NYMM 09💔

Chapter 9

Because Cordelia was much taller than her, Sebtina had to look up at her. Though slightly shorter than Dante, she was the tallest woman Sebtina had ever seen.

Cordelia’s confident demeanor was striking. Sebtina thought she truly suited the role of a knight.

Cordelia placed a hand gently on Sebtina’s shoulder.

A violin began to play with a steady rhythm. Glancing to the side, Sebtina saw the violinist pouring all their energy into the performance.

“Just try what you’ve learned. I’ll follow your lead.”

“I’m not very good though…”

Sebtina trailed off, still lacking confidence, but Cordelia shook her head.

“No one’s good from the start. That’s how we all learn. To define what it means to be good, there needs to be a time when you’re not so good.”

Oddly, Sebtina felt more at ease. She was less nervous than before.

Matching the rhythm, Sebtina began to move her feet. One, two, three. Left foot, right foot, left again. Cordelia followed her lead smoothly.

Just as she was focusing on the music, Sebtina stepped hard on Cordelia’s foot.

“Oh!”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”

Without a change in expression, Cordelia continued dancing with her.

“Are you sure it didn’t hurt?”

“This much? Please, it’s nothing.”

Considering Cordelia was part of the knights, something like this probably didn’t even register as pain for her.

Still, it was reassuring to hear her say it didn’t hurt.

Sebtina stepped on her feet two more times, but Cordelia brushed it off each time. Maybe it was because she wasn’t so anxious—she made fewer mistakes than usual.

At the violin’s climax, their bodies spun gracefully. When they stopped, Sebtina took a deep breath.

‘…Was that okay?’

“You did great. Truly impressive, Sebtina.”

Cordelia patted her on the shoulder.

Seeing Cordelia smile with a raised corner of her mouth, Sebtina felt her own heart ease.

She turned to look at the Zeros couple.

“I can’t believe our Sebtina did so well…”

“She could attend a ball just like this and be perfectly fine.”

Tears welled up in their eyes as if they were emotional theatergoers moved by a powerful scene.

“Absolutely perfect!”

‘…Wait, not quite.’

She did step on her feet a few times—and this was the easiest step, wasn’t it?

But judging by the look on the Zeros couple’s faces, Sebtina might already be the empire’s greatest dancer in their minds.

Sebtina realized something:

…It didn’t feel bad to be acknowledged.

In fact, it felt good. Being praised made her want to try even harder. Feeling a strange heat, she touched her cheek and realized her face was flushed.

A tingling feeling.

A pleasant flutter.

Emotions she had never experienced before came rushing in.

“At this rate, we could introduce her to people without worry…”

Justian Zeros rested his chin on his hand, a satisfied smile on his face.

“What do you think, Sebtina? We’d like to throw a party to celebrate your awakening. The nobles are eager to see you again.”

“…When are you thinking?”

“Well, sending the invitations, cleaning the hall, hiring staff… everything together—it would take about two weeks at the earliest. But your opinion comes first.”

“By the way, we received word from the imperial family—they’ve asked us to send their congratulations once more.”

Cordelia chimed in from the side.

“They might even pay a visit soon.”

Justian stroked his beard as he murmured. Sebtina was startled by how casually the emperor’s name was mentioned, as if visiting their mansion were no different from visiting any other.

Hearing talk of the emperor reminded her of the crown prince.

‘…I wonder if Wyatt is doing well.’

Considering how much Dante and Clagen had changed, she found herself wondering if he might have changed too.

But Sebtina shook her head.

He was the crown prince, after all.

“Sebtina? Are you okay with this?”

Justian’s voice snapped her back to attention.

“Ladies your age will be attending too. This could be a good chance to make some friends.”

Jane said with a smile.

Friends. The word ironically reminded Sebtina of someone farthest from being a friend.

“…Will the invitation be sent to the Rivga family as well?”

Justian nodded instantly, his eyes glinting.

“If you don’t want them invited, we can exclude them. But why the interest in Rivga?”

“No particular reason. I was just curious.”

Cordelia gave a knowing nod.

“Seems like our last conversation stuck with you.”

“Their second daughter’s story is a sad one.”

Because Sebtina had been in bed for so long, the Zeros couple seemed to pity the Rivga family.

“Lately it seems they’re having an even harder time because of their eldest daughter. Fewer invitations are being sent to them. But if we were to invite them, it might lift their spirits. What do you think, Cordelia?”

“That kind of curse talk is just superstition. I don’t mind at all. And since there’s a girl in a situation similar to Sebtina’s, I feel a bit concerned too.”

Listening to them talk, Sebtina found many things strange.

The eldest daughter was Yulia—what kind of hardship could she possibly be facing?

‘If they’re talking about the second daughter, that would be me—July Rivga. But how could Yulia be worse off than I was?’

Sebtina cautiously asked,

“Did something happen to the eldest daughter?”

“Ah, Sebtina. You know about the successors of the Four Elements, right?”

“Yes.”

It was a very familiar topic to her.

“This happened last year, so it’s a bit old, but… the eldest daughter of Rivga was named the successor of Water. Everyone celebrated when the mark appeared on her hand.”

Sebtina was aware of this part of the story.

“But the problems began after she was named.”

Justian’s expression turned grave.

“Natural disasters began occurring more frequently. The weather often defied our needs. Personally, I think it was just unfortunate timing, but… since the frequency increased after her official announcement, people have begun to blame her, saying she’s not fulfilling her duty.”

It was a completely unexpected story. She was surprised.

‘…Even after I died, Yulia wasn’t happy?’

Sebtina found herself wondering how Yulia was doing now.

Was she still as confident as before? Or had she changed too?

“…Are you scared, Sebtina? If you don’t want to invite her, we won’t.”

Justian left the choice up to her. Sebtina hesitated, then shook her head.

“No. I want to invite her.”

She was curious how Yulia was living now.

And how she would treat Sebtina.

Because she was no longer July Rivga.

“Sebtina Zeros has awakened. This party is to celebrate our daughter’s return to the world. Please attend and wish for her continued happiness and health.”

The contents of the invitation, written in elegant script, were mostly the same. Only the greetings and titles varied depending on the noble receiving it.

Sebtina found it a bit embarrassing that people were celebrating her simply for returning to the world. She’d never thought of herself as someone whose existence alone was worth celebrating.

But preparations for the party were progressing quickly. The largest ballroom was being swept, polished, and scrubbed. The curtains were replaced, and the windows were swapped for pristine ones. Even the chandelier was changed out for something larger and more extravagant.

The food for the banquet was being carefully curated to perfection.

Wherever Sebtina went, people were working for her sake. They even asked for her opinion.

“Lady Sebtina, do you have a favorite dessert?”

“Do you have a favorite pattern for glassware?”

“What about your favorite color?”

Sebtina hoped her presence wouldn’t cause any mistakes in the planning. She still didn’t know much and lacked the refinement expected of a noblewoman.

“Please go with whatever you think is best. I’m still learning, so I’ll let you know more later.”

She wanted to be better.

She wanted to be a more perfect person.

This new life had awakened desires within her.

Desires she never knew she had.

The Zeros family reserved Bryden’s boutique for Sebtina.

Cordelia even took personal leave to accompany her.

The sun was strong—so much so that it stung.

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Sebtina stood in front of Bryden’s shop, with Cordelia beside her.

Unlike her usual armor or training gear, Cordelia wore a proper dress—and she radiated confidence.

Due to her life in the knight order, her visible muscles were well-developed, and her frame wasn’t what one would call delicate, but none of it detracted from her beauty.

If anything, Cordelia’s physique made her appear even more powerful.

Her confidence played a big role in that too.

‘She’s incredible.’

Sebtina admired Cordelia’s self-assuredness.

Now she understood why Yulia had wanted to grow close to her.

Sebtina wanted to be bolder too. She didn’t want to remain passive.

‘What is it that gives Cordelia her confidence?’

As she pondered, Cordelia’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“This shop is all the rage these days. I didn’t know much about it, so I asked around.”

Cordelia scratched her head. She usually wore whatever Jane picked for her and didn’t care about brands—but this was different.

This was a dress for Sebtina!

She couldn’t go just anywhere.