~Chapter 24~
It seemed like Simon was waiting for Etienne’s permission.
Simon cleared his throat.
“Please continue eating.”
Etienne just coughed quietly, and Simon instantly refused my request.
“Tsk.”
Etienne sat up perfectly straight, eyes lowered, chewing slowly like a camel.
Tch, both of them are no fun.
Annoyed, I stabbed my salad with my fork and shoved it in my mouth.
“Use a salad fork for salad.”
“Do you have eyes on your forehead, too?”
He didn’t answer. Out of stubbornness, I picked up an almond from the salad and popped it into my mouth with my fingers, making sure he could see.
This time, as if he really couldn’t stand it, Etienne put his fork down and looked straight at me.
“Finally, you look at me. I thought your eyes were stuck under your eyelids.”
I stuck out my tongue.
The meal was over before I knew it, though I barely ate. Simon handed Etienne a sheet of paper he’d been writing on.
“Just as I expected. A mess.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Simon agreed.
I squinted my eyes, feeling like they were talking behind my back.
I was right. The paper, which Simon then passed to me, was full of notes on all the things Etienne had pointed out during breakfast.
There were even things like “don’t wiggle your toes,” “control your nostrils when chewing,” and “don’t make sound effects while eating.” It was obvious Simon added a bunch of his own, too.
“What’s this?”
“Things you need to fix. Did you throw away all your manners along with your memories? If you don’t fix these, you’re not allowed at the banquet.”
“How am I supposed to fix all these! Please, let me skip a few.”
“No.”
Etienne cut me off without hesitation.
“Darn it…”
From then on, I had to eat every meal with Simon. I spent two or three hours at each meal, learning how to hold a knife, sit properly, and talk politely.
“Do I have to eat perfectly with chopsticks just to eat rice?”
I held back my laughter.
“If you don’t want everyone at the banquet to gossip about how much you’ve changed, my lady.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong.
I shut my mouth. After all, I was now Princess Consort Dahlia, and this was something I had to overcome.
By day, Simon taught me posture and manners. At night, I memorized everything by heart.
The bags under my eyes got so dark, they reached my nose. But by the third day, Simon finally gave me a shiny “pass” necklace.
“I knew you’d remember quickly. Habits like this come back easily, even if you lose your memory.”
Simon smiled brightly, not knowing how hard I’d worked. I just nodded tiredly, since I’d barely slept in days.
“Can I rest now?”
“Of course not. Now, we’ll start dance lessons.”
Darn it. If I’d known there’d be more, I wouldn’t have studied so hard last night!
Simon stretched his neck with a crack.
“Why are you warming up for a dance lesson? You’re not going to hit me, are you?”
“No need to worry about that.”
He smiled so wide his black eyes disappeared.
We changed clothes to make things feel more real.
“Wow, how can you squeeze my waist this tight? What if my guts burst? Or if my legs go numb and rot?”
I grabbed my waist with both hands. If my hands were bigger, I could almost touch them together.
Forget dancing, if someone bumps into me, I’ll snap in half.
The full skirt of my dress was heavy, and the hem dragged on the floor. Every time I took a step, I almost tripped. There’s no way I could really dance like this.
“I’ll show you first. Just watch, and it’ll come back to you.”
Simon pretended there was an invisible partner. Even alone, his moves were graceful. Especially his light steps—they were amazing.
He looked just like a bear fairy on an ice rink.
“Simon, you’re really good! Why not just pretend to be me and dance with Etienne instead?”
I tried to imagine it—Simon laughing, “I’m Dahlia Demerov, oh ho ho!” and dancing with Etienne… as a lovely couple.
Yikes, even I thought it was horrible.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Simon frowned. He was always kind, but even he couldn’t stand that image.
I burst out laughing.
“I’m joking. You just seem so strict with me. But with Etienne, you joke around all the time. If I upset you, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not upsetting, just a bit gross.”
Simon shrugged at my apology and moved closer to teach me the dance.
“Usually, the gentleman asks first. He bows slightly and holds out his hand. Then you take it.”
Simon reached out his big hand like a bronze shield. I followed his lead and took it, moving my feet as instructed.
“When going to the ballroom, you hold his hand… No, not so tight, my lady.”
“It’s not because I want to! These shoes and clothes are so uncomfortable. Otherwise, I’ll fall!”
Simon looked at me struggling.
Don’t look at me like that… I know I’m hopeless…
In the mirror, I looked like a duckling in high heels. Thank goodness we started dance lessons early.
I thought I could just wear a pretty dress and wiggle my hips. This is torture.
“We’ll need to start with the basics.”
It was Etienne’s voice. I turned toward the door at the sound. He’d appeared and was leaning casually against the door, wearing a black shirt, vest, and a long cape.
Simon bowed his head in greeting.
“Welcome back, sir.”
Etienne ignored Simon and walked straight toward me, his polished shoes tapping on the floor. He smelled of fresh air.
He silently held out his right hand to me, just like Simon had shown earlier—except it was the opposite hand.
I looked at his hand, then up at his face.
Is this a surprise test?
He waited for me to place my hand in his. I hid my hand behind my back.
“I just started learning. And it’s not like I’m lazy—I already passed table manners! Can’t you test me on those instead?”
But Etienne ignored me and kept waiting. With no choice, I finally gave him my hand.
He pulled me gently and moved behind me.
Because he was holding my right hand with his right, my shoulder leaned against his body. He wrapped his left arm around my waist.
“You can’t even walk straight, so this way is better.”
Wait, did he see how badly I was walking? Ugh, how embarrassing.
Still, his new way of holding me really helped.
He’s like a hangover cure for humans!
When I held only Simon’s hand, I stumbled like a drunk, but now my steps were steady.
“What do I do when I have to dance with another man? I can’t ask him to hold my waist, can I?”
“Don’t dance.”
“Huh?”
Etienne stopped me. Suddenly, my vision spun, and his face was right in front of mine. He didn’t look like he was going to answer.
He pulled my waist closer, and I hovered awkwardly with one hand in the air.
Do I put my hand on his shoulder? Carefully, I placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Turn your head to the side.”
Beep—turn my head.
Like a robot, I quickly turned my head to the side. My forehead brushed against Etienne’s face.
Weird…
“Ack.”
Without thinking, I made a strange noise. Etienne moved his head back and frowned.
“The other side.”
“Oh, no wonder your face was so close.”
I tried to play it cool, but inside my head it felt like a flock of paper cranes was flying around.
I turned my head carefully, making sure not to touch his face. Even though I was basically in his arms, it was much easier to breathe now that I couldn’t see his face.
Whew, dancing is tough. It’s bad for my mental health.
As I tried to catch my breath, I spotted Simon in the background.
He was holding his hands tightly together, his cheeks twitching with excitement.
What’s wrong with him? Why is he so hyped up?
I frowned a little, but didn’t have time to focus on him.
Etienne kept explaining things, though I barely heard him. Noticing I didn’t understand, he adjusted my right hand.
The feeling of our palms rubbing was oddly ticklish. My hand kept getting sweaty.
“Lift your head more. Start with your right foot. Just follow my lead.”
His voice was calm.
See, I’m the only one nervous. This is business. Just pretend I’m acting for money.
I lifted my right foot just as he said. He guided my body smoothly, and when I relaxed, it really did feel like I was wearing magic dance shoes.
“Wow, maybe I’m a natural at dancing!”
I couldn’t help but laugh and praise myself.
Of course, as soon as I said that, my dress caught under my foot. My body tilted backwards.
Etienne quickly pulled me in by the waist. My back snapped forward, and I ended up crashing into his arms.
Hup!
I gasped.
Etienne put me back at a proper distance.
“Don’t move carelessly.”
