However, I truly felt confident. What’s wrong with calling someone handsome if they are?
“Oh, I see….”
“Thank you, Seraphina. You look absolutely stunning today as well….”
As it got closer to the time for us to attend the banquet, Simone extended his hand to me with a gentle smile.
“Shall we?”
“Pardon?”
“I need to escort you.”
Ah, right. I forgot this place has that kind of culture.
I naturally took Simone’s hand. Since the banquet was being held at the imperial palace, we could walk there. The palace was so vast that the path was somewhat complicated, but a servant guided us along the way.
When we finally arrived at the door of the banquet hall, the servant announced loudly:
“The honored guests from the Kingdom of Boleno have arrived!”
At last, the doors to the hall opened, and a flood of bright light made me squint slightly.
The hall was overwhelmingly decorated in gold, with countless candelabras lighting up the space. The sight was truly dazzling.
Inside the banquet hall, I noticed a group of nobles from the Empire of Cassan. Since we wore similar attire to theirs, our outfits didn’t particularly stand out.
Most of those inside were young nobles, giving the impression that this was a banquet specifically for the younger generation.
After we entered and found a suitable spot to stand, a servant announced the arrival of the first prince, and Allan made his appearance.
After exchanging greetings with several nobles, Allan approached us.
“Oh, thank you all for coming today. I hope everyone has a delightful evening.”
“Yes, we’re honored to be invited,”
I replied, and Allan’s gaze shifted toward me.
“Then, Mademoiselle, may I have this dance?”
“Ah….”
Wouldn’t dancing with the prince draw too much attention?
As I was considering this, Simone’s voice cut in.
“Oh, I’m Seraphina’s partner for tonight.”
“Is that so? I wouldn’t dare take away the first dance with her partner.”
Right, I recalled that such etiquette existed. While I nodded, remembering the manners of high society, Simone extended his hand to me once more.
“Seraphina, shall we step forward now?”
“Ah, yes.”
The first piece of music began to play, and the young ladies who had arrived with their partners stepped forward. I carefully took one of Simone’s hands and rested my other hand on his shoulder.
“Are you a good dancer?”
“Uh, I’m not bad.”
At least the original Seraphina was skilled at dancing, and I have her memories now.
Simone gave a slight nod, then began moving to the rhythm, stepping slowly. Step, then turn here.
At some point, I realized that I was naturally moving to the music. The movements flowed as smoothly as water.
“You were being modest. You’re a good dancer.”
“Well, it seems so….”
But Simone was equally skilled at leading. Every time he guided me through a turn, he gave a gentle pressure to his hand, making it easier for me to follow.
“This is the first time I’ve danced with you, Simone.”
“Indeed, back then, Seraphina was quite popular.”
“Did you know me?”
“I often saw you with Aurora. I remember your name and face.”
While the male leads were popular in social circles, the original Seraphina, before I took over, had no interest in them. She was more focused on Princess Eva than any of the men.
Because of that, I barely have any memories of the male leads from before. It felt strange that Simone actually remembered me.
“Seraphina never paid any attention to me. You were far more interested in Aurora.”
“Yes, I suppose I was….”
“Thinking back, it’s a shame. We could have become close sooner.”
“Is that so….”
His words felt strangely intimate, and just as I tilted my head in puzzlement, the music ended.
The second piece was about to start, but I didn’t feel like dancing any longer.
“Shall we step away?”
“Yes, let’s.”
We moved from the center of the dance floor to the edges, where Arkhangelo stood, arms crossed.
“Arkhangelo, why are you here alone?”
“This body does not dance with others.”
“Oh, I see….”
Since I didn’t see Raffaelo and Ghieuspe, I glanced around and noticed them dancing at the center of the hall.
“Raffaelo went to dance with a young lady who approached him. He enjoys the attention.”
“What about Ghieuspe?”
There’s probably no one less suited to this setting than Ghieuspe, so why is he dancing? Maybe he gathered some courage…
“Ghieuspe just couldn’t say no and got dragged in.”
Ah, so that’s what happened.
“My lady, may I have this dance?”
A noble approached out of nowhere, asking politely, but I gently declined. After all, we weren’t here to mingle.
“I see. I was drawn to your beauty and wanted to introduce myself.”
“Seraphina already has a partner,”
Simone said coldly, causing the noble to bow his head and leave.
Hmm, come to think of it, Simone has definitely been treating me better than before. I suppose I can trust him.
Just as we were about to continue talking, a group of nobles approached us. It was a mixed crowd of young noble ladies and gentlemen.
“Greetings, you must be the guests from the Kingdom of Boleno?”
The woman in the center of the group was wearing an especially extravagant dress.
She looked at us with a smile and introduced herself.
“I am Alice Ophilette, the second princess of the empire. It’s a pleasure to meet our esteemed guests.”
Ah, so she’s the second princess, the one rumored to be aiming for the first prince’s position.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess. I am Simone, the Marquess of Monteverdi.”
“I am Arkhangelo Phyro….”
“Haha, Princess, Arkhangelo’s eccentricity often shows in his words due to his artistic nature.”
“It’s alright, artists can be like that.”
Thankfully, Alice seemed to interpret Arkhangelo’s peculiar manner of speaking as an artistic quirk.
“So, the Marquess of Monteverdi and a genius tenor, hmm, I see….”
“I am Seraphina of the Count Viviana family. A spatial mage.”
“Oh, a mage? Where are the other two?”
“There they are… Ah, they’re coming now.”
Just then, Raffaelo, who had finished dancing, and Ghieuspe, who finally managed to slip away from his partner, were heading toward us.
After Raffaelo introduced himself as a fire mage and an army captain, and Ghieuspe mentioned he was a dark mage from the magic tower, Alice glanced around at us with a curious expression.
“Indeed, it seems fitting that a country advanced in magical engineering would have three mages among its delegation.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But focusing too much on one area often disrupts balance. I hear that Boleno tends to look down on studies other than magical engineering?”
