Chapter 89

Dancing with Adi was so comfortable, it was like a dream.

That's why, when she sensed the gentle end of the melody, Mary tried to beg for one more dance by holding his hand, but she was startled when Adi pulled the ribbon of her dress.

It was as if he was saying, "Look at me," but his approach was passive, and she smiled and turned back, narrowing her eyes... This time, she did so with a smile.

Standing there was Parfait, her eyes brimming with tears, trembling.

"Miss Mary, I, I... I want to dance with you... just one more..."

She pleaded in a voice that was barely audible, and beside her, Alicia, who was the complete opposite of the tearful Parfait, beamed and declared,

"Miss Mary, after Parfait, it's my turn!"

This left Mary so exasperated that she let out a deep sigh and slumped her shoulders.

That was a few minutes ago.

Now, amidst the light music, Mary was gracefully dancing. Her partner, of course, was not Adi, but Parfait.

"Miss Mary, Miss Mary, I feel so honored. I'm so happy... fa..."

"Stop crying while we're dancing!"

Mary hastily scolded Parfait, who was trembling and about to cry.

She seemed incredibly happy, and when she heard Mary's reprimand, Parfait, with teary eyes, tightly held Mary's hand and nodded, "Yes!" Her smile was like a puppy wagging its tail, and Mary sighed... but she couldn't help but smile wryly, "It can't be helped, can it?"

Then, with a twirl, she gently encouraged Parfait to take her turn. Understanding her intention, Parfait imitated Mary's movements. Both of them, being daughters of nobility, were naturally skilled in dancing, so even though they were dancing with someone of the same gender, it wasn't awkward. In fact, they seemed to be in sync, and Mary smiled, "Dancing with a woman can be fun too."

The onlookers' gazes were surprisingly warm.

It would be unusual for two noble daughters to dance together at a party, and they might have been viewed coldly, but everyone seemed to watch them with warm, approving eyes. Some even shrugged and smiled, or exclaimed, "Oh my," but there was no trace of disdain in their expressions or tone, only a sense of endearment.

There were two reasons for this.

One, despite being of the same gender, Mary and Parfait danced elegantly, as befitting noble daughters.

--Especially since just a few moments ago, Alicia had orchestrated a "Mary Albert Tug-of-War"--

Two, there was an even rarer pairing that drew more attention.

Considering this, Mary murmured softly, still holding Parfait's hand and dancing gracefully. There was a slight tremor, but compared to the chaos of the "tug-of-war," it was negligible.

"Hmm, not being the center of attention is also frustrating."

"Miss Mary, you shouldn't say such things. Besides..."

"Yes, that combination is hard to compete with."

She smiled slyly and glanced elsewhere. While still holding Parfait's hand and dancing elegantly, she noticed a pair dancing gracefully to the music.

A tall, handsome young man with rust-colored hair and, facing him, a young man with azure hair who looked like a prince.

Yes, it was Adi and Patrick.

"Why do we have to dance?"

Patrick, the prince-like figure admired by noble daughters, frowned and looked displeased. It was unprecedented for him to show such an expression at a dance, let alone a party. Adi, who pretended to take his hand but kept it just above, exclaimed, "What!"

"Are you unhappy about dancing with me!?"

"Yes, I am."

"Same here."

They both looked at each other with dead fish eyes. --Incidentally, Mary, who observed them, remarked, "Their eyes are like soggy croquettes," and Parfait, not understanding, had a question mark above her head, but it was a minor detail--

In any case, despite their dejected state, they were at least taking the minimum steps to the music because this was a dance. They were reluctantly pairing up as men to stay on the dance floor. The small smiles and cold gazes from the audience were piercing their backs, but Adi spoke to Patrick, "Is it okay?"

"Is it okay, Lord Patrick? The music is about to end."

"Yes, it is."

"The next song will start immediately. The moment it does, I'll take the lady's hand."

"I understand that, but why do I have to dance with you? Depending on the reason, I might mobilize the Dice family."

"Don't say such scary things. Lord Patrick, please take care of Alicia, who is watching from the sidelines, ready to pounce. She will likely charge as soon as the music ends."

"...Oh, right... she's, well, cute, isn't she?"

"Seems like you're trying to hide a hole in the fence, but you can't see the forest for the trees, can you?"

"Anyway, if that's the case, I understand. I'll intercept... I'll invite Mary to dance when Alicia comes after her."

Patrick was about to say "charge" but corrected himself.

Adi had a few things to say about this, but with the music about to end, he decided not to press the issue and casually moved closer to Mary and the others, still stepping on each other's feet with Patrick.

The music was about to end. At that moment, Alicia would charge and invite Mary to dance—whether "invite" was the right word, given her forcefulness, was debatable. Before that, Adi would take Mary's hand, and Patrick would intercept Alicia... Gaignac, who was waiting in the wings, would occasionally make eye contact, ready to support Parfait, who would be caught in the charge, and then invite her to dance.

After confirming this with Patrick and nodding, the music slowly came to a halt... and ended. Normally, they would bow deeply to each other and acknowledge the dance, but why should they praise each other's footwork? Adi and Patrick, in their own way, finished and turned to their beloved partners.

"Miss Mary! It's my turn next!"

At that moment, a spirited voice rang out.

Of course, it was Alicia's voice. Seeing the dance end, she charged into the room at full speed—Patrick muttered, "Of course, she couldn't be caught from the sidelines," but only in his mind—heading straight for Mary without hesitation.

"Miss, it's my turn next!"

"Alicia, it's my turn now!"

The two men's voices, slightly pained, and Mary's scream, noticing Alicia's approach, echoed through the hall.

Thus, the music began again gently, and Adi, jolted by the impact, slowly opened his eyes.

In his hand was a soft touch, undoubtedly a woman's hand...

"Miss, I'm glad."

Was the plan successful... Adi was about to feel relieved,

"Whaa, I'm sorry, it's me..."

...and was startled to see Parfait, her eyes brimming with tears, trembling.

"Miss Parfait!?"

"I'm sorry, it's me... I, I don't want to dance with someone like me..."

"Wait, don't cry! Why... why me?"

He calmed Parfait and began to dance slowly to the music.

As a daughter of the Marquis family, Parfait also moved her feet in sync with Adi, and from an outsider's perspective, her movements were so graceful that it was hard to believe she was teary-eyed and trembling.

She began to speak, of course, about that moment... the moment of this bizarre switch.

"I was about to leave after dancing with Miss Mary... but something hit me with great force. I was startled and almost stumbled."

Adi had grabbed her hand... meaning that Mary and Parfait's positions had been switched due to Alicia's collision. --Adi kept silent about the "something" that hit Parfait with great force being Alicia. There was the dignity of the country, and besides, Parfait had said, "I was scared," with teary eyes, so he couldn't say anything--

In any case, after hearing Parfait's story, Adi nodded.

Even though the plan had failed, he still invited Parfait to dance, "If you don't mind, would you like to dance with me?" He felt no resentment towards Parfait, and in fact, a growing sense of guilt for involving her.

Perhaps sensing Adi's feelings or considering it fate, Parfait smiled and took his hand again, "Of course."

"But you wanted to dance with Miss Mary, right? Is it okay to dance with me?"

"Yes, Miss Parfait is a dear friend of Miss Mary, and it's an honor for me. Besides..."

Adi glanced elsewhere.

Parfait followed his gaze.

"If I complain about this scene, I'll be scolded."

"Oh my..."

They murmured this because the scene before them was unbearable.

"Miss Mary! It's so much fun!"

Alicia laughed and danced with bold steps. Of course, she was dancing with Mary—Alicia's charge had been visually detected, but not avoided in time—leading to the sudden start of "Mary Albert Tug-of-War Part 2."

"Stop! Don't spin me around!!"

Mary screamed.

Beside Alicia and Mary, for some reason—most likely due to Alicia's collision—was Patrick with dead fish eyes again.

Facing him was...

"Forgive me, Lord Patrick..."

Gaignac, with a pale face, stepping in a way that showed deep regret. So, Patrick's partner was Gaignac.

While observing these two tragic pairs, Adi turned back to Parfait.

He decided not to look at them. Since he had invited her to dance, it would be impolite to look elsewhere. ...It wasn't an escape from reality.

He ignored the joyful voices, screams, and apologies and continued to dance with Parfait. Suddenly, Parfait looked up at Adi and smiled, "Oh, I see."

She even started to giggle. Adi, confused, tilted his head, "What's so funny, Miss Parfait?"

"What is it, Miss Parfait?"

"Adi is quite tall, isn't he?"

"Tall...? Yes, I am."

Adi, surprised by the sudden comment about his height, had a question mark above his head.

But Parfait's reaction seemed to find it amusing, and she smiled and slowly began to speak, as if reminiscing.

"At Eles