Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Four days had passed since the summons was sent from Granado Castle to the Shadelan baronial family.

It took just under two days for the letter to reach its destination by swift horse, and if they hurried and took a carriage the same day, Father would arrive tomorrow, or at the latest, the day after.

In the meantime, Lord Cyrus had been frequently absent again. Mio, Wolfgang, and Lady Ryuu-Ryuu took turns keeping watch over the castle during his absence. Whenever someone returned, another would leave.

All I could do was wait. When I asked Lord Cyrus and the others, they kept repeating that they couldn’t explain the details now, but that everything would become clear when the baron arrived.

I wondered what crime my father might have committed—yet, more than doubt, what weighed on me was the fear of what would happen to the Shadelan family, and to me, when the truth was revealed.

…But for that very reason, I couldn’t afford to lose my composure. I had to do what needed to be done.

Keeping time with Lady Ryuu-Ryuu’s clapping, I moved my body to the rhythm. It was natural to follow the set steps of the waltz, riding the melody and rhythm. I focused on even my fingertips and the tips of my toes, dancing gracefully.

I cherished my partner, enjoyed the dance, and maintained elegance—but above all, I played the part of a noble lady until the music ended.

“Good, okay! Marie, you did your best. Your improvement is wonderful!”

Lady Ryuu-Ryuu applauded and praised me. Without even wiping the sweat from my brow, I hung my head.

“I’m sorry... I don’t think I made any mistakes with the steps of the waltz, but my posture and gaze became careless halfway through…”

“Hmm?” Lady Ryuu-Ryuu raised a puzzled voice.

Wolfgang, playing the partner role, wore a gentle smile.

“There’s no need to worry about such things.”

“...But it wasn’t perfect, was it?”

“That’s true, but Marie, you were completely inexperienced in dancing and only started learning the steps two weeks ago. Especially in the past few days, you’ve worked incredibly hard.”

“To the guests, it won’t matter how bad I was at the beginning. On the day of the engagement ceremony, all that will matter is our performance.”

I wiped the sweat from the back of my hand. Taking a deep breath to steady myself just once, I immediately reached out my hand.

“Next time, I will make sure not to lose focus until the very end. Wolfgang, let’s start from the beginning again.”

“Madam, perhaps you should take a short break.”

Wolfgang didn’t take my hand. Glancing out the window at the sky dyed by the setting sun, he said,

“Dancing is a full-body exercise. You’ve been dancing non-stop since lunch; aren’t you tired?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You’ve been with me all this time and must be exhausted. You should rest.”

“...Not me.”

“Lady Ryuu-Ryuu, would you please play the partner role? No, I will dance alone, so please just watch. If you see anything odd, please scold me.”

Despite worrying about their endurance, I insisted firmly.

The engagement ceremony, just seventeen days away, would have the bride and groom’s dance as the highlight. Surrounded by royalty and nobility in this huge salon hall, I would dance with Lord Cyrus. There was no way I could embarrass myself.

I knew everyone was busy, but precisely because of that, I had to make the most of the limited time. I couldn’t afford to rest.

Humming the rhythm, I began moving my hands and feet. Lady Ryuu-Ryuu placed her hands on her hips with an exasperated sigh.

“When a serious girl puts her heart into something, this is what happens.”

…It’s not because I’m serious.

As I danced, I bit my lip.

If I were truly serious, I would have finished the housework earlier and spent more time improving myself. It was unthinkable that at eighteen, I couldn’t even dance a single waltz. I shouldn’t have forced others into intensive practice at the last moment.

Anastasia had debuted in society four years ago. Of course, her dancing was perfect.