Chapter 15
Where the hell was this? "What..." My eyes widened involuntarily at the sudden turn of events.
A hand kiss, of all things. Sure, it wasn't all that shocking in this romance fantasy world.
It was a common courtesy when a man asked a lady he fancied for a dance. But things changed when Katrina was the one doing it.
For starters, I wasn't a lady. I was a strapping adult male.
And besides...
How badly did she want me?
Katrina had an extreme aversion to men. Back in the waiting room, hadn't she said she had no intention of embracing one?
"You definitely did."
Quoting her earlier words, Katrina replied calmly.
"But I didn't say I hated dancing. Did I?"
With a smile that suggested she was enjoying this immensely, Katrina led me to the dance floor.
Of course she'd be enjoying it.
The reactions around us were a sight to behold.
People covering their mouths with both hands in disbelief. Others glaring at me like they wanted to kill me. Some collapsing in place as their legs gave out.
And even someone fainting...
No, fainting? What the hell?
It wasn't that big a deal.
Anyway, the attention focused on me was mostly negative.
But the world has its lights and shadows. Some eyed me with curiosity, while others cheered Katrina's bold pursuit.
This was superstardom. A superstar's essence lay in driving people mad, whether they loved or hated you.
So, how could I whip the audience into even greater frenzy? By blindly following Katrina's lead like a fool?
No way.
I needed to turn the tables and devour her instead.
Dancing's right up my alley.
I'd only had a few crash courses from Ray, but I was naturally good at anything physical.
"Don't be too tense."
"I'm not particularly tense."
"Bravado isn't bad either."
Katrina said with a laugh.
"We'll see."
I replied meaningfully and took my position. The music began to flow.
I placed my left hand behind her back at her waist. My right hand on her abdomen, one foot stepped forward.
Locking eyes with Katrina, I gave a slight smile and bowed my waist in a courteous nod.
Katrina's eyebrows twitched subtly, surprised by my flawless etiquette, but she didn't show it. Lifting the hem of her dress lightly, she curtsied in return.
Looks like she's practiced a lot.
Yeah, something like that.
In that fleeting moment, we exchanged words through our gazes. Then we placed our hands on each other's waists. Despite her strong image, Katrina's waist was slender.
And so the dance began. We moved our steps to the melody.
I focused even more on her movements to avoid tripping over my feet.
"Is this really just a few days of practice?"
"I'm good with my body."
"Hard to believe you're a commoner. Feels like years of training."
"Surprised?"
"More than expected, yes."
"Good."
I danced more boldly. It was risky, but I had confidence.
"Oh my."
Katrina let slip a feminine exclamation before clamping her mouth shut. Her ear tips flushed red—she hadn't meant to.
"You've got a cute side."
"Sh-shut up..."
She muttered lowly, head bowed.
"The Sun of the Empire shouldn't act like that. You must always be poised, Your Highness."
I switched up my tone.
"Suddenly talking like that..."
It worked; Katrina forced her head up. Not just her ears—her entire face burned with heat.
She was more shy than I thought.
"Ahem. I am the Empire's princess."
"I know."
"Go back to your usual speech...! Why the sudden change?"
"Etiquette demands it."
"Then at least when we're alone, be yourself."
"Got it."
Technically, we weren't alone even now, but I didn't point it out.
Not bad.
The hall had gone silent. Considering this was the banquet's opening dance, the focus was intense, but everyone was holding their breath.
We were whispering as quietly as possible, yet it felt conspicuous.
In that hushed atmosphere, we finished the dance.
Ended more ordinarily than expected.
I'd half-anticipated Katrina bringing up politics. With Ray's card revealed, I was in her plans now.
But she didn't. Aside from proving my legitimacy as she'd mentioned, there were no ulterior motives.
Katrina was bold one moment, shy the next—like any ordinary princess.
Is this calculated?
Highly likely. Given her original story role, acting wouldn't be strange.
I needed to stay cautious. I'd almost let myself build a normal relationship.
"So this is the charm of dancing."
Oblivious to my thoughts, Katrina beamed.
"If there's another chance, I'd love to dance again."
"Why not?"
"It wouldn't mean the same without you."
Damn. Was this girl really the villainess?
Or was she doing this because she was the villainess?
Don't lose sight of the goal.
Remember: Katrina was a villainess.
Reforming her was next to impossible. Her lifelong conviction was far from moral.
Changing it meant denying her entire life and shattering her dreamed future.
That's why I wasn't chasing some pie-in-the-sky goal of enslaving the Empire's princess for nothing.
It was the most feasible path. If I could make her a slave, I could stop her easily.
That's why I was doing it.
Steeling my resolve, I stepped off the dance floor, drawing all eyes.
Clap, clap, clap—
Applause erupted. Not just for Katrina—some directed it at me.
I blinked.
The reaction... is actually good?
Especially the female cadets' stares had shifted. From "How dare you?" to "I want to dance with him."
Is this okay?
I was the princess's partner, after all. We did the first dance, but this was an imperial banquet.
Out of consideration for Katrina, I didn't want to dance with other noble ladies... bullshit. Truth is, I just didn't want to dance more.
Black curtain or whatever, banquets were for enjoying. How could I miss out on gourmet food after so long?
I had to eat.
With that mindset, Katrina and I returned to our seats.
"Would you dance with me too?"
"No."
Why was she asking? Isana suddenly requested a dance.
"Dance with someone else."
"I-I don't really want to dance with any other man but you..."
"I'll use one of your three favors now."
That's what favors were for.
"No! I have to dance this time...!"
Isana clutched both my hands desperately.
"Please."
"But didn't you hate commoners the most? Anyone else would be better than me."
"...I do hate commoners, but other men are too obvious. I hate that."
"And I'm fine?"
"You have no ulterior motives. Your etiquette seems perfect, so no embarrassment..."
"Sigh. Fine."
It felt wasteful using a favor here. She wouldn't ask for anything huge, but waste was waste.
My banquet...
In the end, after dancing with Isana and enduring more from Katrina, I could finally enjoy the feast.
"Not to be rude, but you're really no help."
"It's Master's fault! You made me your slave on a whim and now..."
Linea grumbled, sighing heavily.
Who does this?
The delightful imperial banquet was over, and the next day, the magic department dumped all students into the forest under the guise of "special training."
No proper explanation given.
Succeed in a specific quest in the forest for points. Rank them by total points.
They wouldn't tell you the quest. Figuring it out by analyzing the forest was part of the test.
Teams of two. Knock out another team, steal their points. In the original story, those unsure of the quest hunted other teams instead.
Won't lose any points, though.
I knew the quest and was asymmetrically overpowered in this academy. Defeat wasn't an option.
But the problem was...
"What are you staring at?!"
Linea. Linea was a slave.
Slaves couldn't participate in classes by rule. But this training required pairs.
The magic department had an odd number of students. Inevitably, one would be without a partner.
And that one was me... but since I had a slave, they specially allowed her in and tossed us into the forest.
And because it was special permission, Linea had to wear mana-sealing restraint cuffs.
If it's odd-numbered, just don't force pairs.
Why not solo? No, the test was designed around pairs from the start.
I had no complaints about that premise. Excluding me—the late addition—the department had an even number.
It made sense since I joined late.
But once I joined, adjust the test or prepare contingencies. Do something. Instead: "You have a slave, so pair with her."
Were they serious?
At least skip the cuffs.
More shocking—the prior issues paled compared to the real problem.
"Haa..."
The instructions had been clear: Do not leave the forest during the training.
"Does this look like a forest to you?"
I muttered to myself, out of earshot of the professors.
Rumble rumble—
This was an Ancient Ruins Temple. Fuck...