Hair flew.
Feet moved without pause.
The tap, tap of shoes on the floor, at first slightly messy, gradually synchronized.
And then…
In the vast banquet hall, two people danced.
Yet only the sound of a single person's steps remained.
Hilda and Eris's footsteps had merged into one.
Hilda looked at her daughter, who was now completely absorbed in the excitement of learning something new, as if playing a fun game, her enjoyment growing with every step. Hilda's expression became a little dazed.
But just for a moment. She quickly composed herself, her face returning to normal as she decided to continue the lesson.
"Mm, those are the basic steps. It seems Eris learns very quickly when you compare it to swordsmanship~"
"Yeah!!"
Basking in her sense of accomplishment, Eris's lips curved into a brilliant smile. She wanted to dance a few more beats, but Hilda suddenly released her hand from Eris's waist.
With a very gentle push…
She pushed Eris back a step.
But she kept hold of Eris's arm, not letting her get too far.
They returned to their starting position.
Her hair, the color of red paint, swayed and then settled by her side.
Still.
"You've got a preliminary feel for the dance steps. The rest is just practice. At the end of the dance, you hold a final pose like this."
Eris opened her mouth, suddenly remembering that this was still a lesson and the person in front of her was her mother. She suppressed the urge to pull her into another dance.
Hilda looked at Eris.
"And then."
She clenched her free hand into a fist and placed it behind her back.
Taking Eris's hand, she turned it over so the back of her hand faced her.
She lifted it.
Brought it closer.
And placed it before her own face.
Near her lips.
She looked up at Eris.
"After the final pose of the Foxtrot, the male partner has two choices. One, to end with a kiss on the hand…"
Before she could finish, a flustered "Eh? Eh!?" came from the side.
Everyone turned to look at Sylphie, who was now covering her face completely, her ears turning a deep crimson.
W-w-w-what is this…
M-M-M-M-Madam… how am I supposed to dance with him now…
Beneath her hands, Sylphie's eyes were spinning.
Watching her, Alan blinked.
Because he knew nothing about Hilda's plan to propose the dance, he just assumed she was overwhelmed by Hilda's assertive moves.
He had to admit, Hilda was quite charming when she danced the man's part. Her movements were graceful and quick, with a certain rhythm, and combined with her sharp yet gentle and sensual voice, she was indeed captivating.
It seemed Eris's physical talent and sword intuition didn't just come from the Boreas bloodline.
Eris was still high on her success and, lacking the context to make connections, didn't have any particular reaction. She just immediately asked.
"What's the second choice?!"
Hearing this, Hilda's gaze drifted for a moment, as if lost in a distant memory.
In the next moment, however, she let go of Eris's hand.
She brought her hand back, placing it over her heart.
She bent at the waist, bowing deeply.
An extremely standard noble's bow.
"Two, is a more distant, standard noble's bow."
Eris raised an eyebrow, a confused look on her face.
Rudeus couldn't help but ask first.
"Madam, what's the difference between the two?"
Hilda straightened up, resuming her dignified posture, and looked down at her own hands.
"The two different gestures serve the same purpose: to maintain propriety for both parties. A ball is a social activity. When two people dance the Foxtrot so closely, under the cover of the music, a single dance is long enough for them to have a 'conversation' and reach some kind of understanding."
"After that, when the dance ends, this understanding is expressed in the final gesture—"
"If it's a kiss on the hand, it means both parties agree to continue their acquaintance, to develop their relationship further. It also signals their mutual claim to the other nobles at the ball, sending a 'signal' so that other peers of the opposite sex will not interfere."
"If it's a bow, it means the two did not reach an understanding during the dance. This also sends a 'signal,' meaning that other peers are free to continue extending invitations."
As she finished speaking…
Sylphie's face went pale.
She lowered the hands covering her face, her mouth slightly agape. She looked茫然, subconsciously glancing at Alan beside her, then quickly looking away.
Alan, on the other hand, was a bit dazed.
Why didn't I see this in the original work? In Rudeus's perspective, the dance at the tenth birthday banquet was very brief, barely mentioned. The anime went into more detail, and the dance Rudeus invited Eris to was indeed more like a simplified version of the Foxtrot, likely to accommodate Eris.
Thinking of this, he raised his eyebrows.
Wait a minute, at my own fifth birthday banquet, which was purely a political networking event, my 'brothers' did indeed perform either a hand-kiss or a bow after their dances.
So why wasn't this scene in the anime during the home tutor arc?
In the next moment, Hilda spoke, answering his question.
"However, this ball is for your birthday, Eris, so you are a special case. No one will try to test you this way in the Boreas mansion. Because you are the star of the banquet, the choice is in your hands. You can dance with everyone and make your choice at the end of the evening."
Alan rubbed his chin.
So that's how it was. That's why Edna never taught this part, or maybe she did, but it was outside of Rudeus's perspective.
After all, Edna only asked him to help teach the dance steps.
Rudeus, being unaware of this etiquette, was continuously invited to dance by various girls at the banquet in the original story, because he never performed a hand-kiss for any of them.
In the eyes of others, Rudeus might have looked like a preening peacock, desperate for attention.
Thinking of this, Alan glanced at Rudeus beside him, who was looking a bit stiff-faced, likely having thought of the same thing.
Now that Rudeus knows this etiquette, will things be different this time? Will he choose to accept the feelings of a noble lady?
A noble lady?
Eris?
Alan looked at the two of them, who showed no signs of any hidden romantic tension, and his mouth twitched.
Ugh… I messed up the kidnapping incident in this timeline. As it stands, there doesn't seem to be a single spark between them. But thinking back to the anime, Rudeus was actually far more popular than he let on. There were girls his age in Buena Village who happily greeted him, and girls at Eris's tenth birthday who kept asking him to dance.
Hmm… this is completely different from the original story. Interesting. I'll have to stay close to him during the party. This might be fun to watch.
Rudeus's mouth twitched continuously.
Oh no… this is bad. It looks like my plan to get close to Alan and act as his wingman to make myself look better is a complete failure. First of all, Sylphie will definitely dance with Alan. Eris? I'll be lucky if she doesn't hit me, let alone dance with me. So what about the other noble girls?
They'll definitely wait for Alan to finish dancing with Sylphie and then ask him! I have to stay far away from him! I absolutely cannot be his wingman this time!
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