Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 42 - Unfinished Words

Medrauta's eyes widened. She shook her head quickly, her hands hastening to grab hold of Viviane's as if she feared the noblewoman would slip away. "N-No! You misunderstand me, Viviane! It's just that I've heard the first dance is somewhat similar to a noble's social debut of the year, isn't it? I simply can't bring myself to embarrass you at an event like that."

"You're the one that's misunderstanding, Medrauta! Even if you stepped on me a hundred times, I wouldn't be embarrassed in the slightest!"

"E-Eh!? Seriously!?"

Viviane nodded. "Yeah. O-Only if it's you, though!"

Gah! Medrauta stepped back, covering her mouth as she felt her cheeks grow hot. She didn't trust herself to speak, else she might embarrass herself instead.

"So... Dance with me?" Viviane held out her hands hopefully.

It took a moment for Medrauta to recover, but she soon calmed her heart and joined her hands with Viviane's, allowing the noblewoman to lead her steps once more. It was an unfamiliar position for Medrauta as she was used to taking the lead both in combat and in social matters.

There were few among her peers who would speak out against her, and those who did were quickly cowed by the sheer force of her presence. Among the knights, she was someone who was respected despite her mannerisms sometimes bordering on crass.

In combat, she was always the one who set the tempo. Duels were no more than games to her, and even though she had lost over two-hundred matches, she always won the exchanges with her opponent until their noble activated their Crest.

To surrender her body to the whims of someone else would normally be unthinkable for her, yet she was fine with allowing Viviane to lead her. More than that, she wanted Viviane to do so.

The two circled the training hall as Medrauta placed every iota of focus she possessed into properly performing the steps that Viviane had taught her earlier. She observed Viviane's movements closely, not even missing a single one of the noblewoman's breaths.

It was partway through their dance that Medrauta had realized the truth behind her dismal dancing skill. She was terrible at dancing. That much was true. However, that lack of skill had been compounded by the years of training and habit that she'd developed.

Her body had been conditioned to move a certain way. A quick and efficient way that allowed for no wasted motion. And therein laid the problem.

Her body was utterly unsuited to the large, flowing movements of the empire's traditional form of ballroom dance. While the movements looked elegant and showy, they were far from efficient and even ran counterintuitive to how Medrauta conducted herself in everyday life.

Damn it! Medrauta cursed silently as she nearly faltered on the latest step. Though such a misstep might've fueled her inclination to give up earlier, it only strengthened her resolve now. She had already decided to make Viviane happy tonight no matter what.

Medrauta fought against herself as Viviane began that intricate pivot once more, forcing herself to emulate the steps she'd been taught when they first started practicing. She could do nothing but try her best, relaxing as Viviane pulled her into a rapid twirl, ending with a rather snappy flourish that nearly caused their chests to touch.

"We did it!" Viviane gushed, suddenly pulling Medrauta into a hug.

"Bwuh!? W-We did!?" Medrauta blinked. She was too shocked to even be flustered by the sudden embrace.

"Mhm! That twirl was the final step of the dance! Congratulations, Medrauta! You didn't step on me even once!"

Medrauta breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Aluvsha. Now I won't have to do that ever again."