I Start with a Bad Hand!

You’re really good at pretending not to notice, I thought, realizing it wasn’t a lie. Klaus, who had slightly stiffened upon seeing my face up close, quickly returned to his usual expression, acting as if nothing had happened.

Instead, he subtly repositioned himself to shield me in the shadows, ensuring that anyone passing by wouldn’t notice my reddened eyes.

“…I think it’s too late,” I said.

“What?” Klaus looked a bit taken aback by my response. I gently touched the hem of my dress. I was wearing the familiar navy dress again, the one I wore whenever I wasn’t in uniform. Klaus would recognize it, as it was the same dress I wore when we went to the theater together.

“Not you, me. I didn’t have enough time to prepare because of some circumstances.”

Klaus looked puzzled. “But it’s a masquerade.”

“Even so, going like this feels a bit….”

It felt like I was just participating as Dietrich, disguised as Dietrich in a navy dress. Klaus seemed to ponder my words for a moment, then wrapped his white cloak around me.

“…Klaus?”

When I called his name in confusion, his face, half-illuminated by the moonlight, broke into a bright smile.

“Warrior Arneb.”

“…What?”

“The legendary hero who wore a white cloak over a navy dress and shot the moon with an arrow.”

“It’s a masquerade, after all. Anyone who sees you dressed like this will think of that story.” He then leaned in, as if sharing a secret in the empty hallway, and whispered in my ear, “It’s my favorite story, too.”

Klaus carefully pinned the brooch from his jacket onto the cloak. The brooch was intricately carved with flowers and had a long pearl chain. He handed me a mask, and only then did he look at me with a satisfied expression.

He had given me everything, from small accessories to the mask, leaving himself in just a jacket without a cloak or mask. Though neat, his attire was too plain for a masquerade. I had been completely swept up in his plans without realizing it. His innocent expression made it hard for people to be wary of him. Now, Klaus extended his arm to escort me once again.

“So what are you disguised as?” I asked.

“Hmm…” Klaus pretended to think, then flashed a mischievous smile. “Just Klaus?”

What’s that supposed to mean? It was cute, but watching him stand there awkwardly made me feel guilty. It didn’t seem right to accept all his kindness without giving anything back.

“I can’t let you give me everything like this. I’ll feel bad….” I began to unfasten the cloak. Klaus, looking flustered, reached out to stop me and instead whispered something quietly. As I realized what he was saying, a chill ran down my spine.

“…But even if a pearl is buried in the mud, does it cease to be a pearl?”

This guy, no way…

Seeing my shocked expression, Klaus continued with a barely suppressed laugh, “Therefore, a potato is also a pearl of the earth. Brush off the dirt and steam it, and it shines on its own. That shine is surely the glow of a pearl.”

Was he reciting my play’s lines to me? The very lines I thought were nonsense even as I wrote them? The sudden attack of those lines filled me with an unbearable sense of shame. Hearing them in the drama club was bearable, but listening to them now made me want to run to my room and burn the original script.

Klaus, with his seemingly innocent face, knew how to torture someone in the most efficient way.

‘I didn’t expect this from him…’ An utterly devious fellow….

As I continued to stare at him, speechless, Klaus finally let out a hearty laugh, the sound ringing clear in the quiet hallway. He then cleared his throat and spoke again.

“Even a pearl buried in the mud, if retrieved by the warrior Arneb, will shine once more.”

He extended his arm to me once again, a playful tone in his voice, asking me to give him the chance to prove himself, despite his shortcomings. The cheeky, brazen self-introduction made me laugh this time.

In the end, I accepted Klaus’s offer to escort me.

***

In this world, dancing was like riding a bicycle. It wasn’t my head but my body that remembered, moving on an unconscious level. In other words, I had to be less aware for Dietrich’s body to recall the steps, making my dance somewhat decent.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

These words were my awkward attempt to excuse the fact that I kept stepping on Klaus’s feet. Though I had danced at balls only a few times since arriving here, I had never been this clumsy before. I thought to myself that even if I harbored ill will, I wouldn’t have trampled Klaus’s feet any more than this, trying to hide my embarrassment.

“The song’s a bit fast… I’ve always had trouble keeping the beat.”

He was kindly trying to reassure me, saying that mistakes were okay. Adjusting his grip on my hand, he softly counted the beat out loud, “One, two-three. One, two-three.” Just like the time we had matched our steps in the rain.

However, the simple beats soon turned into words, and Klaus started to softly sing along with the music. When I looked up, focusing solely on the steps, he smiled a bit sheepishly and whispered, “It’s a song they sing in operas too.”

Klaus continued to hum quietly in tune with the music. His soft pronunciation was soothing, making the breathy notes tickle, so I turned the conversation away.

“But I don’t see your sister anywhere.”

“…My sister?”

At the ball before the summer break, Agnes had mentioned that Irene was always working. She wasn’t visible this time either. As I kept looking around for Irene, Klaus leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Actually, she rarely comes into the ballroom during balls, because of the flowers.”

Oh, right. Recalling the arts festival, Irene had received a bouquet that made her eyes redden, showing she had a severe allergy. The ballroom was decorated with flowers that I quickly glanced around. Most likely, Irene had prepared those decorations.

‘There were other ways to decorate…’

It seemed like Irene, as the middle manager, bore the brunt of the student council’s laziness, tirelessly working without enjoying the events herself. Damn student council members….

“Still, she did make some compromises with the other student council members this time. The decorations aren’t made from fully bloomed flowers.”

“Really?”

“If you look closely, they’re all round buds.”

In a playful tone, Klaus whispered in my ear. Then shouldn’t Irene be able to attend the ball too?

“…Then why isn’t she here? I’d like to see her.” I persisted, still looking around for Irene. Distracted by my search, I accidentally stepped on Klaus’s foot again.

‘At least I didn’t step on it hard,’ I thought, relieved.

“Ouch.”

Huh?

The sudden exclamation made my eyes widen. Until now, Klaus had not shown any reaction, not even a change in expression, no matter how many times I stepped on his feet. But now, he was whining like a child.

‘What’s this? Was he really hurt?’

No, I was sure I had barely stepped on him this time. Just as I was about to apologize profusely, Klaus interrupted.

“Sorry, I stepped on you again—”

“It’s okay. But…”

Klaus hesitated for a moment, then scratched his nose and said, “Can you be a little more careful? Just a bit?”

…like my sister would.

The playful tone and slight pout made me chuckle involuntarily. As I couldn’t take my eyes off his face, Klaus suddenly pulled me a bit closer.

“Just so we don’t bump into the people behind us.”

“Oh.”

Being closer, Klaus smelled as pleasant as always, a fresh scent slightly different from Irene’s. When I casually looked over my shoulder, I couldn’t help but think, ‘How did we end up running into him?’

Spotted hair.

As soon as I saw that head of patchy blonde hair, my hand instinctively tightened its grip. Klaus, feeling the sudden pressure, looked at me with wide eyes. I gave him an awkward smile and quickly looked away from the sight behind me. Still, my head kept wanting to turn back.

Fortunately, Logan hadn’t noticed me and was walking away, his back turned. But my curiosity wasn’t about Logan, who had slicked his thinning hair back to expose his forehead.

‘Who did he want to come with so badly that he pulled that ridiculous stunt?’

I tried not to make it obvious as I kept glancing in their direction. After circling around several times, I finally saw Logan’s ‘partner.’

‘Why is she with Logan?’

The question popped into my head, and in my surprise, I stepped on Klaus’s foot again.