The Debut Approaches
It seems that Kyle is now turning seventeen, and the time for his debut into high society has finally arrived.
Five years... I had thought that five years would be an eternity, but it wasn't at all. If anything, it went by far too quickly.
Was it because life in Eristirol was enjoyable, or because spending time with Kyle was? Well, it had to include both.
"Elin, in that case, it seems I should reduce my sword training for a while."
"Ah... I see..."
Elin looked a little disappointed. Having spent several years together, I knew Elin expressed her emotions very well—through her expressions, voice, eyes, and even her breathing. Right now, it was clear she was disappointed. Her lips were pouting, and her voice had dropped a bit lower than usual.
"The young master's debut is an extremely important event, after all. There's nothing I can do about it. You understand, right?"
"Of course I do... After all, the lessons aren't being canceled, are they?"
Of course not.
Reducing the weight of sword or magic lessons meant not canceling them entirely.
I've already taught him several times before, but for young nobles, a debutante ball was more important than anything else.
They had to relearn dancing, etiquette, speech, and everything else, and learn the latest styles.
It was important to keep up with the latest dances and the interests of young nobles.
Kyle... had been locked away in the castle every year, so I couldn't know about other nobles.
That's why I gathered information by exchanging letters with Catherine.
It was a bit strange for a tutor to receive letters from a countess's daughter, but Catherine had been happy to reply.
"By the way... the young master is also about to debut, so a lot of time has passed. It was only a few months ago that I taught you how to hold a sword properly."
"That's right."
It was because he had grown up so fast.
I remembered when Kyle was still a little brat, like yesterday.
Back then, he was smaller than me...
Yesterday, he was already taller than me by at least a head.
Elin was tall for a woman, so the difference with Kyle wasn't as noticeable, but it was for me.
Recently, every time I looked up at Kyle, my neck hurt.
It was envy.
I wished I was as tall as Elin.
If I was taller, my body would be better too...
These provincial lumps honestly had no use.
Honestly, there wasn't a single body part in daily life that was as useless as breasts and hips.
Every time, I had to buy underwear in a separate size, and when I ran, my shoulders would ache badly.
"Eek... Sophia, why are you staring at my chest all of a sudden?!"
"I'm envious..."
I wished I was just like that too.
If I had a size that was neither too big nor too small, like a perfect bust, it would have been good.
"...Sophia, you shouldn't say things like that."
"Huh...?"
"No, really. People who have it don't know how good it is."
"...?"
"By the way, Sophia, why do you always wear suits? If you're a woman, shouldn't you wear a maid outfit?"
Why did I wear the servant's suit?
It was simple.
"I just came in wearing a suit for the interview, and since no one said anything, I just kept wearing it."
There really wasn't any reason.
On the first day, I wore the suit all day, and since no one said anything, I just kept wearing it.
If the butler had talked about the uniform on the first day, I would have changed.
There was a slight sense of rejection when wearing a skirt, but... well, to earn money.
"Ahah... Then, please wear it when we go down to the village next time!"
"Is that so?"
There was no reason to refuse a request.
I should wear it at least once.
"By the way... who is the young master going to marry? There's a lot of talk in the territory, but I have no idea."
"Well... I'll probably find out after the debut. He hasn't gone out much."
The only women Kyle had met until he turned seventeen were the maids in the mansion, Elin, and Catherine.
Honestly, it felt like too narrow a human relationship, but... I couldn't just leave either.
The Grand Duke hadn't returned yet, and his younger sister hadn't come back to the castle either.
Recently, there was news that she would be coming soon, but it was only very recently that the news arrived.
"Still, the young master is incredibly handsome, so he'll meet a pretty young lady."
"Yes."
Of course he would.
Because I would work hard to help Kyle find a good romantic partner.
Whether it was a duke's daughter, a count's, or even a baron's, it didn't matter.
Even commoners... if it's a good woman, wouldn't it be fine?
There were many stories in animations or light novels about commoner protagonists and noble or prince protagonists dating.
I didn't know if this world I lived in was like that kind of thing.
Anyway, I hoped Kyle's human relationships would widen.
Whether friend, woman, or anything, any kind was fine.
"Ah, time's up. Elin, I have to go pick up the young master."
"Yeah. Tomorrow, let's have tea together."
"Yes."
Leaving Elin, who waved at me from the table, I went out the door.
Since it was the time for Kyle's magic lesson to end, I had to go pick him up.
I had already told Louise about reducing the lessons, so no need to say it again.
After magic lessons... today was about dancing again.
"Young master, I've come to pick you up."
"Ah, yes."
"Sophia~ Want to eat some late-night snack tonight?"
"I don't know, let's talk later."
Answering Louise's nonsense casually as she looked at me, I went out with Kyle from the classroom.
Since there was no sword lesson today, Kyle wasn't sweating.
Kyle's sweat smell was nice, but since he was going to dance, sweat would be a minus point.
I didn't know how other women would handle it, so even more so.
"Young master, let's dance right away. You don't need to stretch anyway."
Dancing in suit pants was a bit difficult, but after all, the practice was for Kyle, not me.
I just needed to dance normally, and Kyle needed to lead me.
I didn't know who Kyle would dance with at the debut, but if Kyle was led by a woman... it might affect his image as a prince.
A maid sitting next to him played the piano.
A beautiful yet somewhat plain melody, the most common type of song used in noble dance times.
It wasn't a dance song from my previous life, but a gentle yet lively tempo song.
Originally, there should have been other instruments besides the piano, but it was just practice.
No need to invite a band for practice.
If too many eyes were watching, it would be uncomfortable.
"Young master, a little weaker."
"Yes."
When Kyle gripped my hand and wrist too strongly, I warned him.
Women's wrists are delicate, after all.
Instead of dancing with weak young ladies who didn't exercise at all and getting hurt, I had to give warnings right away like this.
"And when holding the waist, you should hold it more inward, not outward."
I grabbed Kyle's hand that was holding my waist and pulled it inward.
Only then did the complete posture.
Yes, that's how you dance.
If I hadn't done the lessons because I had done them before, I would have been laughed at when actually dancing.
It was really... fortunate.
"Young master, you shouldn't have a completely expressionless face when dancing."
Dancing is to have fun.
There are dances when you're sad, but mostly it's for excitement, fun, and enjoyment.
But dancing with a completely closed mouth and expressionless like now wasn't good.
I slightly lifted the corner of my mouth and looked up at Kyle.
Being short was truly a very sad thing.
"Like this, a slight smile would make most young ladies melt."
If you were handsome, a smile would be enough to make a woman like you.
And Kyle was not just handsome but incredibly handsome, so it would be even more effective.
"The young master is incredibly handsome, so there's no need to use difficult words to charm them."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, really."
Doesn't he usually look in the mirror?
Just looking in the mirror, he could easily know how handsome he was.
"When Sophia saw it, was he that handsome?"
"Of course. Among the men I've seen around, the young master was the most handsome."
It could be seen as some flattery, but it was the truth.
Probably Catherine, who had been interested in me, would also evaluate him as handsome upon seeing his current appearance.
"..."
"Well, let's dance again. Your feet are stopped."
Following the rhythm of the clacking steps, we moved our feet and bodies again.
We swayed our bodies up and down, stepping and dancing continuously.
Kyle handled the action of lifting a woman with a slight difficulty without a problem.
Since he had good strength, he lifted me lightly.
"Whew... As expected, since you learned it in childhood, you follow easily. What do you think? Are you going to dance more and come back?"
Today, I had already practiced enough.
But if he wanted to do more, I was willing to accompany him.
Since Kyle was my direct subordinate, I would do anything he wanted.
"If the young master wishes, even if it's just a little, I think we can do it until evening."
"Then, let's do a little more and go back."
Actually, my shirt was already getting sweaty, but since Kyle said to do more, we practiced for almost an hour in that state and finally finished.