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I must have gripped Vasily's arm tighter without realizing it. I felt him pat the back of my hand with his other hand. Just as every gentleman and lady attending the banquet slowly raised their heads, the music began.
Only then did I feel I could breathe.
'Haa.'
Music really is... the best... amazing...
"Tell me, Lara. Which turn is mine today?"
Amidst the banquet, which had begun to grow noisy again with the music, Sergei asked me.
"Turn?"
"The dance."
Ah, right. Unless one particularly dislikes a ball, is it not polite to dance the first dance immediately?
If today had been an Imperial ball, my first through third dance partners would have been filled by family members. And the fourth... I answered, erasing Valentin's face which had suddenly popped into my mind.
"Of course... the second. Probably?"
"What do you mean 'probably'?"
Sergei let out a hollow laugh, yet he looked somewhat satisfied.
'If Vasily hadn't said those things, I would have danced with Sergei without a second thought.'
Well, whatever. One should only mind others to a reasonable extent.
The moment I vowed to dance the second dance with Sergei, a familiar voice grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. It was Duchess Nikitin.
"Seryozha?"
She spoke kindly, gesturing toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
"Miss Maria of Shirkov has arrived. Go and greet her. This banquet must be her first as well, so help her feel at ease."
At the sudden suggestion, Sergei's eyes clouded with bewilderment. He refused in a tone that suggested he couldn't accept it.
"Right now? I can't. Mother, if I go, who will... Lara..."
However, Duchess Nikitin was firm.
"Mind your words. Her Imperial Highness is someone that I or your father should attend to, not you. Seryozha, surely you aren't planning to keep Miss Maria Borisovna Shirkov waiting?"
Sergei looked back at me with a speechless expression.
Even if you look at me with those eyes, there's nothing I can do, Sergei. She is strictly a guest... and the Duchess's claim isn't wrong.
"Go on. I'll see you later."
With the smile gone from his face, Sergei gripped my hand tightly before letting go.
"...The second one is mine, Lara. Don't forget."
As I watched his retreating back as he left reluctantly, my mind gradually became complicated.
'Is the Nikitin family rejecting me?'
It was too early to say for sure. Duchess Nikitin had always been a person who valued etiquette. Since both the Duke and Duchess were staying by my and Vasily's side, it was only right for the eldest son of the family to look after other attendees.
Timely, Vasily pulled my hand as if he had been waiting. Since his gesture clearly indicated the start of the first dance, I slowly caught my breath and composed my mind.
"Vasily, even if I step on your feet, you have to pretend I didn't. I heard that's basic gentlemanly etiquette. Right?"
"To think the time has come to show your dancing skills to the whole world. How quickly time flies."
"I've practiced hard in the meantime, but trying to dance in a hall that isn't the Imperial Palace makes me feel like I might throw up..."
"Only five years ago, I could have held you on my two feet and danced."
"Excuse me. Are you listening to me? I said you have to act like nothing happened! As if a feather had landed on your instep!"
As I urged him, tapping the tips of Vasily's toes with the tip of my shoe, he stroked my back and replied in a calm voice.
"That's enough of the cute worrying. If your steps get tangled, I shall make everyone in this ballroom close their eyes. Would that put you at ease?"
Vasily is not the type of person to commit such an absurd act. However, perhaps because of his unwavering expression right in front of me, it didn't feel like Vasily's joke would end as just a joke.
Ah, no! The moment the nerves in my entire body stood on end, the music began.
'If I make a mistake, it'll be big. Definitely big.'
Imagining a news headline that might read <The Ugly Princess Who Cannot Even Dance Properly, Unlike Her Distinguished Siblings>, I moved my arms and legs with all my heart.
Perhaps thanks to that? Time flew by in an instant, and I was able to finish the dance without any major mistakes. Although a bit of cold sweat trickled down my neck from pretending to be relaxed.
"Come this way, Lara. The ballroom is crowded with people who wish to greet you."
Furthermore, the cold-hearted Vasily did not grant a break to my exhausted self...
When I lightly moistened my throat, a group of men quite familiar to me were gathered before Vasily and me. These three handsome men shared two things in common: they were from families belonging to the historic Council of 19 Nobles, and they were Vasily's close friends.
They laughed boisterously, with expressions as if they had lived long enough to see everything in the world.
"My goodness, to think the day has come for the young Imperial Highness to hold her coming-of-age ceremony."
"It feels like only yesterday that Vasily used to carry Her Highness in his arms while playing card games."
"Haha. I'm glad she's grown up so well. If she had grown a bit slower, he would have been holding her hand even in the banquet hall. Don't look at me like that; I'm certain of it."
After exchanging light greetings with familiar faces... it would be the turn of the strangers. An unavoidable sequence. After all, there were no more familiar faces left.
Just as I finished the champagne Vasily handed me and caught my breath, a blonde man approached us politely. The moment I was about to perceive the arrangement of his features and the color of his eyes.
"Philip Viktorovich Iyen. His womanizing tendencies are as flamboyant as his sleek beauty. Aside from the fact that he loves women, there are no particular disqualifying factors, but you can consider him a young man whose greatest flaw is that he loves women."
A presence that had quietly pressed close behind my back whispered in my ear. Clearly, without missing a single syllable.
'...Duchess Nikitin?'
Wait, who did she say that man was? Surely the Count of Iyen's...
"Lara, greet him. This is the Young Count Philip Viktorovich Iyen of the House of Iyen."
"Ah... it's a pleasure to meet you. You've styled your bangs very wonderfully."
The man smiled brightly and left a soft kiss on the back of my hand.
He continued to chatter skillfully while maintaining eye contact, but it didn't really register in my ears. Why? Because I was crazily mindful of Duchess Nikitin behind my back...
Just as the four of us (Duchess Nikitin naturally joined our conversation) were beginning to ask after one another, another shadow stood beside Vasily. It was a tall, thin man. At that, Duchess Nikitin whispered once more, pretending to hand me a fresh glass of champagne.
"This is Maksim Borisovich Porfe. Rumors of his alcoholism are widespread. He is a pleasant young man to have as a friend, but I do not recommend getting any closer than that. They say he turns into a violent beast when he drinks."
Was it because of the explanation that hit only the key points? The man's blue eyes suddenly looked quite glazed.
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