Ch.10Society Debut (2)

Several weeks had passed since the day I wanted to flick his forehead with a “thwack.”

These days, the grand mansion of the Founding Noble was a continuous stream of busy activities. To be precise, only Irefi and I were actually busy.

We were each attending to our own business in a spacious room. A mountain of documents displayed an imposing presence on Irefi’s desk. During her work, she would occasionally glance at me with a look of contempt before turning away.

I roughly knew the reason for her cold gaze.

Creak, creak.

“Eek!? Why, why are you doing this? That sound coming from Marquess Alteon’s pelvis shouldn’t be…!”

The woman holding my hand exclaimed in shock. She was Emma, a baroness employed as a maid. Emma was currently helping me practice dancing at my request.

Screeeech!

Suddenly my shoes scraped violently, and I ended up rolling on the floor. It was a catastrophe that occurred during the spinning part of the dance.

“Marquess Alteon! Are you alright?”

“Ahem, I’m fine.”

I felt a tingling pain running from my lumbar to my cervical spine, but I endured it well.

“It’s because I didn’t teach you properly!”

“Not at all, it’s largely my fault. Indeed it is.”

In reality, Emma was quite skilled at dancing. Irefi acknowledged this fact, which is why Emma was here.

But Emma did her best to deprecate herself.

“I’m not qualified to teach anyone. Someone like me is only suited for menial tasks!”

“That’s not true, Emma. Let’s work hard toward our common goal. Fighting!”

I didn’t give up and extended my hand to Emma. When our eyes met, I could sense what she was thinking.

‘Have I fallen into an endless hell…? How long must I repeat this torture?’

Emma was undoubtedly thinking something like this. But I had no intention of letting her go. Since I didn’t usually give her work, I felt no debt of conscience.

“One, two. One, two. Ugh.”

Creak, creak.

‘Is it inevitable that Netionpiece’s body makes sounds when dancing?’

Sounds like rusty machinery barely turning came from a body that couldn’t die even if it wanted to. It was truly mysterious.

It must be because Irefi had severed my pelvis. I glared at Irefi, who was busy working.

Meanwhile, I accidentally stepped on Emma’s foot.

“Waaaaaah! Marquess, I’m sorry. Have I been displeasing you? If so, I’ll correct myself, so please spare meeeee…”

“No, there’s no need to go that far!?”

I questioned in disbelief. Emma was too upset to answer and just kept sniffling.

Unable to watch any longer, Irefi intervened with a deep sigh.

“Nepy really can’t dance. Honestly, your sense is catastrophically bad.”

“Hey! It’s not bad enough to be insulted!”

I didn’t think I danced that poorly, which made this strange. But Irefi and Emma stared at me with looks that suggested they had sold their conscience.

“Good work. There seems to be no further progress, so you may leave.”

“Thank you, Marquess Justitia! Thank you so much! Thank you!”

After expressing her gratitude to Irefi several times, Emma dashed out like a bullet. I thought she was overreacting about the sound coming from my pelvis.

Isn’t the human body structure supposed to make sounds when dancing?

“Let me acknowledge one thing first. Nepy should never hold anyone’s hand.”

“That can’t be true!”

“No, it’s the solemn reality. There exists no human in this world who can handle Nepy’s dancing.”

“No! That’s not…”

As I desperately denied it, Irefi approached me with a cough. Then, with a haughty expression, she extended her hand to me.

“Consider yourself lucky. The only woman on earth who can accept Nepy is right in front of you.”

“Do you actually know how to dance?”

“I told you, didn’t I? Despite appearances, I’ve had my debutante ball. Of course I know.”

“R-right.”

Having only seen Irefi in her uniform, I kept forgetting this fact. She firmly grasped my hand and solemnly said:

“I can’t correct your posture. But there’s a method that works because it’s you and me.”

“Oh, is that really true?”

“Yes.”

At that moment, Irefi’s previously haughty lips curled up slightly. I stared at her blankly for a moment. Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d seen Irefi’s face from such close proximity.

Just as I was about to sink into sentimental thoughts, Irefi’s body moved vigorously.

“I-Irefi?”

I called her name with a voice dripping with confusion. What she said next was outrageous.

“With brute force, I’ll lead unilaterally from my side. Whether you match or not doesn’t matter. I’ll. Make. You. Match.”

“Wha-whaaaaat!?”

That was my first dance with Irefi. My body’s center was led as if being toyed with, and my feet moved mercilessly under her guidance.

“This method is only possible because of our physical abilities. Especially since Nepy can withstand having joints twisted by my strength. So at the banquet, don’t accept dance requests from any women except me.”

“That’s unfair!”

“It’s not unfair at all.”

I had actually been somewhat hopeful. Netionpiece’s face, which had only given me a villainous impression, had surprisingly been evaluated as decent-looking.

Of course, I hadn’t heard anyone’s opinion except Charle’s… but Charle wasn’t the type to talk nonsense. Because she disliked me.

So I had been dreaming of a rosy future with many dance requests, but it all became futile.

‘I can’t be happy even outside the Great Cavern…’

Seeing my serious expression, Irefi added:

“Sigh, consider it an honor. You’re receiving my first and last official dance.”

“What? But you had your debutante ball… gaaaah!?”

Just then, we suddenly entered a spin, causing me to bite my tongue. It healed immediately, but the moment of biting was painful.

“Many gentlemen should have offered their hands. I just went out to the terrace because the other ladies weren’t getting any attention.”

“You’re really unpleasant, aaaagh!”

Strange, this shouldn’t be the spinning part yet? Irefi looked at me with an innocent expression as if nothing was wrong.

I must have remembered incorrectly. That has to be it.

“I was criticized a lot for having a bad personality at my debutante ball. It was talked about like a legend for several years. But as I joined the knights and stopped attending banquets, the talk gradually subsided.”

“You’re so rigid. You could have just grabbed anyone and danced casually.”

“Then it wouldn’t be fair to the others. If I had done that, wouldn’t the man I danced with have received quite a bit of envy?”

“You… you…!”

Irefi’s peculiar personality kept revealing itself no matter how much I tried to understand her. I couldn’t continue speaking and thought to myself:

‘This person has an absurd princess complex. And it’s worse because she knows her own power!’

I wondered if she actually enjoyed nicknames like “Moon Lake” or “White Sword Beauty.” Irefi was so naturally innocent that such thoughts crossed my mind.

“I knew you had a confident personality… is this what makes you the Moon Lake?”

“What!”

As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a strange sensation of floating. Below me, I could see Irefi’s flushed cheeks. Soon, everything in my field of vision was spinning.

‘One… two… triple axel!?’

After landing on the ground, I was once again led by Irefi’s hand.

“Be quiet! Really, who would care about such nicknames…”

“Hmm…”

I let out a contemplative sound as I watched the grumbling Irefi.

Right now, Irefi was looking up at me from close proximity. Looking at her carefully, I seemed to understand something new.

Her flowing white hair seemed to hold a soft moonlight, and her jewel-like blue eyes were as refreshing as a lake. Though she didn’t like it herself, it was a fitting epithet.

The dance, which had included much of Irefi’s personal flair, soon came to an end. While she still looked pristine, I was mentally exhausted.

“Try to keep up this feeling on the day of the event.”

“Are you going to do the triple axel that day too?”

“Triple… what’s that? Anyway, you’re doing passably well. Just don’t scream.”

It was a terribly unfair criticism, but the answer was predetermined.

“…Alright.”

Satisfied with my response, Irefi looked pleased.

“Good. Shall we go once more, gentleman?”

“I really don’t want to, lady.”

“Do you have the right to refuse?”

“…No.”

Meanwhile, a servant in a tailcoat was passing by the door.

When I desperately signaled to him with my eyes, the servant gave me a thumbs up. Then he quietly closed the door, winked, and leisurely departed.

A cheerful humming was caught by my superhuman hearing. I didn’t even want to know what that servant was thinking.

The abuse that began under the pretext of helping me finally ended after lunchtime. Irefi took a mountain of pre-ordered macarons and voluntarily returned to her sea of documents.

She truly was a woman who deserved to be called the Iron Lady.

The next day, we had to endure the subtle gazes of the servants. Of course, Irefi didn’t even notice.

My days full of hardship passed very slowly. As I spent each day feeling queasy, the day of Duke Feita’s banquet finally approached.

◇

Irefi asked to check on me.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m nervous… haha.”

I let out a dry laugh and looked outside the carriage. I hoped to see Duke Feita’s manor as late as possible while watching the surrounding scenery.

“Is that so? You look quite presentable, perhaps because you’re a noble.”

“I did dress up.”

Irefi was still in her usual Nelfrugia Knights Commander uniform. It was an elegant fabric with a pure white base adorned with patterns resembling the night sky. The silver ceremonial sword swayed on Irefi’s shoulder.

In contrast, I was wearing a suit that was black and ash-colored except for the shirt. The soft texture felt pleasant whenever I touched the surface.

“Nepy will probably receive a lot of attention.”

“I suppose so?”

“Basically, you’ll have to improvise conversations, but if things seem ambiguous, signal me with your eyes.”

“Good, that’s reassuring.”

“And also… make sure to showcase the dance we specially trained for today.”

Irefi said playfully. I responded confidently.

“As long as you don’t make me do a triple axel, I’ll be fine.”

“Triple… I don’t know what that is, but I’ll lead you well, so don’t worry.”

Our conversation continued casually. We discussed many topics, from people to be cautious of to good and bad attitudes. Meanwhile, the scenery outside the carriage had already changed to that of Duke Feita’s manor.

“Get out. …No, shall we get out?”

“Really…”

I got out of the carriage first, bowed, and took Irefi’s hand. After she completely descended from the carriage, I escorted her by linking arms.

The moment she leaned on me with her arm, goosebumps rose all over my body. The one leaning on me was the world’s strongest monster.

I couldn’t tell if I looked intimidated or confident. So I brainwashed myself.

‘I am a stone. I am a tree. I am water.’

A man in a suit escorting a woman in uniform must have been quite a spectacle. The various comments I heard from around us confirmed this.

We proceeded toward the banquet hall of the duke’s manor. Two soldiers were acting as doorkeepers in front of a large door.

I took out the invitation from my pocket and showed it to them. The doorkeeper carefully examined the invitation and announced loudly:

“Marquess Irefi Justitia and Marquess Nepy Alteon are entering!”

When the doors opened, all eyes in the hall turned toward us. Some people had curious expressions, while others sent envious glances. Most of those gazes contained disbelief.

This actually made me more determined, and I put on a brazen face. I directly met the unfriendly gazes and maintained a calm smile.

Irefi whispered just loud enough for me to hear:

“You look good. Just keep doing that.”

“You flatter me.”

Looking at the crowd surrounding us reminded me of a donut. People curious to see us formed a circle around us, but they didn’t approach, creating a space around us.

Since both Irefi and I were rarely seen in social circles, it seemed difficult for people to casually approach us.

Just as I was thinking about what to do first, the crowd parted into two, like the parting of the Red Sea. Walking slowly through the cleared path was a middle-aged man.

“I am Troph Feita. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

“Duke Feita. I am Nepy Alteon, and this is Marquess Irefi Justitia.”

I looked up at Duke Feita. He had a sturdy build like a well-trained knight, standing about a hand span taller than me.

What made him most distinctive was the eye patch covering his right eye. Despite what should have been unclear depth perception, his hand extended for a handshake without hesitation.

“Hahaha, I hope… this will be an enjoyable banquet for you.”

With those words, Duke Feita headed toward the platform. The people watching us remained quietly silent, giving the impression of a calm before the storm.

The banquet hall soon became lively again as if nothing had happened. That’s when Irefi suddenly asked:

“Nepy? What’s wrong?”

“Hm? What?”

“Your expression… it seems somewhat dark.”

At Irefi’s words, my hand instinctively went to my cheek. It was as if I was trying to smooth out a crumpled expression with my hand.

“It’s nothing. Yeah… nothing at all.”

I gave Irefi a slight smile. I emptied my unsettled mind and took Irefi’s arm again.

The long night was just beginning.