Even though last chapter was filled with earth-shattering revelations and a battle against a giant vortex that’s still hanging out just outside the castle doors, when we last left off our heroes were… at a party. Just chillin’. Because the world might be ending and all of you nearly died like half an hour ago, but Jean’s like
MC is encouraging/forcing Nick to introduce himself to people, and while he’s very awkward at first he eventually loosens up enough to converse pretty normally. As he chats, MC looks over the ballroom to see what everyone is up to. MC muses that “Victor seems to be in high spirits today, either by virtue of champagne or his personality of the day.” If Victor wasn’t literally confirmed to have multiple personalities, that’d a very salty comment. 
Nick asks if she’d be alright with him walking around on his own for a little while since he feels a bit awkward forcing her to chaperone him the whole time. She’s more than happy to let him do his thing, and tells him she’ll wait for him where she is.
Skeletiano walks up and jokes that she’s being a wallflower. Since he’s the best, he offers to hang out with her and shield her from any potential creepers. She gladly accepts. Skeletiano compliments Nick’s social skills, and notes MC seems worried. She explains that Nick thinks he’s ugly, which Skeletiano finds ridiculous. As proof, he cites all the women surrounding him. Uh-oh. He’s right… Nick’s surrounded by a gaggle of women who appear to be absolutely smitten. MC’s mood immediately tanks. She feels guilty for not being purely happy for Nick, and when Skeletiano asks if she’s alright she lies that she’s hungry and excuses herself to get some food. She’s hanging around the food tables, but it only gives her a better view of Nick’s new fanclub. The music changes and everyone pairs off to dance, and she heads out of his line of sight so she doesn’t have to watch him dance with some other woman. She hangs out at a window out of the way of the main party, idly sipping a drink. I can just see Skeletiano in the corner observing the whole situation and eating it up like
Nick almost immediately finds her, and asks if she’s feeling alright. She says she’s fine, and asks if he doesn’t want to return to dance with anyone. He leans on the windowsill next to her with a bit of a sad expression, and says that he turned down any requests to dance. He says he can’t dance, and that even if he did he’d want to dance with her. He’s obviously feeling a bit bashful about things, but he holds out his hand and asks if she’d like to dance. Naturally, MC is relieved. His grip on her hand is a bit stilted, but she accompanies him out to the dance floor.
Turns out that Nick’s a decent dancer, his uncertainty aside. He notes that he’s watched a lot of balls over the years, so perhaps that helped. His confidence is back up, and he takes the lead. MC notes he’s still wearing the ribbon, but he refuses to take it off because it was a gift from her. 
Just then, the music changes to a slow tune. MC is really jazzed. It’s like that moment at prom where everybody realizes they’re totally gonna get to touch waists. 
As they do a cozy slow dance, Nick begins theorizing about why only she could see him. Essentially, he’s come to believe that he’s loved her and searched for her since before they met. His desire for her to notice him made him visible. MC is delighted but also blushing like a fiend, so she hides her face by burying it in his chest. She straight-up tells him that’s why, but he wants to see all her expressions, embarrassing giddiness included. Then he just smacks the nail on the head.
MC immediately admits it. Bless these two. It’s kinda refreshing reading a love story where both characters just speak frankly about their feelings. 
Nick apologizes if that ruined her mood at all [2 sips], and MC assures him she didn’t expect herself to feel this way. MC tells him frankly that she’d taken her position at his side for granted, and that it was quite self-centered. Nick’s okay with that, though, since he doesn’t intend to go anywhere. We get the choice to ask if he’s sure or kind of argue with him, and I chose the former. Nick is genuinely confused and wonders why MC would question it, when he just said it himself. I suppose he has a point, but he should get it since he needs reassurance like all the time. 
He immediately states he wants to stay with her forever, and promptly tips her chin up and leans in for a kiss. Wait, what? I’m all about you smooching our girl, Nick, but you are in the middle of a ball. Surrounded by all of Niflheim’s nobles and, you know, the king. Who your girl is engaged to. In short,
MC is with me. This is not the time.
Nick holds her harder “so she can’t get away,” and MC notes that she “never knew he was so pushy.” Nick tells her not to run away and goes ahead and kisses her. It’s not much more than a peck, but MC eventually relaxes and accepts it.
STRAWBARELY OPINION INTERLUDE
Okay, this scene DOES NOT read in a romantically assertive way. Trust me, assertive is my jam when done correctly. This just reads like he’s disrespecting that she’s uncomfortable. That is not my jam. That is some store brand Smuckers bullshit.
I honestly think if this had been worded even slightly differently it would have come off as a lot less uncomfortable, but as it is I’m not here for this. I’m gonna rewrite it in my head to make me hate it less and, you know, be more in line with his character. Give me a minute.
One more.
…Okay.
This has been the
STRAWBARELY OPINION INTERLUDE
For some odd reason now whoever’s watching isn’t support important, so they just keep kissing. Nick talks about how he’d sometimes watch her hang out in the castle gardens, and MC is rightfully wondering why he skulked around instead of talking to her. He was still sure she couldn’t see him, though, so I suppose that makes sense. He says he’s always thought her smile was cute, and that he wanted to see it aimed at him. He asks if he can kiss her again.
Oh, apparently now he’s in the business of asking for consent. 
Nick says he doesn’t care, and MC asks if he’s really okay with doing this in front of the king. They both look at him, and the king is… hanging out with his harem. Alright, fine, you’ve got me there. Shouldn’t they still be worried about the nobles, though?
Nick asks if she’s going to marry Jean, and she honestly says she isn’t sure, thinking inwardly that she’d rather be with Nick if possible. This time she initiates the kiss. Nick says he loves her, and they keep on kissing as they dance. All just pecks, she says, but enough to make her happy.
Nick asks to hear how she feels, and MC is too bashful to word it properly. He asks if she’s flustered, and we get a choice between “It’s not that I’m flustered…” and “I’ll tell you, just wait.” Walkthrough says pick option 1, so I did. MC explains she’s just having trouble picking her words, and Nick encourages her gently to just be honest. Just a MC’s opening her mouth…
Out of nowhere, the lights go out one by one as the ballroom chandeliers shatter loudly.
END OF CHAPTER 09
Chapter Thoughts: DAMN did the writing on that first kiss scene sour me for everything that came after it. Did they not see how out of character that was? At least the letter at the end served to cleanse my palate, since it was pretty cute.
Drinks Consumed: Only 2 sips officially, but I finished by drink because I’m not a wasteful kind of gal. 1 Redd’s Cranberry Ale.