Volume 1 - CH 16

After a quiet intermission of shuffling dance partners, the music resumed once more. This time, even more of the audience directed their gazes toward the dance area.

They stared, watching entranced as an angel-fairy pair created a mystical world of their own.

Leading the dance was the lovely fairy princess, Luciana of House Luthorburg.

And the girl whose hand she held captivated the audience with her delicate steps and graced them with presence of an angel. All wondered her identity, but none had an answer.

And yet they complemented each other perfectly. For the audience, it was a wonder that this pair could perform such an elegant, graceful dance together.

For the girls in question, however, being capable of this much was perfectly normal because, even if their roles were currently reversed, they had danced with each other up to this very day.

Melody was, after all, giving Luciana dance lessons for the sake of this very ball, and although Melody had taken the male role in their practices together, Luciana had seemingly learned how to perform simply by watching.

Before they knew it, the two had made their way onto the center of the dance area.

Without a word, the other dancers had naturally moved out of the way and cleared the center, as though they had reserved the area specifically for the two.

Their lovely performance spread like a wave to the other dancers; their light and delicate steps and the energetic twirls like vivid flowers in bloom caught the eyes of others, and the people around them began to follow the girls’ lead.

As the fairy and the angel shifted from one technique to the next, the dancers around them followed suit as they watched, and the performance spread out like ripples in water.

There was no leader or conductor, and yet the crowd of dancers moved in sync like a first-class performance troupe with years of practice. And of course, this was only possible due to the the natural charm and grace of the beautiful fairy-angel pair.

Melody, an unfortunate victim Luciana captured, was extremely confused; Luciana was being herself and wearing a bright smile, but it was obvious from her eyes that she was hiding a bad mood behind that smiling facade.

…Or so it should have been, but at some point, Luciana had shed her mask for a genuine smile.

It was as though Luciana were truly enjoying the dance… oh!

(This is… the part I told her about yesterday, that she needed to improve on it. Except I was leading so that she wouldn’t make any mistakes.)

Luciana had properly absorbed Melody’s lessons. The excitement of this realization began filling Melody’s tense heart with passionate heat.

(This part, too! Oh, and this part as well! My lady understands the importance of the lead!)

As the dance continued, Melody’s heart, frozen with anxiety, began to thaw.

There was no room to escape now that the dance was in full swing. Resigned to her fate, Melody simply followed Luciana’s steps but soon grew increasingly eager to have Luciana lead her through the dance.

— After all, her mistress was giving this dance her all: Luciana was entirely serious about this.

And suddenly their eyes met — and Luciana’s eyes conveyed her feelings.

(Well, it doesn’t matter, and I shouldn’t care about those kinds of things anyway! Let’s just enjoy the dance, Melody! This is so much fun!)

That simple message completely dispelled the chill around Melody’s heart.

(Yes, my lady!)

And so begins their musical together.

The fairy innocently pranced about the meadow, running, jumping, rolling, carelessly slipping and laughing. The angel followed closely and watched over carefully, as though saying with gentle resignation, “There’s no use stopping her”.

All around them were beautiful flowers adorning the land. When the fairy sang, the flowers fluttered with delight; when the angel beckoned, the flowers released their petals with glee.

It was a singular frame of paradise, a still of heaven come to earth. Such were the thoughts of the audience watching this beautiful performance before their very eyes.

Then, as the music approached its climax, Melody, carelessly following the mood, created a happy little accident.

A truly magical spectacle occurred in the hall as the floor began to glow with a faint silver radiance.

All around them, the partygoers were in various states of surprise; the only person who has not noticed the magic was Melody herself, focusing even more on her dance than Luciana was.

Various lights followed different paths, as though each were retracing the steps of a dance, but it was impossible to distinguish who or what the lights were following.

But it would all eventually converge.

It was then that Melody’s excitement, already swelling from answering Luciana’s seriousness, reached its climax, and the elation in her heart triggered an overflow of magic in the form of silver light.

With every step she took, brilliant silver shone where Melody had lifted her foot, creating a mystical silvery trail all across the dance hall.

This magical spectacle surprised even Luciana, but she maintained her composure. Luciana was a proper and model noble lady, after all!

(Me-Melody?! What in the world are you doing?!)

Melody, still facing Luciana, has yet to notice the silver lights around them and was focused entirely on the dance.

(Oh no, this is bad! What am I supposed to do here?!)

Luciana glanced around; it seemed many were begining to suspect Melody was the cause of the magical phenomenon but were not yet certain. Luciana should still be able to deceive them!

Then there was only one thing left for her to do; with a smile on her face, Luciana stepped on Melody’s foot… using her high heel.

(Ack, ouch!! My lady, what do you think you’re doing?! The act of stepping on your partner’s foot is unimaginably rude! You’ll be in for it when we’ve returned to the mansion, young lady! It’s time for more special training!)

(I had no other choice! More importantly, look around us! What did you do, Melody?!)

(Huh? Around me… Kyaa! What’s with these lights?!)

Of course, the two exchange this conversation via their eyes, so despite their heated discussion, the other onlookers only saw their happy smiles. They did not even notice Luciana had stepped on Melody’s foot, either.

(Just hurry up and do something about it!)

(Wh-what even is all this? …Oh, it’s my magic. Well in that case…)

Still dancing, Melody began an internal suppression of her overexcited magic. The mysterious silver light slowly faded, and just as the music and dancing was finishing…

(Hngh..! Light, fade away!)

Just as the other dancers struck their finishing poses, the lights gave a final brilliant sparkle before going completely out — it was a truly beautiful finale.

Silence filled the hall; the only sounds were faint breathing noises from the occupants.

After a few moments of quiet, the King and Queen stood and clapped. People began to join in, and thunderous applause quickly overwrote the silence.

It was a bonafide storm of emotions that swept across the hall, and it was clear that how watching the dance had affected every attendee from the passion they put into their cheers.

The audience had experienced a truly wonderful sight; even the magicians, without bothering to ponder the magic behind it, had greatly enjoyed the lights.

Well, the actual explanation was that the magicians were not aware that it was an overflow of magical energy. In the first place, excess magical energy manifesting as light was an unheard of phenomenon and impossible even for top magicians, so there was no reason for them to suspect there was magic at work.

And now there was a window of opportunity: while the audience was still amidst their applause, Melody and Luciana would be able to escape from the venue unseen.

“…Melody, do you have a spell that would get us out of here quietly? We need to talk.”

“L-let’s see, how about… Here we be and here we be not, Servant’s AestheticConoscenzadelservi.”

A loose membrane formed around the girls; although they could still see out, the world around them has become slightly distorted.

“Wow, what is this?”

“Well, this magic does make us invisible, but instead it makes others less aware of us. This is magic that conceptualizes how a servant’s work should not be observed, and I made it as insurance in case of certain emergencies. I never thought I would be using it like this.”

“Let’s just get out of here for now then, over to the garden next to the ballroom. There shouldn’t be many people there right now.”

(Oh no, I was hoping she would have been distracted enough by the dance to forget, but that was too much to to hope for.)

Melody felt her shoulders loosen and droop in resignation as Luciana led her by hand to the garden in question.

And as if to change places with them, Christopher and Annemarie eagerly returned to the ballroom.

The two were hoping to find Luciana for the Same Gender Couples’ Dance, Christopher wanted to watch Luciana dance with her partner, while Annemarie wanted to dance with Luciana as her partner. Thankfully, the loud applause in the ballroom had drowned out their screams of disappointment, masking such unbecoming behavior.

“That was quite a peculiar dance, wasn’t it?”

“…Yeah, it was.”

While Melody and Luciana were dancing, Lect and Maxwell, having lost their partners, had also paired up for the Same Gender Couples’ Dance.

That strange feeling of excitement and unity they just experienced, what had happened..?

“Well, as much as I would like to bask in this pleasant afterglow, I believe it is time for us to find our partners.”

Lect agreed, and the two began their search for the girls; Maxwell checked over the event hall while Lect looked around the rest area.

At the rest area, Lect happened upon Count Reginbars, who was staring at something absentmindedly while giving an occasional sigh.

“Oh, if it isn’t Lect… Is Miss Cecilia not with you?”

“Actually, I lost sight of her and Lady Luciana after the dance finished, and I was checking to see if they had come here.”

“Is that so? They haven’t come by here, so that’s worrying… Allow me to to assist.”

“…If possible, I would like for Your Excellency to remain here in case the girls do return, to keep them safe.”

“Hmm, I understand. If I happen to see Miss Cecilia being accosted by some unsavory men, they will know no mercy from me.”

For some reason, the count gazed sternly at Lect. The sharpness of that glare caused Lect to nearly falter and wither under the pressure, but he was able to resist. Surely the count did not mean to imply Lect was one of those undesirables..?

“I-it would be most helpful. That being said, might I ask what Your Excellency was looking at just now?”

“Oh, just this.”

The count held out a small picture frame to Lect: it was a portrait insert of Celena McMurden at the age of seventeen.

This was one of the few mementos the count had of his beloved Celena. Normally, the count would only quietly admire it in private, but for him to have done so at a public gathering… What could have caused him to act this way?

“It felt so strange, that moment you introduced Miss Cecilia. I don’t know why, but at that moment, I had started thinking about Celena.”

“Lady Cecilia reminds you… of Lady Celena?”

“Their hair and their eyes are of completely different colors, aren’t they? Am I, perhaps, the strange one?”

The count let out of a self-deprecating laugh. That chance encounter had brought Celena back to the center of his thoughts for the first time in a long while, and the memories only served to amplify his feelings of misery and loneliness.

Lect left the count to his thoughts and continued searching in a less crowded area. It was likely Luciana had whisked Melody away to question her on what was happening, so they should have moved somewhere without many people around.

With those facts in mind, Lect was headed for the attached garden. As he walked, he thought back on his first meeting with Melody.

(We first met at my mansion… No, that isn’t right. It was during the search for Lady Celena, at the Margravate of Avarenton. I would never have guessed the girl who got lost that time… was the one I would f-fall in l-love with…)

Whenever question of age arose, Melody always said she would be fifteen this year; as her birthday had yet to pass, she was actually still fourteen. Lect had not expected he would be attracted to a girl seven years his junior.

But regardless of their age difference, Lect was not confident he could convey the idea of “lovers” through to Melody in the first place.

After all, Lect understood the inner workings and priority thoughts of Melody’s mind. First on the list was maids. Second was maids. Third and fourth were maids. Fifth was also maids. To be completely honest, Lect knew that Melody was a maid junkie who only ever thought about maids.

Furthermore, marriage usually marked a maid’s retirement from their job… so Lect could not imagine Melody ever getting married.

With such thoughts in mind, Lect finally arrived at the garden’s center. There, by the large fountain, he saw Melody and Luciana having taken a seat.

Their mood seemed fairly positive, so it seemed this event had not strained their relationship. Lect sighed in relief.

The girls appeared to be finishing their talk and bidding goodbyes; Luciana was waving to Melody as she began rushing back to the ballroom, and she glared at Lect as she passed him by.

“I appreciate you bringing Melody here to enjoy the ball, but if you dare trick her again, I absolutely will not forgive you. Don’t ever forget.”

“…Understood.”

Seeing the unexpectedly strong will ablaze in the young woman’s eyes, Lect could only nod in response..

Seeing as she left rather unceremoniously, Lect understood Luciana had entrusted Melody to him, and he began walking to the fountain.

There, a golden-haired, red-eyed angel stood waiting expectantly. Lect, once again, could not help but admire the ephemeral beauty.

(Lady Luciana’s observational powers are quite astounding, and yet Count Luthorburg and his wife have not realized this is their maid… But who could have suspected this girl in front of me was actually a black-haired, black-eyed maid?)

— But was that truly it? What if… the black hair and black eyes were just another cover?

(When we first met at Trendivars, in the Margravate of Avarenton, she still had black hair and black eyes…)

— But was that truly it? The girl he knew… has he known her to have just black hair and black eyes?

(…I can’ t be sure. After that, the next time we met was in the capital, after I had fallen asleep in the parlor… and she had suddenly appeared there…)

— But was that… truly it?

(The truth is… wait, what was I wondering about earlier?)

Then, at that very moment, the cloud coverage parted, and the moon peeked out from hiding, shining a gentle light upon Melody.

Melody’s “Rainbow Dye” spell manipulated the reflection and refraction of light to control the colors others would see, so it was not a spell to change colors in the truest sense.

And so for a singular moment, before her spell has readjusted… Melody’s golden hair shimmered white under the moonlight.

No, white was not the right color… it was silver.

Lect came to an abrupt halt. His eyes widened, and he stared straight at Melody.

…For the better or the worse, Lect was the only one in this world with all the clues necessary to discern the truth.

Lectias Frodo knew.

He knew that Count Reginbars had a lover named Celena, and after their separation, she had a daughter named Celesti.

Lectias Frodo knew.

He knew Celesti inherited silver hair from her father and lapis lazuli eyes from her mother.

Lectias Frodo knew.

He knew how Celena looked from the small protrait Count Reginbars had shown him.

Lectias Frodo knew.

He knew Melody Wave had come from the Margravate of Avarenton, the same place Celena had lived, and he knew Melody had been there at the time when Celesti had disappeared.

Lectias Frodo knew.

He knew Melody could use magic to change the color of her hair and eyes.

Lectias Frodo knew.

He knew now Melody’s hair was neither gold nor black, that her hair was actually —

In any other case, Lect could have passed off what he just saw as a trick of the eye, but there was no doubting it now.

Seeing Melody with silver hair was enough to reawaken a forgotten memory.

Lect suddenly remembered: the second time he met Melody was not in the parlor of his mansion at the capitak. Rather, the moment when he opened the door, and he laid eyes on the beautiful, naked figure of…

(–Hold on, not that part! Don’t focus on just that! But that’s right, the second time wasn’t in the parlor, it was in the bathroom… and at that time, she definitely… had silver hair… and lapis eyes.)

In Anavares, the city where Celena lived, the mayor had confirmed Celesti had silver hair and lapis lazuli eyes. Melody shared those same traits…

Hair and eye color aside, there was also the facial structure to consider: as much as Melody changed her hair and eye clors, she would not be able to change the fundamental shape of her face.

Lect took a moment to carefully scrutinize Melody’s face… and he cannot help but feel she resembled Celena quite closely.

To summarize, around the same time Celena had passed on, a girl had appeared from around the same area. This girl happened to have silver hair and lapis lazuli eyes, and she also happened to resemble Celena. With this many coincidences together, how likely was it that Melody was not actually the missing Celesti?

“I must apologize, Sir Lect, for having you find me at such a place.”

“It’s… nothing to worry about. Pay it no mind.”

Although Melody had received him with a smile, Lect could only answer with a curt reply.

(Finally, at long last, I have finally found her… This entire time, Melody was… Lady Celesti…)

The girl Lect had fallen in love with was the daughter of Count Reginbars and the young lady he had been searching for.

Lect, in an effort to keep his various emotions from erupting, could only manage that terse response to Melody… no, to Celesti’s apology.

(The girl I’m in love with is… No, that’s not right. The lady wishes to be a maid… but if I were to inform His Excellency, her wish would go unfulfilled… And yet, to refrain from informing His Excellency, who is still hurting to this very day, would be undeniably insolent…)

But he could not find an answer. Lect could not see the future where everyone was happy with their granted wish.

If only he had never noticed; if only he had never realized — such were Lect’s thoughts on the matter.