The week until the ball was the longest and shortest week of either of my lives. My mind and heart raced so hard I couldn't tell the difference between giddy excitement and looming panic attacks. Anne and Nessa looked…harrowed.
The time does eventually pass, though, and all too soon (it took so long!) I find myself standing in the middle of a ballroom, passing furtive glances back and forth across a sea of faces I neither recognized nor cared to learn.
In the game I imagine Ophelia would have been focused on building more connections with these people, maneuvering the social ladders of nobility and flexing her abilities on these low-stake targets.
I, however, have no need for any of that. My eyes aren't on the prince, or the emperor, or worrying about social status.
Whether I end up marrying Viktor and lifting him into the ranks of nobility or whether I have to abandon my birthright to spend a life eking out a living with him, I'll be happy so long as he's with me. And I know he feels the same.
And so…I keep looking back and forth, across the sea of strangers, for the one face I know.
…finally, he arrives.
It's unfair to call him breathtaking, because that fails to explain how he looks any different from normal.
No, he's much more than that.
I recognize his outfit immediately - it's what he wears during the student dance event in the game, near the end of his route. In person it looks much better than his sprite did.
His hair is gently curled and put up into a ponytail, and one of the flowers I'd sent him as his 'admirer' is styled prominently in his hair.
I can't find any words to speak, to draw his attention, so it's for the best he spots me on his own.
The crowd parts like he cut his way through a solid mass. His eyes lock onto mine. Every muscle in my body feels locked in place, frozen by that gentle, searching gaze.
I find my gaze trailing over the shape of his body as he draws closer, taking in the gentle flow of his long jacket, and the sharp angles of his collar.
I inhale sharply as his eyes meet mine. He gives me the barest hint of a smile.
Even more than in the game, when it was just pixels, or a character in an illustrated image, the sight of him looking at me this way makes me feel weak and fuzzy inside.
In that moment, he stops a mere foot or so from me. I can barely breathe.
After a moment - was it a moment? an instant? an hour? - he bows.
My face flushes and I hastily curtsy in return. I almost trip.
Girl!!
The plan is not to become the injury girl that just faces cataclysm when he's present!
When I glance up, his lips have curved up into the gentle hint of an amused smirk.
The faintest, breathless giggle slips from my lips and I bury my lips into the back of my fingers. He looks so cute!!!
The sound of his gentle, melodic laughter sends a shiver up my spine and I tremble with suppressed glee at the sound.
"You look ravishing this evening, Miss Ophelia."
The moment I hear his voice, my blush flares brighter. His deep, rich tenor, so well-suited for speaking, it makes my knees wobble to listen to it. "Y-your compliment honors me, Doctor."
His head cocks to the side, his smile teasing. "Does it now? Perhaps I will have to find ways to offer you more compliments in the future, then."
Oh boy. I swallow nervously, pressing my palms into the curve of my dress to distract me. The sound of Viktor's chuckle fills the air around me. "If I might be so bold, might I steal you away for a dance?"
A dance with Viktor!!! I want to yell. Scream. Possibly run around the city like a madwoman. I just barely contain my excitement into a polite, "Oh! Well, of course."
He smiles, stepping forward and extending his hand, palm facing upward.
My gaze flits between his beautiful eyes and that welcoming, inviting hand, and my cheeks heat up as I tentatively slide my hand into his. His warm fingers close around my palm and I feel heat rushing to my face.
Embarrassed and giddy, I follow as he guides me to the dance floor. I have to stop myself from pulling him closer. Instead, I let him move into proper dancing posture.
I watch his hands closely as he places my left hand on his shoulder and clasps his other against my other outstretched, placing his own hand upon my waist.
We're so close together now I can barely breathe, the feeling of his hands on my body igniting sparks throughout me.
As he pulls me in, the gentle music of a waltz starts. I'm grateful the waltz is so slow, because I don't know if I could manage this in a quicker song, given how flustered I am.
I let out a small breath and let him lead the dance, stepping in time as he leads me across the ballroom.
"Do you dance often, Viktor?" I ask, trying to calm down by forcing my voice to be at a steady, conversational tone.
"No, not at all."
I open my eyes in surprise to find he's giving me a shy smile. "I, ah, had to ask one of the other doctors I know who'd had some experience for advice."
"Really?" I smile brightly at the mental image, squeezing his hand and resting my own on his shoulder. "How did that go?"
"Quite terribly."
Viktor's gaze dips low, avoiding eye contact, as if embarrassed to be talking about it. But despite the casual delivery, his voice is heavy with meaning, and his cheeks flush the sweetest shade of pink.
"Oh?" I giggle softly. "Please, tell me all about it."
He hesitates, as if unwilling to share anything too personal, but my encouraging smile helps him continue.
"It...ah, began with me explaining myself to him and the situation. That I had been invited to attend a ball. At that point, I believe, he mistook the type of ball I was referring to and assumed that I had been invited as the guest of a noblewoman who wishes to marry me."
He laughed politely. "Of course, I had to explain to him that you had only invited me in the hopes I might use this as a networking opportunity to further my career and had not suggested the intent to woo me."
My cheeks are hurting from the force of my smile. Did I ever even imply such a thing? My sweet VIktor is so unassuming...!
"I think he found me...cute, I suppose. He teased me for the rest of the conversation, to the point I doubted his advice at all."
"I'm certain his advice must be invaluable, since you stand here before me with grace and poise, even if you found it lacking," I murmur.
Viktor's eyes lift up to meet mine, his hand tightening over my side, and a sudden realization hits me.
This is the first time I've held him close, his body against mine. The warmth of him seeps into me, my nerves crackling and burning as my breathing becomes uneven.
"...Perhaps. It...is true that I'm less nervous dancing with you than I had expected, somehow."
His voice is quiet, and I swear I can see the faintest tinge of red in his ears, beneath his neatly coiffed hair.
"I'm glad!" I sigh, resting my cheek on his shoulder, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. "I confess...I'm enjoying your company. Dancing like this, being with you..."
He chuckles softly, turning to smile at me. "And I yours. It's quite pleasant to find myself enjoying something like this...much as I might have disliked it otherwise."
The confession warms my heart and I close my eyes, taking in the moment as I sway in his arms, clinging to him more tightly, as if he could disappear in an instant.
The last notes of the music fade out, and we separate from one another with a tinge of reluctance. My cheeks still hurt from the force of my smile, but as I glance over him, I can't help but notice the little changes in his expression.
His eyes dart away, looking to the side for a moment, as if he can't bring himself to look me in the eyes. His lips are parted slightly, as if he has something more to say, but hasn't yet spoken.
"...Viktor?" I murmur.
His eyes snap back to mine, and I can see a tinge of apprehension in them. "W-would it be rude of me to...invite you for a stroll on the balcony, for a little fresh air?"