Chapter 91: Whatever Happens, Happens!
After finishing Prince Lucas’s treatment, I switched my Skill to «Ninja» and returned to the Great Hall. Prince Lucas was surrounded by nobles again, acting as if nothing had happened.
The treatment with the «Holy Maiden» Skill only alleviates the pain. He should be tormented by severe pain again after a while. But he said he would withdraw before reaching his limit next time, so I guess there’s nothing to worry about.
I looked for Rouge and Lily and found them standing in the same place as before.
“Ah! Hugh, welcome back!”
“I’m back, Rouge.”
I answered Rouge, who noticed me first and called out to me, and took the glass I had entrusted to Lily, who had a relieved expression, saying, “Welcome back.”
“Sorry for making you hold it.”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, are you okay? You look terrible.”
“Ah… well, it’s not a problem.”
I answered Lily’s worried question briefly.
…Actually, there are nothing but problems.
The «Cleanse» Lecty used on His Majesty the King did not have the power to cure the illness. «Cleanse» is the power to remove magic (or something like a foreign substance?) and poison from the body. That means that His Majesty the King’s poor health was caused by those things.
‘Probably, Father has been continuously poisoned or given something similar by someone for a long time. Moreover, it was something that was designed to make his condition worsen rapidly in response to recovery-type Skills, little by little.’
‘If His Majesty had died as he was…’
‘It was clear that the Holy Maiden’s Skill had worsened his condition, so the Divine Blessing Church… no, the responsibility for the Holy Maiden could not have been avoided. At the very least, the relationship between the royal family and the Divine Blessing Church would have been at its worst. If a civil war were to break out on top of that, there was a possibility that a three-way battle would have become a four-way battle. There could have been a scenario where neighboring countries would have invaded in response to the Divine Blessing Church.’
If Lecty hadn’t been there. Recalling my conversation with Prince Lucas, I shuddered at the thought of that possibility. What’s most frightening is that I don’t know who set the trap.
I look around the venue. His Majesty the King is chatting with the Queen and nobles of similar age on the stage. But there’s a possibility that the culprit is among them…? Thinking about that, even the smiles of the nobles and the Queen seem fake.
…This is no good. If I start suspecting, there’s no end to it, and Prince Lucas has said that he doesn’t intend to move me.
If I wanted to, I could probably identify the culprit, but there’s no need to act against Prince Lucas’s instructions. I don’t think I’d gain anything by sticking my nose into such a dark matter.
I’ll try not to think about this for now. That’s definitely better.
While chatting with Rouge and Lily and having some light snacks, the music flowing through the Night Soiree venue changed to a slightly more upbeat tune. Lily frowned visibly when she heard it.
“It’s started, the time of hell…”
“Do you hate dancing that much…?”
It’s not just male nobles who are participating in the Night Soiree. There are also many noble ladies and daughters. The time for socializing is over, and from here on, it seems to be time to find a dance partner.
Several young nobles were attracted by Lily’s beauty and tried to approach us, but they retreated in dismay after being glared at by Lily. It seems that Lily’s dislike of dancing is well known, and after a while, no one approached us anymore.
On the other hand, Lecty and Rosalie were still popular. Lecty, of course, and Rosalie, despite her unusual hairstyle, is a very beautiful girl with well-defined features. Many young nobles are gathering around them to ask them to dance.
This is a bit dangerous… Prince Lucas doesn’t have the energy to dance due to the side effects of his Skill, and Marquis Puridi is married and can’t invite Lecty, who is the same age as his daughter, to dance.
“Go for it, Hugh.”
“Please take care of Lecty, okay?”
“…Understood.”
I guess I have no choice but to do that…
I was pushed by Rouge and Lily and headed towards Lecty.
“Lecty.”
“H-Hugh-san!”
Lecty, who had been flustered while surrounded by nobles, brightened up when she noticed my presence. She rushed towards me in her unfamiliar dress and almost fell, so I hurriedly caught her.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yes.”
Lecty blushed and smiled shyly. I’m glad she doesn’t seem to be hurt.
We ended up in a position where we were hugging each other due to unavoidable circumstances… or rather, it’s just me, I’m being glared at by the nobles who gathered for Lecty. My ears, enhanced by the «Ninja» Skill, could hear voices of contempt like, “It’s you again,” and “Shameless country bumpkin.”
I’ll accept it. From now on, I’ll be monopolizing Lecty for a while.
I slowly moved away from Lecty, placed my left hand on my right chest, and knelt on one knee. I honestly don’t know if this gesture is correct, but if it looks like it, it should be fine.
“Lily, isn’t that what you do when you propose—”
“Shhh. Let’s watch, it’s interesting.”
…It seems I made a fatal mistake. Whatever happens, happens.
I held out my right hand towards Lecty and asked.
“Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
“Y-yes! I would be delighted to!”
Lecty’s face, which was already red, turned even redder, and she took my outstretched hand hesitantly. I stood up and escorted Lecty to the dance space while holding her hand.
“U-um, Hugh-san. I’ve never danced before, so I’m sorry if I don’t dance well!”
“Don’t worry, Lecty. Actually, I’ve never danced in a place like this either.”
“R-really…?”
“Yeah. So I might make you dance awkwardly. I should be the one leading… sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I was actually relieved to hear that. Even if it’s an awkward dance, I’m looking forward to dancing with Hugh-san!”
“…Th-that’s good.”
My heart skipped a beat when Lecty smiled softly, relaxing her shoulders. …You idiot, me.
The music changed, and the dance time began. We bowed to each other, following the others, and placed our palms together. We started moving slowly to the gentle melody.
There were no steps or anything. We just swayed our bodies, walked around a bit. We tried to follow the movements of the nobles around us, letting our bodies move to the music.
From the outside, our movements must have been awkward and unbearable to watch. But that didn’t matter.
“Hehe. This is fun, Hugh-san!”
“Yeah, Lecty.”
Lecty was smiling from the bottom of her heart, dancing freely.
I matched her pace, and I couldn’t help but wish that this time would last a little longer.