[Episode 188] Backstage Maneuvers (4)
Clutching the basket in her arms, Trisha had barely stepped out of the dance department building when someone suddenly appeared before her, snatching the basket away.
“Why are you struggling alone?”
In front of her stood Damian, bringing a flush of color to Trisha’s face.
“Damian!”
Despite her warm greeting, Damian held the basket in one hand, glancing back at the dance department with a grim expression.
“Why the long face, Damian? Is something wrong?”
Trisha looked at him with wide eyes, prompting him to turn back and speak.
“What errand are you running?”
“Collecting the costumes the dance department borrowed!”
“All these by yourself?”
Damian’s tone was seriously concerned. Trisha could have complained, but she responded stoically.
T hi s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g m t l .or g
“It’s okay! It’s the first year’s turn to do errands like this.”
“…I’ll carry it.”
“Let’s carry it together, one side each!”
Trisha positioned herself next to Damian, both grasping the basket’s handle.
As they walked, Damian broke the silence with a question.
T h i s w a s c op i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . org
“Do the dance department people dislike you because you’re in the theater department?”
“I turned down the dance department at the start of the semester to join the theater department. I suppose I, being a charming and well-behaved theater member, have to endure it!”
“…Speaking of which, it’s good I ran into you. What exactly did you tell Cecil about me?”
Trisha evaded Damian’s gaze as she replied.
“Nothing much…”
“What exactly did you say?”
“Just that we eat together, hang out, and sometimes even share a bed!”
Damian closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then reopened them.
“Is that all?”
“And! When we played together… um, you accidentally touched my sensitive spot.”
“…When did I touch your sensitive spot?”
“My sensitive spot!”
As she raised her voice, other students passing by gave them odd looks.
Damian protested, “Your wrist is the most sensitive?”
“No, not there! Anyway, you touched it there, dummy.”
“When?”
“When we were playing in the water!”
“Playing in the water?”
“When we saw the unicorn! When we both fell into the water and you flailed around and touched my body!”
Th i s w a s c o pi e d f rom k i n gm t l . o r g
Damian rubbed the back of his neck, staring into the distance. He seemed to downplay the importance of the unintentional touch.
“Don’t say weird things to Cecil in the future.”
“Why! I didn’t lie. And I did you a favor. If you’d said such things to my family, you would have been in big trouble, really.”
“Thanks, really.”
Seeing Damian’s indifferent attitude somehow made Trisha feel annoyed.
“…Hmph.”
Damian sighed deeply and changed the subject.
“Anyway, are you getting along with the theater department people?”
“Yeah, but these days everyone’s only talking about dance partners for the ball.”
“Partners?”
“Everywhere I go, that’s all they talk about. Who’s partnering with whom. Who got rejected. Who betrayed whom. It’s so annoying!”
As she spoke, Trisha sneaked a glance at Damian. When he looked back at her without much concern, she quickly turned her head away.
“Trisha, who will you be partnering with?”
“I don’t know. I’m not eager unless it’s someone I’m close to. I’m not good at dancing, so I hope I find someone I’m in sync with!”
“…”
“Damian, you must have a lot to think about too. With the masquerade ball coming up, you don’t have many friends to reveal your face to!”
“I’ll have to think about it. I also… need to learn to dance.”
“If you learn to dance, teach me too!”
“I’m the one who has to find someone to teach me.”
They had reached the theater department’s building. Trisha snatched the basket from Damian and headed for the door alone.
“I’ll take it from here! The theater department doesn’t allow strangers in easily! Goodbye!”
She didn’t give him a chance to say farewell. Leaving Damian standing there, she stepped into the small theater.
As she entered with the heavy load, a male theater department classmate rushed over to her.
“Trisha!”
He fidgeted, blocking her path.
“Hello, Icarus!”
“I, I’ll help with that. Is it heavy?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll manage! Could you move, please?”
“Don’t be like that. Let me help you, Trisha.”
Icarus snatched the load from her, his body swaying under its weight for a moment before he composed himself with a smile and walked ahead.
“Should I take it to the costume room?”
“…”
With a reluctant face, Trisha followed him.
Th i s wa s c o p i ed fr o m k in g mt l . or g
Th i s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . or g
Once they reached the costume room behind the small theater stage, Icarus pretended to catch his breath while sneaking glances at Trisha.
“Did you carry this heavy load all by yourself?”
“No! A friend helped me. Now I have to go!”
As Trisha tried to leave, Icarus urgently called out to her.
“Wa-wait, Trisha!”
She stopped and turned back sharply.
“What is it?”
“That play we did, ‘The Aesthetic of Rebellion’, how was my performance?”
She responded with lukewarm interest.
“Uh… it was good.”
“I thought our chemistry was pretty good. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it seemed like it.”
“So, about the dance… Do you have a partner in mind for the ball?”
Trisha blinked slowly and then smiled brightly.
“I’ve decided to go with a friend!”
***
After sending Trisha off, I headed to the art department greenhouse.
There was still plenty of time to think about the situation with Cecil.
Making a hasty judgment based on the current circumstances seemed premature for Trisha’s situation.
Next was… meeting with Sion, but honestly, I had no idea what to do. Would a cordial invitation get Sion’s attention, or should I challenge her to a duel instead?
As these thoughts crossed my mind, I paused when I could see the greenhouse from a distance. The transparent glass walls allowed me to peer inside from afar.
The atmosphere inside felt distinctly different than usual.
There was an unfamiliar figure mingling inside, which caught my attention.
Sensing something was off, I cautiously approached the greenhouse.
Peering through the glass, I was surprised to see Haley. She usually tied her blonde hair back carelessly but today, her hair was down, neatly brushed, and adorned with a jeweled headband. A fancy dress with elaborate frills completed her transformation.
The casual Haley, who looked effortlessly chic, had transformed into a noble lady of a distinguished household.
T hi s w a s c o pie d f r om ki ng m tl . o r g
Next to her stood an old man in an imperial-style tunic, his shoulders puffed up and waist cinched tight.
He had an air of an important guest, and Haley seemed to be hosting him.
This unexpected sight filled me with questions as I carefully opened the door and entered the greenhouse.
Haley pointed my way and said,
“Ah, here he comes. This is our new junior member of the art department.”
Normally, she’d have shouted, ‘Hey, newbie!!’ What on earth was going on?
The old man with a mustache like a donkey’s tail glanced at me disapprovingly, as if he had a grudge against me.
“There is a saying about proper conduct between men and women. A vigorous young man like yourself entering a place filled with ladies can disrupt the decorum and scholarly atmosphere we’ve maintained, can it not?”
Haley smiled gently, her tone unusually calm.
“Young Damian here is also an exceptional talent, trained by the grand mage Silveryn. He knows well how to distinguish between work and study, setting an example for all of us.”
Mention of Silveryn’s name seemed to garner some respect from the old man.
“Cough, a disciple of Silveryn. An honor I was unaware of.”
From the back row, Jenia, the vice-president, gestured to me.
Without another word, I bowed to Haley and took a seat next to Jenia.
She wasn’t in her usual revealing outfit but dressed in a modest and subdued white dress.
What was happening?
The atmosphere in the art department was unusually solemn.
I leaned toward Jenia and whispered,
“What’s going on?”
Jenia fixated her gaze on one spot, remaining silent in response.
Looking at her again, I could see she wasn’t alright.
Her face was flushed, and she was taking short, sharp breaths as if she was about to suffocate.
“…Senior?”
Jenia finally replied, clenching her teeth with difficulty.
“Do, don’t talk to me. I… I might burst into laughter.”
She seemed on the verge of causing an uproar with just a nudge.
Then Haley addressed the old man.
“…It’s almost time for our art department class. As you know, Eternia restricts observation by outside parties, except for a few invited guests.”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l .or g
“Of course, I understand. I will report exactly what I have seen to the head of the household. To the ladies of the art department, to Miss Jenia, and to Miss Haley, who is like a bouquet of roses to the Empire, I thank you for your precious time. Farewell.”
“Do convey my regards to your father.”
The old man bowed to Haley with imperial courtesy and left the greenhouse.
T h i s w a s c opie d f ro m ki n g m tl .o r g
Even after he departed, silence prevailed. Only after his figure had faded from view beyond the glass did Jenia finally burst out laughing.
“Pfft!”
Jenia grabbed her stomach and fell to the floor, nearly convulsed with laughter. Haley bit her lip, trying to contain herself.
“Eek, imperial rose… Haha.”
“That nutcase, really?”
Jenia was struggling to breathe. Haley, fed up, began to untie the straps of her dress and shouted at me.
“Hey, newbie! Bring a club. I’ll need to crack her skull open.”
***
Once things calmed down and Haley went to change back into her usual attire, Jenia explained everything.
“Haley’s family is one of the most distinguished in the Empire, and they are incredibly strict about their daughter’s education.”
The family sent stewards periodically to check on Haley, who was living far from home.
“Home training aside, they’re serious about male interactions. No physical contact with men before engagement, and no being alone with them.”
If Haley hadn’t been accepted to Eternia, she would’ve been sent to an all-girls school.
“And of course, dancing with men is forbidden. The family knew it was the season of the ball, so they sent the steward on purpose.”
“…Really?”
“They said they’d provide her with a female dance instructor dressed as a man, so she wouldn’t have to interact with men at the ball. Haley does this every year.”
That was unexpected. I had assumed Haley’s free-spirited and vibrant nature meant she came from a liberal family, but it was quite the opposite.
Her irritability today suddenly made sense.
“Are you okay, Senior Jenia? You seemed close to Senior Haley’s family.”
“Me? My family’s fine, but there’s trouble from another angle. Wanna see?”
She extended her leg. Her right foot was discolored black.
T hi s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i ng m t l . or g
“What happened?”
T hi s w as c o pi ed fro m k i n g m t l. o rg
“I got hurt during the duel assessments.”
By the looks of it, dancing, let alone walking properly, seemed difficult.
Jenia peered curiously at my expression.
“What? You seem disappointed, newbie. Does your heart ache because your senior is injured?”
Disappointed indeed. Their unfortunate circumstances meant that learning to dance from my few art department seniors was now an unlikely prospect.