'Huh?'

Raphine was so startled that she almost stepped on the hem of her dress and stumbled.

If Zerkan's hand, which was already approaching, did not support Raphine's back, he would surely have fallen.

Zerkan firmly supported Raphine's waist with a large hand and pulled him closer.

'what?'

When I woke up, the music had changed to a waltz, and in front of me was Zerkan's chest.

Raphine was only startled by what had happened in such a short period of time. Wondering what the situation was, he raised his head and looked at Zerkan.

'Wow, I must be blind....'

The face of Zerkan seen up close like this is really... Thank you. I wondered if this was how it felt when my eyesight was purified.

But when Zerkan bowed his head and met his eyes... Raphine suddenly lowered her gaze.

Our eyes met, but my heart started beating like crazy as if I was caught doing something wrong.

'Isn't this too close even if it's close?'

Raphine was strangely conscious of the feeling of the hard palms on my back. It was the first time I've felt such extreme tension.

As soon as I started to become aware of one, it was lined with things to be concerned about.

It was the same with his right hand, which was held tightly in his large hand as if buried, Zerkan's tenacious and stinging gaze looking down at him and his wide chest. Besides, this scent.... what?

'It smells like a freesia flower.... It's very different from other perfumes on the market. Have you ever had a perfume like this?'

If there had been a perfume with such a gentle and warm scent, it would have been fashionable.

There must have been an uproar among the academy students who like to be stylish...? If there was such a perfume, Raffinet could not have known about it.

"Concentrate."

At that moment, Zerkan whispered softly. Raphine realized that she had made a mistake on the steps because she had lost her mind and was thinking about something else.

It seems that Zerkan guided Raphine so smoothly that no one noticed it.

Raphine swallowed her saliva and concentrated on dancing. I tried to do that.

'No, I can feel the breath, how do I focus on dancing?'

Not only were they holding hands like this, but they were so close to my body that I couldn't help but feel strange.

Besides, because of the action that Zerkan had whispered in his ear a while ago, he couldn't stand it because it tickled her ears, the nape of her neck, and her shoulders.

'Calm down. Think of the real purpose of being here today.'

are you here to play?

There is only one reason I came here today.

because of alcohol

Raphine calmed her mind as she recalled the strong whiskey in her head.

Fortunately, by the end of the music, my heart, which was beating like crazy, calmed down a bit.

However, when Zerkan, who was nearby, fell, and saw him bowing his arms and bowing in a graceful motion, his heart pounded again.

'Each ordinary movement is like a work of art.'

Raphine swallowed her saliva and quickly turned her head to go somewhere else.

All of a sudden, people's eyes were focused on the two of them.

I don't hate being in the spotlight, but thinking that everyone was watching Zerkan close to me, I got strangely hot.

'Heart, please calm down.'

Raphine eventually went into an empty terrace with a glass of wine.

It was to cool his hot cheeks with a cold wind.

* * *

On the other hand, Zerkan stared at Raphine as she moved away.

As soon as the music ended, Rafine turned her head away without even looking at him.

Seeing Raffine's back like that, Zerkan somehow felt like her heart had been ripped open.

'Why am I doing this?'

I keep doing impulsive behaviors for no apparent reason, and I want to do them.

Raphine, who is trying to dance with another Young-sik, is dissatisfied and suddenly orders the music to change and intervenes.

I don't want other people to look at Raphine dressed in a different way than usual, so I want to kick everyone out.

Like wanting to catch Raphine, who has left her behind.

This is definitely weird.

Zerkan stood blankly and pondered the reason.

for a long time like that Zerkan realized what the unknown emotion he had been feeling all this time was.

sad.

This was clearly a sad feeling. There was a subtle feeling of uneasiness to say that he was only sad, but he tried to pretend he didn't know.

'But why do I feel sad?'

Zerkan wrinkled his brow as he did not understand himself.

No matter how much he thought about it, he had no reason to feel sorry for Rafine.

Have you come to ignore the promise you made when you were young? just because of that?

It couldn't be. However... Sadness for no reason kept creeping in.

One side of my chest kept pounding.

'I'm going crazy. why....'

Zerkan was confused as if his head was tangled up.

Just then, Violet and Adrian came to him with glasses.

* * *

Raphine came out to the terrace and calmed her heart with the cold wind.

As the winter wind brushed past my cheeks, my strangely excited heart seemed to subside.

When you see that the wind feels cooler rather than cold, it seems that the body temperature has risen sharply.

Raphine felt thirsty, so she gulped down the wine.

'I was only going to drink whiskey today.... For now, I can't help it.'

After drinking the cold drink, it was only then that his physical condition seemed to have completely returned to normal.

'I thought I was going to die of nervousness.'

It was just a time of relief.

Someone opened the door to the terrace where Raphine was alone and entered.

Usually, a lot of things happen on the terrace of the prom, so the attendants stand in front of the door on each terrace.

It was customary not to open the door to the terrace where the lady was alone.

But when you open the door and come in....

As I looked through the curtains suspiciously, a hand suddenly popped out and pulled the thick curtain back in.

"Huh...."

Seeing that the servant didn't stop, I thought it was Zerkan, but the person who entered the terrace was Antonio.

After all, Antonio was also one of the figures the servants couldn't stop.

'by the way.... Why are you here?'

Raphine blinked in surprise as she saw the sudden arrival of him.

You must have seen the servant standing there, so you probably didn't come in thinking that it was empty.

Antonio stared at Raphine with an angry eye, then strode closer to him.

He sat down on the sofa placed by the railing and spoke in a cold voice.

"sit down."

"...."

"Are you going to listen to my orders?"

'What, why?'

Raphine wanted to rip Antonio's hair off, just like when she was a child, but she resisted it.

Now that he has come of age, if he commits such a thing, rumors will be circulating in the social circles.

Raphine sat as far away from Antonio as possible.

When Antonio saw Raffine like that, he laughed and put down his drink.

It looked like a glass of wine brought in from outside, but it looked just like whiskey. Raphine stared intently at the whiskey.

Actually, I'm not doing this because I really like alcohol.... It was because Luca and Lois continued to tease Raffine two years before they came of age.

"Raphine, what about alcohol? Oh yeah.... Would you say it is the taste of life? I don't know if you're of age yet. ??.... You don't know how bitter and sweet alcohol is.>

"Hey, what do you do when you say something like that to a child? Raphine, listen to me. Hey, is alcohol really bitter? So you don't drink this.... after....>

As I listened to such words day by day, strangely, my desire for alcohol grew.

'I'm sure I drink more than my twin brothers.'

I wanted to flatten their noses like that, so I waited and waited for this day to come.

"I was dancing with my brother. Can I ask you to dance too?"

At that time, a random question flew in from Antonio. It was a sharp tone and voice.

Raphine looked at the drink blankly and then turned her head.

'Dance with Antonio...?'

I frowned automatically. Seeing that expression, Antonio also wrinkled his eyebrows. he said boldly.

"What is that expression! Are you saying that your brother is okay and you don't like me?"

Raphine answered calmly.

"Well, as you know, Sir Antonio.... Isn't it fun enough for us to hold hands and dance together?"

"What, what?"

Antonio asked, blushing red. Raphine shrugged as if she didn't know.

You and I aren't on good terms, are we? that was meant

But Antonio seemed to have been struck by a shock.

"I thought, wow, we got along pretty well...."

"... Why?"

"You got my letter! If you read that letter...!"

"...."

Raphine was stunned at the unexpected words.

The letter you gave before leaving for the battlefield? Did you think that it made your relationship better? I didn't even reply?

Antonio's way of thinking was utterly incomprehensible.

Just like when I first grabbed my hair, it was still so one-sided, it was hard to guess.

"Damn it...."

Antonio bit his lip and groaned.

Rafine woke up, fearing that Antonio, who couldn't control his anger, might grab his hair again.

Antonio glared at Raffine like that.

"Where are you going?"

"I... I don't know if you know, but having two men and women on the terrace for too long can be misleading. Besides, it's not yet 12 o'clock, so I'm not an adult...."

At that, Antonio's face turned red and he jumped up.

He seemed to have realized just now that he had acted without manners.

Antonio thumped out of the terrace without an apology.