“I’M surprised you can dance, Arius. Actually, no, I’m not. You can do anything,” Vern told me when I returned to the ballroom. I hadn’t realized he was also taking part in the ball.
“No, I can’t do everything. There are things I’m bad at, too.”
“Such as…interacting with girls? I thought that might also be the case, but based on how you were managing earlier, I’d say you’re good at that too.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the group of girls I danced with earlier, who were smiling and waving in my direction.
He might say that about me, but he also handled the girls who approached him with natural ease. I nearly forgot because he can be a bit much, but he was a romantic interest in Love Academy and had untamed good looks. He was also the third prince of the Great Granbride Empire, meaning there was no way he wouldn’t be popular and good at dealing with girls.
“I’d thought there was one thing I was finally better at than you,” he claimed.
“No. I really am bad with girls.” Because it was such a pain to deal with love-brained girls.
“I think one of those guys standing by the wall might stab you if you say you’re bad with ladies. That said, I’m sure you’d just take him out before he could get you.”
Many of the students were invited to Eric’s ball, which might have been why the jealous stares I was showered in were the same as in the Academy. Maybe the boys had been hoping to see me, someone without much experience at social events, expose myself as a poor dancer. It did seem like there were even more jealous glares after I’d shown such an elaborate performance.
Apparently, Eric had invited the commoner students as well, but the majority got the hint and didn’t come. Only 20 percent of the students at the Academy were commoners anyway. I’m sure they would have just felt like lower-class attendees and wouldn’t have had fun.
That didn’t seem to affect Milia, however; her excuse was that she simply didn’t like parties.
Feeling the pangs of hunger, I went over to the buffet and piled a plate high with food, which was delicious, of course, as expected from the royal cooks. It was piping hot, kept warm with magic contraptions, and they kept bringing out new dish after dish.
“Master Arius, would you like to try some of this as well?” a girl holding a plate offered. They started gathering when I started eating.
Vern and I cleared plate after plate as we kept the girls company. I might have a massive appetite, but Vern was voracious. The girls watched, enchanted, as Vern and I plowed gallantly through the food while the boys looked on with exasperation. It was fine; we minded our manners.
“But you know…they do make a good couple,” gossiped one of the girls.
“They do. I can’t help being jealous,” agreed another.
I followed their gazes and saw Sophia and Sasha drawing close to Eric and Zeke, respectively. They were right. Sophia and Eric, the perfect beauty of a noble girl and the attractive, graceful, blond prince did make a good couple.
It wasn’t that uncommon, even among political marriages. And it was fine—they agreed to the whole thing.
During the exact moment I thought that, Vern dropped a bomb into the conversation. “You think?” he questioned. “Sophia and Arius would make a better couple, in my opinion. Don’t you agree, Arius?”
The girls exploded into an uproar at that.
“What? Does that mean Master Arius would steal Eric’s fiancée?”
“No, never! Master Arius and Lady Sophia would never!”
“But… But there was that rumor that they kissed in the cafeteria…”
Did you do that on purpose? Uh, no. Vern might be a meathead, but he wasn’t a bad person.
“Vern, could you not say things that could be taken the wrong way? Sophia and I are just acquaintances,” I corrected.
“Come on. That’s cruel, calling Sophia just an acquaintance. I’m just giving my honest opinion, my good friend.”
He was right. It was rude to Sophia to call her just an acquaintance. “Well, I guess I do think of her as a friend, but…it’s a little embarrassing calling her a friend.
Vern grinned. “Huh, that’s surprising.”
“What is?”
“You have a surprising weakness. Are you embarrassed at calling someone a friend? Aw, even you can be cute sometimes.”
Cute? What the hell was he saying?
But the girls around us smiled and whispered, “Aww, Master Arius is so cute!”
Come on. It’s not like whispering it meant I couldn’t hear you.
“Fine, Vern. I’ll be crystal clear about my feelings from now on,” I relented.
“A-Arius… We are best friends, aren’t we?” His expression stiffened.
I believe my eyes at that moment looked the same as when I saw a monster in the extreme-difficulty dungeon. “Actually, Vern, I believe we were arch-enemies, weren’t we?”