CH 45

I like summer nights.

Because it gives me an unfounded sense of almightiness, as if something is about to begin, something new and interesting is about to be found.

I wonder if this feeling of almightiness… will help me tonight.

The night breeze caressing my cheeks feels refreshing, as if the daytime heat has been lost.

Alone on the empty balcony, I exhaled a long, long breath.

I turned around and saw my knight standing next to the big balcony window. He asked me with his eyes if I was ready. My knight, who knows everything, surely understands my current state of mind.

I nodded my head a little and stepped into the world of the glistening window. It was bright, dazzling, and beautifully luminous, yet inside it was filled with the malicious murmurs of people.

I took one step forward, then another, as if to cut through the noise.

“Would you like to dance with me for a song, sister-in-law?”

“Yes. I’d be glad to.”

I purposely called her ‘sister-in-law’ and held out my hand.

A beautiful young lady standing with Tillois by the wall. The puffy, white dress looked like a cloud floating in the summer sky, with light blue embroidery in places and a modest ribbon of the same color decorating the bust. Her usually flowing down platinum blonde hair was finely braided, and her sleek neck was unsparingly exposed.

Truth to be told, I was a little confused about the way to lay my hand on hers. But she immediately laughed at the hand that was offered to her, and I conveyed my impression of her in honesty.

“You’re beautiful. Sister-in-law.”

“Waah, ah, thank you. Your Highness Nagi.”

“Don’t make a weird voice…”

A glimmering chandelier that will dazzle your eyes. Even the white walls are decorated with gold. This “Summer Sky” room is one of the most glamorous in the royal castle. On top of that, it was even more ornately decorated from floor to ceiling with yellow flowers, the birth flower of Brother Vincent. It was so bright as if the sun were floating in the night sky.

Many of the noble ladies wear bright blue dresses, the color of Brother Vincent’s hair, or yellow and orange dresses in connection to his birth flower.

At last, the day has come— the evening party to celebrate Brother Vincent’s birthday.

Beside Vivienne, who took my hand, I saw Tillois making a face like it was the end of the world. It was so tragic that I almost laughed a little, but I stopped, thinking that I shouldn’t.

It was to be expected.

This night was supposed to feel like the end of the world for him, or rather, for Vivienne.

He glanced at the crowd and frowned his face, as expected.

What has been bustling in the Summer Sky room since a few minutes ago is not only a sunny celebration of the birth of Brother Vincent.

Mika, who stood beside Tillois, muttered quietly.

“I didn’t expect His Highness Vincent to be actually escorting Baroness Tessier.”

“I wish it were a dream…”

“It’s like a dream come true to dance with His Highness Nagi”

“……Sister…”

Vivienne, who should have been exposed to the stinging stares, seemed completely unconcerned. Unlike Tillois, who spewed out a little malice in a voice that only we could hear.

I smiled at Vivienne and slowly took her hand and led her out to the center of the hall, to the place where people danced.

I wonder how long it has been since the last time I danced in public. I think I danced at least once on these occasions when I was a child. But ever since I can remember, I’ve just been sitting on the royal seat. And that’s only at the evening party that I really have to attend.

My fingers trembled with nervousness. Still, I couldn’t afford to fail tonight.

“Can that third prince dance properly without embarrassing my sister?”

“Right, well. I guess you had never seen Nagi dance in public before?”

“What?! I-I hope it will be alright.”

I was walking with Vivienne to the center of the hall, so there was no way I could have heard such a conversation going on behind me. That’s why, the next words that Mika muttered with a daring smile, fading into the music that came on, didn’t reach me.

“Obviously. He’s a natural prince, after all.”

I bowed toward Vivienne. Vivienne smiled with delight.

I don’t know what the orchestra hired for the day had in mind.

But the song that came on was a bright, hopeful, graceful melody that seemed to blow everything away. All the bad rumors, even the infidelity of the star of the day, the rude baroness who doesn’t know her place, and everything else–.

“Let’s go, Vivienne. I will show everyone that you’re the most beautiful one.”

“Uwaa, Your Highness Nagi is too dangerous. You’re really like a prince.”

I have never danced properly since I was a child, but I do remember what my dance instructor told me. If you can’t make the princess who dances with you look beautiful, you’re a failure as a prince. I was born without influence as the third prince, but I learned everything I could to be useful to Brother Seth.

I gently pulled Vivienne’s hand. Her white dress fluttered and spread like magic.

I gently placed my hand on her thin, corseted waist and intertwined my fingertips with her beautiful fingers. Just below my face is Vivienne’s face with blinking crimson eyes. I complimented her softly in her ear.

A woman is most beautiful when she is happy and smiling—

“Vivienne. You’re beautiful.”

“Eh, no way. You’ll even do such lip service?!”

“I’m still a prince, after all.”

“His Highness Vincent had never done that to me before…”

The sparkling chandelier light pours down as if spilling out. As Vivienne is being turned around, her dress blossoms. I was told to dance as if I were in love. And so I should be honest and admire her beauty.

Because surely my feelings… will be contagious to those who are watching.

A smile naturally spreads across Vivienne’s surprised face.

I thought of this after we went to the Taurus mine together. When the four of us talked on the way home, I thought that Vivienne’s innocent smile was cute. That’s why today, I’m going to show that smile, and I’m going to turn what was surely the worst night of Vivienne’s life… into something fun.

The person herself who remembered her past life might not even care about it.

Still, it should have been hard for anyone to be subjected to the malice and rumors right in front of them. The tension is removed from her stiff body, and her smile spreads like a flower blooming open. There were voices of admiration from all around us.

That’s right, I thought inwardly.

I felt sorry for Brother Vincent, but everyone should be appalled that the incompetent second prince would leave such a beautiful princess alone.

(He should be captivated by the beautiful Vivienne.)

As I turn around and change angles, I see the various faces of different people. Mika is looking at me with a blank expression on his face, and Tillois is gaping his mouth open. Brother Seth and Duke Ackerson are looking at me curiously, and then.

“Doesn’t His Highness Vincent look at us with a great face?”

“Haha. I wonder what he feels. I wonder if he thinks I’ve outdone him.”

“I wonder. I’ve never really felt like he liked me.”

Nonetheless, Brother Vincent’s eyes were fixed on Vivienne.

Seeing Baroness Tessier acting as if she owned the place with her arms crossed next to him, my mischievous spirit grows. In my mind, I thought that everyone should just become the first prince faction. While thinking about that, I slid my finger on Vivienne’s cheek in between the songs.

Staring into her deep red eyes, I muttered quietly.

“Even though you’re this cute?”

“~~~N-no good! Even though Your Highness Nagi has been a recluse up until now, your prince-like power is too strong! The gap is too dangerous!”

“Ahaha.”

I was glad that the person I was dealing with, the person I was colluding with in this way, was Vivienne.

Vivienne somehow knows that I don’t hate Mika. I felt an itch as if she knew a secret about me somehow, and then a sense of relief. I ended up feeling happy as well, and in the second song, we were both completely relaxed and just danced happily— to the point of almost blowing away this terrible night.

And then we went back to Tillois and Mika.

“It was so much fun!”

“It was an honor, my sister-in-law. Thank you for the lovely evening.”

I dropped my lips to the back of Vivienne’s hand while smiling. I glanced up at Vivienne’s face and saw vermilion on her cheeks. Then, the flustered Vivienne whispered to Tillois.

“Eeeek. This is dangerous, Tillois. His Highness Nagi is so cool.”

“P-please do not complicate things any further. I have my hands full already.”

Tillois said that Vivienne was crazed with jealousy for a while.

I recall Vivienne also had said, although I don’t know if she was aware of it or unconsciously, that she couldn’t believe she got defeated in love, accused of a crime, and got executed. I don’t know what the truth is. Still, Brother Vincent is the fiancé that had been chosen for Vivienne almost from birth.

It must have been the worst feeling before she remembered her past life.

But…

Seeing Vivienne smiling shyly in front of me, I also felt a feeling of happiness spreading in my heart. I looked at Vivienne with some kind of tenderness and I got embarrassed too, so I looked at Mika.

“Did I dance properly?”

“Yeah. You were the perfect prince.”

I said this with a gentle look in my eyes, and Mika also smiled at me. But then, Mika urged me not to stay here for too long because it would cause too much strange speculation, and so I walked over to the royal seat where I used to be.

I try to look as dignified as possible. I try to be resolute in my footsteps.

Step by step, Brother Seth’s figure approaches.

There is a reason that after dancing with Vivienne, I would return to Brother Seth with a smile on my face. That’s the only way people around me will know my intentions. Brother Seth, who smiled at me, seemed to be in a bit of a good mood.

“I have not seen you dance in a long time, Nagi. The partner is a bit unexpected, though.”

“How was it? Did Miss Vivienne look like a princess to you?”

“Yes. Both of you were like a real prince and princess. Such a future seems possible, I suppose?”

“If I could make you think that way, then I scored a hundred points tonight.”

I sat down next to the seat where Brother Seth was sitting, and Mika also quietly stood next to Oswald by the wall.

Brother Seth doesn’t have a fiancée yet.

Many noble ladies who would like to stand next to him, and some of the leading candidates have been educated with queen training from an early age. But perhaps they are being cautious while watching the condition of the second prince faction. In fact, some nobles who might do something quite drastic are also with the second prince faction. It would be a problem if the fiancée were to be poisoned after being publicized prematurely.

“With the previous investigation from the other day and the magic plant case, is this also thanks to Mika’s influence?”

As Brother Seth said so as if muttering to himself, Mika answered in a small voice, “Everything is decided by His Highness Nagi.” When I heard Mika say that, it kind of makes me feel fuzzy inside.

“Still, it feels different when you have a knight you can rely on beside you. Isn’t that so, Nagi?”

“Yes. I’m relying on Mika.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that. His Majesty tends to get sick a lot these days, and I’m also counting on you, Nagi.”

“Y-Yes!”

As Brother Seth told me so, I’m reminded that it is true. In my first life, although it wasn’t Machina’s fault, I should have opened up my heart a little more. But this is the first time I’ve been told by Brother Seth that he’s relying on me, and I feel overjoyed.

I will never purge Viscount Godin as I did in my first life! I made up my mind again and clenched my fist.

But then, Brother Seth’s eyes narrowed and bore a cold light.

“It looks like the star of the party tonight wants to talk to you, Nagi. But why don’t you and Mika go out to the courtyard and catch some air?”

Beyond Brother Seth’s line of sight, I saw Brother Vincent glaring at me.

When I turned around, Mika nodded at me. While the nobles around us seem to be unaware of our presence, they are closely monitoring our movements. I muttered, “Ah” and tried to do something that I thought of.

I beckoned Brother Seth with my hand and went out of my way to whisper in his ear.

“I’m going.”

“Huh? Why do you say it so closely?”

I spoke to Brother Seth’s ear, making a gesture as if I were taking something from his pale light blue hair, then smiled softly. I hear surprised voices from the audience, like when I was with Vivienne earlier.

The nobles are watching us.

“Because it looks like there’s a demand for it.”

“Ahaha. What kind of demand is that? We are not competing to see who is more popular.”

“We will never know what will lead to what. So I will do anything I can.”

“Haha. That is very promising.”

I looked in the direction where Vivienne was, wondering if I looked like I was with an unfulfilled forbidden love. Then I saw that she had turned completely red and was frozen in place, so I decided it was a good thing.