Chapter 3.2

Thanks to this, Lisael couldn’t tell if the tea was entering her nose or mouth as she carefully observed his behavior.

“So… how are you going to learn to dance, among other things?”

Eventually, that question came up. No matter how much she pretended not to know, she couldn’t claim she would handle this on her own. It was a well-known fact to the Countess, Kaera, and Miguel that she didn’t know the first thing about ballroom waltz.

Moreover, her spatial awareness wasn’t strong enough to learn dance just through writing.

She needed a partner who could teach her the basics step by step. That partner had to be patient and kind enough to teach Lisael, who lacked knowledge of dance, from the basics, and of course, had to be perfectly familiar with the waltz. In that case, the person who perfectly matched those conditions was…

‘Benjamin?’

No, no. Even if he was a friend, she couldn’t ask the noble and busy Young Master to be her dance teacher. Unknowingly shaking her head, Lisael accidentally locked eyes with Miguel. Oh no, there was a man eyeing the vacancy of her dance teacher like a predator.

“Ted…? I’ll ask Ted to teach me.”

Servants who had long served nobles were often as well-versed in etiquette as the nobles themselves. Especially in wealthy families like the Dante family, they often held parties for the servants, so Ted was also a suitable candidate who could teach the waltz.

“Ted?”

When an unexpected name came out of Lisael’s mouth, one of Miguel’s eyebrows arched sharply. Fortunately, Ted wasn’t present at the moment; otherwise, he would have had to endure Miguel’s sudden wrath alone.

“I think Ted is the right person to teach me to dance. You’re busy, after all.”

Whether he was busy gambling or busy with the duties of the Young Earl, it wasn’t Lisael’s concern, but it was a fairly reasonable excuse. 

Lisael pretended to be indifferent, picking up a cookie, but somehow her right cheek felt like it was burning from a scorching gaze. Nevertheless, she steadfastly ignored the owner of that persistent stare.

“Sorry, but Ted isn’t that free. Not enough to teach you to dance during work hours.”

‘Because I’m going to make him very busy starting now.’

Miguel, leaning against the desk and raising his chin in dissatisfaction, looked down at her and spoke.

“…In that case, I’ll look for someone else.”

If they were hiring a tutor, they could easily employ a dance teacher from outside. The Countess wouldn’t want Lisael to embarrass them at the ball, so if requested, she would reluctantly bring someone in.

“Why are you taking a long detour when there’s a suitable candidate right in front of you?”

“I told you, you seem busy.”

Eventually, the man who had been eyeing the vacancy began to reveal his true colors. As Miguel, who had been leaning against the desk, slowly approached her, Lisael put down her cup and assumed a defensive posture.

“I’m busy during work hours.”

In fact, Miguel had to be busy. It was absurd for the future Lord, who would rule over the vast southern territory, to be idle. It was just that he stubbornly turned away, determined to rebel, which was why the Earl had to keep pulling him back by the collar every day.

As the heir, there was a mountain of work waiting for him in his office, as much as the etiquette books here, that he had to attend to someday.

“Others can only spend time with you during work hours.”

What was he trying to say? 

Miguel lightly sat next to her, not across from her, and lowered his voice.

“But your husband is different. He can spend time with you even after the sun sets. Without being disturbed by anyone. I don’t think there’s anyone more suitable than me for that.”

And he deliberately spoke the last words loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. If she pushed him away despite his offer, her name would quickly spread throughout the castle, alongside Miguel’s, as being close.

“You can study the etiquette books during the day and practice dancing with me at night.”

A true teacher, who had quickly set up a study plan for his student, took a sip from the cup in front of Lisael.

‘What is this…!’

As Lisael widened her eyes in shock at his antics, Miguel shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“My tea got cold.”

Drinking from someone else’s cup was not at all a noble act, but it was provocative. Miguel’s sudden action was enough to capture the attention of all the servants.

However, the faces of those who couldn’t hide their astonishment also held a subtle excitement. The highest-ranking person had performed the least dignified act, and on top of that, that insignificant act seemed subtly suggestive.

It was undoubtedly a form of seduction that shouldn’t exist and shouldn’t have happened. The fact that Miguel, a nobleman who seemed endlessly frivolous and likely to live up to his looks, had done it made it even more dangerous and threatening.

If the owner of the cup he took had been another noble lady instead of Lisael, after a moment of shock and fleeting disdain, she would have surrendered her heart entirely to that provocative temptation.

But the counterpart was Lisael. She shook her head, left as if she didn’t want to be in the same place, and a new servant poured tea into Lisael’s cup for the lone Miguel, marking the peak of their tea time.

“But the Young Earl couple, don’t they seem to get along better than expected?”

“I thought the same. I’ve seen the village chief and his family come to the Lord’s castle crying and wailing several times, so I thought they would ignore each other like ghosts.”

As if it were the natural order of things, the topic of the servants tidying up after tea time was the Young Earl couple. It seemed they were quite frustrated from keeping their mouths shut, as once one or two brought up the topic, everyone chimed in with their thoughts.

“When I first heard they were getting married, I couldn’t believe it. I thought my ears were deceiving me.”

“Everyone in the southern territory must have thought the same.”

“Especially Young Master Miguel is surprising. First, he looks for the Young Madam instead of going to the casino…”

“That’s what I’m saying. The Young Earl’s wife seems a bit uneasy around the Young Master, though.”

In the eyes of the servants, who were outsiders, the Young Earl’s wife, who seemed somewhat awkward and reserved compared to the unexpectedly proactive Young Earl, appeared more natural. The fact that Miguel was the one reaching out to Lisael first was an unexpected sight that no one could have predicted.

* * *

Lisael’s dance teacher was so proactive that the lessons started immediately from that day. Lisael, who had buried her face in the etiquette books with exceptional concentration to avoid unnecessary scolding from the Countess and Kaera, was reluctantly pulled away by Charlotte’s urging.

Following Charlotte, who was more excited than Lisael herself and making a fuss ahead, Lisael found Miguel waiting in a room with a large rug laid out and the center cleared like a dance hall.

‘What is Charlotte expecting…’

Charlotte was fussing about how it was the first time she had seen a couple kindly teaching each other to dance. No wonder, among nobles, there wouldn’t be anyone who didn’t know how to dance even after getting married!

Miguel, who had been leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed, gently lifted his head when he sensed someone approaching. Then, spotting Lisael, he wore a faint smile. Up close, he looked noticeably more tired than during tea time.

Lisael had no idea. The Young Earl, who had decided to handle official duties after a long time, had been handed a pile of documents by Earl Dante and sternly warned not to think of leaving the office until he finished them all.

It seemed he was destined to work overtime, but thanks to working through meals and nearly exhausting himself, he managed to call Lisael out.

“You look a bit tired. You must have been reading the etiquette books diligently. But the lessons start today. We don’t have much time left.”

‘You’re the one who looks tired.’

Miguel, who was smiling at her with some difficulty, seemed to have shadows under his eyes. She was indeed tired, but seeing someone who looked even more exhausted made her feel like she shouldn’t show her fatigue.

“…Please don’t lump us together as ‘we.'”

Miguel pouted slightly as if embarrassed by Lisael’s clear boundary-setting.