The Power of the Saint is All Around (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 5

Act 5:

Debut

“A DEBUT?”

“That’s right.”

One day, while I was making potions like usual at the institute, Johan summoned me to his office to meet with an official from the palace. Johan and I sat down on one of the sofas as the official told us they would be holding a debut ceremony.

Whose debut? Mine, as it turned out.

It seemed a bit ridiculous to do this after I’d already been in the kingdom for so long, but when I considered the current state of affairs, I realized there was no avoiding it. Aira and I had been unexpectedly summoned to a world in crisis, threatened by miasma and monsters, so things had been a bit chaotic for the palace.

Thus, the Saint’s debut had kept being postponed. 

However, now that there weren’t nearly so many monsters, it was finally time.

Honestly, I thought it would be better if everyone just let it go and didn’t go out of their way to set anything up. When the king had formally apologized to me, there had been a sea of nobles present. Couldn’t that count as my debut of sorts?

Welp, it didn’t. That was just one of the little agonies that came with belonging to the upper echelons of society. I didn’t really get why it wasn’t okay, but everyone else seemed to have a ton of reasons for thinking so. For one thing, the apology hadn’t been held in front of every single noble in the kingdom, so apparently everyone who’d missed the affair needed an invitation to the upcoming event.

“They’ll hold your debut at the end of the season, then?” Johan asked while looking over the invitation addressed to him, which he had received from the official.

“Seems so. They’ll be introducing me at a ball hosted by the royal family.”

By “season,” Johan was referring to the social season. During this period of time, most nobles left their domains to come to the capital, where they hosted and attended numerous parties and socialized with each other. No one was obligated to go to any particular event. However, the royal family hosted balls to mark the beginning and the end of the season, and if you received an invitation to either, you were expected to show up no matter what. Therefore, the officials at the palace figured that if my debut was held at one of these balls, nearly everyone would be able to attend.

My debut ceremony would be held in the afternoon, and the invitees included the heads of the families as well as anyone else who wished to observe. The evening ball was exclusive to adults, which was how it went every year.

That did mean there would be a social function not only in the evening but the afternoon as well. It seemed like it would be rather stressful for everyone involved, especially as the official assured me that everyone would go all out for the big day.

I also learned that a number of people had refrained from attending social events during the past season due to the threat of monster attacks. Some hadn’t even come to the capital, being too busy contending with the monsters in their domains.

However, with the steep decline in the monster population, for the first time in a long while, the general outlook was cheerful. Having restrained themselves for so long, this year the nobility were sure to dress to the nines, especially since the end-of-season ball was to be even fancier than it had been lately.

“Don’t just act like this is somebody else’s problem,” Johan said teasingly. “You have an obligation to attend both of these events.”

My face fell. “I have to go to the ball too?” 

Johan sighed. “Of course.” 

I would have gone happily if I could expect to be left alone as a wallflower. It would have been fun to see everyone dressed up in such a gorgeous setting. Unfortunately, since it would be right after my debut, people were going to go out of their way to pay extra attention to me. I had grown more accustomed to this, but I still hated being the center of attention. 

Ah, well, no point wallowing in self-pity. I had to think positively. Johan had received an invitation as well, so at least one person I knew would be there. Would he be the only one…?

My face grew hot as I remembered something Albert had said to me before. I tried to cover it up, but in so doing, I gave myself away.

“What’s wrong?” Johan asked.

“Nothing.”

“All right, then.”

Normally Johan would have pressed me for an answer, but for some reason, he didn’t. I supposed the palace official was still there with us.

Does Albert actually remember asking to be my escort? Would he escort me to this ball? That would make me feel a lot better about all this.

The conversation with the official wrapped up as I was fretting, and we saw him off at the door to the institute. 

The second he was gone, Johan turned to face me. “So? What was on your mind earlier?”

“Huh?”

“You were making a weird face.”

“Oh…” I’d just managed to wipe the worry from my memory, but then he had to go and remind me. But the thought of bringing up the topic of my escort was too flustering to articulate, so I changed the subject. “I’m just a little bit worried about the ball.”

“Why?”

“I bet I’ll be the main event.”

“Of course you will be.”

“Right.” I sighed heavily.

“Do you dislike the notion so very much?”

“I’m just not comfortable with it. I’d prefer to hang out around the edge.”

“Not a chance.”

“I had a feeling.” I understood that, but I deflated all over again when he said it.

Seeing me so disheartened made Johan chuckle. “I did just receive this invitation, so don’t worry. I’ll be with you.”

“Thank you.”

“I bet Al will be there as well. He’ll be a better shield than I will, I suspect.”

My heart skipped a beat at that name. I dropped my gaze to the ground so that Johan didn’t notice. “Lord Hawke will be there too?”

“I’m sure of it. He’s the knight commander of the Knights of the Third Order, after all. There’s no way he won’t be invited.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“In fact, I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed to have a chance to request your permission to escort you.” 

This time I heard the laughter in his voice and looked up to find him grinning. I pouted to hide the fact that my cheeks were burning, which made Johan’s laughter escape him.

A few days later, just as Johan predicted—or had he known something I hadn’t?—Albert asked to be my escort.

“So, about that ball after your debut…”

“Yes?”

I had gone to Albert’s office to deliver a document regarding potions the Order had ordered when he suddenly stopped me from leaving with those words. I balked and turned to find him blushing ever so slightly.

Such destructive power! Even I started to blush. 

“Would you like me to be your escort?” he asked.

“Um, yes…please…” We had discussed this before, during one of my dance lessons. Did he remember that? I trailed off at the end there, but my answer made him smile happily.

For some reason, the temperature in the room suddenly shot up.

“Shall I come fetch you at your chambers in the palace?”

“Y-yeah. I’ll be there all day.”

Both my debut and the ball would be held on palace grounds. It would take even more time for me to get ready than it did for my lessons, so I was going to be sleeping at the palace the night before.

I had seen my maids just a day ago, and they were already in incredibly high spirits about the whole ordeal. They were planning to give me a massage before I went to sleep and to be even more attentive the morning of. One had clenched her fist as she declared this would be a grand test of their power.

I’ll tell you a secret—the fervor in their eyes scared me a bit.

I was to wear a different dress for each event. This was one reason for my maids’ enthusiasm. I would need to change clothes between the debut and the ball, which meant I wouldn’t get a break. However, I couldn’t complain. My attendants would be the ones doing all the hard work—all I had to do was sit there.

“My maids are really excited about my costume change.” I felt kinda self-conscious, so I looked sideways as I told Albert about all this.

“Is that so?”

“Mm-hmm. So, yeah, that’s why I’m going to be staying at the palace the night before.”

Because I wasn’t looking at him, my heartbeat gradually slowed. However, I probably shouldn’t have looked away. I wound up missing Albert’s mischievous expression—he’d just thought of something.

I heard the scraping of his chair and looked back up again to find he had walked right over to me. Just as I frowned in confusion, he lifted a lock of my hair and brought it to his lips.

“I can’t wait to see you all dressed up,” he said with a chuckle as he kissed my hair.

I gasped, and my once-wrangled heart ran wild again.

***

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of my debut finally arrived. My skin was all shiny and supple thanks to my overnight spa experience in my chambers at the palace. I was surprised. The difference in my skin was immediately clear as soon as the maids finished my massage. It was as if I had been reborn. I couldn’t hide my even greater surprise upon waking the next morning—my skin was still perfectly smooth and glowing.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, I’m just surprised that my skin looks as good as it did yesterday.”

“Well, we did use your skincare cream, my lady.”

“Oh, that can’t be it. I think it’s because you’re all such skilled masseuses. Thank you.”

“You flatter us, my lady.”

They truly were good with their hands. I doubted I could develop a product that would do half of what their skills accomplished. Mary and my other maids grinned with delight as I once again expressed my gratitude.

After my makeup was finished, it was time to get dressed. One of my maids brought out a robe just like she had for my Lady’s Days and showed it to me. “This is what you shall be wearing for your debut ceremony.”

“This?”

I’d thought I’d be in the same robe I had worn during my formal audience with the king, but this one was, er, different. It had the same aesthetic—white cloth with golden embroidery—but it was even more ornate. To begin with, far more of the fabric had been embroidered, and the designs even more intricate. Clear gems had been threaded through the patterns, and they glittered in the light.

It was so magnificent that I couldn’t help but stare at it, dumbfounded. Words of protest threatened to pour out of my mouth, but I held them in. I had a feeling that if I declined this option, my only other options were even fancier.

My maids clearly guessed what I was thinking, because to a one, they wore placating smiles.

“You look lovely.”

“Th-thank you.”

With that, Saint Version 2.0 was complete. I worried I looked ridiculous, but my maids beamed as they nodded, and every last one of them had something nice to say, so it had to be okay, right?

I honestly felt like the robe was wearing me, but I also felt like that thought didn’t give enough credit to the maids who’d worked so hard to make me presentable in it, so I pushed it down.

Now that I was ready, all I could do was wait while sipping the tea Mary had made for me. Before long, there was a knock at the door. My escort had arrived.

My escort for this event was a knight I didn’t recognize. He was probably from the First or Second Order, though. We exchanged rote greetings and headed to the venue.

One knight stood ahead of me, one to my left, one to my right, and yet another behind. I was surrounded by them as we walked down the corridors of the palace. Talk about pretentious. I knew there was nothing I could do about it because of decorum, but it was so over-the-top that my smile turned stiff.

Nevertheless, my lessons had taught me that when out in public, the Saint—or rather, a noble lady—always slightly curved up the corners of her mouth so that she wore an eternally gentle expression. I tried to do as much while we walked through the palace, but if my teacher had seen the rigid expression I kept falling back into, I would have received a failing grade.

After a few minutes, we arrived at the entry hall where those who would participate in the ceremony had gathered. At the head of the group, I spotted the king and the prime minister. They said something to a knight standing nearby before turning to face me. The ring of people parted, opening a path for me to make my way to the two of them.

One of the knights led me over. I was so nervous under the stares of even this group that I couldn’t think of anything to say beyond, “Thank you for arranging everything for today.” I figured that would be harmless enough. Hopefully.

The king smiled—point to Sei, she passed the test! “It was our pleasure,” he said. “I am even more pleased to at last formally welcome you into society.” 

Greetings done with, it was time to begin. Everyone who had a role to play had now arrived. The king moved to stand in front of the grand doors to the main hall, and I went to stand behind him. A servant opened the doors, and the murmurs we heard coming from the other side fell silent.

The tall king was like a wall, so I couldn’t see past him, but I knew there were a lot, a lot, a lot of people present, and my nerves started getting the best of me.

Keep calm. Get a hold of yourself. I took several deep breaths. 

The king began to walk. I stared at his back so I wouldn’t look at anyone else as I entered the hall. We soon turned and headed up the stairs of a tall platform. The king stopped in the middle and faced the front of the crowd. I stopped a few steps behind and to his left, where I did the same. We had rehearsed this bit before.

Thank goodness for that. I had been taught where to stand and what to do in advance. I probably would have just flailed about in confusion otherwise. I was profoundly grateful to the officials who had taken the time to walk me through it all, despite how busy they had been with everything else they’d had to do to throw this event together. It was thanks to them that I was able to stand on that stage without losing my mind.

“The Saint was brought to us thanks to the Saint Summoning Ritual, and today, I present her to you.”

Upon hearing the king’s words, I pinched my robe to lift the skirt and perform a curtsy. I dropped my gaze to my feet as I did so, but I sensed everyone bowing or curtsying back to me.

As I straightened, I looked ahead and saw that sea of eyes turned on me. I froze. I was so nervous that I wanted to throw up. I had to do something or I would stare blankly into space forever.

The king continued next to me, speaking of monsters and of my efforts to slay them in the countryside, which had already seen the results of my actions. Some people knew this story already, but in this speech, the king officially made the news that monsters were no longer a threat common knowledge. The atmosphere brightened at this. However, I didn’t notice. I was still staring straight ahead, sliding into panic.

Then I spotted Johan, standing in the back. He was dressed formally in an elaborately decorated knee-length coat and vest. I’ve never seen him all fancied up like this before, I thought. 

Our eyes met. Johan lifted an eyebrow and grinned as he pointed somewhere close to the platform. I followed his pointing and my eyes landed on Albert.

Albert wore his knightly regalia, and he had been watching the king with an impassive expression, but when he noticed my gaze, his face softened. Just a little.

My body instantly relaxed, and an answering smile spread across my face. That one glimpse brought me so much comfort, and I managed to raise my eyes enough to see that Albert was accompanied by some other familiar faces.

Yuri and Lord Smarty-Glasses were wearing much showier robes than usual. Yuri noticed my attention and gave a small wave. Lord Smarty-Glasses, standing behind him, just furrowed his brows ever so magnificently. That turned my smile into a chuckle.

What the heck are you doing, Grand Magus? 

Amused by Yuri’s typical lack of decorum, I glanced around again. This time, I spotted someone I wasn’t expecting: Liz.

Huh? What’s she doing here? My eyes widened in surprise. Liz saw me notice her, and the smile on her face deepened. I smiled more broadly in turn. I really thought there’d only be adults at this thing, but I guess not.

As I looked closer at the crowd, I spotted other people about Liz’s age.

Now that I think about it, the ball is supposed to be adults only—but I didn’t hear anything about an age restriction for this event. That must be it.

Soon, the king finished his speech and concluded the ceremony. I followed him back out of the hall.

“You did well in there,” the king said as I sighed with relief.

“Thank you.”

“You must be tired. You ought to go rest in your chambers until the ball.”

“Thank you. I shall do just that.”

“Then we shall see you tonight.”

While I was okay physically, it was true that I was mentally exhausted—even though the whole thing hadn’t even lasted that long! The king clearly understood how I was feeling, so he didn’t drag out our conversation any longer.

I heard increasingly loud noises coming from the hall where the people were still milling, but I opted to take the king up on his offer and headed back to my chambers. I asked the knight who had been my guide to escort me back. I didn’t want to impose, but I also didn’t know the layout of this part of the palace. I doubted I could make my way back on my own.

The knight readily accepted and escorted me with the same squad of knights as before.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back.” Mary greeted me with a smile. 

She led me over to the sofa, and one of my other maids brought some tea. Had they been told in advance that I was coming? They seemed awfully prepared.

As I relaxed with my tea, one of my maids standing closer to the door began to move as if she had noticed something. Was someone here? I watched curiously as she spoke with someone outside the door before coming over to me.

“I apologize for disturbing you while you’re at rest, but you have guests.”

“I do? Who?”

“His Royal Highness Prince Rayne and Lady Ashley.”

I was surprised to hear this, to say the least. Liz was one thing, but Prince Rayne? It seemed rude to leave them waiting out in the hallway, so I told her to bring them in at once.

I stood, and Liz and I curtsied to one another. We were both being more formal than usual because of the other guest.

“Good afternoon, Sei.”

“And a good afternoon to you as well, Liz.”

“I apologize for intruding during your private time, but I simply had to see you in that gorgeous robe up close.”

“Is that so? Well, please don’t concern yourself with me. And may I ask who is accompanying you today?” It would be best to get this part out of the way sooner rather than later.

“This is your first time meeting him, isn’t it? Allow me to introduce you to the second prince of our kingdom.”

Hearing it from the maid was one thing, but hearing it from Liz herself was something else. Here he was, the second prince. He had the same red hair and red eyes as the king, though his looks were a bit softer than his father’s. Maybe he took after his mother.

“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Rayne Salutania. It is my utmost honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Saint.”

I was taken aback by his exceptionally polite manner. “The honor is all mine, Your Highness. My name is Sei Takanashi. Please, there’s no need to be so formal with me. I am not used to speaking so.”

It was thanks to my etiquette instructor that I didn’t squeak in some unseemly way—and also that I was able to keep my composure.

“Very well, then. I shall do as you request.”

Greetings accomplished, I invited them to sit on the sofas. Liz and I took one while Prince Rayne sat across from us. A maid handed us fresh cups of tea as we did so.

“I apologize for intruding during your rest,” Prince Rayne said with a cheerful smile.

“It’s quite all right.”

“I’ve heard so much about you from Lady Ashley, so I wanted very much to meet you.”

Liz had been planning to come see me after the event, and when the prince had heard, he had asked to come along. It sounded like Liz had really talked me up, so I feared His Highness thought I was, shall we say, kinda cool. Prince Rayne told me shyly that he had wanted to meet someone of such astounding virtue.

What the heck has Liz been saying about me?! I had every reason to be wailing internally. I mean, I didn’t deserve such praise! I wasn’t virtuous or saintly in any regard at all!

“I see,” I said as I trembled under the weight of the prince’s expectations.

His expression suddenly grew serious. “Please, Lady Saint, you must also allow me to apologize for my elder brother’s actions. He caused you such offense.”

“Your elder brother? Oh, right…” For a moment, I didn’t follow, but then it hit me. He was referring to the crown prince. I had completely forgotten about that kid. “The king has already formally apologized on his behalf. Please, don’t worry yourself about it as well, Your Highness.”

“I thank you for your magnanimity.”

“Don’t, uh, I mean, you are welcome.”

He’d gotten all formal again, which flustered me. 

Prince Rayne smiled ruefully and quietly apologized again.

Honestly, I had considered the whole thing over and done with after the king’s formal apology, but the prince seemed to have been fretting about it for a while.

He sure has a strong sense of duty.

I didn’t know what to do with someone blameless trying to take responsibility for something, so I just accepted the apology for now. I really hoped he wouldn’t let it bother him anymore, especially since I myself had already forgotten it.

With that over, Liz started speaking in a cheerful voice to help lighten the mood. “It’s my turn now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was the one who wanted to talk to you first. His Highness merely tagged along without my permission,” Liz said primly, which made the prince chuckle.

Liz was being a bit more forward than usual, which I suspected she was doing on purpose to cheer us up. Plus, the prince’s reactions made me pretty sure that these two were close friends.

“I have to say, I was surprised to see you at the debut,” I said.

“We aren’t allowed at the evening ball, but I simply couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity to see you in all your finery. So, I asked my father to permit me to attend.”

“I usually dress up for our tea parties. I would hardly count this a special occasion.”

“But you usually wear gowns during the tea parties, and now you’re wearing that splendid robe.”

“True…”

“And I’m sure you’ll be wearing a far more gorgeous gown for the ball than you do for our little get-togethers. I would so like to see how you look in that as well.” 

Ack, it was so cute how Liz sounded like she was sulking. I couldn’t help but want to indulge her.

In the end, we agreed to go to more parties together next year, since she’d be considered an adult by then. I dreaded standing out, but Liz seemed pleased, and that was good enough for me. My maids seemed pretty pleased with this promise as well.

After that, the three of us chatted for a bit about their lives at the Royal Academy, and before I knew it, it was time to get ready for the ball.

It was so fun chatting with them; I really got absorbed in the conversation. The three of us promised to have tea again sometime soon, and with that, our impromptu tea party came to an end.

***

The curtain of night began to fall, and my escort arrived at my chambers. I fluttered with anxiety as I stood from the sofa and looked toward the door. Albert stepped into the room and stopped, his eyes widened just so.

“I look forward to this evening,” I said.

“Me…me too…” Despite my greeting, Albert seemed at a loss for words. He continued to stare. At me.

I knew it! This dress was totally wearing me. Oof. I didn’t bother asking how I looked.

The gown was even more extravagant than the kind I usually got stuffed into. It was adorned with jewels that glimmered in the light every time I moved. The jewels alone made it luxurious, but the dress was made out of some kind of heavy white cloth that shimmered with a golden sheen. It was embroidered with the same kinds of designs as the robe I had worn that afternoon. Additionally, multiple layers of sheer lace and golden stumpwork embroidery covered my chest and elbows; three-dimensional ribbons, flowers, and other designs accentuated the gown here and there.

In brief, I had zero confidence that I looked like the kind of person who should be wearing this unquestionably exquisite dress. My maids claimed that I looked stunning, and I didn’t like to gainsay them. However, as a commoner, I just didn’t have the self-assurance required to pull it off.

Meanwhile, Albert looked just as I expected him to. Instead of his usual uniform, he wore finery more appropriate for a ball, and he looked terribly dashing. His coat was made of a lustrous dark blue cloth. Intricate golden embroidery ran along the edges of his lapel, placket, and hem. The vest he wore underneath was white and embroidered all over with colorful flowers.

Although he looked far more dapper than he normally did, unlike me, he was the sort of person who looked oh-so-natural in these kinds of clothes. Must have been because he really was from a noble family.

I was captivated by the sight of him, I admit—so much so that I frankly deserved a little praise for managing to actually speak first.

We continued silently taking one another in until Albert broke the silence. “I apologize. You look so pretty that I couldn’t find the words.”

“H-huh?”

Now it was my turn to be at a loss. That had made a real impact on me. He had complimented me before, the few times he had seen me wearing a gown, but today his offensive prowess was truly something.

It’s like he’s three times more powerful than usual because he’s dressed up all nice like that. Despite this thought, I couldn’t tamp down the bashfulness, and my cheeks grew hot. I tried to think of something to say, something that would hide my shyness, but instead I accidentally blurted, “You also look…”

“Hm?”

“Oh! Uh! Never mind!”

Calm down, me! What was I on the verge of saying?! I realized mid-sentence how embarrassing I was about to be and fell straight into panic. However, my attempt to cover up my own self-consciousness didn’t work at all, because now Albert was blushing too. What am I supposed to do in this kind of situation?!

We both sank into silence again, which was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. It was the official who had come with Albert. “It is almost time for the ball.”

I snapped back to my senses. My maids were all smiling at me.

Oh, nooo! I’ve done it again… I mentally cringed. Here lies Sei, doomed to repeat history.

“Oh! Sorry!” I felt on the verge of tears as I apologized to the official, who looked awfully awkward. 

At last, we started making our way to the ball.

The ball was being held in a different hall from where I’d had my debut. It was the biggest room in the palace. The doors were proportionate to the room’s grandeur—as big as the doors I’d had to pass through for my audience with the king. I looked up at them from where we stood at the back of the line of people waiting to go inside. 

The people with the lowest court rank entered first, and those with higher ranks followed behind. As the Saint, that made me last, with the exception of the king, who was hosting the ball. By the time we reached the door, nearly everyone had already gone inside.

The moment someone went in, a footman announced their name for the guests already inside. In a way, I was just another person who had been invited to the ball, but all eyes were sure to be on me. I cowered at the thought.

“Feeling nervous?” Albert asked, concern in his tone. I had tensed up.

“Yeah.”

Albert rubbed the back of the hand I had wrapped around his arm to soothe me. I looked up at him to find him looking back at me with a gentle smile. I relaxed a bit. It was almost as if he had told me not to worry.

That’s right. I’ve got him by my side now. I won’t be on my own, like I was at the debut. The warmth on my hand gave me courage to proceed through the doors.

“Lord Albert Hawke, son of Marquis Hawke, and Lady Sei Takanashi.” Our names were announced as we entered the ballroom. As expected, everyone turned toward us.

I tried to smile like I had been taught to in class, but I feared that my expression looked too forced. I focused on the throne in the back of the room, ignored everyone else around me, and somehow managed to overcome my anxiety.

I let Albert guide me toward the throne and successfully avoided bumping into anyone along the way. Maybe it was my Saint’s power at work. I kind of felt like Moses parting the Red Sea.

I stared straight ahead as we proceeded to the throne. We stopped in front of it, and it wasn’t long before the king entered the ballroom from a door nearer to the dais.

He paused to give a speech, which formally started the ball. He reminded us of the greatly diminished number of monsters, which inspired cheer in the gathered crowd. However, it didn’t improve my mood all that much.

As I thought about what would come next, I was once again seized with apprehension.

Though the speech was made by a man of great power, he kept it short. The king raised his right hand, and the orchestra that had been on standby began to play music. It was finally time. 

Albert led me to the center of the ballroom. Once we arrived at our designated spot, I let go of Albert’s arm, and we turned to face one another. I returned his bow with a curtsy. We began to dance.

I moved my body to the music as I strove to remember the right steps. Even though I was panicking in my mind, I took care to smile and try to appear graceful.

As we danced, Albert spoke. “Sei.”

“Yes?”

“Look at me?”

Oh, right! I was supposed to look at my dance partner’s face. My head had been fixed staring straight ahead, so I turned my face to him. He smiled sweetly at me.

His passionate gaze scored a direct hit. I missed a step, but Albert quickly righted me.

This is taking all I’ve got. Please don’t attack me like that right now!

“Sorry,” I apologized.

“No, that was my fault. I did it without thinking. You’re so tense.”

Feeling guilty about the crime you committed, eh? I shot him an accusing look, and he apologized again. But why was he smiling while he did so? Maybe it was because we were dancing, but he seemed too amused for that. I couldn’t help but feel like he’d done it more to tease me than to help me relax. It was fair to be a bit miffed, right?

During this exchange, the dance neared the final stage.

Phew. I think I’ll be able to make it all the way through.

“Sei…I’m glad we could dance together. Thank you.”

“Thank you as well. It was fun,” I responded with a smile just as the dance came to an end.

At that, Albert bowed, and I curtsied again. All around us, the people clapped.

***

After that arduous trial, Albert led me over to the wall. The people we passed were going to be dancing during the next song. This was a ball, after all, and there would be many more songs and many more dances.

I saw Johan waiting where we were headed. I didn’t recognize him at first, as he was dressed up for the ball too. I was struck. He really was handsome, wasn’t he?

Johan took a couple of glasses from a page walking by and held them out to us. “Nice dancing out there.”

“Thanks.”

“Thank you.”

I casually took a sip of the drink. I thought it would be alcohol, but it turned out to be fruity water. I was quite thirsty after all that dancing, so I appreciated Johan’s forethought.

“Looks like they’ve been teaching you well, here at the palace. You’re an excellent dancer now.”

“You think so? I tried really hard not to mess up any of the steps.”

“I mean it, you did wonderfully. You did have Al to help if you made any mistakes, so it’s not like you would’ve had any problems anyway.”

“It certainly didn’t feel that way in the moment! What with everyone staring at me.”

Johan hadn’t been the one out there dancing under so much scrutiny, so I wished he would stop making it sound like it had been so easy.

Albert seemed to feel the same way. “If that’s so, then maybe you should get out on the dance floor too.”

“Oh, don’t suggest something so absurd. You know I’ve distanced myself from all this.”

“But you have to dance with Sei, or—” Albert lowered his voice a bit, then stopped and took a sip from his glass before silently averting his gaze.

Johan glanced around as well and heaved a sigh. “Well, I suppose I am here because I was worried this would happen.”

“It’s just as you predicted,” Albert agreed.

They looked exhausted, but they seemed to be discussing something I wasn’t privy to.

What are they talking about? I peered about curiously, but something stopped me. 

Johan cleared his throat and schooled his countenance. “May I have this dance, my lady?”

I was speechless. He had spoken in such a perfectly formal manner. As I blinked at his fake smile, I thought absentmindedly that, until now, I had never really gotten the impression that he truly was a noble.

I couldn’t stop staring at him in surprise. He kept his expression utterly serene as he whispered, “Answer me.”

I swiftly placed my hand in his proffered palm, and he guided my fingers to his arm. “Johan?”

“You can look around but only with your eyes. Don’t move your head. You’ll see those who have set their sights on you.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

That had an awfully dangerous sound to it. I cautiously cast my eyes about the room and noticed, here and there, people who were watching me.

Johan explained in subdued tones that these were people who wished to become “acquainted” with me. They were watching me like predators on the hunt, hungry for an opportunity to pounce. The fastest man to “make my acquaintance” would have the privilege of inviting me to dance.

“You’d rather dance with me than with someone you don’t know, right?” Johan asked.

“You’re absolutely right about that.” I was uncomfortable enough dancing with Johan, but doing the same with a stranger was far too high a hurdle for me.

However, while I didn’t mind dancing with him, I had never done so before. I was fairly sure that I was about to trample his feet.

If I do, I suppose I’ll give him a potion. A low-grade HP one would work, right? I thought as the song came to an end, and the people intending to dance next proceeded to the center of the hall.

As we walked, I apologized in advance, just in case I actually did step on his foot.

“By the way, can you dance?” I asked.

“Good question. It’s been a long time since I last came to a ball. I have little confidence in my skills.”

“Oh. Well, if I do trip all over you, shall I grace you with a potion?”

“I wouldn’t use something so important for that. Just try not to break my toes,” he chuckled as the dance began.

I was pretty sure Johan was lying when he claimed to have low confidence in his skills. Dancing with him felt different from dancing with Albert, but Johan was a good lead, and he made it easy. I talked to him every day, so I didn’t feel weirdly nervous or anything. I actually suspected that I danced even better than I had before. It might just have been my imagination, though.

“What should I do after this dance?” I asked. I thankfully felt comfortable enough to hold a conversation. “Shall I keep alternating between you and Lord Hawke as my partner?” 

I was really hoping I could get away with giving my favor to the two of them all night, but Johan crushed those hopes.

“Al might want to keep going, but I’m done after this.”

“But I can just stay with Lord Hawke for the rest of the night, right?”

“You can, but I think Al is looking for reinforcements even as we speak.”

“Oh! Is he?”

“Indeed, I saw him wander off just a moment ago.”

I understood the need to find alternates. I had learned in my etiquette classes that dancing with the same person over and over was considered problematic in a number of ways. Thankfully, Albert was trying to ensure that I wouldn’t have to dance with strangers. But who in the world could act as such a reinforcement? Other knights from the Third Order?

I recalled the faces of the knights I knew as the song came to an end and we headed back to our original location. There was indeed someone I recognized waiting for us—someone I had not expected.

“Good evening, Lady Sei.”

“Good evening, Lord Drewes.”

Yuri was the last person I had imagined filling in for Albert. And standing behind him was Lord Smarty-Glasses.

“We heard you were in need of our aid, so here we are,” Yuri said with a radiant smile. He was also dressed in ballroom attire, looking as beautiful as you’d imagine a prince should look.

“Oh, thank you very much.”

I was genuinely surprised to see Yuri here. He was never interested in anything other than magic. Was he just used to participating in these kinds of things as the head of the Royal Magi Assembly?

Not so much, it turned out. According to Lord Smarty-Glasses, it was unusual for Yuri to show his face even at the end-of-season ball. I looked at Lord Smarty-Glasses curiously, and he simply said: “His older brother ordered him to come.”

Older brother? Huh? Yuri has an older brother? My mind was full of question marks, but the next song was beginning, so I went back out to the dance floor with Yuri.

Much to my surprise, Yuri knew how to dance as well. He had good reflexes to boot, as might be expected from someone known to be obsessed with fighting. However, his personality came out in the way he led—he was much more forceful than Albert and Johan had been.

It really was a different experience, dancing with different partners. I’d just learned something new. I had only ever really danced with my teacher before.

After Yuri, I did a round with Lord Smarty-Glasses. I was told later that it was unusual for Lord Smarty-Glasses to dance as well, so there was some commotion as we made our way to the dance floor. There had been a bit of murmuring when Yuri accompanied me, but people hadn’t gasped about it as much as they were now. It really was a rare show.

Incidentally, in terms of who was best at leading, I would rank Lord Smarty-Glasses just after Albert.

I learned later from Johan that he and the other three were notorious no-shows at the balls. It was no wonder then that I had received some rather frightening looks. I really wished they had warned me about that first! Being glared at like that without knowing why had done horrors to my stomach. I really would have appreciated being prepared for that ahead of time…

In any case, thanks to the four of them, I managed to survive the grand affair.

***

After my debut into society, my halcyon days of nothing-much returned. I had feared that once my existence became public knowledge, nobles I had never met before would try to make my acquaintance, but they largely left me alone.

“It sure is peaceful,” I murmured as I handed Johan a cup of coffee in his office.

Johan took the cup and savored its aroma as he looked up at me. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, everything’s gone back to the way it was before my debut.”

“Ah. Well, the palace is probably working to ensure that.”

“They are?” I tilted my head to the side inquisitively, prompting Johan to provide more details.

Thanks to his and Albert’s efforts to guard me during the ball, no one had been able to get close to me. However, that didn’t mean that every interested person had given up. Those who were still fixated on forging a connection with me were probably sending invitations to tea parties and balls to the palace in an effort to somehow make my acquaintance.

“I haven’t received any invitations, though.”

“I expect the palace officials are politely declining them.”

“You think so?”

“There are still monsters out there, right? I imagine they’re using that as the excuse.”

We hadn’t received any news about another black swamp yet. However, I was on standby so that I could be deployed as soon as they found one. And of course, monster slaying took precedence over tea parties and the like, so I understood how that made for a good excuse when it came to social events.

“In that case, I can just focus on my research for the time being.”

“Hah! That’s right.”

But wouldn’t you know it, I jinxed myself that day, laughing and chatting with Johan. My plan was immediately foiled.

Just as I was about to leave Johan’s office, there was a knock at the door. Johan invited them in, and a servant entered along with one of the palace officials. The grave expression on the official’s face made clear that I was about to be asked to go to the palace with all possible speed.