The crystal chandeliers in the main ballroom shone brightly, casting halos of warm orange light across the floor.
The violinists of the Royal Orchestra had pressed their bows deep against the strings, playing the closing piece that symbolized the end of the Summer Ball—the final song, full of melodious tranquility. It echoed softly in the late-night air.
I took a deep breath. The dance was about to begin.
Extending my right hand with precision and composure under the watchful eyes of countless noble ladies and three male leads who looked ready to commit murder, I steadily led Liliana, walking with poise toward the center.
Now this actually felt like a heroine's grand entrance.
“If I may, beautiful lady,” I said, using a voice I had perfected from watching anime in my past life.
It was an indescribably heart-fluttering sensation. Wow, wow, wow.
I smoothly guided her to the center of the Royal Ballroom. There was still a crowd around, waiting for the music to begin.
Through the layers of expensive, delicate tulle, I could clearly feel her stiff posture and her rapidly racing heartbeat.
“Don't be nervous.” Though maybe I should have been saying that to myself instead?
“Alright... I hope I don't cause you any trouble.”
Her smile was incredibly cute.
Then, the music began to play, and it was so beautiful.
How could I describe this music? Even though this song shouldn't exist in another world, I couldn't help but find a striking similarity. Let's just use Ed Sheeran's song to describe it, because its name perfectly captured the vibe of the moment.
“I found a love for me,
Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead,
Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet,
Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me,”
With the first magnificent beat of the waltz, I swept Liliana into a perfect stride under the spotlight of everyone's attention.
...
Her light blue skirt twirled, spun, and blossomed across the marble floor.
The moment we fully dissolved into the dance floor, the flickering wall lamps, the jealous faces of the noble ladies, and even Leonhart and Meretskov standing nearby with grim expressions... everything belonging to this scheming, class-divided social arena faded away in an instant.
The world seemed to shrink to an absolute minimum in that second.
So small that in the entire grand Royal Ballroom, only the sound of our shoes brushing against the marble floor and the lingering, melodious notes of the violin remained. My gaze drifted slightly downward.
Oh well...
Plot be damned. At least for the duration of this song, I would make sure Liliana got to be the happiest heroine in the room.
“Darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own,
And in your eyes you're holding mine,”
...
“Um... excuse me...”
As our steps interlaced, Liliana lifted her face.
Wearing her light blue gown, she lowered her head very low.
“May I ask... honored sir... why did you walk over to that remote corner to invite someone like me... to dance with you?”
She didn't even have the courage to look me in the eye.
After all, in the eyes of others as well as her own, she was already an outcast publicly abandoned by the Duke of Aldheim's family. For anyone to associate with her tonight was practically playing with fire.
Yet, at this precise moment, an uninvited guest in a black suit had shattered the dead silence, practically dragging her back into the center of the dance floor and away from the freezing cold shoulder of high society.
Sensing her anxiety, I smoothly led her a step back in a gentle arc.
I couldn't help but feel a subtle pang of guilt.
Ultimately, if the actual male leads hadn't completely choked and done absolutely nothing at the critical moment, there would have been no need for a villainous daughter like me to step in. My original schemes were meant to nudge things along, but now that the script had completely run off the tracks—
I might as well play the savior to the absolute end.
“Because... although the Royal Ballroom is vast and the lights tonight are bright, if such a beautiful, pure lady were left to stand alone in a corner watching from afar during the final curtain call...”
I applied a touch of force, spinning us in a nearly perfect circle at the center of the dance floor, my coattails whipping cleanly through the air.
“...then that would not only be a disgrace to every gentleman here tonight, but a most unforgivable waste of such a gorgeous evening.”
“Miss Liliana, you deserve to have a share of tonight's brilliance. You don't need to care about anyone else's gaze. In my arms, all you need to do is enjoy this final waltz to your heart's content. That is more than enough.”
Ha... ha...
Trying my hardest to recall lines from otome games, I focused all my energy on maintaining a gentle, handsome expression.
In truth, there was a huge difference between using these lines in a game versus real life.
For one thing, saying them out loud made me feel incredibly embarrassed.
...
And although my lines sounded incredibly overbearing, for an ordinary heroine, they were incredibly effective.
“Th-thank you... You are truly... a deeply gentle person.”
The melodious, lingering notes of the violin gradually slowed down, and the surrounding nobles seemed to fade into a blur, becoming mere background characters to this spectacular center of attention.
Within the close confines of this dance.
“Um...”
As the song drew to a close during the final few turns,
“Would it be possible to know your name? Tomorrow... where should I go to find you?”
She was desperate to find out the identity of this savior who had dropped from the heavens.
Where to find me tomorrow?
If you can wait until eight o'clock tomorrow morning and step through the door of Magic Department Class 1-A, you'll see me with my light blonde hair up in an elegant bun again, wearing a flawless dress.
What a twist of fate.
But at least for this moment,
keeping this mystery unsolved was the ultimate respect to the plot of this otome game. Besides, I would only be making an appearance this one time.
There was no reason to let her remember me.
“My name?”
I led her through the final two dramatic spins of the waltz.
At the climax where her light blue gown and my black tailcoat crossed, I slightly loosened my grip on her waist, drawing a tiny bit of distance between us.
Looking at her pure face, which was a mixture of urgency and bashfulness, I let a handsome smile grace my lips.
Raising my left hand, I placed my index finger gently to my lips in a quiet “shh” gesture, speaking in a low, gentle, knee-weakening voice:
“Miss Lily, in this world, some beautiful secrets lose their most captivating colors if they are revealed too early.”
“As for my name... haha, there is no need to go out of your way to look for it.”
“When the time is right and our destinies intertwine once more, you will naturally learn who I am.”
“Dong—!!”
The final grand rest of the orchestral music, accompanied by the rigid halt of the conductor's baton, came to a booming end under the three-story marble dome of the Royal Ballroom.
The final dance was officially over.
In the center of the dance floor, a few sweat-slicked strands of my platinum-blonde wig clung to my forehead. Liliana and I stopped spinning, perfectly synchronized with the very last note.
I didn't immediately pull away.
Because for the heroine, there was still the most important shot—the CG scene that none of the male leads had triggered. Even though Providence didn't force me to, I felt a deep sense of guilt and believed I should make up for it.
Amidst the dead silence of the hall, maintaining a perfectly upright posture in my black suit, I bowed with Liliana.
Excellent. A successful curtain call.
I cleanly let go of her hand. A cold, handsome guy should never linger. Even if it was just a performance, I had to sell the act.
In the fraction of a second before anyone could recover from the stunning impact of this peerless, charming youth, I spun around, my black tailcoat whipping cleanly through the air.
Retracing my steps, I left with absolute style and grace under the shocked gazes of the entire crowd.
...
—The Ducal Changing Area—
The heavy mahogany door of the preparation room shut firmly behind me once more, sealing out all the clamor of the main ballroom.
I let out a massive sigh of relief, my heart still racing with lingering anxiety.
Thinking back, did I take things a bit too far?
There was no telling how many investigations there would be tomorrow! But they probably wouldn't find anything... after all, I was only there for a brief ten minutes and barely spoke to anyone.
Leaning my back against the door, I snatched off the high-quality platinum-blonde wig. My long, pale-golden hair, which had been bound in a hairnet, cascaded down like a waterfall in the slightly warm air.
“Phew...”
Collapsing onto the soft carpet with zero regard for my posture, I stuck my tongue out.
I was so tired.
The handsome guy was gone; only a completely burnt-out version of myself remained.
I had barely managed to pull off the male steps. I was just glad that I had been stubborn enough in my past life to learn the male part along with the female part when practicing dance.
By now, the white shirt on my back was completely drenched in cold sweat.
Looking back on everything that happened tonight... it was honestly so ridiculous!
But, no matter what.
I tiredly lifted my head and stared into the full-length mirror, looking at my delicate, slightly listless face now that the disguise was gone. Listening to the noisy chatter of the dispersing crowd from the main ballroom, a self-deprecating smile finally tugged at the corner of my lips.
Even though the whole process had been absurd to the absolute limit, at least... it was fully resolved.
Liliana was spared from any heartbreak tonight and got the CG scene she had been yearning for right at the end of the ball.
As for Leonhart and Meretskov, those two unreliable male leads—who knows what would happen to them in the future? Maybe it sparked some competitive fire in them? Hopefully...
“I'm so exhausted... Tomorrow morning, I am absolutely sleeping in...”
Letting out a sigh of life's exhaustion, I dragged myself back up and smoothed out my posture to keep up the act. After all, I had to change back into my villainous daughter outfit—or rather, return to my own gown—before leaving.
And so, amid a flurry of misunderstandings, chaos, and a handsome youth snatching away the spotlight, the Summer Ball officially... drew to a close. Or wait, not quite yet.
“Shirune... Go and let them know. Actually, forget it. We have to let them off the hook this time. If they're dragged out, it'll be too hard for me to explain my own actions.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Rate on N.U.
