A Dance Machine That Defiles Even Social Traditions (1)
A Dance Machine That Defiles Even Social Traditions (1)
After quickly washing my hands at a nearby fountain, I reached out to Kir.
"Let's go, Kir."
"Y-yeah...."
I'd offered my hand to reassure her, since she'd been so terrified just moments ago, but Kir hesitated for a long while before taking it. Her face was flushed beet-red.
Well, Charl's ears had been red this whole time too. I had a pretty good guess why both of their faces were so heated. They were obviously embarrassed after seeing my underwear.
...It was just my underwear, right?
"Hey, Kir. Just now...."
"I-I didn't see anything on my end!"
"...Charl?"
"I know nothing."
I'd tried to bring it up just in case, but both of them were following my suggestion to pretend nothing happened a little too enthusiastically.
Ultimately, left without any answers whatsoever, I headed back toward the hall with a slightly unsettled feeling.
While still holding Kir's hand firmly, of course.
* * * * * *
'S-so boys really do stand up to do their business. Thanks to that, I got a good look... Ah, no! What am I thinking?!'
Kir's face was deeply flushed. The reason she was so flustered was none other than Yune, who was pulling her forward by the hand.
The sight she'd witnessed earlier was seared vividly into her mind, hovering before her eyes. Her burning face showed absolutely no sign of cooling down.
On top of that, Yune was holding her hand. As if refusing to give her heart a single moment to calm down. His grip was loose, but warm.
Maybe that was why. Kir kept swallowing dryly as she fidgeted with her fingers.
'Yune's fingers are so slender. But compared to that... Hnngh!?'
-Rub, rub.
Since she was holding hands with Yune, Kir had unintentionally stroked his fingers.
She felt the thickness and length of his fingers. And the moment she subconsciously compared them to something else, her face turned an even deeper shade of scarlet.
"...Kir? Why are you tickling me?"
"N-no reason. Sorry!"
"Hmm... Well, at least you look a lot less scared now, so that's a relief."
But unlike Kir, Yune acted completely unbothered, despite having shown such a sight to a girl.
Seeing him worry about her with that innocent, pure expression sent a jolt of guilt down her spine.
And along with it, a surge of equally powerful emotions struck her chest, making her heart race even faster.
Her face grew redder and redder as her blood circulated faster. It didn't settle down in the slightest, not even when they crossed the garden and re-entered the hall.
-Why is her face so red? Did she drink something?
-Maybe it's just cold outside?
-I heard they were engaged, but I didn't realize they were that close. The Noble Faction has a bright future.
-A girl being led around by a boy's hand. Tsk. So unladylike.
-Dear, don't be like that. He's only ten years old.
The moment they entered the hall, murmurs spread from all around. Kir finally became aware of her situation once she realized that a good number of them were talking about her reddened face.
'Not only did I fail to escort Yune, but I was dragged all the way here by him? And my face is so red anyone can see? I-I'm a total failure as a woman....'
To anyone unaware of the details, she looked like a boyish girl who got flustered just from holding hands with a young nobleman.
She'd never been particularly fixated on being "ladylike" before, but at the very least, she wanted to appear womanly in front of Yune.
Completely oblivious to the fact that it was already far too late, Kir quickened her pace.
Their positions naturally reversed as a result. Unlike just moments before, Kir moved ahead, and Yune followed slightly behind her.
"Huh? Kir?"
"...."
She could sense Yune's bewilderment, but Kir didn't have the luxury to care about that.
Ultimately, she strode across the hall with Yune, acutely feeling the stares of those around them fixed on the pair.
Among them were many envious glances from the other young noble ladies.
'Everyone's looking at me like they're jealous.... Hehe.'
Sensing those envious gazes, a small sense of superiority bloomed in her heart.
The superiority of a female monopolizing an attractive male.
And that sense of superiority began to mix with all the other emotions lingering in her chest, churning together into a single mass:
The shame of having shown fear in front of a boy when she was nearly attacked. Gratitude toward Yune for saving such a pathetic version of herself. The excitement of seeing a boy's embarrassing side with her own eyes for the first time. Worry for the innocently clueless Yune, who was completely unfazed despite having shown a part of himself that a noble young lord should never reveal.
They tangled together into such a mess that even she couldn't put a name to what she was feeling.
She decided to label this emotion as the one she'd only ever read about in books until now.
Once she settled on that thought, her mind cleared up as if by magic.
Perhaps that was why, by the time she and Yune reached where Grand Duchess Erengard and Duchess Schmut were standing...
"Kir. Are you okay... What's with that expression?"
A refreshed smile had settled on her face.
* * * * * *
'Why's she acting like this all of a sudden? Did she finally relax after getting back to her mom?'
Once we reached the hall, Kir stood in front of Mom and Duchess Schmut, wearing a look of pure relief.
It was an unusually "womanly" smile, one I'd rarely seen from Kir before, but...
I dismissed it as nothing important and tried to walk over to Mom, who was standing beside the Duchess.
However. -Clasp. 'Huh?'
As if she didn't even realize we'd arrived, Kir held my hand firmly and wouldn't let go.
She even tugged on me as if telling me not to leave, which made me flinch.
"...Hey, Kir?"
"Hmm? Ah, Yune. What is it?"
"We're here now, so my hand...."
"...Okay."
Only after I explicitly asked Kir to let go was I finally able to approach Mom.
Mom had been staring sharply at Kir the whole time we'd been doing that.
"Charlotte. You should have been the one guiding Yune. What's the meaning of leaving the escort duties to his fiancée? I entrusted his protection to you because I trusted you."
"...I apologize."
"...Did something happen? Your earlobes are bright red."
"N-nothing at all happened."
Mom then began pressing Charl about what happened, so I quickly jumped in and changed the subject.
'If Mom finds out what happened back there... Charl's going to get beaten to a pulp by her!'
"More importantly, Mom. Did you finish your report to Her Majesty the Kaiserin?"
"Of course. I've explained everything, so you don't have to worry about a single thing. So. Have you calmed down a bit?"
"I told you, I wasn't even angry? Hehe. You're the best, Mom. There's no one like you. I love you."
I showered Mom in heaps of praise before she could interrogate any further.
Back at the estate, I would've flung myself into her arms and acted cute on top of it, but I skipped that part since there were too many eyes watching us here.
Still, the praise alone must have been enough, because Mom's slightly raised eyebrows settled back into place.
"Good. What a relief. I'll tell you the details after the Founding Festival ends, so just go enjoy the rest of it. Don't think about politics or anything difficult."
"Oh. Are you sure?"
"Yes. Originally, I had planned to introduce you to Sir Max and other key figures of imperial high society tonight so you could build connections with them, but... you must be shaken from the sudden attack. It can wait."
After that, Mom told me to enjoy the rest of the Founding Festival banquet.
The moment I heard those words, the music flowing through the hall changed. It shifted to a soft, slow orchestral piece.
And the people in the hall began to withdraw to the edges as if on cue. They were clearing a space for the debutantes to dance, which would mark the banquet's finale.
Mom pressed her fingers to her forehead and looked down at me.
"...Still, you must dance the last dance before you leave. It is the main stage for a debutante, after all. Yune, are you ready?"
I nodded at Mom's words. She was telling me to dance before I played around any longer.
"Good. Then go on. I'll watch and cheer for you."
"Okay. I'll be back!"
I spun halfway around on the spot and reached out my hand to Kir, who had likewise stiffened up at the sudden change in music.
"...Kir. Let's go."
A debutante's first dance partner carries considerable significance in many ways...
But since I'm already engaged to Kir, dancing my first dance with someone else would obviously start all kinds of nasty rumors.
It's an engagement I intend to break someday, but since I can't break it right now anyway, I naturally extended my hand to Kir.
Kir smiled and reached her hand out toward mine...
-Push.
"...Kir?"
And then she gently pressed my extended hand down. What's this? Is she refusing to dance with me?
I was standing there awkwardly, wondering if she was planning to dance with someone else, when Kir then subtly offered her own hand to me.
"Geliebte, sollen wir tanzen?"
"...!?"
Kir spoke a line of Ancient Language that I couldn't understand.
Duchess Schmut sharply inhaled the moment she heard those words. Her reaction, as if she'd never imagined Kir would say such a thing, made my brow twitch slightly.
What's going on? Is she seriously refusing to dance with me?
"...What does that mean? I can't understand Ancient Language."
"It's just an invitation to dance. A lady is supposed to be the one who requests the first dance from a debutante."
I asked, thinking maybe it was something weird, but the answer that came back was fairly tame.
Still wondering if this was correct, I looked over at Mom and the Duchess.
"Is that really what it means...?"
"R-right? Isn't it? Er."
"...Tsk. That is indeed what it means. Yune."
The Duchess affirmed it with her face slightly reddened, while Mom nodded with a deeply displeased look on her face.
I could sense something was off, but I couldn't press any further. I took her hand instead.
"Fufu. Then let's go, Yune."
"Y-yeah."
'Something about Kir's changed all of a sudden....'