Chapter 34: Mia’s Forte

At this point, it is necessary to point out that among the boys of the academy, there existed a rather prevalent belief about beauty...

In their innocence and naiveté — and perhaps stupidity — they held such opinions as "the best makeup is no makeup" and "the most precious beauty is natural beauty." Granted, in purely theoretical terms, this was perhaps a valid view. To possess such raw charm and splendor would indeed be ideal. After all, who wouldn't want to wake up every day looking like a superstar? No powder, no jewels, just pure unbridled glamor exuding from every pore of the body.

Now, as for the other side of this equation, that is, the girls who had to live up to this ridiculous expectation... They held significantly more realistic outlooks. To spend hours doing your hair, putting on makeup, and then walking around half-suffocating in a corset only to have some blockhead tell you he'd rather you looked pretty without them... was enough to make even the most dignified of girls hurl an expletive or two. Unfortunately for them, however, their male classmates held on to this belief with an almost religious fervor. Such thinking was especially prevalent among the nobility. Unlike their common counterparts who spent more on bread than beauty, noble boys were constantly surrounded by girls who were finely dressed and elaborately powdered.

Abel Remno also happened to be one of those who succumbed to this attitude.

Did that... really happen?

While he waited for Mia, he felt a growing sense of doubt. The events of that day felt so surreal that he wasn't sure it hadn't all been a dream. His dance partner was the Princess of the mighty Tearmoon Empire. Even now, he still had trouble believing it. And when Mia finally appeared at the other side of the room, white dress and radiant skin giving off a palpable aura of beauty, he almost pinched himself.

My god... she's gorgeous...

Abel stared, transfixed at the sight of her illuminated faintly by the dim light of the ballroom. In his eyes, she looked every bit as lovely as the moon goddess herself. It was a classic example of the oil painting effect — beautiful, when viewed from afar.

Mia turned head after head as she approached, and when she stopped in front of him, they were the focus of everyone's attention. He realized his lips were very dry. Doubt began to creep into his mind.

I'm going to dance... with her? This has to be a dream, right? Or some crazy misunderstanding.

Everything about the situation seemed so far-fetched that he couldn't help but wonder if his mind had been playing tricks on him the whole time. And because he was so concerned with his own supposed inadequacy, when the first words out of Mia's mouth were, "I'm terribly sorry, Prince Abel," he thought for sure she was calling the whole thing off.

Yeah, I figured. Well, I guess that's that. Prince Sion is a better match for her anyway.

The realization came with a heavy dose of disappointment but also the slightest sense of relief, which caused him to reply in a somewhat blithe tone, "Oh, don't be. I don't mind. You are very beautiful, after all."

Though he left unsaid the implication of his last sentence, he figured his meaning was clear: it wasn't worth her time to bother with someone like him, and she should feel free to go approach Prince Sion.

In response, Mia placed her hands on her petite bosom and let out a sigh of relief.

"How terribly kind of you, Prince Abel. Thank you very much." Then, for some reason, she took Abel's right hand in hers. "Well, then. Shall we?"

"...What?"

Before he knew it, she'd guided him to the middle of the ballroom.

Mia had kicked herself into high gear.

She didn't look nearly as good as she'd hoped, and yet Abel was still kind enough to show her a gentle smile and tell her she was beautiful. Though she knew it was flattery, she still appreciated the impulse.

Prince Abel is such a gentleman. He didn't say a word about the dress.

However, she couldn't just rely on his good will for the rest of the night. She needed to earn some points fair and square...

As princess of the Empire, Mia had been the recipient of an elite education since childhood, but her grades had never been impressive. Now, after her reincarnation, she was actually putting some work into her studies. Even so, she only managed to be slightly above average. Mediocrity was truly the name of her game.

That said, there was one thing at which she excelled — ballroom dancing. She was a top-notch dancer who could twirl with the best of them. Furthermore, she didn't just make herself look good. Her dancing was receptive. She was good enough to read her partner and match his skill level, allowing him to experience the thrill of their steps flowing in perfect unison. Make no mistake, as a dancer, Mia was the real deal.

And yet, in the previous timeline, never once did she have a chance to show off her outstanding talent. After turning down everyone who'd asked her to dance at the welcoming party for new students and spending the whole night by herself, she'd given everyone the impression that she hated dancing. Consequently, no one ever asked her to any more dances, and she endured many an evening thereafter in the company of no one but her own lonesome self.

This is it! The time has come for me to show off my dance expertise!

With Abel's hand in hers, she gently pressed his palm and smiled.

"Let us dance, Prince Abel."

"Wait, wha—"

Though he stammered hesitantly, as soon as she began, he immediately fell into step.

Hm. Not bad at all. He seems to know what he's doing.

Mia nodded with satisfaction as she stole a quick glance at Abel. His face was a mask of intense concentration. There was a stiffness to his steps, but it didn't feel like the unfamiliarity of an amateur. Rather, it seemed to be due to him paying far too much attention to the floor in an effort to keep from stepping on Mia's feet.

Not stepping on a lady's feet is indeed the most basic of courtesies, after all. I suppose that's preferable to trying so hard to dance well that he loses track of his partner. Of course, with me as his partner, that's an entirely unnecessary concern...

Little did he know, he couldn't step on Mia's feet if he'd tried. She was far too skilled of a dancer to allow that to happen.

My, do I sense some potential here? How exciting! thought Mia as she upped the ante and broke into a sequence of steps just outside of Abel's comfort zone. He could still keep up, but he'd have to work to do so. The difficulty was just right; it was the kind of sequence that, by the end, would push him to become a better dancer.