As desired

Kalandria straightened her back in concentration.

Guided by Loya’s fingertips, her movements became light and graceful.

The two of them moved like a pair of butterflies circling through flowers, naturally following the melody of the music.

Their feet stepped in perfect rhythm as they crossed the hall again and again, weaving bright, elegant patterns with their dance.

As Kalandria grew more confident, she even briefly regained control of the dance’s lead.

But what surprised her was that every time she began to seize the rhythm, Loya seemed to anticipate her movements in advance, stepping in first to match her with the proper posture.

It was clearly their first time dancing together.

So why did they move with such perfect harmony, as if he understood her even better than she understood herself?

Though she still couldn’t fully reclaim the lead, and the difficulty of the steps kept increasing,

Kalandria gradually relaxed and stopped worrying about making mistakes.

All she saw now was the grand hall of the northern estate unfolding before her.

Other dancers joined around them, moving like drifting petals.

The musicians in the hall played the symphony with deep immersion in the rhythm.

And countless eyes were watching the two of them.

Among the murmurs of the guests, there were sighs of admiration and praise.

Even the occasional whisper—
“Looks like even commoners from Swan Lake can’t be underestimated”—could be heard clearly.

Suddenly, a sharp cry shattered the harmony of the dance floor.

“—Ah! My ankle! That hurts!”

Mosoren collapsed onto the floor, clutching his ankle.

“Ah! Mr. Mosoren, are you alright?!”

Timos panicked, looking completely at a loss.

But Kalandria could tell at a glance that the panic was fake.

The elf’s Suggestion had clearly taken full effect.

The young master of the Holy Sword family had made a complete fool of himself.

Comparing the two sides, Kalandria suddenly understood Loya’s intention.

At the ball, their side had displayed elegance and talent equal to any noble.

Meanwhile, Timos secretly sabotaged Mosoren.

Letting everyone see which pair truly looked more fitting together.

No wonder Loya had remained completely calm when that hanger-on invited Timos to dance.

So he had deliberately arranged for his student to sabotage him.

So that had been his plan all along…

Kalandria felt secretly astonished, yet also strangely pleased.

After all, if Loya was scheming like this against others, what else could his motive be?

Wasn’t it all for her?

With a trace of schadenfreude in her heart, Kalandria didn’t rush to check on her fallen “fiancé.”

Instead, Loya quickly released her hand and hurried forward to check on him.

“Mr. Mosoren, are you alright?”

Though his motives weren’t pure, his concern was genuine.

“I-it’s nothing… just a small thing…”

Mosoren said so, but his face was twisted with pain.

More than the sprained ankle, he cared about the eyes of the crowd around him.

Lesser nobles loved nothing more than tearing down authority.

If the young master of the Holy Sword family sprained his ankle while dancing,

how many people would mock him behind his back afterward?

Mosoren tried to stand up stubbornly,

but the more he struggled, the more ridiculous he looked.

Kalandria couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

After all, he was nominally connected to her.

If this hanger-on embarrassed himself too much, it would splash dirt on her as well.

“Someone come here. Escort Young Master Mosoren to the side hall so he can rest.”

With a wave of her hand, several attendants quickly arrived and helped the young master away.

Watching the once-arrogant heir of the Holy Sword family limp away,

hearing the murmurs of amused gossip among the guests,

and seeing the teasing glances from the crowd,

Kalandria could only think one thing.

Loya’s move had been ruthless.

Just to make her disgusted with this embarrassing “fiancé,”

he had used such vicious tactics.

A little puppy causing trouble so its master wouldn’t fall for someone else.

How mischievous.

Filled with quiet delight, Kalandria looked at Loya again.

The smile on her face held an unmistakable warmth.

But Loya didn’t notice.

Because before that, Timos had quietly walked over and tugged at his sleeve.

“I-I’m sorry, Teacher. I didn’t dance well…”

“No, it’s not your fault. And besides, it was something I asked you to do. If anything, I should thank you for helping me.”

Loya sighed heavily.

Who would have thought that noble young master would be so incompetent?

He was bad at dancing yet insisted on showing off.

Loya had already pushed Kalandria to her limits with difficult steps,

waiting until the end of the dance so that while everyone applauded,

Timos could praise Mosoren a little and give him some emotional validation.

That way they could at least become superficial friends.

But he hadn’t expected the man to sprain his ankle just trying to learn basic steps.

Timos secretly studied her teacher’s expression.

Then she slowly let her eyes grow red.

“Teacher… should I go check on that young master again? If I show more concern, we might still build a connection…”

Though she said she could go, tears were already forming from the sour grievance in her voice.

Her expression clearly said:

“I don’t want to do this, but for Teacher, I’ll do anything.”

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

Loya shook his head.

Seeing the tears in Timos’s eyes, even someone as goal-driven and ruthless as him couldn’t help feeling guilty.

“But Teacher, didn’t you want to approach the Holy Sword family…?”

Timos anxiously grabbed his sleeve,

pretending to worry about his plans.

She acted as if her teacher’s goals mattered more than her own feelings.

She knew the more she said this,

the heavier his guilt would become.

And the more he would feel indebted to her.

That was exactly the effect she wanted.

“Let me try again. This time… I can definitely help Teacher.”

“Thank you. But there’s no need.”

Loya’s feelings were complicated.

He had thought it would just be a simple social interaction—

just asking his student to cooperate a little and help him.

But what seemed “simple” was only simple in his own mind.

In reality, he had forced Timos to do something she didn’t want to do.

He had taken advantage of her kindness and her respect for him.

To help him, she had danced with someone she disliked.

She must have felt terrible inside.

Perhaps because he had gone through so many reincarnations, he had grown used to prioritizing his goals above everything else without even realizing it.

But even so, when he looked back at the situation now,

Loya felt that he had truly behaved terribly.

Filled with guilt, he raised his hand and gently patted the elf girl’s head.

Then he took a deep breath and looked straight into Timos’s eyes.

“Timos. From now on, I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. This time was my fault. I’m sorry.”

“Mm.”

The elf girl lowered her head and answered softly.

But at an angle where Loya couldn’t see her face, Timos’s lips curled into a barely restrained smile of triumphant delight.