IYWHM Chapter 61

“You’re here, Kisa.”

Seyard greeted Kisa with a smile as she returned to the banquet hall, and immediately followed with a compliment.

“You look beautiful again. Especially, your shoulders seem warm now.”

“Well, my shoulders weren’t particularly cold earlier either. Anyway, thank you for the compliment.”

Kisa smiled back and looked around the banquet hall. The guests were maintaining their same seats from the engagement ceremony, enjoying the course meal served by the duke’s household staff.

“Come, let’s go to the guests now. Naturally, we should start with the table where the princess is seated, right?”

It was time for the couple to visit each table together to receive individual congratulations on their engagement and to greet those they hadn’t properly met before the ceremony.

‘The princess is a bit intimidating, but…’

Even if she had to endure congratulations that masked sarcasm, there was no avoiding it.

However, as Kisa attempted to head toward the princess’s table, Seyard stopped her.

“It’s alright. I’ve already greeted them briefly while you were away.”

“Oh, Seyard did it alone?”

“Yes, so let’s go have our meal now.”

“But these things should be done together…”

“Kisa, didn’t we agree to set aside strict formalities for our engagement ceremony?”

He guided her with one hand on her back while pointing to the seats where they had sat while listening to Gabriel’s performance.

Food was already prepared there, ready to be eaten.

“Besides, you must be getting hungry, right? You seemed to have a rather light breakfast.”

“Ah.”

That was true. Regardless of excitement, it was inevitable to feel nervous about such an important event.

When she got engaged to Daniel, she was too young, and they had only a simple engagement ceremony with just family members.

‘Honestly, my memories of it are quite vague.’

In other words, this was effectively Kisa’s first proper engagement ceremony.

And due to her somewhat sensitive constitution, Kisa had always been prone to indigestion when eating while nervous.

It was only natural that on the morning of the engagement ceremony, she would eat just enough to keep her stomach from growling.

“…You were watching me.”

“Of course. We ate together, after all.”

“Even though you were busy.”

During the meal, he had been intensely occupied discussing urgent matters with Gilliam.

As the Duke of Hillan managing a large domain, he couldn’t focus solely on his own affairs even on the day of his engagement ceremony.

“No matter how busy I am, I would naturally notice that much. Anyway, let’s hurry. The food will get cold at this rate.”

Kisa felt relief spreading in her chest as Seyard led her to the table.

‘This is definitely the Seyard I know.’

Though he might have some peculiarities in his way of thinking, it didn’t change the fact that he was a good person.

Rather, it was only natural that his thinking differed from others given his unusual upbringing.

Having reached that conclusion, Kisa completely dismissed the lingering doubts in her mind.

“Thank you, Seyard. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

She said happily as she sat down in the chair.

The real reception party could be said to begin after the late lunch.

As the duke’s servants efficiently cleared away the tables and chairs to the outside, a space for the ball was immediately secured.

Needless to say, the first dance would be performed by today’s protagonists.

Kisa and Seyard stood in the center of the banquet hall, facing each other and assuming their positions.

Soon after, the orchestra began to play, and the two moved their bodies to the melody.

With her waist entrusted to Seyard’s firm arm, Kisa recalled the memories of the past few days.

In fact, she hadn’t been visiting the Hillan mansion repeatedly just to observe the engagement preparations as if they were someone else’s business.

She had a rather serious purpose: to teach Seyard how to dance.

Although she might not match up to him in other areas, dancing was one realm where Kisa was confident.

She considered herself quite skilled, and most importantly, Seyard was a complete novice when it came to dancing.

He had been sent to the monastery long before reaching the age to enter society, and even after returning to the capital as an adult, he had never danced in front of others.

There were even speculative articles suggesting that the new Duke of Hillan’s dancing skills would be catastrophic.

Kisa herself had clearly witnessed him simply watching others dance at Habertz’s charity banquet, which he attended as the princess’s partner.

For these reasons, Kisa had confidently said to him:

[Let’s practice dancing together! If there are difficult parts, I’ll teach you as best I can. Despite appearances, I know a fair bit about the male dance steps too.]

Not long after, she was completely deflated.

[…What is this? How can you dance so well?]

The catastrophic part wasn’t Seyard’s dancing skills but Kisa’s grand misjudgment.

He danced exceptionally well.

To Kisa’s question, Seyard responded with a face that seemed to ask why she was inquiring about something so obvious.

[Well, because I learned it.]

[You learned to dance?]

[Yes.]

[When?]

[About a month ago. I figured I should be familiar with it if I’m to attend social gatherings.]

[Goodness, only a month ago?]

[Ah, to be precise, I’m still learning. I haven’t been able to call my dance instructor at all these past few days due to various commitments, so the course isn’t completely finished yet.]

He was even saying he was still in the process of learning. Kisa couldn’t close her mouth.

Isn’t he too perfect, this Seyard Hillan?

Bloodline, personality, abilities—he seemed flawless in every aspect.

What she had thought was his only flaw—being born as the younger of twins—no longer hindered his path forward.

In any case, though Kisa had long known he was an outstanding person, it was hard to shake off a bitter feeling.

‘Couldn’t you have left at least one area where I excel more?’

She had truly believed she could be of help to him this time.

“Kisa, focus.”

Seyard, pulling her body closer to him, whispered quietly.

“What if you make a mistake?”

As he said, letting one’s mind wander while dancing was not advisable.

“Well, don’t worry too much. I’ll catch you if you’re about to fall.”

How annoying his confident face was—Kisa complained inwardly.

‘Is it a lie that you first learned only a month ago? Perhaps you practiced intensively at the monastery…’

Of course, that was an unreasonable accusation.

Seyard’s dancing was excellent, but something revealed that he indeed hadn’t danced much before.

His dance moves were too textbook.

He lacked the personal habits that experienced dancers typically develop.

For example, experienced dancers often omit or minimize movements they don’t like, while inserting or exaggerating ones they enjoy.

Fundamentally, dancing in society wasn’t about being evaluated but about enjoying oneself.

People would readily incorporate their preferences as long as it didn’t interfere with coordinating with their partner.

But Seyard’s dancing could be described as colorless and flavorless.

She hadn’t noticed when they first danced together, but after several dances, it became clear that for him, dancing was something to be learned rather than enjoyed.

‘Even so, the fact that he learned so admirably in such a short time is astonishing enough…’

Looking at the man who lightly lifted her by the waist, Kisa resolved to dance with him as much as possible from now on.

So that he could find his own style.

****

“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”

As the world was tinged with sunset hues, Kisa escaped to the terrace and heaved a deep sigh.

Until just moments ago, she had been overwhelmed by guests, and had barely managed to escape when Seyard provided cover.

Everyone showed great interest in the Duke of Hillan’s fiancée and was clamoring to speak with her.

From flattery about how fantastically she had danced to intrusive questions about when she would marry Seyard.

She was nearly losing her mind as each guest tried to corner her for conversation.

‘I knew it would be like this, but not to this extent.’

Since the engagement announcement, Kisa hadn’t attended any large social gatherings, so this was her first time personally experiencing her newfound popularity.

Fortunately, no one seemed to have seen her come here, and there was no sign of anyone approaching.

Thanks to that, Kisa enjoyed some peaceful time alone on the terrace.

Until she heard a familiar voice from below.

“I understand. If you insist…”

It was Gabriel, who was in the garden.

He seemed to be conversing with someone else while standing not far from where she was, though the other person was hidden by a large tree.

“Then please come to the back of the annex an hour from now. It’s a place where no one is currently using, so even the servants rarely approach it.”

The other person must have nodded in response, as only Gabriel’s voice could be heard.

“Yes, then I’ll see you there later. I’ll make my feelings for you clear. And also say my farewell…”

His voice was tinged with deep melancholy, causing Kisa to hurriedly crouch down.

She instinctively felt that they shouldn’t discover her presence.

It seemed Gabriel was planning to confess to Seyard.