Translator: Nox

Chapter 44

44

44. The Moment a Star Fell on the Baron family (5)

“There’s a fountain ahead. Shall we sit here?”

“Sure.”

There wasn’t really anywhere to sit, so I sat him down on the edge of the fountain. And as I sat next to him, fountain water splashed on my back.

It’s quite cold. I hunched over and turned to look at him. We were both in our pajamas, so I couldn’t expect any warmth. I wondered if I should wrap the shawl I was wearing around him. But when I offered it, he shook his head and refused.

“It’s okay.”

“You’re wearing thin clothes. It’s cold, so wear it.”

“I don’t need it, you wear it.”

“…Even though you’re not well.”

As I grumbled worriedly, his expression turned fierce in an instant. He took off the shawl and handed it to me as if throwing it into my arms, in a fit of pique. Seeing him act out, it seemed he had calmed down a bit.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind of nightmare did you have today?”

“I had a dream about the day I lost my sight.”

That’s definitely a nightmare. I couldn’t ask any more, so I closed my mouth. As the conversation ceased, only the sound of the fountain water filled the darkness. I shook my legs for no reason, and he stared into the air.

“I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about what happened at the party.”

“Why?”

“Because it was so much fun. I still have that excited feeling.”

Even now, when I close my eyes, the hall unfolds before me and classical music plays. No, now it unfolds and plays even when I have my eyes open. I gently pulled up the corners of my mouth and smiled.

“I’ve never worn a dress like that before. No, I’ve never seen such a pretty dress. Violet said she would give it to me as a gift, but I refused. I didn’t think it suited me, and it was too expensive, so I felt burdened.”

“Violet has so many dresses she can’t count them. No one would say anything if you took one.”

“Still, it feels like a waste for me to wear it.”

It was definitely a pretty dress. A dress that any woman would want to wear at least once. Because I wore it, it felt like that prettiness was wearing away. If Violet wore it, the dress would definitely shine more.

“I’m satisfied with just having worn it.”

“You have no desire for clothes.”

“It’s not that I don’t, but it’s better if someone who suits them wears them.”

And even if I had it, there was nowhere for me to wear it. There was no one to show it to. So it would be more valuable if Violet wore it. I was really satisfied just with having worn it.

“Dancing was also very difficult. You have to take steps like this, like this.”

I fumbled with the movements Lucas had taught me during the day, gesturing with my feet. I posed, saying that you have to do this with your hands too. Violet danced well, and Lucas and Ethan, of course, and even Vincent, who can’t see, danced smoothly, but it was just difficult for me.

“Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to dance.”

I came down to the ground and fumbled with the dance I had danced at the party again. My feet got tangled right away. I shook my head. I can dance well if it’s just dancing however I want. When I danced with Violet, it was just fun because we didn’t stand on ceremony.

“But Lucas danced very well!”

His smooth footwork, unlike my clumsy one, came to mind. He was also unhesitating in leading me. When I followed his dance, I fell into the illusion that I was dancing well too. Of course, it was just an illusion. When I thought about how many times I had stepped on his feet, the excited feeling faded away.

Well, I danced hard too. As I grumbled quietly, Vincent stood up. Then he suddenly held out his hand. My widened eyes met his fingertips.

“What is it?”

“Give me your hand.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s dance.”

W-w-with me? I stuttered without realizing it. Vincent nodded.

“Why?”

“Because I want to.”

“I mean, why?”

“You don’t want to?”

It’s not that I don’t want to… but…

I hesitated, looking at his hand. I had never learned to dance, nor had I had the opportunity to learn. I don’t know how many times I stepped on Lucas’s feet while dancing with him. They’ll probably be swollen all night. Lucas tried not to show it, but I could see that he was suffering as time went on.

I hesitated and couldn’t easily take his hand. Vincent, who had been waiting for me, put one hand behind his back and leaned his upper body slightly.

“Will you dance with me?”

“….”

Unwavering emerald eyes gazed at me steadily. I fidgeted with my fingers.

“W-what if I’m not good and step on Master’s feet?”

“I’ll forgive you once.”

“What if I step on them twice?”

“I’ll think about it. What to do.”

“Let’s decide not to dance for the sake of each other’s peace. My life is precious too.”

“I’m kidding. You can step on them.”

He held out his hand further. He gestured for me to take it quickly.

“It’s not like I’ll ever have a chance to dance anywhere, I’ll just leave it as a good memory.”

“How bad are you that you’re like this? Are you that unsure of yourself?”

“Yes. I’m really bad at it.”

At this point, I just answered honestly. But he didn’t back down.

“Just match my movements.”

“I’m really, really bad.”

“Okay. I’ll dance slowly so you can follow, so you watch the surroundings. I can’t see, so you have to help me.”

He gestured with his hand again. There was no sign of him backing down. Hurry, he urged with his eyes. I swallowed hard and looked at him. The hesitation was short but long. The excited feeling I had felt in the afternoon gripped me again.

I clutched my swelling chest and took his hand. And I led him to the other side of the fountain.

As we faced each other, I swallowed hard with tension. He placed one hand on my back and raised my hand with the other. The distance between us narrowed. I moved my body slightly back, avoiding the touch, and placed my hand on his shoulder as well. I had danced once before, so it wasn’t difficult to get into position.

He stepped to the side. My feet clumsily followed him. That was the beginning. Our bodies matched and spun around. Then, when he moved his body to the other side, I moved my body to follow him. I clumsily matched his rhythm. He led me really slowly, just like he had told me.

Lucas told me the direction every time I got lost. But Vincent didn’t tell me to do this or that. Instead, he calmly led me so that I could follow on my own. I was a beat late, but I could follow him without difficulty.

Still, having danced in the afternoon, my footwork became a little smoother. But I still couldn’t say I was dancing well. Besides, I wasn’t wearing a pretty dress now, and I wasn’t wearing beautiful shoes either. All I had was a white negligee, a shawl to keep out the cold, and cheap shoes that resembled me. He was also wearing pajamas and a gown, not a Tailcoat.

If someone saw us, they might mistake us for ghosts and scream. I laughed at that thought, and Vincent raised his eyebrows. He seemed to be asking why I was laughing.

“If someone saw Master and me, they might scream.”

“They’d think we’re ghosts.”

“Yes, heehee.”

He smiled as if he was thinking the same thing.

As my body spun around, the negligee fluttered and brushed against my skin. My gaze turned to the sky where stars were falling.

The world sparkled. The stars falling on the mansion became Chandelier, and the sound of the fountain turned into classical music. This was the hall, and we were dancing. This was no different from the hall in the afternoon.

The feeling of this moment made me excited again.

Stars fell from the sky. It felt like they were enveloping him and me. Then the feeling of the fabric brushing against my skin, the warmth of our clasped hands, the cool breeze brushing against my hair, and the man standing in front of me felt different than usual.

The surroundings sparkled.

It was fun.

It was so fun it was dazzling.

“You’re dancing well.”

“You’re teaching me well.”

“It’s because the teacher is good.”

“It’s because the student is excellent.”

I shrugged my shoulders. But people make mistakes when they’re careless. My foot pressed down hard on his instep.

“I’m sorry.”

He frowned right away. I slipped my foot away. But his mouth didn’t forget to complain.

“Your feet are too slow.”

“Please either praise me or criticize me, just pick one.”

“I was about to praise you, but you got careless like this.”

“People can make mistakes. You’re really mean.”

As I grumbled, he shrugged his shoulders. Even while doing that, we were still spinning around.

“It’s not mean, it’s honest.”

“Being too honest isn’t charming.”

“My charm comes from that honesty.”

“Don’t say such scary things. Come to think of it, Violet was surprised when she saw Master grumbling for the first time. I mean, how much were you pretending that everyone doesn’t know Master’s personality is bad?”

“You’re being insolent.”

“Being insolent is my charm.”

“I guess so. That’s why you dare to chatter in front of me.”

“I dare to do so thanks to Master’s great consideration.”

I didn’t give in a single word. As I did, he and I were laughing. Light laughter echoed around us. If anyone heard this, they might be horrified and run away. A man and a woman were giggling and spinning around under the moonlight.

A stronger wind blew. I tilted my head back at the refreshing sensation. I felt good. Feeling that sensation, I closed my eyes.

Then suddenly my body tilted.

“Huh?”

“Oops?”

His body fell backward. At the same time, I fell too. Once one person lost their balance, it was a matter of seconds before we collapsed. In the blink of an eye, we were sucked into the fountain.

Water filled my nostrils. I flailed my arms and legs and finally stepped on the bottom. As I exhaled the air that had been blocked, I burst into coughs. After coughing repeatedly and shedding tears and snot, I finally came to my senses.

I looked around and was dumbfounded. We had really fallen into the fountain. I mean, how could I have been so engrossed in dancing that I didn’t even realize we were jumping into the fountain? I looked at Vincent, and he also had a dumbfounded expression.

“You.”

“I’m sorry. Achoo!”

“……”

I sneezed and hunched over. My clothes were wet and heavy. The wind, which had been cool until just now, now felt cold. I sneezed again and again.

But some of them weren’t mine. Vincent was also sneezing. And he was hunching over like me. Soon after, I sneezed again.

We sneezed side by side and looked at each other. We were both no different from wet mice.

Suddenly, laughter burst out.

I was the first to burst into laughter. Soon after, he laughed too. Somehow, I couldn’t help but laugh.