* * *
Of course, among the three of us, Liette was the most sociable, even before we came of age.
She was already known for being friendly at the unofficial social gatherings back then.
So it wasn’t strange that she’d be meeting various people…
‘But I never heard anything about her knowing the Marquis’s son.’
And I’m pretty sure the original novel didn’t have any connection between them either.
Did this change happen because I didn’t ask Liette to be my partner, and Cedric didn’t partner with her either?
When did she and the Marquis’s son even get to know each other?
As her friend, I thought I knew her pretty well, so it was a bit of a shock.
It felt a little disappointing that she never mentioned it before.
“I only found out today too—that Lett knows the Marquis’s son.”
Cedric suddenly shared something I hadn’t asked.
I guess it was obvious I was bothered.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek, feeling a little embarrassed.
“What’s up with you two? What’s with this vibe?”
Liette came back. Her face looked refreshed, but as soon as she saw the looks we were giving her, her eyes widened, picking up on the strange tension.
“Did something happen?”
“…Lett. I heard you chose the Marquis of Lionhart’s heir as your dance partner?”
“Oh, I was just about to tell you guys.”
Liette plopped down beside me, shot Cedric a brief glare, then turned back to me with a bright smile.
“Did you two decide? What are you going to do?”
“We’re going together,” Cedric answered.
Liette’s eyes widened for a second, then she nodded happily.
“That’s good. I was worried about what you two would end up doing.”
“Mm. But how did you end up meeting him?”
Was that a difficult question?
I asked cautiously.
No matter how close we were, it’s not like we were obligated to only hang out among ourselves.
I was curious, but also worried I might come off as jealous.
Fortunately, Liette laughed like it was no big deal.
“My father introduced us a little while ago. We just got acquainted, and during our conversation, Gareth suddenly asked me to be his partner. So I said okay.”
So that’s what happened.
‘A recent introduction, huh…’
Then no wonder I didn’t know.
“Was it okay to pick a partner like that?”
“Yeah. He had the looks and personality I liked.”
“Oh.”
“Plus, we clicked. The conversation flowed well.”
A very clear and direct reason.
…Damn.
Now that I’ve stepped down from being the sub male, has a powerful rival shown up to take my place?
Without meaning to, I glanced sideways at Cedric.
Was he bothered?
But he didn’t seem to care—he just calmly sipped his tea.
‘Hmm.’
I suddenly remembered how he’d once said it didn’t matter if Liette was taken by someone else… that he’d be fine either way.
‘But I know he likes her… doesn’t he?’
Aside from me not asking Liette to the dance, nothing else in the original plot should have changed.
‘So why this shift in attitude?’
It was a night full of unanswered questions.
Still, we pushed those thoughts aside and spent the evening chatting and playing cards before bed.
At one point, someone brought up the ancient temple our House of Lowell had recently discovered…
[Is it related to Chronos, by any chance?]
[Chronos? Hmm, I’m not really sure.]
I didn’t know enough to give a proper answer, so I could only say “I don’t know.”
Cedric, who had asked, seemed to lose interest quickly.
After a while, Liette started looking sleepy, so we wrapped up and cleaned up the cards.
“Good night, Lett.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Liette, clearly drowsy, was the first to head back to the guest room.
Left alone with Cedric, I turned to tell him he should get some rest too—when our eyes met.
“Eddy.”
“Yeah?”
“You going to sleep right away?”
“Mm, not really.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sleepy yet.
I’d probably just laze around for an hour before actually falling asleep.
“Why do you ask?”
“Thought we could practice the dance routine before bed.”
“Oh.”
“If we don’t, I’m probably going to step all over your feet.”
…Fair point.
If I mess up the timing and trip, the embarrassment that follows would be unbearable.
Thankfully, the music for the ball is included with the invitation, along with the dance sequence, so we just need to practice the right routine.
And nobles were expected to learn social dances as part of their education from a young age, so I’d done this many times before.
Cedric and I had also practiced together a few times in the past, so with just a little effort, we could probably avoid any major mistakes.
“Yeah, let’s practice before bed. Just a sec.”
The music was stored in my room.
It was kept in an arcana crystal, a kind of recording device, which needed to be inserted into the arcana music box in the salon to play.
I told Cedric to wait and went to my room. I opened a storage box full of tools I used as a kid.
Inside were several arcana crystals—long, hexagonal gem-like devices.
I checked the labels and picked out the ones we needed for tonight’s routine, then went back.
When I handed them to Cedric, he took them and walked off toward the salon.
“Do you remember when we danced Pavoryt together as kids?”
Pavoryt was one of the choreographies set to be performed at the ball.
Feeling guilty about how much I’d forgotten, I quickly answered his sudden question.
“That one I remember.”
“Really?”
“I clearly remember you stepping on my foot back then.”
Back then, he was quite the clumsy young master.
There were times when he nearly tripped and I caught him.
And once, he got dragged forward, lost his balance, and we both ended up tumbling to the ground together.
He had desperately begged me to help him practice a dance meant for two men.
I reluctantly agreed, but his skills back then were… not improving no matter what.
If Liette hadn’t been watching nearby, I would’ve snapped, yelled, and stormed off.
…Hmm. Not exactly fond memories.
Still, I remember being surprised at how he eventually got better, like he had never been awkward in the first place.
Is Cedric also recalling how awkward he used to be?
He smiled, his eyes crinkling like crescent moons.
“At least you do remember something.”
“What, did you think I had amnesia?”
“Up until recently, I kind of suspected it.”
I shut my mouth at Cedric’s subtle jab.
It brought back all the times I had been careless toward him.
Since I had been in the wrong, I couldn’t argue.
Whenever I get into a verbal fight with him, I always lose to my own conscience.
Trying to change the subject quickly, I cleared my throat.
Cedric quietly gazed down at me from where he stood.
“Put the crystal in.”
Cedric gave me one more smile before heading over to the music box.
Once he placed the crystal into the insertion slot, music began to play.
He returned and I awkwardly took his hand.
The intro was just a setup phase to prepare, so we stayed still for a moment.
Above my head, Cedric’s calm voice dropped gently.
“Hey, Edi.”
His voice oddly tickled my ears, and I shifted my shoulders slightly.
“…What.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just practice the choreography without the song first?”
“Hmm. I figure my body will just remember and follow along.”
Soon the music reached the point where the choreography began.
The early steps were simple beats, and the moves weren’t much different from regular dances, even though this one was meant for two men.
Like I said, my body remembered and followed.
But the real problem came after.
Once the tempo shifted and spins were added, my steps got tangled.
I completely missed the beat, and the dance fell apart.
Barely managing to keep up as Cedric guided me, I lost my balance and nearly fell forward—but he caught me just in time.
“Ugh.”
And just like that, my face was pressed right into his chest.
* * *
