Chapter 16

“It would be impossible to deceive them. Even if you disguised yourself to look like me.”

“I guess you’re right?”

“I meant going to the ball together. I’m asking you to be my partner right now.”

“What……”

Anasha didn’t understand. At first, she couldn’t comprehend his words, then belatedly examined his expression to see if it was a joke. Tewiller kindly explained again in a gentle tone.

“I’d like you to be my partner for this upcoming ball. Asha.”

⁕⁕⁕

After returning to his mansion, Rihirt picked up the file placed on his office desk. It contained documents with the names of central noble families, their recent political moves, and brief financial statuses.

It was a public event attended by nobles and even the imperial family. While on the surface it was an occasion to attend with a partner for whom one had romantic feelings, the upper-class noble society wasn’t purely romantic. The partner one brought could demonstrate connections and power, as well as subtly reveal political leanings. That’s what unions between nobles were like.

Especially since Rihirt was a major noble who had come up to the capital from the provinces. It was obvious that much attention would be focused on his political moves. Therefore, deciding which family’s young lady to bring as his partner to the ball wasn’t a simple matter.

After reviewing all night, he was able to narrow it down to about ten families. But time wasn’t exactly on his side. To send a partner request letter, he needed to make a decision by this week at the latest.

The next day, after finishing his preparations for work, he packed the file with the partner candidates. He intended to look at it during breaks at the knight order. He couldn’t waste separate time choosing a partner, so he had to squeeze it into his already tight schedule.

Of course, there was a reason why he had no time.

“While carrying it, I accidentally dropped it, and of all places, it landed right on the squadron leader’s foot as he was standing at attention. The startled squadron leader went ‘Commander-oink!!’ to the commander, and then the old man who had just come out got angry asking who was making pig noises! Puhaha! Ah, just thinking about it again makes me laugh to death!”

Anasha sat comfortably on the sofa, slapping her thighs repeatedly. Rihirt also seemed to find it slightly amusing as he subtly turned his head to the side. It was snack time during work. With enjoying all these pleasures, there was no way he could have spare time.

However, Rihirt never gave up this break time. He had been experiencing the most satisfying moments of his life recently. No matter how busy he was, he had recently come to think that time could always be squeezed out somehow.

“Ah, shouldn’t you be getting back to work now?”

Even Anasha, who was sprawled out, was concerned enough to ask.

“Now that you mention it.”

Remembering something he needed to do, he got up from the snack table. It wasn’t work, but he recalled the file he should have been looking at during this time.

After returning to his desk 1 hour and 16 minutes later, he picked up the file he had placed separately among the documents. At that moment, Anasha, who had risen with him, approached his side with curiosity.

“I haven’t seen this before, what is it?”

It was noticeably different from other files with its red velvet material, so it was natural for her to be curious. Normally, Rihirt would have given at least a brief explanation, but he quickly closed the file with a sound, as if afraid she might see it. It happened in an instant.

“…Ah, is it some kind of confidential matter that shouldn’t be shown to me?”

Anasha stopped in surprise. It was the first time he had reacted this way.

“I understand! I’m curious, but I absolutely won’t look!”

“…It’s not like that.”

“No, it’s wrong of me to peek at my superior’s documents like this.”

As if she had never been flustered, Anasha smiled with a kind face and stepped back. It was a quick surrender.

“Sir Asha.”

As she took another step away from him, Rihirt urgently called her name without realizing it. At his low voice, Anasha froze all movement.

“It’s not like that. I have never once considered it rude for you to look at documents beside me. And it’s not such an important confidential document that I can’t show you.”

“…Really?”

“I was just being sensitive.”

He didn’t want any walls to form between her and himself. Rihirt honestly confessed, but the file in his hand remained closed. She might wonder why he wasn’t showing it if it wasn’t a document that couldn’t be seen, but Anasha just had a bright face.

“Thank you for thinking that way. I, I’m really being trusted!”

Her eyes sparkled as she plopped down on the sofa. Then she sniffled dramatically like a pitiful heroine. With a shameless face that didn’t shed a single tear.

“I’m actually quite touched. It’s true that I was in the wrong, but… It makes me feel what it’s like to be trusted and cherished… So I was thinking, I want to open up to the commander about various things too. If time permits.”

“We can always make time, can’t we?”

Without any awareness of his lack of time, he gave a calm response.

Meanwhile, his hand pushed the file deep into the drawer attached under the desk. Though there was absolutely no need to hide it, strangely, he didn’t want her to discover it. It was an inexplicable feeling.

⁕⁕⁕

The candidates, which had been ten, were now reduced to five.

Rihirt was lost in deep thought for the first time in a while. The Brittaner ducal family supporting the Crown Prince, the Felden marquis family expanding their influence in business, and the other three families also had fairly good conditions. Though that would be the case if thinking about marriage rather than a one-time relationship.

He was indifferent about his own marriage. He was simply being cautious, wanting to choose the option that would benefit his family the most.

While he was lost in thought, a small knocking sound came from above. When he looked up, his eyes met black eyes appearing through the slightly opened ceiling tile gap.

“Commander, should I come down?”

“Yes. I just finished my work.”

Rihirt closed the file without a moment’s hesitation and stood up from his seat.

Anasha, who had already seated herself on the reception sofa before him, swayed her upper body. As if she had something to say but didn’t know how to bring it up, she looked like a puppy that needed to relieve itself.

As he waited calmly and poured water for her, Anasha quickly picked up the cup. She must have been thirsty as she drank with gulping sounds, then put the cup back down. Then, after fidgeting by twisting and untwisting her fingers, she finally looked up.

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“You can ask anything.”

“…About partners for the ball.”

Rihirt, who had just said she could ask anything, froze. He couldn’t understand how she knew about this.

“I’m not sure if what I know is correct… Is it about asking someone you have feelings for?”

“……”

So full of his own thoughts, he seemed too flustered to answer.

“There are also cases where you ask a close friend, right? Right? If you don’t have anyone suitable to take, you could just take a close friend, right?”

With an “Ahaha…” and a somewhat soulless face, Anasha banged her head on the table with a thud. At that loud sound, Rihirt finally relaxed his frozen expression. Anasha continued, making sobbing noises.

“Actually… I received a request to be someone’s partner……”

Anasha raised her head and stared at the frozen Rihirt.

“What exactly is a ball partner?! What is it that makes people so confused! Aagh! If I told the uncles about this, I’d definitely be teased for the rest of my life… The commander must think I’m such a fool, but… please listen.”

Though there was no moisture, her eyes looked pitiful as if they might be soaked with tears at any moment.

“I thought we were just friends, but when he suddenly said that… I don’t know what to do. I wonder if I’m overthinking it. It’s probably just my misunderstanding, right?”

She had never even been to a ball before, so she wasn’t confident in her ability to fulfill the role of a partner. She was planning to refuse, but that made it even more problematic for Anasha.

“But what if, what if! If he’s serious… if he really sees me as someone he likes and is asking me to be his partner… Commander…? Are you listening?”

Anasha, who had been seriously sharing her concerns, suddenly noticed the silence from across and examined his face. How to put it, he didn’t look well. Very much so. His face was stiff, like someone who had tasted something unpleasant.

“Are you feeling sick somewhere?”

“…No.”

Rihirt answered, slowly closing his eyes and then lowering them. Seeing his unlike self, looking somewhat dazed, Anasha jumped up from her seat and made a fuss.

“You look completely sick! Rest for today. You don’t seem to have a fever, but wait a moment.”

The moment she placed her hand on his forehead, Rihirt’s eyes opened wider. He felt her warm hand. Looking up at her while seated, his blue eyes slowly lowered to the floor again. A gentle tremor ran through his long, light eyelashes.

“You don’t have a fever… but I think you should rest.”

Anasha looked at him and spoke firmly.

“I’m sorry for rambling on without realizing you were sick. Please rest now! I’ll go get some medicine!”

“No. I’m fine……”

“It’s okay! Stay seated. No, lie down!”

Without giving him a chance to stop her, Anasha immediately disappeared from his sight. She quickly ran to the knight order’s infirmary and grabbed the medical officer, listing his symptoms one after another. Pale complexion, trembling eyes, and a blank look as if his mind was elsewhere. After hearing this, the medical officer gave his opinion that it seemed like a simple cold.