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Fortunately, Rieta seemed to have realized it herself, and she quickly raised her head.
When their eyes met, Noel just smiled once, as a compliment.
He hoped this compliment would make Rieta dance better.
But his smile didn’t seem to help much.
Rieta’s face began to fall again.
Little by little.
He looked at Rieta’s neat eyelashes and her lips that got shriveled up from concentrating.
He stared at them.
. . . Really . . .
Truly stupid.
He struggled to think so, but he couldn’t bring down his staring gaze.
Noel soon felt the need to tell Rieta to look at him.
Because even her posture was shrinking.
But for some reason, it was difficult to get those words out, his lips opened and closed a few times.
Perhaps it would be a waste to tell her now.
A long time passed.
Rieta suddenly stopped on the spot, and Noel followed suit.
Rieta was very upset after realizing the situation, and then raised her head.
“Look. If I don’t strain my eyes, I will be looking at the floor again like this?!”
The quarrel was somehow funny, so Noel tapped Rieta’s forehead.
With the meaning of a punishment.
“Don’t worry, no one believes that you will do well so soon.”
Rietta wrapped her forehead with both hands and glanced at Noel lightly.
“It’s too much,” she murmured.
“. . . Who is too much?”
Noel replied that at first glance, but in fact, he himself did not understand why his words came out.
Anyway, that day’s practice ended there.
A few more days passed and it was time to show off Rieta’s performance to the teacher.
Not only Noel, but also Darrel and Elisha attended the class on that day.
Rieta followed the instructions that her practice should be like a real dance, and she put on a splendid outfit that would not be strange even in the banquet hall.
In order to be a little more determined, she also chose her shoes, which had heels that were rarely used.
It was a gift from the Princess, and it was pretty, so Rieta decided not to wear it unless it was really important.
“Princess, you are nervous.”
Noel, who was facing her, said so, and Rieta nodded her head frankly.
“Yes. I’m a little nervous.”
“Stupid, I wasn’t nervous.”
Hearing Noel’s boastful words, Rieta wanted to hit him.
It was good that she was able to laugh as usual thanks to him, but . . .
“It’s okay, I’ve said it before, no one believes that the Princess will do well so soon.”
She should make him regret that.
Rieta faced Noel with an intention for him to wait and see.
As usual.
. . . What?
But something was different..
It’s strange. I usually practice like this.
Maybe it’s because she was nervous in front of the teacher.
Rieta shook off her feelings and put her hand on Noel’s arm.
Darrel played the practice song on the violin.
It was always a smooth performance when it came to Darrel.
Somehow, I think it will go well.
Rieta had some hope.
Her shoulder, which had been tense with nerves, naturally relaxed.
And she finally took her first steps.
She felt something creaking, contrary to her expectations.
What?
Perhaps it was because she was embarrassed, and since then she has only repeated mistakes.
Eventually, after a while, the practice was stopped by the teacher.
“Princess. Your posture keeps breaking down.”
“It wasn’t like this when we practiced . . .”
After a long time, Rieta felt that if there was a squirrel hole, she would want to hide in it.
She knew, of course, that there wasn’t one.
“Let’s try it this way.”
The teacher apologized to Noel and put Elisha in front of Rieta.
“Let’s start over.”
She hadn’t practiced with Elisha much, would it work out?
Rieta was concerned and maintained her posture.
Darrel started playing again, and Elisha took the lead with a little more hesitation than Noel.
But she was surprisingly comfortable.
It felt like her waist was naturally straightening out.
“It’s much better.”
The teacher nodded her head with satisfaction.
Rieta’s heart was relieved as she seemed to have managed to show Noel her hard work.
But there was one thing she didn’t know.
Why did she feel more comfortable with Elisha than with Noel, whom she had practiced with all along?
What secret was hiding there?
“It’s simple.”
At the end of the class, the teacher kindly gave an answer.
“First of all, today, the princess wore heeled shoes. Thus, your body will lean forward, right?”
“Ah.”
Rieta now understands why she thought ‘something is different’ in the first place.
Because the practice shoes didn’t have high heels.
“When I practiced with Elisha, I felt comfortable because I adjusted my shoes?”
“That’s right.”
The teacher laughed softly.
“In the first place, the Princess is a little taller than the Lord, right?”
Uh . . . was she?
Rieta tilted her head.
The two used to write their heights on trees, but recently, she thought they were about the same height.
“Since you were wearing those shoes, it was probably more comfortable to stand with someone who was a little taller.”
Rieta said, “Oh, that’s right,” and only nodded her head.
However, in Noel’s ears, the word ‘tall’ seemed to keep buzzing in his ear like a curse.
Well, lately, he had been thinking that Rieta had grown terribly tall . .