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Episode 50. Winner and Loser

Damian's hand gently took mine. Leading me to the center of the hall, he only performed the basic steps. The song was just about to end. Damian seemed to be thinking of dancing to the next song, and I simply swayed my body along with his movements.

"See? Easy."

At Damian's words, a laugh escaped me.

"Yes, easy. Did you see your mother off well?"

"She might be out of the room now, spying on us."

That's a bit creepy.

"Surely she hasn't genuinely set her sights on me as your wife."

I appreciated her kind opinion, but the marriage proposal was a rejection. Damian must have felt the same, as he didn't bother to answer.

Right on cue, the song ended. A waltz with a faster tempo than before began, and now it was our turn to dance properly. Annie would tease me forever if she knew I danced with Damian, but I couldn't avoid it.

Just as I read the rhythm and was about to move first—

"Director?"

I noticed him frozen like a statue.

Why wasn't he dancing?

Even as the new waltz played, he kept diligently stepping through the basic steps. I subtly glanced down — his feet, bewildered by the fast tempo, were completely lost.

"You can't dance?"

"…."

At my question, he averted his gaze.

"So… got a problem with that?"

"Wasn etiquette class mandatory at the Sholl Academy?"

A basic course required for all students. Except for fifth-years about to graduate, everyone had to take it once a year. Surely it included how to dance.

"I found it more beneficial to study other things during that time."

"So you openly read your major textbooks during etiquette class."

"Exactly."

"And that's why you have no etiquette—!"

What mattered to Damian wasn't the major course but the etiquette class. Either way, we couldn't just keep stepping through the basics and become the laughingstock of high society.

"I'll lead the steps — just relax and follow."

Above all, I'm a good dancer! I didn't want to be lumped together with Damian and treated the same way later.

"Relax, Director."

I held Damian's hand firmly and stepped to the rhythm. He clumsily followed but soon got his steps tangled.

His shoe pressed hard on my foot.

"Ugh!"

"S-sorry."

Damian, flustered, quickly apologized.

It hurt so much tears welled up.

I couldn't just stop either.

"…."

Damian kept his gaze fixed downward like a guilty person. Despite his efforts, his foot grazed my other foot. It wasn't as crushing as before, but the sole scraped against my bare skin and stung.

"Ah!"

This was torture of a new kind. I couldn't see clearly, but my skin must have been scraped.

"Director… don't you have a grudge against me?"

"I do, but I wouldn't pay it back so humbly."

"So you do have one…"

I endured the pain and spoke to Damian.

"Now spin me once."

Spinning me was easy. The partner just needed to pause briefly and raise the joined hands.

Fortunately, Damian obediently stopped moving. I tried to spin myself, considering his inability to dance, but he didn't loosen his grip.

"What are you—"

Could he be the worst dancer in history who couldn't even do that?

"Director?"

Before I could finish, he pulled my hand and led me out of the hall.

Was he angry about not being able to dance? But his steps were cautious.

"Damn."

Scanning the surroundings, Damian clicked his tongue in displeasure.

The place he finally chose was the terrace outside. Since it had rained, the quiet spot was empty and quite chilly. Before I could say I was cold, he took off his coat and roughly draped it over my shoulders.

"Wait here. I'll get some antiseptic."

He went inside without waiting for my answer. Antiseptic…

"Ah."

Looking down, I finally noticed the badly scraped skin and bruises.

Ignorance is bliss — as soon as I saw the wounds, the pain I hadn't felt moments ago surged.

"Ugh."

When had it gotten so dark? The forest across was pitch black and invisible. The loneliness and chill made Damian's coat over my back useless.

This won't do.

I pulled the coat tighter and put it on backwards. The part that wrapped around my back covered my shoulders and chest, making me much warmer than before.

"You… what are you doing?"

I couldn't avoid his shocked gaze when he returned sooner than expected.

"This way, I'm warmer."

"…Ha."

"It's cold — you lent it to me, didn't you?"

This is warmer, so what's the problem?

"Right, that's so you."

At my question, he chuckled and knelt down.

"…Director."

"Why?"

"I'm wondering if your head is hurt, not my foot."

Damian kneeling before me.

If I had a camera, I would have taken a picture to remember this forever.

"Just stay still."

He took a generous amount of ointment and gently applied it to my foot. His careful touch was unfamiliar.

"Lucy. I said stay still."

When I kept pulling my foot away, he grabbed the heel of my shoe to keep me from escaping.

I've never seen a man so violent while applying medicine. It was just like Damian, but kneeling to treat someone's foot was unlike him.

"…This is both an apology for stepping on your foot and a thanks for keeping my mother company."

Damian said.

"You're surprisingly weak to your mother, Director."

"Because my father died early, and she raised me."

It was the first time he'd talked about the past.

"She raised you?"

"When I entered the Sholl Academy on scholarship, I once failed to be valedictorian."

Damian said calmly.

"My mother worked all night to pay the absurdly high tuition."

I'd noticed. The calluses visible when she awkwardly opened her fan weren't just accidental marks. She must have worked relentlessly at rough jobs to raise the money.

"The Sholl Academy is foolish."

I said quietly.

"What nonsense."

"It's true. They ignore hardworking commoners and mostly admit nobles full of vanity."

"Self-deprecation?"

He looked up at me.

"Yes. Do you know that I and other noble children also entered the academy through unfair means? The academy pretends to be fair and wise on the surface, but they're drooling for under-the-table payments."

"…."

"Above all, they charge ridiculously high tuition so only the wealthy can enter."

Though it was hardly my place to say, having entered through the most unfair method.

"Right. That's why I despised you, Lucy Ohan."

He had been silent, but then applied ointment over the scratches around the wound.

"I couldn't stand the sight of you. When I saw you eating lunch in the cafeteria, I wanted to steal your fork and flip your tray."

"You should have."

"When you first showed up at the Bendon Guild, I was dumbfounded. Still, I held back. Actually, I was so pissed I wanted to throw a book at your head."

"You should have."

"Are you teasing me?"

"I mean it."

I bent my knees to meet Damian's eyes.

"If it were me, I would have hit you long ago."

He flinched at the unexpected eye level.

"You held back, Director."

"Of course."

"As for me… I was always proud of being on the reserve team. There was no unfairness there."

After a long time, old memories surfaced.

"I desperately wanted a higher position, but I took pride in my current place. If there had been unfairness, I would have regretted my position. You went through that, Director."

"…."

"I can understand your anger."

Damian flinched.

"I'm saying you're amazing for overcoming someone like me, who entered through unfair means, and growing so much. You, who beat me with skill instead of violence. I was completely defeated."

"…."

"Though it was never a fair competition to begin with."

"Were our situations the same? It was the Sholl Academy, hard to get into — if I'd hit a noble lady and ruined my life, what then?"

"Ah. That's true too."

Then scratch that about understanding!

"But the fact remains that you won, Director."

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