Chapter 295: Webtoon Special Edition – Extra 7 Transfer Student With Experience (7)

Almost a week has already passed since the Royal Academy of El Ras began the new semester.

“They’re late……”

They should have arrived by now, but Marie and Erin still haven’t appeared.

It’s fine if the others haven’t noticed, but the two of them would have realized it immediately.

It seems their reaction was a bit slow.

Well, even if they had noticed and come right away, the timing would already have been tight, but the real problem is that the academy’s social ball will soon be held.

The nobles of the kingdom used to maintain their power mainly through political marriages. I say “used to” because nowadays that is no longer necessarily the case.

The Kingdom of El Ras is a centralized state where all power is concentrated in the royal family.

At present, there are almost no true old nobles left with their own territories, except for houses like Dunareff or Arden.

Most nobles maintain their titles as officials or court nobles, and naturally, political marriages with court nobles whose positions have limited terms have decreased.

Lately, they seem more interested in capital than in titles.

In short, the idea of parents deciding marriages from childhood is already a thing of the past.

Just look at how my wives also never thought about fiancés or political marriages.

So then, what has become important now?

Exactly—romance. Young noble heirs and the children of wealthy families enjoy fairly free romantic relationships.

Even for nobles, the era of marriage for love has arrived!

“Lady Milena, would you grant me the honor of accompanying you to the ball this time?”

“Oh, with pleasure.”

In the end, this moment was bound to come.

At the Royal Academy, there is a ball held at the beginning of the semester.

Upperclassmen congratulate the newly admitted students, and the newcomers dance for the first time with people of the opposite sex their age and socialize.

An idea meant to strengthen relationships that are still awkward at the start of the term.

The problem is…

“And what are you going to do, Shia?”

“……….”

Faced with Leni’s direct question, I couldn’t answer.

To be honest, it was a problem I hadn’t thought about at all.

“Well, if it’s Shia, you could choose anyone.”

I don’t know why Leni is so confident, but I suppose my sister made sure I had lots of friends so I wouldn’t have a failed school life.

If I asked someone to be my partner for the ball right now, I’d surely find one easily.

Although, normally it’s the man who does the inviting, so I can’t make the first move.

“Lady Shia! With me──!”

“Lady Shia! Please be my partner for the ball──!”

“Lady Shia!”

“Lady Shia!”

“Lady Shia!!”

Damn it, isn’t this too much?

The season has arrived when already acquainted classmates look for partners for the ball.

The problem is that there are far too many guys inviting me.

And the biggest problem is that I am a man.

“Haah……”

“You’re really popular. Why the sigh? Because there are too many of them?”

Leni laughed as if she thought I was bragging, without knowing what was really going on.

It’s not like I don’t understand the reason.

“My brother’s prestige is too strong. Everyone wants to take advantage of that to invite me, right?”

“……Wow, you really have no self-awareness.”

“Huh?”

“If I didn’t know your personality, I’d think you were flirting like a fox.”

“What are you talking about?”

Leni shook her head after hearing my reply.

At that moment, Sinia cautiously approached me.

“Uh… Lady Shia.”

“What is it, Sinia?”

She looked somewhat uneasy.

“Has Shia not found a partner? If you want… should I introduce you to some political relatives?”

“Umm… I think that will be impossible……”

Why such little confidence?

She’s already getting used to the prejudice against northerners and all that, and with Sinia’s beauty, even a political relative would be interested.

“If it’s Shia, you’re pretty, anyone would have a hard time rejecting you.”

“But there is someone I really want to invite.”

Oh, has Sinia already fallen in love? Who is the guy who stole the heart of such a pretty girl?

“Lady Shia… have you already decided on your partner?”

“No, not yet.”

Even though I’m in my sister’s body, dancing with a man—what a thing.

Well, when Sirin was Park Sihoo, she was put into crossdressing contests and danced; dressed like that she looked like a classic Eastern beauty.

Even though inside she was a woman.

“Well, I’ll have to choose someone.”

“Ugh… if it were a woman it wouldn’t matter, but dancing with a man… it’s uncomfortable.”

“I-is that your preference? Then I also—”

“Duchess Sinia, wake up. This ball is for male-female pairs.”

Leni stopped her.

“By the way, do you have experience with dances like this?”

“A little.”

Even if it doesn’t seem like it, back in the previous cycle I was Miruam’s consort.

My experience with social dances mostly comes from Miruam in the previous life, and in this one I’ve danced with several people.

“There’s no helping it. I’ll have to go with one of the people who invited me.”

Honestly, I hope Shia returns to her original body before then.

It would be a shame to lose the first ball like this.

“Wait a moment!”

Sinia suddenly stood up and ran toward her older brother, whom she had been glancing at for a while.

– Hurry up or I’ll do it myself?

– W-wait, I’m not mentally prepared yet…

I don’t know what she was saying to him, but Sinia was elbowing Calcion.

Come to think of it, there was also the option of taking a family member as a partner.

If Shia doesn’t return to my body, saying I’ll go to the ball with my brother wouldn’t cause problems.

A little later, Sinia returned with Calcion.

“L-Lady Shia! My brother wants to say something.”

“C-cough……”

Calcion cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. Just as he was about to speak to me—

“Brother-in-law!”

“Sister.”

Almost at the same time, two voices spoke from either side of Calcion. Robert Dunaleff and Benjamin Rehem.

“Huh, what are you two doing here?”

The three barely listened to me; they looked at each other, exchanging tense glances.

“I’ll speak first.”

“No, I arrived earlier.”

“I’m in a hurry, I’ll go first.”

That strange standoff drew the attention of the entire class.

“Hey, you big guys. Everyone’s staring at you. Hurry up and say what you came for and sit down. Do you want potatoes?”

The three looked around awkwardly, then spoke in unison.

“Sister-in-law, would you go to the ball with me this time?”

“Come to the ball with me.”

“It would be an honor if you would be my partner.”

“………”

As expected, all three came for the same reason.

– Kyaaaah!

– I’m going crazy, I’m going crazy!

– All three at the same time?

– Even if he’s a man… I don’t envy him!

The murmuring was deafening, but I took it calmly.

“Hmm… how about I go with my brother-in-law?”

“R-really?!”

My brother-in-law’s face lit up. Despite so many invitations, I chose him for a reason.

“Well, we’re family, there won’t be gossip, and it’ll be the most peaceful.”

“T-that…?”

Calcion and Benjamin looked disappointed that they couldn’t dance with me.

“The first dance will be with my brother-in-law. Then Calcion and Benjamin can come. We’ll just take turns.”

“I-is that allowed?”

“Well… at balls, partners change constantly.”

I hugged the two of them and smiled.

“A dance is meant to be enjoyed. Let’s move our bodies with enthusiasm.”

“I-I see.”

“Good. It still seems like there are opportunities.”

Opportunities for what?

Anyway, even with two bodies, it wouldn’t be enough to dance with everyone who invited me.

Since the joint wedding, I’ve hardly attended balls anymore.

Usually, I only danced with Estelle or Miruam at royal balls.

The day of the ball was approaching.

***

On the day of the ball, carriages piled up in front of the women’s dormitory.

“There are so many……”

“The ball will be held in the ballroom of the royal palace.”

Sinia had already changed into a dress in the kingdom’s style.

A luxurious white dress that perfectly matched her long, glossy black hair.

“You look beautiful.”

“Ahem… it’s thanks to His Majesty the King’s consideration.”

My father-in-law, thinking of Calcion and Sinia, who came from the north and were unfamiliar with the kingdom’s culture, generously allocated a special budget.

At a national level, the kingdom was making a considerable effort to integrate with the northerners.

“But…”

“Shia?”

I carefully adjusted the pronounced neckline of her dress.

“It’s pretty, but isn’t it too revealing? Men are wolves.”

“B-but Shia isn’t a man, right?”

Why am I being dragged into this?

I placed a silver fox-fur stole around Sinia’s neck.

“After today’s ball, it seems orders for northern silver fox stoles will increase.”

“That’s also one of the goals.”

The north also needed economic independence, so in that regard they were quite meticulous.

Apparently, it had been Sinia’s idea; for her young age, she had a very good head on her shoulders.

“Are you going as a pair with your brother?”

“Yes… although it’s a shame.”

“Why? Was there a boy you liked?”

“Among the boys, no.”

Sometimes I don’t really understand what Sinia means.

“And you, Shia… will you be fine dressed like that?”

Sinia looked at me with concern. Just as she said, it wasn’t a typical feminine outfit.

“Hehe. What do you think? Don’t I look cool?”

“Shia looks cool in anything.”

What I was wearing wasn’t a feminine dress, but a women’s suit.

Rather than dancewear, it looked like a professional outfit.

I was even wearing pants instead of a skirt.

“In the end, it’s a student ball. These days, they don’t really care about those details.”

Lunia, who often wore women’s suits, also attended balls dressed like that.

The outdated idea that women absolutely had to wear dresses seemed to be fading away.

“Come on, let’s head out already. With your looks, Shia, the men are going to drool~”

“It’s enough for me if just one person likes it.”

Sinia shyly held out her hand to me.

That gesture is usually a lady asking for an escort from a knight—I don’t know why she was doing it to me.

“Let’s break the beat.”

Whatever. At the entrance, my brother-in-law was waiting, with a carriage decorated with golden potato flowers.

***

The ballroom that the royal palace had lent for the Royal Academy’s first ball felt quite familiar to me.

I had danced here with my wives more than once, and coming without them felt strangely uncomfortable.

“Brother-in-law, please take my hand.”

“Oh, you look like a knight today, brother-in-law.”

I took the hand of my brother-in-law, Rovert Dunaleff, and we entered the hall.

“Any news of my sister?”

“My sister has been very busy lately. Actually, the one who contacts me more often is my sister-in-law.”

Well, even though she is a goddess, unlike me, who am practically unemployed, Marie had demolished the old magic tower of the Steel Army and, using the magicians there as a base, had founded a new magic tower in the south.

The so-called Dunaleff Tower. After the fall of the old tower, that place became a kind of holy land for magicians.

Marie was the owner of that tower, so she lived a much busier life than I did.

‘Even so, she still makes time to go out with me.’

They should be arriving any moment now. In any case, time passed and the music began to play, signaling the start of the dances.

“Brother-in-law… would you grant me the first dance?”

“With pleasure.”

Although I wasn’t entirely accustomed to the female role in social dances, I had danced while switching roles with Lunia or Sirin on some occasions, so I handled myself quite well.

“It was a pleasure, Lady Shia.”

“The pleasure is mine, young Rovert.”

“Then it’s my turn now.”

Calcion approached as soon as the dance ended.

He took my hand before the lingering sensation could fade, making Rovert frown, but Calcion didn’t pay it any mind.

Since he wasn’t accustomed to the kingdom’s culture, it was understandable.

The next music began.

“Did you practice dancing, boy?”

“I tried. But… it wasn’t easy.”

I firmly took both of Calcion’s hands and smiled at him.

“Dancing is just about enjoying yourself. Making mistakes or slipping is also part of the dance.”

“You… are very different from the other ladies.”

“That’s because I’m special.”

Calcion smiled faintly.

Look at that—when he smiles, his face lights up.

“Shia… my lady. When this dance ends…”

“When it ends?”

“No, not yet. I’ll tell you later.”

“You’re so vague.”

After the dance with Calcion, it was Benjamin’s turn. He took my hand with the same gentle smile he wore during mass.

“You are very popular, my lady.”

“More than you, priest?”

“I turned down all the ladies’ invitations.”

Benjamin made a small pout.

“The ladies invited you to dance?”

“Yes. I turned them all down. Unlike someone.”

“Come on~ dancing with several people is more fun. That’s how you gain experience.”

Benjamin sighed again and again.

“I know you’re not aware of it, but this is already too much.”

Too much? What is?

“Well, little by little I’ll try to stand out.”

And so the ball ended. Benjamin discreetly slipped a bag of cookies into my hand.

In addition to the men who had invited me as a partner, I also danced with friends like Sinia and Leni. Of course, I took the male role.

“You have free time now. From here on, you may do as you please.”

At last, the moment I had been waiting for.

I quickly approached the orchestra in charge of the royal ball’s music.

“The… music?”

“It’s a song that Lord Corin taught us. Does Lady Shia know it as well?”

The orchestra happily accepted my request, and soon the song I had asked for began to play.

“Brother-in-law?”

“Lady Shia?”

All eyes focused on me. I, under the spotlight, raised one finger toward the ceiling.

“Beat on! Heart under my music! My rhythm! Let’s my tuuuurn!”

The reason I was wearing pants wasn’t just because feminine clothing felt uncomfortable.

— E-eh?

— Shia!?

— She’s spinning! She’s spinning the other way!

— Shia Loch is spinning with her head on the floor!

Following the Heavenly Demon’s Dominion Steps of Michael Jackson Corin Loch, and the Heavenly Demon breakdance of Shia Loch, they were engraved into legend.

***

The school life lived in my younger sister’s body reached its second week and was resolved when Marie, Erin, Park Sirin, and Josephine joined forces to undo the divine magic.

Phew… for a moment I thought everything was going to hell, but thanks to my competent wives and my adopted daughter, everything turned out fine.

“So then, how was it? Being in a woman’s body.”

Sirin, who contributed the most to undoing the magic, asked while handing me a cookie made by Benjamin.

“Well, nothing special. I acted as usual.”

“As usual?”

Sirin looked at me with a suspicious expression. Is it just me, or does she look uneasy?

“Brother! Brotheeeer!”

That was when it happened.

From the first floor of our house in the capital, where Marie and Erin were, my sister’s shout rang out, and the door to my room burst open.

“Brotheeeer! Ah! Sister-in-law… ahem.”

“Don’t worry, miss.”

“What’s going on, my sister? Leaving the academy as soon as it’s the weekend? Isn’t that being a bit careless with your studies?”

At my carefree question, Shia, now back in her original body, exploded.

“Damn brother! What the hell did you do with my body?”

“What?”

“The crown prince of the Potato Empire! The Grand Duke of the North! The next cardinal! And not just them—men and women are sticking to me like flies! What did you do!?”

“Huh? Aren’t they just friends?”

“It was nothing like a friends atmosphere! What did you do!? What the hell did you do!?”

“Hey, you should be grateful that this brother made your start of the semester S-rank. Seriously, sisters never know how to appreciate things.”

“Don’t drag it out, you damn lunatic.”

“Sorry. I still have a bit of refined noble lady style left.”

As I dodged Shia’s complaints, I felt a chill down the back of my neck.

“Brother?”

“Sirin?”

“And what did this damn one go and do now?”

Sirin? Wouldn’t it be “this damn guy”? For a while, Shia complained that too many classmates were hitting on her, but what was truly shocking, I learned much later, near graduation.

My sister turned out to be quite talented too—just like her brother.