“Lady?”
“…….”
“Hehe… You’re a bit shy, I understand. I’m sure you’re familiar with the name Anser Tammen.”
“…”
I have no idea who that is.
Anser Tammen?
What a weird name.
It’s clear he’s a noble, some sort of aristocrat, but I really don’t know who he is.
I just came to grab some wine, and now it’s turned into this…
What a mess.
“Oh, I already have a partner…”
“It’s fine. You’ve danced one song, so I think you can manage one more…”
“No, I’m really not used to this kind of setting; I’m sorry but I must decline….”
“Hmm.”
Could he just take a hint and leave?
I can’t stand dealing with nobles, especially male ones.
Not Kyle, but a noble I’ve never seen before.
“Lady, come on—just one song.”
“I really think you should find someone else.”
“Hah.”
Suddenly, this noble is smirking at me.
Maybe it’s that ridiculous mustache making him look even creepier.
I have to tell Kyle never to grow a mustache like that.
“I don’t know which family you belong to, but you’re the first person to reject me like this.”
How am I the first?
He looks like he should be rejected outright.
His expression shifted.
Now he’s smiling, but with eyes that look more uncomfortable.
Not just staring at my face… but slightly lower…
“…!”
What a creep.
Are all nobles really this insane?
Why is he suddenly staring at my chest?
“Lady, just one song. What do you say?”
“I’ll say it again… I’m really fine.”
I said I was fine, but this guy, Anser Tammen or whatever, wouldn’t back off easily.
I only wanted to grab a glass of wine; how did it end up like this?
I should have brought Kyle with me.
If Kyle were here, that mustached creep wouldn’t be bothering me like this.
“Lady? Come on, just one more dance…!”
“I told you to drop it!?”
I dodged the hand of this lunatic trying to grab mine.
What a nutjob.
“Please, can you at least behave appropriately? There are plenty of eyes on us.”
“Haha, I’m just looking for a dance partner. Is that a problem?”
There were plenty of other nobles around aside from the mustachioed idiot.
That’s why I had no choice but to decline him quietly.
I couldn’t create trouble for Kyle.
And if they found out I’m a commoner, this creep would stir up more chaos for sure.
“There is a problem.”
“?”
Just as I started seriously contemplating my next move, a familiar voice came from behind me.
I turned my head to see Kyle.
And he looked a little… angry.
“What’s going on with my partner? Baron.”
“Kyle?”
“Baron, I’m asking you, what did you do to my partner?”
Kyle stood beside me and faced the mustached guy.
Wait, not beside—he’s just slightly in front of me, pointing at me with his shoulder.
“I… I didn’t know she was the Duke’s partner. My apologies.”
“Even if she weren’t my partner, why are you being so persistent when she’s clearly refusing?”
“…I’m sorry. She’s just so beautiful that I lost myself.”
“….”
What’s going on here?
The situation is resolving way too easily.
I tried so hard to signal to Mr. Mustache that I wasn’t interested, but he shut up at Kyle’s few words.
This is power…?
No wonder nobles were such bullies to commoners at the academy…
Power really is useful in many ways.
It makes annoying situations so easy to resolve.
“Sophia, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.”
“Did that guy do anything weird?”
“Yeah. I’m fine, really.”
With the mustache backing off, Kyle finally turned to me, his expression still a bit annoyed.
He seems genuinely worried if that creep did something weird to me.
“Kyle, relax. You’re gonna get wrinkles?”
“Hah…”
“But why did you suddenly come here?”
I clearly came all the way here by myself, how did he know to follow me?
Kyle was at the table all on his own.
“I just thought Sophia was taking too long. So I came to find you.”
“Ohh.”
“Why did it take you so long? Was it because of that Baron?”
“Huh? No, that’s not it…”
Mr. Mustache took some time, but that’s not why I was delayed.
“I was just overwhelmed by the number of wines to choose from.”
“….”
“Why are you looking at me like that?!”
Suddenly, Kyle started looking at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Hey!”
“Ugh… Let’s go back to the table. This should be enough wine.”
“…Fine.”
Kyle grabbed a bottle of wine and suggested we go back to the table.
Fine, as long as I get my wine, that’s what matters.
I just came to grab one glass anyway.
“Um…”
Suddenly, a thought crept into my mind.
One I’d had while sitting at the table.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t I look like his partner?”
“Out of the blue?”
“I mean, I said I have a partner multiple times earlier, and you just brushed it off.”
When I was sitting at the table, I stood right next to Kyle while making a fuss about dancing.
Do I really not look like his partner at all?
“Why’s that?”
“Well… Probably because I’m just being rude or simply don’t look familiar in social circles.”
“Really?”
So how can I at least appear to be Kyle’s partner?
I’ve already danced and even told a few nobles that I’m his partner.
I even introduced myself as his lover to one person.
“Kyle, wanna link arms?”
“?”
“No, I just thought if we linked arms, we might appear to be partners.”
There’s no deeper meaning behind it.
I came as Kyle’s partner, and if I’m not treated like one, it’s disappointing.
It really annoys me.
“Hehe…”
“Does that sound good?”
“Well, I guess?”
Honestly, I felt a little happier about it.
Because linking arms drew attention towards us as we walked to the table.
Of course, that felt a bit pressuring…?
But it did lift my spirits.
The silly noble ladies probably realized Kyle actually brought a proper partner today, right?
“Hehe…”
“….”
By the way, the wine Kyle brought was really good.
It had a slightly different taste from the first one, but it was nice.
I wished I could just gulp it down, but given the occasion, I had to sip it a little.
If I indulged too much and got drunk… that wouldn’t be good either.
“By the way, should we say hi to the princess?”
“Shall we go? Honestly, I’d rather just be with you right now.”
“Um….”
I liked being with Kyle, but we had the princess to consider.
She invited us here, and she’s been helping us lately…
“Let’s quickly go see her, okay?”
“Alright.”
We got up from the table and, still linked, headed towards the princess.
Around the central area, many people were going back and forth to greet her.
Of course, by now, it was a bit late for many to greet her, so there were only a handful left.
“Your Highness, greetings.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
The princess smiled brightly as she sat at her table.
Why is she so cheerful?
Could it be that she has feelings for Kyle now!?
“I was just watching nobles asking for investments, and seeing you two made my day.”
“Oh.”
“Oh.”
That makes sense.
After all, she’s probably bored hearing only business talk, so seeing some friendly faces might be refreshing.
“Your Highness, aren’t you going to dance?”
“Well… I don’t have a partner, nor do I particularly want to dance right now.”
“Then why are you here? You could be resting comfortably in the palace.”
“No choice but to show my face since it’s such a gathering. Plus, watching you both dance is quite enjoyable.”
Oh, right.
This table was the closest to the central area.
She’d definitely have a good view of the dancing.
Was she watching when we were dancing together earlier?
“….”
That’s a bit embarrassing.
I thought Kyle wouldn’t care, but it turns out she was watching.
“Don’t just sit around and be all tense. Relax and enjoy yourselves. I’ll just be watching you two dance.”
“Still…”
“Sophia also wants to be alone with Prince Kyle, right?”
“What!?”
“Why are you so surprised? Earlier you were holding arms while walking.”
“That’s….”
“Anyway, just relax and go have fun. The next dance time is coming up soon, so you two better get ready.”
With that… we returned to our seats.
I meant to chat a bit more, but since the princess told us to go, we had no choice but to head back.
Well… it’s nice.
Later, we sat at the table, sipping wine and chatting.
We talked about the ball and even about other nobles who weren’t at the ball.
“Um… so I guess the conclusion is that there aren’t any dukes here today, right?”
“Yeah, none besides me.”
Oh, that explains why Kyle was so confident about winning today.
He could actually win without any competition.
“Sophia, do you want to take a break and dance? Or should we go right out?”
“Already?”
That next turn is already upon us.
It came around faster than I expected.
But I didn’t mind at all.
“Let’s just go right in. If we wait, I feel like I’ll get tipsy and not be able to dance.”
After dancing, the wine I intended to sip while waiting for my turn.
If I kept drinking without dancing, I’d end up wasted, so I stood up and walked towards the center stage.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
