Mia, the Seductress
Food… I need to eat… Cakes would be great. Where can I get some cakes?
Mia took a quick look around her. It had not yet worn off how shocking her words were. The event had moved on to dancing and dining at Lampron’s request, but there was still an anxious feeling in the hall. A lot of people were whispering to each other, and not many people, even those who were whispering, seemed to pay much attention to the dancing.
The hall was mostly split into two sections. There was a big open area for dancing, and there were tables with food and drinks all along one wall. The dining area was put next to the deck so that people could enjoy a glass of wine while looking at the stars.
That didn’t interest Mia at all. She would rather know where her friends are. One of them was already coming toward her, so she didn’t need to look.
“Good job, Mia.”
Abel came up to her holding two wine glasses.
“My, Abel. Is that for me? Thank you very much.”
She picked up one of the glass and drank from it slowly. It was actually juice. It seemed like it was made from apples because it was slightly sweet and had a good tartness to it. She took a swallow and enjoyed how cool the drink felt as it went down her throat. Soon, she could feel the sugar going into her brain, and she let out a happy breath.
She looked at the glass for a moment as she had a thought.
I wonder if this is how they gave Sion poison. By putting it in this kind of drink.
In case anyone forgot, her main job in Sunkland was still ongoing. Going along with Ludwig’s plan was a good thing, but it didn’t do anything to stop Sion from being assassinated.
What am I going to do?
A macaron was close, so she grabbed one and popped it in her mouth to keep the sugar coming. Even though she was chewing, she looked around again. There were a lot of different foods in the eating area. If the poison was hidden in any of them, it would be very hard to stay away from them. Sion should really not eat or drink anything all night, but…
“Do you have something on your mind?”
When she looked up, Abel was tense. As she looked at his face, she thought, This is interesting. Abel has really long eyelashes. Also, they’re so straight. And his eyes look like they could be dreams. The same as him…
…She hadn’t thought of anything positive at all. In fact, her brain had already turned to relationship mode, which made it harder for her to come up with any plans.
“Uh… Mia, could you please look in a different direction every once in a while?” Abel said as he awkwardly turned his eyes away. “That way of staring is kind of embarrassing.”
“H-Huh? Oh, my. I’m truly sorry. I was, um, thinking, and for a second I got lost.”
Uh-oh. It’s not good. If he asks me to dance, I might lose my mind. I have to do something—Oh, that’s it! A dance!
An idea struck her like lightning.
Could I ask Sion to dance with me? And made him dance the whole time so he couldn’t drink?
Sion, no matter how extraordinary he is, couldn’t drink and dance at the same time. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to eat either.
Let’s give this some thought. He most likely won’t say no if I ask him to dance. And since it’s him, as soon as I get him on the dance floor, everyone will be waiting to be his next partner. He can still get drinks in between dances, but I’ll make sure that’s the only time he does it…
Mia bowed her head and turned to face Abel.
“To show respect, I’d like to ask Sion to dance first this time. I’m sorry, Abel. Is that okay with you?” Then she gave him those sad puppy dog eyes.
“Hm? Yes, of course. Sure, go ahead. Dances are part of diplomacy, after all. Anyone who sees that you’re friendly with Sion will be wary of you as an enemy.”
Abel gave her a soft smile. He didn’t look at all worried in that look. There was no pain. His reaction was almost like he didn’t think it was strange that she will be dancing with Sion and that she was the one who was weird for asking. That made her a little mad.
Are you sure, Abel? She felt a pang of jealousy as she thought. You’re okay with me dancing with Sion?
Relationship-mode Mia roared to life, and all the annoying details and feelings that young loves often throw at each other came with it. She was ready for some pushback when she talked to other boys. Not too much, but just enough for her to enjoy the glimmer of love that she could see through the anger. Yes, she would turn into that kind of girl.
“Abel, are you sure? Just to be clear,” she said, “I’m going to dance with another boy.” She even emphasized the last part of her sentence.
Abel gave her an answer with a straight face. “Am I sure? Hm… I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me… But I’ve already decided. That being said, I’m not going to demand your love. I’ll earn it by becoming someone who is worthy of it.”
Mia’s heart skipped a beat when she looked into his pure, honest eyes.
“Abel…”
“That is why… It’s okay if you ever feel like you want to be with someone else. I will fight them no matter who they are. Even if it’s Sion, a friend. I’m going to fight him for your love, and I’ll win. I will prove that I deserve to be with you.”
She felt like she couldn’t breathe after hearing this strong declaration of love. She could feel her face getting hot, and her thoughts were all over the place. It felt like someone put their hand on her back and then gave her a gentle push.
“Go for it. It’s all right. It would be rude to make everyone wait for Sion to start dancing with other girls before you ask him to.”
According to etiquette, one shouldn’t start dancing before someone of higher rank. When it came to standing, Mia and Rafina were without a doubt the most important women there. Rafina had the power to start the ball rolling, but she seemed to be holding back. Sion probably kept smiling at all the girls who came up to him because of this. It seemed like everyone was waiting for Mia to approach.
“I-I guess so. Okay then…”
She took a big breath, let it out, and calmed down.
Let’s get clear. Focus! Stopping Sion’s assassination is the most important thing right now!
Abel saw Mia leave. She went into the crowd, and he let out a quiet sigh.
It looks like I still have a long way to go. He turned his head away.
His guess was that the bluff had worked, but that didn’t change the fact that he was lying. He was feeling a lot worse inside than what he was showing.
“It’s only a dance. I’m letting someone else be her first partner. And I am already upset by this much?” He mumbled and held up his tight tight.
“Maybe… if I had more faith in myself… Oh well, that is easier said than done.”
Mia had unleashed her inner seductress and played with a boy’s feelings without even realizing it!
Hello everyone.
Just in case you don’t know. Tearmoon Empire Anime just started airing.
Mermaid Fish
