Chapter 41: Capture Targets

I held hands with Ghislan and we danced to the tune.

After all, Ghislan is just as good at leading as Kaiser.

“Huh, Ghislan really is used to dancing in front of people compared to the past, isn’t he?”

“…Well, you can’t dance with the person you want to dance with if you’re worried about that.”

“Person you want to dance with?…Oh, you mean Nina! It’s true that when you dance with Nina, you’ll get a lot of attention.”

“…How do you always come to that conclusion?”

“Huh? Is there something wrong?”

At Ghislan’s words, I turned a curious face while tilting my head slightly, and Ghislan let out a deep sigh with a dumbfounded expression.

“Oh well…Cecilia, I hadn’t reported it to you yet, but I received the results of the recruitment exam for the Royal Palace’s Ministry of Academic Research the other day.”

“Oh! What was the result!?”

“Of course I passed.”

“Wow! Congratulations and best wishes!”

I smiled and congratulated him on the result, as if it was my own.

Then, for some reason, Ghislan’s expression froze as he looked at me, and he immediately turned his head to the side.

But his profile was clearly red, and I could tell he was embarrassed.

And after a little while, I spoke to Ghislan, who turned to me again.

“Fufu, that’s really good. Even I had always wanted to join the Ministry of Academic Research at the Royal Palace, you know.”

“…Yeah. But I’m still going to aim even higher.”

“Is it to be the same director as Mr. Dimitria?”

“Of course I’m going to do that…but I’m also going to build an undisputed track record that’s universally recognized!”

“…Yeah, I’m sure Ghislan can do it! Good luck!”

I said those words of support to Ghislan, and he stared at me and smiled softly.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best for you.”

“Huh?”

That first look at Ghislan’s smile made me choke up and watch him absently.

Whoa! This is the exact same scene where Ghislan smiled at our heroine Nina for the first time, after not smiling so easily when she was playing the game!!! Oh, no! Seeing the real thing in front of my eyes…What a great day!

And I was crying tears of joy in my heart.

“Cecilia?’ What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing! Just…please let Nina see that smile on your face!”

“Huh!? What the hell…”

“I’m sure Nina will be happy to hear that too!”

“Uh-huh…”

Ghislan had a puzzled look on his face at my forceful argument.

Meanwhile, the song was over, so we bowed to each other and finished dancing.

Then Kaiser, accompanied by Nina, arrived at our table.

“Cecilia…why were you dancing with Ghislan?”

“Oh, Kaiser! You and Nina danced very nicely!”

“No, that doesn’t make me happy…”

“Yes, Nina! Next, you should dance with Ghislan!”

“What? I’ve just had the pleasure of dancing with Prince Kaiser…”

“Ghislan is fun because he’s easy to dance with too! Then Ghislan, please do as you promised.”

“…So you meant it.”

Beside me, Ghislan was saying such stupid words, but I pretended not to hear them.

Nina, with a puzzled look on her face, entered the dance circle again, accompanied by Ghislan with a complex expression.

When you are looking away from the two of them with a satisfied look, Kaiser spoke to me with a puzzled expression.

“Cecilia…what on earth are you doing?”

“Of course it’s for Nina!”

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh! Don’t! I don’t have time for this! Excuse me, Kaiser, I have to go for a few things.”

“What? Hey, Cecilia!”

I hurried away, leaving an astonished Kaiser in his place.

And so I scurried around the hall alone, looking for the people I wanted to find.

I thought about that earlier when I was dancing with Ghislan. I didn’t know who Nina was choosing anymore, and I thought I’d have her dance with all the capture targets for now. So I have to go ask the capture targets for that!

As I was searching for it in my mind, I came across a person who approached me.

“Princess.”

“What?…Viktor!”

When I turned around at the sound of a voice calling me, there was Viktor standing there, dressed in tight nobleman’s formal attire instead of his usual knight’s clothes.

“What? Huh? Viktor, what happened to your appearance!?”

“Don’t I…Doesn’t it look good?”

“No, no! You looked great in your usual knight’s outfit…but you look great in this too!”

“Thank you. I’m so glad you said that, princess.”

Then, softly, Viktor smiled.

What the hell is going on today!? My heart is about to explode with such a series of destructive smiles!

I was holding my chest and pulling my cheeks together as I screamed this in my mind.

“Princess? How can I help you? What if…you’re not feeling well? Oh no! I need a doctor right away!”

“No, no, no, Viktor, wait! I’m fine!”

Viktor turned on his heel with a straight face and was about to rush off to call a doctor, so I hurriedly grabbed Viktor’s clothes and managed to stop him just in time.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? Are you pushing yourself?”

“I’m fine and I’m not pushing myself! Oh, the song is starting so let’s dance together!”

“Eh? Will you dance with me?”

“Yes, I’ll dance! Let’s go!”

Before Viktor could run off again, I grabbed his hand and hurriedly joined the dance circle.

I grabbed Viktor’s confused hand and forced him into a dancing stance.

But then I realized something and looked up at Viktor’s face.

“Viktor, I’m going to confirm this now…can you dance?”

“…It’s all right. I still come from a Count family, so the basics of aristocracy were taught to me from an early age.”

“Well, that’s a relief to hear.”

“And besides…today…I attended this ball not as a Knight Commander, but in my capacity as the son of a Count.”

“What? Why is that…?”

“This is to dance with you!”

As soon as Viktor said that emphatically, I started dancing with Viktor’s lead.

“Wow! Viktor, you’re good at this!”

“…It’s been a while since I’ve practiced for today.”

“Is that so? I had no idea. But…who was your training partner?”

“…my subordinates.”

“…Hahaha!”

At Viktor’s words, I instantly thought of Viktor and the knights with drawn faces dancing with him, and I felt pity for the knights who were made to dance with him, and I laughed dryly with pity.

And then we were dancing to the tune in silence to each other, when Viktor glanced at my left hand.

“…Your wound is all cleaned up…”

“Oh, yes. The medicine Rabi gave me worked so well.”

“…I don’t like that man, but I appreciate the benefits of the medicine.”

“But I’m really glad it didn’t leave a scar. If it had, you’d have been worried about it all along, wouldn’t you, Viktor?”

“…”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s all done and I don’t want you to worry about it too much.”

“But…”

“Come on, come on, that story is over! But more importantly, I have a favor to ask Viktor.”

“…Then please? Well, of course I’ll do anything the princess asks of me.”

“Really? Then can you dance with Nina after this?”

“…What? Lady Nina, is it?”

“Yes. Thank you!”

“…I understand that it’s a request from the princess, but…why with Nina?”

“Because it’s for Nina!”

“Huh…?”

And so, when the dance with Viktor was over, he heard my request and headed down to Nina, despite his confused expression.

As I was gazing at his back with a look of satisfaction, I suddenly saw a person hugging me vigorously from behind.

“Sister Cecilia, I’ve found you~I’ve found you!”

“Prince Leon! Hey, I’m in public, so please stop hugging me!”

“Eh! That’s fine!”

“Prince Leon!”

“Boo! I can’t help it…So dance with me instead!”

“What?”

“Because, Sister Cecilia…you’ve been dancing with more than just my brother!”

“Oh, well, I was dancing.”

“So me too!”

“…Fine.”

“Really? Yes!”

“It’s just…In the meantime, you’ll have to dance with Nina, too.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s for Nina!”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m fine! Then let’s get dancing!”

“Oh, please don’t pull me that way for a minute!”

Prince Leon happily pulled my arm as if he didn’t hear my protests.

And so it was my turn to dance with Prince Leon…and as expected of a prince, he led perfectly.

“I finally got to dance with Sister Cecilia!”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Because…I couldn’t dance with Sister Cecilia at all because my brother always interrupted me!”

“Come to think of it…I only danced with Kaiser before, pretty much.”

Hearing Prince Leon’s words, I tried to remember all the balls I’ve been to and so on, but it’s true that I’ve only danced with Kaiser.

“You see~? That’s why I’m so happy right now!”

“…Well, I’m glad to hear you like it.”

“Huh, and there’s one more thing I’m happy about!”

“What’s that?”

“Fufu~! I’ve finally finished the room!”

“What? Is this by any chance that hobby room?”

“Yes, it is!”

“Oh! Congratulations on that!”

“Thank you! Next time I’m ready, I’ll invite Sister Cecilia over!”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

“Yeah, I’m…I’m really looking forward to it.”

I was smiling with excitement, but only then did Prince Leon’s smile in front of me turn into something kind of glossy and mysterious, and I felt a momentary shock.

“Ahhh, the song is already over…Hey, hey, Sister Cecilia! One more song!”

“Prince Leon, you remember your promise, don’t you?”

“Ugh, okay…I’m going to go for a bit because I have no choice, but I’ll talk to you later!”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

With that, I smiled and waved and sent Prince Leon off to Nina.

“Well, now to rest…”

“Hi, Cecilia.”

“Oh, Prince Alfeld! It was just right. I was going to go look for you now.”

“Me? I’m so glad to hear that. I’ve been looking for Cecilia, too.”

“Oh, is there something you wanted to see me about?”

“No, it’s not so much an errand…I was thinking of asking Cecilia to dance.”

“Well, I don’t mind, but…hmmm…let’s just get on with it, please! You can dance with me and then you can dance with Nina, too!”

“What? With Nina? Why?”

“Because it’s for Nina! In the meantime, I’ve asked the main men to dance for a while, so I’ll take care of Prince Alfeld as well.”

“Huh…Well, I can’t say no to Cecilia when she asks me to, so that’s fine. I don’t dislike Nina, by the way.”

“Oh! So Prince Alfeld is fond of Nina, then!”

“…I like all women, basically. But I’m not the kind of person Cecilia thinks I am.”

Prince Alfeld smiled bitterly at me.

And so it was decided that I would dance with Prince Alfeld this time…as expected of a woman who loves to dance with women, he led the dance with great care and tenderness.

…After dancing with everyone, I realized that each person has their own way of leading, too.

I was so impressed in my mind.

“Come to think of it, Cecilia, I have received news from my country.”

“News?”

“Ah. I think I’ve told you before, but I’ve just received word that my detached palace is complete.”

“Congratulations on that!”

“Thank you. So, as I think we’ve discussed, would you like to come to my country and see the palace when it’s finished?”

“What? The palace?”

“Yeah. I’d really like to show Cecilia.”

“Well, I can’t tell you exactly what I’m doing now, but if I get a chance, I’d like to be there.”

I gave a vague reply and smiled at him.

Then Prince Alfeld put his face close to my ear and whispered to me with his sweet voice and his usual bewitching smile.

“…I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Hiii!”

Prince Alfeld’s sex appeal was showered on me up close and personal, and my heart began to beat wildly.

What the hell happened to all the capture targets today!? It’s even more awesome than usual! Oh, I see. Maybe this is an event correction…I see, this is going to make Nina feel a lot better! Convincing!!!!

That’s what I was convinced of after analyzing myself about everyone’s situation today.

“Fufu, your face is red…have you returned already?”

“Prince Alfeld! Please show that skill to Nina by all means!”

“What?”

“Oh, the song is over. Now I’ll be over there watching, so please take care of Nina for me.”

“What? Hey, Cecilia!”

I dared not listen to Prince Alfeld’s confused voice and smiled and pointed my hand towards Nina.

Then Prince Alfeld stared at me, but he immediately walked towards Nina with a resigned expression and a slight slump in his shoulders for some reason.

Alright! My part is over!!!

I watched with one nod as Nina and Prince Alfeld began to dance with a look of such satisfaction on my face.

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T/N: In summation…

Cecilia: -breathes-

Capture Targets: Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→ Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→ Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→

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