close.
***
The Founding Festival came to an end with the debutante ball.
We spent a fairly long night after that as well.
It had only been a single day, but I had seen with my own eyes the extent of the Imperial Palace's extravagance.
And the next day.
A carriage leaving Aeterna Imperial Palace glided along the main road.
"I enjoyed the show yesterday, Young Master. You were the star of the ball, weren't you?"
"Shut up, shut up."
Julian, seated across from me, needled me obnoxiously.
After being publicly chosen by Lucia at the debutante ball, I had ended up dancing with her before I knew what was happening.
It had become everyone's favorite topic of conversation, not just Julian's.
Even so, a little afterglow remained.
Lucia's scent, still detectable even amid the dizzying perfumes. The feel of her skin lingering on my fingertips.
The scenes of us dancing together replayed in my mind like a panorama.
"It truly is a curious thing. Why on earth did Lady Lucia choose you instead of some other young lady?"
"I still can't believe it."
Looking back on what happened, it felt as though Lucia had seduced me.
Perhaps the conversation on the terrace had made her take a liking to me....
Lucia's voice lingered by my ear like a hallucination.
That final remark of hers: asking me to seduce her.
"I think it got reversed."
"Oh? Were you originally planning to seduce her first, Young Master?"
"I was thinking of kicking you out of this carriage."
Meanwhile, Celine, seated beside me, stroked her chin and murmured.
She fell into deep thought, then abruptly raised her head as though she had made up her mind.
"I should learn to dance from Big Sister Lucia too."
"All of a sudden?"
"Yes! Dancing is a young lady's basic accomplishment. Lady Lucia was so elegant and beautiful yesterday, you know? I want to become like that too."
"Well, she was good."
"I suppose that's why she's called the star of high society."
The reason Lucia was called the star of high society was not merely her dancing ability.
The cosmetics, shoes, and dresses Lucia used—all of them. Lucia was the trendsetting pioneer who led the capital's fashions in every field.
Most decisively, the Empire's most prominent figures actively courted her.
I naturally changed the subject, afraid I'd be teased if we talked about Lucia any longer.
"What about you, Julian? Did you enjoy the Founding Festival properly? You didn't try to seduce another woman, did you?"
"With this face?"
"Ah. Sorry."
A snicker escaped between Julian's lips. He looked considerably relieved.
"I'm going with you to Cardenos as promised, but what am I supposed to do once we arrive?"
He had shut the door on Luna and steeled his resolve. On top of that, he had taken on the weight of responsibility.
More than anything, he had the specs of a romance-fantasy male lead.
"You can work yourself to death until you're on the verge of dying. Your body is sturdy, after all."
"That's rather simple."
"There's no shortcut to training. For your information, I won't be the one teaching you. Someone else will."
Julian knitted his brows in puzzlement.
"If not you, Young Master, then who will be teaching me?"
"Hendrickson. Sir Hendrickson, our military adviser, will run you through the wringer."
"What!?"
Julian's eyes grew as wide as saucers.
"S-Sir Hendrickson?! The former commander of the Imperial Knights, the Swordmaster I'm thinking of?"
"That's right. He's Cardenos's military adviser now."
"But I heard he had retired into seclusion. Why is he there...?"
Julian's astonished face gleamed with anticipation. Even his tightly clenched fists trembled.
It was a vivid reaction in which excitement and fighting spirit mingled.
Hendrickson's renown hardly needed mentioning.
If such a great man personally taught swordsmanship, every knight would go wild.
"If you stay under that crazy old bastard, you'll be able to forge a ring too."
"Crazy old bastard?! How dare you speak of a Swordmaster that way!"
"Look at this bastard. I'm your superior, you punk. Speak respectfully unless you want your face wrecked again."
Julian snapped his lips shut.
There was nothing easier than handling a knight. Once they felt the difference in strength, that was the end of it.
"I want to make a ring too!"
Caught up in the mood, Celine abruptly raised her hand and joined in.
I cut her off without a moment's hesitation.
"No."
"Eek—why not?"
"Forging a ring isn't something you can do with enthusiasm alone. You could end up burning to death if you're careless."
"...Die?"
"It means that could happen. I don't care whether this bastard Julian lives or dies, but you absolutely can't die."
Celine's rabbit-like eyes widened dramatically. A shy smile had already spread around her lips.
Celine suddenly pulled my arm toward her and linked arms with me.
It struck me anew: We had grown close enough for Celine to initiate contact now.
I gently stroked her small head.
With Celine's potential, she could forge a ring easily.
Even so, there was still a risk, and Celine had an even better path available to her: magic.
In truth, if it weren't for that damned Luna, I wouldn't care what she did.
"You said you don't care whether I live or die?"
Julian asked with a shocked expression.
I shrugged.
"I'm the sort of person who can't lie."
"......."
"Don't take it too hard. I don't even consider my own life a waste."
"You should! Big Brother's life is the most precious of all!"
"You're the only one who worries about your big brother. Come here!"
Her cheeks immediately stretched like sticky rice cakes. The more I touched them, the more addictive it seemed.
"Mmph—They're precious too...."
"They're precious cheeks, so only I get to touch them. If Julian touches them, his wrist will go flying."
"Why do you keep—"
***
The splendid night of the Founding Festival passed, and the light of sunset stretched across the windows.
Inside the carriage heading home.
Lucia rested her chin against the swaying window frame and gazed outside.
In her mind, she was busy sketching memories of the previous night.
Clumsy, stiff footsteps. Hands fumbling as they tried to match hers.
Those golden eyes, focused wholly on her, kept lingering before her.
"What a strange man."
To think the eldest son of a grand ducal house could be so bad at social dancing.
The corners of Lucia's lips formed a small arc. She toyed with the letter caught between her fingertips.
There was a longstanding custom for a man and woman who danced together at a ball to exchange letters before parting.
In Lucia's hand was the letter Astin had given her.
"He even knows how to write letters. There's a delicate side to him I wouldn't have expected."
Lucia revised her opinion a moment later.
Hadn't he said he often wrote letters to Azeline too?
Thinking of her friend made one corner of her heart ache, but she immediately shook the feeling away.
Now was the time to focus on the single letter before her.
Lucia had received letters from many men.
If they had anything in common, it was that they were covered in elaborate gold-leaf decorations and drenched in perfume, making the smell overpowering.
Astin's stationery was different.
Plain stationery without special decoration. It was merely sealed with wax. Instead of perfume, only his faint scent had seeped into it.
Its lack of embellishment made it feel more genuine. Or perhaps she had simply been blinded by infatuation.
Lucia, brimming with anticipation, carefully peeled away the wax and took out the small letter inside.
What embarrassing words could that man have written?
Had he written a long, rambling confession that he could never have expressed aloud?
The moment Lucia unfolded the neatly creased letter, her eyes widened.
"―Pfft."
A laugh escaped her before she knew it.
He had not drawn it out with needless verbosity, nor filled it with flashy embellishments.
"How heartless."
Contrary to her words, a quiet smile settled around Lucia's lips.
The letter contained only a single line. The handwriting was crooked and terrible, and there was no sign of effort in the contents.
―When you accidentally stepped on my foot, I had a terrible time holding back my scream.
That really was all.
At a glance, it seemed insincere, but the contents were not all that mattered in a letter.
Faint traces of handling marked every edge, and countless fingerprints showed here and there.
No one else might have noticed, but Lucia could see them.
Traces this extensive could be left only by holding it for hours.
Astin himself had probably tried to pass it off as something he had scribbled carelessly, pretending to be indifferent....
But his inner thoughts showed so transparently that a faint laugh escaped her.
"Unbelievable."
Strictly speaking, stepping on her foot had been Astin's fault.
He had been fumbling to match her path and failed to move his foot in time. That was rich, coming from him.
And yet, that was so like Astin.
Even though they had only just met, she felt certain Astin had to be this way.
Lucia placed a hand over her chest. A warm, budding emotion rose in one corner of her heart.
"......."
Without thinking, she felt along the corner of her left eye. With her remaining hand, she gently stroked the crooked handwriting.
After remaining that way for a long while, Lucia carefully put the letter away again.
Fwoosh—
A small spark bloomed at her fingertips and melted the back of the wax. She pressed the softened wax onto the stationery.
From the outside, it looked like the letter had not yet been opened.
If only the flutter in her heart could be sealed away with it, but that was too much to ask.
His faint scent remained, seeming to tickle the tip of her nose.
Too embarrassed to bring it to her nose and chase the scent, she instead placed it lightly against her lips.
Lucia carefully drew in a breath. Only her quiet breathing settled into the space.
Inside the jolting carriage.
Lucia remained for a long time in the tender lingering scent.