Chapter 113 - The Ball - 3

The silence was so heavy that it was hard to believe so many people occupied the room.

Yet Renée could still sense hundreds of people in the hall. Just as their presence began to make her nervous...

"Ah..."

Someone let out a gasp.

That was the beginning. A stir spread through the hall. Hundreds of voices began murmuring what could only be called awe, their words so faint they seemed liable to fade away at any moment.

It was a response to Renée entering through the doorway, and to the stern-looking man guarding her side.

Their presence overwhelmed the room simply by being there.

There was beauty.

It was a beauty the Empire's nobles could appreciate all the more keenly because they were more obsessed with beauty than any other group on the continent.

There was something otherworldly about them, too.

Though they were clearly fellow humans, it felt as though an entirely different kind of being stood there—as though the guests were facing something from a higher plane.

The atmosphere had changed in an instant.

From the highest seat overlooking that unsettled scene, Crown Prince Maximilian brought everyone back to their senses.

CLAP

He clapped once. The musicians started in surprise and resumed playing.

Music filled the room, and its sound helped the nobles collect themselves.

Those who had briefly lost their wits began doing what was expected of them with well-practiced movements, following the etiquette they had honed all their lives.

As though nothing had happened, as though the strange atmosphere of a moment ago had been an illusion, some danced while others gathered in circles to chat.

Now the only proof that the brief silence had been real was the occasional sidelong glance at the pair.

Only then did Renée let some of the tension leave her body and follow Bera's guidance to a corner of the hall.

"Wow, I thought I was going to die of nerves. Are balls always like this?"

She asked in a hushed voice, and Bera answered.

"Not usually, to my knowledge. Perhaps..."

It must be because the Saintess was so beautiful—beautiful enough to leave them that astonished.

Bera had intended to say as much, but the words felt a little too embarrassing. Unable to bring himself to utter them, he offered another explanation.

"...they were surprised because they so rarely have the opportunity to see an apostle of the Holy Empire in public. That would be my guess."

"Oh."

Renée smiled at his answer, looking much more at ease.

As Bera watched her face, a memory suddenly crossed his mind.

It was Renée's praise of her own appearance in the gutter, during the final moments of his previous life.

'It wasn't all empty boasting, then.'

A small chuckle escaped Bera's lips.

She had been a truly vexing woman, but when he thought about it, nothing she had said had actually been wrong. That realization made him laugh.

While he was still thinking, Renée asked another question.

"So, what do we do now?"

"There is nothing in particular we must do. You may simply enjoy yourself however you wish."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Renée tilted her head. She had made it to the ball, but honestly, attending with Bera had been the whole point for her. She had not thought about what to do once they arrived.

Noticing her uncertainty, Bera looked around briefly before speaking.

"Would you like something to eat? Since the imperial family is hosting this banquet, there are many dishes you would not easily find elsewhere."

"Oh, shall we?"

"Is there anything in particular you would like?"

"Then something with as strong a flavor as possible."

Bera flinched. He began looking Renée over with concern.

Was it really all right to let this continue? The thought would not leave his mind.

* * *

Renée nibbled at her food with a satisfied expression, exclaiming in delight.

"Seafood is so delicious!"

She had never eaten seafood before, and it was so delicious, so perfectly suited to her tastes, that she could not help exclaiming.

Bera nodded, looking equally satisfied.

"Yes. Keeping it fresh all the way to the center of the continent must have been quite difficult, but it is certainly in excellent condition."

"Oh, have you had it before, Bera?"

"I have been to the coast."

"Wow..."

An awed sound escaped Renée, followed immediately by a question.

"What is the sea like?"

She had lived in Remeo her whole life before entering the Holy Empire's service, and only now was venturing out into the world for the first time.

Bera considered his answer. Describing scenery in terms Renée could understand and relate to always required thought.

"... First of all, the air is salty. The wind is particularly strong, so that salty air keeps striking your face. It feels pleasant at first, but sometimes it becomes irritating after a while. There was a long stretch of sandy beach, and beyond it, the deep-blue sea rippled along the horizon. Where the beach meets the sea, foam forms, standing out in pure white. I remember staring blankly at that foam when I visited."

Curiosity deepened on Renée's face.

"I can't quite imagine salty air."

"It is exactly what it sounds like. You smell salt when you breathe."

After saying that, Bera briefly studied her expression. Then he startled at how close she had come without his noticing and continued.

"... Would you like to go after our visit to the academy? There happens to be a stretch of coast not far from it."

"Oh, I'd love to!"

Renée's face lit up. Bera felt something press tightly inside him.

Her smile captured his attention so completely that he experienced the strange sensation of being unable to perceive anything else around him.

Even when he chided himself, his feelings—never on good terms with reason to begin with—insisted on turning toward her.

A long breath escaped him.

These were improper feelings. As Bera struggled to quell the trembling within him, condemning his own emotions in those terms, someone approached them.

"Are you enjoying the banquet?"

It was Maximilian.

Holding a cocktail in one hand, he spoke in the most dignified tone they had yet heard from him. Renée answered with a smile.

"Yes. The seafood is really delicious."

"It is this year's crowning achievement. The freezer we put into trial operation happened to perform splendidly. Thanks to it, we could bring seafood this far inland while keeping it fresh."

"Freezing... Oh, it's a product of magical engineering?"

"Indeed. Though it will be several more years before it can be commercialized."

Renée let out a little snort of laughter at Maximilian's words. His pride was simply too blatant.

"You really are very interested in magical engineering, Your Highness."

"Of course. These devices influence the level of civilization of an entire nation. How could a ruler fail to find them enticing? Nobles may lead the Empire, but national strength ultimately comes from its population. A means of securing labor..."

Suddenly, Maximilian stopped his lengthy explanation. He cleared his throat and apologized.

"... Forgive me. I tend to talk too much whenever this subject comes up."

"No, I think it's admirable. It means you're always doing your best at your work."

"Thank you for understanding."

The warm atmosphere continued. Renée was happy because she was trying seafood for the first time, and, more fundamentally, because she was enjoying a peaceful moment with Bera. Maximilian was happy because his younger brother's coming-of-age ceremony had concluded without incident.

"Thank you very much for the coming-of-age ceremony. I never imagined you would go to such lengths, Saintess."

"... Pardon?"

"Your divine powers. You bestowed a guardian's destiny upon my brother, did you not? That has quieted some of the dissent. There were still those saying he ought to be made crown prince, but the wording of your blessing settled the matter decisively. Now we can put an end to all the unrest surrounding the imperial succession."

"Oh."

"Hmm? Was that not your intention?"

Renée gave a startled twitch.

'I just said whatever came to mind without thinking much about it.'

... Admitting that would be rather embarrassing.

"Y-yes, of course?"

So she ended up bluffing her way through.

Fortunately, Maximilian failed to detect anything amiss and nodded.

"Then I shall leave you to it. I hope I have not kept you too long."

"No, not at all..."

"Take your time and enjoy yourselves."

Maximilian walked away.

Only then did Renée exhale. Scratching her cheek awkwardly, she said,

"Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, either."

"Politics is conducted through words, so some people are bound to interpret them sensitively. It is nothing you need concern yourself with. Ultimately, it is an internal matter for the Empire."

"Right?"

Renée chuckled.

Renée was about to resume eating when a sudden thought stopped her hand. She turned toward Bera and spoke in a teasing tone.

"But it turns out I didn't overdo it after all."

"Pardon?"

"Using my divine powers. I know that's judging by the outcome, but he says things worked out better because of it, doesn't he?"

She was taking a jab at Bera's remark just after the coming-of-age ceremony, when he had asked whether using even her divine powers had been excessive.

Bera fell silent.

"You were wrong this time, Bera."

Her giggling words provoked a needless surge of irritation. He countered in a decidedly sulky tone.

"... I could have been right. If the wording of the blessing had been even slightly different."

"But what can we do? The wording's already decided."

"There is no telling what might happen the next time. You must always exercise caution when using divine powers—"

"But you use yours at the drop of a hat. You say you'll swear an oath over the tiniest things, or offer to swear one if someone doesn't believe you. You're hardly one to talk, Bera."

Why was she being so aggressive?

Wondering that, Bera studied Renée's face. Seeing the unmistakable mischief on it, he groaned and finally conceded defeat.

"... Yes, Saintess. You are right."

He could not quite erase his irritation from that admission of defeat. Renée finally burst out laughing.

The awkwardness and embarrassment that had lingered until they entered the ballroom had long since fled.

The lively atmosphere, the seafood she was tasting for the first time, and her brief conversation with Maximilian had all helped.

Glad that she could finally feel a little more at ease with Bera, and reassured by the sturdy suit jacket covering her scrap of a dress, Renée smiled more broadly and continued.

"You're very lenient with yourself, Bera. Even though you're strict with everyone else."

"..."

For the first time in quite a while, Bera felt truly at a loss.

Renée, who had responded agreeably to almost everything, was now teasing him like this.

It was a recent change.

Had her experiences in the Empire changed her?

When he thought about it, watching her gradually change somehow made him feel both wistful and proud... but at that moment, his strongest feeling was resentment at being needled like this.

"... I will correct that."

"Will you swear an oath to that, too?"

"No."

A slight edge crept into Bera's voice.

For some reason, his reaction made Renée feel cheerful.

Perhaps she was intoxicated by the atmosphere.

A different place. Different people. A different self.

Amid it all, she felt proud that she was not simply succumbing to embarrassment as Annie had feared.

And she also found herself thinking, embarrassingly, that Bera was adorable for remaining unchanged even at a time like this.

'Ooh...'

Heat rose within her. Surely it was because they were indoors. The air was hot, so her body must be growing hot along with it.

Sitting there, Renée worked her lips as she tried to settle the heat.

A little time passed.

"... The music has changed."

A slightly slower, lower melody tickled her ears.

The footsteps she had been hearing began to take on a more leisurely rhythm in time with the gentle beat.

Laughter drifted around her.

Watching the people dancing in the center of the ballroom, Bera spoke before he realized it.

"Would you care to dance?"

Only after speaking did he flinch. Dismay crossed his face as he realized that he had let his feelings carry him away.

"Hmm... I'd like to, but I can't dance. I can't learn, either."

Perhaps Bera could count himself fortunate. His invitation made Renée happy.

The simple fact that he had suggested doing something together was enough to bring her joy.

She did not think it rude of him to invite a blind person to dance. She knew perfectly well what sort of person Bera was.

Bera did not judge everything else about her by the fact that she was blind.

He saw her as Renée, not as a blind woman.

He looked at what she held within, rather than at her imperfect body.

... That was why she liked him.

"Hmm, this is a little disappointing."

She said it with a soft chuckle, but Bera's expression clouded.

He wanted Renée to experience more things and to be happier.

Was that not what his oath was for? He had sworn it in the hope that her life would be filled with nothing but happiness, that the light which had awakened his wicked self would never know sorrow.

So he did not want her to voice regrets over things she could not do.

That was why he spoke.

"... You can."

If there was anything she could not do, he would make it possible for her.

He would fulfill her every wish, until even the word "if" became a laughable joke.

He would live for that purpose.

He had already promised her as much in Remeo, so Bera spoke in a gentle, measured tone.

"You can dance."

"Pardon?"

"All I need do is lead you. The music happens to be slow. If you follow my lead, you will be able to dance without any trouble."

Bera rose and carefully helped Renée to her feet. Looking flustered, she asked,

"W-will it be all right? What if I step on your feet..."

"It will be fine."

Bera dismissed her worries as though they were of no consequence.

"Dancing is ultimately a matter of moving one's body. And when it comes to that, I am confident I can do it better than anyone in the world."

It was the skill he trusted above all others, so Bera had no worries.

They slowly made their way toward the center, one pair of hands clasped together, their other hands resting on a shoulder and a waist.

Bera guided Renée with careful movements.

People opened a path as they approached, watching with undisguised curiosity and delight.

In the middle of the ballroom, Bera planted his foot with a tap and spoke.

"Slowly. Let us start by turning clockwise."

They were close enough for their breaths to mingle.

Renée nodded, feeling the heat that had been stirring within her all this time blaze into an inferno.