Chapter 32 – Episode 32. Prom (2)
“Okay, I was wrong… !”
I could feel the texture of the cold wall behind me.
Under the silent pressure that he could no longer run away from the white beast in front of him, with no place to back down, he could clearly and distinctly feel cold sweat running down his back.
“… I did it on purpose.”
This beautiful white beast, as if it had already lost its sense of reason, was ready to bite Erania’s neck at any moment, baring its teeth.
His face is still on fire, whether he lost his temper due to anger, or whether he has some remaining shame.
In Erania’s eyes, it was as if she could see a haze rising around Astrid. In her visceral sense of peril that perhaps that might be the last sight she would see of her in this world, Eranya shook her head with the momentum to break her neck.
“Oh, no… ! Not really… !”
After Leopold closed the door like that, it didn’t take long for the smile to be erased from Erania’s face as he opened her door a moment later and entered with a smile.
“Tell me. Why the hell did you do that to me I wore what her sister told me to wear, but why did she do that to me. She did everything her sister told her to do, but why did she do that to me.”
“That, that… Frustrated, right! I’m frustrated! It was frustrating!”
“What is there to be frustrated about, sister?”
Seeing Astrid’s fists clenched tightly and trembling, Eranya thought it was the right time to give a good answer.
Otherwise, she might really die. With Astrid’s strength, it was not difficult to separate Erania’s neck from her torso.
“Leopold, get along with Leopold… ! With that outfit, I thought that Leopold would lose his temper and run at her… !”
“… What is this outfit this… “
Astrid, who looked down at the clothes she was wearing, glared at Erania as if she realized something about her.
“This, saying that it is popular in the capital, is a lie. Yes, of course that would be a lie. It can’t be.”
If clothes like this become popular, the country is doomed. I don’t know why I believed such nonsense.
“This dress is a lie. It’s not like it’s popular in the capital or anything like that.”
“That’s just, that… Si, wears for seduction on the first night of her honeymoon… This event outfit… But.”
“… Why are you putting that on me?”
No, why is he asking the obvious again? Erania did not understand. Isn’t it obvious
“Good luck with Leopold! No, wait. I’m angry thinking about it Hey, Astrid.”
Her frustration made even Erania counterattack.
Eranya, who had shrunk in front of Astrid’s spirit a little while ago, but at this moment, when she took care of Astrid with Erania’s best thought, she has become an ungrateful bitch who rather lashes out with her anger.
“So, you hate Leopold?! Don’t like it! Hey Astrid. You’re being so snarky, so I pushed your back to make it a fait accompli, but you can’t say thank you and now, are you threatening me? Huh?!”
“No no. Sister, that’s not it.”
At this point, the tide has reversed.
Astrid, who had the momentum to separate Erania from her upper and lower ranks at any moment, rather faltered and backed away from Erania’s counterattack.
“Because this older sister has lived longer than you, she says that you are pushed back by Akemilla every time, so I even put my hands on it myself, she thanked her unnie. I can’t say hello. What are you doing right now? Huh? Did Wolfgang teach you this?!”
“Oh, sister. No that’s not it… “
“Thank you quickly, sorry for kicking the table that was set!”
“Yes?!”
The linguistic cuts are also numerous.
It was Astrid who was about to die of shame, but Astrid couldn’t understand this situation where she had to thank Erania for it.
“Think about it too, what would you do if Leopold fell for Akhemilla? Huh? Oh, why don’t you help me, unnie? Would you do this?!”
“Wh, what are you saying… “
“Now that I don’t see things like that, shouldn’t I say thank you to my sister!?”
It was a tremendous force.
Astrid, who had been enveloped in rage, regained her senses a little bit, but because of Erania, who was terrifyingly counterattacking, Astrid hesitated and retreated.
“Thank you quickly, won’t you?!”
Weird.
It’s obviously nonsense, but oddly, Erania’s words were persuasive.
Will Leopold fall for Akhemilla? I hate that anyway.
So, did this work rather well? Did you reduce the odds of that happening? And that’s because of Erana… ?
Is this correct?
It seems right.
“Oh, thank you… Sister.”
Something felt strange, but Astrid said thank you anyway.
*
“What do you think you saw?”
Even after hurriedly returning to the room, Leopold’s heart pounded for a long time, so as soon as Leopold closed the door, he leaned against the door and took a deep breath.
‘… Why did you close the door?’
It’s strange to think
I instinctively closed the door, but I don’t know why.
It’s not that the appearance was ugly.
If it wasn’t good to see, it was rather good. Enough to keep looking at it.
I guess that’s why. I want to keep seeing you.
“Cadet Leopold?”
“Ah, Astain… “
It was going to be a big deal.
If Erania hadn’t stopped it, if Astain had followed him and watched it together.
‘No, cancer. Don’t like it I hate it so much It can’t be good.’
“Oh, no. Never mind. Squad leader Astrid said something… “
“But why did you come back so soon?”
“That, just.”
Leopold waved his hand roughly, as if he wanted to pry into it, and went into the washroom next to him as if to ask not to ask any more questions.
He turned on the cold water and washed his face repeatedly.
I thought my face was on fire, but as expected, my face was red and hot as if it were on fire.
Every time I closed my eyes to wash my face, Astrid’s figure flickered in front of my eyes.
No matter how much I washed my face, it couldn’t be erased.
That voluptuous chest and narrow waist. In addition, the thick lower belly revealed when he pulled his clothes down, and underneath it… Black, black…
“… Ugh.”
A sigh comes out of nowhere.
The face was too hot.
*
“I never wear them. Never.”
“I won’t tell you to wear it.”
Astrid, who was about to tear the dress that wasn’t even a dress for the moment, folded it up and put it in the drawer, considering that it wasn’t hers and that Eranya had prepared it with her own thoughts.
And on the day of the long-awaited prom.
They said they were free to wear clothes, but they were instructed to refrain from wearing too flashy dresses. Since not all of the cadets were aristocrats and not all of them had good family backgrounds, it was a measure to reduce the sense of incongruity, so even though Erania grumbled, it was fortunate for Astrid.
“Today’s first and last dance, Astrid, you and Leopold are dancing?”
It is said that Leopold and Astrid were to dance to announce the opening and closing of the ball, but that was exactly what Astrid was worried about right now.
‘How do you dance… ‘
Never danced
Astrid, you’ve been learning for 20 years, so there should be no problem, but the problem is that the current content is not the original Astrid.
She didn’t know anything about dancing, and the dancing performed in a place like this would be a pair dance between a man and a woman, which Astrid now couldn’t figure out.
‘Shouldn’t I have yielded to Akemilla?’
I was even thinking about this.
As Leopold’s fiancee, it wasn’t usually a problem for her if she couldn’t dance properly, which could be said to be the basic qualifications of an aristocrat.
If she couldn’t dance properly at the ball, it wouldn’t end in Astrid’s disgrace. It was a disgrace to her father, Wolfgang, and furthermore, it was also a disgrace to the Mitterien family, and furthermore, it was also a matter of prestige at stake in the Eindhafen Imperial Family, who decided to take such Astrid as her fiancée.
However, if Astrid was playing, that was not the case either.
She also practiced diligently. Although she didn’t know it, she still borrowed liberal arts books from the library and spread them out and practiced her basic steps.
However, even if she practiced alone in a place where no music was playing or a partner was not present, it was unclear whether it would have any effect.
‘Ah… It hurts… ‘
I was so nervous that I felt sick to my stomach.
In the meantime, time passed like a stream, and the sun caught on the ridge before I knew it. At the ball, which begins around sunset, men and women who have formed pairs beforehand enter side by side, but now, of course, Leopold and Astrid form a pair.
– Captain Astrid, it’s time to go.
A knock sounded from outside the door, as if he knew Astrid’s troubled heart.
Leopold had arrived, so Astrid let out a long sigh, straightened the hem of her dress once more, and left her room.
“… Let’s go.”
Leopold, who opened his eyes wide for a moment, urged Astrid as if nothing had happened.
In an amber one-piece dress, his skirt had long, finely stretched pleats. His exposed arms from his shoulders were eventually wearing silk party gloves of the same color, and a slight blush appeared on his face, which had been finely made up through Erania’s hands.
“Let’s go, Cadet Leopold.”
The ballroom was decorated in the auditorium where the cadets had their entrance ceremony.
Although it was far from glamorous, it had to be wide because it was an event where banquets were held together, and the only building that wide at the training center was the auditorium.
“Astrid Squad, Astrid Squad Leader and Cadet Leopold enter!”
When the official name is given, the name of the person entering is shouted out loud. Actually, it didn’t mean much, but since the name of the person called was the name, the attention of those who were already there turned to Astrid and Leopold.
It is rude to say hello out loud.
After everyone is guided to their respective seats and seated, they approach quietly to exchange greetings and chat. That was basic etiquette in social churches.
So even after they entered, there was no particular commotion. Besides, she’s the crown prince outside and also the Grand Princess of the North, but she’s just one of the cadets here.
“Now, all trainees at the Imperial Military Academy.”
Ortega’s voice on the podium filled this large ballroom, and even a hum was heard.
“I went through a lot of hard work in the past. Now, after the graduation ceremony to be held tomorrow, you will become full-time cadets of the Imperial Military Academy with the status of apprentice knights.”
The cadets stood up from their seats and listened to the principal’s instruction.
Ortega smiled with satisfaction as he looked around at the cadets, who had now become quite military-like.
“Well, anyway. The graduation ceremony is tomorrow, so I will continue to talk about it tomorrow. Eat and drink to your heart’s content today. Then, to brighten up the opening of the prom… Leopold von Einhafen, Astrid von Mitterien. Come forward.”
“Eggplant, Astrid.”
As Leopold placed his fingers lightly on his outstretched hand, Astrid stood up from her chair.
‘The thing to come has come… ‘
No matter how much I think about the steps I’ve practiced in my head, I don’t know what kind of dance this is. With Astrid’s shallow knowledge, when it comes to dancing, she only knows about waltz and minuet, but even then, she doesn’t know about steps.
Even so, the two of them were in the middle of the ballroom.
Countless cadets’ gazes were directed at the two, and Astrid looked nervously at Leopold—
“Ugh.”
Stepped on his foot
“Astrid, are you feeling unwell?”
“Oh, no. No. It’s okay.”
“I don’t like the color of my face… “
At Leopold’s worried voice, Astrid tried to regain her senses. Step, what happened to the step? The hand is like this… Is it right to go slightly up? He felt Leopold’s hand wrapped around his waist. A little heat came through the not-so-thick dress.
“… I don’t lead Relax your body, Astrid.”
“Yes yes… “
Soon the melody began. Leopold’s knee lightly touched Astrid’s.
“Half-step ahead.”
Astrid’s foot lightly stepped half a step in front of Leopold’s instructions, and Leopold’s hand untied Astrid’s waist and slightly pulled the back of the dress.
“Turn around twice and come back.”
Astrid’s body escaped from Leopold, spinning around twice, then spinning around again and returning to Leopold’s arms.
“As it is, one step back.”
Leopold’s foot lightly tapped Astrid’s.
“Okay, like this. The signal is like this.”
Leopold’s voice tickled Astrid’s ears, which had become completely white.
A soft voice resonated in her ears, and Astrid followed Leopold’s lead and followed his hand signals, frantically stepping and moving his body.
It was at one point.
In Astrid’s head, an abnormality occurred.
【Relieve your body.】
A woman’s voice, soft but strong, came from somewhere.
