Prom

By The Cookie Cutter World

At age 90, Conrad Weller was a young man who felt awkward like any other young mazoku his age. As the middle-born of Cecilie von Spitzweg, he would always find himself caught in the middle of petty fights between his older brother Gwendal and his younger brother Wolfram. Basically, one could point out that he possessed all the traits of a middle-born child.

Growing up as one of the beloved sons of the Maou, it probably was not obvious that he felt awkward as a "teenager" because of his bearing and attitude. Anybody who ran into him or saw him would think that nothing seemed to be bothering him. He always looked calm, collected, and cool. His posture was perfect and it was enough to make all the other young mazoku boys envious of his stature and privileges as a prince.

If only they knew the little insecurity plaguing him deep inside. But thanks to his mother, nobody knew that he felt a little out-of-place among the nobles and most especially among his brothers. Cecilie advised him not to feel bothered about being a half-human and even his mentor, Gunter, would say the same thing once in a while.

No doubt, he felt like any other awkward teenager and nobody knew it until it was time for him to attend a coming-out ball. It was a yearly event for all young noble mazoku upon reaching the age of 90 to attend that event. However, although it was dubbed as a "coming-out ball", the event itself was similar to any other prom night on earth. The only difference is: for that event, it was crucial to attend it with a date.

Conrad secretly cursed that rule because he himself never made any friends with girls his age. At that age, he only knew 3 girls who shared his status as a noble: Anissina von Karbelnikoff, Gisela von Kleist, and Elizabeth, the niece of his Uncle Stoffel's right-hand man, Raven. However, Gisela and Elizabeth were too young—they were only Wolfram's age. As for Anissina, she was older than he is. Way older—give or take, 5 to 7 years. It would be awkward to take her as a prom date. Because of that, he dreaded attending the event so he tried his best to come up with ways on how he could avoid it.

2 days prior to the event, Cecilie was already excited for her son's first prom night. In fact, she already had a tailor-made brown suit made for him along with custom-made leather brown boots to go with it. Conrad's clothes were already prepared in a special dressing room that Cecilie set aside for him. She also decorated it with her very own cultivated flowers that she named after him: Conrad Stands Upon the Earth.

Conrad wished he could run away but he did not want to disappoint his mother. While he fitted his new clothes Cecilie brought up the topic about having a date: "So, who is the lucky lady you asked out for the ball?"

"Maa…ah… uh… I…. uh… Na…" Conrad stammered awkwardly. His eyes bulged a little as his gaze darted hesitantly all over the room. He mindlessly began to fidget with his hands and his throat felt so dry he had to force himself to swallow some of his saliva forming in his mouth.

Cecilie took that as a sign indicating that the answer was "no". She gasped as she looked at him worriedly. "Oh how come? You're a handsome young boy and nobody agreed to go with you?" she asked as she approached him.

He shook his head. "I—it's not that, mother. I just… didn't have the time to ask anybody to become my date." He explained awkwardly.

She knelt down and rested her hands on his shoulders as she smiled calmly at him. "You're so busy with your studies and training so I believe it's understandable. But Conrad, try to understand how important this event is for you. If you don't have a date for the ball, how are you going to be perceived by the others? I don't want anybody to think that my son is a loner!"

Conrad took that as an opportunity to convince his mother that he would rather not attend the ball so he smiled optimistically and said, "But mother, you always told me that I should never think of what others would think of me. All that matters is how I see myself and that you love me, right?"

Cecilie looked at him unbelievably. "But Conrad, this event is important!" she pointed out.

"Mother, I'll be alright even if I don't go." He reassured.

Cecilie frowned. "No. You're attending the ball! Your brother Gwendal attended when he was your age and he had a wonderful time!"

Conrad knew that his mother just said that as an effort to convince him to go. However, he knew that Gwendal never expressed any delight or frustration regarding the event. It was like he just attended the ball with Anissina as his date and then came back to the Castle looking very nonchalant about everything. "Mother, really, I'll be fine." Conrad repeated.

"No, Conrad. You're going to attend the ball. And if you don't have a date then I'm just going to have to find one for you!" she said as she got up.

Conrad felt a surge of panic when he heard that and saw his mother walking to the door. "N-no! Mother, wait! No! It's embarrassing!" he called out as he ran to her and grabbed her hand to pull him back inside the room.

Cecilie giggled when she saw the way her son had reacted to her plan. She turned to him and gave him a pat on the head. "Oh, are you the shy type around girls, my boy?" she asked playfully.

Conrad bit his lower lip. "I… uh… not really but…" and there it was again: the feeling of insecurity. He thought that even if his mother asked one of the daughters of her acquaintances to go with him to the ball, they would refuse because of his lineage. He was a Weller and he was born out of the union of a human and a mazoku.

"Lord von Wincott has a daughter a year younger than you. I'm sure she'd love to meet you and become your date, Conrad. Let me send a message to my good friend and ask…" Cecilie began to move away from Conrad but he grabbed his mother's hand again. "No, mother! I don't know them and… it would be awkward. What if she doesn't like me?" he asked.

Cecilie observed the way her son looked at her. He looked scared, intimidated, and nervous. It broke her heart seeing him like that and she wished she could do something to reassure him that everything would be alright. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, if you don't have any date, maybe you'd like to take your mother instead? The other boys are definitely going to envy you!" she said playfully.

Conrad frowned. "Mother, that is not a good joke." He mumbled miserably. He thought that maybe he would rather go alone and embarrass himself than take his mother as a date because it would definitely be very embarrassing for him to do that.

She giggled as she shook her head. "Well then, Conrad, I'm just going to have to ask Lord von Wincott if he could let his daughter become your date. I'm sure he'd oblige!" and she headed for the door.

The next day, while Conrad was reading a story to Gisela and Wolfram in the garden, Cecilie arrived with a miserable look on her face. Apparently, Lord von Wincott was out of town on a cruise with his entire household.

"Oh darn. I was hoping that Suzanna Julia would be the perfect date for you!" Cecilie said disappointedly.

Conrad was supposed to be rejoicing because that would increase his chances for skipping the ball. However, he felt bad for his mother who spent the past many days helping him prepare for that so-called big event of his life.

Cecilie just sat beside the children and picked out a random flower from a nearby bush. "My poor son. I don't know what to do!" she said shakily as tears began to fill her green eyes.

Wolfram blinked as he observed the miserable look on his mother's face. "Mother, why are you crying?" he asked innocently.

Gisela pulled Conrad's sleeve. "Take me with you! I have a new dress that my father bought for me!" she said happily.

Wolfram frowned at Conrad and pulled Gisela away from him. "Get away from her, Conrad!" he snapped.

Conrad just took a deep breath and sighed. He wished he could say something to ensure his mother that it would be alright even if he did not attend the ball. However, he felt speechless because of the sadness in Cecilie's face.

She just looked up at the heavens. "Oh Shinou, please give me a sign! I don't want my Conrad to be a lonely boy!" she prayed softly.

Conrad looked away uneasily. "Uh… mother… please, really, I'll be okay." He struggled to say.

Just then, Cecilie heard a young girl's laughter coming from a few meters away from where she was seated with Conrad and the two children.

"Come back here, Anissina! I'm not finished with you!" said a frustrated voice from the same direction.

And a young redhead girl emerged from the bushes. Her hair was disheveled and anybody would think that it was caused by running around all day in the garden and her dress had a few creases on the skirt and sleeve areas already.

When Cecilie laid her eyes on Anissina, she smiled happily and looked up to the heavens to thank Shinou. With that, she got up and went over to the girl. "Anissina, you're going to get all sweaty and dirty running around all day!"

Anissina smiled sheepishly at Cecilie. "I'm just playing with Gwendal, that's all." She answered.

Gwendal emerged from the labyrinth of tall bushes with a twig in his grasp. He panted heavily as he observed his mother talking to Anissina.

Anissina turned to him and placed her hands on her hips. "Hah! You lose!" she said proudly.

Gwendal just grunted and threw the twig aside. "Whatever. Let's go horseback riding. I'm getting bored here." He suggested.

"Wait, a moment, Gwendal. I'd like to ask Anissina a favor first." Cecilie said.

When Conrad heard that, he felt the blood draining from his face but his legs were numb because he was seated for a long time on the grass with his younger brother and Gisela so he could not stand up. "Mother, no!" he tried to call out to her but his voice drowned among the screams and voices of Gisela and Wolfram who were suddenly wrestling each other on the grassy ground before him.

"If it isn't a big deal, could you please go as Conrad's date for the ball tomorrow evening?"

Conrad saw a scowl forming on his older brother's face upon hearing their mother ask that question.

As for Anissina, she did not give much thought into it. She just agreed. "I'll go. I have nothing to do tomorrow anyway. I'd be happy to go as Conrad's date." She said dignifiedly.

Conrad's mouth dropped open but not sound came out. He could only gape at Anissina and his happy mother who was already jumping in joy.

Gwendal just stood there with a serious look on his face before turning to look at Conrad.

Conrad felt as if daggers came out from Gwendal's eyes and just hit him in various areas of his face and chest. Still, he could not react or say anything.

Around dinnertime, Cecilie still raved about Conrad taking Anissina to the ball for the next evening. Conrad just sat there awkwardly, wishing that something bad would befall him the next day so he would have a valid reason not to go to the ball anymore.

As for Gwendal, he appeared very apprehensive about Anissina's decision but could not do anything about it. He just remarked, "She's older than Conrad. Is that even legal?"

Cecilie turned to her eldest son and smiled. "It's alright, Gwendal. Conrad is taller than Anissina now so nobody would care about their age difference anymore." She said reassuringly.

Gwendal grunted. "I would like to be their chaperone for tomorrow night." He said.

"What?" Conrad exclaimed.

Wolfram smiled evilly and pointed his fork at Conrad. "Hahaha! Loser! Loser!" he teased.

"Wolfram, that's rude. Don't do that," Gunter reminded him.

The little boy just pouted and soon, he began to cry. Strangely enough, Gisela followed and Gunter was left to attend to the two crying children.

Cecilie smirked at Gwendal. "My, my. Why that decision, Gwendal?" she asked teasingly.

Gwendal's eyebrows appeared like they would meet already because of his deepening frown. "Conrad is young. He needs a chaperone." He said gruffly.

"I think Conrad is old enough to take care of himself and Anissina." Gunter said.

"Well you were my chaperone when I took Anissina to that coming-out ball so I think it's fair enough for Conrad to have a chaperone, too." Gwendal reasoned.

"No, I only went as your chaperone because I was worried about Anissina." Gunter pointed out while trying to avoid the flailing arms of little Wolfram who was already throwing a tantrum.

"Well in this case, I'm worried about… Conrad. So I'd like to become his chaperone." Gwendal said determinedly.

Conrad took a deep breath as he struggled to say, "I—I'm fine, Gwendal. There is no need to worry about me…" but he trailed off when he saw his older brother looking at him warningly.

Gunter and Cecilie glanced at each other—the latter had a silly smile on her face while he had a concerned look. "Well, chaperones aren't generally allowed inside the venue so you'd have to wait outside until midnight when the party ends." Gunter said.

"That's alright with me." Gwendal said while forcefully slicing his steak with a butter knife and keeping a watching eye on Conrad. When he realized that he had the wrong knife, he immediately let go of it and grumbled before grabbing the steak knife.

Conrad started to pray for his life.

By 5:30 in the afternoon the next day, Gwendal and Conrad rode the carriage to the Karbelnikoff Castle to fetch Anissina. The ball was scheduled to start at exactly 6:00pm and Conrad had never been so nervous especially when Anissina came out of her family's castle wearing a pink and red ball gown that really flattered her maturing body. A disturbing thought entered his mind: she definitely looked more beautiful wearing that ball gown for that event compared to when he first saw her in one when she went as Gwendal's date. Already, he saw the irritated look on his older brother's face but he did not say anything.

Following the etiquette training he received from Gunter, Conrad helped her get inside the carriage. He hoped she would sit beside Gwendal but no, she sat on the bench where he was seated.

"Oh, I'm so excited! This is my third time attending a ball like this! My first time was with Gwendal when he turned 90, and then I turned 90 and he's my date, too! Now I'm your date! Isn't that wonderful?" Anissina rambled happily as she pulled Conrad down to the bench, forcing him to sit down beside her.

"I… ar… er… ah… uh…um… A…" Conrad stammered awkwardly.

Anissina giggled. "What do you think of my clothes? Do I look pretty enough for you? This is a new dress my father bought for me from his latest overseas trip! What do you think of it? Huh? Huh? Huh?" she asked while nudging him.

Conrad swallowed hard. "Uh… you're… beautiful, Anissina." He said shyly as he felt his cheeks and ears getting warmer. He wished he would not feel so embarrassed around her but he had to admit that she really looked beautiful. Also, he feared that if he refused to say a good compliment about her looks, she would feel bad. The last thing he wanted to do was to disappoint Anissina because if he did, he knew his brother would be disappointed in him, too. Furthermore, he was taught firmly by his father that a true gentleman never disappoints a lady.

Gwendal just uttered a low growl as he crossed his arms and observed the look on Conrad's face. His younger brother was definitely blushing and he would catch him looking once in a while at the low neckline of her ball gown.

Conrad, on the other hand, tried his best to keep calm. The trip to the venue where the ball was to be hosted for that year seemed longer than usual for him. When the carriage finally came to a halt at the venue, he was thankful that it was finally time to go down and get that party over with so he could go home and make his brother stop looking at him like that.

As he helped Anissina out of the carriage, he felt as if Gwendal was going to eat him alive but he just kept still. Seeing his brother looking at him frustratingly from his peripheral vision made him more insecure about the entire evening ahead of him.

"Alright, I want the two of you to be out of that Castle at exactly 12 midnight or I'll come inside and drag you out of there, do you understand?" Gwendal demanded gruffly.

Anissina blinked, wondering why Gwendal had been so upset ever since the other day. "Gwendal, you're such a spoilsport! I know you don't like parties like these but can't you let Conrad have more fun? Besides, this is his first ball as a young adult!" she pointed out.

"Yes, brother, I understand!" Conrad said as an effort to avoid an argument with Gwendal.

Gwendal just looked at him coldly before the footman closed the carriage door.

Conrad walked to the entrance with Anissina's arm hooked around his and he could still sense Gwendal watching them from afar.

For the rest of the evening, Conrad Weller was restless, quiet, and appeared very troubled to the point that he did not seem to enjoy the party very much. Anissina, on the other hand, appeared to be having so much of a good time and she would urge him to ask her to dance with her so he would not be bored.

However, whenever she would touch him, Conrad felt as if the watchful eyes of his older brother were just around every pillar and corner of the ballroom.

"What's the matter with you? You look like a nervous wreck!" Anissina remarked as she offered him a glass of cold champagne.

But he refused to tell her what was bothering her. She however, noticed that the other boys and girls his age would look at him in disgust. She knew why: because he was half-human. She tried her best to tolerate it for the sake of not starting a fight with anyone. However, when a boy finally had the guts to approach her and demand how she could stomach going as Conrad Weller's date, she finally lost her temper. To add to her annoyance, that boy pointed out that her reputation as a noble would be tainted if she continued to be friends with Conrad.

"Well I don't give a damn about my reputation!" she snapped before throwing the contents of the glass at the boy's face. "And you, you should look at yourself! I'd rather be friends with Conrad than you. At least he has respect for ladies and he's a nice boy? He's the example of the perfect gentleman, as far as I'm concerned!"

Conrad was stunned. He was certain that that would get both of them into trouble but before he could say anything, Anissina grabbed his hand. "I think we should stay away from this crowd, Conrad. They're not worth our time." She said as she dragged him with her to the balcony.

For the rest of the evening, they were isolated from the crowd but it was alright for Conrad. At least they were away from the criticizing eyes of the other young nobles his age who thought that he was not worthy of being there at all.

"At least it's cooler here. Phew! That brought a rush of adrenaline through my system!" Anissina said in a giggly manner while fanning herself with her right hand.

He just leaned against the railing and looked up at the starry skies.

Her smile faded as she studied his facial expression. "Don't feel bad, Conrad." She said gently.

He avoided her gaze even as he bowed down his head. "I don't know why you agreed to become my date, Anissina but… I don't really need your sympathy."

She frowned at him. "You know, you're just like your brother. Except that…" and she smiled, "you're sweeter."

Conrad blushed and he noticed her coming closer to him. She grabbed hold of his hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "I understand how you feel and I know it's hard and difficult for you. But just hang on in there. Besides, you have me, you have your brothers, you have your family—we all think you're great! And I know you've heard this a thousand times before from Lady Celi and Gunter but I'll say this again: you should never care about what the other nobles would think of you. Letting them make you feel bad about yourself will make them win and you'll end up losing to feelings of self-pity and worthlessness."

Conrad just replayed her words in his head as he hesitantly met her gaze. She smiled reassuringly at him.

As for him, he found it strange that he took everything she told him to heart. He knew that at that moment, he would forever be grateful to what she told him and the way she defended him from the other young mazoku who only had bad intentions towards him. He slowly breathed in as he regained his composure. For the first time in many days, he managed to smile sincerely and proudly.

Anissina was glad that he felt better and she chuckled. "There you go!" she playfully punched him in the arm. "Toughen up! Our society needs gentlemen like you, Conrad. It's through men like you that women can find strength and inspiration from. And I'm sure a lot of men would love to emulate you, too, when the time comes." She said with a wink.

Conrad just blushed. "I…uh… Thanks, Anissina. You're really a nice… girl…" he stammered uncomfortably. He just realized that he was still holding her other hand and that Gwendal could be watching them from somewhere. He withdrew his hand and smiled uncomfortably. "Gwendal is really lucky to have you." He said.

Anissina's smile froze. "Huh?"

Conrad swallowed hard. He should not have mentioned that even if he knew that his older brother secretly liked Anissina—the reason why he had been acting so furiously towards him since the other day. However, it was obvious to Conrad that she never knew anything about Gwendal's true feelings for her.

Lucky for him, the bells from one of the towers began to chime as a signal that the party was over. He used that as an excuse to grab her hand and leave immediately before Gwendal could get angry at him for being late.

Conrad knew that by the time they arrive downstairs, the carriage would be waiting for them already with Gwendal still inside and looking very irritated.

"H…hello, Gwendal," Conrad greeted as he and Anissina got inside the carriage. He was thankful, though, that she finally decided to sit next to Gwendal to tell him about the wonderful time she and Conrad had at the party.

All Gwendal could do was grunt once in a while as he kept his gaze at Conrad who was seated across him. Conrad just tried to avoid his brother's gaze by looking out the window.

When they arrived at the Karbelnikoff Castle, Conrad had to walk Anissina to the main door of the castle and Gwendal just stayed inside the carriage to observe.

As soon as they came to the door, Conrad immediately said his thank-yous and goodbyes and attempted to dart off back to the carriage. However, Anissina caught his arm and held him back. "Wait! Tradition says that I have to kiss you!" she said.

Conrad's eyes widened as he felt himself getting numb. "Uh… no, it's not necessary anymore, Anissina. I'm okay without a kiss!" but he froze when she kissed his cheek.

"Blah. Your face is kinda oily already. Better wash it with a salt scrub and exfoliate." She remarked playfully before waving goodbye. "Thanks again, Conrad! And remember what I told you earlier! Ta-ta!" and she said before running inside her family's castle.

Conrad stood frozen in his spot as he wondered if it was still safe for him to go back to the carriage.

"Oi! Conrad! What are you doing there? Come on! I'm tired and sleepy and I want to go home!" Gwendal called out gruffly from the carriage.

On their way back to Blood Pledge Castle, Conrad was still bothered by the fact that Gwendal was still looking at him frustratingly. It was probably because Anissina kissed him. However, when he finally turned away, his older brother spoke up, "Was the ball alright?"

Conrad looked at Gwendal hesitantly and nodded. "It was… alright."

Gwendal was quiet for a few moments before letting out a sigh as he gazed outside the window into the fields. "Nobody made fun of you?" he asked gruffly.

Conrad was hesitant but he knew he had to be honest. "Well, truth be told, yes, I was made fun of but it was alright. I know that what they're saying isn't true anyway."

Gwendal kept still. His arms were still crossed and he still sat stiffly on his seat as he continued to look at the fields where the carriage was passing by.

Conrad smiled sheepishly as he lowered his gaze to the floor of the carriage. "You know, Gwendal, you're very lucky. Anissina is a smart, brave, and optimistic girl." He bluntly pointed out.

"What's your point?" Gwendal asked. When Conrad looked at him, he easily noticed the blush forming on his older brother's cheeks. However, before Conrad could answer, Gwendal spoke up again, "I'll make sure that when Wolfram turns 90, he won't take Anissina with him to that ball." He sounded gruff yet determined.

Conrad just sat quietly and nodded. I rest my case, he thought silently.

The End.

Author's Note: A one-shot I wrote out of nowhere because I was reading the prom issue of an old teen magazine from the year 1999.