Banquet hall, second floor.
This place, with a clear view of the party hall below, had been set up as a control room.
Those from Crossroad who couldn't be deployed in the field due to being long-range combatants or non-combatants but needed to monitor the situation, were looking down at the banquet hall from here.
And among them was Serenade, who had taken charge of preparing the party.
"..."
"..."
Damien and Junior, standing to her left and right, were sweating bullets as they watched Serenade gaze down at the banquet hall with a calm smile.
Now, entering the center of the banquet hall were Ash and the enemy leader, White Night.
The two, rather than appearing as foes, seemed like close dance partners, naturally holding hands as they stood in the center of the hall.
Gulp.
Damien and Junior swallowed dryly.
Everyone here on the frontline knew of the relationship between Ash and Serenade.
That's why it was even more terrifying to see Serenade smiling so peacefully.
No matter if it's part of the strategy, one can't help but be conscious...!
"I'm okay."
Seemingly aware of their worries, Serenade whispered with a faint smile.
"His Highness had already given me a heads-up. He said that during this party, he would deliberately stay close to the enemy leader and for me not to misunderstand."
"Ah...!"
"So there was a discussion beforehand!"
Damien and Junior heaved a sigh of relief.
How fortunate that this had been discussed in advance. Otherwise, the atmosphere in this control room would have been too tense to even breathe properly...
"It's funny, isn't it? To think that I would be jealous over something like this... Hahaha."
Creak.
While covering her mouth with a laugh, Serenade's other hand tightly grasped the table.
The documents on it crumpled. A chilling coldness seemed to emanate from around Serenade.
'No, she is jealous...'
'She's holding a grudge as cold as frost in June...'
Damien and Junior couldn't voice these thoughts and just kept sweating profusely.
Then, Elize, dressed as a maid and serving as a guard behind Serenade, flashed a dangerous look in her eyes.
"That flirt, he can't change his old habits...! Shall we take this opportunity to correct them, My Lady?"
"No, wait, Elize. Not yet, not yet..."
...'Not yet'?
What terrifying conversation just passed, Damien and Junior shook their heads fiercely, trying to erase the memory. Didn't hear it! Didn't hear anything!
"Right now, I am just his former fiancée."
Serenade whispered sadly, looking at Ash.
"I'm used to waiting for him."
"..."
"..."
Damien and Junior nodded to each other.
No matter how you think about it, Ash seems like a bad guy!
"Ugh, I'll be rooting for you, Lady Serenade!"
"Get a firm hold of him! And, later, please correct... his bad habits!"
"Haha. Thanks for your support. Both of you."
Serenade turned back to them with a bright smile.
"By the way, aren't you two planning to go to the banquet hall? There's still some time before the operation begins, and everyone is enjoying their time dancing. You two should go as well."
Damien scratched the back of his head, declining.
"Well... I'm not really into that kind of thing."
Damien couldn't forget his friend... who had died two years ago, whom he had been with since childhood. The mere thought of dancing with someone else felt burdensome.
"Hahaha, I feel the same..."
Junior also declined with a bitter laugh.
Apart from the issue of her disfigured appearance, Junior had never felt romantic attraction towards anyone. She still had no such feelings.
Then a voice called out from behind the control room.
"Why don't both of you go!"
Turning around, it was Lilly.
She had left the child with a nanny and was working, managing the artifacts in the banquet hall. Lilly approached, wheeling her wheelchair.
"When you can dance, enjoy the party. Isn't that a serious piece of advice?"
Lilly, showing her unusable legs by tapping on them with her hand, gestured cheerfully outside.
"Do you really need to be lovers to dance? Friends who get along can have fun too. A friendship dance could be enjoyable."
"Ah, but..."
"Enough, hurry back! We'll keep watch here."
At Lilly's insistence, Damien and Junior looked awkwardly at each other.
Though they didn't see each other romantically, they had become close friends over the past two years, sharing both good times and bad.
"Well, as Miss Lilly says..."
"Shall we have a friendship dance?"
Dressed awkwardly in mismatched suits and dresses, Damien and Junior left the situation room together. Lilly waved her hand and shouted, "Come back soon~"
The orchestra began playing a waltz in earnest, and one by one, people in the center of the banquet hall started dancing together.
Serenade watched Lilly, who was intently observing this scene, with a slightly worried look.
"Are you alright, Miss Lilly?"
"Huh? Of course, I'm fine."
Lilly, resting her chin in her hand, smiled wryly.
"Just thinking back, I realized I have no memory of dancing with that man."
"..."
"The excuses that I couldn't use my legs, that there were no parties, that we were in the middle of a war, all seem like justifications now. There were so many things I could have done if I had just decided to."
Lilly suddenly imagined it.
Dancing with him, holding hands, not on the beautiful central stage of such a banquet hall.
Even in a corner of a banquet hall where no one sees, or somewhere in the dark crevices of this world.
Imagining dancing with him, alive and breathing as if in a lie, looking into each other's eyes.
"..."
Eventually, Lilly smiled bitterly and shook her head, erasing the futile imagination from her mind.
The winter when that man was supposed to return had already passed, and even this winter was coming to an end.
Now, for her, reality was more important than imagination... the future of her son, Sid.
"Let's make sure this operation is a success."
Lilly, having composed herself, smiled broadly at Serenade.
"And after saving the world, make sure you dance with the prince whenever you have time, Serenade. Got it?"
"Yes, I will."
Serenade, smiling in return, extended her hand. Lilly quietly held it.
From the situation room window, the party was in full swing.
***
Nameless stood awkwardly in a corner of the banquet hall.
The heroes of Crossroad, with whom she had fought side by side, welcomed her, but representatives from the other World Guardian Front were clearly wary of her.
Her position as a representative of the Lake Kingdom was indeed ambiguous.
The Lake Kingdom was the very perpetrator that had brought about the world's destruction, spewing monsters from beneath its lake.
Nameless, as beautiful as she was conspicuous, stood out even more because of her origin and status. It had been too long since she had been to such a crowded party.
Overwhelmed by the burdening gazes, she found herself isolated in a corner of the banquet hall, where she could finally catch her breath.
Taking a deep breath, Nameless soon realized something was amiss.
"Oh!"
Her hair ornament had fallen, and her carefully arranged hair lay scattered on the floor.
It was because her hair was too long. Having grown it over the last five hundred years, it trailed on the ground.
The hair ornament couldn't bear the weight and had fallen off.
'What should I do now...'
Just as Nameless was feeling bewildered.
"If you don't mind, may I help you tie your hair?"
A voice she had heard before sounded from behind.
Startled, Nameless turned around to see a man in waiter's attire standing there.
The young man with disheveled, dull grey hair and thick glasses, of unremarkable physique, was the lord's advisor, Aider.
"You are..."
Recognizing the person, Nameless tilted her head.
"Last time I visited the lord's mansion, you also tied up my hair, didn't you?"
"It's my duty as a servant here. If you allow me, I will tie your hair again."
"Please do. I trust you to do it."
Without hesitation, Nameless turned her back to Aider.
Approaching cautiously from behind, Aider gathered her disheveled hair and tied it with meticulous care.
After finishing the combing and adjusting her hair ornament, Aider stepped back.
"It's done."
"Thank you again for this."
"It's nothing. Then."
Aider bowed and retreated. He then turned to leave the spot.
Nameless, without realizing it, called out.
"Wait!"
"Yes?"
Aider turned around, smiling faintly.
"Is there something else you need me to do?"
"..."
Nameless couldn't understand why she had stopped him.
She also couldn't comprehend the dull ache in her heart.
Having burnt her name and soul to save her homeland five hundred years ago, she had forgotten much.
That's why she couldn't understand why her voice was trembling now.
Not understanding, yet she spoke out.
"Dance."
"...Pardon?"
"Would you dance with me?"
In the center of the banquet hall, people were already dancing to the music.
Aider, looking dazedly in that direction, soon burst into a wry smile and shook his head.
"I am but a humble advisor to the lord. I dare not presume to dance with a princess."
"I am here at the invitation of your lord, and I haven't danced in the past five hundred years."
Feeling her cheeks warm up, Nameless decided to be insistent.
"As the lord's advisor, don't you have a duty to assist me in the dance?"
"..."
"Please."
Nameless extended her white hand toward Aider.
"Don't embarrass me further, just dance with me."
Aider gazed at Nameless for a long moment.
Then, slowly, his trembling lips formed an expression.
It was hard to tell if he was smiling or crying. A profound expression.
"It would be an honor of a lifetime, princess."
Approaching, Aider carefully held Nameless's delicate hand, as if fearing to mar it.
He then bowed slightly.
"May I have the honor of escorting you?"
"Gratefully."
Aider took Nameless's hand and slowly led her to the center of the banquet hall.
Just then, the first song ended. They naturally merged into the crowd of people who had stopped dancing.
The two faced each other, looking quietly into each other's eyes - Nameless's teal eyes, deep as a lake, and Aider's grey eyes, worn by time.
Then the next song began.
The two, pressed close to each other, slowly started to step in time with the music.
It was an old, outdated dance, nothing like the modern ones.
***
Waltz music filled the banquet hall,
And people danced, holding each other.
"You asked if I knew how to dance, but why are you so terrible at it?"
"Whaaat?! For your information, I was the party queen at my academy's graduation party!"
"You, a party queen? That's unbelievable! You probably got that title because the seniors were being considerate since you were graduating early!"
"And you, why are you so stiff?! Am I dancing with a person or sparring with a wooden doll?"
Lucas and Evangeline, sticking close together, squabbled with loud quacks,
"St-stop clinging to me! Waltz is not supposed to be danced like this?!"
"Why should I? I won't let go. Hehe, let's stick close and dance all night long...!"
"Yikes!"
Kuilan and Yun, clinging stickily together, exuded intense heat,
"Waaaah!"
"I've never danced anything like this before!"
Damien and Junior, having never learned social dancing, eventually gave up and simply twirled around in place, arms linked.
Dusk Bringar, reminiscing about old times, took turns dancing with her knights.
Kellibey and Verdandi, their faces flushed as if drunk, ignored the waltz and danced their respective traditional dances while holding hands...
Many other comrades danced around the banquet hall, some joyfully, others still tense, all glancing in my direction.
"It looks nice."
White Night, who was dancing slowly with me in the center of them all, murmured.
"The world might end within a year, yet here everyone is, happily embracing and dancing."
"That's why they're dancing so desperately."
Leading the dance skillfully, I replied.
"The world is on the brink, so we hold each other... to feel the warmth, to affirm life."
"I'm envious."
White Night curled her blue lips bitterly.
"Someone like me, an undead, has neither warmth nor life."
"I can give it to you."
"What?"
"I can give you warmth, life, White Night. So,"
I looked at White Night seriously, whispering softly in her ear.
"Will you 'truly' become my ally?"
"..."
Watching my face intently, a hollow smile appeared on White Night's pallid face.
"Ha, I didn't know this, but am I weak to beauty tricks...?"
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading