Ch.11Society Debut (3)

People reacted exactly as expected.

“Marquess Justitia brought a partner to the ball?”

“I thought I was dreaming.”

“Is that man the owner of the great mansion?”

With each step we took, conversations about us reached our ears. It was only natural—people were finally seeing the physical forms of those who had previously been mere rumors, like figures in the mist.

Even after Duke Feita’s brief greeting, people continued to observe us like animals in a cage. But this was a place for socializing. Such observers couldn’t dominate the scene forever.

I noticed a young man confidently approaching us. He wore a light green shirt with emerald cufflinks that gave him an expensive, luxurious appearance.

The man smiled awkwardly as he pretended to be familiar with us.

“It’s been a while, Marquess Justitia. I’m Euro from the Villone Count family. Do you remember me?”

“I rarely attend social gatherings except when on duty guarding His Majesty. I hope you understand.”

It was a polite way of saying, ‘Excuse me, but who are you?’ Euro Villone couldn’t maintain his smile at Irefi’s response.

I felt a bit sorry for him—it must have taken considerable courage to approach us first.

“You’ve been well, I see. It feels like just yesterday when you made countless men pine for you after your debutante ball ten years ago. To think that you would attend today… and even bring a companion!”

Euro’s gaze shifted toward me. I smiled as naturally as possible while responding. After all, my image would directly affect Irefi’s reputation. I didn’t want to cause any trouble.

“Hmph.”

Despite my efforts, Euro’s reaction was the opposite of what I’d hoped for. He stared at me with an expression that was hard to read—was he glaring or sneering? I must have made some mistake.

I opened my mouth to recover the situation.

“I’m Nepy Alteon, Irefi’s personal physician. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I extended my hand toward Euro. However, my hand only grasped the warm air of the banquet hall rather than human warmth.

“I heard you recently became a marquess? And were granted that mysterious mansion as well.”

Euro crossed his arms, his attitude challenging.

“That’s correct.”

Since records and oral traditions about the Founding Nobles had been lost, our mansion remained a mysterious building. Euro’s reference to it as a “mysterious mansion” was in that context.

“But from what I understand, you have neither territory nor substantial assets. Am I wrong?”

“Well… you’re right about that.”

In reality, all I had been given was a title and the mansion. The servants were all imperial personnel, and my allowance was entirely managed by the imperial household.

I received a weekly allowance that was more than enough for me, but it always went unused, which was troublesome. Both Irefi and I had rather ascetic personalities, and we rarely had private time together.

I was by Irefi’s side as someone under surveillance, while she was always swamped with work. From monitoring to guarding to paperwork, she had more tasks than could be completed even with twice the hours in a day.

“So it’s just an empty honorary title.”

“I think it’s adequate.”

I meant it sincerely. If I were to part ways with Irefi someday, that would mark the beginning of a life with rights but no obligations. I was always looking forward to that day.

I tried to change the subject by asking about anything I could think of.

“By the way, where did you get those emerald cufflinks? They look quite luxurious.”

“Wh-what? At least you have an eye for quality. Ahem… to be precise, these aren’t cufflinks but communication stones! You’re so out of touch with the world…”

“Oh, really?”

I showed interest, my eyes lighting up. I actually had no interest in cufflinks—I’d only asked out of politeness.

But communication stones were different. Weren’t they like this world’s version of smartwatches? I thought I should get one for myself.

“Your ignorance of worldly matters is quite disrespectful to Marquess Justitia…”

“Haha. I can learn from now on, can’t I? That’s why I’m attending gatherings like this.”

Irefi gave me a slightly puzzled look as I responded confidently. When I shrugged my shoulders, her cherry-red lips moved closer to my ear.

“Aren’t you offended, Nepy? Until 400 years ago, you were the second-in-command of the Empire.”

“Hup!”

I made an ungraceful sound at Irefi’s sudden whisper. The sweet sensation of her breath striking my brain was electrifying. Especially since a Netionphis’s senses were beyond human limits, making the sensation unnecessarily intense.

‘Is this a secret conversation?’

Thinking this, I whispered back into Irefi’s ear.

“It’s all true, so what’s the problem?”

“Eep!”

Her reaction was like a white rabbit flinching. She seemed as unaccustomed to whispering as I was. Irefi grabbed my ear with an indignant attitude.

Her energy was passionate.

“Regardless of how you take it, his intention was to insult you.”

“Mmph!”

“You should be a bit more assertive… huh?”

I quickly pulled away from Irefi’s breath to escape the sweet pleasure directly striking my brain through my ear canal. Then I rapidly whispered into her ear.

To anyone watching, it would have looked like a counterattack.

“Responding to this kind of thing makes you the fool.”

“Hik?”

“A truly sophisticated person knows how to brush off insults…”

While I was in the middle of whispering, Euro’s angry outburst interrupted us.

“What are you two doing, being so intimate in public?!”

Euro’s eyes clearly revealed his jealousy. I couldn’t understand what the problem was. Did our whispering appear to be ignoring him?

“Ah, that wasn’t intentional…”

“Not intentional, you say! Is this your daily routine? Ha, that’s not even funny. Fine, fine!”

Euro muttered “damn it…” as he left, almost running away. Both Irefi and I stared at his retreating figure in astonishment.

Then people began openly gossiping about us. They spoke so loudly that even Irefi could hear them.

“My goodness, it seems they’re more than just doctor and patient!”

“To behave like that in front of so many eyes…!”

“Argh, I envy that doctor nobody.”

“Sigh, I envy Marquess Justitia. What would it feel like to have such a decadently handsome gentleman whisper in your ear?”

Those were the kinds of comments being exchanged, and only then did Irefi and I realize the seriousness of the situation.

“What’s happening, Nepy? Why are rumors of romance spreading?”

“You don’t know…! Well, I didn’t either, but this wasn’t my intention, ugh.”

“I hadn’t given it much thought until now, but hearing it so openly makes me feel embarrassed.”

“…I agree.”

It reminded me of childhood memories when I talked to a girl who was my desk partner and got teased by everyone around us. Were people in high society really at that level of mental maturity…!

And the Founding Nobles were the second-in-command to such people.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s talk to as many people as possible and explain the situation.”

“His Majesty has already spread rumors about my injury and my personal physician. How are we supposed to explain anything now?”

“What? If only we hadn’t known, we could have handled this somehow!”

If the rumors hadn’t spread yet, we could have brushed off the recent situation as a private conversation between a doctor and patient. But since the rumors had already spread, our actions appeared inappropriate despite our doctor-patient relationship.

The meaning of the two situations was completely different.

“Weren’t you supposed to be a veteran of social circles? Do something…!”

“Actually, since my debutante ball, I’ve only attended parties to guard His Majesty and haven’t spoken a word. I’m not omnipotent either.”

“You seemed so confident earlier, you selectively powerful person!”

“What did you say?”

As I said this, I reflected on Irefi’s behavior until now. Her awkward and uncompromising attitude, her fondness for dad jokes, and her insensitive superiors.

Not only that, but she also claimed she hadn’t spoken at social gatherings until recently due to her guard duties. Plus, she suffered from a serious princess complex. From my observations, she had no friends.

‘Is this person actually suffering from severe communication difficulties?’

It was a truth I hadn’t considered. Perhaps she had resolved everything with her name—Irefi Justitia—her beauty, and her strength.

While Irefi and I were bickering, a savior ran toward us from a distance. It was Charle Millote, with her distinctive blonde hair, green eyes, and red dress.

As always, Charle threw herself into Irefi’s arms.

“Elfiiiiii!”

“Ch-Charle?!”

Irefi was unusually surprised. Given that we were invited as guests to the ball, Charle’s attendance was a certainty.

The reason for Irefi’s surprise was probably that she didn’t expect Charle to behave so childishly in public.

Such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated toward Irefi when she was guarding the Emperor in public. Today was special, so Charle probably treated her as she usually would.

But in the current situation, it was actually fortunate. Since she disliked me, she would firmly deny any relationship between Irefi and me.

At least, that’s what I had hoped for a moment.

“Hey Charle, just now Irefi and I—”

“Shut your mouth, Marquess Alteon. I have eyes, you know. What were those intimate gestures? I should have noticed from the moment you started living together and calling each other by name!”

“Ch-Charle? I mean, Miss Millote?”

I could tell the situation was going terribly wrong. Once Charle started talking, there seemed to be no way to stop her.

At that moment, the jaws of disaster descended upon the banquet hall.

“Could it be affection born from tending to Elfi’s wounds? Or is it that handsome face? Is that Elfi’s type? I… I…! I trusted Elfi… but it’s okay. If Elfi is happy, I’ll bless you forever… sniff.”

By the end, Charle was speaking through gritted teeth. I was so dumbfounded and at a loss for words that I could only stand there with my mouth open, watching the unfolding disaster.

‘Nepy. What do we do now?’

When Irefi signaled with her eyes, I responded with my own eye signal.

‘Haha, I don’t know either.’

One childish noble was pushing our grand plan into the gutter… Do people make plans, but heaven determines success or failure?

I could only look up at the sky and lament.

The disaster wasn’t over yet. To make matters worse, the musicians were now checking their instruments. Soon it would be time to take Irefi’s hand and dance.

Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. Our partnership would certainly drive home the controversy that had erupted.

While Charle was holding onto Irefi and pleading, fueling the controversy, I engaged in conversations with several people. I couldn’t remember a single word of those conversations.

At some point, the music started playing, and Irefi approached me with an expression of disgust. No expression could have better matched the phrase “utterly dumbfounded.”

“Irefi.”

“Yes…”

“I don’t know either. Let’s go with a triple axel. We need to divert people’s attention with our dancing.”

“Yes…”

I didn’t know what I was saying. Irefi wasn’t really listening to what I was saying either. It was the result of both of us losing our senses.

Tonight, the full moon brightly illuminated Duke Feita’s manor. It was also the night when the history of the social circuit’s dancing duo would be rewritten.

Two marquesses who turned the stage upside down.

That night, we became legends in high society, known as the Black and White Dancers.