The final day of the Festival of Gratitude was upon us, and Liese’s hair had the same white flower in it as always. Although the Witch of Yore was due to resurrect later in the night, for now I waited on the sidelines in a ballroom full of dancing students.
My fiancée was wearing a uniform from the royal guard and had tied her hair high to keep it out of the way. A single lirene poked out from the base of her ponytail.
“M-My role today is merely to serve as your protector. With clothing like this, I cannot dance with you in good conscience. I, well... I refuse to act in a manner that may bring dishonor to your name. So, um...”
This little debate of ours had been continuing quietly in the corner of the dance hall. With my arms around Liese’s hips and a smile on my face, I leaned in close to whisper directly in her ear.
“Liese, you are the most beautiful person in the world, no matter what you wear—and seeing you in this uniform is adorable in its own right. Above all else, this is my last year to partake in school festivities. Won’t you please grant me one more memory to share with you?”
“The blushing Lieselotte falls silent! She held out for a good while, but it looks like this argument is coming to an end!”
“They say fondness of the heart is bondage of the mind, and besides, tonight’s event isn’t formal enough to worry about slandering the prince’s name. Liese-tan should throw in the towel. She danced with Fiene in the game, and there are plenty of same-sex pairs throughout the hall. One couple in a tuxedo and military getup is nothing.”
Hearing Lord Endoh and Lady Kobayashee, I glanced over at the ballroom floor. There were indeed several pairs of boys and girls gleefully dancing away with other boys and girls, respectively.
We were far from the likeliest to stand out, and societal shame was the least of my worries. I simply wanted to hurry over and show everyone around us how well Liese and I got along. To dance with her would surely be great fun.
“Oh, come to think of it, Fiene was really nervous earlier about this being her first time dancing in public. Liese-tan took her hand, saying, ‘Then allow me to be the one to judge how far you’ve come,’ and the two of them danced at home before coming here.”
I couldn’t let that slide. Lady Kobayashee’s news instantly split my heart open.
“So you’ll dance with Fiene, but not me...” My arms went slack, and I gazed into Liese’s eyes. Listening to my own voice, even I could tell that I sounded hurt.
“Wh-Why do you—in any case, that was simply to confirm that she wouldn’t embarrass herself. I didn’t mean anything by it. With our impending battle, this truly isn’t the occasion to let ourselves get too lost in merriment anyway, and...”
“They really looked like they were having fun at home, you know?”
“Plus, when they finally stopped, Liese-tan was all, ‘I suppose you pass,’ and Fiene blushed with joy. I could practically feel the lilies blooming in the room.”
The gods’ assistance let me see right through Liese’s excuses. I squinted my eyes in a sullen glare and she awkwardly averted her gaze. She had enjoyed herself before the ball, and she knew it.
“The witch isn’t appearing here at this very moment, is she? Tradition says that those who share a final dance on the last day of the Festival of Gratitude will be able to overcome the harshest of winters together. But as it stands, your last partner will be Fiene... I don’t think I can forgive that.”
I sighed, causing Liese to look to and fro, at a loss for what to do.
The Festival of Gratitude was a tradition to offer the plentiful bounty of the autumn harvest to the many gods that watched over us—the Creation Goddess Lirenna chief among them. Details varied depending on region and social status, and the academy began merrymaking earlier than most. It was seen by many as a practice run for the official event held in the royal palace.
Each fall, we gave our thanks for a bountiful harvest and another year spent with those we loved. Alongside that, we prayed to the divine powers beyond that we might all survive the harsh winter to come, and the superstition of the dance was a direct result. Surely even the silliest of hooligans would take to the floor with their chosen partner for the final song.
“Um...” My stubborn fiancée continued her mumbling. “But Fiene is dancing with Baldur as we speak. Thus, our mere practice session at home is sure to be overwritten, and, well...”
I’d been staring at her for some time now, but I finally looked away. I made sure that my downcast eyes seemed as sad and hurt as I could possibly manage.
“Ah! ...V-Very well. Let us dance, just for a short while.”
Liese’s reluctant approval immediately brought back my smile. I knew she was kind; perhaps prodding at her sense of guilt was better than trying to convince her with reasonable arguments.
“Only for a short while! Am I clear?!”
I avoided giving a definitive response and led her to the center of the room with a smile.
“Whatever the case,” I said, “we ought to hurry and dance. It seems like we’ve been holding up the crowd.”
As the crown prince and the daughter of our kingdom’s warmaster, we were the most prestigious couple in the room. Although our teachers had told us not to worry about etiquette in this casual setting, there were more than a few people waiting for us to take to the floor before joining in themselves.
Finally noticing their presence, Liese closed her mouth. She followed my lead with all the elegance in the world.
────
After one song, I could feel the crowd around us ease up. Liese tried to return to the edge of the room, seeing as our “short while” was up, but I didn’t let her go. I continued my steps to the music without any hesitation; she had no mind to embarrass me, and entrusted her body to me.
“Liese...” As we slowly moved in correspondence with the second song, I asked an all too familiar question. “Are you really coming to the yard with us?”
“Of course,” she said without skipping a beat. “The Witch of Yore and her mental attacks did not instill me with fear—they roused the urge to cut her down with these very hands.”
We’d gone through this routine countless times now. With the upcoming battle now soon to start, I couldn’t help but wish for Liese to remain in the safety of this ballroom. I could no longer quell the rising fears within me. I continued thinking of ways to convince her to stay behind, but she interrupted my train of thought.
“Above all else, I...I wish to be with you, wherever you go.” Liese spoke without a hint of shyness. “To wait for you alone is a fate far more terrifying than to face her with you.”
I guess that’s fair.
If Liese were ever to march into danger, I would never allow myself to sit in the cradle of safety. The whole kingdom could tell me to stop, but my position as a royal or the crown prince would never be enough to let her go alone.
I agreed with Liese’s resolution. At the same time, it caused a warm fuzzy feeling to spring up in my heart and curl my lips into a smile.
“Then how about we head there hand in hand? Just like the first day we met.”
“When we first met?” she asked, curious.
On our first meeting, I’d spent an entire day holding Liese by the hand. She had been only five at the time, so I couldn’t fault her for forgetting. At that point, I hadn’t known she was to become my future bride—in fact, my parents hadn’t either.
I hadn’t taken her hand out of obligation, but out of a purehearted desire to continue being with her. I had acted the part of a prince because I wanted to catch the eye of the cute girl who’d called me one. I had smiled for her just because she had seemed nervous.
Alas, our relationship had twisted out of shape by the time my princely mannerisms and crowd-pleasing smile had become muscle memory. Liese’s thorns were so sharp that I had genuinely believed she did not like me. In fact, because of my misunderstanding, our families had rushed to put a date on our wedding plans.
Seeing Liese furrow her brow as she attempted to recall our first meeting was adorable; her put together military garb was as charming as it was new.
Lieselotte Riefenstahl had been, was, and would always be cute. I wouldn’t have ever realized this simple truth had it not been for Lord Endoh and Lady Kobayashee’s help. So I didn’t mind if she’d forgotten our first meeting—though of course, I would be delighted if she did remember.
“You don’t have to try so hard to remember. What I wanted to say is that you were cute at age five and are even cuter now, Liese.” I snickered. “All that matters is that I remember.”
“Wha—uh!” Liese was amusingly flushed. Her mouth froze, still open, until she lost her temper and shouted. “Oh, hnngh!”
Regardless of her embarrassment, Liese’s dancing remained impeccable. I expected nothing less of her.
“Very well. Let us go hand in hand. Truthfully, I...would feel stronger that way too.”
Liese’s face was still red, her eyes were still downcast, and her voice was nigh unhearable. Even so, she spoke those words for me all the same.
“But you must let go once we arrive!” she said, trying to overwrite the mood of her previous statement. “I wield a spear, so you absolutely cannot get too close!”
“Sure,” I said with a tender smile. “With all that’s happening tonight, I can’t argue with that.”
Liese was perceptibly relieved. I decided not to tell her that I had no intention of letting her go on any other night.
After the Festival of Gratitude comes the relentless cold of winter. Far, far beyond, I want to still be with you. All I ask is to hold this hand tight forever—to never lose sight of the joy your presence brings.
With my ardent prayer on full display, I continued to dance with Liese.