Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Aleksei and Mikhail smiled and bowed to Ekaterina and Flora.
A wave of shrill cheers rose, but it was overtaken by a swell of murmurs throughout the hall. The guests had realized that at this official banquet welcoming His Highness the Prince, the honored guest and the ducal siblings were about to perform Yulnova’s traditional dance for the first dance.

In the northern capital, where imperial styles had long been favored above all else, the local tradition was about to take the spotlight.

Turning their faces away with deliberate poise from the outstretched hands of the handsome noble youths, Ekaterina and Flora instead clasped each other’s hands and began to dance with smiles.

The queen of the night, clad in sumptuous black and gold, extended her hand with an elegant smile.
The goddess of spring, in a white dress adorned with flowers and iridescent shimmer, took that hand with a radiant smile.

Linking arms, the two spun round and round in time with the music. The ribbons trailing from the shoulders of their black and white boleros fluttered after them. Then they parted and executed simultaneous turns. It was an arrangement they had devised together, adapting a turn step from social dance. The ribbons traced arcs around the girls, and the sheer lace layered over their slender skirts spread like blossoms.
Black and white, indigo and cherry blossom pink. At the resplendent sight of two beautiful girls in contrasting colors, the guests let out admiring sighs.

Meanwhile, Aleksei and Mikhail faced one another and took their stances.

Aleksei, dressed in black, dignified like a king of winter.
Mikhail, in splendid white, blue, and gold, youthful like a god of summer.

As during practice, smiles rose to their lips, and that alone drew near-screams from the women.
Lightly striking the backs of their fists together, they began a dance modeled after a martial exhibition. Their acquaintance spanned nearly ten years. They had studied academics, martial arts, and magical control together. They understood each other’s rhythm.
And now, what they wished to protect—what they wished to claim—they contested in silence.
Though it was a dance, the punches they exchanged in imitation of sparring were sharp enough to impress even the men well versed in martial arts.

When the separate male and female parts concluded, Aleksei and Mikhail once more bowed to Ekaterina and Flora.

This time the women responded. However, they did not take the men’s hands. They approached, only to slip past their sides and stand back to back with them.
Ekaterina paired back to back with Aleksei, and Flora with Mikhail.
The men turned as if to face them; the women feigned refusal, keeping their backs turned. In that manner, they circled once while back to back.

Feigning rejection of her brother, Ekaterina could not help but smile, and her movement lagged slightly so that their backs brushed. The brief warmth was oddly comforting.
Aleksei turned and smiled. (A chorus of shrieks.)
She almost returned the smile, but by the choreography she had to flee here. Ekaterina and Flora turned away from the men. The ribbons streamed, the skirts flared like flowers, further enhancing the splendor of the beautiful girls.

The pairings changed: Ekaterina with Mikhail, Flora with Aleksei. They danced the same sequence.
As they circled back to back, a fluttering bolero ribbon brushed against a man’s arm. It should scarcely have been felt at all, yet Ekaterina did not know that Mikhail caught his breath at the black ribbon against his arm. Nor did she know that as she turned away, Mikhail instinctively reached for the ribbon, and when it slipped through his fingers, a fleetingly wistful expression crossed his face.

In the final part, where the women accepted the men and danced together, the original pairings resumed. Ekaterina took Aleksei’s hand with a smile.
In truth, it was unusual for brother and sister to link arms. They were normally in escort position. In the Empire, escort meant the woman placing her left hand upon the man’s right; it was distinct from linking arms.

This final part resembled the initial women’s section danced by men and women together. However, because it told a story of moving from rejection to acceptance, the impression changed greatly. The guests watched warmly as the couples at last danced together, acceptance granted.
When the women had linked arms with each other, the image had been wholly charming and splendid. But paired with taller men—handsome noble youths—the women’s grace and the men’s gallantry stood out all the more.

The tall Aleksei cast a gentle gaze upon his sister, and Ekaterina looked up at him with an almost affectionate expression. From there, during the turn, Aleksei took her hand and led her as in social dance. A fluttering ribbon briefly tangled around his arm before slipping free.

Mikhail and Flora were precisely the image of “a prince and a princess,” youthful gallantry and fresh loveliness combining into a most endearing sight. Yet the smiles they exchanged, though friendly, held a trace of tension, and the two wore oddly similar expressions.

The pairings changed once more, and Ekaterina partnered with Mikhail. The much-watched first dance is finally over, she thought, smiling at him as they circled arm in arm.
Mikhail returned the smile, his expression almost dazzled.
During the turn, as Aleksei had done, Mikhail took Ekaterina’s hand and led her. Being led made the turn easier; as expected, the prince was as skilled at leading as her brother, Ekaterina thought with admiration.

At last, the four bowed to one another.
At the same moment, the great hall erupted in thunderous applause.

.

Ah, thank goodness, it ended without incident!

The weight lifted from her shoulders, Ekaterina beamed brilliantly.

Everyone, thank you for going along with my idea. Onii-sama, Prince, Flora-chan—you were all incredible! Perfect! Thank you!
And everyone is so pleased. I could even see people with tears in their eyes.

When local tradition is respected, it means the people who live there are respected.
She had first conceived of it out of self-interest—because having the prince and a villainess perform the first dance together would be dramatic.
But in the end, it had turned into something truly wonderful.
She was genuinely glad.