This was not the first ti that Joachim and I had t. As I said in a previous eting with Elena, I had t him once before.
However, because I was not in a normal state at the ti of our first eting, if my mory was not wrong, I rember that we had a very short conversation and parted ways soon after.
So, eting him now was practically the first ti.
Moreover, unlike two years ago, even though we did not et in person because of Elena, a big change occurred in the relationship between and Joachim. And It was an unexpected surprise for , who had previously aid for a breakup.
Although I could see that he was not as uptight as I had previously thought, given that he was my father’s friend and what happened today, it was challenging for to behave towards him as I do with my father.
It was a completely different feeling from being nervous when standing in front of your friend’s parents.
In the past, I had thought of Joachim only as my father’s friend and soone I would never cross paths with again after breaking up with Elena, but now I think that the situation had drastically changed.
Although the engagent ceremony had not been formally announced yet, I continue to be engaged to Elena, which ans that the man in front of would beco my father-in-law.
In other words, my eting with Joachim was a nerve-wracking eting between a soon-to-be son-in-law and father-in-law, which I was not prepared for in terms of thoughts and readiness.
More than anything, it was hard not to worry about what Father had done to him just a few hours ago.
From a broader perspective, Elena and I could be considered accomplices in my father’s mischievous pranks, but as an eccentric father, Joachim wouldn’t scold Elena. So it was ti to only worry about myself and face the consequences alone.
Fortunately, unlike my unpredictable father, Joachim seed to have a personality that did not dwell on the past, and he never ntioned my father’s mischief. Instead, he quietly spoke to as he looked out the window I had opened.
“The snowy scenery of rohim has a different charm from the flowers of the south. Although the land looks barren, there are several stunning landscapes that are no less beautiful than Sarham. It would be good to take a look around while you’re here.”
I nodded my head in agreent with Duke Joachim’s advice. It seed like he was strangely conscious of Sarham and aware of the barrenness of the landscape, but that was probably just my imagination.
Even after that, our conversation continued, but the atmosphere was not as heavy as I thought would be.
I was able to answer Joachim’s questions without difficulty because they were very simple questions, such as how I have been for the past two years, whether I have behaved badly like back then, and whether I’ll be enrolled in the academy next year.
For , who had been expecting questions like “Can you make our daughter happy?” Joachim’s questions felt like a father asking his long-lost son how he was doing. It was comfortable talking to him again.
“To tell you the truth, I had a brief conversation with my daughter yesterday.”
No, but why bring up such a topic all of a sudden?
Suddenly, when Joachim told that he and Elena were talking, it felt like I was back to our first conversation. Although I know that she wouldn’t have spoken ill of to him, I still felt a sense of unease about what he might say.
Even though I knew it was an unnecessary worry, anyone would have felt tense when such a topic ca up in the presence of the father of one’s fiancé, alone.
Of course, there may be people who wouldn’t feel that way, but I, at least, was not that kind of great person.
Above all, Joachim’s face, as he brought up the topic, looked sowhat lonely, and that was enough to heighten the already-building sense of tension.
“I’ve never seen Elena smile so brightly in my life.”
“Yes?”
“That child likes flowers a lot. So, at first, I thought it might be because there are many different flowers blooming in the south. You, who live there, would know better than anyone, and the flower garden at Lord Kraus Castle is one of the most famous sights in the empire. But it wasn’t that.”
He imdiately gave an envious look and said.
“Damian. The reason Elena was able to talk to with a smile was none other than you. What on earth happened in those short ten days to make that child fall for you? I’m really curious about that.”
‘Well, that’s what I’m curious about too.’
This ti, I couldn’t find the right words to answer Joachim’s question.
She had been kind to since the first ti we t. The answer to Joachim’s question was sothing that I could never find within myself, and it was an answer only Elena knew in this world.
However, Joachim stood up from his seat with a thin smile on his face, as if he never intended to hear my answer from the beginning.
“If by any chance you ever want to live here after wandering around rohim, just tell . There are many empty rooms in the Winter Castle, you know.”
“You’re kidding, right? I’m Kraus’s heir-“
“Don’t you have a younger brother? How about passing on the heir position to him? And top of that Arthur seems like he’ll live for over 100 years.”
Afterward, Joachim said it was a joke as he opened the door and left, but his face when he said it was so serious that it was hard to believe it was just a joke.
This father who seed to be overflowing with energy would have even created a new room in the Winter Castle if I had even joked about wanting to live here.
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Now that you’ve co to rohim, I’m thinking of holding a banquet two days later to introduce you to my vassals.”
“I am…”
“I know. I heard from Arthur that you have never been to a social scene before. Your head seems to be filled with nothing but swords and fencing. Still, why not try attending this ti? And If you’re going to live under the na Edelweiss from now on, you can’t avoid banquet.”
“I’ll say it again, I’m Kraus’s heir. As for the banquet… Yes, as you said,I’ll try attending this ti.”
“Whether it’s Kraus or Edelweiss, you made a good choice. The owner of the famous boutique in the capital is currently in rohim, so it would be wise to commission her for a new dress for Elena. You’re lucky, you know.”
He said that, but the dress must have already been completed. Because e according to my common sense, no beautiful dress could be made in two just days.
It wasn’t too hard for to notice that Joachim had been planning this in advance. Perhaps the purpose of this banquet was not simply to see Elena in her new dress, but to announce my engagent with Elena to others.
Knowing that fact, I accepted his offer without saying anything else. If I had turned down Joachim’s offer here, my father would have been notified soon enough.
After sending Johann away, I sat back down in my seat, feeling uneasy as if I had missed sothing. I reconsidered the conversation we had and soon found the cause of that uncomfortable feeling.
“Speaking of banquets, do we have to dance?”
Co to think of it, I was a guy who had never danced even a regular dance in my previous or current life, the only thing I could perform was swordsmanship.
It would be better to put aside the idea of asking Elena to guide rohim.
***
After possessing Demian’s body, I devoted myself diligently to my studies and training with the determination to survive.
My education included the basic etiquette and manners that were necessary for a noble, but dancing was still one of the unfamiliar things to , despite being a part of my education.
Why? Because dancing wasn’t essential!
Dancing wasn’t included in my survival plan, and I didn’t feel the need to learn it just because I was supposed to attend parties. If I ever had to attend one, I planned to sit quietly in a corner or on the balcony and drink.
However, this ti was different.
Although dancing wasn’t essential, I was the host of the upcoming party in two days. In romance fantasies, the party host always danced.
Even though I had questioned if this world truly fit the romance fantasy genre during my five years as Demian, I was convinced that I would dance with Elena, the heroine, at this party.
Joachim knew that it was my first ti going out into the social scene.
Although he suggested it was just for practice, I didn’t need to think too hard about how showing my shortcomings in front of the vassals of Count Edelweiss could affect , especially since I was engaged to Elena.
‘At the very least, I have to et the minimum standards.’
But no matter how much I thought about it, I just didn’t know what to do about dancing.
If I say I can’t dance, there would definitely be guys who would ask Elena to dance even though they know that her fiancé is by her side. Would an engaged man who can’t dance catch the eye of a beautiful woman right in front of him?
It would be quite entertaining to see n approaching her and getting rejected, but I didn’t like relying solely on her.
However, depending on her was enough to alleviate my anxiety about the future.
“If it’s Ken, he must have plenty of experience.”
Right now, there were only two people in this castle who could help : Elena and Ken.
As much as I tried to muster the courage to ask her for help, my pride won’t let . I decided to handle it on my own, so asking Elena for help was currently on hold.
In that respect, Ken had been Kraus’s butler for a long ti, and when I listen to the stories he had told so far, I rembered that he had many experiences participating in banquets with my father in his youth.
If Ken had a lot of experience, he could surely give so aningful advice.
“Yes, I should talk to him… Where is the bell…?”
I looked for the bell to call Ken, but I soon realized that this was not Kraus’s castle where I always stayed. I tried to go out to look for him, but new guests had already co to my room before I had a chance.
The guest who ca this ti was soone who could solve my problem at once, but at the sa ti, she was soone I didn’t want to et right now. It was Elena. Through the conversation we had yesterday, I could infer why she ca to my room.
“I’m sorry Elena, but can I ask you to guide to the winter castle later? I have sothing I need to do with Ken right now.”
After saying this to Elena, I tried to leave. However, Elena was blocking the door for so reason, looking at with a smile that showed confidence and mischievousness that I couldn’t usually see in her.
“Do you look troubled, Damian?”
I was surprised and took a step back when Elena spoke to . It wasn’t particularly shocking that she could read my emotions from my face, but it seed like she knew exactly what was bothering .
She smiled at , which was identical to the one Joachim had given when he left earlier.
“May I help you?”
Without even thinking, I unconsciously nodded my head and said yes to her offer, without considering rejecting it.
‘Does the winter castle have a device that gives buffs to the Edelweiss family?’
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