## (Rudeus Greyrat - Point of View)
After a long week and grueling training between Daiki and Eris, she was finally fully resolved to dance. However, contrary to all expectations, when the moment of truth arrived, she looked hesitant, displaying a shyness I never would have expected from her.
The party had begun. My brother was still ensconced at the head table, surrounded by dishes that seemed to have no end, completely ignoring the bustle and all the young noblewomen watching him as if he were a prince... or perhaps a villain of elegant presence. To be honest, I had a small group following me too: girls inviting me to dance, and with whom, to my own surprise, I agreed to share a dance with an enthusiasm I didn't know I possessed.
Although I could also see how some of the older nobles looked at my brother the way one looks at livestock... or at least something they don't understand. And I knew why. Perhaps they thought my brother was a demon because of his hair color, or something similar, but the noble matrons probably wanted him as a son-in-law. The fame of the sword prodigy reaches everywhere.
In any case, my brother, quite unintentionally, was flirting. Would Paul be proud? Maybe he would.
*
## (Eris Boreas Greyrat — Point of View)
My hands were sweating. I hate when that happens. I don't even know why I'm so nervous. It's just a dance... one filled with insufferable people staring at me as if I were some trophy. I'm wearing the red dress my grandfather chose. It's pretty, yes, but it feels weird, as if it's squeezing me tighter than necessary. I'm not used to these things.
A blonde boy approached; everything was just "fake smiles."
"Young Mistress, would you care to....?"
"No." I cut him off before he could finish.
He recoiled as if I had struck him. I hadn't even raised a hand. Edna shot me one of those looks that say "behave, young lady," but... bah. I'm already trying my hardest.
My eyes sought only one person, and I saw him. Daiki was seated at the main table, dressed in black. I don't know who chose that suit for him, but it fit him well. Too well...
Of course, he was surrounded by girls. Clucking like hens. One of them even had the gall to touch his arm.
I felt a nasty tug in my stomach. I didn't like it. Not at all. I don't even know why I should care... but I did.
Get your hands off him, you idiot! I screamed inside. Or maybe I actually opened my mouth; I'm not sure. I only know my cheeks were burning.
Who did they think they were? Why were they getting so close? Why did he let them... But Daiki didn't even look at her. He simply set down his fork, as if nothing had happened, and wiped his mouth with that irritating calmness he always seems to have when I can't understand what he's thinking.
And then he lifted his head and saw me. It was direct. Unwavering. Without hesitation. As if he had been looking for me all this time.
He stood up without saying a word. He just rose and started walking toward me. People parted on their own as he passed. Not because he did anything... but because Daiki is Daiki. He has that presence that fills the space, making others move without even realizing it.
When he stopped in front of me, I felt my legs wanting to give way. I forced myself to stand straighter. I wasn't going to look like a child. Not in front of him. Suddenly, all the noise of the party seemed to fade away. It was just the two of us, or at least that's how it felt.
He extended his hand.
"Young Eris. It is time."
He didn't ask if I wanted to dance. He just said it. As if it were obvious, and I don't know why, but it didn't bother me.
I placed my hand on his. His hand is large and warm, and it gave me that sense of security I hate to admit I like.
"Don't step on me" I told him, lifting my chin.
He smiled a little. That smile of his that seems to say "try it."
"Follow me."
And he led me to the floor.
The music began. Daiki didn't wait. He took the first step. My body reacted instinctively: a step back.
"Good" he murmured.
We weren't dancing. We were sparring. He advanced, I retreated. He spun, I followed him so as not to lose my balance. His hand on my waist wasn't soft; it was firm, guiding me with the same precision with which he wielded his sword.
One, two... spin. He made me spin. The world went blurry. The only sharp thing were his red eyes, fixed on me.
"Keep your center of gravity" he whispered. " Don't lean.
"I know!" I replied, clinging to his shoulder.
My feet moved on their own. Left, right, turn. It was like dodging his attacks in the courtyard, but without the fear of ending up hit.
The music picked up the pace, and of course, that only made Daiki accelerate. Any other partner would have lost me. Would have tripped over me or let me fall. But Daiki didn't. He anticipated every single one of my movements. If I went too fast, he slowed me down just barely, with a touch so slight it was almost unnoticeable. If I hesitated, he guided me forward without wavering.
It was perfect. I didn't want to admit it, but dancing with him didn't feel like dancing. It felt like training with someone who knows your every move before you make it. As if we fit together without having to think about it, and that, for some reason, made my heart race faster than the music.
One, two... jump. He lifted me into the air—literally. His hands held me by the waist as we spun. I felt like I was flying.
When my feet touched the ground again, we were already in the center of the floor. Everyone was watching us, but I didn't care. My breathing was heavy. His was calm.
"Last move" he warned.
He dipped me back. In a deep arc. I trusted him without thinking. I knew he wouldn't let me drop. I hung there, looking at the ceiling, supported solely by his arm.
The music ended with a final chord that echoed in my chest, and then he pulled me up. Not abruptly, not clumsily... as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him. A precise tug and I was standing again.
I was breathing fast. And he was there, so close I could see every detail in those eyes of his. Even that strange glint he gets when he concentrates... or when something matters to him more than he lets on. I didn't let go. He didn't let go either, and for a second, everything else stopped mattering.
I was mere inches from his face...
"Mission accomplished" he said, with that half-smile that always disconcerts me, but that I also love.
The room erupted in applause. I was slightly startled; I didn't think people would get that excited.
And then I heard my grandfather.
"YEAH, THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!!!" he roared from the background, as if he were cheering for a fight instead of a dance.
Before I could react, he was already there... He scooped us both up as if we weighed nothing and lifted us high. I didn't even have time to open my mouth to protest: in a moment, I was viewing the whole room from above while he ran from side to side, laughing like a maniac.
I wanted to tell him to put us down... but seeing Daiki up there, so serious, so uncomfortable, while everyone applauded as if it were a show... well, I admit I found it a little funny. Very funny, actually.
But my heart wouldn't calm down. It was hammering inside my chest as if it wanted to escape.
I looked at him. I just looked at him, without thinking too much about why I was doing it.
And I smiled at him.
To my surprise, he returned the smile. A warm, unexpected smile... softer than anything he had ever shown.