* * *
Time passed before I knew it…
Now there were only about four days left until the Imperial Ball.
In the meantime, a lot had happened around me.
Maybe because I dragged things out too long, but according to the rumors I heard, Viola had apparently accepted another young lord’s invitation to be his dance partner…
My father, while digging underground to expand his herbal bath inn, accidentally discovered a hidden ancient temple.
Fortunately, he had secured underground usage rights from the Count Lounier from the very beginning, so our family ended up owning it.
They say it turned out to be a huge jackpot…
Not that it really made a big splash in the family—we’ve always been quite well-off, so no one made much of a fuss over it.
I found myself reflecting on everything that had happened.
And yet, one very important issue remained unresolved.
“Dance partner… What do I do?”
Right. My partner for the ball.
The fact that I still hadn’t decided on one with only four days left… that was currently my biggest dilemma.
Cedric never introduced anyone he thought would be a good match, and I still hadn’t made a decision myself.
Honestly, I felt bad about Viola.
So her deciding early to go with someone else might’ve actually been for the best.
Anyway.
It was really time to make a decision.
Whether to find a partner—or not.
And if I was going to, then I needed to contact someone immediately.
But who? And how?
It takes three days to get to the palace.
Factoring that in, we’d need to leave tomorrow morning at the latest.
There wasn’t much time.
That’s why Liette and Cedric were both here at our house right now.
We were planning to travel together tomorrow morning.
‘Sigh.’
To be honest, even if I contacted someone right now, it might be too late.
Even if I sent an express letter, there was a high chance I wouldn’t get a reply by morning.
Of course, the ball doesn’t happen the same day we arrive at the palace, so technically I could try to find a partner there.
But if no one was left without a partner?
That’d be a disaster.
Besides, it’d be a bit pathetic going around asking if someone already had one…
“If it’s gonna be like that, I’d rather just stay in my room.”
Without a partner, I wouldn’t even be allowed into the Great Hall where the dancing happened.
So while everyone else was laughing and twirling around, I’d be sitting alone in my room, stewing in isolation.
Huuu.
That might just be my near future…
“Oh my, Edgar couldn’t find a partner?”
“How pitiful.”
Maybe they’d whisper about me behind my back like that.
“Haaaah…”
“Why are you sighing nonstop?”
“How can I not sigh right now?”
All of this—it’s your fault.
The irritation boiled up inside me, and I snapped.
Cedric looked at me quietly.
After dinner, Cedric and I had washed up first, and Liette had stepped away to bathe last.
So for the moment, it was just the two of us in the salon.
“…Stop being so stubborn.”
“What?”
“You’re going to ask Lett to be your partner anyway.”
Ugh.
This again?
“I said I’m not!”
I lowered my voice as much as possible in case Liette returned and overheard us.
I glared at Cedric. He blinked slowly, his lashes fluttering like he was totally unbothered.
“If you really weren’t planning to, then I guess that’s a relief.”
“Exactly! How many times do I have to say it?”
“So, Eddy. What now?”
“What?”
“You acted like a total idiot, and now Lett already picked someone else to dance with. You’re not gonna be able to dance with him at this ball.”
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?
Was this his weird way of telling me he got chosen instead?
I hesitated, unable to grasp the full meaning. Cedric sighed and added:
“Lett said she’s dancing with Gareth.”
“…Huh?”
“She told me when you went to wash up.”
Who the hell is Gareth now?
“Hey! Why didn’t you—”
If things were following the original plot, Liette definitely would’ve accepted this guy’s offer.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Wait… Don’t tell me—you never even asked Lett?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?!”
“…Why should I?”
Cedric raised one eyebrow, looking at me like I was the unreasonable one.
I felt like something got lodged in my throat.
“You’re okay with someone else taking Lett?”
“I don’t care.”
He didn’t hesitate for even a second.
The unexpected response left me speechless.
Cedric, his gaze oddly subdued today, calmly asked:
“Were you acting like this because you were afraid I’d ask Lett first?”
“…That’s part of it, yeah. But either way, I wasn’t going to ask.”
“Eddy. I don’t need Lett. I really don’t care.”
“Well, neither do I. So maybe try believing me for once.”
That was the end of it.
Silence settled between us.
I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.
After fiddling with my hands for a bit, I finally asked:
“Then… who are you dancing with? Did you choose someone?”
“I… don’t have a partner yet.”
He said it like it wasn’t a big deal.
Up until that moment, I really thought he didn’t care whether he danced or not.
But then Cedric made a face like he was utterly heartbroken.
“Eddy, what should I do?”
“…Huh?”
“It’s too late to find someone now, right?”
“Ah, well…”
He looked so dejected, like a puppy left out in the rain.
That expression tugged at my heart.
I glanced at him and tried, awkwardly, to comfort him.
“Still, if you ask, no one would turn you down. Even if they already have a partner, I bet they’d switch just to be with you. So don’t worry too much.”
“No. That’d be scummy. And finding someone without a partner? That feels wrong too. There probably aren’t any left. I guess I’ll just have to sit by myself and watch everyone else dance. Suck my thumb or something.”
Why is he suddenly being so… pessimistic?
I was fumbling for the right words when he softly said:
“So… can you be my dance partner?”
“…Me?”
“You haven’t found someone either. That girl, Viola, picked someone else, right?”
“Well, yeah…”
“Then it’s fine. We’re both partner-less. It’s not weird for friends to dance together in a situation like this. Otherwise we’ll just be stuck in a room staring at each other doing nothing. Let’s be partners, okay?”
He backed it up with such solid logic that I had no argument.
True, there’s no issue with it.
There wouldn’t be any strange looks about two guys dancing together.
The only problem is that dancing with a guy makes me feel just a little… a tiny bit uncomfortable—but this is Cedric. A friend.
“…Fine. Sure. Let’s do that.”
In the end, I accepted his offer.
He was whining so much—I couldn’t just leave him like that.
And after seeing how upset he was, I couldn’t bring myself to act cold toward him like I used to.
“…You really mean it? You’ll be my partner?”
“You’re the one who asked me. Was that just a joke?”
“…No.”
Cedric immediately shook his head in denial.
And just as quickly, his expression softened, relaxing into a gentle smile.
‘Was he that happy I agreed to be his partner?’
Maybe he’d been secretly worried about not finding a dance partner.
Being the son of a grand duke, he’d probably be even more sensitive to social appearances.
As I quietly studied Cedric’s face for a moment, a question from earlier resurfaced.
“So, this Gareth guy—who exactly is he?”
Cedric, looking noticeably more cheerful than before, casually lifted his teacup and replied,
“He’s the son of the Marquis of Lionhart.”
“Oh, the Marquis of Lionhart?”
Of course I knew the name of the House of Lionhart.
Alongside the Grand Duke’s House of Soliwen, it was considered one of the empire’s central pillars.
‘If Soliwen dominates the eastern territories, then Lionhart holds major influence over the west.’
And I also knew that the Marquis had a young son—like us, coming of age this year.
Before regaining memories of my past life, I had thoroughly studied the Nemard Empire as the heir to the Count of Lowell.
However, the distance between our territories made meeting rare, and young nobles who hadn’t come of age yet didn’t participate in official social circles.
So, it was my first time hearing that his name was Gareth.
He must have come to the capital for the ball…
‘But how did Lett get to know him?’
That part was puzzling.
* * *
