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RosĂ© and Ferre’s dancing stance faltered in an instant as they turned to the door when they heard it open. Aushuvel was there, waving a hand at them with a bright smile on his face.
“Shu Oppa!”
“Aushuvel Hyung!”
“RosĂ©, Ferre. Are you studying well?”
The wide grin stayed on his lips when he strode forward with lithe steps. When he came closer, he turned to Sera, who set down the rhythm sticks while she was beside the twins. She curtsied towards him.
“Your Highness, I am Sera Popo, the tutor of Their Highnesses.”
“Ah. So you’re Miss Sera Popo?”
Aushuvel took a closer look at Sera.
He recalled how innocently adorable Ferre was. Obviously, the tutor who spoke with a clear voice looked much younger than 4532 years old, though she did look younger than what Aushuvel had expected. She was certainly beautiful, with her blue eyes and black hair, but her looks weren’t comparable to Helios’ outstanding visuals.
“Did I disturb your class?”
Aushuvel asked while looking around. There were a lot of strange items in here that he didn’t see six months ago.
“No, Your Highness. I heard about your visit.”
“I guess you were having a dance lesson.”
“Yes. I was informed that Their Highnesses will also dance during the welcoming banquet that will be held for Your Highness soon, so we’ve been practicing.”
Ah, that’s why.
He nodded lightly when he saw the rhythm sticks that Sera was holding earlier.
But if she was teaching the dance lessons, too, then this meant that she’s also a good dancer

“You’re attending as well, aren’t you?”
Aushuvel asked, quite curious whether Heli was going to dance with her or not.
The first dance one would have was especially significant in the Adelio Empire, and this also included the partner you’d dance with. Until not, Heli had never danced with anyone, but since he had a lover now, it’s a different story. It was something Aushuvel was looking forward to very much.
But the answer that came back to him was far from his expectations.
“No, I won’t be attending.”
“Why? Weren’t you invited?”
Was there a special reason why she wouldn’t be attending? Being a tutor for members of the imperial family meant that she hailed from a household with strong influence, particularly since she was bestowed this position even while she was still so young.
Narrowing his eyes, Aushuvel was perplexed. He was looking forward to seeing someone finally beside Helios, but this didn’t make sense to him.
“No. I—”
But at that moment.
“Owwie! You stepped on my foot again, RosĂ©!”
“Sorry. It’s hard, so what can I do.”
The sound of RosĂ© and Ferre’s scuffle caught Aushuvel and Sera’s attention, and so they turned their heads to the twins at the same time. As they saw them, Ferre grabbed the foot that RosĂ© had mistakenly stepped on.
“Are you alright, Your Highness Ferre?”
Sera went to Ferre’s side, asking him worriedly. Though there were tears brimming at the corners of his eyes, Ferre fortunately nodded as though his foot had been stepped on only lightly.
Aushuvel also came forward slowly to where Sera and the twins were gathered. He bent down on one knee to be on the same eye level as the twins, then asked as they groaned a lot.
“Is it hard to dance?”
Rosé and Ferre looked at Aushuvel and pouted their lips, letting out long sighs.
“It’s too hard, Shu Oppa.”
“Yeah, I keep making mistakes.”
With a playful smile now, Aushuvel asked.
“Do you need help, RosĂ©, Ferre?”
“How will Oppa do that?”
“When it comes to dancing, of course, there should be a demonstration. The best textbook when it comes to this is to copy how other people dance.”
He spoke as though he was telling a very important fact. Then, he stood up next to Sera.
He extended his hand to her politely, as if he was asking her for a dance at a ball.
Sera balked at the outstretched hand, flustered that she was being asked to dance all of a sudden. Besides, she had never danced with a man before.
Dancing to a song was the most basic cultural activity of the nobility, so of course any tutor out there should be proficient enough at it. However, she’s been so far removed from high society, even from way back. She had never had a single dance with a man before.
Fortunately, the textbooks she had as reference materials were well-written, and the basics weren’t all that different from the dances she had learned in her past life. Her friends happily helped her out whenever she needed to practice, but it’s a different matter altogether when actually dancing.
Before Sera could answer, to her surprise, Aushuvel took her hand. As soon as he slipped his hand over her waist with a firm hold, Sera’s breath stopped at a ‘Hpph’.
‘I guess this is Heli’s type?’
He didn’t pull her too hard. But as he looked down at her blushing, pale pink cheeks, she gave off the impression of a butterfly that’s been caught in a spider’s web. It’s not like he’s danced just one or two times in his life, but Aushuvel was so very fascinated with her unfamiliar response, and so he strengthened his hold on her waist.
“There’s no one here to play a song for us on the piano, so let’s make do with magic.”
Aushuvel flicked a finger towards the piano. The keys started being pressed down on their own, and a familiar melody could soon be heard.
“One, two, three.”
Before Sera’s panic even set in, Aushuvel gave her a slow beat, and so their dance began. She was so embarrassed by just how close they were to each other, but when she looked back at RosĂ© and Ferre, she saw how enthusiastically they were copying their movements. Sera forced herself to get a grip and do her best here.
Thanks to the song’s rhythm being slower than usual, RosĂ© and Ferre easily followed. Although it’s only been a few steps, Sera realized that Aushuvel was very good at dancing.
“May I call you Miss Sera? And, oh, may I ask what kind of relationship you have with Heli?”
It was when the song was in its full swing that Aushuvel asked this question. While she was entirely focused on guiding the twins’ movements, her eyes grew wide.
It’s as if they were having a secret conversation at a ball, and they were so close to each other that she was the only one who could hear his voice.
t/n: I wonder what Heli’s reaction will be when he hears that Sera’s first dance got stolen from him