Ch.8686. You’re Handsome.

“The Etherian Princess is entering!”

“W-where!?”

With a ‘thud,’ the banquet hall doors opened.

In the quiet atmosphere, I felt as if the air in the hall had frozen.

The Etherian Princess’s white dress matched her cold image perfectly.

Her head was adorned with elaborate hair accessories, and she smiled brightly at the people as she walked with elegant steps.

“Selden!”

While I was entranced by the Etherian Princess’s beauty, Sophia, who had arrived at the banquet hall with Lina, called out to me.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, having apparently run to make it just in time.

“You’re a bit late?”

“I got delayed while getting ready, but thankfully we arrived before the Princess.”

“I see, but who is this person?”

Leonard was still in a daze from his earlier encounter with Reagan.

With a short sigh, I continued.

“He’s my brother. I’ll introduce you later; he’s not feeling well right now.”

“Ah… I see. By the way, the Princess looks really beautiful today.”

“As the main character, she must have put in quite the effort.”

As the Etherian Princess took her seat, people bustled about to greet her.

They were preparing to present their gifts to the Princess.

Most were wrapped in beautiful packaging, and the Princess would make eye contact with each gift-giver before unwrapping their present.

Luxurious jewels, extravagant clothing, rings, and necklaces poured out.

‘The gifts laid out there could probably buy a small territory if sold.’

It’s been a year and six months since I possessed Selden Alphonse.

One birthday has passed.

When Padericks tried to throw a grand celebration, I was scolded, being told, “What’s there to celebrate with a party when you’re in exile?”

Looking back, I should have at least had a meal and received some congratulations.

Even the Etherian Princess, who always seemed so cold, was enjoying herself so much that I couldn’t help but feel a strange mood.

Rohan, standing in front, was staring blankly at the Etherian Princess before suddenly turning his head away.

“The Etherian Princess’s beauty is no joke today.”

“I know, we’re seeing her smile quite a lot today.”

“I prepared a small jewel, what did you prepare?”

“Just a sculpture.”

“A-a sculpture?”

I had originally planned to entrust the Etherian Princess’s gift to Padericks but decided to prepare it myself.

After all, the sincerity of the giver is important in a gift.

After much deliberation, I made a wooden sculpture modeled after the Etherian Princess.

It was one of the few talents I had since childhood.

I was interested enough in it that I had once considered becoming a sculptor.

Of course, I gave up midway because it was too difficult a path.

“It’s nothing special.”

“Y-you didn’t make the sculpture yourself, did you?”

“Actually, I did.”

“Is it made of jewels?”

“No, making it with jewels would take too much time.”

“Wow… I think the Etherian Princess won’t expect such a gift.”

While I did have some expectations, seeing the array of expensive jewels and accessories as gifts made me think that perhaps a more conventional gift would have been better.

Soon, my turn came.

I stood before the Etherian Princess, paid my respects, and handed over the box containing the gift.

“Congratulations.”

“…Thank you.”

The Princess smiled broadly as she opened the box.

Then, a wooden sculpture resembling the Etherian Princess was revealed.

“Oh…”

Gasps of admiration escaped from the Princess and others watching.

Judging by the reaction, the atmosphere was quite satisfactory.

The Etherian Princess, still gazing at the sculpture, continued.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes, I wanted to give the Princess a gift with my own sincerity.”

After paying my respects once more to the blushing Etherian Princess, I returned to my seat, where Rohan raised his voice.

“Wow! How did you think of making a sculpture?”

“It’s just a modest skill.”

“From what I glimpsed, the quality is incredibly high! Should we start a business together later?”

“What kind of business?”

“You make sculptures, and I handle promotion and sales! What do you think? We’d make a good team, don’t you think?”

“I’m not skilled enough to sell sculptures…”

As I waved my hand dismissively, Rohan nudged my waist with his forearm.

“Come on, you must have confidence to think of making it as a gift for the Etherian Princess.”

“Forget it, it takes quite a long time to make just one sculpture.”

“Then we can raise the price accordingly! A sculpture made by a nobleman—doesn’t that have a certain appeal?”

While having this pointless conversation with Rohan, the banquet hall doors opened again.

“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor enters!!”

As the doors fully opened, the Emperor appeared.

At his entrance, the Etherian Princess and everyone seated rose silently in unison.

‘He truly is an Emperor.’

Soon after, Princess Sairine and Empress Liana Silonia appeared, and Emperor Malius walked toward the Etherian Princess, exuding his characteristic grandeur.

His intense gaze and faint smile stood out.

In an instant, he filled the banquet hall with charisma, and people paid their respects, waiting for him to take his seat.

“Everyone, raise your heads.”

With these commanding words, Emperor Malius sat down.

I felt overwhelmed by something indescribable.

“I cannot hide my joy that you have all attended the Etherian Princess’s birthday banquet. I wish infinite prosperity and safety to all the families present here.”

Everyone paid their respects once more and applauded the Emperor.

In response, the Emperor showed his pearly white teeth.

“Everyone, enjoy the party.”

Empress Liana and Princess Sairine also took their seats.

The banquet hall became lively again, and Sophia had somehow made her way to the Etherian Princess’s side, where they were chatting and laughing together.

‘That’s nice to see.’

The satisfying atmosphere naturally made me smile.

Rohan, holding a glass of champagne, nodded his chin.

“But that person over there still seems off.”

I turned my head in the direction Rohan had indicated.

There, Leonard was sitting in a chair with a dazed expression.

His pride must be hurt, and he must be ashamed of his past arrogance.

If only he had kept his mouth shut, he would have been fine…

Why did he have to brag and end up being humiliated even by Rohan?

“He’ll be fine if we leave him alone.”

“Does your brother not know about your relationship with the Etherian Princess?”

“Just leave him be. He’ll be back to normal in a day or so, as if nothing happened.”

“But he did present a gift as soon as the Princess arrived, so he must still have some sense, yet he’s like that again after returning to his seat.”

I shook my head, telling him not to worry, and Rohan began chatting with Lina Covet beside him.

I also started walking around to explore the banquet hall.

“Excuse me.”

While exploring the hall, I turned my head at what sounded like someone calling me.

It was a group of women I had never seen before.

And one of them was addressing me.

I responded with a smile tinged with pretense.

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

They giggled among themselves for a while, and then the woman who had first spoken to me continued with a reddened face.

“You’re handsome.”

Handsome…

When I first possessed this body, I was quite satisfied with the face I saw.

However, being in exile and unable to move around freely made me feel like a gilded apple with no substance.

Moreover, everyone who had shown interest in me had been crazy, so even such a simple compliment made me feel good.

“Haha, thank you.”

“Which family are you from?”

“The Alphonse family.”

I bowed politely in response, and the woman clapped her hands in surprise.

“I know the Alphonse family! A sister I know married the second son there!”

“Is that so?”

“Wow! What a coincidence.”

I had never even seen the second son’s face, so I wasn’t sure if this was really a connection.

Feeling that continuing the conversation might lead to an awkward situation, I was about to turn away with a smile when the woman asked another question.

“So you’re the fourth son?”

“I’m the youngest.”

“…The youngest?”

See, I knew this would happen.

Why do bad premonitions always come true so perfectly…

The other women also seemed to know something about the Alphonse family.

They were whispering among themselves while I stood right in front of them.

“If he’s the youngest of the Alphonse family… is he that troublemaker?”

“No way, his image is completely different.”

“I heard he was handsome though.”

“But isn’t this the first time the Alphonse family has been invited to a royal banquet?”

“I heard they used to attend frequently in the past, but I’m not sure about now.”

That’s when it happened.

Not a savior, but a damned ruffian appeared before me.

“Haha! I’m the fourth son.”

The one who broke the awkward atmosphere was none other than Leonard.

Just moments ago, he had been sitting in a chair with an expression of having given up on life, but seeing me talking with women, he had quickly inserted himself.

“Oh… the fourth son? So he’s really the youngest?”

The woman asked again, clearly not believing my answer despite me clearly stating I was the youngest.

Leonard laughed heartily and patted my back with his palm.

“Yes! I am Leonard Alphonse, this fellow’s brother. I came over because I was worried our little brother might cause problems with the ladies.”

“…I see?”

The women frowned with displeasure before simultaneously looking behind me and opening their mouths wide in surprise.

I wasn’t sure what they were looking at, but the atmosphere was clearly unusual.

I slowly turned my head to check the situation.

And there…

“Selden, it’s been a while.”