This Time, I Am A Mob's Potions Teacher Who Has Become Engaged To The Mastermind Of The Otome Game - 6

The dress had been decided.

Since it was chosen by my future mother-in-law—who was once praised as the “Rose of High Society”—there was no doubt it had a discerning eye behind it.

Her constant doting-parent attitude was still in full force, but thanks to her, one of my worries had been taken care of, and for that, I was grateful.

Next on the list of anxieties: the dance.

“I haven’t danced in quite a while.”

My parents used to pester me into attending balls, but I mostly stuck to the walls. Back then, I’d spent the entire time watching Lord Ghislain, so dancing myself never even crossed my mind.
But after I heard of his engagement, I lost all motivation and stopped going to balls altogether.

That engagement was what drove me to drink—and became the catalyst for me regaining memories of my previous life.

Lord Ghislain, my childhood friend, who also attended Oria Academy.
Strangely enough, now when I think of him, I don’t feel down at all.

Maybe all the recent events helped me shift my feelings and move on.

While I was quietly reminiscing, Jill suddenly started making a fuss at my feet.

“Hey, brat! Make sure you practice properly! If you embarrass the master, I won’t let you off easy!”

“Oh hush. In that case, Jill, will you practice with me?”

I picked up Jill’s front paws, and he immediately started flailing in a panic.

“Stop it! Let go of my hands!”

“Oh? If you won’t be my practice partner, I’ll have to dance alone.”

As I jokingly moved Jill’s front paws, savoring the softness of his paw pads, a quiet chuckle reached my ears.

I turned around and found Noel standing there—and before I knew it, he had taken my hand.

He had been right behind me, and I hadn’t even noticed.
How long had he been watching?

“Jill’s on duty, so give him a break.”

“He told me to practice, so I made him join in.”

“Then let’s practice together.”

Noel pulled me close, naturally placing his hand around my waist.

His movements were confident and smooth—before I realized it, he was already stepping into a dance, and I instinctively followed his lead.

“I—I haven’t danced in so long, I can’t just jump right into it…”

“Then just relax and leave it to me.”

“One, two, one, two,” he counted softly, guiding me along.

Now and then, he offered a tip on turns or steps, and even though I was simply following his lead, my feet didn’t get tangled—I was actually dancing.

“This is… surprisingly easy. You’re really good at this, Noel.”

“I’ve had to dance a lot for work and formal events.”

Right. I had almost forgotten, but Noel is incredibly social and meets with all sorts of people.

He’s definitely been to way more balls than I have.
And at those events, he’s probably danced like this—talking and smiling—with other women.

He’s a government official, after all, and the heir to a marquisate.
Of course he’d need to socialize and maintain appearances…

Suddenly, he felt so distant.
That thought made me feel oddly lonely, and I looked away—just a little.
And then, in the direction of my gaze, I spotted two familiar figures: a student with bright orange hair, and a man with red hair.

“Ah, Professor Fabius! There you are—someone’s here to see you!”

Behind Olson stood D’arcaic.

He was dressed in his Ministry of Magic robes, so it seemed he had dropped by after work.

“Laurent”

Noel squeezed my hand tightly.

It didn’t hurt, but it felt firm—like he didn’t want to let go.
When I glanced up at his face, he wore his usual calm expression as he looked at D’arcaic.

“Come on now, don’t get all lovey-dovey at school. I need a word with you—got a minute?”

“Is it something we can’t discuss here?”

“Yeah. Sorry to interrupt your fun.”

Laurent flashed a sly grin, and Noel let out a soft sigh.

They looked like close friends, talking like that.
But with what his mother had said still lingering in my mind, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

“Fine. But just for a moment.”

Noel gave my hand one more firm squeeze, then gently released it and walked off with Roland.

And just like that, I was left alone with Olson.

“Professor Bellecour, mind chatting for a bit?”

“U-uh, sure. What is it?”

Because of what happened the other day, my feet moved back a step without thinking.

Noel, come back quickly.

As I silently wished for that, I turned to face Olson.