As her words fell, Sylphie's entire body went rigid.
A blush spread across her exposed skin.
The moment she heard the word 'ball,' some 'images,' filled with girlish romance and hope, had indeed popped into her head.
And then, that image had been captured with extreme precision by Hilda.
Or rather, it had been a part of her 'induction' all along.
Sylphie's pupils quaked, but she quickly recovered.
"H-how could someone else dance at Eris's birthday…"
Hilda looked at Sylphie's expression up close, pursed her lips, and smiled. She then gracefully straightened up and leaned back in her chair.
"Who said that only the guest of honor can dance? Then what kind of ball would that be?"
"The banquet will indeed be opened by Eris's dance, but after that, the ball for all the guests will begin."
"At that time, everyone can dance in the grand domed hall specially prepared for the banquet, under the bright lights, to the sound of music."
"And at Eris's fifth birthday party, because she was so young, we went straight to the ball. Hehe, I still remember how Eris kept asking for cake. She was at an age where she was more cute than willful. I really miss it…"
Sylphie nodded blankly. "I see."
But Hilda's next words made her pupils quake again.
She heard her say, "So, the children of all the nobles in the domain, big and small, will be there. And at that age, what better way to express one's feelings than to dance closely with someone? This is also why my dear husband said it was a chance to 'socialize.' It's a good opportunity to deepen the connections between his subordinate nobles. Marriage alliances are undoubtedly a good way to make the nobles stick together."
"At that time, boys and girls will invite each other to 'share a dance'…"
"It's a 'secret code'."
"And it's the most direct way to express goodwill and closeness."
She picked up her teacup.
And glanced at Sylphie.
She had been 'petrified.'
Hilda looked at the tea in her hand and continued to apply pressure on Sylphie.
"As far as I know, the girls of the nearby noble families are very enthusiastic. I wonder how many girls will invite Alan to dance with them… ah… I'm really looking forward to it."
"G-girls invite them?"
"Yes. Noble girls can be more precocious than boys in some aspects."
Hilda pointed to her own eyes.
"And from my observation, it's often the girls who take the initiative to invite."
She looked at Sylphie's 'eyes-spinning' expression.
And said leisurely, "So who he is invited to dance with for the first dance will be particularly important…"
The dagger was revealed when the map was unrolled.
After saying this, Hilda nodded in satisfaction and took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.
The teacup gradually blocked her gaze on Sylphie's face.
By now, Sylphie had been stunned for a long time. Her expression had gone from shy at the beginning to somewhat dazed.
She thought of Alan.
She thought of confessing her feelings.
And then…
she thought of Roxy.
The next moment, Hilda's voice floated from behind the teacup.
"…Your teacher doesn't seem to be here… Isn't Alan in a bit of danger?"
"What should we do, Lufi?"
Sylphie was stunned, her mouth opening and closing cutely, but she couldn't get a single word out for a long time.
Hilda put down her teacup and propped her chin on her hand, looking out the window.
"I suddenly remembered, there's still an evening gown here…"
The thought of that very 'revealing' evening gown made Sylphie jolt, and she went into a state of responding randomly.
"E-Eris will invite Alan to dance, right!"
Hearing this, Hilda was genuinely surprised. Her mouth opened in shock, then she burst out laughing.
"Are you seriously considering my suggestion from earlier?"
Sylphie's mouth hung open.
"Ah! No! I mean Eris… no…"
Hilda shook her head.
"Don't be nervous, Lufi. It was just a joke. I've watched them get along for the past six months, and there's no romantic atmosphere between them at all."
"Watching him learn swordsmanship with Eris…"
Her smile faded, and she put down her teacup.
"For some reason… I always get the feeling… that they're like…"
"Brother and sister."
"Speaking of tenth birthdays… I wonder what the tenth birthday party in the royal capital is like…"
"It really makes one curious…"
In just a few sentences, the flustered, shy, and helpless expressions on Sylphie's face had all melted away like snow.
Her expression became 'resilient' again, and her reddish-brown eyes looked at Hilda with great concentration.
She was looking at the tree outside the window.
There was no sadness, no joy in her eyes.
Because what was missed was already a fact.
And…
more than a year had passed.
And she had thought about it too many times.
Alan in the royal capital.
Her eldest son.
One year and ten months ago, on December 31st.
How did he spend his birthday?
Was he surrounded by James and his wife and children in the name of 'family,' smiling at a joyous banquet?
Or was he, like Philip imagined, at a ball, facing the invitations of the noble girls of the royal capital, who flocked to him like butterflies?
Or was he, because he was not their biological child, neglected by James, staring at the moon in some corner at night?
Just like…
what she herself had been doing that day?
Hilda had thought about it too many times.
And had dreamed of it many times.
There were no answers.
In her dreams, 'Alan's' face was always blurry.
"…Your child must be thinking of you too…"
Hilda was taken aback. She turned to look at Sylphie, her lips moving several times before she finally just smiled helplessly.
"He probably doesn't even know he has a mother like me… but… thank you for your comfort, Lufi."
Sylphie lowered her eyes, avoiding Hilda's gaze, but then she changed the subject, bringing it back to what they were talking about earlier.
"So you think Alan and Eris… look more like brother and sister…"
Hilda glanced at Sylphie.
"Yes, Lufi. I always feel that they're like brother and sister when they're together… I never even thought about the possibility of setting them up…"
"Perhaps because Alan's name is the same as my child's, I see a shadow of my own child in him."
"Perhaps…"
"It's just my imagination."
After saying this, the two of them were silent for a long time.
Sylphie looked up with a smile and said to Hilda, "Then would you like to come and see for yourself, my lady? Alan and Eris are also very interesting together in the classroom."
Hilda was taken aback. Her original intention was to comfort Sylphie, but she had never expected her to say this. She subconsciously replied, "Is that so… The image of it makes me a little curious… but if I go, everyone will be nervous, right? The last time I went to swordsmanship class, Ghislaine, Alan, and Rudeus all clearly became very formal… that's why I avoid your classes…"
"They wouldn't be nervous if you were a teacher."
"As a… teacher?"
Hilda was stunned and looked at Sylphie.
She was sitting upright, a strange light shining in her eyes.
A soft voice drifted into her ears.
"Recently, the etiquette class has been covering the etiquette of the Boreas nobles."
"There's no one more authoritative to teach that than you, my lady, is there?"
In the short time of the tea party, the emotional atmosphere between Hilda and Sylphie was one of induction, and also of expectation.
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