Welcome to the Ballroom

Before I knew it, the big day had arrived.

Tugging at my seemingly starched collar, I nervously studied the immense hall that served as the venue for Arcana Academy’s annual debutante ball. As mentioned earlier, it was both a coming-of-age debut for young nobles and a celebration of the academy’s acceptance of talented mages.

Honestly, I felt out of place. Though I had occasionally read about it during my second life here, as someone who grew up in a border province far from the capital, I never imagined I would be participating in one.

Dad, mom…if only you could see me now.

I had sent them letters, and they responded with congratulations and encouragement. Unfortunately, dad had to govern Livrebrook province, and so they couldn’t attend. The capital was too far, anyhow, so I never expected them to make the trip.

Rather, I was hoping to weasel my way out of this stuffy event. My original plan to skip it and either hide in the dorm or sneak out at night was crushed when Lumiere requested me to be her partner, and I wasn’t the kind of person to let a friend down.

“My, Sir Trevor. You were already here? You should have said something.”

“Lady Lumiere.” I stepped back and bowed as she approached. For a moment, I was mesmerized by her beauty. She was dressed in the black silk gown that she had chosen in the boutique the previous month, the frilly length of the dress reaching her ankles and slit open just enough to reveal her dark high heels. The shade of night matched her long hair and ruby eyes perfectly, and fashionable straps left her shoulders and arms bare, adding to her already natural sensuality. The golden links of her pendant were visible, with the keepsake gleaming in her bosom. When she tilted her head with a frown, as if awaiting something, I finally broke out of my stupor. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” Lumiere examined me before nodding, pleased. It was only natural. I wore the black jacket, long pants and white shirt that she had selected. “You look excellent too. See what happens when you put even the minimum level of effort into dressing up? You look much less of a dork.”

“Hey, don’t make fun of my graphic t-shirts!” I complained. “Even though they look like that, I worked very hard to design them!”

“G…graph what?” Lumiere repeated, perplexed.

“Never mind.”

Lumiere raised an eyebrow and brushed her fingers along her hair to straighten it. “Well, fine. Anyway, let’s not waste time dawdling here. The debutante ball is about to begin.”

She beckoned impatiently, and I reflexively offered her my arm. Once she took it, we stepped into the humongous hall, mingling with the many couples who flooded its lavish interior.

My attention was initially drawn to the rows of long banquet tables lining the walls of the hall. It was a buffet-style course, packed with a variety of delicacies ranging from fresh salad to potato stew to roasted turkey to slices of creamy cakes.

Then I felt Lumiere pull at my arm and I followed her gaze to the dance floor. Though soft music played, no one was dancing just yet. The students were more intent on socializing at the moment. Guy or girl, they were all dressed in a dazzling myriad of colors, from maroon to violet to azure to cyan to gold.

Only Lumiere and I were dressed in complete black, which made us stand out briefly.

“Look, isn’t that the black-haired demon couple?”

“Uwah, they’re dressed completely in black.”

“Do they not realize that this is the debutante ball, not a funeral?”

Fortunately, despite the gossip, they were too afraid of our reputation to mock us to our faces. If anything, I caught sight of a familiar trio cowering in a corner, even more ostracized than both of us.

Beatrice, Lydia and Redia.

I had heard they received a week-long suspension shortly after the stunt they pulled, but luckily for them, it ended before the ball. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to find partners, especially after being publicly disgraced and forced to apologize to Lumiere in front of the whole school.

That should teach them not to mess with her.

Seeing their sorry state, I felt a slight twinge of pity. I heard that their clique had all but thrown them out, leaving them with no friends but each other. Then I recalled what they put Lumiere through with their prank, and all vestiges of sympathy instantly vanished.

This was a textbook example of how they f-ed around and found out.

“Lumi!”

At the familiar voice, we looked up. Students weren’t the only attendees of the debutante ball. Adult nobles wandered along the periphery, with several climbing to the second story to watch the young debutants from above. That was why I was slightly disappointed that my parents couldn’t attend, even if I understood the restrictions and responsibilities.

Even so, I was astonished that the crown prince had deigned to attend in person. Probably he was here as a representative for the king to oversee Leonard’s debut. Accompanied by his retinue – the same members in uniform that I saw during the matriculation ceremony – he sat in an oversized, cushy couch, his arms folded and his expression impassive.

I didn’t pay much attention to him, for excited steps accompanied the voice that called out earlier.

Damien Ombre strode forward, beaming, but he paused when he examined the black dress that Lumiere was clad in. His lips pursed in disapproval and a vein twitched in his temple.

“I knew it. What is with that dress? It exposes too much of your back and arms!”

Ah. So that was why he was so upset last month. Indeed, this was a stylish dress perfect for Lumiere, who could pull off the mature look, but to the seemingly conservative and overprotective Damien, it was a travesty.

“Stop it, Father. Don’t make a scene here.”

Normally, she would have smacked him, but with so many eyes on us, she instead settled for a warning stomp. Embers crackled around her high heels, lightly scorching the marble. Thankfully, Damien took the hint and hurriedly changed the subject.

“Have you guys eaten yet? I made sure to order the best catering service.”

“I’m not hungry,” Lumiere replied. She must have caught me eying the banquet tables, for she softened her tone. “Go ahead, Sir Trevor. I’ll speak to my father for a bit.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I mock saluted, only to elicit a puzzled glance. Sheepishly lowering my hand, I made for the banquet tables. Grabbing a plate, I began helping myself to the food. Among my selection was a generous scoop of potato stew, fresh lettuce, pumpkin chunks, cherry tomatoes, alfredo pasta, a couple of cakes, and very small pieces of meat.

As I chewed on a mouthful of creamy potato, I ruminated ruefully that it was true what they called me. A “herbivorous male.” I wasn’t fond of meat and preferred vegetables. To be fair, I wasn’t a complete vegetarian, but when given the choice between veggies and meat, I would most certainly pick the former.

While I was stuffing my face, I heard laughter. More than a few of my schoolmates were watching me with open contempt and scorn.

“Look at the bookwater noble! I know he’s from the remote countryside, but surely, they weren’t starving him in the borders, were they?”

“Perhaps, living out on the periphery his whole life, he never had the chance to have a taste of food prepared in the capital. He must have been living off simple fare.”

Yikes. It appeared that I was making a fool of myself. There weren’t many other nobles taking food from the tables, and those who did certainly didn’t pile a massive feast atop their plates. I realized they were laughing at me because of my complete lack of manners.

Ugh. How embarrassing.

I could give the excuse that I wasn’t familiar with the customs of the capital, being from the remote countryside. I could even justify my behavior by pointing out that I was from another world, and it was reasonable that I wouldn’t know how to conduct myself properly here. But the fact of the matter was that if I had observed what my schoolmates did and followed accordingly, I wouldn’t have put myself in this predicament.

I shouldn’t care what others think of me. I tried to console myself, but when my gaze wandered over to Lumiere, who was still speaking to her dad, I grimaced. My behavior didn’t reflect solely on me, but also on my companion. And being the daughter of a duke, Lumiere had a reputation to preserve.

My gaze dipped a little lower and I shuffled to the corner of the hall, far from her…far from anyone, so that I could eat in peace. However, the food no longer tasted as good as I initially thought, and each bite became a chore.

“Damn it.”

I sourly leaned against a wall and closed my eyes, gulping down the lumpy pumpkins with water. Wiping my mouth, I watched the other students in dismay. Occasionally, my eyes ventured to the gallery above, where the adults proudly watched their children parade in their social debut.

I felt so out of place and so…alone.

Then I caught sight of Lumiere staring at me in concern. I forced a smile, put down my now empty plate and waved. She scowled and rolled her eyes before beckoning me over. Before I could take a step, though, a voice boomed.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Arcana Academy’s 248th debutante ball!” Headmaster Arthur Crowley took up position atop a podium on the second story and clapped his hands, beaming brightly. He swept his fatherly gaze across the students gathered on the first floor below. “We’re honored to welcome this batch of promising young mages, as well as host their debut into noble society. Having witnessed your growth over the last few months, I am confident you’ll develop into gifted mages and lead Antares Kingdom to yet unprecedented heights!”

The young nobles below cheered, several pumping their fists into the air. Crowley chuckled and continued.

“Well, this is your night, so this old man won’t waste more of your time. Have fun!” He stepped back and gestured. A slow tune filled the air, the hired band springing to life the moment they saw the signal. Excited murmurs unfurled through the hall, and I recalled Lumiere telling me about this before.

“They’ll play a slow song to signal the prelude to the dance. That’s when you should start preparing for the main event.”

Already, those students with partners were forming up, linking hands and moving to the dance floor. Of note were Leonard and Silvia, the two of them being the most prominent couple and drawing everyone’s eyes to them.

“Look, look! His highness and Lady Silvia!”

“They look perfect together.”

Leonard was dressed completely in white, save for a dark blue shirt and golden tie that matched his hair. Beside him, Silvia had opted for a dress with a shade that matched her partner’s shirt, and a string of luminous pearls hung from her neck, their luster complementing her silver hair.

I pulled my gaze away from the stars of the ball, nearly blinded by their radiance. I knew this was my cue to rejoin Lumiere, but I hesitated, remembering how my hillbilly actions had embarrassed her earlier. She didn’t seem to mind, but I couldn’t afford to tarnish her reputation further.

My hesitation cost me. While I dallied, others moved in to exploit the gap I left. As I looked around, I realized not everybody came with partners. Just like Beatrice, Lydia and Redia, there were plenty of singles who came by themselves, and now they were mustering the courage to ask their crushes for a dance. More than a few guys had decided to try their hand in approaching the currently unaccompanied Lumiere.

It was only natural. Despite the dark rumors surrounding her, Lumiere was still a peerless beauty. The forbidding air around her only lent a sensuality that tempted guys further, especially those deluded enough to think they could “fix” her.

A blond guy, his hair slick and gelled, and his well-muscled body clad in a maroon coat and fancy white tunic, advanced confidently with a cocky smile, but he froze suddenly. I understood why a second later.

Damien was glaring at him. If I hadn’t known better, I could have sworn I saw his aura coalesce in the shape of a lion, the majestic predator rearing up to glower at the now trembling blond guy. Sweat broke out across his face and he hastily retreated.

A second guy, this time with wheat-colored hair and a milder taste in fashion, cautiously made his way forward, but he stiffened when Damien turned his amber eyes toward him, and spun sharply on his heel to head in a different direction.

That successfully discouraged other guys from trying. Whenever someone so much as took a single step in the direction of Lumiere, they would earn the full wrathful gaze of her father.

“Damn it, is there no way I can ask Lady Lumiere for a dance?”

“Why is Duke Ombre hovering around her? Is he trying to prevent his daughter from dancing?”

“I don’t think the duke is going to let anyone near her.”

“Guess we’ll have to give up.”

Lumiere was surprisingly popular, considering everyone’s prejudice against black hair. Perhaps they, like me, were mesmerized by her beauty. While she was certainly attractive even when in uniform, right now, dressed in that night-black gown, her loveliness was elevated to that of a goddess.

However, there was a single individual who even Damien had to defer to. His stylish, golden locks and sapphire eyes, gleaming with confident authority, made him stand out, and as he descended the stairs and strolled through the hall toward Lumiere, he inevitably commanded the attention of everyone in the room. The crown prince, Oswald, halted a few paces away and bowed formally, one hand on his chest and a smile on his handsome face.

The guy looked every inch the bloody archetypical male lead of an otome isekai story.

“Can I have this dance with you, Lady Lumiere?”