“Father! Wake up please, father!”
“H-Hmm...?” Elysia had shaken Zen awake, and he woke up in bed. “Where am I? What day is it?”
“You’re in our room at the inn, and today’s the birthday party. You just weren’t waking up. Breakfast has already ended.” Elysia smiled at how he was still half asleep. “Are you tired?”
“A bit...” Sitting upright, he shook his head, still fuzzy with drowsiness. He’d gone fishing two days ago, and yesterday Elysia and Mina had dragged him around to go sightseeing and spend time at the festival. The journey itself to Alona City had been tiring too.
“You were crying out a lot in your sleep too.”
“Yeah, I...was having a bit of a nightmare.” And in the short amount of time since their departure, he’d had that nightmare twice. He knew there was no point in looking for meaning in his dreams, yet he couldn’t help reading into them anyway.
These dreams aren’t foreshadowing something, are they? he thought nervously, shuddering. If he happened upon that monster again, it’d probably be the end of the line. Ten years had passed since that night, but he still couldn’t imagine he’d win. No matter how many times they fought, Zen would die every time.
“What’s the matter, father? You look so pale,” Elysia said.
“Ah, I’m fine. I’m just really hungry.”
“Hee hee. You ate so much at dinner yesterday, though.” Elysia believed the lie Zen had whipped up and giggled to herself in relief. “Don’t worry, father. Your breakfast has been set aside for you.”
“Whew, I’m glad.” He honestly didn’t have an appetite, but he couldn’t say that now.
He got out of bed and stood by the window that Elysia had opened. “It’s such a nice day out today.”
He decided he’d put these anxious feelings behind him. Tonight was Stoga’s birthday party, the actual event they’d come to Alona City for.
“You don’t have anything particularly special that you need to do, though.” Mina politely informed him.
The wind was knocked out of Zen’s sails. “Ah. I see.”
“All we have to do is greet His Excellency Stoga and congratulate him, which I’ll take care of.” As Mina explained to him, she soaked the extremely hard baked good she was eating, one of Cylin’s traditional desserts, in milky black tea.
What manners were appropriate changed depending on where you were. This was how you traditionally ate this sweet in Cylin, but if you did this in the imperial capital, you’d be scolded for being childish or having bad manners. Unless you were at a particularly formal meal, even an adult normally followed this custom in Cylin.
Elysia had made the tea, and the tea snacks had come with the room. Zen was having a late breakfast in the dining room of their suite, but Elysia and Mina had made tea to keep him company. (They did invite Keel as well, but he flatly turned them down, saying he was sleepy.)
“You can just enjoy the food and drink at the party, and get acquainted with the other guests. There were also people playing cards in the back last year. I-If you’d like, we can dance for a song too...” At the end, Mina suddenly blushed and faltered.
Meanwhile, Elysia leaped in. “That’s a great idea, father! Please dance with me too!”
“He’s my partner tonight, though.”
Mina tried to ward off Elysia, but Elysia didn’t back off at all.
“But isn’t it tasteless to only dance with your partner and no one else?”
“But you already danced plenty with your father at the New Year’s festival this year, right?”
“Those are two different things. Wearing a beautiful dress while you dance is a different experience.”
Even after Zen told her, “You can stop already,” Elysia didn’t budge an inch.
And yet Mina voiced her agreement. “It’s just as Miss Elysia said. Even a woman like me yearns to wear a dress in a gorgeous venue and dance. Chances like this seldom come, so please dance with me.”
“Yes, exactly,” Elysia agreed.
The two girls fell into sync, making it so Zen couldn’t say another word about it. Ever since they’d gone to rent dresses together, he could see how they’d grown closer.
Or at least that’s what he thought, but they abruptly started bickering again.
“Then you can have your turn after Sir Zen and I dance,” said Mina.
“Wouldn’t it be better if I go first, and then you after me, Miss Mina?”
“But I’m his partner at this event.”
“And I’m his daughter!”
“Honestly, if you really think about it, isn’t it strange for a parent and child to dance together?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? It’s common sense for a father to teach his daughter the basics of socializing when she doesn’t have a partner.”
“I’ve never heard of that before...” Zen said.
“Don’t butt in, please, father!” Elysia cried, flat-out refusing to let him get a word in. Zen hung his head.
“I understand,” said Mina. “I’ll let you have him first. I’ll dance with him for two songs after that.”
“Then I’ll dance for three!”
“Let’s just take turns, then. I’ll dance for an extra song.”
“I understand. We’re taking turns, yes? I’ll let you go first, so I’ll take the extra dance.”
I’d like them to consider my stamina... Zen thought glumly. It was looking like tonight would be hectic, and he was already resigning himself to his fate.
Well, he could understand their feelings. Even some guys out there wanted to dance at parties too, and finding a lover or a fiancée to be your partner was a high hurdle to overcome.
I guess I’ll just have to be a stand-in partner for both of them. If anything, I should consider it an honor. Besides, this was definitely a hundred times better than if Elysia had wanted to dance with some shady man.
It was now past noon, and Mina and Elysia had finally changed into their dresses. There was a dressing room on the inn’s fifth floor, where they could call for employees to assist them if they needed it.
Mina had rented a yellow dress reminiscent of a large marigold. The striking design and color would probably look even more lustrous under candlelight once the sun set. For a woman, Mina was tall with broad shoulders, so she could wear such a flashy dress like this with style.
“It really suits you,” Zen said, praising her honestly. “You look very pretty.”
“E-Elysia picked it for me. I couldn’t have chosen this on my own...” Mina mumbled, embarrassed. Had Zen said something that warranted this kind of reaction?
Meanwhile, Elysia had rented a graceful dress that closer resembled a white lily. The mature design, accented with more modest embroidery and lacing, made her look quite grown up. For an instant—only a mere second—Zen mistook her for Aness from when they’d first met.
As Zen was left speechless, Elysia appealed to him with a look that indicated she wanted praise too.
“Y-You’re beautiful no matter what you wear, Elysia.”
“Why do you sound like you’re forcing it...?”
As a father, he’d intended to praise her as he should, but she looked unsatisfied. She was sulking, staring pointedly at him.
What am I supposed to say? If she were in the inner palace, she’d be wearing dresses worlds more elaborate and beautiful than this. I just find it so sad. I can’t come out and lie that it suits her.
He couldn’t reveal his true feelings in front of Mina, so he’d patch things up with Elysia later.
In any case, they were all ready. Mina and Elysia had transformed into two elegant ladies who would fit in perfectly at any fine function, sure to garner attention.
“Okay, we can leave at any time.”
“What?” Mina and Elysia both cried.
All Zen had done was voice his idle thought aloud, but the two girls reacted as if to say, Of course not!
“Huh?”
“Are you going to attend the party looking like that, Sir Zen?” Mina asked incredulously.
“That’s the uniform you always wear!”
Indeed, Zen was the only one who wasn’t dressed up at all. He was wearing the uniform he wore every day at the village town hall.
“These are the fine clothes that the empire supplies its bureaucrats all across the nation,” Zen defended himself. “They’re considered a proper dress suit.”
“I suppose you do participate in ceremonies with that outfit, so it is technically treated as formal dress...”
“I’ve never seen someone wear that at a party, though...”
Zen panicked. It was as if they were in disbelief. “But you know, isn’t it more convenient for you if I dress this way?! It’s more fitting for someone working as your partner, right, Lady Mina?! This way, it’s obvious I’m only here for official business! No one will get the wrong idea and think we have a more intimate relationship!”
“I-I don’t particularly mind if they do misunderstand...” Mina mumbled, trailing off.