"Aaaaaooooaaaahhhhhh..." Loid yawned as he stretched out in bed and lazily reached for his alarm clock.

That was a restful sleep, he thought as he slowly opened his eyes. With his curtains parted, the sun's rays illuminated the four corners of the room. He took the blanket over his face to shield himself from the sudden brightness. He felt energized to start his day until his schedule crossed his mind. I still barely run out of things to do. He buried his face into his pillow.

Feeling thirsty, Loid fixed his bedding and went to the kitchen. He reached out for a glass from the cabinet to savor a peaceful and refreshing morning drink.

A reusable cold straw cup? Must be the one from Midori.

He noticed handwriting on the side.

This cup is for: Damian.

His eyes widened and immediately narrowed.

How come? They can't have intentionally exchanged cups. Impossible. He took a finger to his chin. Did Anya accidentally take his cup? Did she even realize? I must probably remind her again to be mindful. He scratched his head, fearing that his daughter was making Plan B's outcomes worse.

~~~~~

"Anya, how are you being friends with Damian lately?" Loid inquired that morning as the Forgers ate breakfast at the dining table together, the food his savory cooking as usual.

"Anya is doing her best to become friends with him, Papa!"

"Really? That's good." Nagging anxiety won't leave him.

"Don't worry, Loid. I think they're getting along quite well," Yor said with a smile.

Loid turned to her as he sipped his coffee, his mental face questioning despite his pleasant facade. "Why is that, Yor?"

"Well, because yesterday when I couldn't pick her up in school, Damian brought her home," Yor said.

Loid almost vomited back into the cup. "He brought you home, Anya?" he asked, shock on his face.

"Mmm-hmm!" Anya nodded. "Mama said it's okay when we called her."

"I'm sorry, Loid. There's a lot to do in the City Hall lately! I apologize for not being able to do my duty as her mother," Yor said, the guilt in her voice was clear.

"N-no, it's okay, Yor. I was also a bit busy lately," Loid responded reassuringly.

But for Damian to bring her home... Hmmm... Has he forgiven her then? Loid thought. Anya caught his mind and chose to keep quiet.

Anya missed the bus that time because I cried to Becky about... Sy-on boy… and Indira. I should keep quiet. Anya thought, dreading her father to stalk her again at Eden if he'd know that she's attracting the ire of other high-class students.

"Okay, Anya. Make sure not to burden Damian with that again. He must have no choice then because you can't just go home on your own," Loid reminded Anya.

"Yes, papa. I will just insist on waiting for Mama next time."

"Correct," Loid replied. Feeling a bit relieved, he took a bite of his food. He then remembered something earlier this morning.

"Anya, Papa was getting a glass of water when he saw something in the cabinet. Why is your Midori cup's name 'Damian'?"

"Damian was upset in Midori that he just took the first white cup he saw from the counter without reading the name in it. So Anya was left with his cup."

"I see. Do you know what made him upset?" Loid probed.

"He said Anya was too close and was casually speaking to him."

Too close? Casually speaking to him? Loid repeated in his head.

"Then his butler came and told Anya not to bother him."

After hearing this, the relief he felt just now vanished in an instant, his posture going to a slouch.

Anya's relationship with Damian is still down the drain. Loid let out a heavy sigh, realizing the mission to get close to Damian's family is not making progress.

"Papa, Mama, dance practice is starting this afternoon!" Anya spoke with half-chewed food in her mouth. "Anya... will do her best!"

"That's good to hear Anya!" Yor exclaimed. "Is this for the Ostania National Culture Day next week?"

"Mmm-hmm!"

"I see. I'm excited to see you dance with Becky," Loid said with a forced cheer.

"No Papa," Anya took a sip of her drink.

"Anya's dancing partner is Sy-on boy."

~~~~~

Three claps were heard inside the room with many mirrors.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to the Eden Academy Arts Studio," Mr. Henderson greeted.

The class greeted back.

"So many mirrors! Anya is everywhere!" Anya giggled.

"Uh-huh!" Becky replied as she admired herself from various angles.

That pink-head is everywhere… This is bad! Damian thought, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep his gaze to the front.

Mr. Henderson called the class' attention.

"In a few weeks, each class will perform a cultural presentation for the Ostania National Culture Day. It is customary for classes of your level to present something tasteful and refined. Operetta, choral singing, musicals, dances — various aspects of Ostanian culture is celebrated in this annual event. I am expecting Cecile Hall to perform gracefully."

He fixed his monocle. "As for the dance, as previously announced, I have already assigned your partners. This is a challenge for you to work together." He glanced in Anya's direction.

Anya froze, her eyes reduced to two dotted circles. Why does the teacher have to look at me when giving reminders on teamwork?

"We, the teachers in charge of each class, select and organize the performances. And I have chosen nothing less than the Ostanian Waltz - the most elegant type of waltz in this country."

Elegant... Wal-s... Sounds so fancy! Anya's eyes were a pair of twinkling stars. I'm excited!

"Sir," one of the students raised her hand.

"A question, I presume?" Mr. Henderson asked.

"Yes sir. How different is the Ostanian Waltz from the type of waltz in the West?"

"Brilliant question. The main difference lies in the simplistic elegance of the Ostanian Waltz. The counting is still the same, but compared to the West, we have lesser differentiating movements to master."

"Then does it mean our waltz is inferior to that of the West?" Emile asked.

"That is the common misconception, Mr. Elman. Because of its refined simplicity, it is very easy to spot differences in timing and movement among dancing partners; therefore, it's very easy for one pair to ruin the whole presentation. Only perfection can save you," Mr. Henderson pointed out.

Ostanian Wal-s is just a simple dance... so it is easy to see the wrong moves on stage? Anya thought. She looked at her partner, Damian, who was listening very intently to the teacher.

Anya's face started to fill with dread. Anya hasn't danced ever... and Sy-on boy is my partner…

Anya is doomed!

The rest of the class gulped at the pressure that pounced on them.

"Now then, to your partners, we want to check whether your height matches well," Mr. Henderson said. "Everything should be perfect in the eyes of the audience!" He explained further, his eyes sparkling.

"Yes, sir!"

The students reassembled beside their assigned dance partners.

"I'll be with Ewen for now, Anya!" Becky then leaned on her friend's ear. "Enjoy your romantic dance with Desmond!"

"Huh?"

Becky giggled as she walked away, leaving her friend puzzled. Anya skipped towards Damian who was sitting in a corner, waiting for her approach.

"Hi, Sy-on boy!" She cheerfully greeted the young scion.

"Oi, Shrimp." Damian stood as she approached.

"Have you danced wal-s before?" she asked.

It's waltz with a 't'. Damian thought, chuckling inside his head. He decided to ignore her mispronunciation.

"No, I only saw my brother do it when he was in 10th grade."

And he's so good at it. Tsk. What can't he do? He pouted.

"Well, Anya's sure Sy-on boy can dance wal-s well too!" Anya encouraged.

"Hmpf, naturally." Damian's lips were slightly upturned. He tilted his head to see Anya better. "How about you? Have you danced it before?"

Drops of sweat formed on Anya's forehead despite being in the air-conditioned room.

"Uhhmmm, no?" she replied without looking.

"Well, I don't expect you to," Damian said, crossing his arms. "Are you okay with turning and moving without tripping?"

"Anya... is not quite sure..."

"Have you danced in heeled shoes?"

"Oh, this is my first time..."

"But you've surely seen the Ostanian Waltz, haven't you?

"N-No..."

Ugh... Damian's face started to fill with worry.

He sighed.

I want Anya as my dance partner but... what if she can't dance the waltz? The National Unity Party will surely see our presentation, in one way or another. I can't risk embarrassing myself to Father and Demetrius. He anxiously thought.

Anya heard his thoughts. Oops. Anya must've worried Sy-on boy. I need to do my best.

"Alright, Cecile Hall! Stand up straight and face forward."

~~~~~

"Girls! The boys will be leading you on the dance floor but you must know your steps by heart. Look closely and remember instinctively the rhythm and the movements," the female instructor said.

The girls started copying their instructor's footwork.

"Ugh, I saw this already several times but I never thought it was going to be hard," Becky said. She saw that Anya would barely move. "You okay?"

Anya looked very confused. "A-Anya has difficulty identifying her left and right."

"You're right-handed, right? Just remember which hand you draw with and you're good to go," Becky tipped.

"Anya hasn't tried drawing with her foot—"

"Just think which one's directly under your right hand!"

"Ah!" Anya nodded.

Becky sighed.

With Becky's help, Anya eventually imitated the instructor's movements. The practice ended with everyone learning the basics of Ostanian Waltz. Mr. Henderson once again took the floor.

"Alright, you must practice by yourselves tomorrow and master the basic steps. Then on Thursday, you will have a dance exam on the basics before you learn the choreography with your partners. Bring your heels, you will be dancing with them on. Dismissed."

"Wow, dance exam just after one teaching session. Eden is hard on its students," Emile said.

"This is a prestigious school after all. We must keep up," Ewen said. The two turned to Damian.

"Bossman, you really are something on the dance floor! You easily got the steps as if you've danced the waltz before!" Emile exclaimed.

"It's nothing," Damian replied.

"As expected of you, bossman!" Ewen said.

The three left the dance studio ahead of Anya and Becky.

"It seems Desmond is pretty good at this," Becky said.

"Mmm-hmm," Anya agreed.

Anya made a fist. Anya needs to do well, no matter what!

She took a finger to her chin in search of a plan. A light bulb suddenly flashed in her head.

I know! I should ask Mama for special training!

~~~~~

Yor was dusting the furniture when the Forger main door burst open.

"Mama!" Anya shouted as she panted from running up the stairs.

"Anya? What happened? Are you okay?" Yor worriedly said.

"Mama, please train Anya!" Anya said, her hands enjoined in front of her chest.

Yor took down her feather duster and sat down to face her daughter. "Train you? On what?" She wondered.

"Anya is going to dance wal-s in school."

"But I don't know how to dance the waltz!" Yor said apologetically, her hands flying to her cheeks. How different her upbringing really is!

"It's okay, Mama! Anya just needs to be able to move around without tripping in heeled shoes. Anya thinks that's the first step to dancing well!"

"Uh... Then... Maybe you can benefit from balance and flexibility training," Yor thought out loud. "When do you want to start?"

"Today, mama! Anya has a dance exam on Thursday!" Anya told her.

"I see."

Anya tugged Yor's clothes. "Anya needs special training. Please, Mama."

Moved by her daughter's adorable determination, Yor clapped her hands together. "Okay, then! Change to training clothes, Anya."

Anya's face instantly brightened. "Okay, mama!" Delighted and excited, she hurried to her room.

"Anya will not let you down, Sy-on boy!"

~~~~~