Increase the difficulty for her

Like carbonated bubbles bursting out of an overfilled champagne bottle, music filled every corner of the hall.

The third dance began.

After the mistake at the end of the previous piece, Mosoren was still simmering with frustration.

This was in front of a girl he liked.

If he made such a basic mistake while dancing with her,

what would she think of him?

This time, he had to perform at his absolute best.

Yet as he followed the rhythm and began to dance,

for some reason his body felt increasingly strange.

Even simple steps like straight walks and inside turns became difficult.

His joints felt stiff, as if rusted, and his muscles kept twitching with faint spasms.

Though he tried his best to hide the discomfort,

his limbs gradually stopped obeying him, making his movements more and more uncoordinated.

All of this was quietly observed by Timos.

A trace of secret satisfaction slowly grew in her heart.

(Still… this guy’s pretty stubborn.)

Timos knew

that this playboy young master had invited her to dance not only to get closer to her,

but also to show off his elegance.

Capturing a girl’s heart through noble charm while dancing in front of everyone—

that kind of thinking was typical for nobles.

As a direct heir of the Holy Sword family, he could easily attract women with the slightest bit of attention.

That was the overwhelming advantage of status and power.

Who knew how many girls he had seduced into bed after balls like this using the same method?

So for someone like this young master,

throwing yourself at him would never work.

Too many women already tried to curry favor with the Holy Sword family.

Trying too hard would only make you blend into the crowd and lose his interest.

But the opposite was true.

If something he could easily obtain suddenly slipped away because of his own failure,

his desire—and his pride—would only grow stronger.

That way she wouldn’t need to raise her own status or pursue him.

He would chase after her on his own, trying to make up for the mistake.

All she had to do was maintain the delicate distance between near and far.

Timos had long since figured out the simple logic of these foolish humans.

Besides, the assignment Teacher Loya had given her was simple.

“Get along with him and earn his trust.”

Those were his exact words.

As for what kind of relationship that meant,

Teacher hadn’t specified.

It didn’t take long.

Before even half the song had passed,

Mosoren was already struggling.

He tried desperately to keep up with the rhythm,

but his movements looked like a wind-up toy with a broken spring.

His clumsy state surprised the onlookers around them.

Even Kalandria found it strange.

Could it be that this hanger-on actually knew nothing at all—not even how to dance?

Had he only invited Timos as an excuse to grope her?

To be so shamelessly lustful…

That would really be something.

But after another moment, Kalandria realized something was wrong.

Others might not notice,

but it couldn’t escape her eyes.

Within those subtle, unnoticed movements,

a strange glimmer flashed in the elf girl’s eyes.

It was—

Suggestion.

A form of mental magic weaker than illusion.

Its influence was subtle, gradually affecting the target without being noticed.

If one didn’t pay attention,

neither the observer nor the person affected would realize anything had happened.

So…

Timos was the one behind it.

Was she trying to make the playboy embarrass himself in public?

But why?

Before Kalandria could finish the thought, her hand was suddenly pulled.

In the hurried change of position, her thoughts were forced aside.

When she looked up, she saw it was Loya.

“Hey, what are you doing? Aren’t I supposed to be leading you? Why are you changing the steps on your own?!”

Kalandria glared at him in warning.

“If you make me lose face in front of all these people, don’t blame me for being rude!”

“Of course, of course. But surely the proud young lady of the Lewincete family wouldn’t be thrown off by a beginner like me who can’t dance, right?”

Loya smiled politely.

But his movements showed no mercy.

His steps widened, shifting from simple beginner steps straight into advanced paired movements.

The sudden change forced Kalandria to follow immediately.

Then came rapid forward and backward angled steps, box steps, and staggered turns layered across the rhythm.

Each movement grew more complex than the last,

reaching the level of elaborate, high-difficulty choreography.

Kalandria frowned deeply.

Her thoughts trembled like an earthquake.

And you said you couldn’t dance?!

She had no preparation and no mental warning.

To avoid embarrassing herself, she had to rely purely on instinct and years of ballroom experience to keep up.

In an instant, control of the dance shifted completely into Loya’s hands.

He danced calmly, arranging the steps however he pleased,

without caring whether Kalandria could keep up.

In fact, that was exactly the point.

The difficult movements were meant to trip her up and embarrass her.

After all, the young master nearby was already dancing like a child doing school exercises.

If Loya didn’t act now and raise the difficulty on Kalandria’s side,

her brilliance would completely overshadow Mosoren.

First impressions were crucial.

If Mosoren had a bad experience dancing,

how could Timos later create opportunities to gain his trust?

Only if the young master enjoyed himself and received enough emotional satisfaction

would Timos be able to keep him hooked.

Loya understood this clearly.

So Kalandria had to stumble first.

Still—it had to be said.

The young lady who pursued perfection in everything was equally flawless in dancing.

Even with the rapid and compact steps,

she never fell behind.

Loya increased the physical contact.

Their handhold naturally shifted into an arm around her waist.

If he could knock her off balance or trip her while supporting her, that would be perfect.

As he extended his arms, sending her outward before pulling her back,

Loya drew the noble lady into his arms exactly as planned.

“Ah?”

The moment she fell into his embrace,

Kalandria was caught off guard.

Her heart skipped wildly.

Could it be—that he had hidden the fact that he could dance, taken the lead, all just for this moment?

So he wanted to take advantage of me!

Honestly…

Even if you like me, you don’t have to scheme this hard.

Thinking she had figured it out, Kalandria’s mood instantly improved.

Her steps became lighter, as if blessed with magic.

Even though Loya had guided her with force, she maintained perfect elegance, spinning like drifting flower petals.

Gradually, she grew accustomed to his lead.

Soon the two of them were dancing in harmony, moving gracefully together as the symphony surged toward its climax.