Book 4: Chapter 4: It Ended Well All Thanks to The Embroiderers. (2/2)
”If Your Highness insists…”
Cyril nodded grudgingly, then turned to face Glenn before saying with a raised eyebrow.
”Now, kid! I will teach you my escorting skills! First, you will escort me as if I were a girl!”
”Well… treating you like a girl was… a bit hard…”
”Stop being so picky!”
As Cyril scolding and dragging Glenn away, Felix smiled at Monica.
”Since that is the case, please take care of me. Miss Norton.”
”P-Please take care… of me, too.”
As Monica bowed her head perpetually, Felix quickly reached out his hand to Monica.
”Grab my hand.”
”………”
Without taking a single step, Monica stretched her arm to its limit. Then, she touched Felix's outstretched hand with her fingertips.
Felix looked down at her fingertips with a smile on his face.
”I guess you're surprisingly unwilling in being escorted, huh?”
”No, I don't mean like that! I-I'm so sorry!”
Felix was smiling, but his eyes were not.
Shakily, Monica took a half step forward. Then Felix quickly grabbed Monica's hand and pulled her toward him.
Felix's hands were supporting her body, and the moment she thought about that, Monica's body tensed up.
”You know, when you were with Cyril, you were a little more docile in being escorted.”
”T-That's… because at that time, Lord Ashley was different from usual, I was so surprised, so…”
At that time, she was too stunned by Cyril's conduct when dancing, and the dance had started and ended before she realized it. But now, the situation was different.
As Monica stiffened, Felix looked up and instructed Lana.
”Excuse me. Can you play some music for me? With a slightly lower volume.”
”Yes, sir!”
Lana nodded excitedly and began to play the piano. As the music played a little more subduedly than before, Felix took Monica's hand to lead the way. It was the same as with Cyril. Even without the call of a ”one-two-three” signal, she could somehow understand when to start, probably because Felix was also great at escorting.
”You don't have to pay attention to your steps right now. Maybe you could forget about your dancing altogether.”
”…Eh?”
”You could walk around at your pace while having fun chatting with me. Your body easily stiffens, after all.”
The idea of having a nice chat with someone really threw Monica off. Monica was not very good at talking, and she was not very good at bringing up topics of conversation to anyone. Since she never had a chance to make a casual conversation.
When Monica frightened and clammed up, and Felix smiled at her.
”I've never seen your eyes up close before. They look light brown, but when exposed to light, they seem to have a slight greenish tinge… They look like the trees deep in the forest illuminated by the sun, doesn't it?”
”Um… Er…”
”Your light brown hair is also very shiny and beautiful. Did you have a friend braid it for you today?”
”Y-Yes. Um, Miss Lana Collette is very good at this kind of thing.”
”Yeah… it looks really good on you.”
When someone complimented her hair, she was happy because it was like a compliment for Lana.
Monica giggled, her cheeks relaxing.
”…Eheehee… Thank you… very much…”
”Hmm, so you can even smile like that. Hey, can you show me more?”
Being stared at so closely, Monica felt embarrassed and lowered her eyes. Then the scarf on Felix's lapel caught her eye.
I think Lana had mentioned something about the embroidery, and it was indeed quite intricate. If one looks at it from a distance, it's not that spectacular, but when one looked closer, it looks more luxurious and intricates.
Monica loved to look at the beautiful patterns.
If I look at the pattern of this vine rose… I could think of it as a circle, and since four circles are inscribed in another larger circle, with that particular set of principles… along with the distance between roses…
”I think a green dress would look good on you. Something a little deeper, but not too dark. Maybe a beautiful flower embroidery on the skirt would be nice. Do you have a favorite flower?”
Two circles that do not intersect each other have two common tangents. And each of them has the same distance… with that assumption… It can be applied in multiple magic formulas with a wide range of magic coordinates.
”Ah, autumn roses look good, too. It's smaller and more elegant than the large roses that bloom in summer. I think its calming color would suit you better.”
The radius of the four circles is infinitesimal and the length of the tangent line has an equal distance between them… but considering the development of the scope of the wide-area magic formula…
The music stopped.
As Felix stopped his steps still supporting Monica's body, Neil, who had been watching the scene, clapped.
”Amazing! From halfway through, the dance became a proper dance! And Miss Norton's movements were more relax and less tense… It's the best dance I've ever seen!”
”Miss Norton was doing her best to learn the steps with her feet, but her movements tended to be stiff and her tempo slipped because she was thinking too hard.”
Felix said, looking into Monica's face with a smile.
”I guess enjoying a good chat had allowed them to move on their own devices without thinking about any unnecessary things, is that right?”
Upon being spoken to, Monica raised her head and looked around as if she had just woken up from a dream.
”Ah… Um… Er…”
”Monica! Monica! You were dancing so well just now!”
Glenn, who had been watching Monica's dance from halfway through, praised her with a sparkle in his eyes, and Cyril nodded his head in agreement, saying, ”As expected of His Highness, his escorts was the best!”
Monica held both cheeks, like still fluttering in her dream.
”… I was able… to dance?”
”Yeah, you danced very well.”
At Felix nod, Monica's face lit up.
She had a big smile on her face, something that Monica rarely shows, as she usually keeps her head down and squirms.
”I… I just realized, the pattern on Your Highness's scarf could be replaced with a different set of patterns! And this set of patterns is very beautiful and applicable in many ways. Just thinking about how to apply this helped me stop thinking about unnecessary stuff!”
A heavy silence filled the dance room.
Like an innocent child, only Monica was the one who has sparkles in her eyes.
Then, a kindhearted Neil interrupted her fearfully.
”Um… I think, in a roundabout way, that kind of thinking was the epitome you were thinking of unnecessary things…”
”…ah.”
Monica's smile stiffened as she slowly, slowly glanced over at Felix.
Felix was still smiling. Albeit, his blue eyes shone darkly.
”Was our little chat kind of unnecessary things for you, Miss Norton?”
”Um, er, well, I mean, it just…”
Monica paled quickly, clenched her fists, before shouting.
”The only reason I was able to dance so well was thanks to Your Highness's scarf!”
”You should have said, ‘Thanks to Your Highness!' here”
Cyril's angry voice echoed through the dance room.
Thus, Monica learned how to perform a dance without getting nervous by immersing herself in her thoughts.
It should be noted that the pattern on Felix's scarf, which Monica had been gazing at intently, was accurately drawn before it shown to Lana, who was greatly appreciative of the result.