Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

Chapter 8.21

“Hey Nozomu, you're finally here."

Irisdina, dressed in a pure white dress and silver ornaments, greeted Nozomu with a smile.

"Well, umm... perhaps... Did I make you wait?"

"Yeah, you made me wait. I was just thinking that the party was going to end with me having no one to dance with."

Irisdina said these words, but there would be countless men who would try to ask her, a noble and elegant young lady, to dance.

But the reason why Irisdina said that the party would end without her having a dance partner was because she had decided to have only one dance partner for today.

"Umm, well, I mean... Iris seemed to be busy greeting people with Victor-san, so I thought it would be better to wait until things had settled down..."

On the other hand, the naive Nozomu was oblivious to Irisdina's hidden confession.

A small pang of jealousy flared up in Irisdina's heart upon hearing Nozomu's response.

"Honestly, you're being troublesome. If you had spoken to me, it would have been settled right away, but you're having so much fun with Shina-kun instead..."

"Eh?..."

She became a little annoyed.

Prompted by the little jealousy, Irisdina recounted the time when Nozomu and Shina were chatting.

Frankly, for Irisdina, it was true that she was feeling mushy when she saw Nozomu and Shina talking happily.

(I wanted to chat with you too!)

Remembering the time when she felt excluded from them, she deliberately put on a slightly grumpy expression.

"Isn't it unfair? To leave me alone and have a nice chat just the two of you..."

"No, that was..."

Looking at Irisdina's grumpy expression, Nozomu looked troubled.

Although it was true that he had enjoyed talking with Shina, it was also true that he had left Irisdina out.

Besides, even though he was not used to the party and was getting confused, he couldn't deny that he was feeling a little self-conscious about Irisdina, who was behaving like a perfect young lady.

"Iris, I'm so-..."

"Fufu~, sorry. I'm just joking."

Iriscina's grumpy expression changed and a joyful smile appeared on her face.

Nozomu finally realized that he was being made fun of by the look on her face, as if to say, "I got you!"

"Iris..."

As she gazed at Nozomu, who sighed and dropped his shoulders, Irisdina was pleased with a satisfied feeling and a sense of accomplishment at having the gaze of the person she loved directed at her.

"You looked like you had a hard time. You were surrounded by quite a number of people."

"Yeah, I honestly had no idea what to do."

"You were like a duckling trying to swim for the first time. If I recall it again ...... fufufu~."

Even though she was so busy greeting the guests that she could not speak to him herself, Irisdina also saw that Nozomu was surrounded by dignitaries and was moving right and left.

If one had to sum up the situation at that time, it could be described as a comedy of great actors.

Irisdina, perhaps remembering the confused Nozomu surrounded by dignitaries, smiled once again.

"Kh~, pfft~..."

The sight of Nozomu, who had been flustered, must have really hit the spot. Irisdina was holding her stomach to keep the laughter from getting too loud.

She looked just like a normal girl of her age, no matter how one looked at her. It was very unusual to see her usual ladylike demeanor completely subdued. On the other hand, Nozomu, who kept being laughed at, was somewhat troubled.

"You don't have to laugh that hard, do you?"

"Isn't it fine? You already had fun with Shina-kun, didn't you? Then let me at least have this little bit of fun with you.

"Does that mean you're going to keep making fun of me?"

"That's what I was talking about."

"..."

Please spare me already.

With such silent protest in his gaze, Nozomu looked at Irisdina, but she turned back into a mischievous little girl and replied with a cute, pouty smile.

Once this happened, there was nothing Nozomu could do about it.

With a sigh of resignation and dismay, he slumped his shoulders once again. Irisdina was looking at Nozomu with her hand over her mouth, looking truly happy.

"That dress is different from the last one, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I had it tailored to match my current hair. It's totally different from the home party we had before. So, what do you think?"

Irisdina swiftly spread her arms open for Nozomu to see.

Her pure white dress was woven of smooth silk, and her skin was fair and fresh. Her gentle smile, combined with the silver ornaments, shined like a lunar goddess floating in the night sky.

"What I'm going to say may sounds generic, but it does suit you well. You looks very different from what I've seen of you so far, it's just like ......."

"Like what?"

"N, no, umm ......."

Realizing the line he was about to say, Nozomu fell silent.

"What is it? Why are you going silent?"

Irisdina, on the other hand, approached him without hesitation, as if she was curious about what Nozomu was about to say.

An elegant and beautiful face. Coupled with her jet-black eyes, in contrast to her pure white hair, making Nozomu involuntarily blush and flinch.

Irisdina, in the meantime, could easily see through Nozomu's feelings from his reaction.

Irisdina, elated by the fact that the man she loved was admiring her, smiled mischievously at him and closed the distance between them.

"Come on, tell me. What do you think of, Nozomu?"

(I want him to see more of myself. I want him to feel more of myself.)

Irisdina, driven by such maidenly feelings, pressed even closer to him, but then...

"You look just like the goddess of the moon. You're so, so beautiful ..."

"...……”

She was intercepted by a straightforward counter of Nozomu.

Irisdina's sense of embarrassment jumped up at once at Nozomu's words, which were more straightforward and sincere than she had anticipated.

"Why are you turning away?"

With her white skin dyed vermillion and her hands cupped together as if to cover herself, Irisdina turned her back to Nozomu.

She was clearly embarrassed.

Her cheeks, which peeked out from her long white hair that flowed freely from her shoulders, couldn't have turned any redder.

"Iris, are you embarrassed?"

"......-not embarrassed."

Cute.

Nozomu felt a little bit of a pang in his heart as he recalled the exchange he had had with Shina not so long ago.

"Even though you told me to say it yourself..."

(I want to tease her some more.)

Prompted by the sense of amusement that welled up in his heart, coupled with the fact that Irisdina had made fun of him earlier, Nozomu couldn't help but get carried away.

"If I said I wasn't embarrassed, then I wasn't!"

"Uwa!"

Irisdina's fierce counterattack.

She quickly grabbed Nozomu's cheek with her right hand and pinched it rather seriously.

"I-, Iris, ouch~, ouch~."

"Gosh~!"

Irisdina dexterously reached out and pinched Nozomu's cheek with one of her two folded hands.

As expected of an aristocratic daughter, her elegant gestures remained in places, but of course, the other party participants were able to see this romantic drama, which changed offensively and defensively like a metronome...

"Iris-, Iris~."

"What!"

"They're watching."

"……Eh?"

Being told by Nozomu, Irisdina finally understood how much she had stood out from the crowd.

Looking around as prompted, she saw that the dignitaries attending the party were frozen with expressions on their faces as if they had seen something impossible.

The noble daughters who had been paying attention to Nozomu dropped the fan they were holding in their hands, and their mouths fell open in disbelief.

"~~~!"

Driven by a sense of embarrassment that had reached its peak, Irisdina twisted Nozomu's pinched cheek with all her might.

She then shook off the hand that was pinching him.

A shriek resounded along with the sound of the pinch.

"Higyaaa~!"

Nozomu writhed in agony due to the intense pain in his cheek, and Irisdina turned away from him while gracefully folding her arms.

Perhaps he thought he had indeed teased her a bit too much.

Nozomu apologized to Irisdina while holding his reddened cheeks.

"Sorry, Sorry. That was my bad."

However, the princess looked exceedingly dissatisfied, her cheeks puffed out in a childish manner.

Although he had a slight feeling of regret that he had gone too far, the sight of Irisdina sulking reminded Nozomu of her younger sister, Somia.

"But I guess you are sisters after all. You look a lot like Somia-chan."

"……Fuh~."

"It's true that you're not just pretty, you're beautiful, too. And that you look like a goddess."

"... Is that true?"

"I can't lie about something like this..."

Her dignified appearance was beautiful, but her childlike appearance was also adorable.

Nozomu, who truly believed this, spoke her mind straightforwardly.

Nozomu was only able to do so much.

Nozomu has never been a good talker and wasn't very good at flattery.

He did not have good communication skills.

(Be relaxed.)

That was the advice given to him earlier by Madam Parline, not to make the people he cared about feel insecure.

Based on that advice, Nozomu thought that he would have more relaxed to speak his mind straight out of his mouth rather than to make poor attempts to mend the situation.

But for Irisdina, Nozomu's honest and sincere words were sweeter than the ten thousand compliments she had received in the social world, and they were magic words that made her heart skip a beat.

"...I see. Fufu~."

Her heart, which had been full of dissatisfaction, was instantly filled with joy.

Before she knew it, the gazes of those around her were no longer bothering her at all.

Although Irisdina was surprised at her own heart, which was changing in the blink of an eye, she was delighted by the joy that surpassed her surprise.

At that moment, a particularly solemn music started.

Upon a closer look, one could see that many of the men and women who had gathered at the party had begun to join hands and gather in the center of the main hall.

The dancing had begun.

"Oh, it's starting."

"Ah……"

Irisdina turned around and grinned challengingly.

"Nozomu. Are you ready?"

"Umm……"

*Ehem, ehem!* Nozomu also turned to face Irisdina, as he cleared his throat.

Remembering the practice they had done a few days earlier at the Francilte mansion, he put one hand on his chest and gently offered his hand to her.

"Lady, would you like to dance with me?"

"Yes, with pleasure..."

With her voice full of joy, Irisdina gracefully placed her hand on top of Nozomu's, who was a little trembling with nervousness.

Then, the two moved onto the dance hall in a fluid motion.

Irisdina's pure white dress fluttered as they began to dance accompanied by the magnificent music.

Nozomu's and Irisdina's bodies, which were leaning against each other, drew beautiful curves as they naturally moved their feet in time with each other.

The two dancers, guided by each other's hands, performed breathtaking dance moves in time with the music.

"What the..."

"No way..."

It was a basic dance routine, but the way they performed it was perhaps more impressive than expected, and the dignitaries and ladies who were watching them let out gasps of admiration.

Aside from Irisdina, a noblewoman, the fact that Nozomu, a commoner, was able to perform such a brilliant move was something they had not expected.

Nozomu, who was originally well-versed in the martial arts, had a straight back and beautiful posture.

In addition, the two of them were in perfect sync with each other, and their movements were full of a sense of unity.

While the crowd was gaping at them, Nozomu and Irisdina had already lost sight of the presence of the dignitaries.

All they could see was their partners.

They continued to move their body in response to the heat from their overlapping hands and the feelings that welled up in their chests.

After a few twists and turns, they switched bodies and turned back to face each other, and then Nozomu raised his hand, and as if prompted by his hand, Irisdina made a single turn.

Nozomu and Irisdina then let go of each other's hands at the same time as they were flowing to the side, and they both did a circular turn.

Nozomu and Irisdina were smiling as they faced each other again and took each other's hands once more.

"Come to think of it, you said you would return the favor."

While dancing, Irisdina abruptly told Nozomu such a statement.

Nozomu looked surprised for a moment but immediately replied with a smile.

"... Alright. What do you want me to do?"

Irisdina said that he should pay her back for what he owed her, but when she thought about what she would ask him to do, she was at a loss for the right words to say.

What passed in her mind for a moment was a fellow student who was also attracted to Nozomu. It was the image of Shina in her azure dress.

Irisdina knew the significance of the blood covenant ritual that Shina had performed on Nozomu. She also had an idea of the effect the ritual would have on her.

And after seeing Shina's clearly sluggish performance in today's combat training, she was almost certain of this premonition.

At the same time, this meant that Shina had decided to sacrifice her own dreams in order to help Nozomu.

Such earnestness on Shina's part cast a shadow over Irisdina's heart.

"... Iris?"

Nozomu worriedly called out to Irisdina, whose expression was overshadowed by a gloomy look on her face.

The man whom she loved staring at her from up close. Just by that, Irisdina's heart pounded and throbbed, and at the same time, a tightening sadness overcame her.

The desire to be 'closer to him' and the guilt of 'being the only one' were in conflict and stirred Irisdina's heart again with a dull ache

Even so, she could not let Nozomu know her true feelings. She did not want him to know.

While trying to hold back the tears that were about to overflow and trying to mend her expression, Irisdina opened her mouth.

"A bell. I want a bell, a bell that Nozomu made..."

"A bell that I made?"

"You gave it to Somia, didn't you? Isn't it strange that I can't have one as well?"

What Irisdina wanted was a homemade bell that Nozomu had gifted to her sister on her sister's birthday.

It was an ordinary bell, neither expensive nor beautifully decorated in any way.

But Irisdina remembered it.

She remembered that when her sister looked at the bell that Nozomu had given her, she seemed to remember the sender of the bell with a very happy expression on her face.

She also remembered how she envied her sister so much for receiving such a gift.

"Okay, I'll be sure to make one for you."

"Great. It's a promise, okay?"

"Of course."

As Irisdina smiled back at Nozomu, who had agreed to her request, she felt the pain in her chest grow duller.

At the same time, Nozomu's presence became very distant.

"This is fine. This is more than enough. I am not as honest as Somia, nor as pure as Shina. Even so, this much is acceptable, right? ......"

Irisdina froze her own heart, telling herself that she should not be the one standing beside Nozomu.

Still, Irisdina kept on smiling, as she was used to mending her facial expressions.

No matter who looked at her smile, it seemed as if she was genuinely pleased with the gift that Nozomu would give her.

"... Iris, why are you making such a face?"

"... Eh?"

However, her mask was easily shattered by a single word from Nozomu.

"Somehow, you look like you're about to cry..."

(What was Nozomu saying? There is no way I look like I'm about to cry.)

She told herself so, but the look in Nozomu's eyes as she gazed into them could not have been more sorrowful.

“……”

"What's wrong-... ~!?"

The surprise of her fake smile being seen through, and the heat that rose from the joy of her true self being seen.

On the other hand, the fear of not wanting the person she loved to see through her petty feelings stirred violently in Irisdina's heart.

"I'm okay..."

"There's no way you're okay..."

The sublime, lively music that had resounded earlier had somehow changed to a flowing, calming rhythm.

While swaying her body attuned to the calm music, Irisdina quickly leaned in close to Nozomu and buried her face in his chest.

"I-, I'm okay. So, for now, just dance with me like this without saying anything ... please."

Irisdina, tormented by a sense of defeat and guilt, could only sob and hide from her surroundings as she endured the pain in her chest.

Nozomu, on the other hand, could only accept Irisdina's clinging to him, as he seemed to have no idea what was going on.

Silence filled the air around them.

Nozomu had no idea what was going on in Irisdina's mind.

Even so, he couldn't just leave her like this.

He did not want her to look so sad. With such a thought in his mind, Nozomu tried to open his mouth.

“Iris, I … ~!?”

At that moment, a fierce chill ran down Nozomu's spine.

A presence that surpassed even that white dragon, Azel, and was more monstrous than any presence he had ever felt before.

A chilly presence, as if thrown into an ice field, was approaching right around the corner.

Nozomu's gaze turned to the entrance of the party hall.

"Nozomu?"

Irisdina, noticing something wrong with Nozomu, looked doubtful and followed Nozomu's gaze.

Before they knew it, the music that had been playing had stopped, and all the people at the party were transfixed by a presence.

"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean to startle you."

A beautiful, silver-haired woman in a crimson dress appeared.

While exuding a majestic presence and icy beauty, her silky silver hair shone like diamond dust in the light of the magic lamps.

"Greetings. I am Vitora Rutarak Daat Waziart. I am one of the feudal lords of the Dizzard Empire."

With a beautiful voice that could not help but attract all living things and crimson eyes reminiscent of blood, glaring at all those before her, the vampire princess announced her name.