A Minor Accident at the Ball

The air between them grew thick with a quiet, ambiguous tension.

As Albert’s gaze remained fixed upon her, an inexplicable blush crept across Fú Nī Yà’s cheeks, spreading uncontrollably.

‘No… wait…!’

‘What is happening?’

‘You idiot, look away!’

‘This is far too ambiguous!’

Fú Nī Yà’s mind screamed in silent despair.

Noticing Fú Nī Yà’s head, which seemed on the verge of steaming, Albert finally registered the impropriety of the moment and swiftly averted his gaze.

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

“N-nothing!”

Fú Nī Yà swiftly withdrew her hand from Albert’s grasp, turning her back to him.

Several minutes passed in silence before both of them managed to regain some semblance of composure.

The lingering awkwardness, however, persisted, prompting Albert to rack his brain for any plausible topic of conversation.

“Ah… right! Your dance just now was quite good, where did you learn it?”

“Eh? That? I learned it at Aethelina’s House with my former companions.”

“Aethelina’s House?”

“Yes, an organization that took me in before…”

Fú Nī Yà then recounted in detail her life within the organization, how she was captured by s*ave traders, and ultimately brought to Lohiris to be auctioned.

“Is that so…” A profound weight settled in Albert’s heart as he listened. He possessed some knowledge of the demi-elves’ suffering, but he had never imagined Fú Nī Yà and her companions had endured such a precarious existence, constantly hiding and fleeing. “Would you like me to help bring your companions here to live?”

‘Bring them here…’

‘Is he showing sympathy for demi-elves?’

“If you had shown such sympathy for the barbarians a few days ago, Albert, we wouldn’t have been at odds for an entire week.”

Fú Nī Yà complained.

‘Indeed, humans are such creatures.’

‘They can easily ignore the suffering of others, only learning a shred of empathy when misfortune befalls someone they know.’

‘And when it’s their turn to suffer, they often resent that no one helps them, completely forgetting their own past indifference to the suffering of strangers.’

“Uh…”

Albert scratched his cheek awkwardly, a dawning realization that his stance on demi-elves and barbarians had become rather hypocritical, likely influenced by Fú Nī Yà.

“Haha, you idiot…”

Witnessing Albert’s flustered expression, Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Despite her amusement, after a moment of careful thought, she shook her head, declining Albert’s offer.

“Aethelina’s House is located within the Zealand Kingdom (TL Note: A kingdom in this world), Albert, making it challenging for you to exert influence there, wouldn’t it? Furthermore, as a self-help organization for demi-elves, Aethelina’s House is exceptionally adept at maintaining secrecy. Even dispatching your people there would likely yield no significant leads.”

“Is that so? I’m sorry.”

A wave of self-reproach washed over Albert upon hearing her explanation; he felt inadequate for being unable to accomplish even this seemingly minor task.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Fú Nī Yà reassured him gently. “Our inability to locate them doesn’t preclude them from reaching out to us. Once word of my whereabouts spreads to the Zealand Kingdom, they will undoubtedly find a means to make contact.”

“That’s true.” Albert nodded first, then asked, “So, do the demi-elves within Lohiris need my help?”

“That’s why I’m saying, Albert, don’t always limit yourself to just demi-elves!”

Fú Nī Yà poked Albert’s shoulder in annoyance.

“If your territory can truly treat every race with equality, then all oppressed peoples will naturally seek refuge there. What you genuinely need to achieve, Albert, is the liberation of all unfortunate souls enslaved, whether they be human, demi-elf, barbarian, or any other race.”

“That’s quite a massive undertaking…”

The sheer number of gold coins he envisioned pouring into such an endeavor sent a shiver down Albert’s spine.

“What, thinking of backing down?”

“Back down? Never!” Albert declared with a confident grin. “I am destined to be the one who transforms the ideal world you envision, Fú Nī Yà, into a tangible reality.”

“Very good, very good, you’ve got spirit.”

Fú Nī Yà patted Albert’s shoulder, a look of profound satisfaction in her eyes, as if she were gazing upon a flourishing field of chives (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘jiǔcài,’ used to refer to people who are easily exploited or ‘harvested’ for their resources, often in financial contexts).

‘Free labor, indeed.’

At that very moment, the gentle strains of music once again wafted from the distant hall, signaling the resumption of the ball.

Noticing Albert remained seated beside her, unmoving, Fú Nī Yà inquired with a hint of curiosity.

“Aren’t you going back? You’re the main character today, you know; I’m sure many noble young ladies are looking forward to dancing with you.”

Albert looked into Fú Nī Yà’s eyes: “Although so many noble young ladies are looking forward to dancing with me, at this very moment, I wish to dance a waltz with a certain demi-elf lady.”

“Demi-elf? Are you referring to me?” Fú Nī Yà immediately frowned in displeasure. “No!”

“Why?”

Albert’s brow furrowed in confusion, unable to comprehend why the young woman would outright refuse his invitation.

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m a man.’

Fú Nī Yà muttered a silent complaint to herself.

‘Two men embracing and dancing intimately, just thinking about it… *hiss*…!’

‘I’m not gay (TL Note: ‘Nántóng’ is a Chinese slang term for a homosexual man)!’

Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but rub the goosebumps on her arms.

Unable to articulate this particular reason to Albert, she simply turned her face away and offered a curt reply.

“No, just no!”

“Is that so…” Albert stroked his chin. “How about five hundred gold coins?”

‘!!!’

Fú Nī Yà’s steadfast resolve instantly crumbled.

‘F-five hundred gold coins!?’

‘That’s fifty months of my wages, one-two hundredth of my debt!?’

“W-well, it’s not entirely out of the question!”

Fú Nī Yà crossed her arms over her chest, turned her head away, and declared with a haughty, tsundere (TL Note: A Japanese term describing a character who is initially cold or hostile but later shows a warmer, softer side) expression, much like an anime heroine.

Her fleeting stubbornness evaporated in an instant.

Albert’s face broke into a smug grin.

‘Now you know who’s in charge, don’t you? You’ve been so careless these past few days, even thinking of falling out with me?’

“Then, Miss Fú Nī Yà, shall we?”

Albert stood up and extended his right hand to Fú Nī Yà.

“You rascal…”

Gritting her teeth, Fú Nī Yà took Albert’s outstretched hand and rose from the grassy patch.

After meticulously brushing off the stray blades of grass from her skirt, Fú Nī Yà, still holding Albert’s hand, entered the grand banquet hall alongside him.

Within the opulent hall, the waltzing nobles immediately took notice of the unusual master-and-servant pair.

‘And they say they have no relationship outside of work?’

Remembering Fú Nī Yà’s earlier assertion, every person present harbored silent, indignant thoughts.

As Fú Nī Yà became aware of the myriad gazes fixed upon them, her face flushed crimson, and her head bowed low. Outwardly, she remained silent, but inwardly, a relentless lament echoed.

‘I regret this so much.’

‘I shouldn’t have agreed to that Albert fellow.’

‘What kind of humiliating game is this…

The two stepped onto the dance floor, embraced, and their feet began to move in time with the music’s rhythm.

It wasn’t long before Fú Nī Yà’s expression darkened considerably.

The disparity in their heights proved to be the culprit.

Fú Nī Yà, standing at a mere 1.52 meters, could barely reach Albert’s chest, who towered at 1.8 meters.

To dance, Fú Nī Yà had to strain her arm upwards just to lightly rest it on Albert’s bicep.

Already, a few surrounding nobles struggled to stifle their amusement.

After a graceful spin guided by Albert, Fú Nī Yà found herself momentarily nestled against his chest. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, the young woman’s voice took on a low, ominous tone.

“I really should chop off everything below your knees.”

Albert couldn’t help but let out a burst of laughter.

“Hahaha, I never anticipated quite this effe— My apologies, I shouldn’t be laughing.”

A sharp twinge in his calf prompted Albert to quickly adopt a serious demeanor.

Fú Nī Yà, for her part, let out an exasperated huff, retracted the small foot she had extended, and resumed moving with Albert’s rhythm.

Soon, as more and more nobles directed their gazes towards her, Fú Nī Yà’s indignation resurfaced, fueled by the humiliating sensation of being perceived as a jester.

The young woman ground her teeth as she spoke.

“One day, I’m going to declare the waltz a forbidden dance; no one will be allowed to perform it.”

“No, you don’t have that authority, do you?” Albert whispered with a chuckle into Fú Nī Yà’s ear. “However, I do have that authority… would you like to beg me, Miss Maid?”

“I will be a legend someday!”

Fú Nī Yà shot a furious glare at Albert, who continued to tease her. “By then, I shall banish every single person who dares to waltz from Lohiris without exception!”

“…You’re a bit too extreme.”

Albert merely shook his head, momentarily speechless.

Nevertheless, seeing Fú Nī Yà’s genuine discomfort, he offered an alternative.

“How about the volta?”

The volta, much like the waltz, is a distinct form of dance.

The waltz, as Fú Nī Yà knew from her previous modern life, was a courtly dance where partners held each other intimately, moving forward and backward in unison, with the woman occasionally twirling under the man’s graceful guidance.

The volta, however, presented a different style. While still a partnered dance, it eschewed the close embrace of the waltz in favor of dancing hand-in-hand.

Yet, the volta possessed a singular, defining characteristic.

Namely, the dance often incorporated movements where the male partner would lift and twirl the female partner in the air, making it ideally suited for women of light build—such as Fú Nī Yà—to dance with their partners.

The mere thought of Albert tossing her into the air like a child being playfully lifted by an adult sent Fú Nī Yà into a frantic headshake.

“No, that’s too humiliating! Let’s just stick to the waltz!”

“I suddenly think the volta sounds better.”

A mischievous smirk played on Albert’s lips as he observed Fú Nī Yà’s intense resistance.

Then, to Fú Nī Yà’s utter astonishment, Albert gestured to the orchestra for a pause.

The music slowly subsided, leaving the guests to gaze at Albert in perplexed silence, wondering at his intentions.

The very next moment, Albert’s voice boomed towards the second-floor balcony.

“A volta, please!”

The orchestra conductor nodded at the request, then, with a flourish of his hands, a new melody erupted.

The guests, now privy to Albert’s plan, gracefully receded towards the hall’s periphery, creating an expansive space for the duo.

Given the volta’s significantly larger movements compared to the waltz, ample space was indeed a prerequisite.

“N-no… don’t…!”

Fú Nī Yà quietly refused, simultaneously pushing against Albert’s chest with both hands, desperate to escape. But how could a novice mage with only a dozen points of strength compare to Albert, who specifically cultivated battle aura?

Her waist was held tightly by Albert, and after a few spins, she was tossed into the air like a child.

“Yaa—! Albert, you scoundrel!!!”

The young woman, soaring high in the air, cried out in despair.