[89] The Crowd (5)
"I heard she had an accident when she was little. Her mental age is around ten. They don't even let her leave the room—so how did she get to the party?"
Alpheas watched Erina with mixed feelings. She paid no mind to everyone staring at her; she smiled innocently and greeted the young men nearby.
Like most at a ball, she looked as if she were trying to find a partner. But no one returned her smile with any warmth. People offered a single awkward nod and hurried away. That, of course, was only possible because of the Bastard family's influence.
Alpheas glanced at the patriarch across the table. As expected, his face was flushed as he tried to rein in his anger. Then, unable to bear it, he shouted at his wife.
"I told you not to bring Erina. Drag her out right now!"
"Honey, calm down. Erina likes parties. If you make a fuss dragging her out it'll be a disaster. If you leave her be, I'll take her away quietly."
"Ugh! How embarrassing. It's a disgrace to our family—an absolute disgrace!"
Alpheas puckered his lower lip. He understood the sentiment, but calling his daughter a disgrace was too much. Of course he knew what being a first-rank noble meant in society. Alpheas himself had been born to a first-rank house and even earned the chilling epithet "Light of Mirhi."
'Just like one of my family's old prigs. Nobles, the lot of them.'
Alpheas didn't take his eyes off Erina until the music had changed three times. He realized she was genuinely enjoying the party—content simply to exchange greetings.
But what sort of people were most mages? An arrogant breed who labeled ignorance a sin. They could smile in front of her and then mock the simple-minded Erina as soon as they turned away.
"Klump. Hold this for a moment. No—drink it yourself."
Alpheas handed his glass to Klump and turned back toward the ballroom. Klump caught him and halted him hurriedly.
"What are you planning now? For heaven's sake, don't cause trouble in a place like this."
"They're turning her down just because some simpletons learned to read. As Vashka's most popular man, I'll raise her standing for her."
Klump's bear-like grip spun Alpheas around.
"Alpheas. That's a bad idea. Pitying Erina could look like mockery. They're enough. Don't make her miserable any more."
Klump meant it. The usual dazed look was gone from his eyes; they burned with righteous intensity. Alpheas smiled and patted Klump's shoulder.
"You're too simple. Do you think I don't know what I'm doing? I've never lied to a woman. All sin comes from discrimination. If you start 'caring' for her, her life becomes that of a bird trapped in a cage. They have their reasons—leave it to me."
"Are you serious? You're actually going to do this? Hey, listen—"
Crossing the ballroom, Alpheas turned to Klump with the grin everyone recognized as dangerous.
"Don't worry. I'm beloved by everyone."
When Alpheas reached her, no one was left around Erina. Quietly, everyone had slipped away. Yet Erina seemed unfazed; she was eating an apple with no hint of sadness.
"Hello. What a lovely ball this is."
Erina blinked with an apple in her mouth and looked at Alpheas. From her expression alone you could tell her intelligence was limited—before she even spoke.
But she was pure.
So pure that it felt as if she reflected other people's emotions like a mirror. Perhaps that was the real reason people avoided her.
"Oh! Hello! I'm Erina!"
As if she'd just realized something, Erina brightened and greeted him. But seen up close her reaction was different than it appeared from afar. There was unmistakable fear in her eyes.
'Well. It's probably the first time anyone's spoken to her first.'
Alpheas bowed politely.
"I am Mirhi Alpheas, a mage. I was so struck by your beauty that I failed to greet you earlier. If it's not too forward, would you be my partner for tonight's dance?"
Erina gaped blankly. A piece of apple rolled in her mouth. Anyone could read the confusion on her face.
Suddenly she dropped her head and, without a word, turned and walked past Alpheas.
Alpheas was dumbfounded. In slang terms, he'd been snubbed. Had he approached her like a normal person? Flustered, he lunged forward and cut her off.
"W-wait a moment. Was I too forward? I'm sorry. I just wanted to get closer to you, Erina."
Erina didn't answer. She stared at the ground and shuffled, looking for a way out.
This time Alpheas didn't give up. He blocked every path she tried and kept talking.
"All right. If you don't want to dance, let's talk then. I'll tell you a very interesting story. Do you like constellations?"
"I want to go. I want to go to my room. My mother will scold me."
"Why would your mother scold you? No one's going to scold you. You came to the party, and I asked you to be my partner."
"She told me not to talk to people. She said if people talk to me they're bad. I want to go to my room."
Alpheas felt frustration. No—he felt anxious. All the tricks that had won so many women no longer worked; he only wanted one more chance to meet her eyes.
"I'm definitely not a bad person. Look at my face. How could this be the face of a bad man?"
He grabbed her shoulders with both hands. Immediately Erina convulsed and screamed.
"Kyah! No!"
All the nobles in the hall turned. To anyone watching, it looked like Alpheas was assaulting her.
"Mother! Help! Mother!"
"Erina! Look at me! I'm not trying to hurt you!"
"Mother! Mother!"
Among the invited mages was Alpheas's rival, Sarof. Watching Alpheas's absurd antics, he was stupefied. He knew Alpheas could be mad, but he had never imagined him this unhinged.
"Chasing every Vashka woman wasn't enough; now he's bothering a simpleton too? He's gone mad trying to get ahead."
Most nobles thought the same. Even if her intelligence was low, she was the eldest daughter of the Bastard family. If someone could win her over, their future would be set.
Klump was the only one who knew Alpheas's true intentions, but now that things had come this far, even he let go.
'Screw it. You're the lunatic who made this mess—clean it up yourself.'
Erina writhed as if having a fit. Any sane man would have let go in front of her family, but Alpheas stubbornly held her shoulders.
"Erina, please. Look at me. Look at me, please."
"Mother! I'm scared, Mother!"
"Erina!"
When Alpheas shouted, Erina's movements stilled. But the trembling in her told of a deeper fear.
"Please, just look at my face once. I'm begging you."
With terror on her face, Erina slowly turned her head. Alpheas's eyes were aflame. The heat seemed to draw in and warm even her heart.
"See? Nothing happens. I'm not a bad person. I won't do anything you hate. But this is a party—don't you want to dance?"
A thrill she could not hide bloomed on Erina's face. Crystals throwing scattered light, the musicians' tune, the murmur of the crowd—she only wanted to laugh like everyone else.
"Erina. I want to be with you. Be my partner tonight."
There was no reply—but he didn't need one. Taking Erina's hand, Alpheas walked to the center of the hall. She shuffled like a toddler taking her first steps. For the first time in her life, she was held by someone who wasn't family.
The sharp-eyed musicians resumed playing and Alpheas led Erina into the dance. The nobles watched, dumbstruck. Even Erina's parents were speechless.
Alpheas didn't care. Erina didn't care. As if the world had narrowed to just the two of them, they surrendered to the music. Their steps were far from refined—raw and passionate. They spun like tops, often losing balance and bumping into people. The more they did, the louder Erina laughed. Ten minutes later, she had become the center of the party.
* * *
Mischievous laughter echoed through the garden. Having caused nearly a scene at the party, Alpheas and Erina fled, running through the woods.
At the top of a small hill, Alpheas panted, tongue lolling. Embarrassingly, Erina didn't seem much more tired. He couldn't believe he'd been outpaced by a girl. Vowing to cut back on drink, he looked up.
The sky seemed ready to spill endless stars.
Erina was quieter than expected. But Alpheas, famed in Vashka for his loquacity, didn't let the mood cool; he rambled on without pause.
The more time passed, the more it felt like Erina was drawing him out. No matter the topic, she listened silently. When she smiled as if she understood, Alpheas would get even more carried away.
Their conversation eventually drifted to his recent worry about the nature of photons.
Is light a wave or a particle?
Sarof defined it as a wave, but Alpheas was sure he was wrong. Not that Alpheas staunchly supported particle theory either.
To be honest, he didn't know. He only believed you should start by admitting what you don't know.
"It's strange, isn't it? Light has such odd properties. In interference experiments it shows wave nature, but on the other hand—"
Realizing he'd been carried away, he fell silent. Talking so fiercely, he hadn't even noticed that the one listening was Erina. She crouched on the grass, looking down the slope, but the smile on her lips remained lovely.
"Hahaha! Did I talk too much? I think it's the first time I've talked like this for so long. Usually people get bored."
"You are a good person."
It was the first thing Erina had ever said to him. Alpheas blinked as if hearing it for the first time. He couldn't tell why his heart suddenly raced.
His thoughts were a tangle.
Why am I here? What on earth am I expecting from this woman?
An unknown territory. A mixture of curiosity and fear that made judgment impossible.
Alpheas ignored it—pretending not to have heard—and continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.
"Haha! It's an embarrassing confession, but as a mage I'm supposed to be writing papers and yet I know nothing. I don't know which way to take it. What do you think, Erina? Is light a wave or a particle?"
Erina wasn't offended by his tone. She rose, looked up at the stars, and spoke.