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Lady Adelaine Novak, hastily summoned, kneels before Prince Mikhail with a trace of tension on her otherwise affable face.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
“Please, be at ease, Countess. Thank you for answering such a sudden summons.”

Mikhail says this with a flawless royal smile.
Calling her “Countess” is deliberate lip service. Novak, who has long supported Aleksei, currently holds the rank of viscount, but his elevation to count has already been decided. When Aleksei introduced Adelaine, he explained that the Novak house is presently a viscountcy but will soon be raised to a countship; Mikhail—sixteen years old—picked up on that and addressed her accordingly. Smooth to the point of faultlessness.

“I hear your husband is Aleksei’s most trusted confidant. I’m glad, as well, that he supports the stability of Jurnova.”
“What gracious words… my husband will be deeply moved.”

Adelaine truly does look as though she is trembling with emotion.
As a matter of fact, Aleksei had only described Novak as a retainer. And yet Mikhail clearly understands what sort of figure he is. He must have studied Jurnova carefully before his visit. Thorough—perhaps even too thorough.

“And I am truly delighted that you have taken an interest in Jurnova’s traditional dance, Your Highness. It has been loved by people of all ranks since before the founding of the Empire. If the people of Jurnova were to learn that such noble figures danced it at a banquet held to welcome the prince, how proud and joyful they would be.”

Yes. Since coming to Jurnova, Adelaine—who has served as Ekaterina’s dance instructor—has shared bits of lore about dance during breaks in practice.
She told her that the dances handed down in Jurnova are group dances; that among them there was one especially beloved by young people; that after Grandfather Sergei’s death, Grandmother Alexandra ordered that such “barbaric things” be eradicated; and that since then the dance could no longer be performed openly, to everyone’s regret.

“How unfortunate,” Ekaterina had replied. “From what you tell me, it sounds like a wonderful dance.” Her tone sounded casual, but internally, she had been furious.
You really never did anything decent, you old hag. Trying to wipe out local traditional culture—*you’re* the barbaric one!

What Ekaterina recalled, in her desire to avoid a first dance with Mikhail, was precisely that story.
So she made this proposal.

*“Since you have gone to the trouble of visiting Jurnova, would you care to dance a dance unique to Jurnova? Then the four of us could dance together. And I hear that dance is currently in danger of disappearing.”*

Aleksei speaks.

“Madam, I heard you’ve told Ekaterina that, after our grandfather’s death, local culture was neglected and on the verge of vanishing. I consider that a grave matter, and during my tenure such policies will be abolished. We have chosen to adopt it at this welcoming banquet as a good opportunity to show everyone that the times have changed.”*

It is not a lie.
But it *is* a formality.

“His Highness the prince and His Imperial Majesty are both broad-minded regarding regional cultures. They have graciously agreed to cooperate with Ekaterina’s proposal.”

At Aleksei’s words, Mikhail nods.

“It sounds fun. And Emperor Piotr the Great, the founder of the Empire, never wished to deny local cultures. I’ve heard that Duke Sergei, founder of the House of Jurnova, placed great importance on harmony with the people of this land. My father has said that this became the foundation of Jurnova’s peace and stability. I would be glad to help preserve this culture.”

Sergei, the second of the four founding brothers, married Kristina—a daughter of a local clan and a shrine maiden of the mountain temple—and devoted himself to respecting local culture and fostering harmony.

Even in the Empire, there are lands where nobles of long lineage since the founding, when granted territory by the emperor, thoroughly favor their original retainers while discriminating against the people who originally lived there. Such lands, it is said, tend to have unstable popular sentiment.

Hearing that from Mikhail, Ekaterina is reminded of the Tosa Domain in her previous life. The Tosa Domain, famous for being the birthplace of Sakamoto Ryōma, was often depicted in historical novels as favoring the Yamauchi clan’s original retainers as upper samurai while discriminating against former retainers of the Chōsokabe clan as lower samurai.

There were stories about that oppression becoming the driving force behind the activists of the late shogunate—but still, it’s not something that feels good. I’m really glad I’m part of this family.
And once again, Onii-sama is incredibly capable~!
I only suggested it to avoid the doom flag, but he instantly converted it into a policy for refreshing public sentiment following his succession to the ducal title, and even secured the prince’s agreement. As expected of you, Onii-sama.
And the Prince, too, is admirable. He agreed, saying, “It sounds educational for me as well.” As someone destined to inherit the imperial throne, he’s probably thinking of using this as a reference should he need to carry out similar reforms someday.
And he’s only sixteen. I’m looking forward to seeing what lies ahead.

.

In reality, however, Aleksei was acting about eighty percent out of his siscon tendency, not wanting to hand Ekaterina over to Mikhail.
And Mikhail, too, was about eighty percent motivated by the judgment that stepping back here and showing cooperation with Aleksei would raise Ekaterina’s affection more than stubbornly insisting on being her partner.
Unaware of any of that, Ekaterina remains, as ever, a reliably hopeless woman when it comes to romance.

.

Lady Adelaine is so moved she nearly tears up, but whatever she sees in the relationships between these noble, beautiful youths, her eyes begin to sparkle with lively interest. As a woman whose children are already married and whose childrearing years are behind her, she seems to have her own thoughts.

“His Highness and His Grace are both truly wonderful men. And such beautiful young ladies—this will surely be a splendid dance that captures the eyes of all the guests. Now then, let me teach you the steps. This dance is a stylized depiction of young men competing to win a woman’s heart—courting her, and being accepted.”