7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to His Worst Enemy!

Chapter 13: The dance is over?

"We don't have to dance if you don't want to," Arnold said.

"Oh? As it happens, I like dancing." Plus, she couldn't resist a blatant challenge. She offered him her hand.

"Very well, then." Arnold only hesitated for a moment before taking it and steering her gently to an empty spot on the floor. He didn't seem like the dancing type, but his movements were slick and effortless.

Facing one another, they joined hands. Arnold wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Ooh. His hand felt huge against her back. She realized she was breathing a little faster. They'd never been this close before.

No, that isn't quite true. This is the second time.

Rishe's final memories from her last life flashed vividly through her mind.

This was indeed the second time they had been this close—the first had ended with a sword through her chest.

Emperor Arnold Hein had single-handedly decimated the knights in the castle. Rishe stood in the midst of the carnage, breath ragged as she gripped the hilt of her sword, slick with her own blood. She was the last line of defense. The chamber behind her housed the royal family.

If they could reach the hidden passageways, the young prince and his party could find shelter with their allies across the border. Rishe and the other knights were prepared to sacrifice their lives to allow the royal family to survive. Their escape meant victory.

Bells tolled out, urging flight. All is lost. Run. Rishe managed to graze Arnold's cheek with her blade before she looked down to find his jet-black sword blooming out of her chest.

She remembered how it burned, as if the blade was made of fire. It was heat, not pain, but her breathing grew labored, and when Emperor Arnold Hein withdrew his sword, Rishe crumpled.

He knelt by her side and whispered something.

The words were seared into her memory. Rishe squeezed Arnold's hand as they danced.

I'll be the bully this time.

Rishe shifted her weight back, slipping out of the hold on her waist. She broke Arnold's lead and spun, drifting on the harmony of the dance. She took him by surprise; his eyes went wide.

I wonder what you'll do when you're no longer on top, Your Highness.

Rishe's smile was a declaration of war. Watching him attempt to follow her lead would be delightful. She pulled his hand toward her, attempting to move them into a spin.

But Arnold held fast. He planted his hand on her waist and turned them in a different direction, using her inertia against her.

Hey!

As a result, Rishe twirled by herself on the spot.

She didn't miss a step. She turned elegantly, the hem of her dress whispering across the ballroom floor. She heard appreciative murmurs from the wallflowers lined up watching.

Despite that, Rishe took it as a defeat. Round one to Arnold.

So…you can think on your feet. How about this?

Arnold remained unruffled, evading her next scheme like it was nothing. He grinned down at her, his eyes shining with a dare.

He thinks I can't beat him.

Arnold's ease vexed her, but it was his smugness that made her angry.

Rishe let out a hard breath, attempting a maneuver to lure him in while turning.

He leaned back, not falling for it at all.

He's just too good at changing his center of gravity!

Rishe kept her astonishment under wraps, but she felt it.

Despite how close we're dancing, I can't throw off his timing at all. He's sidestepped all my attempts, and he takes back the lead the second I let down my guard!

It made her increasingly angry. She twirled and stepped as the dance dictated, all the while feeling out for moments of weakness. Arnold played along with her game, completely unruffled.

Every single time. I'm doing my utmost to trip him up, but he doesn't even seem annoyed!

At this point she'd just settle for any reaction at all.

Their unusual dance style had gathered a crowd. Rishe paid them no mind, focused only on her goal. Then something occurred to her, and her breath caught in her throat.

Wait a minute, he has left an opening. It's the same one from before.

Rishe thought back to their fight to the death, to that moment when she had managed to draw blood. That may indeed have been his only weakness.

If I strike the same way—huh?

Before she could try, Arnold appeared to lose patience, wrapping his arm around her waist. He bent her back into a dip so deep it felt like he'd pulled a carpet from under her feet. She yelped, grabbing at him reflexively, clinging tight. His big hands gripped her securely enough to mitigate the sensation of falling. Relief flooded through her, and she felt a laugh rumble against her ear.

The music came to an end with one last ringing note.

Rishe blinked. The dance is over?

A hush fell over the ballroom. Then cheers broke out, followed by a round of applause.

"That was incredible!"

The watching nobles crowded in.

"You two moved in such perfect harmony!"

"I was on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was watching a sword duel!"

"Is this a dance from Hermity? I've never seen such steps before."

"Uh, well…" Rishe floundered. She glanced up at Arnold, who appeared to be enjoying her struggle.

She'd get no help from him.