A Dance Together
“………honestly, it was such a pain.”
Having finally finished greeting all the invitees, Lizbeth came walking towards me with a tired look.
“We-well, I’m happy that you came back to my side but……”
Even now, I ended up showing an unnecessary consideration towards Lizbeth.
I wanted to be with her so much but, there was a chance that it would end up giving her some bad experiences as well.
However.
“………Prince Rudolf, do you not wish to be with me, your fiancée…….?”
“!! As if!!”
Seeing her tearful expression, I quickly refuted it in a panic.
I simply wanted to not cause her problems but, even more than that, I didn’t want to make her sad.
“Then, why…….?”
“th-that’s, well, um…….as you may already know, I am not exactly very well liked in this country so……hey!?”
“Prince Rudolf.”
As I tried to grind the words out of my teeth and averted my eyes away from her, Lizbeth grabbed my head with her both hands and forcibly made me look directly at her.
“Those fools who don’t even look at the real you and only judge you by the relationship between the Emperor and your mother, you need not trouble yourself over their worthless opinions. Also..”
Lizbeth brought her face closer to mine, close enough that the tip of our noses were basically touching.
“You are always looking at me, no? What worth is there in the gazes or acknowledgement of the rest of the rabble for me anyway?”
Saying that, she grinned at me.
A, ahaha……as expected of the woman who assassinated me in the future, she’s so harsh, or rather, she really doesn’t hold back her feelings huh……
“That’s……..Thank you for saying that.”
“Of course.”
Her feelings made me so happy, that I could only give her my honest words of gratitude.
It was right then.
“Ah……..the music has begun playing.”
“That it has indeed.”
As if urging people to start dancing, the song resounded inside the hall.
Today, Lizbeth was the leading actress of course. Until she doesn’t begin to dance, the rest of guests won’t start either.
“………..Prince Rudolf, will you not invite me to dance with you?”
Her aquamarine eyes glittered, as Lizbeth stared directly at me.
“F-forgive me……..but in truth, I never really learnt how to dance……”
I do technically have the memories of my previous life as well, so while I do have basic education, when it comes to dancing, someone like me who has always been isolated in the palace would have no way of even knowing where to start.
Above all, there’s no other woman anywhere that’d be interested in dancing with me other than Lizbeth.
………In my previous life, I did ‘dance’ during a village festival though that wasn’t really what I’d count as a formal dance.
“fufu…….in that case, I’ll get to be your first ever partner then, correct?”
“Wha!?”
She forcefully pulled my arm, and dragged me to the centre of the hall.
“Prince Rudolf, I’ll take the lead so just relax.”
“a, ahahaha…..”
At this point, I can’t run away anymore. If I did, it’d be terribly rude to the girl who finally chose me to dance with.
And also.
“To finally have a dance with your highness, it’s like a dream come true…….”
I get to dance with Lizbeth who looked so incredibly happy. This was a dream-like situation for me too you know.
“Come, and match my step okay? One, two three. One, two, three.”
“One, two, three. One, two, three…….”
Focusing down on my feet, I tried to match the rhythm as she hummed it.
The last thing I want to do is to accidentally step on her pretty feet.
“My prince, it’s basic manners to look at the face of your partner when dancing, you know?”
“Oh, c’mon……..”
Lizbeth rebuked me, making me groan pathetically.
But when I raised my face, I saw her smiling teasingly at me.
I guess, I just have to work extra hard to not step on her feet while also continuously looking straight at her as well.
And so…..
“S-somehow, I managed to finish without stepping on her feet………!”
Hands entwined with hers, I gave a deep bow.
The gazes directed at me from the surroundings were the same as always, full of scorn, just like in the palace. But even so….
“Fufu! Prince Rudolf, you were simply marvelous!”
If I get to see Lizbeth looks this happy, I guess I could try dancing again in the future as well.
Although……. I’ll need to practice a lot more for next time.
As we left the centre of the hall, a bunch of other guests finally began to move in to replace us and started dancing.
As expected of the people who did this regularly, they were all pretty good at it……….
While I was lost in my carefree thoughts….
“Nghu!?”
“Prince Rudolf, you must eat properly as well okay?”
Suddenly, I piece of food attached to a fork was thrust towards my mouth, making me jump in surprise.
Ho-how do I say this, well, was Lizbeth always this caring and service minded……??
Ah but well….
“*chew*………yeah, that��s tasty!”
“Glad to hear that!”
Seeing my relish the food, Lizbeth also smiled vividly.
Ahaha, this is certainly my first time having dinner with someone. I can’t help but enjoy it greatly.
Yeah……..the girl from that day………to think that just having her by my side would make me this happy………
“fufu, your highness, veggies are next.”
“eeeh……..can we stick to meat if possible……..?”
“No, we may not. You must maintain proper balance in your diet.”
Even such silly little interactions for me were like a dream coming true.
Furthermore, it was fact that she was doing this all for my sake, so of course it made me incredibly happy.
It was at that moment.
“……….Prince Rudolf, may I have a moment of your time?”
………..Marquis Fahlcrantz came up to me and spoke with a stern expression.
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