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Chapter 85 Part 5 – I’m!! Heading into battle!! When feelings and fingertips come into contact.

「Scarlet!!」

Mother and Countess Rosenthal screamed. While Bradd, Seraphy, and Arnold, who had already sensed the danger, rushed out.

However, with only a slight difference, they would not be able to make it in time. At this rate, I will fall down there and my back would be full of holes like cheese. …… And yet, my heart was quiet.

For some reason, I remembered Alisa’s dance again.

Come to think of it, in the previous 「108 times」, Alisa was severely bullied. She was fine when I was with her and I glared at the other ladies, but one night she was deceived into going to a ball because they sent the invitation by using my name. When I rushed to the venue, Alisa was in the exact same predicament I am in now, amidst the mean laughter of the noblewomen and young ladies. There was no candlestick, but she was thrown into the air with such momentum that she was going to be injured once she fell on the floor.

I have to remember. What did Alisa do at that time ……!?

It felt like a bolt of lightning flashed inside my mind. My sense of time was delayed. My body moved on its own. It was as if I had already decided what to do. I was tracing Alisa’s movements, which were vividly burned into my mind.

That’s right. When I saw that scene, I realized that I would never be able to match Alisa when it came to dancing.

I pulled up both my hands and feet. All the centrifugal force turned into speed. Then I controlled the direction of the rotation. The Atlas silk shawl turned into a red tornado. I did not fly far into the air. I controlled the spin so that I would go back near the dumbfounded Viscount Brewer. While staying in the air, I passed over Viscount Brewer’s back in an arc and landed right in front of him again. It was like a spinning top. Scarlet has successfully returned unharmed. From Viscount Brewer’s point of view, it would have looked as if I had disappeared for a moment and then teleported back to my original position.

The song ended right at that moment and I bowed elegantly as if nothing had happened.

I felt complicated. I never thought the day would come when I would be saved by Alisa who only has a flower garden inside her head.

Viscount Brewer repeatedly opened and closed his mouth. The oxygen-deficient goldfish is back.

「…… What the …… hell are you ……!!」

He was so shocked that his eyeballs were about to pop out of its sockets. The words he squeezed out were hoarse and trembling.

I brushed my hair behind my ear and smiled.

「You seriously have no manners. To think that instead of performing a bow at the end of the dance to show appreciation for your partner, you would actually look at me as if I was a monster. It looks like you haven’t been disciplined enough yet.」

「Y-You monster ……!!」

The look on Viscount Brewer’s face was a sight to behold. He tried to appeal with the complexion of a corpse about what an outrageous existence I am, but halfway through his appeal, he rolled the whites of his eyes, frothed in the mouth, passed out, and splendidly fell to the floor with a thud.

「Oh my, the night is just beginning and yet you’re already taking a rest? How about we dance another song to cheer you up?」

There was no way he could remain standing. As I was spinning in the air, I used my elbow to hit his unprotected medulla oblongata from behind.

I couldn’t stop trembling. I was able to hold back at the last minute, but if I had let my emotions get the better of me, I would have killed the viscount ……!!

「…… You’re not strong enough to be my opponent. How does it feel to crawl at a woman’s feet? Cool your head with the coldness of the floor and rethink your way of life from now on.」

I succeeded in showing a deliberate sarcastic smile, but I couldn’t walk away because I couldn’t stop my knees from trembling. For a moment, I had a direct confrontation with the beast that was lurking inside me. It was far more vicious and dangerous than Viscount Brewer.

The place was quiet as if all the audience had been doused with water.

Whether I wanted to or not, I was made aware of what I had shown to them.

Ahh, I remember this sense of isolation. I experienced it a lot when I was a queen in the previous 「108 times」. Only a handful of my close aides, such as Matzo and Ethelreed, remained affectionate toward me even after they learned of my true nature.

It was an unexpected person who broke the silence.

「That’s amazing!! Scarlet!!」

With exaggerated praise, Arnold walked over with a long stride and grabbed both of my shoulders. However, he did not do so with the usual optimistic and one-track-minded attitude. He whispered quietly so that no one else could hear him.

「You didn’t do anything wrong. So don’t tremble anymore.」

Arnold saw through my concealed fear.

「…… The reason why a person with great power is scared of that power is because she’s a good person. I’ll take away all your trembling. I, all of us, know you very well. You have a lot of supporters. When you are in doubt, remember this. You are not alone. There is nothing to be afraid of.」

Even though it was an irrational argument without a shred of theory, it was pleasant to hear for some reason.

…… Because this guy really means it.

His falcon-like golden eyes were compelling and passionate, not allowing me to refute his statement. Perhaps I was influenced by that passion, my reflection in his eyes no longer looked frightened. When I thought about how dazed I was, I ended up laughing.

「That’s it, Scarlet. That fearless smile …… suits you more.」

Ahh, I remember now. Arnold uses 「Ore」 instead of 「Ore-sama」 when he is being serious. And when I saw him say my name with a bit of shyness, I unconsciously thought that this idiot was a bit cute.

「…… Arnold, how can you say to a lady that she has a fearless smile. But I agree with you. I really want to protect Scarlet-san’s smile. Because her smile is my treasure, even without any calculations as a merchant.」

Seraphy took one of my hands, bent down, and kissed the back of my hand reverently. He was polite, but inside his emerald eyes, there was a fire as strong as that of Arnold. My heart fluttered at the gap. My face is blushing. That’s not fair. Seraphy can do this kind of thing so seriously.

By the way, my dream is to become a shut-in, so ……

Seraphy, are you going to be a house guard with me? You’ll have to marry into my family, you know. My father, who thinks highly of Seraphy, will be overjoyed. I’m sure he’ll make unreasonable requests to Seraphy in order to give his beloved wife presents from other kingdoms.

Then my head was patted gently.
It was Bradd who always smiled brightly.

「…… Well, that’s how it is. So, don’t carry your troubles by yourself. Sca-chibi is smart, but there are also a lot of things that you can’t do. We’re here for times like that. If by any chance you go down the wrong path, we will stop you even at the risk of our own lives. You can currently buy a three-person set included with a smile. Would you like one? Young miss.」

He winked mischievously.

「That’s why. Don’t worry and do whatever you want. Just like you usually do, Sca-chibi. Don’t worry. We’ll always be watching over you from behind.」

Seraphy and Arnold also nodded and smiled.
It wasn’t just Bradd’s blood flow manipulation that made my body feel warm and eased my stiffness.

The thoughtfulness of these reliable boys was very touching to the lady who passed away at 28 years old.
Bradd glanced at Viscount Brewer, who was unconscious on the floor.

「…… Besides. That annoying, middle-aged nobleman. He’ll wake up in a while. I’ve given him first-aid treatment. So, don’t worry. He won’t suffer any after-effects. Anyway, that was a great blow from Sca-chibi.」

Really, he’s so attentive to small details.

There’s no need for a doctor. A walking jack of all trades. Everything you need in a household, Bradd-kun.

Don’t be too kind to me, you three. If we get divided into enemies and allies like in the previous 「108 times」, I would burst into tears. Maybe it’s because I had to start all over again from the very beginning as a baby, but I can’t help but be easily moved to tears.