Rudrick, whom I haven’t seen in a long time, was completely out of my expectations.
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He was dressed in a well-groomed uniform, his physical condition seemed to be fine, but his face wasn’t.
He had lost weight more clearly than before, his appearance didn’t look good, and his face became paler, which clearly indicated that his physical condition was bad.
Then, I got up hastily.
I don’t know why he appeared like this, but somehow I had a feeling that Rudrick shouldn’t be here.
But Rudrick was faster. Even before I could greet him with a worried face, he approached me with great stride.
Then he grabbed my hand and called my name.
“Dahlia.”
I looked at Rudrick puzzled.
He had a face that looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, and what the hell was he trying to say?
For now, it’s not that important, so I should help Rudrick lay down…
“Dance with me.”
What did I just hear?
“Da- dance?”
Staring at Rudrick like someone who heard a bad joke.
However, Rudrick didn’t even laugh, saying, ‘It’s a joke,’ but rather he looked at me anxiously as if waiting for an answer.
And it was only when he saw that serious figure that the spirit of running away late began to return.
“Hey! You don’t look so well. What kind of dance was that?”
“I’m fine.”
What? You could say something like that when your face looks so pale?
“It’s because you don’t look good at all!”
I pounded my chest as if frustrated and looked around.
First of all, with the thought that I should put Rudrickn down, who has a bad complexion somewhere, I dragged him around and talked one after another.
“So it’s because of me? I’m really fine. It’s not a big deal that you couldn’t dance once, and we could dance like that later. I hate it more when you’re sick. So, listen to me today and…”
“Dahlia.”
But it was Rudrick’s firm voice that interrupted me.
I flinched and looked back at him.
There was Rudrick, who had an unfamiliar expression on his face, with a faint smile.
“It’s because I want to dance.”
Before I could answer anything, he continued.
“We practiced hard. It’s a waste of what we’ve done all this time, and I was also looking forward to dancing with you.”
“…”
“It’s my first dance in front of people, so I think it’d be nice to be with you if possible. And again…”
Rudrick took a moment to catch his breath. With his eyes down, he remained silent for a long time, barely spitting it out as if to himself.
“I thought this would be the best time…”
Looking at Rudrick silently. Rudrick was trembling.
What’s so scary and hard about it?
He spoke his words as if nothing, but his fists clenched with all his might were trembling…. I swallowed the words I was about to say.
Instead, I brought up something else.
“I might step on your foot a lot.”
Rudrick raised his head.
“I might make a mistake. I might trip over the steps and fall.”
“It’s okay.” ᴿᵘᵈʳᶦᶜᵏ
“I might forget all the dance steps because I’m nervous.”
“It doesn’t matter.” ᴿᵘᵈʳᶦᶜᵏ
Rudrick looked straight at me. Then he confidently reached out as if he were trying to reassure me.
“I’ll be by your side.” ᴿᵘᵈʳᶦᶜᵏ
I guess I ended up laughing at his words.
Come to think of it, Rudrick has always been like that. Every time he said it, like it’s fine or it doesn’t matter, there were times when he was really okay and there were times when he wasn’t.
But I had no choice but to hold that small hand because it was the first time he reached out like this.
Reassured by the warmth of our overlapping hands, I answered.
“Don’t complain later.”
✿
The hall was filled with countless people.
Some of them were famous people that I had heard of at least once, others who showed their faces frequently to our family, and some strangers I had never seen before.
A variety of people gathered, but they were all looking at one place in common.
Us standing in the center of the hall.
‘Hu… Ha… Hu… Ha…!’
I held my heaving chest and glanced at Rudrick.
At first, when I told my parents that I wanted to do my first dance as scheduled with Rudrick, of course, they were opposed.
As long as the Duke Bouser, the owner of the Duke’s house, returns, the couple had to dance their first dance at the dinner party, but most of all, Rudrick had not fully recovered.
My parents comforted us by asking how we would dance in that state.
It was a dinner party for Rudrick, so he had no choice but to attend, but he had to take care of himself.
But Rudrick was more stubborn than that.
He said he was really fine. When he was in the North, there were many times when he was more seriously injured.
Looking at Rudrick, who seemed completely determined to mention the past, our parents eventually raised their hands.
He seemed to want me to stop him later, but what could I do? I’ve already gotten involved with him.
‘I’m sorry!’
So now I’m in the hall with Rudrick. Before the music played, the hall was terribly quiet.
Everyone was holding their breath and staring at us, and the eyes of so many people were piercing us to the point of stinging.
Again and again, I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. However, I couldn’t stop my arms and legs trembling in cold sweat.
Until I stood here, I thought it would work out somehow, but it wasn’t a problem that could work how I wanted it to.
‘I’m in trouble.’
Actually, standing in the hall and receiving all kinds of gazes, my head went blank and I couldn’t think of anything.
I jokingly told Rudrick, ‘Why don’t we forget about the dance?‘ but it really made me feel like my vision was turning dark.
It was a time when I closed my eyes tightly and desperately wished that if anything happened, like the instruments would suddenly break.
I could feel the warmth holding my hand, then I slowly opened my eyes and looked ahead.
ㅡDahlia.
There was Rudrick.
Unlike me, Rudrick, who looks quite normal, glanced at me calmly and said this with the shape of his mouth.
ㅡIt’s okay.
Then he held my hand firmly, whether it’s because of the warmth felt through my cold hands or the power of the grip that held me tight.
Before I knew it, my trembling hands gradually calmed down.
Swallowing dry saliva and looking at Rudrick. Determined to focus only on Rudrick.
The music started.
✿
As a result, we were able to finish our first dance safely.
To be honest, the dance wasn’t perfect.
The only thing that was perfect was Rudrick alone, and I had no choice but to move like a caterpillar’s feet according to his steps.
However, as I was driven by his hand and moved frantically, my tension was relieved halfway, and later, I was able to get a glimpse of ‘fun‘ as I spun around to the sound of the music.
Of course, the song ended before I could capture the afterglow of those feelings for a longer time.
I was rather fortunate. If it had continued here, Rudrick’s foot, which had been trampled upon by me several times, would have ended up with bruises.
As soon as the song ended and we stood half a step apart, thunderous applause poured out.
Only then did I return to reality, blinking my eyes in bewilderment, and suddenly raised my head to look at Rudrick.
Just in time, Rudrick, who was looking at me, smiled softly when we made eye contact.
And it was only then that I could realize.
‘It’s finally over.’
Glancing back at Rudrick, I could now smile comfortably.
But in reality, that wasn’t the end.
Even after the dance was over, we had to be dragged around by our parents for a while.
Although he had not yet made his social debut, it was still his first official position in front of people.
Our parents were busy introducing us to their acquaintances, and we were busy greeting politely while maintaining a steady smile.
For some time, I was called here and there to greet people.
I was exhausted.
At a glance, Rudrick’s usual dark under eyes seemed like he wasn’t particularly tired.
Even Rudrick must be more tired than I felt because his body hasn’t recovered yet.
I quickly looked around and grabbed Rudrick’s arm.
“Should we go out?”
As Rudrick looked around curiously, I pointed to my parents behind us. Our parents seemed busy talking in the crowd.
Seeing that, Rudrick, realizing what I was talking about, nodded his head without a word.
Usually, he would appear troubled, but considering that he followed me so quickly, he seemed quite tired too.
I held Rudrick’s hand and headed straight to the terrace. Fortunately, it was a sparsely populated place, and it was also a place I had seen beforehand.
The reason why I searched for a place in the midst of chaos was because…
Rudrick, whom I haven’t seen in a long time, was completely out of my expectations.
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He was dressed in a well-groomed uniform, his physical condition seemed to be fine, but his face wasn’t.
He had lost weight more clearly than before, his appearance didn’t look good, and his face became paler, which clearly indicated that his physical condition was bad.
Then, I got up hastily.
I don’t know why he appeared like this, but somehow I had a feeling that Rudrick shouldn’t be here.
But Rudrick was faster. Even before I could greet him with a worried face, he approached me with great stride.
Then he grabbed my hand and called my name.
“Dahlia.”
I looked at Rudrick puzzled.
He had a face that looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, and what the hell was he trying to say?
For now, it’s not that important, so I should help Rudrick lay down…
“Dance with me.”
What did I just hear?
“Da- dance?”
Staring at Rudrick like someone who heard a bad joke.
However, Rudrick didn’t even laugh, saying, ‘It’s a joke,’ but rather he looked at me anxiously as if waiting for an answer.
And it was only when he saw that serious figure that the spirit of running away late began to return.
“Hey! You don’t look so well. What kind of dance was that?”
“I’m fine.”
What? You could say something like that when your face looks so pale?
“It’s because you don’t look good at all!”
I pounded my chest as if frustrated and looked around.
First of all, with the thought that I should put Rudrickn down, who has a bad complexion somewhere, I dragged him around and talked one after another.
“So it’s because of me? I’m really fine. It’s not a big deal that you couldn’t dance once, and we could dance like that later. I hate it more when you’re sick. So, listen to me today and…”
“Dahlia.”
But it was Rudrick’s firm voice that interrupted me.
I flinched and looked back at him.
There was Rudrick, who had an unfamiliar expression on his face, with a faint smile.
“It’s because I want to dance.”
Before I could answer anything, he continued.
“We practiced hard. It’s a waste of what we’ve done all this time, and I was also looking forward to dancing with you.”
“…”
“It’s my first dance in front of people, so I think it’d be nice to be with you if possible. And again…”
Rudrick took a moment to catch his breath. With his eyes down, he remained silent for a long time, barely spitting it out as if to himself.
“I thought this would be the best time…”
Looking at Rudrick silently. Rudrick was trembling.
What’s so scary and hard about it?
He spoke his words as if nothing, but his fists clenched with all his might were trembling…. I swallowed the words I was about to say.
Instead, I brought up something else.
“I might step on your foot a lot.”
Rudrick raised his head.
“I might make a mistake. I might trip over the steps and fall.”
“It’s okay.” ᴿᵘᵈʳᶦᶜᵏ
“I might forget all the dance steps because I’m nervous.”
“It doesn’t matter.” ᴿᵘᵈʳᶦᶜᵏ
Rudrick looked straight at me. Then he confidently reached out as if he were trying to reassure me.
“I’ll be by your side.” ᴿᵘᵈʳᶦᶜᵏ
I guess I ended up laughing at his words.
Come to think of it, Rudrick has always been like that. Every time he said it, like it’s fine or it doesn’t matter, there were times when he was really okay and there were times when he wasn’t.
But I had no choice but to hold that small hand because it was the first time he reached out like this.
Reassured by the warmth of our overlapping hands, I answered.
“Don’t complain later.”
✿
The hall was filled with countless people.
Some of them were famous people that I had heard of at least once, others who showed their faces frequently to our family, and some strangers I had never seen before.
A variety of people gathered, but they were all looking at one place in common.
Us standing in the center of the hall.
‘Hu… Ha… Hu… Ha…!’
I held my heaving chest and glanced at Rudrick.
At first, when I told my parents that I wanted to do my first dance as scheduled with Rudrick, of course, they were opposed.
As long as the Duke Bouser, the owner of the Duke’s house, returns, the couple had to dance their first dance at the dinner party, but most of all, Rudrick had not fully recovered.
My parents comforted us by asking how we would dance in that state.
It was a dinner party for Rudrick, so he had no choice but to attend, but he had to take care of himself.
But Rudrick was more stubborn than that.
He said he was really fine. When he was in the North, there were many times when he was more seriously injured.
Looking at Rudrick, who seemed completely determined to mention the past, our parents eventually raised their hands.
He seemed to want me to stop him later, but what could I do? I’ve already gotten involved with him.
‘I’m sorry!’
So now I’m in the hall with Rudrick. Before the music played, the hall was terribly quiet.
Everyone was holding their breath and staring at us, and the eyes of so many people were piercing us to the point of stinging.
Again and again, I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. However, I couldn’t stop my arms and legs trembling in cold sweat.
Until I stood here, I thought it would work out somehow, but it wasn’t a problem that could work how I wanted it to.
‘I’m in trouble.’
Actually, standing in the hall and receiving all kinds of gazes, my head went blank and I couldn’t think of anything.
I jokingly told Rudrick, ‘Why don’t we forget about the dance?‘ but it really made me feel like my vision was turning dark.
It was a time when I closed my eyes tightly and desperately wished that if anything happened, like the instruments would suddenly break.
I could feel the warmth holding my hand, then I slowly opened my eyes and looked ahead.
ㅡDahlia.
There was Rudrick.
Unlike me, Rudrick, who looks quite normal, glanced at me calmly and said this with the shape of his mouth.
ㅡIt’s okay.
Then he held my hand firmly, whether it’s because of the warmth felt through my cold hands or the power of the grip that held me tight.
Before I knew it, my trembling hands gradually calmed down.
Swallowing dry saliva and looking at Rudrick. Determined to focus only on Rudrick.
The music started.
✿
As a result, we were able to finish our first dance safely.
To be honest, the dance wasn’t perfect.
The only thing that was perfect was Rudrick alone, and I had no choice but to move like a caterpillar’s feet according to his steps.
However, as I was driven by his hand and moved frantically, my tension was relieved halfway, and later, I was able to get a glimpse of ‘fun‘ as I spun around to the sound of the music.
Of course, the song ended before I could capture the afterglow of those feelings for a longer time.
I was rather fortunate. If it had continued here, Rudrick’s foot, which had been trampled upon by me several times, would have ended up with bruises.
As soon as the song ended and we stood half a step apart, thunderous applause poured out.
Only then did I return to reality, blinking my eyes in bewilderment, and suddenly raised my head to look at Rudrick.
Just in time, Rudrick, who was looking at me, smiled softly when we made eye contact.
And it was only then that I could realize.
‘It’s finally over.’
Glancing back at Rudrick, I could now smile comfortably.
But in reality, that wasn’t the end.
Even after the dance was over, we had to be dragged around by our parents for a while.
Although he had not yet made his social debut, it was still his first official position in front of people.
Our parents were busy introducing us to their acquaintances, and we were busy greeting politely while maintaining a steady smile.
For some time, I was called here and there to greet people.
I was exhausted.
At a glance, Rudrick’s usual dark under eyes seemed like he wasn’t particularly tired.
Even Rudrick must be more tired than I felt because his body hasn’t recovered yet.
I quickly looked around and grabbed Rudrick’s arm.
“Should we go out?”
As Rudrick looked around curiously, I pointed to my parents behind us. Our parents seemed busy talking in the crowd.
Seeing that, Rudrick, realizing what I was talking about, nodded his head without a word.
Usually, he would appear troubled, but considering that he followed me so quickly, he seemed quite tired too.
I held Rudrick’s hand and headed straight to the terrace. Fortunately, it was a sparsely populated place, and it was also a place I had seen beforehand.
The reason why I searched for a place in the midst of chaos was because…
