20. Dance Dance Dance (1)
20. Dance Dance Dance (1)
[Chapter 20] - Dance Dance Dance (1)
Breakfast time at the Separate Palace.
A maid who had been working at the Separate Palace for nearly ten years looked at the dining room with a bewildered expression, having never experienced such a situation in the last decade.
Usually, it was a quiet time where you couldn't even hear the sound of silverware clinking, but today was different. The Princess was busy struggling, holding heavy adult-sized forks and knives, trying to cut her food.
Clatter- clatter-
She was trying to use the table manners she had learned, but with the Princess's weak grip, the forks and knives were too heavy, making it inevitable that the silverware would clank against the plate.
Clatter- clatter-
And watching that scene intently, the Queen Dowager-mama stopped using her knife. The Princess, having diligently lifted the salad with her fork, opened her large mouth to bring the salad to her lips, but.
Plop-
"Ah."
The salad, wobbling precariously on the fork, eventually fell right onto the Princess's skirt with a plop. The Princess stared at the salad that had tumbled onto her skirt, her face turning bright red.
Only then did the Queen Dowager-mama, who had resumed moving her silverware, let out a small sigh and cut the salad on her own plate into very small pieces, placing them onto the Princess's plate.
"...We should have some lightweight silverware prepared at the Separate Palace as well."
"I will have it prepared within the day."
The maid assisting with the meal bowed to the Queen Dowager-mama's words and walked out of the dining room. Judging by the sound of running footsteps as soon as the dining room door closed, it seemed the maid was sprinting.
The Princess bowed to the Queen Dowager-mama, thanking her for cutting the salad, and went back to busily trying to stab the salad with her heavy fork. However, no matter how small the salad was cut.
The problem was the silverware that was too heavy for the Princess to hold.
Perhaps it was difficult to stab the light salad with heavy silverware, but even though the Princess tried hard to stab it with her fork, more salad ended up falling onto her lap than into her mouth.
By the time the Princess's lap was covered in salad, she seemed on the verge of bursting with the shame and embarrassment she had been holding back, and her eyes began to well up with tears.
And the Queen Dowager-mama just watched.
Since I couldn't sigh out loud, I let out a long sigh internally, then stabbed the salad with my own fork and brought it to the Princess's mouth.
The Princess was embarrassed, but eventually opened her mouth and ate the salad I offered. Every time I fed the Princess, I stared intently at the Queen Dowager-mama, as if to show her.
Eventually, the Queen Dowager-mama, watching that scene, clicked her tongue as if displeased and opened her mouth.
"Princess, do you not have hands?"
"Why are you acting like that toward the Princess? It's not her fault; the forks are just too heavy. If this situation is anyone's fault, it would be the fault of someone who didn't provide children's silverware at the Separate Palace, despite having a granddaughter."
"Hah, so this is all my fault?"
"I didn't go that far, Your Majesty."
The Queen Dowager-mama let out a scoff, as if she couldn't believe it, watching me feed the Princess. The Princess was caught between me and the Queen Dowager-mama, not knowing what to do, just busy eating the salad like a baby bird.
"If you want to eat something other than salad, tell me anytime."
"Ah, no... I think salad is enough..."
As the salad cut on the plate began to run out, the anxious Queen Dowager-mama eventually sighed and glared at me. Then she stood up from her chair and gestured for me to move aside.
I giggled, got up from the chair, and headed to another seat, while the Queen Dowager-mama sat in the chair next to the Princess where I had been sitting, putting on a stern expression.
"Princess."
"Y-yes... Queen Dowager-mama..."
"Ah, do it."
"A-ah...?"
When the Princess opened her mouth wide, the Queen Dowager-mama stabbed the salad on the plate and fed it to the Princess like a mother bird. When the Princess accepted the food, the Queen Dowager-mama finally made a 'family-like' expression for the first time.
"How is it? Isn't it tastier than what the Queen gave you?"
"Yes? Ah, yes... But I'm full now..."
"How can you be full from just eating vegetables? Try this too. The chef doesn't have many dishes they're good at, but this fish dish is amazing."
"Ah, ugh..."
Perhaps remembering yesterday's food hell, the Princess's complexion began to turn pale blue. I glanced over at the maids and servants watching the Queen Dowager-mama.
It seemed to be a sight they had never seen before; some opened their eyes wide in surprise, while others wore faint smiles, as if finding the scene heartwarming.
I, too, looked at the Queen Dowager-mama and the Princess and smiled faintly. Isn't it nice to see them expressing themselves, even a little? I should visit often in the future.
"It's good to see you eating well. Here, try this too."
"Ugh..."
The heartwarming meal continued until the Princess shook her head vigorously, and eventually, exhausted from eating, the Princess had to rest in the guest room once again.
*
While the Princess went to rest in the guest room.
I decided to have tea time with the Queen Dowager-mama in the garden for a while.
She told me not to go to the Main Palace yet because she had something to tell me, but seeing the maid bring the Princess's tableware from the Main Palace, it seemed the Queen Dowager-mama wouldn't be satisfied unless the Princess ate lunch here.
The Queen Dowager-mama lifted her teacup, savored the aroma of the tea, and opened her mouth.
"...As I said yesterday, there are only about 3 months left until the Princess's seventh birthday. So the Royal Household Department has been working on the preparations for the Princess's birthday party since last month."
"Already...?"
"Already? You know that preparations for a royal birthday party usually take at least half a year, don't you? Starting last month was already quite late."
Tsk tsk, the Queen Dowager-mama clicked her tongue, sipped her tea, and looked at me with eyes that said, 'As expected, I don't like you.' I felt awkward at that look, so I lifted my teacup and drank the tea in one gulp.
"I don't know if the party will actually go ahead, but shouldn't we at least prepare for it?"
"......"
The Queen Dowager-mama's words sounded like she was saying that if the King didn't give the Princess a name within 3 months, she would consider canceling the party. It was an unavoidable situation, but...
"I ordered the Princess's dress yesterday. So when the dressmaker goes to the Main Palace, make sure to prepare it well."
"Yesterday... you say?"
"Tsk, what on earth do you do? You claimed to be the Princess's 'teacher,' yet you didn't even prepare the dress the Princess will wear to her birthday party. You don't know what the most important thing is right now, do you?"
"......"
I couldn't say anything to the Queen Dowager-mama's nagging, which sounded like a mother-in-law's. No, wait, she is a mother-in-law, isn't she..? I had no choice but to bow my head while listening to my mother-in-law's nagging.
"I apologize. I will pay more attention in the future."
"I will watch to see if you actually do."
The Queen Dowager-mama, who had been glaring at me with suspicious eyes, let out a small sigh and began to explain step-by-step what the Princess would need for the next three months.
"First, the most important thing is party etiquette. And it would be good to prepare at least one greeting to give to the nobles, even if it's short. And the next most important thing is dancing."
"Dancing..."
"The Princess's first dance partner should originally be His Majesty... but since we can't expect that right now, let's leave teaching the Princess to dance for last."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
"And......"
I listened attentively to what the Queen Dowager-mama was saying, as if taking notes in my head. There was so much to teach the Princess that I felt 3 months was too short a time to prepare everything perfectly. And most of it was content I knew nothing about.
As I was listening to the story, nodding my head, Ainsel whispered.
-I can teach the Princess the other things. However, I can't teach her physical things like dancing, so why don't you teach the Princess?
.....??
I don't know anything about dancing..? The only dancing I had ever learned was the group dance I did with my classmates during my school days. Me, teaching the Princess to dance?
That seems impossible..?
-Don't worry about the dancing. You know the saying, 'The body remembers,' right? Vivian was called the flower of high society and danced very well. Perhaps Vivian's body will remember.
Would it really..?
...It was no use doubting Ainsel right now. For now, it was time to listen to the Queen Dowager-mama, who was talking about the Princess in front of me.
Thus, I managed to finish the tea time with the Queen Dowager-mama with difficulty, and was able to escape from the Separate Palace with the Princess before lunch.
The Queen Dowager-mama looked bitter as if she was disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. The Princess, who had patted her stomach saying she might really burst if she ate another meal at the Separate Palace, shivered on the way to the Main Palace.
And on the way to the Main Palace, the Princess even muttered in a small voice that she wouldn't come to the Separate Palace for a while. Sighing as if she were truly, truly exhausted.
*
After that, the Princess devoted herself to preparing for the 'party' for a while.
She prepared the party etiquette and the greetings to give to the nobles with Ainsel, and I prepared the Princess's party dress with the dressmaker the Queen Dowager-mama had sent.
Time flew by like an arrow...
And a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
During that month, I, the Princess, and Ainsel were all busy.
During the day, I spent time with the Princess practicing dancing and fairy lessons, and at night, I was busy looking at Ainsel, the mirror, practicing dancing and taking lessons to become an 'apprentice witch.'
For a month, I spent such an intense time that I had never slept more than three hours a day. It was truly, truly the busiest I had ever been in my life.
Even though I spent such intense time...
Clap, clap, clap.
"One, two, three. One, two, three. Keep to the beat, one, two, three."
"One, two, three, one, two, three......"
The Princess started to step to the beat of the sounds I was making, but she couldn't keep the beat, to the point where she looked somewhat clumsy.
She was supposed to step to the basic beat, but for some reason, the Princess was busy flopping around like a doll with loose strings. Eventually, the Princess got tangled in her own flopping legs and collapsed onto the floor.
I approached the Princess, who was sitting on the floor catching her breath, perhaps exhausted from dancing, and patted her shoulder with a pitiful expression, comforting her.
"Princess..."
"..."
"You really can't dance, can you..?"