episode_0004

After welcoming guests for over an hour, I was finally able to accept the last guest and leave near the door of the banquet hall.

Standing in shoes for over an hour was not an ordinary hardship, but my ankles and toes throbbed as if I had a second heart.

This is why I don’t like shoes. One of the reasons is that I still have vague memories of when I was a man, but the biggest reason is that I hate wearing them because it hurts my feet and ankles so much.

While watching the nobles laughing and chatting hard in the center of the banquet hall, I secretly went to the back of the banquet hall and sat on a chair in a corner where people did not often come and could not be seen.

“Phew… … .”

My legs were throbbing to the point of cold sweat and I was wiping the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief when, before I knew it, Mel came in front of me holding a towel soaked in water.

“Lady, can you excuse me for a moment?”

“Huh?”

“There is still time before the Duke and Duchess come out, so I would like to give them a massage. Oh, the Duke and Duchess came out a little late because I went and checked on them myself, so don’t worry.”

“Hehe, I couldn’t see you when I was greeting the guests, so I was wondering where you had gone. So you were doing something like that?”

“And, I knew that the young lady would come here after she finished welcoming the guests.”

I blinked at Mel’s words. As Mel said, I’ve sat here before. Four years ago, on my 10th birthday, when I debuted in the social world, I hid here because I felt pressured by people’s comments…

Mel saw that and remembered it? really… … . What a talented kid. He grinned and raised his guard towards Mel.

“Mel is amazing. I can’t believe I remember it all.”

“From the moment I first met her, I wanted to serve her, so I was just putting in the effort.”

“Are you coveting Sarah’s position?”

When I asked him outright with a grin, Mel grinned and shook his head.

“How can a commoner like me take on the position of a nobleman? If I had intended to do that, I would have told her directly instead of watching from afar. The lady’s exclusive maid… … . No, I want to be a maid.”

“You are brave.”

“Because I lived in a very rough place. All I had was guts.”

Saying that in front of me. He chuckled because it was the same as saying that if he weren’t a commoner or if Sera wasn’t a noble, he could have easily taken Sera’s place.

Now I see that this child is just as greedy for power as his younger brother. Of course, unlike his younger brother, he seems to be a kid who knows how to use his head. Hmm… … . Why didn’t I know there was a child like this next to me?

“Okay, well… … . That would be the case with Mel. So would you like me to give you a massage now? I’d like to talk more, but I think your father will come out soon.”

“Yes, lady.”

With a grin, Mel slightly lifted the dress covering my legs, took off my shoes, and started massaging my feet and ankles with a cold wet towel.

A cool feeling, a strange feeling of pleasure running up my legs, and a slight pain stimulated me. I subconsciously spread my fan to cover my mouth and bit my lip.

Hey, why are you so good?

“Mel… … . Have you ever learned something like massage before?”

“I’m just familiar with it because my mother did it often when she was alive, but I’ve never learned it separately.”

“Hmm――Ugh… … !”

If I opened my mouth, I felt like an unpleasant sound would come out, so I kept my mouth shut and received the massage.

It took about 10 minutes. The throbbing pain subsided a little, and it seemed like it was time for the family head to come out, so I opened my mouth.

“Mel, can you stop for a moment?”

“The massage isn’t finished yet, why is that?”

“I think it’s almost time for your father to come out. Could you please put your shoes back on?”

“Yes, lady.”

Mel said that and put my shoes back on, and I stood up, smiling in satisfaction at the fact that my legs were clearly in better condition than before.

“Mel.”

“Yes, lady.”

“I’ll ask for the rest in your room after today’s banquet.”

Mel smiled and lowered her head. I left that feeling behind and headed inside to the center of the banquet hall. People’s eyes turned towards me, and nobles who knew who I was approached me and invited me to dance.

There was no one among the nobles who didn’t know me, so you can just say that all the nobles, except for the cowards who lacked courage, encouraged me to dance.

I felt lustful eyes looking at me from time to time, but I didn’t show it and gently turned down all those who invited me to dance and sent them away.

“The star of today’s party! Prince Arcien La Rochelle is entering!”

With the knight’s loud shout that silenced those who were talking loudly, my younger brother with impressive light pink hair and eyes walked down.

“Wow… … ! How can you be so beautiful? … !”

“If I were to become the wife of someone like that, I would have no wish… … .”

The moment the murmurs of the ladies standing around me reached my ears, I almost burst out laughing, so I covered my mouth with a fan.

I want to be the wife of that kind of trash… … . under. It’s fun. They say they want to live their whole lives taking care of a baby who needs to clean their behinds, but what can they do? As I looked at my younger brother while chuckling to myself, he looked at me.

When I smiled and smiled, my younger brother, who was frowning, took care of his expression by brushing his bangs.

“Lord of the Duke of Rochelle! Duke Derkel La Rochelle and Duchess Genea La Rochelle are entering!!”

At the same time as my younger brother took his seat, I saw the head of the family escorting my mother down the stairs.

The two took a seat behind their younger brother, and the matriarch cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

“Hmm, thank you very much for participating in the banquet celebrating my son Arsien’s 10th birthday today. I’m so happy that everyone can be together on a great day like today. Adding extravagant words to a good day like this would only diminish its meaning, so I’ll just say one thing. Thank you to the Pillar of the Kingdom for allowing me to lead such a peaceful life!”

At the words of the matriarch, those holding glasses lightly lifted their glasses, and those with empty hands gave thunderous applause.

The applause, which was enough to leave the banquet hall, died down. Numerous nobles around them came to the side of the head of the family, and the wives came to their mother’s side.

And the young girls who fell in love at first sight when they saw his face rushed to his younger brother’s side.

‘I guess it’s okay if I slip back now.’

The moment I was about to slowly retreat, my shoulder collided with the chest of someone walking towards me.

The pain in my leg had not subsided at all, so I was unable to fully absorb the impact of hitting my ankle, and almost fell sideways due to loss of strength.

Yes, I almost fell.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lady Charlotte. I was careless.”

“Ah… … .”

The thing that supported me as if carrying me was my twelfth death. The opportunity to begin the 12th regression. The culprit who caused the ‘unexpected accident’ for the idiotic reason of marrying the damn heroine.

Crown Prince Sargela Rey del Trueno. He was the first son of the Trueno royal family and my fiancé.

I was able to stand up again with Sargela’s help. She folded her fan, pulled up both ends of her dress, and bowed slightly.

“See the pillars of the kingdom.”

“I hope you don’t say such grand greetings.”

“You came in secretly, avoiding the eyes of others. Yes, I understand.”

“As expected, I like you because you are quick-witted.”

Sargela smiled brightly and looked towards the center of the banquet hall.

“Today’s protagonist was there.”

“I’m just excited because it’s my birthday.”

As I said that and covered my mouth with my fan, I felt Sargela looking at me. As I was looking towards the banquet hall without reacting, Sargela opened his mouth.

“A little different from you… … . No, it’s very different.”

“The color is very different from mine.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Oh my, I’m not sure what you’re talking about?”

There is a big difference between thinking that your younger brother is incompetent and saying it out loud. I pretended not to notice and just smiled as I folded the fan until it made a clicking sound.

Sargela looked at me for a moment, then sighed softly and looked at the banquet hall.

“Your weakness is that you are very quick to notice.”

“Hehe, don’t you like it?”

“If you are quick-witted, you will know what I am going to say.”

The gaze looking at me smiled and lowered its head slightly.

“I will be careful in the future.”

“That’s it. I was trying to get an apology from you, but it doesn’t feel right when I receive it. I’m sorry for testing you.”

“I’m glad I passed the test.”

“Really… … . Sometimes, when I see you, you seem worse than the old monsters in the palace. What on earth is inside?”

He covered his mouth with a folded fan and smiled slightly.

“There is a saying that secrets make women beautiful――”

I grinned, saying a line I once heard.

You wouldn’t even dream that the secret is to kill you. As I was smiling, holding back my true feelings and putting them away in a corner, Sargela, who was looking at me, nodded slowly.

“I guess I should go now.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“In the first place, I only came to see your face briefly. anyway. Next time I see you, it will be at the Academy.”

After saying that, Sargela turned and headed towards the corner of the banquet hall, then disappeared into a halo of light.

Return scroll… … . I can’t believe you use that expensive thing so carelessly. Royalty is royalty. With the information about the return scroll in mind, I walked around the outskirts of the banquet hall.

“Where do you want to be… … .”

I walked around the banquet hall looking for another target.

So the night of the banquet deepens.