The magic tablet on my study desk vibrated violently, emitting a dazzling blue light in the darkness of the room.
I groaned, pulling a pillow over my head. My first instinct as a member of The Numbers was that this was an emergency mission call. But when I glanced at the clock on the tablet, the number 4:30 AM stared back at me mockingly.
"Who's the crazy person calling at this hour?" I muttered hoarsely.
The name "Seraphina Vox Winters" was clearly displayed on the screen.
With my mind still foggy, I slid the green icon.
"Hello, hello, Leon," greeted a cheerful voice that sounded too fresh for the early morning.
"Ah, hello, Lady..." I replied in my usual heavy, sleepy voice.
"Did you just wake up?"
"More accurately, I woke up because of Lady's call."
"I didn't expect you to be sarcastic with me, Leon."
I got up and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my rough face. "Come on, Lady. It's half past four in the morning. Even the roosters at the academy farm are probably still dreaming sweet dreams."
"I'm sorry, but this is an emergency," she cut in quickly. "The dance is tonight, Leon. Tonight!"
"I know. So? Is your dress not ready yet?"
"It's worse than that."
There was a moment of silence.
"Actually, I wanted to ask if you've ever danced before," Seraphina continued, her voice a little hesitant. "But, hearing your calm tone, it seems like you're quite confident, right?"
"Didn't Lady herself ask me not to act anymore?" I replied, yawning. "As someone who has worked in that field. Isn't dancing part of the basic curriculum for nobles?"
"I didn't expect you to say that," she muttered softly. "Because the problem lies with me."
"What?"
"I, I... can't dance. Hehe."
I fell silent. My brain needed three seconds to process that information. Seraphina Vox Winters. The Duke's daughter. The perfect, elegant villainess. Can't dance?
"Are you kidding? You're a high-ranking noble in the kingdom."
"I know the theory of dancing, Leon. But in practice my body always resists my brain," she said, sounding frustrated. "My dance teacher gave up after I broke his leg."
I held back a laugh. "Broken?"
"Don't laugh! That's why, can you teach me now?"
"Now?"
"I don't want to embarrass the Winters name tonight. I'll wait at the Gazebo, where we first met. Ten minutes. Don't be late."
Click.
The call ended.
I stared at the dark tablet screen in disbelief.
"Damn," I muttered softly, but the corners of my lips curled up. "But I didn't expect her to have human weaknesses too."
Fifteen minutes later, at the Gazebo.
A thin fog still enveloped the academy. The morning air pierced my skin. The classic white gazebo looked as quiet as it did when she first confronted me about my identity as a writer.
But this time, the atmosphere was different.
Seraphina was already standing there. She was wearing a thin, yellow, short dress that allowed her to move easily.
"You're five minutes late," she protested, putting her hands on her hips.
"Come on, I just woke up and needed to get ready, okay?" I commented.
"All right. We don't have much time before the sun rises and people start their activities—that's why I don't want to be a spectacle. So, let's begin."
Seraphina approached, extending her hand stiffly. Her posture was perfectly straight—too straight.
"Relax, Lady," I said, taking her right hand.
I placed my right hand on her slim waist, and her left hand on my shoulder.
"The basic steps of the Waltz. Left forward, right side, close. Right back, left side, close. Follow me. One, two, three..."
I stepped forward.
DUKK.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed in panic. "My feet are moving on their own!"
"It's okay," I whispered, holding back the pain. "Try again. Follow my rhythm. Don't get ahead."
We tried again.
"One, two, three—"
DUKKK.
This time my shin got kicked when she tried to turn her body.
"For God's sake, Seraphina," I let go of her, staring at her in disbelief. "Are you trying to dance or kill me slowly? Why are your movements so stiff?"
Her beautiful face flushed red with embarrassment. "I told you I can't! Slow, gentle movements like this don't make sense to me! If this continues, tonight I'll step on the feet of every man who asks me to dance!"
I sighed deeply. The problem wasn't her feet, but her mind. She was too dominant. She wanted to control every movement.
"Listen," I said, this time in a more serious tone. I stepped closer, narrowing the distance between us under the gazebo roof until I could smell the lily scent from her hair.
I took her hand again. This time more firmly.
"Don't think. Just feel."
"But—"
"Dancing is the only moment when you can entrust your life to your partner. You don't need to look at your feet. You just need to look into my eyes."
I stared straight into her red eyes. The gaze that was usually sharp and intimidating now looked a little shaky.
"Close your eyes if you need to," I whispered. "Let me be your eyes."
I started moving again. Slowly.
One ... two ... three.....
I gently pulled her body to the left, then pushed her slowly to the right. I used a little mana to synchronize our heartbeats.
Seraphina was stiff as a board at first. But slowly, as she stopped trying to predict my movements and began to follow the flow of my body, her movements softened.
We spun around in the quiet gazebo. There was no music, only the sound of our footsteps scraping against the wooden floor.
"You're not bad," Seraphina murmured softly, her face inches from my chest. She was no longer stepping on my feet.
"Not bad?" I teased as I spun her around.
She spun gracefully, her silver hair flowing, then returned smoothly into my arms.
"Don't get cocky, Leon," she replied, but I could see a slight smile on her face. "Looks like your feet will be safe for tonight."
"I hope so. I still need these feet to walk to the ballroom."
In the silence of that morning, in the gazebo where we first confronted each other, for the first time I didn't see her as the terrifying Villainess. She was just a girl learning to trust others.
And damn it, I was starting to enjoy this moment.
"By the way, I asked my father last night. But he also kept his mouth shut when I asked about your identity," Seraphina said to me irritably, "Who are you really, Leon?"
"I don't know? Maybe a hero in a fairy tale?" I replied, teasing Seraphina because she had always been the one bothering me.
But instead of getting an answer, she kicked my leg.
"You know," she whispered suddenly, breaking the silence. "I actually hate parties like this."
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Isn't dancing a daily occurrence for the nobility?"
"That's a boring stereotype," she muttered softly. "I prefer the smell of engine oil and the sound of gears in a workshop to having to smell the pungent perfume of noble ladies asking me when I'm going to get engaged."
She tightened her grip on my shoulder slightly.
"At the party later, I'll have to smile falsely for four hours. Plus, I have to wear a corset that makes it hard to breathe." She sighed deeply.
I was stunned for a moment. My legs almost buckled, but I managed to steady myself.
I looked at the girl in front of me. Her silver hair, which was usually neatly styled, was now slightly messy from the morning breeze. Her face was plain, without any makeup. And what she was complaining about wasn't political intrigue or evil plans to destroy the female protagonist, but rather having to wear a tight corset.
She's just an ordinary teenage girl, I thought to myself, feeling something strange stir in my chest.
All this time, I had always seen her as "Seraphina the Villainess." A fictional character I had written in black ink on white paper. An antagonist destined to be an obstacle.
But the Seraphina in my arms now felt so real. She had insecurities. She had a simple fear of being humiliated in public.
"In that case," I said softly, "tonight, after the mandatory dance. How about we sneak out to the balcony for some fresh air?"
Seraphina looked up, her red eyes widening. "Sneak out?"
"Well, actually, I'm not used to parties like this either."
For the first time that morning, Seraphina didn't sneer or smile haughtily. She seemed to be expressing emotions I had never seen before.
Just then, a warm light hit our faces.
Seraphina and I stopped moving at the same time. We turned to the east.
On the horizon, the sun was beginning to rise, breaking through the fog that enveloped the academy. The golden rays illuminated the white gazebo, making Seraphina's silver hair sparkle.
She squinted against the glare, then looked at me again. Her face, bathed in the morning sun, looked so soft, so beautiful, that I forgot how to breathe for a second.
"The sun is up," she whispered.
"Yes," I replied hoarsely. "It's morning."
Seraphina slowly removed her hand from my shoulder, but she didn't immediately walk away. There was an awkwardness hanging in the air. We were still too close to be just friends, but too far to be lovers.
"Thank you, Leon," she said sincerely. "For your leg being injured."
"You're welcome, Lady. See you tonight."
"See you."
She turned and walked quickly away from the gazebo toward the girls' dormitory as if fleeing from something. I just stood there silently, watching her back recede in the morning sunlight, realizing one dangerous thing.
This mission will be much harder than I thought. Not because of the danger, but because I'm starting to care about my target more than just the task.
*****
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