“Wowwie, I’m sooo full…” Alice giggled, a drunken slur to her voice as she stumbled out of the restaurant. “Este, how much was the fooood?”

  “How much?” Estel gnced back at the owner who was bowing deeply to send them off. “The owner said that it’s on the house, so I’m not too sure myself.”

  “The owner’s such a kind person, he let me drink so much alcohol for free…whoo, I haven’t felt this giddy since college…”

  “You idiot, just because it’s free doesn’t mean you should raid the wine celr clean!”

  “Ehehehe, don’t worry, my alcohol tolerance…”

  Alice stumbled on the uneven cobblestones, letting out another silly giggle. Without hesitation, she reached out and looped her arm around Estel’s.

  “…is super high…”

  Heaving a resigned sigh, Estel adjusted her pace to match Alice’s slower steps.

  “Let’s take a detour around the market,” she suggested, nodding towards a smaller, less crowded street that veered off towards the eastern quarter.

  “Yay, we are going on a stroll!” Alice cheered and began to hum a song that Estel hadn’t heard before. “The night is still young…”

  The raucous voices and cttering footsteps of the market faded into a soft, dreamlike murmur behind them as they ventured deeper into the eastern quarter. A crisp autumn wind drifted past, carrying with it the faint fragrance of blossoms and rustle of fallen leaves. Somewhere overhead, a church bell tolled the tenth hour, its deep, solemn chimes echoing through the empty alleys like a gentle reminder that it was time to retire.

  “…freude, trinken alle Wesen…”

  A faint melody weaved through the empty streets like a whispered dream. Estel slowed as she tilted her head to listen.

  Alice perked up as well, tugging at Estel’s sleeve with an eager grin. “Let’s go see!”

  Drawn by the music, they followed the winding nes until they emerged into a small town square tucked in the heart of the quarter. Warm light spilled from a ring of nterns strung up between the buildings, bathing the scene in a magical mbent glow. In the centre, a group of minstrels had gathered: a stout man strumming a lute, a freckled boy piping the melody, and two women keeping the rhythm with drums and jingling tambourines. Around them, young couples dressed in vibrant, flowing garments danced along to the beat, ughing as they spun each other across the cobblestones.

  Estel stood at the edge of the square, mesmerised by the joyous sight.

  “Ooh, isn’t this a good opportunity to practice our dance?” Alice quipped, her cheeks still slightly flushed.

  “Hmm? I guess so…but the music isn’t—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, Alice boldly walked up to the minstrels and whispered something into the freckled boy’s ear while pointing in her direction. After a moment of hesitation, the boy nodded and signalled for the other minstrels to cease pying.

  “Wer ist das?”

  “Keine Ahnung…”

  The couples stepped aside hesitantly, murmuring to themselves as Alice approached a bemused Estel with a surreptitious smile.

  “W-what are you doing?” Estel hastily whispered, trying to avoid the curious stares that lingered on them.

  “Hm…I should do something like this, right?”

  Alice held out her hand to her, palm upwards, fingers curled—exactly the way she had taught her while in the carriage.

  Despite her self-consciousness, Estel couldn’t help but smile.

  “You do realise that this is what the gentleman is supposed to do, right?”

  “I don’t see any gentlemen around, so you’ll have to just pretend and go along.”

  Estel unwittingly averted her gaze, her cheeks blushing even though she had not drank much earlier. “D-do we really have to do it here? Right now?”

  “Well, is there a good reason not to?” Alice’s lips curved into a bright smile. “Other than the fact that I’m the most inexperienced dance partner you’ll ever have the pleasure of dancing with.”

  The gnces from the onlookers, the alcohol, and the ridiculousness of Alice trying to make a case for her to dance was starting to make Estel feel a little light-headed. She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around it when Alice galntly bowed and offered her hand again.

  “May I have this dance, please?”

  “Yes.”

  Wait! I mean ‘no’!

  Alice had already taken her hand and led her onto the town square, warm fingers wrapping around hers.

  N-no, I mean, I’m not ready for—

  Her stomach fluttering with a mix of jitters and thrill, Estel completely lost her train of thought the moment she finally met Alice’s gaze.

  Come to think of it, I’ve never noticed how unique her eyes look. What a beautiful shade of ruby red they are…

  That thought had her face suddenly burning.

  What’s happening to you, Estel? It’s just a normal dance practice…

  Squeezing her hand tightly, Alice assumed the starting position of the dance. “Ready?”

  Estel’s heart beat so hard, it nearly jumped out of her throat as she felt Alice’s arm encircle her waist while their hands csped together. She took a deep breath, willing her body to rex, and rested her left hand on Alice’s shoulder.

  “Mhm.”

  The minstrels picked up the cue and began to py a new song. Unlike the previous joyful and energetic rhythm, this had a much slower tempo, allowing the melody to bloom and spread in all its richness. The music rose in delicate arches, dipping and swelling like the slow, gentle unfurling of nightshades.

  As the bald guided their movements, the world around them blurred into soft streaks of gold and shadow. They moved together for a while in silence, coming in to each other, then away, then spinning back to their pces, every step meticulously followed in sequence.

  “You liar,” Estel said at st, unable to contain herself anymore. “You said you don’t know how to dance.”

  “I told you, I’ve written plenty of such dances in my stories,” Alice murmured, trying to focus on the steps with a careful, albeit stiff pace. “But actually doing it is a whole different thing.”

  “You’re already dancing better than the Crown Prince,” she teased as she pulled her a little closer. “You should be more confident in yourself.”

  Alice stifled a ugh. “I intentionally made him to be a bad dancer, you know.”

  “Are you saying that bastard crushed my toes five times in one dance on purpose?”

  “I’ll apologise on his behalf.”

  The chilly air nipped at her cheeks, but it was bearable, sweet almost, under the comfort of the music and the light. Alice kept hold of her hand as she twirled her around at arm’s length, the skirts of her kirtle fluttering against her ankles. She found herself suddenly breathless—not from the dance, but from the fierce, aching happiness swelling inside her chest.

  The music crescendoed then, and in one smooth motion, Alice’s hand slid down to the curve of her back and pressed her closer still. Estel widened her eyes in surprise.

  “Woah—”

  She suddenly felt as light as the breeze as Alice dipped her low to the ground, arms gently bracing around her waist, breath warm against her lips. Their eyes locked, time slowed down to a standstill, and the tension between them crackled like static.

  “I improvised this,” Alice whispered teasingly. “Not bad, right?”

  “I wonder if you really are a novice,” Estel murmured, her tone light but breathy. “How many dance partners have you had?”

  Pulling her upright and into another series of steps, Alice smiled. “You are the first person I’ve ever danced with, Este.”

  As the bald wound to a slow, lilting end, they circled slowly in their own small orbit, reluctant to let go of each other’s hands just yet.

  Alice leaned in, her forehead lightly touching hers. Her long, flowing hair caught the glow of the nterns overhead, framing her face in a dreamlike coruscation.

  “Thank you for having this dance with me, Este.”

  “That’s…what the gentleman is supposed to say, Alice.”

  Estel lowered her eyes shyly. “But it’s my pleasure.”

  It was then she realised the square had grown unusually quiet. The other couples were staring at each other agape, as if to say “Did you see what I just saw?”.

  Oh no, w-what if they think—

  Then, one young man started to appud enthusiastically.

  “Verdammt, nice couple!”

  A moment ter, everyone else joined in the appuse.

  “Herzlichen Glückwunsch!”

  “Gratuliere!”

  “Sie dürfen die Braut jetzt küssen!”

  “What are they saying?” Alice whispered in a confused voice.

  “U-um…” Estel felt her entire face burn bright red. “Let’s just…go back to the inn…”