Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage

366  Red Dress n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In the last week of this month, all of the students of the academy, at all levels, gathered together at the academy's spacious and extravagant ballroom on a beautiful night. Based on the students' impressive and gorgeous outfits, anybody could think that the ballroom had hosted a huge event. There was indeed a big event occurring, so my sister and I were also here with our formal clothes on. She wore a black dress while I was in my black tuxedo. Tonight, all the students were actually participating in a performance task for the etiquette class, a socialization party before we would have our summer vacation. "Oh! I think the orchestra is currently playing your music, Raphael." "It sounds like..." As Iris pointed out, the orchestra was indeed playing my recompositions. But most of the music pieces I recreated in this world were already in the public domain, including this one they were playing at the moment, so there would not be any legal problems here, I thought?

In the venue, I was having a chat with Iris as we stood somewhere far from the center of the hall, which was flocked by dancing pairs, while holding a glass of alcohol in one of our hands. Tables full of luxurious dishes were lined to provide satisfaction to the students' palates, as were expensive alcoholic beverages served by excellent servants. (But Iris is sure pretty beautiful tonight.)

Before my eyes, Iris was wearing a vibrant red dress, which shone brightly, paired with a pair of white gloves perfectly fitted around her delicate hands. She might have the body of my Sophia, but she was not a fan of showing off her body, so she had her chest pretty covered, which was a green flag to me. She only applied light make-up, so her natural beauty was not diminished or bothered at all. Her straight pink hair was pulled down on her back, and I thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the party hall. "There are so many students here, but the venue is spacious enough to accommodate all of us." "Yeah. Almost all the students are here. After all, this is one of the most anticipated events in the academy. It is said that many knots have been tied during these kinds of events." "That's why many bachelors and bachelorettes are looking forward to this night." Iris paused to take a sip of her wine. "Are you going to do the same?" "Huh? Me? Well, if you ask me, I am probably here more to comply with the performance task that our etiquette instructor has given us. But if I have the opportunity to, I would like to seek one as I have yet to find my primary spouse." "Is that so? Then how about your sister?" "She may be having a lover or two somewhere, but she is looking for an aristocratic marriage partner as well. She is our country's crown princess, and she will become our queen someday. She will reign the Queendom of Raevender, so she needs a queen consort to make an heir and continue our bloodline." "That sounds tough." "Yeah. She is into women, so she has to find someone to understand and accept who she is. And that kind of person is hard to find in the nobility." "I see." Forget about bisexuals and pansexuals; it was almost impossible to find a lesbian noblewoman in the academy to become Big Sis's wife. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Even if we managed to find one, there was no guarantee Big Sis would love her or that she would love her back. But I had been reminding her to work hard for that, as there might be a big fish she had to lure out.

Speaking of my sister, she was just nearby, sitting on a chair as she watched pairs of students do a waltz on the dance floor. Seeing her alone, maybe it was okay to tease her a bit? So I decided to enter the dance floor as well. It was not bad to dance once this year, yes? "Say, Iris, the night is still long," I said before I offered a hand to her. "Would you like to have a dance with me?" "Fu fu," she giggled adorably. "If Raphael wants me to dance with him, then I would accept. It is a pleasure to have a dance with someone as marvelous as you, Raphael." Iris placed her hand over my palm, and then I guided ourselves toward the festive dance floor. We then got into our respective positions and joined the dancers in the outer ring. The outer ring was where dancers could waltz in circles around the inexperienced dancers who were boxing at the center. Synchronizing with the music, Iris and I elegantly spun as we revolved around the center island of dancers. Each of our steps and movements were precise, so we caught the eyes of some dancers and onlookers. We even caught Big Sis's attention, who was pouting her cheeks with her arms folded. I wondered if she was sulking because she had no bitches or if she was not on Iris's spot. "Isn't it fun, Raphael?" "Absolutely." As we were dancing and the students were enjoying the event, our attention was caught by the entrance of a group of people. The people in question were Prince Edward and his entourage. They were clad in gaudy outfits, and they looked like a group of handsome, charming princes straight out of fairy tales. Even though the young gentlemen were pleasing to the eyes of the bystanders, however, their gazes turned dark once they laid their eyes on a particular person in the group. That person was none other than Edith Felsvorder, the alleged paramour of the crown prince. "It's her..." "How shameless..."

"What did the prince see in her..." The dancers stopped waltzing one after another as the female students were gossiping about the presence of Edith near the prince. Click. Click. Click. Suddenly, a young woman walked in their way amidst the heaviness of the atmosphere. Her heels clicked loudly in the middle of the feminine chatter. Even the orchestra knew how to read the room, gradually decreasing the volume of their instruments before eventually fading out.

From the looks of it, it seemed that Lady Christine was about to confront Prince Edward and Edith and argue about the issue.