“Are you serious?”

Guinevere laughed softly. Siod’s perfect face, as if drawn, creaked like something had come loose.

“You call this a date? This?”

Siod felt wronged. He gritted his teeth and whispered in Guinevere’s ear.

“Is this all I get for sneaking into the imperial palace, playing servant, digging through hotel records, and even investigating the Yebley family?”

“Just that? If you don’t like it, quit.”

“No!”

Siod caught Guinevere’s wrist as she turned away and said, taking a deep breath:

“…I love it too much.”

He sighed. He had been expecting something when she said she had even planned a schedule for their date, but to think the place was the night ball on the last day of the Academy festival. Moreover…

“Can’t you at least change your face back? I don’t want to date a woman I don’t know. I want to date Guinevere Rodante.”

“I am Guinevere Rodante.”

“But that face…”

“What does the face matter? My name, my soul is Guinevere Rodante.”

“But still!”

Right now, Guinevere was at the Academy’s festival night ball, having changed even her face with transformation magic. The latest fashionable crinoline dress was heavier than her usual one-piece, and the off-shoulder design left her shoulders feeling constantly exposed.

Moreover, despite changing her face, people’s gazes kept turning towards her. Although her face was ordinary, as if seen somewhere before, her smooth white shoulders and beautiful silhouette kept drawing attention.

And that wasn’t all. Guinevere didn’t realize how impressive it looked to others that she was confidently leading Siod around without any signs of intimidation or shyness, despite him being an extraordinarily handsome man.

She ignored the grumbling Siod and stood still, but as soon as a familiar dance tune started, she grabbed his collar and dragged him along.

“Are we going to dance?”

“This is the only song I know.”

“What?”

“Lead me.”

Guinevere didn’t know how to dance. She needed to master etiquette and dancing to frequent social gatherings in the future, but she had no suitable practice partner.

‘It would be ridiculous to hire a dance instructor at this point, given my status.’

So this was what she came up with. Practicing among students still clumsy with dancing while using transformation magic. Even if her dancing was a bit awkward, everyone would just assume that’s how it is, right?

She had also thought it would be nice to see William’s face while she was at it, but William wasn’t visible yet.

The problem was Guinevere’s dancing skills.

“One, two, three… ugh.”

Siod groaned as his foot was stepped on.

“Don’t pretend to be hurt when it doesn’t even hurt.”

“No, it really hurts. When I’m in human form…”

“You can just cast a protection spell on your feet, can’t you?”

“If I don’t pretend to be hurt, you’ll keep making the same mistake, won’t you?”

The two bickered as they practiced dancing. It was when the song ended and they retreated from the floor. A group of girls approached. The one in the center spoke with a blushing face.

“Um… Professor, would you dance one song with me?”

“Ah, Miss Lily.”

Siod greeted the student with a business smile. Then, a terrifying gaze was felt from beside him. Siod pleaded with his eyes.

‘What am I supposed to do…’

‘Refuse.’

‘How can I do that…’

As it was extremely rare for ladies to ask for a dance first, it would be a tremendous insult for a gentleman to refuse a lady’s dance. But if he didn’t refuse here, Guinevere would…

‘Refuse!’

She was pressuring him with her eyes. Siod sighed.

“I’m sorry, Miss Lily. I’m not feeling well…”

“What?”

“Well…”

“Sob, how could you!”

Lily, who had been rejected, disappeared crying like a pitiful flower. Seeing the girls rushing to comfort her, Siod’s reputation was sure to plummet now.

“Now my kind and gentle professor image is ruined.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“Why did you make me refuse? Were you jealous?”

Guinevere scoffed and grabbed Siod’s collar, heading back to the dance floor.

“I need to practice dancing.”

“In case you don’t know, it’s not polite for a gentleman to refuse a lady’s dance.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t even look like a woman, so it’s equivalent to telling her to get lost.”

“I see. Tell me more. Things I should know about balls.”

Siod laughed dryly. It saddened him that no matter how selfishly Guinevere acted, he couldn’t bring himself to dislike her. Even though he knew full well that she regarded him merely as a tool.

“The first dance is traditionally performed by the host in the center. And it’s polite to dance the first dance with your partner.”

“And?”

“The most important thing is that you shouldn’t dance with the same partner more than 3 times. If you dance 4 or more times, it becomes a scandal.”

“What a strange rule.”

“It’s an old custom.”

“What else?”

“As I said earlier, a woman asking for a dance first is a significant expression of interest, so it’s usually polite to accept at least once without refusing. And women don’t usually ask twice unless it’s their fiancé.”

“Really?”

Siod smiled subtly and whispered in Guinevere’s ear.

“And you’ve already asked me to dance twice.”

“…Over there.”

“Hm?”

“There’s William. Hide.”

Siod was pulled along by Guinevere in the middle of dancing. His mind was filled with questions.

“Why are we hiding when you’re even using transformation magic?”

‘That’s right.’

Guinevere, who had hidden without realizing it herself, observed William. William was entering the ballroom with that James fellow she had seen before.

The way he was awkwardly fiddling with his collar made it clear that he was uncomfortable in such a setting.

“You may not need to, but I’m still in my original face, so I should at least go greet him…”

“Shh, stay still.”

“Haha, really now.”

To Siod, with a thousand years of espionage experience, Guinevere’s behavior was like that of an adorable newbie. Sure enough, as William looked around the hall, his eyes met Siod’s and he started approaching.

Guinevere, now tense, hid behind Siod’s back. Siod was starting to find the situation a bit amusing.

“Professor?”

“William, and Mr. James. Are you enjoying the festival?”

“Yes. But who is…”

“Ah, this is.”

William had good intuition. He was particularly sensitive when it came to magical energy, and he felt a strangely familiar sensation. Just as William was about to look at the woman hiding behind Siod’s back.

“My fiancée.”

William’s eyes widened.

“I thought you had ulterior motives towards my mother, Professor.”

“Please don’t say such things openly in a place like this.”

“Ah, I see. I apologize for my rudeness.”

Siod sighed. That’s when it happened. Something was poking him from behind, and when he looked down, Guinevere was flapping her hand at him. He leaned in to listen, and she whispered…

“Tell him not to refuse dances.”

It seemed she was worried her son might become a cold-hearted person. After ruining my reputation… Siod sighed and said,

“William, just in case, I should tell you that it’s very rude to refuse a lady’s dance.”

“But I saw a female student get rejected by you earlier, Professor.”

“Yes. I’m a bad person.”

William looked at him incredulously.

“I’m fine. I plan to refuse all dance invitations.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know how to dance.”

Siod felt Guinevere flinch behind him. He let out a deep sigh. He regretted it deeply. If only he had been by William’s side since birth, this wouldn’t have happened.

“Oh, don’t worry. If Will here says he can’t dance, there’ll be a mountain of female students rushing to teach him.”

James laughed heartily beside them.

“Ah, I don’t want that.”

“Didn’t you hear the Professor? Refusing a dance invitation is a very, very rude thing to do. Do you want to be known as trash?”

Siod, now likely to be known as trash himself, felt a pain in his chest. Regardless, William remained firm.

“I don’t care.”

“Then why did you even attend…”

“You’re the one who said they take attendance even at the ball. Don’t tell me that was a lie?”

“Of course it was a lie.”

As the two boys bickered, Guinevere quietly signaled to Siod. It was a signal to retreat. But then.

“Oh, Professor. I have some questions about alchemy that I’m stuck on. Would it be alright if I visit your office later?”

“Hm? Sure. Of course.”

‘Alchemy?’

Once again, a terrifying gaze was felt from behind Siod’s back. This time, even William flinched. Just as William was about to peer around Siod’s back, finding the situation odd.

“Well then, see you later.”

Siod put his arm around Guinevere’s shoulders and teleported away.

It was a garden where no one could be seen. As soon as they arrived, Guinevere immediately kicked Siod in the shin. She muttered ominously.

“Didn’t I tell you not to teach William anything?”

“You didn’t say not to teach alchemy.”

“Isn’t alchemy just another form of magic!”

Siod sighed and said.

“Do you think I taught alchemy because I wanted to? There’s no other way to get close to him. I can’t tell him I’m his father.”

Guinevere, losing her reason, said while seething.

“What are you trying to do by getting close to William!”

“What do you mean what? I’m his father. Of course I want to get close to him.”

“So you teach him alchemy because there’s nothing else to teach? When the child committed suicide because of it?”

A flustered Siod quickly cast a barrier. He grabbed Guinevere’s arms and tried to calm her down, saying,

“Vera, calm down. I only taught him simple things. Really just the basics…”

“You don’t know anything.”

Guinevere started to shed tears.

“Do you know how I feel? Did you see that child cutting open his chest and taking out his heart right in front of me?”

Siod was at a loss for words.

“Vera…”

Guinevere’s voice began to tremble uncontrollably.

“I’m afraid something like that might happen again…”

“I’m sorry.”

Guinevere struggled to swallow her tears for a while. After looking up at the sky and calming herself, she snapped,

“Promise me you won’t teach William anything.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why!”

Guinevere could no longer hold back. As she stomped her foot, the ground caved in. Her magical power reacted to her emotions without her even casting a spell.

Siod, looking at Guinevere who had reverted to her original form in her excitement, with her hair flying, calmly said,

“Because I’m a father too. I want to give William as many possibilities as I can.”