Half-Sister 4

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Chapter 4: Closer

I would be attending a ball together with Sir Hart.

Up until now, he would tear up and discard any invitations except for the job-related ones. But thankfully, this invitation was still in its original shape.

But, it was a ball. Sir Hart didn’t look like someone who did exercise, so in terms of dancing, he was still a beginner.

“My Lord! Please take into mind your wife’s steps!”

“One, two, no! The movement on that part should be slower!”

“Come on! Don’t be so dispirited! Don’t mess with the choreography either!”

Right now, the servants were training Sir Hart so that he could improve. 

Sir Hart practised his basic dance steps while letting out annoyed, tired groans. It sounded like it came out from the bottom of hell.

On the other hand, I…

“Ohhh! My Lady! That’s perfect!”

I was a lady who attended the academy not too long ago, so I had the knowledge and experience. The servants also made impromptu assessments on subjects other than dancing, and I passed them all. Now I was just waiting for Sir Hart’s test results.

Since I didn’t have anything to do, I thought about going to the library for a second. But if I did that, Sir Hart would hate me. So I restrained myself.

“What is it? What’s so fucking useful about doing this? Isn’t it more efficient to do work instead of doing such practices? Are nobles just fools?”

Sir Hart was grumpy. He hadn’t stopped cursing for a while and it was only when Marietta reprimanded him, that he quieted down. 

“My Lord, if you speak like that in public, everyone will look at you.”

Surprisingly, he hated being at the center of attention. Though he gave off an impression of being indifferent when he retorted, “There’s no problem in speaking like that to commoners.”

As I was imagining that scene, Marietta called out to me after finishing up.

“The Lord is a sensitive person despite being like that. When he is talking to others, I’d like My Lady to accompany him. Being with someone he knows will give him courage after all!”

I nodded firmly.

“This sucks. Once I say no, it’s still a no. If I go out once, sooner or later I will be going out next time, and so on. You guys know it, and yet still want to bet on it with the risk of getting fired?”

“But my Lord still accepted it.”

“… It’s more troublesome to reject it.”

His eyebrows were knitted together, and he rubbed his temples with his fingers. Although he looked moody, there were no ill words coming out from his mouth. The servants were that important to him.

During the practice break, Sir Hart and I usually sat down side by side and had a little chat.

Now that Sir Hart’s movements had improved, we moved on to doing practices with each other. 

But, since it was completely different to dance with an actual partner, I was struggling to follow.

I was quite tall compared to ladies my age, but Sir Hart’s towering height also made it hard for me to match his steps.

And then, as Sir Hart and I got more familiar with each other, he openly told me one thing that he was afraid of.

“Those guys, more or less understand about the research I’m doing, so they sometimes help me with miscellaneous stuff. If I Ieft it to inexperienced people, it’ll end in obvious disaster...”

“Your research, is it about arithmetic?”

“Mathematics.”

Since I didn’t have any knowledge in that field, I didn’t know how that differs from arithmetic. 

“Let’s say that you throw a stone in the water.”

He suddenly talked about a different topic. I prompted him to continue, though I wondered how that related to what we were talking about.

“At that time, ripples appear on the surface of the water. Can you imagine that?”

“Yes.”

“I’m researching how to express that in a mathematical formula.”

“I see!”

So that was how they related…

Sir Hart had simplified his explanation for my clueless self.

However, my brain barely comprehended it.

There were rules in how ripples spread, different directions of vibration, waves, sounds, etc.

I hardly understood them, but Sir Hart,with a gleam in his eyes, eagerly explained them to me. That made me realize how much he loved math.

“The world is made up of mathematical formulas. Water, Wind, Fire, they all can be represented by numbers.”

With that, Sir Hart ended his explanation by muttering that he didn’t need anything aside from math.

“You too, right? Isn’t history like that to you?”

“Well…”

I nodded in affirmation.

“The present exists because of the past. Even this moment will eventually become the past as time flows. The world consists of accumulated history, and history often repeats itself. That’s why by learning history, we can predict what might happen in the future.”

“You want to predict the future?”

“No. I am just curious about it. The past will never change as it is absolute. It’s… different from people’s hearts which are ambiguous. So at the very least… I can put my faith in it.”

Sir Hart crossed his arms in silence. And then he sighed deeply, while saying that I was really similar to him.

“Have you had such an experience?”

“People who cared for me suddenly hated me one day, and people who had been cold to me suddenly became nice. That is something that everyone has experienced, right?”

“Yeah, everyone does. But the past is only the past.”

He boorishly added that it depended on each person whether or not their memories will be significant in their life.

After that, we waited in silence until break time was over.

When Marietta came back to the room and called for Sir Hart, he slowly stood up.

“Let’s get back to practice. It’s up to us whether this will be a fun memory or a shameful past.”

One month passed quickly.

The servants who were working late came to see us off. We left the mansion, and headed to the capital which I had made many memories in. 

When I looked at the passing scenery from the carriage, I remembered my past self, who was convicted by my sister and caused trouble for Father.

Sir Hart stared at me from his seat next to mine and turned away. 

“What are you thinking about?”

“About the past.”

“Well, rather than the past, just worry about the present. It’s too late to be embarrassed about it.”

“Yes. Rest assured, because I will be by your side no matter what.”

“It’s not about me…”

Sir Hart had a rather pale complexion. We still had time before the ball, and there was enough time to do sightseeing around the capital. But it seemed better to take a rest instead.

We waited in a reserved inn until it was time for the ball. When Sir Hart dispatched a letter to attend the ball to the castle’s envoy, the envoy was so surprised that it was funny.

Despite our rest at the inn, Sir Hart was still restless.

Finally, the day of the ball arrived. 

Because the ball was held at night, I was able to take my time. Before I knew it, time passed by in a blink of an eye. 

Sir Hart and I had to get ready in the morning, so we didn’t get to see each other. 

When I finally saw him at the carriage, he looked like a different person.

His peculiar navy blue hair was neatly combed back, and he was dressed in a black formal wear without any excessive jewelleries. His slender figure no longer looked unhealthy. With this, anyone could tell straight away that he was a fine nobleman.

But only his grey eyes, which slanted upwards, were still the same.

Up until now, I had seen portraits of people who were recorded by history. Most of them were fine and sophisticated just like characters from fictional novels.

But none of them, beated the man standing in front of me.

For some reason, Sir Hart was also at a loss for words, but he quickly pulled himself together and pulled me in the carriage. 

“Let’s go…” He mumbled and the carriage started moving.

Seeing the number of people at the venue, Sir Hart squeezed my hand until it became painful. 

“Don’t worry… I am right here, everything will be fine… everything will be okay…” I comforted him.

“I know…”

“Sir Heart has practiced so much to the point of having nightmares, so no need to worry …”

Sir Hart’s wandering gaze finally fixed on me.

Those gray eyes that were shaking before looked at me strongly.

“Don’t call me Sir Hart, it’s Juno.”

“Yes, Sir Juno.”

We briefly exchanged words and then took a step forward.

Those who noticed Sir Juno had a smile on their face. In fact, they came approaching with various expressions on their faces.

“Oh my! It can’t be… I didn’t expect to see Sir Hart here!”

“You’re right! Such a fortunate occasion to meet such a respectable person here! By now, the future of our kingdom is guaranteed!”

“I’m also honored to see you here, but you are regarding me too highly…” His reply was somewhat short, but he was still doing his best. I could see how much effort he put in. 

 

I remembered at the beginning of practice, he  would show a displeased face and say “Thanks”, while bowing slightly.

Unfortunately, he was not smiling now, but there was nothing I could do about that. It was too much to ask him to smile when he, himself, never smiled. So it was okay to let him have a stern face that at the very least, looked approachable.

Maybe, if I complement him with my smile, it shouldn’t be a problem…

“You should bring a fine, beautiful wife next time.”

“Certainly, there is Marquess Clove’s daughter…”

Though they looked friendly, they were still nobles. No matter how trivial the information is, they wouldn’t overlook a chance to get in other people’s way. Since rumors about me had spread everywhere, everyone in this circle should know something about me.

They must be laughing behind my back, calling me a vulgar woman.

I didn’t mind what people said about me, but I didn’t wish to cause trouble for Sir Juno.

“At the next ball…”

“This, very lady right here, is. My. Wife. Do you think I need someone with a higher status than her?”

Sir Juno stepped in front of me as if to hide me, although I intended to apologize for his rude words. But when I looked up, his face was stiff. 

Although I thought I was fine, my grip slipped when I tried to pull on his sleeve. I didn’t intend to, but my face became bright red before I could say anything.

“Hahaha, that’s right. The Crown Prince’s case was indeed troublesome, right?”

“I am jealous that both of you were that intimate, Hahaha!”

They all laughed without a care in the world.

The Crown Prince. Speaking of him, would he attend this ball too?

And would he be with that woman who despised me?

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