Maydare Volume 1 Chapter 10 - The Ball (Part 1)

 Makia and gang go to the ball and learn some shocking things!

---

Previous | TOC | Next

“You know The Wizard of Oz, right? Just like in that story, the protagonist falls from the sky.”

Tanaka-san was talking about the novel she was writing. 

“And then the next thing she knows, she’s in another world. There, she can talk to animals and use magic. And then she’s asked to defeat a villain.”

“Villain?”

“A witch. An evil witch. She’s jealous of the protagonist for being protected by wonderful princes and knights, and she’s trying to find her, kidnap her and kill her. She used all kinds of methods. But the protagonist is able to get through with her wisdom and quick wit, and finally she punishes the witch...and kills her.”

“Sh-she kills her?”

“In every story, the evil witch always dies at the end, right? She has to be punished for causing so much pain to so many people.”

“...But…”

Maybe even an evil witch has something she wants to protect, or a reason for doing so.

I swallowed down what I wanted to say.

That was what happened in Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The witch was always the villain, and in the end she dies, and that’s the happy ending.

But when I read those kinds of stories, I couldn’t help but be interested in the witches who were hated and died in pitiful ways. I had been that way since I was little.

I couldn’t help but think about the inner feelings of the lonely witch hidden behind the story. It was somewhat heartrending to see the witch who is powerful but alone, and not loved by anyone.

〇 

After I dreamed of my previous life, a ball in a castle really did seem like something out of a dream.

But in Maydare, this was reality, and we were busy preparing for it.

Because today was the day of the ball at the royal palace.

“Say, Makia, I don’t look strange, do I?”

“No, you look wonderful, Lapis. You’re tall, so you have a good figure. I’m so jealous.”

Lapis looked very good in her simple navy dress, which made her look more mature than usual. Her long black hair was braided, and she wore it up with a flower and pearl hair ornament that was set off nicely by her black hair.

Next is my preparations.

Mother sent an elegant and fashionable dress with puff sleeves, made of a wine-red material with tiers of lace. I curled the ends of my hair tightly, swept it to one side, and fastened it to the side with a silver barrette. Lastly, I put on my usual cherry-colored lipstick...

“Haa...Makia is so beautiful that it makes one sigh. A perfect mix of seductive and innocent allure...haa.”

“I don’t really understand, but thank you, Lapis.”

Lapis and I were complimenting each other on this and that.

“But, are you okay with those for your earrings?”

“These?”

The red crystal earrings Thor gave me.

It was true that these were cheap items, and they might be mismatched with the dress I was wearing today.

“It’s fine. Even though they’re cheap, they’re an irreplaceable treasure to me.”

I looked at myself in the mirror again.

Nearly two years have passed since the day Thor and I were separated.

I was still a child at that time, but I think I’ve grown up a little.

I wore my ball gown with no feeling of discomfort, and my expression and demeanour exhibited composure.

Although, my heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was about to burst.

For today’s ball, the only Lune Ruschia students invited were us Team 9 and the student council. I’ve heard that it was a great honor. 

But I didn’t care about that.

I might be able to meet Thor here today.

If I could see him, what would I say to him?

I’ve been thinking about that for a long time. 

The ball was held in the “Great Hall of Flowers and Birds” in Miladriede Castle.

The clock tower rang the bell at six p.m. At this dusk hour, we climbed the grand marble stairs that overlooked the rose garden. 

We couldn’t bring rings or wands or any other magical tools into the hall.

On the other side of the big door, where prim-faced guards were in the waiting, was a place every girl longed for.

It was a dream-like space.*

“Wow…”

The gorgeous hall was already crowded with people, and it was sparkling so brightly that I felt dizzy.

A huge chandelier in the shape of a flower, created by magic, was suspended in the air as it slowly rotated. Around it, glass flowers were floating in a circle, reflecting light and making the venue sparkle.

The shiny marble floor reflected the ladies’ bright dresses, which were gorgeous and beautiful. There were many peacock-colored dresses, which were in fashion right now, and I was stunned at the overwhelming number of dresses with puffed sleeves…

Nero and Frey didn’t seem interested in this glamorous space, but they were ordered by the king to attend the ball. Nero was wearing a white and blue outfit that went well with his platinum blond hair, and Frey was in grey and red.

They both looked depressed, but they looked pretty good at a glance.

“Nero, are you really from a commoner background? There’s no royalty or anything like that when you trace your lineage back?”

“Why?”

“When you dress like that, you look like a prince. You have a pretty face when you clean yourself up.”

I complimented Nero, who was escorting me, and gave him a big thumbs up.

Nero didn’t seem to care at all. With a frank and indifferent tone, he said,

“You too...when you dress like that, it makes me think, Ah, she’s a girl.”

“There? You realized that from there?”

I wasn’t expecting him to say things like “You look like a princess” or “As expected of a noble lady,” but I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that before, he was at the level where he barely understood that I was a girl. 

I’m pretty sure I usually dress pretty girlishly, though?

“I heard that the king has a very important announcement to make at today’s ball…”

“I’m sure he’ll make the matter of the ‘Savior’ public. All the nobles here know about it.”

“I heard she was found a little while ago. I wonder if the Savior and Guardians this time will be okay.”

I could hear troubled whispers from the gaps in this dazzling world.

The attendees had somewhat uneasy looks on their faces.

The rest of the team except for me didn’t know anything definite about the Savior. 

Nero and Frey met her one time, and they might have guessed something, but…

“Oh, look. The dance is about to start. Let’s dance at least one dance decently.”

“Whaaa…”

The boys were such a pain.

However, we held intensive dance training sessions in the atelier after school so as to not be embarrassed on this day. In contrast to Nero and Lapis, who couldn’t dance at all, Frey and I were reasonably proficient in it.

So the pairs pretty much became me and Nero, and Lapis and Frey. Because one of us had to lead.

“Aaah. If I’m gonna dance, I’d want it to be with some pretty older lady. You’re pretty, Miss Lapis, but you’re younger than me.” 

“I am the same age as you, in case you don’t know. I’m an international student, after all.”

“Wait, really? But the same age, huh. What a shame.”

“I’m feeling angry for some reason.”

Since Frey was grumbling with his hands clasped behind his head, Lapis was quietly getting irritated…

“One dance, and then it’s free time. Frey, why don’t you do what you do best and go pick up some girls? You can dance quite well, after all. Lapis, let’s dance together later!”

When I gave another enthusiastic thumbs up, Lapis nodded happily and said, “That’s a good idea!” and Frey was already marking out the older ladies.

As I have recently discovered, Frey had an upper class education. Maybe he was the son of a good family? Like a noble family?

He never told us anything about himself, so I had no clue. The Levi family didn’t ring a bell…

At that moment, the hall became abuzz with excitement. 

“It’s the third prince, Lord Gilbert!”

“My, how beautiful!”

The women were in raptures. Coming down from the stairs that led to the second floor of the venue was the prince, dressed in a dark green outfit and with his long pale beige hair tied back.

“That’s a prince of the Kingdom of Ruschia...he really does have the sparkling and glitter of a prince.”

I have heard that the Kingdom of Ruschia had five princes. 

The third prince, Gilbert, was waving with an amiable smile on his face, but when he looked over at us, his eyes filled with hatred and he began moving towards us quickly. What, what’s going on!?

“Why are you here, Frey?”

The prince then spoke to Frey in a cold tone. Frey, looking even more bothered than usual, said,

“...I haven’t seen you in ages as well, Brother!”

Huh…? Brother??

“Why don’t you just ignore me? You’re gathering a lot of attention, you know?”

“Shut it! I don’t remember inviting you here!”

When they were about to argue, Professor Ulysses, who was well-known for this even at Lune Ruschia, stepped in to intercede.

“Please don’t fight! Also, it was the king who invited Frey.”

The professor had taken off his magician robes for the day and looked wonderful in his princely attire.

“B-but, Brother!”

“Gilbert…’Airi’ is calling you upstairs.”

When Professor Ulysses told him in a low voice, Prince Gilbert suddenly turned bright red, cleared his throat, and eagerly left the scene.

“Frey, I’m glad that you came. I thought you wouldn’t like it.”

“...Well, my teammates aren’t up to the task.”

Professor Ulysses chuckled. “Well then, everyone, please enjoy yourselves.” he said, and then immediately left to chase after Prince Gilbert. 

As for us Team 9, we had been standing there stock still without blinking for a while now. 

After a considerably long silence,

“Huh? Frey...you were...a prince?”

I broke the silence and finally looked up at Frey beside me.

It was strange. This guy was supposed to be a playboy who served as our team’s straight man. 

“Haa~. This is why I hate royal balls.”

“...”

“Oh, just so you know, I’m the youngest fifth prince, not the heir to the throne. My mom did something pretty bad and got kicked out of the palace. I got tossed out with her at that time too. So, don’t dream about targeting me and marrying into the family, girls.”

“Uh, we’re not dreaming about that, though.”

Putting that aside, the princes of this country secretly go to magic school like Frey or become teachers like Professor Ulysses...what was going on here? 

“Should we be formal with him, Makia?”

“I don’t know. What should we do, Nero?”

“...Isn’t it better to just keep things as they are?”

To Nero’s statement, we said, “You’re right.” Frey also said, “Do that,” and brushed his hair upwards with a fed-up look on his face. He said that he wanted to die when people treat him like a prince.

“Now, now, let’s stop talking about depressing topics and start dancing! Miss Lapis, please give me your hand.”

“You’re suddenly getting motivated. You’re dodging something, I see.”

The waltz had already begun. Here and there, gentlemen invited ladies to join them on the dance floor. 

The enraptured faces of the ladies and the waves of fluttering dresses were dizzyingly beautiful.

“Makia...shall we dance too?”

“Yes, of course. I didn’t drill you for it all to go to waste, after all.”

Once again, my hand was taken by Nero, and we walked under the sparkling chandelier.

Nero stepped on my feet several times, and each time he said “Sorry...sorry” with a straight face.

It was pretty cute how he was usually so cool and good at everything, but bad at dancing…

---

Previous | TOC | Next