CH 58.2

After we finished dancing to one song, I bowed along with Luca towards the audience and we were greeted with loud applause. I also heard cheers. I couldn’t tell if I was any good, but anyway I was glad I made it to the end without stepping on Luca’s foot.

As I let out a sigh of relief, our friends came up to us with proud expressions on their faces and patted me on the back.

“As expected of Nii-sama!”

“Thank you, Noel.”

As she’d murmured it quietly amidst the applause, not expecting me to hear, Noel smiled happily when I thanked her.  Together, all of us walked off the dance floor. Luca and I sat on the sofas that were lined up against the wall, receiving drinks from a nearby waiter.

Can’t we take a break now? When I looked at Luca with that thought in mind, he just gave me a wry smile.

“Noel and the others left to change partners. We don’t need to do that, don’t we?”

“Hmph… Noel should’ve just continued dancing with Nina the whole time.”

“You can’t dance more than twice with someone who isn’t your fiancée, lover or spouse. Besides, Noel is a noble. She’s danced with a lot of men, so she knows how to handle them, rest assured.”

I couldn’t argue if he said that much. Unlike Luca, I didn’t know a lot about Noel. On the  other hand, I also know very little about Luca. Even though Noel knows. I understand that it can’t be helped, but even so I still feel jealous of them being childhood friends.

Maybe because I was sullen, Luca pulled me closer and gave me a kiss on the forehead. And then rubbed his cheek against my head.

“I love you, Zagan. There’s nothing I can do about the past, but from now on I’ll always be Zagan’s.”

Was it because my emotions had been transferred to him through my mana? Or was it because, recently, Luca had gotten better at guessing my emotions through my facial expressions? No matter which, the kindness and warmth I felt when I was with him filled my heart and made me want to cry. The overwhelming feeling of being loved surrounded me.

During the second song, about 10 couples went onto the dance floor, so there were fewer eyes on me than during the first song. However, they were all elderly for some reason. Then we danced the third and fourth song. I felt the happiness transmitted from Luca, which made me happy too.

As expected, I was exhausted after the fifth song, so we left the dance floor. We took that opportunity to move to the dining area. Even though a lot of people were looking at us, none of them called out.

Incidentally, to the young women who had been directing bloodlust at me, I hurled it back at them. No questions asked. Even if they let out a shriek or almost fell over, it had nothing to do with me.

In this world, everyone has mana, which means they can protect themselves through body strengthening, intimidation or magic walls. Therefore if women aren’t frail, there’s no reason to go easy on them.

However, Luca gave me a wry smile.

“Can you hold back a bit more? Of course, the moment they directed their bloodlust at Zagan, I also got angry enough that I wanted to kill them, but…”

“I wouldn’t have done anything if it was just intimidation, but they used their bloodlust, meaning that they’re ok with the person who receives it dying. No worries, if it’s bloodlust, they won’t realise who directed it.”

“Fufu, Zagan is merciless. If someone like Zagan directs bloodlust, they won’t get away with it lightly.”

“…I have not done anything to the men calling out to Noel.”

I was properly restraining myself. Anyway, I didn’t use so much bloodlust that those women would collapse. I just used enough so that they wouldn’t think to threaten me again.

I placed some of the food that was arranged against the wall on my plate and sat down on a vacant sofa nearby. The waiter immediately brought drinks to the table. Things like champagne and water. My throat was parched so I was thankful. Umu, delicious. The food is also delicious.

I enjoyed the dishes for a while, but still no one called out to me. Either it was because I had black hair, or because I wasn’t nobility, but an adventurer. Or maybe it was because I had constantly been gobbling up food. I put a lot of food on two plates, but it was gone in no time. Meanwhile Luca…

“Here, say aah.”

I reflexively opened my mouth at his urging. What was placed in my mouth was diced steak. Incredibly delicious. But one piece wasn’t enough. When I stared, another piece was brought to my mouth so I ate it with a chomp. Mn, delicious as expected. The meat was tender and the sauce was my favourite spicy kind of seasoning.

“Haaa, my Zagan is too cute. Ah, you there. Can you go and bring two plates of food? More of the meat dishes, please.”

“Certainly.”

Luca called out to the man in the tailcoat who had been nearby the whole time. Did they prepare someone to take care of us? As expected of the Prince, he’s treated well.

Thanks to him, I didn’t need to be separated from Luca so I was grateful. We promised not to be apart, but it felt strange to leave the table together and go get food.

After we had eaten a lot and the waiter cleared all the plates, the butler asked us if we’d like any tea or dessert. When I looked at Luca, he just smiled so it seemed I could decide. Let’s see.

“I’m not fond of sweets, so just tea is fine. Also, is the 2nd floor a balcony?”

“Yes, there is a balcony on the 2nd floor. We can prepare a table and a sofa for you right away.”

“Will Luca and I be the only ones there?  If so then I’d like to take our tea there.

“I will be on standby by the window, but would that still be alright?”

“Yes, please do so.”

“Understood.”

The butler lowered his head and ordered a nearby waiter to prepare our tea. Great, now I can be somewhere without getting any bothersome looks. If they aren’t going to talk to me, they could at least spare me the constant glances.

As I stood up from the sofa, I took both of Luca’s hands. For some reason, Luca was smiling very happily.

“I can’t believe that just having Zagan by my side made it so no one dared talk to me. Moreover after eating, you immediately brought me to a place where we could be alone. Thank you Zagan, a party this carefree and fun is a first for me.”

While I was drinking freshly brewed tea and looking at the night sky twinkling with November’s stars, Luca laughed and placed his cheek against my head.

The balconies were individual to each window, so it really was just the two of us. Plus they lent us two blankets to shield us from the cold November night. To prevent air from entering, we stuck close to each other under the blanket.

Not only were the stars beautiful, but there were also a number of floating lights made by Luca’s magic, making it a fantastic space.

“To think that no one approached because they were overwhelmed by Zagan’s strength. It’s really amazing.”

“…Was that the reason they didn’t strike up a conversation?”

“Marquess Modeste said it before, didn’t he? He wondered how many magic knights were needed to win against Zagan. Just by having someone as strong as Zagan by my side, no other protection is needed. Moreover, you’re my fiancé and I make sure to show off enough that anyone could see we are in love with each other. That’s why no one was able to get in between us.”

Was that so? There was meaning to all the times he kissed my head and forehead.

I looked up at the night sky as I nodded. There were lots of stars twinkling brightly. But in the clear night sky, the moon was invisible. Because the goddess Lune was hiding it. To turn her eyes away from her own heart.

“If we save the goddess, I suppose we will be able to see the moon from the Kingdom of Soleil too.”

“You’re right, I’d like to see it in person too. Until Zagan mentioned it, I didn’t even question the fact that the moon wasn’t floating in the sky. Because I thought that was just the way it was.”

“Come to think of it, Luca knew about the moon since the beginning. Even though Camilla and Cindy didn’t know about it. Where did you learn about it?”

“Huh? Ah…Um.”

When I suddenly questioned him in wonder, Luca was clearly shaken. I wonder what’s wrong?

When I tilted my head to look at Luca, he turned his gaze away from me. As I continued to stare at him without understanding the situation, he let out a small sigh before turning back to me.

“If I told you I saw it countless times in my dreams, would you believe me?”

“Like a prophetic dream? Or maybe because Luca is a descendant of the god Soleil, and because God Soleil loves the moon goddess Lune, you were influenced and saw it in your dreams.”

“…Yeah. Thank you for believing in me, Zagan. Thank you for meeting me and guiding me this far. Now and forever, I will continue to love only you.”

I didn’t know why, but I felt like I was told something profound. But because Luca gave me an incredibly beautiful smile with a hint of sadness, I just nodded.