TYBMB 25

Chapter 25: The Mask and the Dance

January 25, 2024

When I suggested that we dance together and make some memories, the Commander looked more surprised than ever.

Well, I suppose it made sense.

I wasn’t exactly the type of person others would ask to dance.

Still, I had gathered the courage to ask because I felt sorry seeing him always so busy at events. Yet, he didn’t respond for quite a while.

Feeling awkward, I slowly began to withdraw the hand I had extended.

“I’m sorry. I just remembered you said you were busy, and I must have said something unnecessary. You probably don’t even have time to dance—”

“I do.”

“…Pardon?”

“I can spare time to dance with you.”

Before I could even pull my hand back, the Commander grabbed it.

Then, just like the other dancers, he naturally wrapped his arm around my waist.

As his strong forearm and large hand encircled my waist, my heart fluttered slightly.

With our bodies close together, we began moving in time with the music.

“……”

“……”

At first, it was a little awkward—dancing so closely as if we were lovers.

But the awkwardness didn’t last long.

As we got swept up in the lively music and moved along, I started feeling increasingly elated.

“You’re better than I expected. I thought you’d be awkward, since I’ve never seen you dance before.”

“I learned when I was younger… when I was still a prince. As a member of the royal family, you had to know at least this much.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Still, it’s a shame. You’re so good at dancing, but you don’t get to show it at the ball.”

“It’s fine. Thanks to you, I get to show off all I’ve been hiding.”

I laughed at his words, and he chuckled with me.

He didn’t smile broadly, showing his teeth or anything, but it was rare enough to see the Commander smile at all—so it felt new and refreshing.

I etched that smile clearly into my memory, thinking:

It’s the kind of smile that tickles your heart.

“You should smile like that more often.”

“I could say the same to you. You should smile more. You look much better when you do.”

“If I smile more often, will you do the same?”

“I’ll smile so much it’ll get annoying.”

Even after saying that, he gave me a warm smile.

As I smiled back, I suddenly remembered something I needed to tell him.

“Um… about being His Majesty’s partner this time—I really didn’t intend it. I didn’t want to be the only one in the Order to act separately either.”

“It’s fine. What’s done is done. No need to act like a guilty puppy.”

Unlike before when he was upset, he now seemed much more laid-back.

Maybe dancing to the lively tune had put him in a good mood.

Seizing the opportunity, I decided to ask him clearly.

“So… you’re not mad anymore? You even said you didn’t trust me. Do you trust me now?”

“Hmph. I’ll decide that based on what you do going forward.”

Though he said he’d decide later, it was as good as saying he would trust me.

If he had intended to keep distrusting me, he would’ve responded more seriously.

Thank goodness.

That thought flashed through my mind.

I had been feeling guilty about how I just let things slide after he scolded me because of Ernante. But now… I really was relieved.

Even if our trust wasn’t yet fully solid, having an honest conversation like this today would surely bring us closer.

Then, someone suddenly bumped into my back.

“Oh my, I’m sorry!”

Apparently, a couple behind me had been twirling around while dancing and had accidentally run into me.

It seemed like a genuine mistake—they kept bowing and apologizing—so I couldn’t get angry.

But I was flustered.

Because of the push, I had ended up falling straight into the Commander’s arms.

I quickly nodded to the couple to show it was okay, and they went off dancing again.

“Sorry for leaning on you, Commander. I lost my balance for a moment.”

I apologized and tried to step out of his arms.

It’s not that I disliked the situation… but staying like that any longer felt inappropriate.

I gently pushed against his chest to pull away, but I couldn’t move at all.

It was because of the Commander’s arm around my waist.

He was holding me firmly, not letting go.

Suddenly, it felt familiar—like something similar had happened before.

Was it… Ernante?

He had also held my waist tightly and wouldn’t let go.

I probably could’ve broken free of Ernante’s grip with a bit of effort, but the Commander’s arm was different.

His forearm, trained from wielding a heavy halberd, was far too strong for me to overcome.

I struggled a bit, trying to pull away, then flicked my fingers a few times in front of his face.

“Commander? Snap out of it. You have to let me go if I’m going to stand properly.”

“…Pardon me for a moment.”

Finally, the Commander released me.

Just as I was about to ask what had made him so absentminded, he spoke first.

“I should get going now.”

“Ah, right. Looks like the song just ended. You should hurry. To the Grand Temple?”

“Yes. I have to escort His Holiness the Pope during the Foundation Day Parade.”

In the Heldenberg Empire, only two people stand on equal footing with Ernante.

One is the Empire’s protector from the rift—Duke Martin von Habicht.

The other is the spiritual pillar for the people worn down by the rift—Pope Fried von Emmersheide.

Every year on Foundation Day, the Pope marches among the people with the clergy, and it’s always the Commander’s job to escort the parade.

Which meant… he really was in a hurry right now.

“Take care, then.”

“See you later.”

After a brief goodbye, he quickly disappeared into the crowd.

I stared at his retreating figure for a moment before coming back to my senses.

Oh right—I had to find Johannes.

We were supposed to watch the Pope’s parade together.

As the Vice Commander of the Order, I had always been escorting the Pope myself on Foundation Day, so I never got to enjoy the parade properly.

This year, I couldn’t miss the rare chance to watch it from among the crowd.

I quickly began to search for Johannes.

* * *

After saying goodbye to Yulia,
Martin stepped into a quiet alleyway to catch his breath.

His breathing was a bit fast, and his heart was pounding more than usual.

It wasn’t just because of the vigorous dancing.

Then what was it?

He asked himself that as he recalled what had just happened.

When Yulia asked him to dance, he hadn’t thought much of it.

Though he was busy, her suggestion to make a memory together drew him in—and dancing wasn’t a difficult task, so he agreed.

And when they got swept up in the lively tune… it was actually fun.

He was glad he danced with her.

The problem came afterward. When Yulia smiled. When she accidentally fell into his arms.

Though she had softened a lot lately, Yulia didn’t smile often.

When she did—right in front of him—Martin felt a sensation he had never known.

It was like a soft brush tickling the corner of his heart.

That must be why… he couldn’t easily let her go when she had fallen into his arms due to the couple who bumped into them.

Her body had felt smaller than expected.

He had never thought her body was small when she was swinging her sword and slaying monsters.

That strong body had fit snugly into his arms, and that gave Martin a strange feeling.

…No. He shouldn’t think such useless thoughts.

He quickly cut off the thought.

Because a sudden premonition told him—if he followed it any further, there might be no turning back.

* * *

After wandering through the crowded plaza for a while, I finally found Johannes.

He had been scanning the dancing crowd, clearly looking for me.

I grabbed him and said urgently,

“Hurry, the Pope’s parade is about to start.”

“Ah… Will we even get a good view at this point? I bet the crowds have already gathered.”

“It’s fine. I know a good spot.”

I knew exactly where to go to avoid the crowd and still see the parade.

Thanks to escorting the Pope personally every year, I had learned which places were crowded and which weren’t.

From what I had seen, the areas near the Grand Temple and the main boulevard were the most packed.

But there was a narrow street between them that people tended to avoid—less crowded.

That’s where we needed to go.

Recalling the route, I led Johannes to that side path.

As expected, it wasn’t crowded at all.

The path was so narrow that people tended to avoid it, which made it the perfect viewing spot.

There, we waited for the parade to arrive.

After a short while, Johannes pointed.

“Ah, here they come.”

At the front of the procession, the Holy Knights marched in perfect form.

Clad in pure white ceremonial uniforms, their solemn expressions scanned the surroundings.

They were knights of the official religion of the Empire, the Erdentkinder Church, and their pride showed clearly.

But the ones who directly escorted the Pope were our Silver Order.

Soon, we could see Commander Martin and our fellow knights.

I quickly informed Johannes.

“Look closely. The people coming now are my comrades.”

After pointing them out to Johannes, I also looked more carefully.

Commander Martin, Karl, and Elma—those three were part of the escort.

Elma and Karl looked great, but the most striking one was, of course, the Commander.

He looked stunning in his ceremonial black uniform with gold trim, riding a splendid white horse beside the Pope.

The golden tassels on the dark uniform suited him perfectly.

As the parade came closer, I waved toward the Commander from the cheering crowd.

“…!”

Thanks to our position near the front, he spotted us quickly.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw me wave.

But since he couldn’t afford to get distracted while escorting the Pope, he quickly turned his eyes forward again.

I wished he could’ve looked a little longer.

We couldn’t even exchange a greeting—that was the only regret.

As I stood there feeling that slight disappointment, Johannes urgently called out beside me.

“Um… I think His Holiness is looking this way?”