Behind Sophie-sama, in one corner of the dance hall, a little romantic drama was playing out.
Starring – as you’d expect – Charlotte. She traced her fingers along Garrett-dono’s chest, draping herself against him with practiced intimacy. It was hard to believe she was only a fifteen-year-old first-year, given how she moved. They danced in perfect sync, pressed together like husband and wife.
When the song ended, the surrounding guests began changing partners – but the two showed no sign of separating. Garrett-dono said something to her with a troubled expression, and Charlotte, cheeks flushed, buried her face in his chest.
I had no idea what he said. But judging by how flustered he looked, it backfired spectacularly. While he struggled to peel her off, they plunged straight into their second dance – the one that should have been reserved for fiancés alone.
What a pain…
That was my honest reaction the moment I saw that scene.
I’d just convinced myself I’d dodged a disaster at the graduation party – which made this all the more infuriating. And the worst part? My own carelessness.
Charlotte was the kind of girl my lady’s maid Emma – no, Peridot, who’d been mining gossip from the servant circles – had written off as “a candidate for sainthood with a few screws loose” and “a compulsive liar with a flair for the bizarre.” There was no way her academy life (public) or personal life (private) could be normal. Expecting common sense from someone like Charlotte, looking away for even a moment, had been my mistake.
Normally, you only dance once with the same partner. A second dance is permitted only for fiancés – and a third only for married couples. That meant the two of them, plunging into a second dance right in front of me – his fiancée – were declaring war.
Garrett-dono had looked flustered, so I’d assumed it was against his will. But he was a prince, for heaven’s sake – surely he could handle brushing off one woman?
The orchestra conductor seemed to have finally sensed the tension. He’d noticed the couple slipping into his blind spot, and for a moment, his composure cracked. I’d met him during dance lessons – recognized him. When he scanned the room and spotted me, he gestured, asking if he should stop the music.
I gave a small shake of my head.
If you stop the music, we’ll draw unwanted attention. There’s no need to escalate this. Just pretend you didn’t see anything and let it pass.
At the same time I relayed my silent instructions, Garrett-dono’s aides-in-training quietly formed a perimeter around His Highness.
Lord Evan Hawk – eldest son of the Magic Corps Vice-Captain. Lord Brandon Garcia – third son of the Royal Guard Assistant Captain. And David Howard – eldest son of the Howard Marquis family, and my little brother.
Whether they were acting as a shield to contain the scandal, or rallying to Charlotte’s defense, was unclear.
If it was the former, they’d only be blamed for failing to prevent the situation in the first place. But if it was the latter – if they were siding with Charlotte over their prince – then they’d be branded as fools who let their passions override their judgment.
Either way, their reputations were about to take a nosedive.
I felt for their dance partners, caught in the crossfire. The poor ladies all looked pale as ghosts. Hopefully no one would faint…
And while I was standing here, analyzing the situation from the sidelines – my own reputation was hanging by a thread.
If I let this slide, my standing in high society would tank. If everyone saw me as the woman who couldn’t even defend herself when publicly provoked, I’d never survive this viper pit. I’d be a laughingstock – and an easy target for subtle, nasty bullying.
If that’s the case, just withdraw to your estate and hide, you might think. But for better or worse – I’m the kind of person who fights back when someone picks a fight.
That said, openly criticizing Garrett-dono – a member of the royal family – would be treasonous. And voicing any complaint about Charlotte would only make things worse.
In short: thanks to Charlotte-jou’s selfish actions, I’d been backed into a situation that benefited no one. Really — truly! From the bottom of my heart! What a pain!
* * * *
The second song ended, and the young ladies who had placed their hands on Evan, Brandon, and David scattered like spiderlings. The remaining men surrounded Prince Garrett and Charlotte-jou, pulling them from the dance circle.
Charlotte-jou’s flower-like face was faintly flushed. Her pink-gold hair was elegantly braided, and she wore a dress gifted by Prince Garrett. Judging by appearance alone, she was an unquestionable beauty. With a melted expression like the peak of happiness, her slender fingers clutched tightly at the sleeve of Prince Garrett’s attire.
Waiting there was I, his fiancée. Beside me stood Samantha-jou, Evan’s fiancée, and Sofia-jou, who was actually in a relationship with Brandon, standing by as if to support me.
This was a small high society. The adults quietly observed how the parties involved would settle this scandal.
To think I’d have to take a practical exam like this at the glorious graduation ceremony…!
Gnashing my teeth at my own naivety for having only assumed a one-sided condemnation event, I put on a soft smile and called out to them.
”A lovely dance, both of you. It looked as though the sleeve of Baroness Silvia’s dress had caught on Your Highness’s button. Even such trouble will become a fond memory of today, won’t it?”
’You’re the center of attention, you know. And you’re clinging far too passionately. Of all days, today of all days… It’ll be etched perfectly into everyone’s memories.’
If a condemnation event occurred here, my reputation would be protected as planned while the engagement would be annulled. Prince Garrett and Charlotte-jou’s social reputations? Not my concern. If we settled this amicably and worked to erase the scandal, that was fine too. We’d simply cooperate on the engagement’s dissolution later.
——Well then, what will you do?
I stared straight into Prince Garrett’s blue eyes.
At my line about treating it as an accident, Prince Garrett visibly relaxed. It seemed he knew the time and place for a condemnation event or annulment. I wanted to say, “You shouldn’t leak that much relief,” but this wasn’t the place for it.
”Y-Yes, that’s right. Ruining the atmosphere would be… I’m glad Charlotte-jou’s dress wasn’t damaged.”
Prince Garrett decided to play along with this farce. His inner voice probably went something like, “I didn’t mean for this to happen either.”
Just to keep things from flowing in the wrong direction, I drove in a wedge just in case.
”However, dancing twice… it makes one jealous. This time there were circumstances, but please don’t do it again?”
’Disregarding your fiancée in public is not a good move. You’ll back down here, won’t you?’
As expected of royalty — and my fiancé since our academy entrance. He properly received what I’d tucked between the lines.
With this, the improvised script was complete. Prince Garrett would play the role of soothing his adorably jealous fiancée, and we’d reconcile. The scandal would be repainted as a lover’s quarrel between fiancées. Even if it was a monkey’s play, as long as appearances were kept, the situation should settle.
Prince Garrett’s lips parted slightly, that very moment. A young woman’s clear, carrying voice rang through the dance hall.
”Fawning now is too late. Marquis’s daughter, Rebecca Howard-sama! His Highness Prince Garrett intends to annul his engagement to you!”
…Uwaaah…
Summary:
Sophie observes Charlotte and Garrett’s scandalous second dance at the graduation ball, realizing her reputation is at risk. She strategically offers to treat the incident as an accident while subtly warning Garrett about public perception. Just as she thinks the situation is resolved, a young woman publicly announces that Garrett intends to annul his engagement to Sophie.
Trivia:
The second dance is a major social violation that only fiancés are permitted to share.
Sophie’s lady’s maid Emma gathers intelligence through Peridot, a servant informant.
Three noble aides-in-training form a perimeter around Garrett to contain the scandal.
The conductor is someone Sophie previously met during dance lessons.
Charlotte is described as a fifteen-year-old first-year with a seductive demeanor.
The Howard Marquis family is Sophie’s family, and David is her younger brother.
Sophie’s internal monologue reveals she is aware of genre tropes like the “condemnation event.”
The interruption comes from an unnamed young woman, not Charlotte or Garrett.