Kiki looked beautiful in a hot pink dress with beautiful flowers embroidered throughout it, appearing several spaces apart from each other, like little reminders of beauty sprinkled all throughout.
And Mitsuhide marvels that this is the same woman who can beat him with a sword, the same woman who is used to the strain of a fight, used to defeating bandits and any threats to safety.
She looks like the noblewoman she is tonight, and that somehow steals his breath away like he loses it when she points a sword at him and their practice match comes to a close.
This is exactly why he feels that marrying her would be a problem. If she were just a knight, it would be easier and way more doable.
But here, she is a noblewoman. Good at faking smiles and old ball niceties and small talk. Boring stuff that bores her too.
And when she places a gloved hand in his, an invite for a dance, he accepts despite how complicated he feels, despite his racing heart, despite the fact that he isn't a dancer.
"It's like sword fighting, right?" Kiki whispers to him, and it feels like a reassurance and a plea all at the same time, even though Mitsuhide knows Kiki is a good dancer. She's had all the training and practice for it her whole life after all.
"If you want to call it that." Mitsuhide shrugs, but at least he's out here with her.