Chapter 9

Patrick Dice is an excellent man.

With his well-toned, supple physique, long limbs, sharp eyes, and indigo hair, he is the embodiment of a woman's ideal. He excels both academically and athletically, comes from a good family, and has no flaws. It's no wonder he is called a "prince" behind his back.

His popularity extends beyond the school, and any woman, regardless of her social status, would likely imagine a love story with him at least once.

Mary also thought Patrick was handsome. Whenever a prince appeared in a story she read, she invariably thought of him.

However, for some reason, the prince in the story who ends up with Patrick is never Mary. No matter how engrossed she was in a story, no matter how much she yearned for the prince, the person standing next to Patrick in her imagination was always someone else.

This never changed, even as she grew older. While she watched other girls her age fall for him, she remained perfectly calm when interacting with Patrick.

Indeed, even now, as she danced with Patrick, whom everyone adored, Mary's heart was unusually calm. It didn't race, nor was she enveloped in happiness.

Nor did she feel any disgust; she simply moved calmly in sync with his movements.

In fact, her thoughts were elsewhere even in this situation.

"Am I strange?"

"What's wrong? You've been acting odd lately."

"No, it's nothing... But you've been glancing around at the crowd. Who are you looking for while dancing with me?"

"That, that's none of your business."

"True, then it's the same for both of us."

Mary smiled at Patrick and looked up at him.

The prince before her was charming and handsome, and it was no wonder everyone was captivated by him. Yet, Mary's heart didn't flutter. Even if she looked away, she didn't feel any jealousy.

Why is that... Mary sighed softly, and the music that had been playing gradually faded away.

The end of a song.

Naturally, Patrick bowed slightly, and Mary curtsied, acknowledging the dance that had left her mind elsewhere.

As soon as that was over, Mary hurriedly fled from Patrick. Of course, it was because the young ladies were sending him heated glances, hoping to be his next dance partner.

While Mary didn't care about jealous glares, for her own safety, it was best to run. If she stayed and was invited to dance again, she might be burned alive by the flames of jealousy.

So, she quickly fled into the crowd, and Adi, who had been waiting with a wry smile, knew exactly what was happening.

"Excellent, as always."

"Was it the dance or the escape?"

"Both."

Adi chuckled, and Mary returned his smile with a wry one of her own, straightening her back.

"Shall I go and entertain the guests?"

"Please do."

"You should go to that girl; she might be uncomfortable without anyone to talk to."

"Understood."

Adi bowed exaggeratedly, as if he were a well-trained servant, and Mary smiled, heading towards the crowd.

Glancing sideways, she saw Patrick being handed off to a young man who looked like an acquaintance.

For a while, Mary focused on entertaining the guests.

As the daughter of the Albert family, there were many people she had to greet, and she couldn't refuse dance invitations.

Most importantly, today was her father's celebration. It wouldn't be fitting for the daughter of the Albert family to ignore those who had taken the time to attend.

So, she smiled and mingled, and just when she was starting to feel like the cat she was pretending to be might escape, her arm was grabbed.

"Miss... I mean, Mary, you're here."

"Adi, what's wrong?"

Adi emerged from the crowd and, without answering, started pulling her by the arm, saying, "Come with me."

Following Adi, they arrived at the garden outside the mansion. There were few people there, and the music from the mansion could be heard carried by the wind.

In the center of the garden, under the moonlight, Patrick and Alicia were dancing.

Mary, who recognized the scene, was stunned.

"Seeing Miss and Mr. Patrick, Alicia wanted to dance too. But I couldn't teach her properly, so Mr. Patrick came to help."

"So, I'm here to...?"

"Since you're here, you might as well give her some pointers."

As Adi explained, the two stopped dancing and noticed them. Alicia raised a hand to beckon them over. Her golden hair, shining in the moonlight, made her look like a beautiful princess from a story, regardless of her true identity.

But Mary couldn't bring herself to say that and instead shouted, "Stand up straight!"

Alicia hurriedly straightened her back and replied, "Yes!"

"Being a lady is about confidence! Stand up straight, chest out, and be proud. At the next ball, you'll find yourself surrounded by outdated dresses!"

Alicia responded with another "Yes!" to Mary's words. The two men chuckled at the unlikely exchange for a noble ball.

As Patrick and Alicia, who was now standing a bit straighter, began dancing to the music, Mary sighed in satisfaction.

Before her, under the moonlight, were Patrick in his noble attire and Alicia in her beautiful dress. Though Alicia was a beginner and their dance was a bit awkward, it had improved thanks to Mary's occasional corrections.

Watching this dreamlike scene, Mary narrowed her eyes in thought.

...She had seen this scene before.

No, it was more accurate to say she had seen a still image of this exact moment.

Yes, the two people dancing before her were from an event still in "DraSchool."

Of course, in the game, there was no mention of Mary and Adi being present. However, this situation was undoubtedly part of that event.

If that was the case... Mary thought.

In "DraSchool," this ball event is a mandatory part of the story.

However, to see the still image, certain conditions must be met. If those conditions aren't met, the event ends with just dialogue and character sprites.

The condition for the still image... is that the player must be on a specific character's route when the event occurs.

In Patrick's case, no matter how high his affection is, if the player isn't on his route, the event ends with just a compliment on his dress. Conversely, being able to dance with him like this is proof that Alicia is on Patrick's route.

Explaining this to Adi, he brightened and said, "Is that so!"

His joy was so evident that Mary's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why are you so happy? What's going on?"

"Well, Mr. Patrick is an excellent person, and I always thought a kind and supportive girl like Alicia would suit him!"

"R-really... I guess you're right."

"Right! They suit each other! In fact, I can't imagine anyone else for Mr. Patrick besides Alicia!"

Overwhelmed by Adi's assertion, Mary nodded in agreement.

She had no idea why her servant was so invested in someone else's love life.

However, Mary also thought Patrick and Alicia suited each other. Patrick, while having a noble mindset, also respected others and considered their opinions.

Currently, he was rigid due to the noble environment, but being with the simple Alicia would likely change him.

—Whether this change would be good for the noble Dice family was uncertain, but ultimately, Alicia was a princess, which would ensure the Dice family's stability—

"Yes, they do suit each other. If things continue like this, they will surely end up together. But..."

Mary slowly stood up, and Adi, noticing her ominous tone, looked up and asked, "But what?"

Alicia and Patrick were clearly drawn to each other.

Their happy expressions while dancing under the moonlight left no doubt.

Because of this, Mary had something to consider. If this world followed the story of the otome game...

"Before that, I will be engaged to Patrick."

Mary's words were drowned out by the crescendo of the music carried by the wind.