” – I don’t mind dancing, but could you lend me a maid?”
When Floria made that offer, Sherira nodded without a second thought.
She couldn’t possibly dance a sword dance in front of Sherira, so if she wanted to perform an ordinary dance, she would have to wear a dress.
When it came to wearing a full-fledged dress, preparing it alone was quite difficult.
By the way, she had properly put the dress itself in her Item Box, just in case.
Furthermore, Floria asked for Streep to be prepared.
Streep was a standard instrument even in the Florece Kingdom, so she assumed the Duchy Family would have at least one for practice.
“Of course we have one, but what will you do? You’re going to dance, right?”
“Mia can also use the Streep.”
Mia was properly learning Streep at Razek Amamiya’s Academy.
Mia, who achieved above-standard results in everything at the academy, could play it passably, though not as well as Miku.
Incidentally, she sometimes played accompaniment for Floria’s dance practice.
Seeing Floria say that while looking at Mia, Sherira nodded once and then said.
“I see. You are Ria’s daughter.”
Sherira seemed to know Mia and looked at her with a hint of emotion.
Floria, as if teasing Sherira, said,
“She’s a daughter who, despite her age, hasn’t found a partner and wanders around doing as she pleases.”
“Oh. If that’s permissible, then isn’t it fine? I imagine you and that other person permit it as well, don’t you?”
Sherira didn’t specifically name anyone, but everyone present immediately understood who she was referring to.
Floria’s face became a little grim at Sherira’s question, and she nodded.
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
“Ah, um. Mother, that’s enough…”
Mia, feeling the gazes of the Duke and Duchess becoming painfully sharp, stopped Floria’s chatter.
Of course, she was primarily speaking to Floria, but she also had the intention of subtly keeping Sherira in check (?).
Floria, who didn’t intend to use her daughter as a crutch forever, nodded and said to Sherira.
“Well then, I will go prepare. Please wait a moment.”
It’s the same for women to take time to get ready, in any world.
Sherira nodded with an understanding expression.
“Yes, I understand. I will tell the maids where you will be dancing, so leave it to me.”
“Understood.”
Floria nodded at Sherira’s words and then looked at Mia, implying she should come along.
Mia, who perfectly understood this, nodded silently.
***
When Sherira and the others from the Duchy Family saw Floria and Mia appear in the dance room, dressed impeccably in their dresses, they were astonished.
Perhaps it was because they had been wearing adventurer-style clothes until just before, but their impression was completely different.
To be more precise, both Floria and Mia appeared to emanate an aura of those who stood above others.
If a certain god were here, he might say, “They’ve transformed.”
Floria and Mia, wearing their dresses in a way that made it hard to believe they had been in adventurer’s clothes moments before, took their respective positions while drawing the attention of the members of the Duchy Family.
Floria stood at the center of the dance room, and Mia, holding the Streep, sat on a chair on the opposite side of the room, as if to face the members of the Duchy Family.
When Mia had finished adjusting the Streep’s tone, Floria glanced over to confirm.
Then, with both preparations complete, it began with Mia’s performance.
Mia’s Streep skills were not top-tier, but she possessed enough technique to perform in front of an audience.
Furthermore, she had accompanied Floria’s practice countless times, so she could play in a way that matched Floria’s dancing even better than Miku could.
Therefore, though the members of the Duchy Family were unaware, Mia was arguably the best accompaniment for Floria’s dancing.
After a few notes from Mia’s Streep flowed, Floria began her dance.
And from the women of the Duchy Family who saw it, gasps of admiration escaped.
“Mother…”
“Shh. Watch silently. You may never have another chance to see such a dance again.”
The Duchess said this to her children, her gaze fixed intently on Floria’s dance.
Floria’s dance was performed with such exceptional skill that it compelled the Duchess to say so.
Of course, it wasn’t just the women who were surprised.
The Duke and the male children gathered in the dance hall watched Floria’s dance, mesmerized.
And Sherira, who had requested Floria to dance, watched without looking away for a moment and murmured,
“I never thought I’d see this with my own eyes again…”
Her murmur was mixed with a complex range of emotions.
There were even faint tears in Sherira’s eyes, but no one pointed them out.
It would be tactless to comment on it here, but more importantly, they wanted to focus on Floria’s dance.
The dance Floria performed before the members of the Duchy Family this time was an improved version of a song and dance that had existed in the Florece Kingdom since ancient times.
The dance possessed a sense of the old and good, yet also a sense of newness.
Furthermore, the dance itself felt less like a performance for an audience and more like a ritual of some kind.
If this were part of some ritual being held in a temple, no one would find it odd.
Floria’s dance possessed a peculiar energy that made the viewers feel so.
After finishing the song, Floria returned to the center of the hall and bowed. The members of the Duchy Family, as if waking from a dream, looked up in surprise and then began to applaud.
The maids and stewards, who had been waiting at the edge of the hall so as not to be a hindrance to their masters, applauded as well.
However, no one among the members of the Duchy Family reprimanded them for it.
And it was a natural progression for the children of the Duchy Family, seeing Floria still smiling, to request another dance.
Sherira had seen Floria practicing a few times before she married into the Duchy Family.
