Episode 41
The Ways of Nobility
Her words that it’ll be harsh were no exaggeration. She taught me six hours a day, and she made a distinction between what to remember and what to forget for Eris, who would be accustomed to the social world of noble ladies.
“There have been some implicit rules in society so far. The placement around the eyes means I’m interested in you’ and the placement on the upper lip means ‘ want to kiss you’. These cute spots, tapped by fans, formed a ‘silent social language’. But…….”
She folded her fan and shrugged it off.
“Forget those vulgar language, for the ladies of the imperial court are more concerned with dignity than arrogance.”
There were many very trivial and petty rules.
“Furthermore, when you walk with His Highness, you must walk two steps back. You can’t be behind him or ahead of him. When you drink tea, don’t drink it too fast, and time it with the pace of the conversation.”
The biggest problem I faced above all else when it came to teaching Helena was dancing, but to prevent words from leaking out, I had to even act as a dance teacher.
Come to think of it, even though I should have danced as the main character at Eris’s coming-of-age ceremony, Helena’s aftermath was so great that no one said anything even if I didn’t dance. In fact, the crown prince and Helena had saved me.
“The ballroom starts with Polonaise. Minute is a form from the old ages. Second, waltz, Quadrille seems to be in vogue among aristocrats, but not in the Imperial Palace.”
Polonaise? Minute? Quadrille? Unknown names flew past me. At the very least, I barely understood the waltz. What if she asks me to dance? Realistic fear preoccupied the stomach. The teacher did not know my thoughts and continued to explain.
“When the atmosphere of the ballroom is ripe, we dance to Mazurka. When Mazurka is over, Cotillon begins to wrap up the ball……. It’s not just dance that Lady Misérian has to teach Lady Antebellum. You have to teach her the atmosphere that changes every time the dance changes and the conversation that goes with it.”
I didn’t even know how to dance. I’m sweating profusely, but the teacher doesn’t seem to be worried about that.
It’s Lady Misérian, who is known for her social skills, so she must have thought that she would be taught well even without saying anything out of the ordinary
She wouldn’t even be able to guess in her dreams that Lady Misérian’s inner core is someone else’s.
“First, let’s start with the female choreography again to familiarize the senses. After the female choreography is finished, you should also learn the male choreography.”
“Men’s choreography?!”
“Of course, you should also learn the male choreography. That way, won’t you keep pace with Lady Antebellum? You, there, come here.”
The nanny, who snorted as if asking her the right thing, called Anakin, who was standing at the corner of my room like one of my ornaments.
“You keep up with me for now. Do you know how to dance?”
“…I’ve seen it many times.”
“Okay then. Lady Misérian will lead anyway.”
Lead? Me?! The teacher’s eyes filled with anticipation reached me. Damn, what kind of lead is a dance lead? I’ve been too busy trying to take care of my situation. In my heart, I prayed to God, no, to Eris, who had passed away.
Please, when the song comes out, I hope this body will remember it for me. Isn’t it said that if you dance a lot, your body will move on its own, even if you are unconscious?
I roughly solved the language problem with that, sol hoped that Eris’s body would do this for me too.
Anakin put his left hand behind me, and his right hand, clasped mine. As the gramophone turned, upbeat music in three beats came out. And like a miracle, my body moved.
I moved forward with one knee slightly bent and straightened to the beat, then stopped in the middle and circled around Anakin’s still body. Then, following the instructions of his master, he circled the room once and held out his left and right feet alternately as if kicking lightly. After moving one foot to the right, unknowingly put my left foot back and sat down with my legs slightly bent.
In the original dance of the past, the right and left symmetry must be correct. Polonaise is a dance that opens a ball, so fortunately, it was on the very easy side. It was a series of pulling and spinning.
It was originally a dance where your partner changes throughout, but since there was no other person to change with, I continued to dance holding hands with Anakin, pretending to change partners.
This became more enjoyable as my tension started to ease away. When the music that lasted for four minutes ended and I sat down with my knees slightly bent, the teacher applauded.
“As expected of Lady Misérian. Now, let’s switch positions and dance.”
“…..Am I also doing female choreographing?”
“Of course you dance. So you’re gonna ask an old lady who doesn’t even have a good knee to dance? You’re so ugly. Just dance as you’re a girl and it won’t fall between your legs!” (N: yes, that between the legs.)
“Keuk.”
Hearing this nanny’s poignant words, I clamped down on my molars as I wanted to burst into laughter at Anakin. I felt my nostrils twitching slightly so I turned my head away.
The most ridiculous of dances was the Mazurka. It’s somewhat similar to Polonaise, but very different. Not only did I have to hop and hop with my arms outstretched, as if hoofing, but I also had to clap in the middle.
Every time Anakin, who had never had a chance to dance Mazurka as a commoner from the slums, fumbled clumsily, the teacher shouted in disappointment.
Watching him from the side, I almost died from struggling to hold back my laughter because Anakin was so cute.
After the teacher left and I finished eating, I couldn’t sleep even though I was tired enough to die. Because Thad to go back to the library, pull out a book, read it, and copy it.
After reading and writing about ten or twenty books, got a rough idea of the grammar system. Still, it was fortunate that the letters, alphabets and the language were like a mixture of European languages. Like Tolkien, it must have been reinvented……. I didn’t even dare to learn.
I squeezed my puffy eyelids.
From tomorrow onwards, I had to go into the Imperial Palace and teach Helena. All I thought was that I hoped Helena wasn’t stupid. Of course Helena is going to be stupid, but… I wish she was at least less stupid.
No, is stupid better? So stupid, that if she makes me repeat the same thing countlessly, I might feel frustrated enough to want to kill her. The blunt knife Medea gave seemed to have become sharp for a moment.
In one way or another, because I was so busy being taught by the teacher, it took a long time before would enter the palace. Although the imperial etiquette lessons were not over, I had to send Helena out to society as soon as possible, so I decided to start with the very basics that I could teach.
I liked the feeling of the dark green silk fabric gently wrapping around my body. Today, I looked more like a tutor than a noble girl.
As I am only meeting Helena to teach her, wearing an elaborate dress and putting on a bunch of accessories in my hair would be too cumbersome.
So I tied my hair together with the same fabric as my dress, put on velvet shoes, and walked to find Helena. I noticed that the people who passed by me without recognizing who I was, suddenly paused only by looking at my outfit. With eyes wide open, they began to whisper.
I wish light clothes would become fashionable. Though the clothes in this world are pretty, they’re still close to the Victorian style. I thought I’d die from having to deal with wearing multiple layers of fabric. The handmaiden, who had been ordered by the empress, led me to a suitable room. She brought tea and refreshments, and asked me to wait for a moment for Helena.
Although the refreshments are too sweet, the Imperial Palace sweets are the best. When I ate it with fragrant tea, I felt better. I’m usually not a big fan of sweets, but considering what will happen in the future, I thought it would be beneficial to consume the sugar for energy, as I know full well what is coming.
At that moment, I heard a knock on the door. When I heard Helena’s tender voice from beyond the door,
picked up the teacup, rinsed my mouth lightly, and answered.
“You called me.”
“You’re welcome to come in.”
When Helena entered the door and confirmed that it was me who had called her, her eyes became alert and she trembled like a rabbit. No, someone might think I’m here to eat her. I haven’t done anything yet and I can’t believe it’s at this point. It is questionable how such a small child lived in the Imperial Palace in the original novel.
Seriously, everyone in this palace seemed to like Helena, so I wonder what she was worried about. Even if I send her poison, the servants will throw it away, and if the enemies attack, the crown prince will, take revenge in her stead.
There was no reason for this girl to get her hands dirty, for if she cried a little, the person who made her cry will be driven into a bad person and will never be seen again.
“L, Lady Misérian… me, why me….”
“Her Majesty has chosen me as the right person to educate you. We have a long way to go, so come and sit here.”
“Education?”
Helena still stood there in embarrassment, looking away, but finally, she staggered and sat on the sofa opposite me. I silently pressured her to sit with my head tilted as I observed her. I asked Helena, purposely not making eye contact with her.
“Lady Antebellum, how much basic knowledge do you have? Can you read and write? How about ballroom dancing?”
“W, writing? I did, but I did learn letters. I know how to read. I don’t know what it means…”
“Dancing? Do you know how to perform at least one of the dances like the polonaise, waltz, mazurka, or cotillon?”
“I don’t know…”
“…Well, I didn’t expect it. Let’s start with writing before learning etiquette.”