William suddenly felt like his breath was caught in his throat. After a long silence, William barely managed to deny it.

“What? No. Why would you think that?”

“…?”

“Why would I pity you? I don’t.”

William desperately denied it in an agitated voice. Larisa replied nonchalantly.

“No, you’ve pitied me from the beginning.”

William was about to deny it again but hesitated. At first, at the moment of their first meeting that Larisa remembered, he had indeed felt pity. Perhaps being honest was better than outright lying.

“I might have a bit at first, but not anymore.”

Then Larisa tilted her head and asked.

“Then why are you looking at me with such sad eyes?”

William gasped.

“I know everything. People give me money when they look at me with those eyes.”

“I…”

William desperately tried to think of an excuse. But his mind went blank and he couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“It’s okay. You can pity me. I’m rather grateful for it.”

“No. I…”

Larisa quietly looked up at William, whose face looked complicated. William’s lips moved several times before he finally managed to utter a word.

“It’s because I like you.”

William covered his mouth with his hand. He felt he had made a mistake as soon as he blurted it out. However, Larisa replied with an innocent face.

“I like William too.”

Larisa was smiling brightly. William smiled bitterly at the lightly returned answer.

*

That night, William had another dream. He could tell it was a dream because he was in his adult form again.

It was the first time he was dressed in a tailcoat, and it felt extremely awkward. William loosened the tight collar and looked around the unfamiliar ballroom.

Young ladies making their debut at the New Year’s ball were gathered in small groups in white dresses, waiting for gentlemen to ask them to dance.

William habitually looked for pink hair. It wasn’t a common color, so it was easy to spot Larisa.

“Oh?”

And Larisa recognized him at once too. Somehow, laughter burst out. Larisa asked with a welcoming face.

“Is that you? Young Lord Rodante?”

William, looking at the lovely Larisa who still had a girlish charm, asked.

“Why are you speaking so formally?”

Larisa was startled and looked around before carefully whispering.

“What? But how… can I speak informally?”

William laughed. It was the first time he had seen Larisa speaking formally. Her red eyes like a startled rabbit, and her all dressed up appearance were all lovely.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No reason.”

“It’s rude to laugh like that in front of someone.”

Larisa frowned. William quietly looked at her for a moment and somehow felt like teasing her.

‘It’s a dream, so I can do as I please, right?’

William took a step closer and said quietly.

“I missed you.”

Then Larisa blankly asked back.

“…Pardon?”

It’s just seeing remnants of a past that’s already gone. This isn’t even the real past, just a dream based on the past. So wouldn’t it be okay to say everything he wanted to say?

“You know, I must have liked you tremendously.”

“What?”

Larisa had a frightened look on her face. It would sound strange to suddenly say he liked her when they had only met once as children. But William continued to say what he wanted, regardless.

“Seeing how beautiful you look even in my dreams, I must have had it bad.”

Larisa had an expression as if she was looking at a crazy person. William laughed again before saying seriously.

“Won’t you stop appearing in my dreams?”

“Are you mad?”

“Yeah. I’m saying that because I feel like I’m going crazy.”

Larisa looked up at William with a confused face before hurriedly bowing.

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”

William unknowingly grabbed Larisa’s wrist as she was turning away lightly. Larisa had a startled look on her face again.

“Let go of this?”

Seeing her scared expression, he quickly let go and apologized.

“Ah, sorry.”

After letting go, he felt somewhat regretful. It was because Larisa seemed like she would leave soon. As a dance tune was about to start, William pointed to the floor and asked.

“Hey, Lara. Want to dance with me?”

“What?”

“Well, the dance music is about to start.”

Larisa now openly looked at him as if he was crazy. William had felt like laughing earlier, but now he was starting to feel anxious.

“That card on your wrist. There’s no name written on it, so you don’t have a dance partner, right?”

Larisa quickly covered the dance card on her wrist with one hand and answered sharply.

“You’re being very rude.”

William urged anxiously.

“So let’s just dance once with me.”

“You really must be crazy.”

Larisa moved away with disgust. This time, he couldn’t bring himself to grab her. William woke up from the dream with a deep sense of regret.

William rubbed his face dry, trying to shake off the sleepiness.

‘Ah, but I don’t even know how to dance. I almost embarrassed myself.’

He had already been embarrassed to the point of being treated like a madman, but William resolved to learn how to dance.

‘Dancing is a basic skill for nobles.’

It was certainly not to dance with her in his dreams. After all, he would have been in trouble at the festival too if he didn’t know how to dance.

There would probably be a festival ball next year too, and it would be a problem if he still couldn’t dance by then.

William tried hard to convince himself as he asked Siod the next day.

“You want me to teach you how to dance?”

“Yes.”

“Suddenly?”

“Dancing is a basic skill for nobles, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but aren’t you busy?”

He thought his son would say he was going to handle estate matters today, but suddenly asking to be taught how to dance. Siod pressed his son, who was inexplicably blushing.

“You had a dream, didn’t you?”

“Oh geez…”

“You rascal, what kind of dream did you have? Hm?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Did Lara make fun of you for not being able to dance in your dream?”

“I said it’s not that.”

William belatedly tried to be serious, but it didn’t work. Siod even called out Guinevere to tease William.

“Vera, Vera. Our son got rejected by Lara in his dream for not being able to dance.”

“It’s not like that!!!”

“What?”

Guinevere turned around with a serious face.

“Is that true?”

“It’s really not…”

William sighed.

“We have to teach him how to dance, this won’t do. Right? Vera, you’ll help, won’t you?”

Guinevere nodded hesitantly. Then Siod wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Let’s start with the waltz. Watch and learn.”

Siod took Guinevere’s hand, who was flustered. Guinevere was pulled along by Siod before she knew it.

“I don’t know how to dance either.”

“It’s okay. The waltz is a dance where the man leads anyway.”

As Siod snapped his fingers, the piano keys started playing a dance tune on their own.

“Now, one two three, one two three…”

Guinevere awkwardly put her hand on Siod’s shoulder and started to step. She stepped on Siod’s shoes several times, but Siod didn’t show any sign of pain.

“Thanks to our son, I get to dance with you.”

Siod whispered as their faces got close. As they stepped apart again, Guinevere made a sour face.

‘It’s for William’s sake.’

She was enduring it, but Siod’s constant grinning was getting on her nerves.

“Stop smiling.”

“I’m just too happy.”

“I said stop smiling.”

“But I can’t help smiling.”

Guinevere dancing so willingly for William’s sake was just too cute. Siod twirled Guinevere once and pulled her back in as if embracing her.

“Is this dance normally like this?”

“This is how the dance is.”

Guinevere, pulled in close, gave him a suspicious look. Siod found even that too adorable to bear. In the end, he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, causing Guinevere to make a dumbfounded expression.

‘Is this part of the dance too?’

“What are you two doing?”

Guinevere, who had been thinking foolish thoughts, came to her senses at William’s reproach.

“Yeah, what are you doing!”

Siod, who had been kicked in the shin, pretended to be in pain.

“It’s because you’re so cute, because you’re so cute…”

William sighed and stood up abruptly.

“Ah really, I’m leaving. You two carry on.”

“Thanks, William.”

“What? No! Don’t go!”

As William was leaving the reception room, Siod wrapped his arm around Guinevere’s waist again.

“Our son said to carry on, didn’t he?”

“You!”

Siod was kicked again.

“Where do you think you’re putting your hands?”

“Ow, isn’t this too much?”

“Too much?”

Guinevere started stomping on Siod’s feet as if she was going to crush them. However, Siod annoyingly dodged them all and laughed. Finally, Guinevere said with a huff.

“Don’t try to make a move on me.”

“Vera, are you still angry with me?”

“Angry? No. I feel nothing.”

“Then why…”

Guinevere said with a cold face.

“I told you. I feel nothing. I’ve accepted you as my son’s father, but that’s all.”

Siod looked at her with all the playfulness gone from his face. Guinevere also looked back at him with a challenging face. In the end, Siod had to give in first this time too.

“Since I was in the wrong… I can endure it. But do you really feel nothing for me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think so?”

“It’s true.”

“You still love me.”

Guinevere smirked and said.

“I never loved you from the start. It was just an impulsive feeling. Isn’t it the same for you?”

“What?”

Siod looked shocked.

“Vera, why do you think that? I… love you. I told you I love you.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Guinevere left, as if she didn’t want to hear any more. Siod stood there dumbly for a long time, thinking. Where did it all go wrong? Siod muttered to himself.

“No, who would give their heart to someone they don’t even love? This is driving me crazy.”