Chapter 05
The standing of the House of Canis was nothing short of peculiar.
A land of mystery, surrounded by monster habitats.
Rumors once spread that whoever colonized that land would conquer the continent.
A certain king, notorious for his belligerence, dispatched his army to seize the enigmatic territory.
Despite all possible preparations, most of the soldiers lost their lives in vain.
The few survivors sent a messenger hawk. They promised their sworn king they would soon present him with the vast land.
The king headed to the desert border to welcome his returnees.
However, all that returned was the cold, severed head of his vassal.
No one dared to approach the group that adorned their saddles with the emblem of a gray wolf.
The man at the forefront left a warning not to trespass on their land again.
This was the very first moment the House of Canis revealed itself in history.
Kings who tried to crush them by force, kings who sought connection through trade, kings who desired ties through marriage.
Their approaches varied, but none were granted entry to the land of Canis.
Then, over a decade ago, the notoriously reclusive Canis suddenly announced an alliance.
The counterpart was none other than the Euphorian Kingdom.
The public story that became known was that the King’s father had negotiated a deal with the previous Patriarch of Canis.
For that reason, one could occasionally see the Canis Patriarch and his son at royal events.
While Canis didn’t rule the kingdom, they were treated with status equivalent to royalty.
Another thing: Euphorian Kingdom law prohibited foreigners from owning land or houses, but Canis was the sole exception.
It was an unprecedented, extraordinary privilege.
Diplomatic missions from neighboring countries frowned upon this, but none openly objected.
Because they had shifted their strategy to trying to build connections with Canis through the Euphorian Kingdom as an intermediary.
However, rumors were rife that this alliance would only last as long as King Edwin lived.
So, even now, three years later, no one really expected the exchanges to continue…
“Lacey!”
At the sharp call, everyone turned their heads.
The Head Maid walking from the far end of the corridor had a serious expression.
The maids cleaning the corridor with me, sensing the tension, cautiously edged away from me.
“What on earth did you do where I couldn’t see you?”
“Huh?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, the Head Maid glared at me with piercing eyes.
“Don’t play dumb. Otherwise, the Chief Aide wouldn’t have specifically asked for you by name, would he?”
“I’ve never even met the Chief Aide…”
“Enough talk, just come with me. This is no time to stand around here.”
The Head Maid, grabbing my wrist, started walking hurriedly. As I was dragged along, I could hear whispering behind me.
“I also had my reasons for delaying the report. But what am I to do if you take the initiative first?”
Complaints spilled incessantly from the Head Maid’s mouth the entire way.
“So, I’m telling you, I haven’t even been near the Chief Aide’s office…”
“You really are audacious. I should have known when they said they needed to check your employment documents.”
With her cutting off my words like that, explaining was impossible.
“Since we’re on the topic. Just how astonished do you think the Chief Aide must have been to pester me to bring your worthless resume?”
Listening to this was starting to grate on my ears.
Just as I began letting her grumbling go in one ear and out the other, we arrived at our destination.
“I’ve brought Lacey Thiel.”
The guards stationed outside the office announced our arrival.
“Come in, please!”
The door opened, revealing a man springing to his feet. He was coming around the desk piled high with documents when he saw me and abruptly stopped, his movement unnatural.
Was he feeling dizzy? The Head Maid spoke to him as he stood there with a dazed expression.
“Chief Aide?”
“Ah, ahh. Thank you for your trouble in bringing her. Head Maid, you may return now.”
“Pardon?”
Being dismissed right after arriving? The Head Maid’s face clearly showed her bewilderment.
“B-but you know, Chief Aide, matters concerning the maids are under my jurisdiction…”
“I’ve summoned her for a matter strictly under *my* jurisdiction. So, please don’t concern yourself and feel free to leave.”
“But…”
He curtly ended the conversation and ushered the Head Maid out of the office.
An awkward atmosphere settled over the two of us left alone. Fritz cleared his throat, seeming embarrassed.
“Ahem, Lacey… Miss Thiel?”
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. Then, with a clear look in his eyes, he parted his lips.
“I’m asking just to confirm… by any chance, do you know how to dance the social dances of the Euphorian Kingdom?”
* * *
The previous evening.
The aides’ office, set up next to the Patriarch’s study, had its lights on for the third straight day.
“Chief Aide, how about stepping out onto the terrace for some fresh air?”
The Deputy Aide asked cautiously.
Everyone was exhausted from staying up all night, but Fritz looked particularly weary, his eyes bloodshot.
*I wonder what kind of troublesome problem the Patriarch has given him this time.*
“Some fresh air should help clear your head.”
“…Very well. Let’s take a short break.”
Fritz approached the terrace, intending to get some air as the Deputy Aide suggested.
The moment he opened the door, his white breath was swept away by the wind.
“Brrr, it’s cold. Is this really spring?”
Early spring in Canis, nestled in the north, was like this every year.
But the season would change soon enough.
*”One week. If you can find a dance teacher within that time, I’ll consider it.”*
Even just sending a message to the Euphorian Kingdom would take a month. Even if they found a teacher immediately, bringing them here would take another month and a half.
At the earliest, they’d only get to see the teacher’s face by summer.
He knew this perfectly well, yet he set the deadline at one week.
“I wish a savior would fall from the sky.”
Fritz thought of the deceased Princess.
Lacey Annarose Euphorian.
He’d only seen her from afar, but she seemed like someone who had been dearly loved.
Surprisingly so, given her origins as an illegitimate child.
It was said she monopolized King Edwin’s affection, overshadowing the twin Prince and Princess born to the Queen.
That’s why it was so unbelievable—the news that the Princess had killed her own father.
He dismissed it as a malicious rumor spread by those who envied her.
But when she was dragged into the courtroom, she was ultimately sentenced to death.
A trial involving royalty ending in just 15 minutes? It was absurd. Even a third-rate play would have more sincerity.
Later that year, the Princess’s death was announced.
It was the death of a criminal he had no personal connection to, yet it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Perhaps it was because he thought of her as the benefactor who had saved his master, whom even his close aides feared to approach, from that vile event.
“Sigh. There’s no way a miracle like that would happen again.”
Fritz leaned against the terrace railing, his expression clouded.
Looking down, he saw a group of maids holding brooms.
Looking closer, he noticed someone dancing under a tree blooming with magnolias.
“Practicing for the festival?”
When the temperature rose and flowers bloomed, a small festival was held among the commoners.
The highlight of the festival was undoubtedly the dance time.
It was a time for women adorned with flowers to show off their charm.
From his memory, the dance was rustic and simple enough for even children to mimic after seeing it once or twice.
But the dancer’s movements now were different. They were complex and precise.
“That dance… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere…”
Fritz strained his memory to the utmost.
He went back years, to the time when the previous Patriarch was still leading the family.
A social gathering he attended in his capacity as the Patriarch’s proxy.
There, he had watched, mesmerized, a gorgeous and dignified dance.
Was there someone here who knew how to perform that dance?
Fritz stretched his body over the railing as if he was about to jump down.
Now that he thought about it, hadn’t he heard there was a maid brought here from Euphorian a few years ago?
An elegant curtsy, accompanied by applause, provided the finale.
“H-hey! Wait there a moment!”
But he was already too late. By the time he shouted at the top of his lungs, the maids had already gone inside.
“The distance was too far to see her face clearly…”
But he remembered her distinctive appearance.
If he asked the Head Maid, he could find her quickly.
“Kyah, this is undoubtedly an opportunity sent from heaven!”
Fritz closed his eyes, overcome with emotion.
The afterimage of pink hair fluttering softly remained on his eyelids.
“It’s strange, though. Who would have thought she’d have the same hair color as Princess Lacey.”
* * *
“…And that is the story of how I found the dance teacher!”
It was burdensome.
The way he introduced me with exaggerated flourishes of his hands.
“Looking at her resume, she even has experience working in a Marquis’ household.”
But Fritz was practically the second-in-command of Canis Castle.
“She says she learned by watching from the sidelines, but her dancing skill is incredible.”
I thought that with him as my backer, becoming a dance teacher was just a matter of time. As expected, he brought me before Ash Canis.
“Please hire her, if only in recognition of my sincere efforts.”
*”Do you really think the usefulness of a dance teacher is limited to lessons? Think about the rules of the ballroom…!”*
The words I didn’t hear then probably went something like this:
*’Think about the rules of the ballroom! If you take her as your partner, it’s killing two birds with one stone, isn’t it?’*
Ash Canis, who had been listening while leaning back in his chair, slowly raised his hand.
*Clap, clap, clap—*
“So, Patriarch…!”
Then, his lips parted.
