I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 58

“I’m dancing in a banquet hall for the first time!”

Sophia quietly said as she moved to the stage with Leon.

“Well, that makes sense.”

Leon wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, she was a Special Admission Student from a commoner background. It was natural for her to feel out of place dancing in a venue like this.

Moreover, the Arcana’s ball was an informal affair; dancing was not part of the curriculum. If one wished to learn, they had to sign up for extra classes.

And if Leon’s memory served him right, there were no dance lessons included in the additional courses Sophia was taking.

“Does that mean you don’t know the basics at all?”

“I learned the fundamentals from Lady Reina and Lady Helen, but honestly, I’m not confident at all.”

“It’s fortunate if you know the basics. Don’t worry about making mistakes…”

To be honest, Sophia wanted to flee right then and there. The overwhelming stares from everyone around her were clouding her mind.

The fact that Crown Prince Leon had chosen a commoner Special Admission Student as his first dance partner was bound to attract attention, and some people were even openly mocking them.

If it weren’t for having promised Leon, Sophia would have come up with any excuse to escape.

‘Why exactly?’

That question kept swirling around in her head. Of course, she wanted to mingle with everyone.

But wasn’t it the case that her dress had been torn, making her unable to participate in the ball?

Well, she could have had the others wait and enjoy themselves.

The first thing Sophia saw upon entering the main banquet hall was Reina and Aike dancing in the center of the stage. They were dazzling and beautiful enough to capture everyone’s attention. Though she wasn’t well-versed in dance, Sophia thought so.

Surely, Crown Prince Leon could showcase something equally impressive or even greater than those two.

So why on earth was he waiting here for her?

Sophia simply couldn’t understand.

“It’s an honor to be your first dance partner, Miss Sophia, so I’ll do my best to lead.”

Leon had a rough idea of Sophia’s thoughts. He guessed she would feel burdened if she found out that he had been waiting.

Still, the reason he was waiting for her was simple.

‘…I originally hoped to be her partner.’

That was all there was to it.

And though it didn’t show much on the surface, Leon felt a bit disappointed when Sophia had turned down his invitation to be partners.

There was a hint of petty revenge in it too.

♩♪♬

As the piano began to play, the music started.

“Okay, I’ll create the flow first, so don’t be nervous and take it slow.”

Leon gently pulled Sophia’s hand as they stepped into the dance.

“Forget about the gazes around you and just focus on the music. That’ll make it easier.”

Sophia followed Leon’s words and slowly moved her feet. His lead was perfect, to the point that she didn’t feel any of the movements were difficult. Although it wasn’t as flashy and beautiful as the dance she had seen from Reina and Aike, he was bringing out the best she could offer.

“How is it? Aren’t you having fun?”

At Leon’s question, Sophia silently nodded. The tension and burden she initially felt had disappeared, and she found herself enjoying the dance.

If possible, she even thought about signing up for additional dance classes in the second semester when the vacation was over.

“I’m glad. It seems like you’ll be able to finish your first dance with a good memory.”

“Thank you.”

When she first saw the torn piece of her dress, Sophia hadn’t been that disheartened. She already knew how her presence was perceived at Arcana.

She hadn’t mentioned it to Reina, Leon, or anyone else, but incidents like this were not uncommon.

Walking alone, someone would inevitably trip her.

Her study books often ended up dirty or torn, and she had already bought new ones more than five times.

It would be a lie to say it hadn’t been hard.

Yet somehow, the reason Sophia had been able to endure it was simple.

‘Maybe I can dance with everyone at the ball just once?’

‘Miss Sophia, because you are Miss Sophia.’

‘Miss Sophia. Are you facing any difficulties?’

‘I think I’m lucky to have been able to meet everyone, including you, Miss Sophia.’

Everyone cared for her gentle side, worried about her well-being, while also seeing her as she truly was.

Above all,

‘Miss Sophia is truly a strong person, so if I want to change, I should emulate her.’

It was because Reina believed Sophia was strong.

So when Sophia first saw the torn dress, she didn’t shed any tears over it.

But when she realized she wouldn’t be able to join everyone, that was when a single drop of water flowed down her cheek.

“Your Highness.”

Sophia knew that dancing here at the ball was nothing short of a miracle. So, she vowed to convey this feeling to everyone.

“Thank you, as always.”

First, she wanted to express her gratitude to Leon, with whom she was currently dancing.

“Please take care of me in the future.”

She conveyed her sincerity with a gentle smile.

“…Yeah.”

Leon, who had just been aloof moments ago, suddenly found himself captivated by that smile.

It felt like he was about to discover a new emotion he’d never felt before.

Of course, Sophia had no idea about Leon’s thoughts.

Her own thoughts were solely about,

‘I need to change now.’

That was all.

★

“You all worked hard during the first semester.”

“Starting tomorrow, it’s finally vacation.”

Just before the ball was about to end, we were all seated at a table, taking a break.

My body was sore all over.

I never liked balls for this very reason.

This might sound boastful, but I’m a popular treasure among the nobles.

Being the second son of the Akses Duke House ranks higher than most first-born sons of noble families.

And having a victory record from the Martial Arts Tournament in Heros adds to my reputation.

Of course, I’ve also been labeled as having no notable achievements outside of that, which is somewhat of a trap.

Anyway, as long as I continue to perform well, I could build an entirely new house based on my excellent credentials.

But despite that, I didn’t have a fiancée.

My father had suggested numerous candidates, but I turned them all down.

What would happen if noble ladies saw me at the ball?

Countless dance invitations would flood in.

It would be against etiquette to refuse since I had no partner.

As a result, I’d end up dancing with someone until the ball ended.

Fortunately, I had trained consistently, so my dancing skills were decent enough not to be criticized by others.

But for someone like me, who had nearly no talent for dance and didn’t enjoy it, just the act of dancing continuously was already burdensome.

“Sigh.”

In fact, if I quickly found a fiancée, the problem would be resolved.

Even if there was an age gap that prevented us from attending Arcana together, using the fact that I had a fiancée could allow me to refuse dance invitations.

However, I had no intention of finding a fiancée.

At least not until I saw Reina completely happy.

If I had a fiancée, I wouldn’t be able to act freely like I do now.

“Aike, are you okay?”

Helen asked me, who was replenishing my energy with snacks.

“Ah, yes. I’m perfectly fine.”

“But you looked unwell since we were dancing earlier.”

“That’s…”

“Don’t worry about it, Helen.”

It was Reina who interrupted my response.

“Aike has always been poor at dancing since he was young. He’s probably just tired.”

Of course, it would be no good if word got around that I was poor at dancing as a noble.

I was about to offer another excuse, but she said that without hesitation.

I knew everyone here wouldn’t spread rumors, but still…

“Reina…”

“Hmph.”

At my discontented call, Reina brushed it off with a smirk, turning away.

What on earth did I do wrong?

There was no problem until we arrived at the banquet hall, and I escorted Reina and danced with her.

But after a certain moment, she had been acting like this constantly.

She seemed to be fine talking with Sophia and Helen, so it didn’t seem like there was another issue.

“Sigh.”

I sighed for various reasons.

“How refreshing.”

I stepped out onto the terrace for a moment to catch my breath.

It was summer, but the night breeze felt quite cool.

“What are you doing alone?”

As I turned to the voice, I found Reina standing there.

“I’m just too hot.”

“Vacation starts tomorrow.”

Reina, who had been dismissively turning her head away each time we met, suddenly spoke to me casually now.

“It feels like it’ll be lonely.”

“…Yeah.”

Reina’s expression remained unchanged, with the same cold atmosphere as always.

But I could tell that her earlier words were genuine.

“So what are you so angry about?”

Since we were two people now, I thought I’d ask something I was curious about.

To my surprise, Reina just scoffed and turned her gaze away.

So she didn’t seem upset, but I wondered if she was back to her normal self.

“…I’m not particularly angry.”

She replied, and luckily, she continued speaking.

“I’m just feeling a bit frustrated.”

Frustrated?

What on earth had I done to frustrate her without knowing?

As I examined Reina carefully, I found her bright silver dress matched her platinum hair beautifully.

The bright moonlight accentuated her cold atmosphere and sharp gaze, creating an alluring aura.

Her purple eyes emitted a dreamy sentiment.

Reina’s looks and demeanor seemed enchanting to me.

In a daze, I thought I could spend a lifetime just gazing at her.

“Ah.”

Finally, I realized what I had done wrong.

“Reina.”

“Yes?”

“That dress really suits you.”

The prince had said that women who dressed up differently should be praised before gathering, but I had completely forgotten after the incident with Sophia’s dress.

“….”

Reina fell silent for a moment after hearing my words.

Then she…

“Hehe.”

…covered her mouth while laughing.

Her reaction wasn’t what I had imagined.

But Reina, laughing like that, was charming enough.

“I feel like I was being foolish for feeling frustrated.”

“…If there’s something strange about me, I wish you’d just tell me directly.”

“Not like that.”

Reina stood directly in front of me and stared into my eyes.

“Aike.”

Then she slowly opened her mouth.

“Thank you so much.”

It was a thank you I couldn’t quite comprehend.

I began to doubt if this was really Reina, who had been scoffing and turning away until now.

But as she said that while smiling, Reina looked so beautiful that I couldn’t help but fall into a daze.