Larisa tilted her head and asked, “Why no response? Did you perhaps agree to be someone else’s cavalier?”

“No.”

To be honest, Alexander had no intention of attending the ball. He was already stamped with a rough and fierce image at the academy. He didn’t need to go beyond the Knight Department to know. Due to his duel with Larisa, strange rumors spread in the academy, and even family and relatives poured out worrisome gossip.

“Are you worried because of the rumors?”

“…”

“That’s even more reason to dance with me. If we openly show that we’re close, the rumors will disappear, right?”

That might be true. With a suspicious expression, Alexander asked, “But why do you care about my rumors?”

“What? We’re friends!”

Larisa exclaimed in surprise. Alexander felt an itchy sensation and scratched the back of his head repeatedly.

“Well, yes, but what if more strange rumors start circulating?”

“What rumors?”

“That we’re dating or something…”

Upon hearing this, Larisa burst into laughter. Alexander felt embarrassed for no reason, covering his face with both hands and bowing his head deeply.

“It’s not like I’m only going to dance with you. Alex, I’ll introduce you to my friend.”

“Huh?”

“Dance with me, dance with my friend, and as we keep doing that, all the weird rumors will disappear.”
Larisa had a plan, and Alex nodded unexpectedly.

Finally, the day of the ball arrived. Larisa, dressed in a lovely lavender gown with a white flower ornament in her hair, went to pick up Juliana.

“Ah, Lala, you look so beautiful!”

“Julia, you’re beautiful too.”

“Larisa, I hope you have a great time tonight.”

“I hope you do too, Amy.”

Amy was a classmate of Juliana in the Humanities Department and was close friends with her.

“At least there are three of us dancing, just as planned.”

Feeling reassured that two other female students had accepted Alex’s dance requests, Larisa chatted cheerfully in the carriage with her peers.

“What if no one asks me to dance?”

Amy asked with concern. Larisa confidently replied.

“Don’t worry; I’ll introduce you to my classmates.”

“I’m so grateful to have Larisa. I haven’t interacted with guys at all. I thought I would be a wallflower for sure.”

Amy expressed her gratitude while pressing her chest. Unlike formal social events, the academy ball, without pre-arranged dance partners, often left individuals stuck to the wall, referred to as “wallflowers,” if they couldn’t secure a dance partner for the entire event.
And for girls who just entered the academy, it was indeed challenging to find dance partners unless they had male siblings. Where would girls, who had received only homeschooling until then, make opposite-sex friends?

As a result, the festival ball could be considered an event even more nerve-wracking than a debutante ball for newly enrolled girls.

“Do I feel nervous like that?”

Of course, Larisa didn’t have any such thoughts. Because the knight students in the same grade seemed likely to ask for a dance at least once, as a matter of courtesy.

“How long will it take to dance with 29 people?”

Larisa played with the empty dance cards attached to her wrist.

Upon arriving at the academy, a red carpet was laid in front of the hall, and on both sides, cavaliers lined up, waiting for their partners.

Only then did Larisa feel a bit excited. When the carriage stopped, Alexander, who recognized the emblem of the Rodante family, approached.

Alexander extended his hand with a puzzled look. Larisa took his hand, got off the carriage, and said jokingly as she extended her hand to Amy, who followed after.

“Alex, do you need to say some kind of line?”

“What line?”

“You know, like, ‘You look beautiful, Lady.'”

Alexander made a wry face. Larisa laughed playfully and then extended her hand to Amy, who awkwardly got off.

“You look beautiful, Amy.”

“Ah, don’t tease me.”
When Julianna got off, a tall boy approached. He was Julianna’s brother’s friend, so Larisa had seen his face a few times.

As Larisa took Alexander’s hand and entered, she said, “Shall we go straight to the cards?”

Larisa shook the card on her wrist.

“Yeah.”

As soon as the five of them entered, they took a seat at a table in the corner. Alexander took out a fountain pen from his pocket and wrote his name on the first line of Larisa’s dance card.

“Alex, did you put on perfume?”

“…Uh.”

His mother had stopped him as he was leaving and sprayed perfume on him. Larisa’s face came unexpectedly close.

“I’ll guess. Orange, jasmine, thyme, cedarwood. Am I right?”

“I don’t know. Don’t sniff.”

Blushing to his ears, Alexander quickly moved away from Larisa. The boy who wrote his name on Julianna’s dance card laughed and said, “Do you want me to guess mine too?”

“Hmm…”

As Larisa pretended to really guess by bringing her nose closer, Alexander unconsciously grabbed her ear.

“Are you a dog? Are you a dog?”

“Ouch, I’m wearing earrings!”

“…Act like a lady.”

“We’re among ourselves, who cares.”

When Larisa grumbled, Alexander stared at her.

“Oh, are you trying not to be a noble gentleman…”