# 44
44. The Moment Stars Fell on the Count's Estate (5)
"There's a fountain ahead. Shall we sit here?"
"Alright."
There was no proper place to sit, so I seated him on the edge of the fountain. And as I sat down next to him, fountain water splashed against my back.
It was quite cold. I huddled up and looked back at him. We were both in nightclothes, so there was no warmth to expect. I debated whether I should wrap the shawl I had on around him. When I tried, he shook his head and refused.
"I'm fine."
"You're wearing something thin. It's cold, so please put it on."
"I don't need it, so you wear it."
"...And with a weak body too."
When I grumbled worriedly, his expression turned fierce in an instant. He finally took off the shawl and tossed it into my arms, his demeanor irritable. Seeing him throw a tantrum, he seemed to have calmed down a bit.
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yes."
"What nightmare did you have again today?"
"I dreamed of the day I lost my sight."
What a certain nightmare. I couldn't ask any more and closed my mouth. When the conversation stopped, only the sound of fountain water falling filled the darkness. I swung my legs for no reason, and he stared into the void.
"I couldn't fall asleep because I kept thinking about what happened at the party."
"Why?"
"Because it was so enjoyable. That elated feeling from back then still remains."
Even now, if I close my eyes, the hall unfolds before me and classical music plays. No, now even with my eyes open, it unfolds and I hear it. I softly pulled the corners of my mouth into a smile.
"It was my first time wearing such a dress. No, it was my first time seeing such a pretty dress. Lady Violet said she'd give it to me as a gift, but I refused. It felt like it didn't suit me, and it was too expensive, so it was burdensome."
"Violet has countless dresses. No one would say anything even if you took just one."
"Still, it's too precious for me to wear."
It was certainly a beautiful dress. A dress any woman would want to wear at least once. Because I wore it, it felt like its beauty was fading. If Violet had worn it, the dress would surely have shone brighter.
"I'm satisfied with just having worn it once."
"You have no greed for clothes."
"It's not that I don't, but if possible, it's better for someone it suits to wear it."
And even if I had it, I'd have nowhere to wear it to. No one to show it to either. So Violet wearing it would be more valuable. I was truly satisfied just having worn it.
"Dancing was also too difficult. You have to step like this, like this."
I awkwardly stepped through the movements Lucas had taught me during the day. I also took the posture, saying my hands should go like this. Violet danced well, Lucas and Ethan went without saying, and even Vincent, who couldn't see, danced smoothly, but it was endlessly difficult for me.
"Ugh, I feel like I'll never be able to dance."
I came down to the floor and tried to fumble through the dance I did at the party again. My feet immediately got tangled. I shook my head. If it were a dance I could just do freely, I could dance well. When I danced with Violet, I didn't stand on ceremony and just enjoyed it.
"But Lord Lucas danced incredibly well!"
I recalled his footwork, which was smooth unlike my clumsy movements. He also had no hesitation in leading me. If I followed his dance, I fell under the illusion that I could dance well too. Of course, it was truly just an illusion. When I remembered the number of times I stepped on his instep, my elated feelings fizzled away.
No, well, I did dance hard too. As I was muttering softly, Vincent stood up. Then he suddenly held out his hand. My widened eyes landed on his fingertips.
"What is it?"
"Give me your hand."
"Pardon?"
"Let's dance."
Wi-with me? I stuttered without realizing. Vincent nodded.
"Why?"
"Because I want to dance."
"So I'm asking why."
"Don't you want to?"
It's not that I don't want to... but still...
I hesitated, looking at his hand. I had never learned to dance, nor had the chance to learn. Even while dancing with Lucas, I didn't know how many times I stepped on his feet. They'd probably be swollen all night. Lucas tried not to show it, but I could see him suffering as time went on.
I hesitated and couldn't easily take his hand. Vincent, who had been waiting for that, put one hand behind his back and slightly bent his upper body.
"Would you care to dance with me?"
"..."
His unwavering emerald eyes gazed gently at me. I fidgeted with my fingers.
"I-if I'm bad at it and step on your feet, Master, what then?"
"I'll forgive you once."
"What if I step on you twice?"
"I'll think about it. What to do."
"For the sake of our mutual peace, let's not dance. My life is precious too."
"I'm joking. You can step on me."
He reached his hand out further. He crooked his finger, telling me to hurry and grab it.
"It's not like I'll have anywhere to dance, so I'll just keep it as a good memory."
"How bad must you be to act like this? Are you that unconfident?"
"Yes. I'm really bad at dancing."
At this point, I just answered honestly. Still, he didn't back down.
"Just match my movements."
"I really, really can't dance."
"Alright. I'll dance slowly so you can follow, and you watch our surroundings. I can't see, so you need to help me."
He crooked his finger again. There was no sign of him backing down. Hurry up, his eyes urged. I swallowed dryly and looked at him. The hesitation was both short and long. The elated feeling I had in the afternoon bound me once more.
I clutched my swelling heart and took his hand. Then I led him to the opposite side of the fountain.
As we stood facing each other, I gulped nervously. He placed one hand on my back and raised my hand with the other. The distance between us grew closer. As our bodies brushed against each other, I slightly pulled back and placed my hand on his shoulder. Since I had already danced once, it wasn't difficult to take the posture.
He stepped to the side. My feet clumsily followed him. That was the beginning. Our bodies moved in harmony, spinning round and round. Then when he moved his body in the opposite direction, I moved my body to follow him. Clumsily, I matched the rhythm with him. Just as he had told me, he led me very slowly.
Lucas guided me on the direction whenever I wandered. But Vincent didn't tell me to do this or that. Instead, he calmly led me so I could follow on my own. I was one beat late, but I could follow him without difficulty.
Still, having danced in the afternoon, my footwork had become somewhat smoother. However, I still couldn't say I danced well. Moreover, right now I wasn't wearing a pretty dress or beautiful shoes. A white negligee, a shawl draped to ward off the cold, and cheap shoes similar to mine was all there was. He too was dressed in a nightgown and a coat instead of tails.
If someone saw us, they might mistake us for ghosts and scream. At my snort of laughter from that imagination, Vincent's eyebrows curved. He seemed to be asking why I was laughing.
"Because I thought someone might scream if they saw you and me, Master."
"They'd think we're ghosts."
"Yes, pfft haha."
He also seemed to think of the same thing and drew a smile.
As my body spun, the negligee fluttered and brushed against my skin. My gaze turned to the sky where stars were falling.
The world sparkled. The stars falling on the estate became a chandelier, and the sound of the fountain transformed into classical music. This place is a hall, and we are dancing. This was no different from the afternoon hall.
The sensation of this very moment made me elated once again.
Stars fell from the sky. It felt like they were enveloping him and me. Then the touch of the fabric brushing against my skin, the warmth of our clasped hands, the cool breeze sweeping through my hair, and the man standing before me all felt different from usual.
The surroundings sparkle.
It's fun.
It was so enjoyable it was almost ecstatic.
"You dance well."
"You teach well."
"It must be because the teacher is good."
"It's because the student is excellent."
I shrugged. However, people always make mistakes when they let their guard down. My foot firmly stepped on his instep.
"I'm sorry."
He immediately frowned. I quickly moved my foot. But his mouth didn't forget to express his complaint.
"Your feet are too slow."
"Please just do one thing—either praise me or criticize me."
"I try to give you a compliment and you let your guard down like this."
"Mistakes can happen. You're really mean."
When I grumbled, he shrugged. Even during that time, we were still spinning round and round.
"I'm not mean, I'm honest."
"Being too honest isn't attractive either."
"My charm comes from that honesty."
"What a scary thing to say. Come to think of it, Lady Violet said she was surprised to see you grumbling for the first time. Really, just how much did you put on airs that everyone doesn't know your nasty personality, Master?"
"Insolent."
"My insolence is my charm."
"I suppose. That's why you dare to run your mouth in front of me."
"I dare to do so thanks to your great generosity, Master."
I fought back without yielding a single word. And while doing so, both he and I were laughing. Light laughter echoed around us. This too—if someone heard it, they might be startled and run away. Because what else would they think seeing a man and woman giggling at each other while spinning round and round under the moonlight?
A stronger wind blew in. I tilted my head back at the refreshing sensation. It feels good. Feeling that sensation, I closed my eyes.
Then suddenly my body tilted.
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
His body fell backward. At the same time, I fell too. Once one person lost their balance, the collapse was instantaneous. In the blink of an eye, we were sucked into the fountain.
Water filled my nostrils. I flailed my limbs and barely planted my feet on the bottom. When I exhaled my blocked breath, a coughing fit erupted. Only after coughing repeatedly with tears and runny nose did I come to my senses.
When I looked around, I became dumbfounded. We really had fallen into the fountain. No, how absorbed in dancing must I have been to not even realize we were jumping into the fountain? When I looked at Vincent, he also had a dumbfounded face.
"You."
"I'm sorry. Achoo!"
"..."
I sneezed and huddled my body. My clothes were heavy from being soaked. The wind that had felt refreshing until now felt cold. I sneezed repeatedly again.
But some of them weren't from me. Vincent was sneezing too. And like me, he huddled his body. Soon after, I sneezed again too.
Sneezing side by side, we looked at each other. We were both no different from drowned rats.
Laughter burst out in that moment.
The first one to burst out laughing was me. Soon after, he laughed too. For some reason, I couldn't hold back my laughter.