Chapter 33

The sweet melody of the Imperial orchestra began to resonate through the Banquet Hall.

The noble sons and daughters gathered here started to dance one by one, holding hands with their partners to the rhythm.

Rebecca and I also stood up and began to dance.

“…You stepped on the wrong foot.”

“…”

Unlike the others, who were gazing affectionately at their partners, creating a sweet atmosphere.

“After all that practice, you still mess up? What are we going to do with you?”

Between the Princess and me, only a cold tension was rising.

A tension that existed solely to immediately point out the other’s mistakes.

This tension replaced any affectionate atmosphere.

“Didn’t you make a mistake earlier too?”

“That was because you messed up first.”

“Don’t make excuses. Even if I hadn’t made a mistake, you would have.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Yes, you would.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

Is this really the conversation between the future Duke and Countess who are supposed to bear the Empire’s future?

Judging by the sentences alone, it was no different from the childish bickering of a 7-year-old.

The words exchanged between Rebecca and me would have been utterly embarrassing if overheard by other nobles dancing nearby.

“How about we make a bet?”

Afraid that someone might overhear our conversation, I proposed to the Princess.

“…A bet?”

“Yes, let’s count who makes more mistakes before the next song ends.”

“Hah, do you really think you can beat me in dancing?”

Rebecca let out a hollow laugh, as if the idea was absurd.

It was a natural reaction.

After all, my dancing skills were still embarrassingly inferior to hers.

The flawless Princess was also a skilled dancer.

“Are you scared?”

“…What did you say?”

But as always, I was confident I could win against Rebecca.

If I hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have made such a proposal.

“If you’re not scared, then there’s no reason for you to refuse this bet.”

“I’m just thinking about you losing the bet…”

“I’m touched that you’re worried about me.”

“…”

Rebecca, who had been forcing a smile to maintain appearances, suddenly looked fierce.

“Don’t make that face. It’s scary.”

“You’re saying my face is scary now…”

“With your already intimidating looks, making such a menacing expression makes you look like a bandit. If the children over there saw you, they’d run away crying.”

“…You said the next song, right?”

Let’s start right away.

Unable to withstand my continuous provocations, the Princess finally accepted the bet.

“Fine.”

Unaware that it might be a fisherman’s trick, baiting the hook and waiting for the fish.

Soon, the song changed.

This time, it was a fast-paced waltz.

A nightmare for nobles just starting to dance.

“It seems like I’ve already won this bet.”

“…”

It was the song I struggled with the most during practice.

“It’s the song you find the hardest. Why don’t you just surrender now to avoid embarrassment?”

The Princess, having learned this during our practice, spoke as if she had already won.

“Take my hand, Princess.”

I simply smiled quietly and offered my hand to Rebecca.

*

“…There are fewer people now.”

A fact I hadn’t noticed until I extended my hand to Rebecca.

The Banquet Hall, which had been filled with dancing nobles just moments ago, now felt somewhat empty.

Perhaps the fast waltz was too challenging for the young ladies who had just debuted or the young lords newly entering society.

Most seemed to prefer not attempting it rather than risking mistakes and ridicule.

“That just shows how difficult this song is.”

“If you give up now, I might lower the stakes of the bet.”

The Princess wore a genuinely concerned expression.

As if predicting the humiliation I would face upon losing.

Even though she was the one who would be making the wish.

Realizing this, I thanked her for her concern.

“I’ve noticed something. You seem to worry about your fiancé more than I thought.”

“…I won’t go easy on you, so be prepared.”

With Rebecca’s chilling warning as the final word.

Finally, the introduction of the song began.

The waltz, in theory, was quite simple.

Holding your partner’s hand and stepping in sync while spinning. By definition, it didn’t seem too difficult.

‘By definition.’

As with everything in the world.

There’s always a gap between theory and reality.

Maintaining a steady step while spinning isn’t hard. What’s hard is doing it in sync with your partner.

Keeping both hands on your partner while maintaining the same step wasn’t easy.

With our bodies connected by our hands, if one of us stumbled, the other would lose balance too.

Making a mistake wasn’t just a personal failure; it affected both.

This was both the charm and the drawback of the waltz.

But despite these concerns.

“You tripped here last time too. Not this time, huh?”

I was managing to keep up with Rebecca quite smoothly.

“It’s still the early part.”

I didn’t let my guard down.

The song started slow but would gradually speed up.

Even if the beginning allowed some leeway, that would soon disappear.

As expected, the tempo of the song began to quicken.

“Valencia… the Princess, right? You’re dancing wonderfully.”

“…And who’s that beside her?”

“Her fiancé, I think. I heard she had one.”

“Whoever he is, he seems to be keeping up with the Princess just fine.”

The voices of nobles watching our dance reached us.

“Do you hear that? People are watching us.”

“If you know that, why not give up now? There’s nothing more embarrassing than being humiliated in front of an audience.”

“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”

Even though we were aware of the onlookers, our battle of nerves continued.

As the dance went on, the song reached its climax.

“Tired already? Your face is turning red.”

“…Is it?”

“Yes, so why not admit defeat now? People are more likely to make mistakes when they’re tired.”

Rebecca’s face was also quite red, perhaps from exertion.

My face probably wasn’t much different. The intense dancing was starting to strain my arms and legs.

And this meant it was time to unveil what I had prepared to win the bet.

“It’s only natural for me to make mistakes.”

“…What did you say?”

Rebecca reacted as if I had said something absurd.

But it was too early to be surprised.

I still had plenty of prepared lines left.

“How could I not make mistakes while dancing with such a beautiful fiancée?”

“…”

“Any man in the Empire would find it impossible not to make a mistake while holding your hand.”

“…Did you think you could sway my heart with such embarrassing words again?”

Her face was flushed, but Rebecca remained composed.

As if the defeats she had suffered until now hadn’t been in vain.

She had grown from always losing to me.

“If you really thought that, you’ve underestimated me…”

“You’re beautiful.”

“…What?”

But she hadn’t grown enough to withstand me yet.

“Out of all the times I’ve seen you over the past three years, today you are the most beautiful.”

“…”

“From your red, radiant hair that I want to touch, to your blushing cheeks, your eyes that hold only me, and your lips that make me want to kiss you right now.”

“…”

“I want to capture this moment in a photo and keep it forever.”

Only sincere words can truly fluster someone.

Though Rebecca might not realize it, the reason her face turned so red and she was so flustered was because my words were all genuine.

I took this opportunity to pour out all the dark, hidden thoughts I usually kept to myself.

“…Huh?”

Hearing my sincere and somewhat perverse words, Rebecca finally short-circuited.

And I didn’t miss this chance.

I subtly twisted the step I had been maintaining steadily.

“Ah!”

Already disoriented by my words, Rebecca naturally lost her balance when the step suddenly changed.

“As I always say, what would you do without me?”

“…”

I caught Rebecca with my arm as she was about to fall.

To the onlookers, it looked like I had embraced my fiancée to prevent her from falling after a misstep.

“Ahhh!”

Amidst the cheers of the noble ladies who were thrilled by this dramatic scene.

I quietly declared to the Princess.

“Isn’t that right, my beloved fiancée?”

This bet was also my victory.

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