It was a gesture made when a man asked a woman to dance, and accordingly, the action looked quite clumsy. I decided to show the results of my special training from Lady Caton.

I took his hand and went to the center of the banquet hall. Many people were already dancing to the music.

Although we drew attention due to Shuri’s large build, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be. Perhaps the special training paid off, as I didn’t make any mistakes.

Rather, Shuri was more clumsy and awkward at dancing, but surprisingly, he managed to match all the steps without stepping on my feet. After finishing the dance with me, he also danced with Ileana and then left, saying he had to return to work, though regrettably.

“How was it? Did Shuri step on your feet?”

“No. It was fine.”

“That’s a relief. Actually, Shuri is quite clumsy at dancing. He’s so stiff, like he’s doing swordplay… But as an elder brother, he wanted to show a proud appearance today, so he practiced hard, squeezing time out of his busy schedule. This morning, he was making such a fuss about possibly stepping on Claire’s feet, but I’m glad I managed to coax him into dancing with Claire. It was nice to see the image of affectionate siblings.”

“Ileana and Count McCain… I mean, elder brother also looked good together. Though it seemed like Ileana was putting in a lot of effort to lead.”

It was still awkward to call Count McCain ‘elder brother’, but Ileana didn’t point it out, perhaps knowing I was struggling with it.

“Was it that obvious? In my relationship with Shuri, I’m usually the one taking the lead in most things.”

She winked at me and laughed with a confident attitude. It wasn’t a joke; certainly, the sight of her and Shuri dancing together was quite fitting.

The scene of the large-built Shuri matching steps with the elegant yet lively Ileana was like Beauty and the Beast, as if straight out of a fairy tale.

“More importantly, were you alright? Not dizzy or anything? Sometimes when you’re too nervous, you can get dizzy.”

“I was nervous, but not to that extent. I didn’t make any mistakes, right?”

I didn’t think I had made any particular mistakes, but I asked just in case. She nodded.

“I’m glad you didn’t grab anyone by the collar. I was watching so anxiously, worried you might actually do that.”

I laughed at her joke. She praised me again.

“You really did well. I was joking to ease the tension, but it was such a public place with so many people watching, and in front of His Majesty the Emperor, no less. I was so worried that Claire might faint standing up due to nervousness.”

“I was nervous, but… Come on, I wouldn’t faint standing up, would I?”

“Did you forget? No, Claire probably doesn’t remember. You fainted at your debutante ball, you know.”

“I fainted at the debutante ball?”

“You didn’t even make it to the ballroom. Your face turned deathly pale in the carriage, and as soon as you got out, you collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.”

“Did I have some kind of chronic illness?”

Ileana shook her head at my words.

“We were worried it might be a serious illness, so we called in some quite renowned healers for an examination, but they said that while you were physically weaker than others, there wasn’t any particular disease. They said it was just due to extreme nervousness.”

“Just from nervousness alone?”

“Claire was originally… quite shy and delicate. She disliked gatherings with many people… It’s nice to see that she seems to have become much braver now.”

I opened my mouth and fell into a daze at her explanation.

I had thought that since she had thrown herself in front of a rampaging horse to save Prince Daniel, she must have been a bold and brave person despite her delicate appearance, but it seemed Claire was more fragile than I had imagined.

To think she was so nervous that she couldn’t even properly attend her debutante ball…

“With such a personality, how on earth was she able to save Prince Daniel?”

Ileana responded to my muttering with an amused voice.

“Actually, because of that incident, there were rumors that the young lady had been secretly in love with Prince Daniel.”

I nodded unconsciously at her words. If she had been in love with Prince Daniel, it would make sense. It’s like a fairy tale, but love can make one do unexpected things or exert superhuman strength.

“Claire… I mean, I liked Prince Daniel.”

Ileana waved her hand dismissively and said.

“Nah, that’s probably not it. If she had liked him, I would have noticed it in her everyday behavior. Claire isn’t the type to hide her emotions well.”

“Then why…”

“Maybe it was simply because there was a person in danger right in front of her eyes? I think at that moment, the only thought in Claire’s mind was that she had to help.”

“Didn’t you say I was extremely timid? If I was nervous enough to faint just from standing in front of people, you’re saying I voluntarily jumped in for just that reason?”

“Shuri said she had been like that since childhood. Even though she’d turn red from embarrassment just from being spoken to, when she occasionally did reckless things, it was as if she became a completely different person.”

She then shared some anecdotes she had heard from Count McCain.

Stories about climbing a tree to put a fallen baby bird back in its nest, or jumping in front of a carriage to save a cat that was about to be run over.

Is she timid or bold? It’s really hard to tell with this young lady.

“Claire wasn’t a timid person. She was braver than anyone. Though she was exceptionally shy. Anyway, the new name of Countess Hydrangea really suits Claire well.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, since everyone is waiting, shall we go over there? I’ll introduce you to people.”

At her words, worry came first. Although I had diligently learned the qualities and etiquette of nobility for a short time, actually meeting people was another matter.

“Do people know that I’ve lost my memory?”

“No. We kept that a secret. But don’t worry too much. Claire was originally so shy that she didn’t have many close acquaintances.”

Indeed, as someone who couldn’t even properly attend her debutante ball, it seemed her influence in social circles was minimal. This was fortunate for me.

“Moreover, you’re no longer a count’s daughter, but a countess now. Everyone will approach Claire more cautiously. I’ll introduce you naturally. In a way, today is Claire’s real debutante ball.”

She led me to where many noble ladies were gathered. They all greeted us with very welcoming faces.

From the looks of it, they seemed more pleased to see Ileana than me.

‘They said Ileana had quite a reputation in social circles.’

I had heard from the maids of noble houses while treating them, and also once from Simons, that Ileana had the nickname ‘Queen of Social Circles’.

There were quite a few interesting anecdotes about her marriage to Count McCain, so there were plenty of stories going around.

The marriage between her, the only daughter of the prestigious House of Ferbe in the Kalovanian Empire, renowned for her beauty, and Shuri McCain, who was from a mere baron’s family but started rising in rank due to the Emperor’s attention and was called the Emperor’s watchdog, was something that surprised a great many people.

Especially since the marriage was due to Ileana’s active courtship, it was even more so.

It was a well-known fact that Duke Ferbe was bedridden with worry because of Ileana’s interest in Shuri McCain.

In the end, unable to break his daughter’s stubbornness, he gave permission, but there were many twists and turns until their marriage.

I heard later that Ileana fell in love with Shuri at first sight the moment she first saw him. Many people, including myself, questioned the story of her falling in love first.

Moreover, when she first met Shuri, Shuri McCain’s appearance was said to be with a blackened nose from rolling on the battlefield, and his large, muscular body was forcibly squeezed into a tailcoat that looked like it might burst.

It was truly a sight unsuited for a banquet hall. Ileana fell in love at first sight with him, who looked like he should be wielding a blood-dripping sword and commanding a war at any moment, standing in the banquet hall.

She boldly approached him, but Shuri actually rejected her for a long time. After persistent courtship, she was able to marry Shuri, and her active pursuit was talked about in the capital for quite some time.

Many predicted that the two would divorce before long, but they were still living well together until now.

Shuri, who had received the Emperor’s love, was able to rise rapidly with the active support of the House of Ferbe to become the current count’s family.

Ileana reigned as the queen of social circles, drawing much attention from people both before and after marriage. It seemed to be the same even now.

Ileana took me to them and introduced me with a smile, and the noble ladies and young ladies treated me with courtesy. It seemed not because I had acquired the title of countess, but because of their friendship with Ileana.

“Congratulations. Now we should address you as Countess Hydrangea, not young lady McCain.”

I greeted them with gratitude for their congratulations.