IAYA 33

chapter 33

I blinked several times, staring at Teansis in front of me, but nothing changed. Unbelievably, this seemed to be reality, not a dream.

Teansis had asked me out on a date.

“Oh my gosh.”

I really couldn’t believe it. This was completely different from gaining the powers of the Monster Queen through Zer’s experiments.

Teansis had promised to protect me because of the powers I had acquired. But a date invitation was different. This was truly directed at me.

To me, that difference felt enormous.

Frozen and unable to respond, I stiffly stayed still. Teansis, noticing me, spoke softly.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll interpret it however I like.”

“…Alright.”

My trembling voice didn’t seem to reach him properly, and he looked at me with a questioning expression. I cleared my throat and said again:

“I’d love that!”

My voice had come out louder than I expected. Teansis’s eyes widened for a moment, but then he smiled gently, tracing a soft curve.

Every detail of that smile was etched into my eyes.

“I really want to go on a date. I’m, it’s an honor.”

Teansis finally let out a low laugh at my words. Looking at him, I felt like I could fly.

It was my first date ever. And with Teansis, the one I had dreamed about—thinking about it, it felt like I had spent all the luck I would ever get in one day.

Teansis looked at the remaining food on the table and said,

“Shall we go?”

Honestly, I was so full that my eating had slowed considerably. I had stayed out of reluctance to waste food, but I didn’t think I could eat anymore.

Teansis must have sensed my feelings.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

I nodded, and Teansis stood first. I could feel the gazes of those around us briefly drawn to him.

He approached my seat and extended his hand. Without saying a word, I understood that he was asking me to take his hand and stand.

Thump. Thump.

My heart raced.

He had escorted me earlier, but he had never offered his hand like this.

I had touched him unintentionally before, but holding his hand like this was new. Already, I felt the reality of this date.

Worried that my wildly beating heart might transmit through our hands, I nervously took Teansis’s hand and rose to my feet.

At that moment, I heard whispers around us.

“Oh my, look at that man.”
“He’s incredibly handsome.”
“Who is he?”

Even wearing a mask, Teansis drew people’s attention. And here I was, walking beside him.

For today, I truly felt like a princess in a fairy tale.

I stepped out with Teansis into the bustling festival streets.

Strangely, we didn’t bump into anyone as we walked. It seemed like he was walking on the outer side, shielding me.

Realizing this, I found myself staring at his profile. He spoke in a husky voice:

“Is there anything you wanted to do at the festival?”

“Anything I wanted to do?”

“Yes. If there’s something you want, just tell me.”

I paused, considering, and then something caught my eye.

I suddenly stopped walking, and he looked at me with a curious expression.

“That. I’ve always wanted to try it.”

Teansis followed my pointing finger.

There was a small riverside connected to the Camar Academy, with rowboats giving couples rides. The floating candles on the water were breathtaking.

In a way, it was a classic date course.

At nearly forty, this was my first date, but I had imagined countless date scenarios. Among them, the rowboat always came to mind.

Teansis looked at the rowboat and said in his husky voice:

“That seems too easy.”

“Excuse me?”

“I intended to fulfill any wish you had, but riding a boat together is just too easy.”

It wasn’t easy at all to be alone in a boat with Teansis.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on that. He immediately took my hand and walked toward the rowboats.

We sat side by side as we got into the boat.

Just as Teansis was about to row, a person approached us, holding out a candle.

“This is a wish candle from Camar Academy. They’re provided free during the festival—make a wish and float it on the river.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I took the candle awkwardly, since Teansis had the oar and it made sense for me to hold it.

Even before boarding, I had thought the candles floating on the river were beautiful, and now it seemed the academy had distributed them.

We moved to a quiet spot on the river. Teansis removed his mask, and in the soft moonlight, his sculpted features seemed even more radiant.

He gazed at me with his mysterious purple eyes and asked,

“May I ask you something?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“I noticed that all the other academy staff wore elaborate costumes, but only the lady wore a maid outfit. I’m curious why.”

“Oh, during the festival, the staff coordinated costumes. They decided by vote to dress like princes and princesses in a fairy tale… but having just a princess felt lonely, so a maid was included too.”

“Really? Then how did they choose who would wear the maid costume?”

“Oh, just the ones working in the pharmacy…”

Crack. Suddenly, the oar in Teansis’s hand broke.

I looked in surprise, but he calmly adjusted his grip on another part of the oar.

“That seems a bit unfair.”

“It’s fine.”

“You shouldn’t hold back too much.”

I laughed softly. At first, I had been upset about the costume, but now it really didn’t matter.

“I couldn’t wear the princess outfit, but I got to spend time with the duke. That was more fun, so it’s fine.”

It was sincere. If I had to choose between the outfit and Teansis, I would have chosen him without hesitation.

At this dreamy date, the outfit didn’t matter anymore.

Teansis was quiet for a moment. I thought his ears looked slightly red in the moonlight, but it was too dark to be certain.

After a moment, he spoke softly:

“Anyway, I’ll make a suggestion. The festival isn’t over today.”

“Oh, that’s really—”

“I didn’t think I could manage it myself,” he interrupted.

I stopped mid-sentence, looking at him. Depending on how I thought about it, it was a very sweet comment.

Then—

Bang! Boom! Bang!

Fireworks exploded in the sky. This was also the signal for the festival dance to begin.

Music soon drifted from afar. Even from here, I could faintly see couples dancing.

Watching them, I murmured involuntarily:

“…Festival dance.”

Legend said that couples dancing exactly on the hour would have their love fulfilled. I had only heard of it before, never seen it.

Suddenly, I remembered what Petrin had said to me:

─Let’s see if you can dance at the festival in this outfit!

Even without that remark, I never expected I’d be able to dance with someone. I only envied the couples around me.

Teansis, watching me mesmerized by the festival dance, said:

“Would you like to dance?”

“Excuse me?”

“You want to do the festival dance, right?”

“Oh, I didn’t check the time, so it’ll probably be over by the time we get off the boat.”

I was grateful but disappointed that he had spoken first. If I had known, I would have boarded the rowboat later.

But I didn’t have time to think—Teansis extended his hand toward me.

I didn’t understand, so I stared. He said softly:

“I said I would fulfill all your wishes earlier. You can dance even on the boat.”

“B-But it might be dangerous…”

“I will make sure not even a single hair on you is harmed.”

His promise to protect me was sweet, and I had never trusted anyone so fully before.

Even if danger struck immediately, I felt completely safe with Teansis.

I hesitated, and Teansis stood first. The boat wobbled slightly, but it was fine.

“Will you dance with me?”

It was a picture-perfect moment. Teansis asking me to dance on a boat dotted with countless floating candles.

My heart raced with excitement.

I no longer hesitated and took his hand, standing in the boat. It wobbled again, but I could maintain balance.

I rested my face on Teansis’s shoulder, finding my stance. The boat was narrow, so I couldn’t move my legs, but its gentle drift felt like dancing.

“This is… my first festival dance.”

Teansis replied softly to my shy confession:

“Mine too.”

I knew he hadn’t spent much time at Camar Academy, but I hadn’t expected it was also his first festival dance.

Looking up at me in surprise, he continued softly:

“I’ve never danced with a woman before.”

I widened my eyes. Not only was it his first festival dance, but he had never danced with a woman.

Thinking back, I’d heard he had escorted people before, but never danced.

“Ah…”

My heart pounded loudly.

From the start of the date, it felt like everything today was making me believe I was someone special to Teansis.

Then he leaned down and whispered softly:

“It would be a shame to end it like this. How about we dance again officially tomorrow?”

Of course, I agreed. My heart raced so much that I only nodded.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The chimes marked the hour.

Hand in hand, in his embrace—it all felt unbelievably sweet, as if it couldn’t be real.

Leaning against his firm chest, I closed my eyes, silently wishing this moment would never end if it were a dream.

Back at the lodging, I held the candle we hadn’t floated on the river.

We had danced on the boat, so we missed the timing to set it afloat. Seeing my disappointment, Teansis suggested we meet at the river again tomorrow.

We promised to meet tomorrow evening at the boat location—just the two of us.

As I walked, I pinched my cheek.

“Ouch!”

It hurt more than expected, confirming this wasn’t a dream.

A smile kept creeping onto my face. I wondered if it was okay to feel this happy.

Teansis offered to escort me to the lodging, but I repeatedly declined, worried he might see me smiling foolishly.

Just as we neared the lodging, a voice called:

“Teacher.”

I stopped and looked toward the voice. A faint figure emerged in the darkness—a woman.

She slowly walked into the light. To my surprise, it was Reigeni.

“Lady Anox?”

I looked at her in surprise. As usual, her expression was calm, but there was a subtle difference.

She seemed… angry. I couldn’t explain why, but it felt that way.

She looked at the large ribbon on my head and the candle in my hand, smiling wryly. Even that was beautiful.

“Lady Anox, what brings you here? Were you waiting for me?”

Without hesitation, she nodded. But I didn’t understand why she would wait for me, so I looked at her puzzled.

“Yes. I was waiting for you. I thought you might have forgotten what I said before.”

“What did you say…?”

“I asked you not to linger near Duke Acruse.”

Then I remembered clearly what Reigeni had said in the pharmacy. Right, she had warned me.

But because of the Monster Queen’s powers, I couldn’t avoid Teansis.

“Well… Lady Anox, I can’t explain in detail, but I’m somehow involved with the Duke…”

“Last time it was a coincidence, now you have some reason I don’t know about?”

Her question left me speechless.

From her perspective, she might be upset. Reigeni was supposed to be engaged to Teansis.

“I thought you would follow my instructions for a while, but today I saw you with the masked Duke.”

She didn’t ask how I knew. That wasn’t the point.

“If you continue to hang out with the Duke, I can only assume you’re trying to interfere with our engagement. If that’s not your intention, you need to provide proof.”

Proof?

With so many secrets of my own, I had no proof to show Reigeni.

As I hesitated, she stared sharply and continued:

“Show evidence that you don’t intend to interfere. Otherwise, I won’t stay idle any longer.”

Looking at Reigeni’s piercing gaze, I realized that it was time to wake from this dream.