Sigrid

Sigrid tilted her head as she stepped. Beramund, surprised by an unexpected fact, said:

“To be honest, I was prepared.”

“For what?”

“For my feet not surviving.”

At those words, Sigrid frowned slightly and said:

“I might have to attend the grand ball held at the Imperial Palace. I practice sufficiently in my daily life.”

Beramund laughed and said, “That’s so like you.” He pulled her waist closer. Sigrid thought it might be too close for dancing, but since she had never actually danced before, she let it be. In the end, she had never attended an Imperial ball.

“After the dance, shall we have a private conversation?”

‘Ah, is this about the Crown Prince?’

“Alright.”

Sigrid nodded.

‘A secret conversation in a crowded place. Is it like hiding a tree in a forest? Indeed, if it’s a secret conversation, a place like this might be better. I should commend the boldness of attempting this.’

As the first waltz ended and people exchanged greetings, the introduction to the second song, a polka, began. While people lined up, Beramund and Sigrid slipped out of the hall.

“This way.”

As they stood in a corner of the garden outside the terrace, the cool night air brushed their cheeks. Even in summer, it was much cooler outside than in the hall. Sigrid took a breath and said:

“Lord Lunatil.”

“Yes?”

“You’re too close.”

“It’s fine, no one’s watching.”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Sigrid looked at Lunatil, who was standing so close their chests almost touched. His hand wrapped around her waist as it had during the waltz.

“The dress seems to fit perfectly. My instincts haven’t failed me.”

“It fits surprisingly well.”

“I thought while choosing it that your skin might be smoother than silk.”

As his hand slowly slid up her back, Sigrid clenched her fist, then relaxed it, considering their close position. Instead, she slightly shifted her lower body back. When Beramund looked down in confusion, creating a gap, Sigrid’s round knee struck upward into his abdomen.

“Ugh—!”

He inhaled sharply. It was an unexpected blow.

“Ah—”

Sigrid lowered her leg and shook her head. The dress had prevented a proper impact.

As Beramund clutched his stomach, tears welling in his eyes, Sigrid said in a calm tone:

“Please don’t do this.”

“?!”

Beramund’s heterochromatic eyes stared at Sigrid.

“You’re the one who kicked me?!”

“You’re the one who touched me, Lord Lunatil.”

Beramund groaned. This was going to bruise. It would definitely bruise. By tomorrow, there would undoubtedly be a large, round bruise on his lower abdomen.

“If you don’t like it, you could say so before resorting to violence.”

“I told you before, but you just laughed.”

“Ah, really.”

The pain, combined with the unpleasant feeling of being kicked and various other factors, made his irritation rise as he glared at Sigrid. Then he let his shoulders slump.

“I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Surprised by the unexpected apology, Sigrid shook her head.

“No, I wasn’t particularly offended.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but I don’t like you touching me without permission.”

“So if I get permission, I can touch you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, can I touch you?”

“No.”

After firmly refusing, Sigrid took a deep breath and said:

“Didn’t you have something to discuss in private, Lord Lunatil?”

“I was trying to just now, but I got kicked.”

“…?”

Seeing Sigrid’s puzzled face, Beramund sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“No, it was a joke.”

Sigrid stared blankly at Beramund’s face before exclaiming, “Ah!” She remembered seeing a similar situation in a romance novel Lowengrin had lent her.

“So you were suggesting we engage in secret and passionate activities in the garden. I apologize. I thought you wanted to discuss matters related to the Crown Prince… I misunderstood and kicked you. I’m truly sorry, Lord Lunatil. If I had known that was your intention, I wouldn’t have come out here.”

“No, that apology is a bit… And that was really half a joke.”

Beramund started to explain, then chuckled and shook his head.

“No, I did intend to talk about that too. Come to the Imperial Palace tomorrow morning. Let’s meet at the west gate around 11 o’clock.”

“Alright.”

“But, Sigrid.”

“Yes?”

“You have no interest in secret and passionate activities?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Really? Not even with me? Or how about that Morris fellow from earlier?”

“I have no such intentions with anyone.”

After saying this, Sigrid frowned for a moment, sighed deeply, and said:

“Lord Lunatil.”

“Yes?”

“As you can see, I’m not a very entertaining companion. I can’t even understand jokes properly. I only recently learned that you’re from a ducal family. I’m from an orphanage, and I’m not good with words. It wasn’t long ago that I started having conversations beyond simple greetings.”

She took a deep breath and looked at Beramund. He was also looking at her with a serious expression.

“So I think there must be some misunderstanding in your desire to be friends with me.”

Sigrid was well aware that her social skills and way of speaking were somewhat off. Confronting things head-on was all she could do.

“That’s exactly what I want from you.”

Beramund said in a low voice. Sigrid’s eyes widened at his words. He smiled slightly.

“And a position isn’t something you can easily give up, Lady Ankertna. Think about the 1st Imperial Guard once more. It’s not right to use the privileges and then abandon the duties.”

“That’s…”

“So strictly speaking, you’re still mine. Aren’t you?”

“That’s not true.”

Sigrid said sharply, then fell into thought. She couldn’t always rely on others for judgment. In the end, the decision was hers to make.

“Lord Lunatil.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s be friends.”

“Oh?”

Beramund blinked. Sigrid, extremely tense, said:

“I don’t quite understand why you’d want to be friends with someone like me. But I’m happy that you say you want to be friends with me as I am now. Even if it’s you. Marie-Chez said there are different levels of friendship, so, um, why don’t we start from the first step?”

“Alright, let’s start as friends then.”

Beramund said with a smile, and Sigrid nodded at his words. Then one thing puzzled her.

‘Starting as friends… what comes after that?’

Best friends?!

Hah, Sigrid inhaled sharply in surprise.

‘Best friends… what an ambitious dream. I should learn from this.’

Imagining herself becoming best friends with Marie-Chez, Lowengrin, Morris, Alkerto, and Arkana made her chest swell with happiness, and Sigrid smiled.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Sigrid gracefully curtsied, holding the hem of her dress, then turned swiftly and went back inside without looking back. Beramund slowly lowered the hand he had extended into the air and sighed.

‘Ah, it really hurts.’

He groaned, rubbing his lower abdomen as he made his way back inside after a while. With just a glance at the dance floor, Beramund could spot Sigrid dancing the quadrille.

‘Who’s that now?’

Unlike the black-haired man from earlier, this one was blond.

Sigrid took the final step, bowed to her partner, and asked:

“Is your arm really okay?”

“It’s fine.”

Alkerto grinned and took Sigrid’s hand, passing her to Morris as he said:

“Your turn.”

“Ah, finally.”

Morris sighed deeply and asked Sigrid:

“Are you alright?”

“I could dance all night.”

“You’re certainly confident in your stamina,” Sigrid laughed. The music returned to a waltz, and Morris lightly placed his hand on Sigrid’s waist as he asked:

“What was that about with Lord Lunatil earlier?”

“He said he wants to be friends with me.”

“What? And?”

“So I said okay.”

Morris let out a groan. Would Lunatil care for Sigrid as much as she would care for him as a friend?

I’m worried you’ll just be taken advantage of.

Morris swallowed those worried words.

As the dance ended and everyone bowed to their partners, Morris didn’t let go of Sigrid. He lightly bent forward and gently touched his forehead to hers.

“Don’t make me worry too much.”

“Okay…”

Sigrid answered obediently, and Morris raised his head, smiled brightly, then took a step back and bowed politely. Sigrid quickly curtsied, holding the hem of her dress, then left the dance floor. She wasn’t tired, but there was no one else to dance with.

Alkerto repeatedly jabbed Morris’s side with his elbow, wearing a dubious expression as Morris exited the dance floor. Morris said, “It’s not like that,” but Alkerto remained skeptical.

Meanwhile, Sigrid found two people shining even among the large crowd.

“Marie-Chez.”

Marie-Chez, who had been batting her eyelashes at the men surrounding her, turned to Sigrid and smiled.

“Siri.”

As Marie-Chez recognized her, Sigrid had the surprising experience of seeing the men part like the Red Sea. The men also cast friendly glances at Sigrid.

“Are you Marie-Chez’s friend?”

“Your friend is beautiful too.”

“May I ask your name?”

Marie-Chez brushed off the flood of questions with a smile. It was the kind of smile that made every man there think, ‘That smile was for me.’

“Excuse me for a moment, I need to talk with my friend.”

Marie-Chez took Sigrid’s hand and led her away from the group of men. Sigrid sighed and said:

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Talking to so many people at once.”

“It’s just like fighting multiple opponents at once.”

At Marie-Chez’s words, Sigrid nodded in understanding.

“Then it’s still too much for me.”

It was challenging enough to talk to one person at a time, let alone engage in multiple conversations simultaneously. Marie-Chez smiled at Sigrid’s words and whispered:

“Thanks for coming at the right time.”

“Did I?”

“Yes, I was starting to get bored.”

“Really?”

“There aren’t any decent men.”

Marie-Chez linked arms with Sigrid as she spoke, making Sigrid feel like her heart had stopped.

‘Arm in arm! How friendly!’

Her face flushed and her heart raced. Unaware of this, Marie-Chez continued with a sigh:

“You know, like a spark, as if fireworks were going off. There’s no one who catches my interest like that.”

“Ah—”

Sigrid recalled the few romance novels she had read at Lowengrin’s recommendation. In those stories, the heroine always meets a heart-fluttering destined partner. While she might never encounter such a person herself, Marie-Chez surely could.

“Now then, let’s go rescue our friend from those chattering old ladies.”

Marie-Chez said with a smile. Sigrid was momentarily confused.

“Chattering old ladies?”

“Yes. Ah, there they are.”

Marie-Chez majestically parted the crowd and arrived in front of Lowengrin. Three or four middle-aged ladies were talking to her.

“So, how long do you intend to continue this game?”

“Game?”

“A noble young lady being a knight… The Viscount Alsekidna’s daughter isn’t a tomboy, is she?”

“That’s right, you should get married and have children soon. When I was your age, I already had two kids.”

“Doesn’t your fiancé say anything?”

“He respects my opinions.”

“That’s only for a while. Men soon start looking at younger women. You need to have a son while you’re young to keep him in check.”

“That’s right.”

As Sigrid frowned at the conversation, Marie-Chez skillfully slipped into a momentary gap in the dialogue. It was as smooth as cutting butter with a butterknife.

“Hello—”

“Oh my, it’s the Countess Inglet’s daughter.”

“You look beautiful today as well.”

“But why don’t you have a fiancé yet?”

Marie-Chez responded to the ladies’ teasing laughter with an “Ah” and a smile, saying:

“A viscount isn’t quite enough for me. Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with being a viscount, Lady Donna.”

Marie-Chez said this and quickly continued before Viscountess Donna could speak.

“May I borrow Lowengrin for a moment? We young ladies have our own topics to discuss. Thank you. Lowi, let’s chat for a bit.”

Marie-Chez said, pulling on Lowengrin’s arm. Lowengrin said, “Excuse me,” and slipped away from the ladies. She whispered:

“You were too harsh, Marie.”

“I was harsh on purpose. No matter what I say, I’ll be criticized anyway.”

Lowengrin smiled faintly at those words and added:

“Thanks for rescuing me. If I had stayed any longer, I might have started tearing up the handkerchief I was holding.”

“Don’t mention it.”