Chapter 73
“Ah, right! In a few days there will be a party at Crisis Palace. Have you received the invitations?”
“Yes, we received it.”
"Me too."
Everyone present had received invitations to the Crisis Palace party, but no one seemed surprised that only those who had received invitations were gathered. That was because Angela immediately began talking about something else.
“I’m also very excited about it.”
Then Camille stepped in to help her.
“Hmm. I think you’re not looking forward to the party itself, but rather to seeing someone’s face.”
“Ah! Camille! I told you it was a secret!”
“What’s the problem? There’s nothing wrong with that. Perhaps it would be best if you asked for help from those present.”
At the word “help,” people’s eyes began to widen, and everyone was watching with great interest.
Angela, who had been waiting for the right moment to heighten the attention of those present, blushed slightly as her cheeks turned red, then confessed, as if compelled to do so:
“Actually, I’m a big fan of Count Crisis… Ah, what should I do?”
Before she could finish speaking, she covered her face with both hands and laughed shyly, which made her look very attractive, even to the women in the room.
When the guests realized that the conversation was about love, their facial expressions quickly began to change to become more interested.
"Oh, oh!"
“Yes, I remember, at the Bliss Palace ball, Count Crisis was actually very handsome.”
“Yes, he seems like a great man, with a good position and good wealth… Although his origins were a bit strange, he is now a count, so there is no problem with that.”
Quickly, the atmosphere became more positive and friendly.
Angela stiffened her shoulders slightly and then looked at the guests.
“So, can you help me? Make Count Crisis pay even a little attention to me… Ah, I think I sound very shy saying this.”
The guests looked at her kindly, waving their fans to cool their faces, which were red with embarrassment.
“Ah, that’s something we’re experts at!”
"Yes, but do we really need your help?"
“Angela, with someone like you, any man would be absolutely captivated by you.”
“If that’s what’s going to happen, it’ll be wonderful. But I know Count Crisis isn’t as easy as he seems; he’s the one who redrawn my image.”
“But that doesn’t seem right. I think Count Crisis may be a little insensitive to this subject…”
"It already looked like that. Don't worry, we'll help you."
“Thank you! Oh, and by the way, despite your busy schedules, I wanted to thank you for attending the party, so I prepared a small gift for you.”
Then Angela distributed bags of premium tea to the attendees.
As the conversation moved to tea, not everyone realized that this gift was part of helping her. But on the day of the party, they couldn't ignore Angela's requests.
'I will be the first woman to dance with Count Crisis. Wait and see.'
Angela smiled a mysterious smile.
***
"Dance training?"
"Yes. You should train."
Laszlo looked at Idel, who had summoned Linnea and me into the empty hall, then tilted his head in confusion.
“I can dance a little. At the previous Palace Bliss party, I danced with this girl once.”
"It's good that you're not completely clueless. So, can you try dancing now?"
"Now? Here?"
"Yes!"
When he answered in a clear tone, Laszlo felt as if the words had disappeared from his mind.
He hated dancing with his sister again, but it was difficult to disobey the orders of Edel, who stood firm as a coach.
When Laszlo and Linnea stood in the dance position, the musician that Idel had brought began to play the piano.
Laszlo lost his rhythm at first, but with effort he was able to follow the steps he had learned, despite the difficulty.
“Since I didn’t make any mistakes in the steps, I think I performed well.”
While reviewing his own thoughts, Laszlo looked at Idel, but felt as if his body had frozen when he saw Idel's very serious expression as he watched him dance with Linnea.
"Why do you look like that?"
But Edel did not answer; instead, she shook her head in refusal, then approached the pianist and said to him:
“It looks like we’ll need you for several performances today. We’ll be giving you an extra amount, so please bear with it.”
Then he approached Laszlo and Lenia, who were still frozen, their hands still intertwined.
In fact, even if a killer approached him, Laszlo was certain he would never feel more afraid than at this moment.
“You will practice dancing for two hours every day until the day before the party. You must make time for that, and two days before the party, you will practice wearing the party clothes and shoes, so don’t forget.”
"Why do we have to do all this?"
“Social gatherings in the nobility begin and end with dancing, Count. If your steps are not polished, you will not make a good impression.”
"Is the problem with Linnea? Isn't my performance good?"
“…”
Laszlo silently watched Edel's face, which held many words inside her, while he tried to bear everything.
Then Idell swallowed her emotions and answered calmly.
"It's good that you know the steps and have a sense of rhythm, but the rest is chaotic."
“I thought you would be patient for a little while, but no.”
“I have been patient. Now, shall we continue dancing?”
Idil began monitoring their dancing as a strict instructor.
At that moment, Laszlo realized that she had many more points to make that she hadn't yet mentioned. She wasn't finished speaking.
“Dancing is an expression of communication with a partner through music. If you are just following the steps with the rhythm, that is not dancing but just movement.”
“The man who leads the dance must first and foremost be concerned for the woman’s comfort. He must be a steady support that the woman can rely on and trust.”
“You are rotating in a circular motion, so your movement should be smooth and consistent. When you move your foot, don’t be quick or hasty, lift your heel slightly and distribute your weight on the front of your foot as you move in a coordinated manner.”
Idel's voice filled the hall, and Laszlo struggled to keep up with the rhythm and the accompanying applause. How long had it been since someone had motivated him like that?
Laszlo was angry with himself for not being able to complain because of his pride, but he simply ground his teeth and carried on.
Because he has a natural talent for using his body, perhaps if he had a good partner, he would have improved quickly.
But Linnea was not that partner.
“No need to be confused, one step forward… No, let me do it again.”
"You won't fall, trust your partner. Your movements should be smoother, ease the tension in your hands!"
“This is not working. Linnea, can you try on your own? From the beginning.”
“Rhythm! Don’t forget the rhythm! One, two, three, four! One, two, linea…!”
As Idell steered her quickly, Linnea's steps faltered and she nearly fell. Luckily, Idell caught her before she fell completely, but Linnea sighed deeply, her face betraying a loss of confidence.
Idel thought of something and then approached Laszlo. Like a real brother, he was laughing merrily when he saw Linnea almost fall.
“Ah, it seems I haven’t laughed like this in a long time.”
"Count, can you help me?"
"What? Me?"
Laszlo, wiping away his tears, was in a state of confusion, but he stood up in the hall again as Idel had instructed him.
“It seems the girl has never seriously watched proper dancing before, so she finds it difficult. Therefore, from now on, she must watch what I do very carefully.”
“Ah, okay!”
When Linnea sat down on the chair, Idil took Laszlo's hand and wrapped it around her waist. Then she took his other hand and assumed a dance position.
“We’ll start dancing now. Just do as you did before.”
In that sudden moment, Laszlo's entire body froze. As Edel's waist drew closer to his, he felt an involuntary urge to pull away.
But Linnea was there, and she had just seen him mocking her, so if he made a mistake here, she would mock him even more and laugh at him.
He nodded, and when Idel exchanged glances with the musician, the soft waltz melody began to play.
Without realizing it, his toes began to move to the rhythm.
“Dancing with Linnea is completely different.”
It took only a few steps before Laszlo realized that dancing is completely different depending on the partner.
When he danced with Linnea, he had to be completely taut to hold on to her because her steps were unsteady, whereas Idyll was light as a feather, and smooth as a water current.
Thus, Laszlo's body began to relax more naturally, and his dancing became smoother and more natural compared to the exercises.
"You're doing well."
Idil whispered these words, making Laszlo's heart race, and suddenly, he turned his gaze towards her. As if sensing his gaze, Idil's eyes met his.
Her eyes sparkled with a calm emerald color, like the sea on a quiet summer day, making Laszlo feel as if his breath had stopped for a moment.