Chapter 53

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After that conversation, both Viktor and Lara decided to stay at the mansion.

According to Mr. Rottmayr, the old Kikunoi used to be a grand noble family that received guests every day, so there were many guest rooms, and two rooms were always prepared for unexpected visitors.

Viktor's room, which had already been decided, was prepared according to his request. As for Lara, she was given one of the rooms prepared for guests.

However, Viktor's piano couldn't be placed in his room, so they decided to clean a hall that was used for small parties in the past and place it there. The singing lessons would also take place there.

Lara's lessons would also be held in that hall, but the curriculum wasn't limited to dance. It included a wide range of topics, from how to walk and sit to the meanings of signals that noblewomen used fans to convey in society.

"For example... touching the tip of a fan with your fingers means 'I want to talk to you.' If you don't know these noblewomen's manners and don't respond appropriately, you'll be seen as a crude and insensitive man, and you won't be considered a good fiancé."

"Ah... I see..."

Lara's words seemed to hit a nerve with Viktor, whose eyes turned dark. They were as dark as a dead fish.

But I thought it didn't matter much to someone without a fiancé.

As if reading my thoughts, both Lara and Viktor shook their heads and said, "That's naive."

"Social circles are also places to find fiancés. Noble marriages are more about family matters than personal feelings. Smaller families want to connect with larger ones, and families without money want to form alliances with wealthier ones."

"That's why noble children polish themselves and use that to defeat their many rivals and achieve their goals. But it's not for their own happiness. It's for their family, the ones they serve, and ultimately for their subjects. They have the responsibility to fulfill the duties of the noble. The more responsible children tend to be more inclined to do this."

"By forming alliances with larger families, they can protect their subjects from unnecessary conflicts and integrate them into economic circulation, making the entire territory prosperous... right?"

"There are other reasons, but that's the gist of it."

The world is harsh.

Even as children, they have to think about finding a marriage partner, which is really harsh.

But it doesn't matter to me.

No girl wants to marry a pig, and my future is already decided.

I have a promise with Mr. Rottmayr and things I want to do, so I just want to stay healthy until then.

"Anyway, what's the reason for Viktor and Lara being together?"

"Oh, right. Lara's curriculum includes walking and dancing, right? What if we do those while singing?"

"Originally, music is essential for dancing. I heard from Vitya that Mamaru can teach people to sing and dance in a musical. To do that, we need to understand how it works. But only Mamaru knows that, besides God."

"Wow..."

Singing and dancing... like an idol.

No, just a pig.

This is going to be a lot of work...

However, it's impossible to start singing and dancing right away, so we decided to do it later.

As for me, I dug up a song I could sing while dancing from the depths of my memory and reported it to the princess.

"…The prince, who was cursed and turned into a beast, was restored to his original form by the pure and gentle love of a beautiful maiden. And they lived happily ever after…"

"Yes. This is a song from when the story was made into a musical, sung during the dance of the two main characters."

Holding Regulus's hand, I awkwardly danced and sang.

In the musical, it was sung by the lady who served the prince, who had been turned into a pot. However, I think the lyrics were added for the two main characters in the most recent movie.

Anyway, although it wasn't elegant, the princess seemed to find it interesting and nodded.

"If it helps me lose weight and contributes to the recreation of the musical, it's a win-win. You should work hard for me."

"Yes, I will…"

"Not 'Rei,' but I will also work hard!"

"Yes!" Regulus raised his little hand in a good response, but it still sounded like "Ai."

He's only three, so it's understandable that he can't speak clearly.

His steps were far from a waltz or even a folk dance, but Regulus seemed to enjoy it, spinning me around.

I could see the princess squinting her eyes and smiling softly, which made me feel like I had gained something.

"By the way," the princess called out while I was dancing with Regulus.

"Has that elf Viktor started transcribing the music as I wished?"

"Yes, I'm showing him the melody from the prelude as much as I can remember, and he's transcribing it."

"Very well. Then I must pay the price."

A thin silk fan flashed, and a branch-like object appeared in the empty space.

It floated in mid-air, and when the princess waved the fan again, it floated gently to my hand, where it fell.

Upon closer inspection, the branch had regularly spaced holes that could be covered with fingers.

"What is this?"

"This is the original flute offered to me by the ancestor of the elves. There is no better gift for an elf who loves music and lives among humans."

The princess explained that the ancestor of the elves lived among humans.

Whenever he played the flute, he had a human friend who played a drum-like instrument by his side.

The ancestor offered the flute to the princess after his drum-playing friend died.

The proof of his farewell to his friend was also the proof of his farewell to humans.

"No matter how much they connected, humans always left before elves. It was painful, so he entrusted it to me and left."

"But... don't elves look down on humans?"

"Once the ancestor distanced himself from humans and cut off communication, the original intention was forgotten, and only biased views spread. If the current elves saw this, the ancestor would sigh."

I inadvertently glimpsed the history between elves and humans.

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