City ​​of Witches 1004

Chapter 1004 – #241_Academy Founding Ceremony (5)

#998

1.
Everyone was hesitant due to my reputation, the whispers around me, or the excessive attention.
Countess Adonai, who had asked Siwoo to dance, naturally deployed a sound barrier.

In high society, a single word carelessly thrown out, a small gesture, can carry a lot of meaning.
Countess Adonai’s bold action implied a great deal.

“Why is the Countess with such a scoundrel…?”
“Could it be that she knows Countess Adonai too?”
“Come to think of it, Adonai Trading was in charge of the mansion remodeling…? I thought it was just business…”
“Oh my, she even put up a sound barrier…! They must be really close!”

The witches were in an uproar.
The sound of fans fluttering mixed with the whispers from all around.

As one of the Seven Counts of Gehenna, Countess Adonai is a haughty queen who rarely shows her face at social events.

Yet, she had not only reached out to Baron Shin Siwoo, who could be caught up in any kind of gossip, but also deployed a sound barrier.
This meant that she didn’t want the conversation to be heard outside, and that they were close enough to have a private conversation.

She hadn’t said or done anything directly, but it was as if she had declared that the ‘scandal’ surrounding the Baron was nothing.

In other words, Countess Adonai had readily offered Siwoo her help.

Of course, Siwoo, who had learned about aristocratic etiquette and social manners, also understood the implications.

“I’m surprised. Thank you.”
“I absolutely hate these kinds of events. Thank Takasho for this later.”

She, who always wore leather clothing, was wearing a rather revealing velvet dress today.

Especially the chest area was deeply cut, and one wrong glance could immediately lead to whispers, but Siwoo didn’t even look in that direction.

Why?
Because Siwoo was now wearing the charismatic mask of the academy president, which he had honed using hypnosis.

Siwoo, who had become able to intentionally bring out a perfect mask through hypnosis, was not fazed by that level of stimulation.

After the first song ended and before the next one started, while everyone was scattering to change partners or find their places, Persephone led Siwoo to the center of the ballroom as if to show off.

The center of the ballroom is the place that receives the most attention.

It’s such a coveted hotspot that there’s a subtle battle of nerves to occupy it.
But no one dared to stop Countess Adonai.

“They really seem to be dancing.”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen her dance.”
“Could it be that Countess Adonai is also…?”
“Don’t say things you can’t take responsibility for.”

Well, even if that wasn’t the case, it would have drawn enough attention.

The collaboration between the mysterious Countess Adonai and Baron Shin Siwoo, who had recently been the hottest topic in high society.

How could it not attract attention?

Before taking the hold position, Countess Adonai, who had lightly tapped to the beat, made eye contact and opened her mouth.

“Try to keep up with the tempo. Today, I’m wearing Karen’s red shoes.”
“That sounds passionate.”
“Yes, enough to make you collapse while dancing.”

Despite her warning, I was confident in standard waltz.
I had even received a passing grade from my picky mother-in-law.

The moment we held hands and I wrapped my arm around her back to take the full hold position.

“……?”

Siwoo felt that something was definitely not right.

-Thump!

The low pitch of the contrabass signaled the first beat, followed by the violin rhythm signaling the second and third beats.

In the hold position, it is the leader’s role to lead the first movement of the dance.
Siwoo tried to start by giving a signal with his body, but…

This is insane.

I almost said that.
Even in charismatic Shin Siwoo mode.

Her movements were on a different level than Albireo’s.

Unlike Albireo, who could read Siwoo’s signals with even the smallest movements, Countess Adonai was standing stiffly as if she was under a thousand-pound weight.

“……”

I calmly let the music flow and tried to move on to the next beat, but.

-Twitch

Again, she only tried to move and stopped, Countess Adonai just stood there looking at Siwoo blankly.
I could feel cold sweat running down my back.

What is it?
Is she an assassin?
Did she approach me to sabotage me?

“Countess?”
“Why?”

The gaze I met while hiding my embarrassment had a brazen look that said, ‘Did I do something wrong?’, which was even more absurd.
She might not be aware of it, but it meant that she had no ill intentions at least, right?

When I moved her with a bit of force, Persephone finally began to follow my lead.

It was the moment when Adonai’s dance skills, which had been veiled for a long time, were revealed to the world.

“Wow…”
“She’s terrible at dancing…”

As I said before, the waltz is the flower of social gatherings.
To the eyes of the witches who evaluated dances with strict eyes, Countess Adonai’s sloppy skills were clearly visible.

A terrible sense of rhythm that couldn’t even properly recognize the 3/4 time.
A clumsy hold and stiff movements.
It was like she had just started learning the basics.

“Hmm…”
“Well, it happens.”

There weren’t any harsh sneers, glares, or backtalk.

Unlike others, Countess Adonai was the one who stabilized the logistics distribution between Gehenna and the mortal realm and was a great witch who showed off various research achievements.

It was about showing proper respect to those with proper skills and abilities.
And not showing respect to those who did not know honor.

This was the way of the world, politics, and the underlying principle of high society.

Countess Adonai’s small flaw was something that could be overlooked.

However, the waltz is a dance where two become one.

Moreover, in a standard waltz, where harmonious movements are essential with the upper body in close contact and tight steps, the poor performance of one side naturally leads to a burden on the other side.

The dance of the Siwoo-Persephone couple felt like they were struggling to keep up with the rhythm and was not at all like a waltz.

“Look how flustered he is.”
“Yeah… I’d be the same.”
“Is that why she hasn’t danced until now…?”

Currently, Siwoo’s public opinion was such that even a single sip of water could lead to all sorts of unfair criticism, but he knew it was inevitable, so he took the evaluation calmly.

“I’ll get to see him struggle.”
“Hahaha, it must be a pain when your partner is like that.”

Of course, some snide remarks were inevitable.

All those evaluations were reaching Siwoo’s ears as he was struggling to dance ‘something similar to a waltz’.
I was very grateful for her intention to help, but with such poor dancing skills, what confidence did she have to offer help?

Everything was different from when I was in sync with Albireo.

Unlike Albireo, who had shown keen awareness, excellent balance, proper weight distribution, and overwhelming basic skills to receive the leader’s signals and perform without a hitch…

“……”

Persephone’s expression and movements were no different from a wooden doll.

Even when I gave her pressure to move this way, she remained silent and took a step late.
When I signaled to do an open impetus turn, she suddenly turned the other way.

Even during the most basic forward and backward movements, she suddenly tried to trip me up, and I don’t know how hard I tried to avoid getting my feet stepped on.

I really get it now.
There’s no solution like this.

The song was slowly reaching the middle part.

If this continued, instead of helping, it would only lead to a bad result, and Siwoo’s first social debut would be reduced to a topic of conversation at drinking parties.
That wouldn’t be good for Countess Adonai, who had stepped forward with good intentions, or for Takasho.

“…Could you relax a little?”

I’m not going to give a lecture here.
No matter how bad your partner is, pointing out or trying to teach your partner’s dance in front of others is the worst thing you can do.

“Huh? Like this?”
“That’s good.”

After whispering very quietly so that only she could hear, I took a breath.
I didn’t know if it would work because it was the first time I was doing this, but Siwoo believed in the reward of effort.

“Huh?”

One of the witches who was sitting at a nearby table and giggling suddenly tilted her head.

“Why?”
“Look at Countess Adonai’s side.”
“Hmm?”

One of the witches, who was feeling second-hand embarrassment and deliberately looking elsewhere, also tilted her head.

Adonai, whose shortcomings were noticeable compared to the surrounding couples.

But suddenly, it was like she had changed.
Her skirt was fluttering like a butterfly, and her weight transfer was smooth.

She was suddenly blooming into the most beautiful flower of this ball.

“What, she’s good?”
“Was it because she hadn’t done it in a long time?”

This was what the average witches thought.
But the witches who were knowledgeable about waltz and had a lot of experience in high society could tell.

“No… that’s not Countess Adonai’s ability…”
“What do you mean?”
“The Baron is leading with overwhelming skill.”

The waltz is ultimately a dance where two people achieve harmony, but the more important role is the leader.
The follower cannot cover up the leader’s lack of ability, but the leader can do the opposite.

For example, by taking on the follower’s weight entirely, even if it takes a bit of effort.

Of course, it’s not easy.
But Siwoo was doing it alone with his high stamina, inhuman core strength, unique flexibility, and quick reflexes.

And he was doing it while maintaining the smooth curves and soft movements that were most important in ‘dance’.

“Is that even possible?”

The witches, who were slowly realizing how amazing it was, were shocked.
Regardless, the dance of Siwoo and Countess Adonai was gradually heading towards its climax.

The rotation was gradually getting faster, and the variations were becoming more diverse.
Shin Siwoo’s waltz skills made it look like they were ‘one body’ even though they weren’t in sync at all.

Even Countess Adonai herself was surprised that her body was moving like this, and her eyes were wide open. Then, a problem occurred.

-Slip!

“Ah.”

Countess Adonai’s shoe slipped.
It was just a coincidence and a mistake due to her lack of basic skills.
During the rotation, her movement suddenly leaned backward, and she completely lost the center of gravity that Siwoo had been supporting more than 90%.

“Ah!”
“Oh my!”

It was a brief moment, but it was clear to everyone that she was about to fall backward.
In that split second, Siwoo’s choice was not to forcibly lift Countess Adonai up and hold her.

He gently let her body fall backward.
Then, he firmly grabbed her and stopped her by using all the strength in his waist.

-Thud!

As a result.

Instead of a waltz, a high-level finishing move was completed, like a backbend pose in tango, where the woman’s back was bent backward and one leg was extended straight into the air.

“……”
“……”

The music had ended, but the ballroom was still silent.

“Whew.”

Siwoo, who was helping Countess Adonai, who had been in a gymnast-like pose, up, felt the cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

“That was a wonderful performance.”
“You too.”

It was close, but looking at the surrounding atmosphere, I understood.

The composure to skillfully lead, instead of being flustered by the poor skills of his partner.
The best finish that covered up the flaws with extreme improvisation, instead of being caught up in a fatal mistake and falling together.

“He can cover it up like that…”
“That’s insane. So sexy. I wish he would grab my hair just once…”
“No… it’s the complete opposite of the rumors?”
“He could have made a disgusted face at least once… but he’s been considerate of his partner the whole time…?”

Baron Shin Siwoo’s social debut and charisma project was, for the time being, a success.