Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 39: “Ball: The Middle”

　Around 8:00 p.m. on July 20, 317 in the Tria calendar.

　When I returned to the Lockhart family room, Beatrice was waiting for me, dressed in a ball gown. Perhaps she was concerned about the bold crimson dress–a sleeveless, mermaid-style dress with a wide opening at the bust that showed the lines of her body–or perhaps her usual imposing regal appearance had faded into the background, and her eyes wandered about aimlessly.

“Is it okay to go dressed like this? It’s really embarrassing…” (Beatrice)

　Before I could say anything, Mel and Sharon circled around Beatrice and raised positive comments.

“It suits you so well! It makes you look quite mature. That back is so open…” (Mel)

　When Mel said that and was impressed, Sharon was also unusually excited.

“It’s really nice! I really like it, I want to wear something mature like this as soon as possible… Master Zack, please tell her something.” (Sharon)

　At that time, I was fascinated by Beatrice and seemed to be a little absent-minded.

　I had originally suggested the design for this dress to Liddy, but she didn’t show it to me when we had it made in the city of Doctus. Liddy had a mischievous mind and wanted to surprise me in Welburn, and it turned out to be exactly what she had in mind.

　I stared at Beatrice’s figure, speechless.

　Meanwhile, Mel and Sharon were slowly turning Beatrice around to show me.

　An evening gown, I guess you could call it. The dress was tied like a ribbon around the back of the neck and opened wide to the waist, revealing most of the back. Her legs are also open so that her shins can be seen, and she wears high-heeled laced sandals that give her a beautiful, sexy figure.

　The tiger ears peeking out from her short hair and the tail sticking out from around her waist assert that she is a tiger beastfolk, but there is no sense of cosplay at all, and her deep cleavage and dignified facial features give her all the charm of an adult woman. On the ring finger of her left hand, she wears a ring adorned with a topaz.

“It’s really beautiful. I was so surprised I was speechless…” (Zack)

　I always think that when Beatrice is dressed up, the gap between her normal appearance and that of her present look is too big for words.

　Not only does she give a strong impression of wearing rugged leather armor and wielding a spear wildly, but her usual way of speaking and thinking is influenced by her masculine nature.

　As she writhes in embarrassment, I feel something like a desire to protect her. She looks up at him and when he asks her, “Are you sure?” I can’t help but want to hug her.

　The two of us walk down the hallway side by side.

　However, since Beatrice, who was originally close to 2 meters tall, was wearing sandals with heels of about 10 cm, she was now about 20 cm taller than me, and she was constantly concerned about this.

“Are you okay with taking such a massive woman with you? Wouldn’t it have been better if it was just Lydiane?” (Beatrice)

“Don’t be stupid. Of course, I’ve already decided because I want to be with you.” (Zack)

　She was still not convinced, but since the venue was not far away and we arrived soon, she did not say anything more.

　It seemed that the song had just finished in the hall, and the young men and women who had been dancing were on their way to the table that had been prepared for them.

　We too headed for the table where Dan was waiting, but as we entered the hall, all eyes were on us. The murmur of the guests’ whispered voices spread throughout the hall.

　Beatrice, perhaps losing her confidence from all the stares and murmurs, whispered to me,

“I guess it wasn’t just out of place.” (Beatrice)

“They’re just admiring you. Look around you. All you see are the envious glances of the women and the jealous glances of the men toward me. Have confidence, stand pound and tall.” (Zack)

　Beatrice glanced around as I said this confidently.

　She seemed to have made up her mind that I was going to pull her along and start walking, so she put her arms around me and started to walk.

　Beatrice’s dress was very different from those worn by the invited guests, and that alone would have attracted attention, but her tall stature and ample bust added to that.

　The dresses worn by the women were basically A-line dresses with a wide skirt, and the corset accentuated the slenderness of her waist and the richness of her bust. However, the dresses were so different from these that, depending on how you looked at them, they could be mistaken for prostitutes, and one could not help but be looked at oddly.

　However, the way she walked with dignity, she didn’t have the flirtatious atmosphere of a night walker, but even had the dignity of a queen, and I think that was the reason for her to open the way.

　With our appearance, people around us started looking for the next song in a hurry.

　Dan, who was waiting alone, widens his eyes at the sight of Beatrice but soon smiles.

“It suits you well, Ms. Beatrice.” (Dan)

　I was surprised to see her face reddening at Dan’s words, and I told him not to tease her, but she didn’t seem to be too upset.

　I’m suspicious of Dan’s solitude,

“Did you dance with others?” (Zack)

　Dan blushed slightly and looked embarrassed.

“Yes, there were quite a few invitations, but… I’m supposed to be the lowest ranked among here, but why is that?” (Dan)

　He said he had invitations, but since he was waiting for us, he hadn’t danced with any of them.

“Feel free to find a partner. We’ll start right away.” (Zack)

　I patted Dan’s backside and sent him off to find another woman. [T/N: That must have looked weird to the nobility there.]

　The reason why so many people called out to Dan is partly due to his own charm, but it may also have something to do with the fact that he wears the Lockhart family crest.

　Of course, today’s guests know that he is not a Lockhart, but he wears the emblem of the Lockhart family, a family that is rapidly growing in prominence. Even if he is a squire, it is not surprising that the eldest son would look more promising than the son of an ordinary knight.

　Since the Lockhart family, the main family, is related to the Frontier Count of Roswell’s family, one of the Empire’s greatest nobles, and since we have a monopoly on distilling technology, which is attracting worldwide attention, it is said that if the head of the family, my father Mathias, so desired, he could easily obtain the title of viscount. If the head of the family becomes a viscount, there is a very good chance that the oldest squire will be knighted.

　In other words, Dan has a high possibility of succeeding to a knight’s family in the future, and he looks like a much more promising marriage partner than the second son of a normal/ordinary knight’s family. In short, Dan is an excellent “green field” for women who come here to look for a marriage partner.

　I don’t think the daughter of a noble family would be interested, but if she correctly understands the true value of the Lockhart family, and the head of the family understands what is only superficial value. It would not be surprising if they decided to marry their own daughter to a commoner, a squire.

　From the outside, Dan is my first squire and will be an important figure in the Lockhart branch of the family once I am independent. I am also the owner of the Zack Collection, a mysterious, long-aged liquor that many countries are anxious to know about, and he appears to be the first vassal of a man who has been offered titles by many countries.

　While I was thinking about this, I saw Dan paired with a woman.

　She was in her mid-teens, about the same age as us. She was a relatively tall woman, only slightly shorter than Dan, who was about 185 centimeters tall, and her face was shadowed, so I could not make out her face. I could only see her dark blue dress and gorgeous golden hair.

　Smiling, I held out my right hand to Beatrice.

“Would you dance a song with me, please?” (Zack)

　Beatrice smiles shyly and replies, “I’d be happy to…”

　I went with her to the middle of the hall. The pair of me, who is about 190 centimeters tall and Beatrice, who is over two meters, is about a head taller than the other couple.

　The background music changed from a gentle tune to a light waltz-like song. The couples bowed in unison and began to dance.

　We did the same, bowed our heads, pulled her body closer, and started dancing.

　Beatrice, being a first-rate spearman, learned the steps in no time, but at first it was more like a martial art than a dance, and there was no air of dance or anything. Now, with the guidance of Liddy and the other dancers, it has become much more like a dance.

　By the end of the first song, no one was paying attention to us, and Beatrice’s nervousness had dissipated.

“It’s surprisingly fun. Before I met you, I never thought I’d do something like this.” (Beatrice)

　After the dance, she went to an empty seat and waited for Dan.

　Dan greeted his partner and came back to us with a smile.

　Beatrice teasingly asked, “Who is your current partner?”

“This is Eleanor Masefield. She also knows Master Zack.” (Dan)

　When I was told this, I took a closer look and saw that it was one of the maids whom I had instructed as waiters.

“She’s quite beautiful… She’s the same age as me. She also seems to have learned a little swordsmanship, so she asked me to teach her in my spare time…” (Dan)

“You’re going to do it, aren’t you? You can’t wait until your next meaning. We can’t just leave you in the corner either.” (Zack)

　I teased him, and his face turned bright red and he was embarrassed.

　The next song started and Dan rushed to go find another woman, but Eleanor was waiting for him nearby and it seemed that they were going to dance another song.

　Looking around the hall, he saw that many of the maids who had been serving the guests seemed to be attending the ball. I guess this kind of occasion is important for them. They may still have work to do, but they changed out of their maid’s uniform into gorgeous dresses and danced happily with young men who were also looking for a partner.

　They are here to look for a marriage partner, so they cannot pass up an opportunity like this marriage ball.

　After the next song was successfully finished, Beatrice sat down in the chair she had prepared.

“Go get Lydiane. I’ll be waiting here.” (Beatrice)

　Before I knew it, she had a glass of wine in her hand, and I guess she was planning to drink it leisurely while watching the dancing. Relieved that the things were finally back to normal, I left the area.

　When I returned to my room, Liddy was waiting for me.

　She was dressed in a simple but beautiful pure white dress, her golden hair was adorned with a silver hair ornament, and on her white gloved left ring finger was an emerald ring.

　She is smiling, not with her usual innocent smile, but with a smile that could be called bewitching.

　I was just as fascinated by her appearance as I was by Beatrice’s.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” (Liddy)

　After about ten seconds of silence, Liddy mutters something like that.

　I searched for words in a panic, but all I could get out was, “Um, well,” and no words came out.

　I guess she thought it was funny to see me so flustered, and she let out a small chuckle.

“You’re really… It’s alright. Let’s go quickly.” (Liddy)

　She said that and took my arm.

　I was in my black formal wear and Liddy was in her white dress. I thought we looked like a couple walking down the aisle.

(It’s like the unveiling of a newlywed couple. …Well, it’s a good thing that Liddy, who has a fear of other people, is willing to go to a ball full of people. …But even so, it is time to start thinking seriously about marriage. Having said that, I’m not sure what I’m going to do in the future…) (Zack)

　I was thinking about that in a corner of my head.

　When I arrived at the venue, it looked like they were just about to dance, and I watched them from the entrance.

　Liddy murmured, “It looks like fun.”

“I never thought of coming to a place like this before. But with you here…” (Liddy)

　I didn’t say anything, but put a little pressure on my entwined arms and pulled her closer to me.

　After a minute or so, that song ended and the circle of couples opened up.

　I gave Liddy a small nod and pulled her arm, “Let’s go.”

　We walked slowly into the hall, but we didn’t attract as much attention as we did with Beatrice. However, amidst the many-colored dresses, the sight of a beautiful woman in a pure white dress gradually attracted more and more attention, along with the whispers of awing.

　There is a reason why I did not bring Beatrice and Liddy from the beginning this time.

　As you can see from the reaction of the audience, both of them are very eye-catching. I thought that if they were there from the beginning, they might not make a strong impression on my brother and sister-in-law Rosalie, who are the stars of the evening.

　Rosalie herself is a very beautiful girl, living up to her reputation as the most beautiful woman in the northern part of the empire. However, the presence of Beatrice, who is tall and very conspicuous, and Liddy, who is also a bewitching woman, would inevitably draw less attention. If it were Mel or Sharon, it would not be so bad. There is no doubt that they are both beautiful girls, but Rosalie, who was raised as the daughter of a high-class noblewoman, has a more refined bearing and behavior, and I don’t think she would give up the leading role.

　If I were to think about my brother and his wife, I might think that it would be better if I did not bring Beatrice and Liddy to attend the ball. But I didn’t want to do that.

　If they only attended the feast, they would only be seen as female adventurers in men’s clothing. Knowing their personalities, I didn’t want to admit that they would only be seen as such. I don’t deny that I had a cheap desire to show off the two beautiful women, but I still wanted to show off, or rather boast, that they were attractive as women as well.

A/N: Looks like spring has come for Dan too…

T/N: Oh, so it’s Eleanor. She’s probably finding a good partner that can be with her in the Lockhart territory, if she follows Rosalie.