Chapter 15: Chapter 15

"Is there any phrase as suspicious as 'It's nothing'?"

However, instead of digging deeper, ensuring the safety of my poor foot was more urgent.

"If you step on my foot again, I might really collapse!"

"Understood!"

His voice was sharp and rigid, like a soldier's. Naturally, since he practically is one.

I casually threw a question at Arthur.

"You were about to ask Lady Meyer to dance earlier, weren’t you?"

"How did you know?"

Surprisingly, I have eyes.

"Who wouldn’t misunderstand when they see you walking straight toward her with such determination?"

Arthur’s neck turned red. Oh, that’s a little adorable.

"Is that so... How embarrassing."

"It's fine. Just casually approach her during the next song or the one after that!"

Having earned two coins earlier, my mood was endlessly light. Now, all that’s left is for the male lead and heroine to grow closer!

But Arthur sighed and muttered.

"I'm not sure if Miss Maria will accept my dance invitation."

"Oh my, why would you worry about that?"

"I'm lacking in refinement, not good with words... Compared to the sophisticated men of the capital, I have nothing to offer."

Your face! Your ridiculously handsome face! Do they not have mirrors in the north?

Not to mention your broad back, shoulders, and arms. This guy has it all, yet he has the audacity to complain!

Ugh, I almost let out an unladylike expletive in my frustration.

How could I phrase "You're fine because you're handsome" in a ladylike way?

…Never mind.

If I say it too sweetly, what if the male lead ends up falling for me instead?

Am I being overly self-conscious?

But the male leads in reincarnation stories have an uncanny tendency to fall for the reincarnated side characters. You can never be too careful about this.

"You are incredibly handsome."

"…I beg your pardon?"

Arthur’s eyes widened.

Looking straight at him, I repeated myself.

"You are handsome. Right now, countless ladies are likely swooning over your untamed black hair and those large hands that look like they could envelop a lady’s waist with ease."

Arthur’s face turned a charming shade of red. It seemed he wasn’t accustomed to such blatant compliments.

He seemed to gather himself enough to speak, but—

Sorry! I’m not done talking yet!

"Of course, you’re not as handsome as Prince Tristan!"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you so surprised? The prince possesses all of your physical charms too. You should learn to notice people besides Miss Maria."

Arthur looked taken aback by my drifting words but seemed to agree with the last sentence, nodding slowly.

However, the real kicker was still to come.

"As I mentioned earlier, just standing there, you’re enough to make many ladies’ hearts flutter. But society isn’t an exhibition, you know. You don’t enjoy social gatherings, do you?"

"…That’s correct. I only attended today’s event because it’s the queen’s banquet. Otherwise, I prefer to avoid them."

"Well, if you dislike them, you shouldn’t force yourself. If you keep coming, you’ll only end up watching Miss Maria grow closer to Prince Tristan."

Arthur bit his lower lip.

"Lady, are you provoking me?"

Correct.

If we’re following the original story, you should already be glaring at Tristan with burning jealousy by now! But you’re showing no signs of it!

Lowering my voice, I pressed on.

"You started it, didn’t you? You chose me as your provocation tool after failing to secure a dance with Miss Maria."

"Ugh… That’s… I apologize."

"I appreciate your honesty. If we’re being even more truthful, the prince wouldn’t have even noticed your provocation. He’s entirely absorbed in Miss Maria!"

Arthur tilted his head slightly. His face practically read, Really?

Why are you doubting me?

"Do you think I wouldn’t know my fiancé’s heart? That’s why I’m asking you—please take a step forward and win Miss Maria’s heart."

"…I understand now."

Arthur smiled bitterly.

"Should I think of this as a kind of mutual cooperation? To reclaim each of our rightful partners."

"Feel free to think of it that way. I wish you a successful season."

Don’t think about it too comfortably! Take it seriously! Tristan is your rival—get jealous already!

Around that time, the song ended.

Arthur stepped back, glancing at the well-coiffed hair of the other gentlemen, before pressing down his own unruly hair with his hand.

Maybe my provocation worked a little.

Alright, hurry up and get dazzling so you can charm Miss Maria.

Now, I’m off to enjoy some good food...

"Eek!"

Ow, my foot!

The pain from being repeatedly stepped on by Arthur finally caught up with me, and the moment I took a step, I almost tripped. Arthur quickly reached out and grabbed my shoulder tightly.

"Are you alright?"

"Thank you."

I couldn’t bring myself to say I was fine, so I just thanked him for catching me. Arthur hesitated before speaking.

"Is your foot hurting because of me?"

"…Yes."

"Let me help you."

"Just to my aunt, please."

I barely managed to stop him from lifting me up. In the end, my aunt hurried over and escorted me to a long seat, ending the dance.

After Arthur left, my aunt gave me a strange look.

"Who would’ve thought you’d dance with the young duke... How was it?"

"What do you mean?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your options open with other gentlemen!"

"If that’s what you mean, not at all. He was looking at Miss Maria the entire time."

"If just looking were enough to secure a marriage, do you think people would struggle so much? Regardless, I think your chances are good. Having your foot stepped on so aggressively might just be an excuse to summon him for a check-up later!"

Is this blackmail or self-sabotage?

I chuckled softly.

"No, such opportunities should go to my sister. Besides, I already have Prince Tristan."

A line I’ve said to death.

But this time, my aunt’s response caught me off guard.

"I didn’t want to say this, but you might need to prepare yourself, Doris."

"Prepare for what?"

"His Highness seemed to take Lady Meyer far more seriously than I had expected."

"Did something happen?"

"During the entire dance, he kept glaring at the young duke whenever he had the chance. He's been putting effort into winning over Maria since the start of the season, but now that Arthur's suddenly involved, he seems to find it unpleasant."

"......"

"I never thought he'd get serious about a woman, but having a rival seems to have lit a fire in him."

Ah, so when Arthur looked over my shoulder during our dance and muttered, "He started it," it was Tristan who picked the fight first.

"Do you understand now, Doris?"

"Yes, I understand."

Things were progressing just as they should, following the original story.

During the brief interlude between the first and second dances, my aunt excused herself to visit the powder room.

From a distance, I saw Tristan bringing a glass of lemon water to Maria.

‘He wouldn’t ask her to dance again, would he?’

At banquets with a high ratio of women to men, it was customary for gentlemen to offer dances to as many ladies as possible. Of course, whether the ladies accepted was another matter entirely.

Stop sticking to Maria and do your part! The hall is full of young ladies panicking at the thought of going home without dancing even once!

While glaring daggers at Tristan, a shadow loomed over me.

"Miss Redfield?"

"Young Duke?"

Arthur was holding out a glass to me. The fizzing sound of the lemonade tickled my ears.

"Oh, thank you."

"It’s nothing. If anything, I should be thanking you."

Arthur gestured toward Tristan with a glance.

"Thanks to your advice, I realized my shortcomings."

Ah, so he picked up on the act of bringing a drink to his dance partner as a show of consideration.

"Thank you. I’ll enjoy it."

"Once again, I appreciate your guidance. Next time, when I dance with Maria, I won’t—"

Arthur abruptly realized his slip of the tongue.

"Ah!"

"'Maria,' is it? So you do know each other?"

"That’s… correct."

A faint blush spread across his otherwise stoic face.@@novelbin@@

"We were childhood friends. Our connection was severed due to our parents’ circumstances, but we happened to meet again here."

"Ah, I see."

"It was an unwanted reunion for both of us, so I tried to pretend not to notice her. But... my heart didn’t follow. I keep wanting to look back at her."

On a face carved like stone, emotions of excitement and joy mingled with unease and nervousness.

Ah, how cute!

He sighed deeply.

"It seems my sudden appearance has only flustered Maria…"

No, Maria is absolutely thrilled inside! She’ll probably dream about dancing with you all night and fall off her bed!

I barely suppressed the smile tugging at my lips.

So this is the thrill of watching someone else’s love story unfold.

"I’ll cheer for you, Young Duke. And I’m sure your feelings will be reciprocated. After all, you’re the second most charming man here, after Prince Tristan!"

It might sound excessive, but I couldn’t help it. I had to eliminate any potential misunderstandings.

Arthur, to my relief, took it in stride and replied cheerfully.

"Thank you. I, too, hope your love is returned."

It was a nice sentiment, even if slightly unnecessary.

Arthur walked away with a spring in his step. It felt like indulging in something sweet before being hit by the bitter taste of reality again.

‘I don’t have anyone to love.’

Since I have nothing to give, I don’t expect to receive anything in return.

From afar, Tristan approached a nervous young lady and invited her to dance. Moments later, he disappeared from my sight.

After that, no one asked me to dance.

I enjoyed the banquet in comfort, though. My aunt, in high spirits after hearing about my dance with the young duke, allowed me to indulge in some refreshments.

Unfortunately, Arthur never managed to dance with Maria that evening. However, if the story followed its original course, their hands likely brushed under the table toward the end of the banquet.

That assumption seemed accurate, as Arthur returned with a barely suppressed grin, and Maria wore a slightly flushed, dreamlike expression.

For the first time as my chaperone, my aunt returned home smiling.

My parents, upon hearing I had danced with the young duke, would likely be somewhat pleased as well.

I’d earned my coins.

All in all, it was a day that went objectively well.

Except for the lingering sweetness of the waffles from the palace banquet that still lingered in my mouth.

***

Tristan wanted to end the day with a smile.

Hadn’t everything gone objectively perfectly?

He ensured that no one felt excluded by dancing with a different lady for every song. Even though his feet were bruised blue by the clumsy steps of inexperienced partners, he showed no outward sign of discomfort. Moreover, he maintained the peace of the banquet by discreetly tossing a few notorious scoundrels—who had been preying on innocent ladies—into the garden fountain.

Surely, he’d earned a compliment from his mother for this.

After all the guests had left, however, the Queen summoned Tristan.

“Tristan. Let’s have a little talk.”