Dance With the Nightingale - Chapter 27

After that reveal, I didn’t do anything notable other than training and reading, outwardly that is.

Inwardly, I changed my plans, I weighted my options, even prepared what to say on different occasions, but most importantly, I stopped freaking out.

So, what if she was an Eternal Magus, you have been in the presence of a mad Great Being and survived, can’t you do the same with an Eternal Magus?

With this thought I relaxed, and continued my daily life.

Just my schedule changed a bit.

Not much, just a bit.

A two-hour class of dancing and etiquette was added to my schedule, the classes taking place just after my morning training.

This class was mostly held by the Countess and Amy, but Mora would pitch in whenever either of them was unavailable.

There was even a day when both of them were unavailable.

And believe me, that class was awkward as hell.

It’s impossible to actually concentrate on dancing, when your partner, whose face is just a few inches away from yours, has a perpetual serious expression on their face.

In fact, her expression felt so annoying to me that for a moment I thought,

‘Will she be able to keep that expression, even if I kiss her?

Should I give it a try?’

Thankfully, I didn’t act on impulse and destroyed that thought as soon as it flashed in my head, but for some reason, I couldn’t meet her eyes for the rest of the class.

Apart from that nothing happened.

But still, that class brought me a disaster.

What disaster?

The disaster of me dancing with the serious maid, for the whole month!!

Why?

Because the maid suggested to my Mother that she was physically the most compatible girl of the three for me.

As perverted it sounds, she simply meant that because of her being 164cm, just two centimeters more than mine, she was the best partner for me to dance with of the three of them.

And well, she was correct in a way, with Amy and the Countess being 170cm and 175cm, respectively, it was quite awkward to do some twirls and lifts.

I stealthily had to use some wind magic to help at times, but with both my Mother’s and Amy’s senses I knew it wasn’t much of a secret.

Fortunately, both ladies remained tactful and didn’t outright mention it, somehow protecting my dignity.

But the serious maid was different, without caring about me in the slightest she literally said,

“Young Master is shorter than Madame and Amelia, this makes dancing with you much harder for him. Young Master’s progress would be much faster if he danced with me, for my height is about the same as his. So, allow me to dance with him, Madame.”

Everything she said was the truth, but when she actually said that,

-Crack

-Shatter

I heard my heart shattering.

And somehow Amy’s not so subtle glances, or the wry smile the Countess threw at me, all of them felt like heavy punches to my ego.

So, with a broken spirit, I danced with Mora, who had her request granted.

And as much as I wanted to deny this, I really did improve much faster dancing with her – for a month…

…

..

.

-Twirl

-Twist

-Lift

I twirled her, I twisted her, I lifted her, whirling her again before I placed her down.

Both of us took a step back, before, I grabbed her outstretched right hand with my left, while my right wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer but still keeping a small distance between us, as we moved over to our next move.

Just like that our dance continued for a while before it finally ended.

-Clap

-Clap

-Clap

“You did great Young Master!”

“Yes, you did great Rayne, you too Mora, you were perfect as always.”

“Oh! Right!, Mora you did great too!”

From the sidelines, both Amy and my Mother praised me, but I didn’t pay much mind to it, after all this was the normal scene after our every dance.

As for Mora,

“Thank you Madame, Amelia.”

The Maid bowed to her Madame, after she finally calmed her breath.

And that was once again, a normal scene.

The reason clearly being the Empire’s traditional dance, it was simply so aggressive, so demanding, that a normal person would be fully drained after a single performance.

Note, this was already our fourth.

Though the maid rested between each of the performances, it was simply too draining for her to do any more than four of them.

She was simply too exhausted by then, the proof of that being the sweat accumulated on her forehead.

It was already amazing that she could dance four times without making any mistakes.

But then, the maid turned towards me,

“You danced well today, Young Master.”

“…!”

And left me speechless.

Yes, she simply praised me.

But how many times, did she do that for the whole month?

Never, not even once.

I just assumed that Mora was not someone who praises people, but from the looks of it that wasn’t the case.

Rather, I had just yet to reach her praising standard.

Unknowingly a smile crept up my face, as I nodded to her and was about to say something, but was stopped, as the maid still had something to say.

“Does Young Master have some free time?”

Free time, eh?

Actually, I was quite busy with my own stuff, but considering it was Mora, the serious maid, who asked me…

Something important must have happened, something that the serious maid needs my help with…

“Well yes, I do have some free time, but what is it?’

“That’s good.

As for what it is, it would be better if I just show you.

Why don’t you follow me, Young Master?”

Okay, girl you got hooked now.

Let’s see what you got to show me, I hope it isn’t something disappointing.

I thought, as I followed after the departing maid.

***

“Is that Young Master?”

“Of course, it’s him you dumbo! Who else has such gorgeous cyan hair!”

“But why is he following the senior maid?”

“What else, he must be here because of some work.”

“But he can also be here to do ‘that’, right?”

“That?”

“This and that, you fool!”

“B-but, isn’t that against the rules?”

“Young Master is always known for breaking the rules.”

“B-but even then, it’s only been a while since he woke up, so how…?”

“Hey! hey! hey!, why are you crying!”

Several such conversations were happening all around me, and honestly, I just found them cute.

Nothing more, nothing less.

But still, our destination was a bit unexpected for me.

[The Maid’s Dormitory]

More specifically, Mora’s room in the Senior Maid section.

And that was unexpected, the only reason I could even connect her calling me, was the class she took running in a problem, but with her taking me to her room…

This was a bit uncertain.

Silently, I followed the maid till we reached her room.

-Click

And we entered while maintaining the silence.

Silence, that was broken by a loud sigh.

The one who sighed was the owner of this room, none other than Mora.

I turned around, looking at the maid who made an expression that I have never seen before.

Clearly, she looked helpless.

With another sigh, she asked me

“Do you have one of those super high quality stealth artifacts with you, Young Master?”

“Umm, I do. But what do you need them for?”

“I need to check on someone!”

“Someone?”

“Yes, someone.”

“You can’t go out of the estate even with the artifact, you know that right?”

“Yes, I know, the guy I need to check on is in the Estate too.”

“Is that so…

But, why do you think I would help you?”

After all, I was much of a charitable person.

Though I won’t mind lending the artifact, I still wanted to know whom we were checking on.

And yes, ‘we’, I am not letting this senior maid do something dangerous alone.

“Would it suffice if I said, I just trusted you would do so?”

“You trusted me to?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Nothing else?”

“Well, I heard that Young Master is stocking up on different kinds of artifacts nowadays, so I thought he would have a stealth artifact too…”

I smirked at her answer as I said.

“I see, so you aren’t totally clueless, but quite a hearing you got there Mora. I didn’t know you could bend the rules for yourself~”

“I’m not doing this for myself!!”

The maid firmly denied my accusation before continuing in a small voice.

“The other maids do much more than just this.”

“Okay, okay, don’t get upset, and tell me who is this guy you want to check on.”

“Why do you have to know..?

I can just spy on him and come back while you wait here Young Master, won’t that be less troublesome for you?”

“Hah, who ever said anything about you going alone?”

“Huh?”

“Y-young Master, you want to come with m-me!??”

“Yes.”

“But it isn’t something interesting, rather it’s just some mundane spying…”

“I just want to test run my artifacts.”

“But- ”

“I’m coming and that’s final, so tell me already, who is this guy.”

I said sternly, and that finally made the girl relent with a demure tone, “Okay…”

Honestly, she felt rather cute when she showed her expressions, much better than her expressionless façade she kept on for the whole day…

So, with my utmost attention I listened as she started with her explanation.

“He….”

***

[Night time, Ellsworth Estate]

-Whoop

-Whoop

From one roof to another I jumped without a sound, all thanks to the artifact I had on me.

And just like that within a few minutes, I was there, in front the suspicious guy’s house.

And guess what, I had a baggage.

A baggage whose soft chest was crushed on my back.

Ah~ Heaven~

Now, I really have no regrets for dying…

“Focus, on what’s ahead Young Master!”

Thankfully, a voice brought me back to Earth, the voice of my baggage, the voice of Mora.

Our position was okay but due to how fast we were moving, Mora had no choice but to cling to my back.

As for what happened to her chest, and on whose back it was crushed, she knew the best.

Anyways, from a distance I observed the house, a building that was the same as the ones given to all higher ranked administrative officers in the Estate.

Though the house looked the same, I had a different feeling about it, an instinctive feeling that something spooky, something freakish, and something evil, lingered in there.

I stopped in my place, deeply rooted, as soon as I had that feeling.

This…

This feeling, this atmosphere, this is way above my paygrade!

Though all my magical senses were silent, I could still confidently say…

This house, it housed a [Demon Contractor]!!!