episode_0188

Ten days after that.

After the long preparations for the banquet, the day of the banquet finally arrived.

After that incident, the mansion, which had always been extremely quiet, was filled with the warmth of people and a lively atmosphere for the first time in a long time.

“It’s been a while since we had such a lively atmosphere.”

I said that and looked out the window.

There were numerous carriages lined up, as if to indicate that it was soon time for the banquet to begin.

From Baron to Marquis. Just the carriage that can be seen at first glance is more than tropical. Considering the carriages I couldn’t see due to preparations for one reason or another, at least close to 40 carriages must have passed by.

Invitations were sent to every family in the kingdom, so it must have been over 30 years ago.

“Riev.”

I looked out the window and called Liev.

“Yes, Duke.”

“Has the royal carriage arrived?”

“No, you haven’t arrived yet. You probably won’t be the last to arrive… … .”

“Of course it is.”

I answered that and nodded. As I was looking out the window, tapping the fan with my index finger, a carriage with a deer symbol on it caught my eye.

Ah, yes. Count Carmel. There was something like that too. I was busy with other things so I forgot about it for a while.

As I narrowed my eyes and looked at Count Carmel’s carriage, I closed the curtains.

“I guess I should get ready to go out soon.”

I said that and turned around, and Riev, who was looking at me from the entrance of the room, smiled bitterly and said,

“Really, the Duke is probably the only person who changes his clothes in his office even on the day of the banquet.”

“Because I started it. I have to endure something like this. And, Riev will help me, right?”

When I said this with a small smile, Liev looked at me with surprised eyes and then smiled happily and answered.

“Yes. Of course.”

“Okay, then you should change your clothes first.”

I put the fan I was holding on the desk and stood in the center of the office.

At the same time, the maids waiting in the corner of the office came over and changed the dress she was wearing into the uniform she had ordered.

From underwear to socks, shirts and pants, vests and capes. Before I put it on, I thought it was a good design, but when I tried it on, I found it quite frustrating.

If it weren’t for a counterfeit air conditioner made to imitate an air conditioner, I would have definitely steamed to death.

“Are there any inconveniences?”

“Except for the chest being a little tight… … . Other than that, there are no other inconveniences.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to repair that part later. I will leave a message to the tailor later.”

“I want to see what it feels like, could you please bring me a mirror?”

The two maids slightly bowed their heads at my words and immediately brought a large mirror from the corner, and I looked in the mirror to see if there was anything strange.

I was worried that it would be awkward since it was my first time wearing a uniform since I became this person. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“You suit me very well. Duke.”

“Thank you, Riev.”

I answered with a grin, ordered the mirror back, and took out a brooch from inside the desk drawer.

It was a bird-shaped brooch with a transparent crystal centerpiece, a single wing made of silver, and an eye made of ruby.

I handed the brooch to Riev and said,

“Can you fill it in?”

“Yes. Okay.”

Riev fastened the brooch to the pin that held the cloak in place, and after confirming that the brooch was securely fastened, I adjusted the brooch a few times and nodded.

“Shall we go?”

“I will follow.”

I nodded and left the office and headed to the banquet hall.

* * *

In the banquet hall of the Duke of Rochelle, all the nobles of the kingdom, from barons to marquis, were gathered.

The number alone easily exceeded 100, but no complaints could be found in the banquet hall.

―I was worried because it was a prom held in the middle of summer, but I never imagined it would be this cool.

―I was curious about that too, so I asked the maids around me, and they said it was thanks to the new air-conditioning device designed by the Grand Duke.

―It’s been so long since you’ve been in office that you’ve distinguished yourself so much. I’m looking forward to what kind of person you’ll become in the future.

Even though it was the middle of summer, the inside of the banquet hall was as cool as a cool fall day, and even though there were a hundred or dozen people inside, there was no shortage of space.

In a corner of the banquet hall, there was someone who couldn’t fit in at all with the excited atmosphere.

It was Seria, a commoner whom Charlotte had personally invited.

‘I feel sick… … .’

For Seria, who was satisfied with just eating a bowl of stew in the student cafeteria, such a fancy place was not only unfamiliar but also burdensome.

Look here, nobility, look there, nobility. For Seria, who has lived in modern times, nobility was neither an object of admiration nor an object of contempt, but being around people decked out in expensive-looking clothes and decorations was a considerable burden for Seria.

‘Why am I here? Who am I.’

I was tired. I wasn’t really doing anything except standing, but on the other hand, I was tired just standing.

“Phew… … .”

Seria sighed quietly so as not to be heard by others, and was the one who gave up the seat in the carriage for her.

Seria recalled what happened with Lamina, the daughter of writer Junnam, whom she became close with when she started interacting with the Knight Academy.

* * *

It was around the time that Seria received a letter from the Duke of Rochelle.

“Excuse me. Are you Seria?”

“Yes? Ah yes. It’s me.”

Seria, who was in the middle of fighting with Lamina, blinked when she saw the maid who suddenly came to see her.

The maid handed me a luxurious letter with an invitation written on it with a calm expression.

“I have delivered the goods, so I will leave now.”

“No, sleep… … .”

Because the maid left without even having a chance to ask for an explanation, Seria could only blink her eyes blankly and look back and forth at the letter.

‘Was there an event for which you received an invitation? If there was one, the only things would be a masquerade ball in the fall and a grand banquet held by the royal family… … ?’

Lamina, who had been waiting quietly, approached Seria, who was looking through the letter, and asked.

“What happened suddenly?”

“Huh? no… … . A maid suddenly gave me this and left… … .”

“It’s an invitation, give it to me somewhere.”

At Ramina’s words, Seria handed over the letter with a puzzled look on her face, and Ramina, who was looking at the letter, soon became astonished and expressed her frustration.

“The Duke of Rochelle!?”

“Rochelle? Ah, no way.”

It was only after hearing Lamina’s words that Seria remembered Charlotte.

One day, he suddenly disappeared from the academy, and I blinked at the sight of the invitation being sent by a friend whom I had never heard from or heard from before.

“Did Charlotte send it to me?”

As I spoke, wiping the sweat from my forehead, Lamina got scared and ran over to me, covering my mouth.

“Mmm!?”

“Shhh!! Watch your mouth!”

“Huh?”

“You’re not even a student at the same academy, and if you get caught calling someone who has now become a duke that carelessly, you’ll be in real trouble… … !”

Charlotte is not the same student? Duke’s seat? What on earth are you talking about?

Seria looked at Lamina with an incomprehensible expression, and Lamina sighed and took her hand away from Seria’s mouth.

“What does that all mean… … ?”

“Ah… … . Yes, you were a commoner. I forgot for a moment. If you’re a commoner, you probably wouldn’t know.”

Lamina roughly summarized what had happened, and Seria covered her mouth in astonishment after hearing it.

The story of the Duke and Duchess suddenly passing away and Charlotte, who had not yet graduated from the Academy, ascended to the position of Duke, was truly a shocking story to Seria.

“How did that happen…? … .”

“Don’t blindly believe what I say. Because it’s just a story I’ve heard. Now, take it.”

“Yes… … . But, why did they suddenly send me an invitation?”

Is there something you need my help with? Then of course I should do my best to help.

Seria looked at the letter thinking this, and Lamina looked at Seria and said.

“That’s right. Why did I send you an invitation to the prom?”

“Yeah, why did you send me an invitation to the prom――prom!?”

No, we were talking about such a heavy topic just a moment ago, and then suddenly there was a prom. Doesn’t it change too much even if the topic changes?

Seria blinked blankly at the story that was difficult to follow or even understand, and Lamina, who was looking at Seria, laughed and shook her head.

“I understand that feeling. It hadn’t been long since I heard the news, and when my family suddenly told me that I had received an invitation to a ball, I was worried that something had changed as a real person.”

After that, Ramina tried to figure out why the banquet was suddenly being held and what happened. In the end, it was all just speculation.

Why did you invite me? It was just a guess, with no way to figure out the reason.

In the end, the only thing that was certain was that Charlotte had invited him to the ball she was holding, and there was nothing more he could find out.

―The Duke of Charlotte La Rochelle is coming!

Ceria thought, startled by a loud sound that broke her thoughts.

‘okay. There’s no need to worry about it alone.’

Ceria raised her head and saw Charlotte walking down the stairs.

‘You just have to ask directly.’

Ceria nodded, looking at the bird-shaped brooch decorating Charlotte’s cloak.

Charlotte will definitely answer. With that kind of faith.