[Alterisa's POV]
I entered the dance circle and immediately searched for Alex. There's a lot of people already here, some with their partners while some are still searching for one.
As I was looking around, I could see some of my friends already with a dance partner. I could see Evelyn and Illya with her father, Noir with Luke, and Keith with a red-haired girl as well, most likely his little sister.
The others I couldn't find since it's really crowded, and I'm also busy searching for Alexus.
But a few moments later, I noticed a few girls staring dazedly towards something. They're all daughters of nobility whose name I've memorized from all my studies.
I followed the direction they were looking and I finally found him, dressed in a pure white suit and pants with lavender embroideries along its edges and a lavender colored tie.
Kuhh! Why didn't I think of that earlier?! If I want to find him at a party, I should just find the biggest group of girls and I'll most likely find him in the middle of it!
I made my way to him, lifting up the hem of my dress slightly and slightly increased my walking speed.
With all my etiquette and combat training, I could walk quickly and dodge the crowds while still maintaining the proper etiquette of not moving my torso much. I can even do it without making my boobs jiggle all over the place! I'm really proud of that!
As soon as I arrived near him, he immediately turned and trained his eyes onto me with a bright smile.
Wow, does he have eyes behind his head? He turned around even though I hadn't even called his name.
"Please forgive my tardiness, Alexus-sama."
I curtsied and lowered my head. I would normally just say sorry to him, but unfortunately, I'm in a public setting, so I need to ask for forgiveness politely.
Then, Alexus moved closer to me. Super close. Like, "my boobs could almost touch his chest" close!
Hah... As usual, he has no sense of personal space huh? He did it like it's natural too... Thankfully, he doesn't seem to act this way to other people, so I guess it's fine?
"There is no need for you to apologize, Risa. Were you busy greeting the guests?"
I raised my head and... Yep, his face is also super close. I'm pretty tall for girls my age, but my head is still barely above his shoulder height. So when I look up, my face is pretty close to his considering how close he is to me.
And as I expected, my boobs are almost touching his chest.
"Uhn, I was greeting my business partners. All of them came, surprisingly enough, even though most of them lived quite far away from the royal capital. So I can't just ignore them."
"I see. Well, that is to be expected. After all, you've changed their lives greatly and for the better."
"Hehehe~ I hope so~"
"Well then. Now that you're here..."
Alex suddenly kneeled down before me and raised his hand to ask for mine.
"May I have the honor to receive your first dance on your fifteenth birthday, Lady Alterisa?"
"!!!"
My face immediately blushed red as I heard muffled shrieks and whispers from a few distance away.
W-What is this guy doing?! There's no need for you to do any of this?! Is he putting on a show?! Why haven't I heard about this?!
Forcing myself through this embarrassment, I put my right hand on his and smiled.
"Y-Yes. It would be my honor, your highness."
"Thank you very much."
He giggled annoyingly (at least in my eyes) and rose up to his feet, still holding my hand tightly.
Then, the music started and we started our dance in tandem with everyone.
He held my hand outwards and hugged my waist with his other hand while I put my left hand on his back. It's a bit difficult for me to dance with him since my boobs would get in the way, but we've gotten used to it and we can dance easily after a lot of practice.
I then leaned in and glared at him.
"Why did you do that?! I didn't hear anything about it! Were you trying to put on a show?!"
Then he replied with a giggle.
"I've always wanted to do that and ask you for your first dance ever since we got engaged. And tonight, you've made one of my dreams come true yet again."
"Uuuuhh... I really don't understand you and dad. It's just my first dance, right? And it's not like I won't dance with you after that. In fact, I'd always dance with you right after dad."
What? Why is he looking at me like that? What's so confusing?
"...Risa, you do understand the significance of your first dance partner, right?"
"Hm? Of course I do. I won't dance with any other man. But I can dance with a girl, right?"
"...Who suggested that to you? Could it be... Evelyn?Or perhaps Valerie...? Illya...? Noir...? Stella...? Mellissa...? Or could it be..."
"Huh? No, they didn't suggest that to me. I just thought of it myself."
"...I see."
Alexus sighed deeply. Then for some reason, he held my hand a bit tighter.
"...I'm just asking this, but who would you want to be your first dance partner?"
"Hm... Maybe my little sister? She had always wanted to be my first dance partner, and I've promised her that I'd be her first dance partner for her next birthday."
"Hah... So it is her as expected..."
What? Is it that expected?
Well~ I am super close with my little angel, so I guess it's not that surprising~ Fufufu~
He let out a sigh once again and closed his eyes, as if fallen in a thought.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
He opened his eyes and looked at me as I tilted my head. His gaze didn't left me for a few moments, before he sighed yet again before smiling.
"It's nothing. You look very beautiful tonight, Risa. Very, very beautiful..."
"Hehe~ It's all thanks to Anne and the others who've managed to decorate me to this extent~ They're amazing, right~?"
"Yes."
"Ah, speaking of them! Did you know? Anne, Maria-chan, and Iris gave me a birthday present just now~! It's sooooo beautiful~!"
I then began to talk about the birthday presents they gave me just now and poured my heart out as we danced.
Alexus adopted a soft smile and listened to me silently, leading the dance so I didn't have to think about it as I continued to talk.
"Hey, you're still listening, right?"
"Of course I am. I'm always listening to you, Risa."
"Good~Then-"
Just as I was about to continue, I immediately froze as Alex suddenly let go of my hand and pulled me into a tight embrace.
Then, with his honey-like, super sweet, unfair voice, he whispered directly into my ears.
"I love you, Risa... With all my heart..."
Wha...!
W-W-W-What the hell is he doing?!?!?!?!?!
W-What did he just say?!?!?!
W-Why?!?!??!!
I immediately struggled slightly, hitting his arms and whisper-yelled at him.
"W-W-What are you saying in this public setting, you idiot?! Isn't it embarrassing?!?!?!! And what if those ladies heard you?! Do you want them to hunt me down?!"
Not only was him saying such a thing in public embarrassingly, he also hugged her in the middle of the dance floor where everyone could see! And I know those girl fan group of his from before could also see!
She looked around in fear, and saw a lot of young ladies already looking in their direction as well as young noblemen who were around their age.
U-Ugh! A-As expected! We're now the center of attention!!!!
Fortunately, he let me go a few moments later, but he was still holding me by my shoulders closely.
"Hehe, I'm just telling you how I truly feel. And a little bit of a display of affection between engaged individuals wouldn't be problematic, right?"
Alex ten took my hand and we began to dance again, following the rhythm of the music.
"And don't worry. Even if your reputation and strength somehow failed to protect you from them, I'll be there to help you."
"Muuuh... I can handle it if they bully me, but I'll lose customers, you know? Ladies are the main demographic of my business!"
"Yes yes. If those noble ladies refuse to buy the greatest beauty products of the kingdom because they're jealous of you, then I'll take care of it."
"Alright! You promised, okay! Then, you'll be helping me with marketing! Consider this your payment for doing that kind of thing in public!"
"Eh...? What do you mean?"
My lips curled into a grin as an ingenious idea appeared in my mind.
"Kekekeke~ If I have the handsome crown prince in a poster promoting my products, I'm sure countless ladies would come rushing to my stores~"
"...You're going to use your fiance to lure other ladies into buying your products?"
"Fufufu~ Of course~ Let's discuss this further with Laura and Vincent later, okay~?"
"Hah..."
Mmm~ I wonder what I should do~?
Making a poster with him smiling? Him holding my bottle of shampoo?! Or perhaps... A painting of him in a bath using my shampoo?!
Kekekekeke~ I can't wait~ I wonder what Laura and Vincent will think about this~
"By the way, Risa. To celebrate your fifteenth birthday, would you like to stay over during the weekend in the castle?"
"Hm? This weekend?"
"Yes."
"Hm... I believe Laura and Vincent had cleared most of my schedule to let me rest for a bit from the business of preparing this party. But why? Ah, did Lily want me to stay over~?"
"She always does. But, my father and mother would also like to celebrate it more privately and perhaps have dinner with you. And also..."
Alexus leaned over and whispered to me again.
"I would like to celebrate the fifteenth birthday of my lovely fiancee privately as well."
"!!!"
My entire body stiffened, causing me to completely miss a beat before I snapped out and returned in tune with the rhythm.
"W-W-W-Wha-?! W-What are you saying again, Alex! Stop teasing me!"
"Hehehe, I'm not teasing you. I simply wish to spend more time alone, together with my beloved fiancee."
"U-Uuuuuhh..."
I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks yet again.
I-Is he messing with me?! Kuhh... Is this his revenge for all the times I've teased him? Or is it for all the time he lost in our spars?
T-To stay over at your fiancee's house... I-I mean, I've done it plenty! But the way he's saying it now... and the way he brought up the fact that I'm fifteen, which is considered as an adult in this world, makes it seem...
I thought over it for a while. On one side, there's the allure of staying over with Lily and having fun with her and Seara-sama. But on the other side... I-I just don't know what this bad wolf is planning to do with me!!!
The knowledge I had about him from the otome game has now been confirmed after I spent so much time with him! He's super smart with layers upon layers of plans and schemes to get what he wants.
W-What if he wants my super perfect body...? No, it's not even a question. WHo wouldn't want my super perfect body? Even I want it! B-But it doesn't mean he could take it right now!!! M-My heart isn't ready yet!!!
B-But...
I contemplated for a while, thinking very hard and deliberating my options...
But in the end, my love and desire to spend the night with Lily, chatting with Seara-sama won over, and the slight anticipation of him making a move on me won over...
"...F-Fine! But I'll sleep with Lily, okay?! E-Even though we're both adults... "
"Really? Of course! I'm sure Lily would love having you."
His eyes and expression immediately brightened, just like a child who had his wish granted, and smiled ever so lovingly.
Then his face blushed a bit when he heard the trail end of my words.
"I-I also promise that I will respect your boundaries and wait for your consent..."
"U-Uhn... I-I mean, I know we're engaged but..."
"Yes. I'm well aware... I will wait for you as long as you need."
Ah... It's that smile again... And those words... It makes me feel so Goddamn happy!!!
A-As expected of the crown prince... His attack power is ridiculous! Even more than his magic!!!
I looked down to my feet, or my boobs since they're covering my entire lower body, and averted my gaze away from him.
I-I really can't see him in the eyes right now... I-It's too much!
I-I shall admit defeat this once, Alex... B-But I will return with a vengeance!!! Mark my words!!!
The song of the first song slowly came to an end, as after we separated and bowed at each other, Alexus kneeled down once again and kissed my hand lovingly before looking up.
"Thank you for making one of my dreams come true once again, Risa. I love you."
"U-Uhnn... P-Please stand up already! C-Can't you see how many people are looking?!"
"Alright."
Alexus rose up with a giggle as I glared at him with a pout.
"Well then, shall I escort you to Sir Altair for your next dance?"
"S-Sure..."
"Okay."
Then, with my hand still holding his, we walked through the crowds that immediately split as we walked, making a path, and their eyes all focused on the two of us.
U-Uuughhh... I-I sincerely hope they don't notice how flustered I am right now...
I-It's all Alex's fault!!! He knows I'm trying to keep an image of a super elegant, beautiful, and graceful noble girl!!! Why does he have to tease me like this!!!
I peeked at him, and saw him being all smiles as he held my hand tightly.
K-Kuhh... T-This super ikemen sure is unfair... I-I'll retreat for now and let him relish in victory...
AN: I hope you enjoy the chapter~!!! How do you like it~? Our little protagonist just never change, huh~? Well, I wish she'll also stay that way~ She's super adorable~!!