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Chapter 38
Pairs of men and women danced beautifully, like a music box.
Among them, one particular pair drew all eyes.
“They look so perfect together…”
“Ah, they’re beautiful. It’s like a masterpiece has come to life.”
Countless gazes lingered on Kaien and Freesia as they danced slowly.
“Duke, truly… such graceful beauty…”
“Ah, sorry, but my fiancée isn’t even in the same league today.”
There was only one person whose presence seemed to cast a spell over the entire hall, making every other man look like a dried-out squid in comparison.
What was remarkable, however, was that Freesia, dancing with Duke Kreutz, was not overshadowed. She shone just as harmoniously by his side.
“Is that really Freesia?”
“No way… I still can’t believe it. That awkward girl… what kind of magic did she use to become this stunning?”
“I never imagined Freesia would be the star of the graduation ball.”
Kaien and Freesia were the perfect pair. Envious glances poured in from all directions.
Several waltzes had already passed.
After the first dance, attendees were free to dance with others besides their original partners.
Yet Kaien and Freesia did not switch partners.
Several men lingered near the dazzlingly transformed Freesia.
But no one dared to take her from Kaien.
“Duke… you keep staring at Freesia.”
“Oh my… I think he’s going to eat her up!”
“My face is turning red. Oh my, oh my!”
“Last time I only saw it on video, so it was disappointing. Now I get to see this in person!”
After the fourth waltz, Freesia caught her breath.
“Duke… huff…”
“Already tired?”
“I haven’t been exercising lately, huff…”
“That’s serious. You might need some survival-type workouts.”
“I-I’m sorry… can we take a short break?”
“By all means.”
They moved to the edge of the hall, where a small lounge area had been set up with drinks and finger foods.
Freesia tried to catch her breath.
But then…
“…?”
“Huh…?!”
She looked at her hand in surprise.
Even after the waltz, her hand was still firmly held by Kaien’s.
“Why… why aren’t you letting go?”
Her sweaty palms embarrassed her, and holding hands without the excuse of dancing made her chest flutter as if sprinkled with flower pollen.
Carefully, she asked,
“Um… could you… let go of my hand now?”
“What?”
Kaien jumped as if burned.
“You were holding my hand first, you know.”
“Eh? I was just waiting for you to let go!”
“What? You didn’t want to keep holding my hand?”
“Uh… not really… the dance is over anyway…”
Kaien’s golden eyes wavered at her flustered answer, filling with a deep confusion.
“…Platonic love, maybe?”
He had heard of people who liked someone but didn’t want physical contact. Thinking this might be the case with his secretary, he felt… a little unsettled.
“Why does the word ‘flustered’ come to mind?”
Flustered, Kaien quickly let go of Freesia’s hand.
“Phew.”
Freesia instinctively rubbed her freed hand with her other hand, suddenly aware of Kaien’s lingering warmth.
Kaien turned his head slightly and said in a somewhat stiff voice,
“I should get a drink.”
“Ah, okay! I’ll get it quickly…”
Whoosh.
Without waiting for her reply, Kaien vanished like the wind.
Freesia blinked, dumbfounded.
“Did he just go get a drink instead of me…?”
She suddenly felt like she’d been sent on an errand by her superior.
“Today, he seems unusually kind.”
Perhaps, since he was her graduation ball partner, he wanted to preserve her dignity.
Freesia appreciated the unexpected thoughtfulness.
“Right… I should be thankful he dealt with Felix for me earlier.”
Just a few gestures had humiliated Felix, and Kaien had reappeared nonchalantly, rotating his wrist. Thinking of that, Freesia found herself smiling unknowingly.
Male classmates slowly began creeping toward her like a pack of wolves.
“Wow… smiling makes her even prettier.”
“How did I not recognize her until now?”
With Kaien gone, it was the perfect opportunity to approach her.
As the male classmates sized each other up, a loud voice called out:
“Freesia! Next, dance with me! Dance with me!”
“Huh?”
Freesia turned and was startled.
A middle-aged man with round glasses and a round figure stood before her.
“Professor Duncan?”
He was Cedric Duncan, the head of the Magical Department.
It wasn’t unusual to dance with teachers at the graduation ball.
Yet Freesia stared at him in disbelief.
“Professor… you know me?”
“How could I not know you!”
“Uh… but I’ve never taken your class…”
“Never? Nonsense! The paper you submitted for Introduction to Magical Engineering! Didn’t I admire it?”
“Oh… right… but the paper?”
Freesia frowned. Every paper she had submitted so far had failed.
No matter how much she had helped Felix with assignments and neglected her own, failing every single paper had made her feel she had no talent for research.
But then…
“Yes! A Basic Study on the Possibility of Magical Machine Implantation Using Animal Biological Data! One of the very few papers I gave an A+ to in my career!”
“Eh? But…”
Freesia’s eyes widened.
“I got an F on it.”
“What?!”
Professor Duncan jumped in surprise, shaking his round figure.
“That’s impossible. I clearly told my assistant to give you an A+ and request a personal meeting to discuss it further. But you refused, saying you wanted to develop it on your own!”
“Uh… I never received an A+ nor requested a personal meeting! And I never refused one!”
“What?!”
The professor staggered.
“Impossible… something must have gone seriously wrong. Huh… I’ll need to check when I return.”
Muttering, Duncan looked back at Freesia.
“Anyway! I’m glad we finally meet. I went on a long business trip after that course and had no chance to see you.”
He offered his chubby hand for a handshake.
“There’s something I wanted to tell you. How about pursuing the Academy?”
“Uh…?”
“You know what the Academy is, right? The pinnacle of scholarship! A place where pure academics flourish! A brilliant student like you surely wouldn’t refuse the Academy!”
Freesia knew about the Academy well. It was for students seeking higher research after graduating from the Academy and was highly coveted. She had once aspired to go… before her confidence was shattered.
“You could get your master’s and even your doctorate in five years. I can guarantee you an assistant professor position!”
“Uh…?”
“Assistant professor? No, full professor! I’ll promise a full professorship within ten years!”
“Eh?!”
“Hahaha, why the surprise? With your talent, it’s very possible! I, Duncan, will guide you as your mentor!”
He waved his soft, steamed-bun-like hand as if urging her to accept.
Smack!
A hand suddenly appeared and swatted Duncan’s hand away.
“Hey.”
A cold, ominous voice rang out.
“What are you trying to pull with my secretary?”
