Cedric cursed, waving his arms in the air, but Estella’s desperate urging failed to get him to look at the necklace. Cedric grunted and froze in place. Estella sucked in a breath and took two steps back.

Cedric’s shoulders shook as he watched her walk away. Cedric asked in disbelief.

“Are you really going to marry my brother?”

Estella made a bewildered expression. She couldn’t understand why these brothers kept teasing her about marriage. Estella sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration.

“Why do you keep bringing up marriage? There’s no way that would happen, okay?”

“Last time brother said it himself! He wants to marry the teacher!”

“The Duke was just teasing you, young master.”

Estella replied bitterly. She was powerless to argue further. Repeating the same question and answer so many times would wear anyone down. To top it all off, Estella was scheduled to work extra hours today. Estella held up her index finger sternly.

“Anyway, class is over now, and I’m off the clock. If you have anything to say, you can say it tomorrow. Okay?”

With that, Estella turned and walked away. She even sped up her stride, worried that Cedric would follow her. Behind her, Cedric called out in a voice that sounded almost bitter.

“No, not my brother, it can’t happen with my brother!”

That brat.

Estella tilted her head with an expression of annoyance. It was clear that she had no interest in becoming his brother’s wife. The idea of her marrying Diego was absurd and would never happen, so it would be best to let go of these pointless worries. Despite his perceptiveness, he was still just a child at heart. It was evident from him speculating about a Cinderella story that even the parties involved didn’t dare to dream of.

“Estellaaa!”

Cedric’s shout faded as she turned down the hall. Estella slowed her pace and took the stairs to the first floor. It was time to go see Diego. She was nervous because she didn’t know what level of dancing skills Diego had, but she hoped he would ask her for help.

Estella hurried into the main hall on the first floor. This was the room that Duke Berta used to hold meetings. For added realism, they decided to practice in a real party hall. When she was almost to the meeting place, Estella slowed to a stop. She spotted Diego at the top of the stairs.

He was leaning precariously against the railing. He turned his head toward her, as if he’d been waiting for her.

As soon as their eyes met, he straightened up. Estella asked in a surprised voice.

“You were here first?”

Estella continued down the stairs. Diego extended his hand to her. She looked like an escort.

“……What are you doing?”

“You have to practice as if it’s a real situation.”

Diego gestured for her to take his hand. Estella reluctantly interlaced her hands with his. Neither Diego nor Estella were wearing gloves, so she could feel his firm knuckles. Estella lowered herself to the floor, unperturbed. Estella raised an eyebrow.

“I should receive a generous overtime pay for this.”

“Let’s just completely clean out our house’s storage.”

Diego teased her. Over the years of hanging out with him, Estella had picked up a few manuals for dealing with situations like this. One of the most effective was ignoring. Instead of talking back to Diego, she turned to face him.

“Today, I didn’t arrange for a accompanist as I wanted to focus on getting the basic steps down. Let’s go without accompaniment today, and from tomorrow, we’ll practice with music.”

“Looks like it’s just the two of us today then.”

It’s true, but he emphasized it, and it sounds a little mean. She can’t help but feel like she’s constantly jumping from one topic to another when she talks to him. Estella narrowed her eyes slightly and leaned back. Estella asked patiently.

“What do you want to learn first?”

“Well, to be honest, I’m lacking in everything…”

Diego spoke in an anguished voice and stroked his chin, his hand pausing as a wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m especially weak to the blues.”

“Oh my, what should we do? I haven’t danced blues even once, so I can’t teach you.”

Estella raised her hands in abstention. She had no desire to rub up against him. The quick strike made Diego duck his head and laugh out loud. Only after a moment did he calm down and look up.

“Just teach me the most basic things.”

“We’ll start with the waltz, then.”

Estella replied quickly and moved in front of Diego. Estella held her right hand out to the side and spoke in a business-like manner.

“Please take my right hand in your left.”

Diego hesitantly took her hand. Estella suddenly realized she was too close to him. Diego and Estella were standing just a hand’s length apart.

Their hands were clasped together, sweat dripping from them. Estella started to step back, but then consciously grabbed her leg. She didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble, which is what dancing is all about. Estella lifted her chin and finished.

“……This time, I want you to raise your right arm and put it under my left side. Like you’re supporting me.”

Diego followed her instructions this time. Estella placed her left hand on top of Diego’s right arm.

“Stretch your left foot out, and pull it inward like this. Slowly.”

With that, Estella demonstrated, pulling her right leg inward. Watching her, Diego mimicked her movements.

It wasn’t a difficult move, but he made good progress after being intimidated by his weakness. Estella frowned, wondering why he’d made it sound like dancing was a weakness if he wasn’t such a difficult student to teach.

“It seems like you’re good at it?”

“It took me several lessons to get this far.”

Diego replied with natural grace. It wasn’t like he hadn’t learned ballroom dancing before, but it was weirder that he didn’t know how to start.

“So what’s next, teacher?”

Diego said, urging her on. Pushing the question out of her mind, Estella continued.

“All you have to do is step forward, step left, put your other foot back in place, and step back again…….”

Diego followed Estella’s instructions well this time. Since there was no music, Estella counted the beats with her mouth. As she looked down to check the steps, she heard Diego’s booming voice from above.

“I see you’re wearing the necklace I gave you.”

Estella’s eyes flicked to her chest. She’d tucked it inside her shirt to hide it from Cedric earlier, but she’s sure he’d noticed.

Estella stopped pacing and lowered her arms. His waltzing movements were much cleaner than she’d expected. There was no point in wasting time on something he was already good at.

As if to take advantage of the moment, Diego reached for her neck. His lukewarm fingertips touched the nape of her neck. Without a second thought, Diego tugged on her necklace and pulled the pendant out. He complimented her briefly.

“It looks good on you.”

“……Thank you.”

Estella replied, feeling awkward. Diego took her hand again. Before she knew it, she was stepping with him again. As if to stop him, she said.

“I don’t think we need to do the basic steps.”

“Think of it as warming up, because it’s the next step that I’m not really confident in.”

Instead of coming up with a rebuttal, Estella kept her mouth shut. She figured a few more minutes of practicing the basic steps wouldn’t hurt, and Diego led the conversation like water.

“Have you seen anything else?”

“No, I fell asleep as soon as I went in. But, can I just leave those jewelry in my room?”

Estella, who had been answering nonchalantly, asked as if she had a sudden thought. They were hers, after all, but they didn’t feel quite right because they had been acquired at someone else’s expense. Besides, Estella’s room was too cramped and unpretentious for such expensive items. She’s not doubting the mansion’s occupants, but it was objectively a very good environment for someone to steal.

“They belong to you, where else would you put them if not in your room?”

“They’re very expensive. I’m not sure I can take care of them, so I’d rather have the Duke look after them.”

“If you lose it, I can buy another.”

Diego replied in a casual tone. As if it were a matter of course.

Estella stared at him for a moment. His hair, which had fallen across his forehead, swayed with each beat. After a while, Estella spoke up.

“Cedric’s upset.”

Diego stared at her, confused. Estella quickly explained.

“It’s a gift. You only bought things for Cecilia.”

“Cedric didn’t seem too interested in jewelry, so it would be meaningful to buy something he likes.”

“Did you have any thoughts of giving him something else?”

“Well, if I just came up with it now, it should be fine anyway, right?”

Estella smirked at Diego’s answer, as if he were being ridiculous. As she glared at him, Estella turned on her heel, and the sudden change caught him off guard, but he managed to keep up with her movements. Estella spoke quickly.

“Then let’s do one step at a time here.”

Once again, Diego turned around at the right moment. He didn’t deliberately kill the finesse, but he didn’t look particularly exceptional either. However, she could sense the familiar grace in his well-practiced movements. Estella was no fool, and she easily noticed that Diego was lying to her. At least Diego wasn’t someone who would embarrass himself with dancing. The question remained as to why he pretended not to have received even basic dancing and continued to tease and provoke her.

Estella narrowed her eyes.

“You’re dancing too well.”

“Of course not …….”

Of course, Estella wasn’t about to fall for Diego’s insincere denials. He was afraid that if she asked him why he was sticking to the basic steps, it would reveal his true skill. Estella asked in a less than pleasant voice.

“Are you trying to make me work overtime?”

“I am not a cruel employer who would deprive you of rest.”

Diego replied, sounding embarrassed. His movements became more fluid, as if he realized his trick had been discovered. Estella sighed in frustration. She was glad that the off-schedule special class hadn’t been extended, but she felt a little bad for the person who had lied to her.

Diego released his grip on her waist just in time, raising his right arm up. Estella spun around once, and he put his arm around her waist again. With his lead, Estella unexpectedly threw her upper body back. Startled by the sensation of floating downward, she grabbed onto his arm to steady herself. The muscles beneath her hands were already taut with tension.

Estella looked up at Diego with a fierce glare.

“Please raise me up.”

A lazy smile played on Diego’s lips as he spoke in a languid voice.

“I don’t want to.”

“Do you realize that I just caught you lying?”

“It’s another one of my business tricks to never miss an opportunity.”

Even as he said this, Diego obediently pulled Estella to her feet. Estella sighed in resignation. If she was going to be his partner, she might as well dance at least once. She decided to settle for the fact that at least he wouldn’t be stepping on her feet on the ballroom floor.