Quadrille (2) (Revised 1/13)
Quadrille (2) (Revised 1/13)
The morning after a sound sleep with Mother.
I squirmed and wriggled my way into the clothes I'd received from Nibuer. The Solar Fire Carp's Inner Core she'd given me as a gift had stolen the spotlight, but this outfit was the original main present.
Normally I lived in short sleeves and shorts, so the moment I put this on, an unbearable stuffiness swept over me...
But the instant I looked in the mirror, that stuffiness turned into sheer awe.
"Oh."
The reflection showed me in a formal suit.
A suit tailored exactly to my measurements. The very picture of a manly man's attire.
Even beyond that, the clothes radiated an air of understated elegance—an artifact effect.
'Blessing of Freya.' Back in the game, it was an item with absolutely no stat effect, yet it was wildly popular solely because it made any character look dashing. I used to dress my favorite character in this outfit every single time.
Appraisal yielded only the plain description: 'Raiments graced by the Blessing of Freya. Enhances the wearer's elegance.' But the goddess's blessing must have been genuine, because even I found myself practically mesmerized.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask Chloe.
"Chloe, Chloe. Come to my room for a moment."
-Yes, Young Master.
I called for Chloe, and after a short wait, she knocked and opened the door.
"Young Master, you called for...?!"
The second she saw me, she froze in place, her hand still on the door handle.
"Well? Does it suit me?"
"...."
"Is it... not good?"
"You look far, far too adorable, Young Master."
The moment I felt a flicker of anxiety that maybe it didn't look good, Chloe immediately denied it. Her cat ears twitched like mad, so she clearly meant it.
"Heh-heh, right? Mark of a Manly Man. A suit really suits him!"
"Suit...? You call that a suit? It looks like a maid outfit."
"...Right. Maid outfit. I misspoke."
'Ah, that's right. In this world, the maid outfit is the suit, and the suit is the maid outfit.'
...Somehow, calling it a maid outfit made the whole manly-man vibe plummet, but oh well.
This world did have suits, but their image wasn't exactly glamorous. Plain, subdued clothes worn by male maids. Tidy, but utterly devoid of charm. That was a suit—no, a maid outfit.
But the clothes I wore now were qualitatively different from all that. The concept of tidiness was the same, but immense care had been poured into the finer details to make it far more dashing.
"It truly suits you. It has a certain something that stirs the romantic ideals of women everywhere."
"Heh. Praise me more! Go on!"
"The way it seems to conceal a delicate figure feels endearing, and it looks like a young child playing grown-up, which is adorable. It suits you wonderfully."
"Is that a compliment?"
And so, absorbing Chloe's words that could have been either praise or a veiled jab, I headed out of the room.
* * * * * *
First, I went to the Head of House's Office to pick up Mother.
Mother took one look at me in the suit—no, the maid outfit—and was momentarily at a loss for words.
"...."
"Mother?"
"Truly, you look just like Jürgen when he was young."
"Huh? Father?"
"Yes. Although the clothes Jürgen wore were unfashionable. Your outfit is very dashing."
Mother's gaze grew distant, as if she were superimposing something over me. In that moment, I stole a glance at her attire.
The clothes she normally wore were already magnificent, but this dress was even more so. A mantle embroidered with golden thread. ...Had she dressed up specially for me?
"Mother. That dress...."
"These are the clothes I wore when I once danced with Jürgen. Do they look unfashionable?"
"No, they look incredible on you! Mother, you're so beautiful!"
"I see. They suit you too, Yune."
She collected herself at my question and looked down at me with a soft smile.
Once, she had only been able to manage a terrifying glare that looked ready to tear a person in two. Yet now, she could smile so naturally with her eyes.
A renewed sense of emotion washing over me, I extended my hand to her.
"Come on, let's go."
"Yes."
* * * * * *
Hand in hand, we headed toward the room where Sir Max was waiting.
"We're here~."
"Young Master, welcome— Your Grace?!"
"Pardon the intrusion."
Sir Max's eyes flew open wide when he saw Mother follow me in.
His pupils darted about wildly. A look of deep admiration at my outfit, and then a subtle smile at Mother's appearance.
After a beat, Sir Max grinned.
"First, Young Master. Our wager has been decided in your favor, I see. It's truly magnificent. To reinterpret a maid outfit in such a way. Without a doubt, this will become a trend. I gladly concede defeat."
"Heh-heh."
"And Your Grace. Judging by that attire, I take it you intend to be Yune's dance partner?"
After praising my outfit, Sir Max turned to Mother with his question. Mother puffed out her chest as if boasting.
"Indeed. Yune entreated me so earnestly. To be his first partner."
"...."
I thought I saw Sir Max's lips twitch for a moment, but... it must have been my imagination.
Then Mother produced a small square box from her bosom and handed it to Sir Max.
"A music box?"
"Yes. The thought of mere applause accompanying Yune's first dance felt disheartening. I happened to have a nice piece, so I brought it."
"Hmm...."
Taking the music box, Sir Max wound it a few times to test the sound, then smiled.
"Hmm. This piece suits a quadrille quite well."
"Quadrille?"
"Yes. You are still in the process of learning the dance, Young Master."
"Hmph. Let's just try dancing it once."
* * * * * *
Northern Grand Duchess, Erengard. She stood facing Yune.
'...Thinking about it again, he really is small.'
It was natural for a man to be shorter than a woman. Yet Yune was small and slight even compared to other boys his age. His long illness meant he often seemed fragile enough to break at a touch, and that only added to the impression.
But that small, precious being smiled brightly and extended his hand to her.
"Fräulein, bitte bleiben Sie bei mir."
'...Hm?'
He spoke in an archaic tongue rarely used anymore.
"Yune. Do you understand what that means...?"
"Mar told me what to say. For my fiancée later. Oh, she said it means 'Please dance with me.'"
When she asked if he understood the meaning, Yune answered with a bright smile.
Erengard let out a deep sigh internally.
That phrase did not mean 'please dance with me'...
It meant 'My lady, please stay by my side.'
'...At my age, I never thought I'd be addressed as 'my lady.' Much less by my own son.'
It was a mistranslation Margarete had given Yune to tease him. And Yune, not knowing the real meaning, had diligently practiced the pronunciation because it sounded cool.
All those circumstances had converged, leading to the grand catastrophe of Yune casually uttering something that sounded like a confession to her.
For a split second, she wondered whether to correct him and glanced at Sir Max,
"...."
-Shake, shake.
But Sir Max, apparently viewing it as a cute blunder from an innocent child, only smiled and shook his head. Seeing that, she reluctantly took Yune's hand.
"...Sir Max, if you please."
"Understood. One, two, three, four."
To the gentle strains of the music box, Yune began to dance.
Releasing her hand and taking it again, spinning in circles. A brilliant smile filled his features, clearly pleased with the melody.
But before long, Yune simply began repeating the same sequence.
"Hehe. Truth is, this is all I learned."
"...Hm."
'No wonder it seemed too decent for only two days of practice. It appears he only practiced the opening.'
It was a matter of his inexperience. The quadrille was a rather complex dance. Even simplified for two people rather than four, it was not something one could commit to memory in just two or three days. Even less so with only an hour or two of practice a day.
So Sir Max had only drilled Yune on the quadrille's opening section, reasoning that once he mastered one part, he could quickly pick up the rest.
Left like this, Yune would naturally learn the remainder of the dance from Sir Max later.
But right now, Yune's expression seemed rather sheepish. And the sight of him stuck and unable to advance on his own, despite his hard work, because he was still young and inexperienced—it stirred something in her.
Following her maternal instinct, Erengard took hold of him and led.
"...Huh? Wh-what?"
"Just entrust your body to me."
Then she began dancing the remainder of the quadrille that Yune did not yet know. She used mana to perform Void Object Grasp, guiding Yune's body.
It was a technique of such high caliber that using it merely to dance seemed excessive, but she did not consider it a waste at all.
"Whoa! Woooaaah!"
Yune's first dance. To make it a joyful memory for him—to her, that was a happiness beyond compare.
"Yune, listen well. The part you danced is called the 'Pantalon.' And what we are dancing now is the 'Été.'"
Dancing to the music box's heartwarming melody, she began teaching him the subsequent parts of the dance he didn't know.
The scene resembled a parent teaching an innocent child how to navigate the ways of the world.
"The third is the 'Poule.' ...The fourth is the 'Trénis.'"
Yune was already beaming, delighted that his body was moving as if by magic and performing a rather dashing dance with Erengard.
A smile naturally graced Erengard's lips as well. A smile Yune had restored to her over the past year.
'The fifth is the 'Pastourelle.' And finally, the 'Finale.'
So the mother and son danced all the way to the end, laughing.
When the dance was over, Yune looked up at her, slightly out of breath.
"Wh-what was that?! My body moved all on its own, and I danced something so cool!"
"I merely assisted a little, so fret not."
"Waaah! Mother, you're the best!!"
After that, Yune hugged her tight and bounced up and down. He must have been absolutely overjoyed.
Watching this silently, Sir Max quietly eased his grip on the music box's winding key.
'When you first arrived in a dress, I thought Her Grace was acting quite foolish... but seeing a family so harmonious is truly lovely.'
Judging that he shouldn't intrude on that scene, Sir Max quietly withdrew.
And so, only the two of them remained in the room.
"Can't we dance just one more time?"
"I'm sorry. The mana expenditure is rather intense, so doing it consecutively seems unlikely."
"Aww, that's a shame. Oh, right. About that third move. My feet went like this...."
After that, the two of them practiced the dance alone together. Yune asked about the motions he hadn't understood from before, and Erengard answered.
After the instruction continued for a long while.
"...Whew! Mother, you're a seriously good teacher."
"Are you tired now?"
"Yeah. I need to wash up and rest a bit now."
"Very well. You worked hard, Yune."
"Thank you too, Mother! And please carry me piggyback. To the bath...."
Yune flopped onto the floor as if he absolutely couldn't move another step. Erengard scooped him up in her arms and headed for the bath.
"...That's right. Let me teach you one more thing."
"What is it?"
"A dance is something a woman offers to a man. For a man to extend his hand first is unthinkable."
"Ah."
She imparted one last lesson.
As a bonus, Yune's expression was soon steeped in sheepish embarrassment.
* * * * * *
The aftermath of that day.
After that, I began receiving regular etiquette lessons from Sir Max. At first, I was a bit put off by Sir Max—he seemed a little eccentric—but outside his private quirks, I quickly learned he was a truly wonderful person.
And from that day on, Mother developed a tendency to be somewhat overprotective of me.
"Where are you going, Yune."
"Just a brief walk in the garden...."
"And what is the Knight Order doing, not deploying to escort Yune? The negligence is staggering. I shall discipline them myself."
"...But I have Chloe, so it's fine."
"Knight Order!!!"
"Mother, stop!!"
Every time I went into the garden, she started having at least five or six knights accompany me,
"Mother, it's heavy...."
"There's no avoiding it, so bear it. Ah. This is a necklace with an embedded Shield Magic enchantment. Wear this on your person at all times."
"Ugh."
And she wrapped me up in all sorts of artifacts. Mother had launched into a rather paranoid brand of overprotectiveness.
It was almost beyond understanding why she'd go this far when she wouldn't even let me out of the estate.
On top of that, Chloe began training under Mother alongside Mar.
"Kyaing...."
"Could you possibly protect Yune with such a feeble martial art?! Come, strike at me!!"
'Hang in there, Chloe.'
Mother trained Chloe by practically beating her like a dog. Chloe grew more and more terrified of her.
And then. The great incident of the Solar Fire Carp's Inner Core was...
"This Nibuer sought to fulfill her appointed role, but...."
"It's fine. It couldn't be helped. You still flipped the Magic Tower upside down, didn't you? Just what I'd expect from you, Nibuer. Impressive."
"Your praise is more than I deserve."
The person who sold the Inner Core to Nibuer had apparently vanished without a trace. Not a single clue left behind.
In contrast, the Magic Tower had been, quite literally, turned upside down. The High-ranking Appraiser there was supposedly brainwashed under some kind of sinister dark magic, or so the story went.
But regardless, accountability had to be taken. The Fire Magic Tower, which had issued the fake appraisal, bore the full brunt of Nibuer's wrath backed by Mother's power. The Imperial Household also effectively signaled its acquiescence by simply standing by.
As a result, several figures, including the Tower Master, stepped down. A few were even arrested, apparently.
Normally, the offense would have warranted summary execution without trial, but I, the one who'd nearly died, supposedly put my foot down and said, 'Absolutely do not kill them!', so it didn't come to that.
"I look forward to our continued work together, my liege."
"My liege...?"
"No, a slip of the tongue. Young Master Yune."
"Yeah. Don't be too down about it. Let's do better going forward. Us."
The way Nibuer looked at me seemed to have changed... but perhaps she just felt guilty, thinking she'd nearly gotten me killed.
In any case. And so the eventful summer passed.
Autumn arrived at the Nordkirchen Grand Ducal House.