Chapter 115

Debut

A silence fell as though all of space and time had frozen. The chatter filling the ballroom vanished in an instant. Captivated by something, the nobles could not utter a word.

Into that silence, Seraphia stepped lightly forward, a young girl with radiantly shimmering silver hair. With each touch of her toes to the floor, her dress fell in elegant curves.

The dress had a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her collarbones and the line of her neck. Once it drew the eye, the soft, feminine silhouette cinched at the empire waist stole the heart. A jeweled belt added an accent and heightened its overall splendor, while draped fabric at the back lent it the utmost elegance. Its bright, clear cream color harmonized with her silver hair, emphasizing an air both dreamlike and pure.

"How can anyone be so beautiful...?"

"Th-this is insane..."

Every noble who had attended the tea party had their eyes fixed on Seraphia. She commanded all their attention. The men followed her every step and gesture, while the young ladies in their fine dresses cast jealous looks her way.

"... Hmph! Why is she showing off like that?"

"Look around. She's completely stolen the show."

"I can't stand the sight of her."

The young ladies whispered together, finding fault.

"Oh my, did you see that tilt of her head? She's so obviously practiced it."

"Who does she think she is, a princess?"

"It's all the dress."

"... But seriously, what is that? How can a dress be so pretty?"

"I must find out who made it at once."

But wasn't beauty overwhelming in its own right? Seraphia was merely standing there, yet the sight of her was already perfect.

"... Tch. She is pretty, though."

"Exactly. If I stand next to her, I'll only look shabby."

"Ugh... It's so annoying."

Whispers and piercing looks rained down behind Seraphia. In truth, she could hear and see them all. But she pretended not to notice and walked on gracefully.

She felt like the star of the ball. Her confidence soared. Above all, even to her own eyes, the dress Adrian had altered was breathtaking.

Fitting her figure perfectly was only the beginning. Every shortcoming had been delicately compensated for. No one could have done this without knowing her. They would have to know exactly what her strengths and weaknesses were, where her charm lay, and how to bring it out to the fullest.

In other words...

'Brother has been thinking about me...'

That was what she had been thinking deep down.

Even if he was usually cold and taciturn, looking at her with the disgust he might show an insect. Even if he barely glanced her way and spoke curtly. Even if his expression was always frosty, his gaze sharp at the slightest mistake. Even if, on the rare occasions he spoke to her, his dry tone made it sound like an obligation. Even if expecting a single warm word was a luxury. Even if he chided her with "You can't even do that?" whenever she asked for help. Even if he offered nothing but coldness, never a smile. Even if Adrian retreated ten steps for every one she took toward him, never letting her get close!

Without her knowing, he had been watching her and showing her such thoughtful consideration.

'Hehe.'

A giggle escaped her unbidden.

And that wasn't all. Adrian had even taught her the dances for the ball himself. Just thinking back on it was enough to—

'It was so much fun.'

Her heart was still fluttering.

Of course...

["How many more times do you intend to step on my feet before you're satisfied?"]

["I'm sorry..."]

["Put your left foot forward on that last step."]

["L-like this?"]

["... Haah."]

... Learning to dance had been an ordeal, but anyway.

"If you would permit me, my lady, might you grant Austin, eldest son of House Roen, the honor of a dance?"

"My apologies, but that honor shall go to me, Richard, second son of the ducal House Claude."

"A moment, gentlemen. Can't you see you're putting the lady in a difficult position? As the next marquis of House Estelle, I cannot simply stand by."

The sons of distinguished noble houses clamored to ask Seraphia for a dance. Here, she represented House Whitewolf as its eldest daughter. To become a younger sister Adrian could be proud of...

'I have to do my best!'

She clenched both fists.

* * *

... What a load of absolute fucking nonsense.

"They say it is not the night sky that is beautiful, but the stars that illuminate it. Lady Whitewolf, you are the star that lights up my night sky."

"In the beginning, the sun loved the moon, but they were forbidden to meet. Yet at last, we have come together: you, Lady Whitewolf, goddess of the moon, and I."

This bullshit put even the translucent messages to shame. Berserk Bullshit[?]. It filled the ballroom...

"Let us settle this with a duel!"

... Well, would you look at that?

"The winner shall dance with Lady Whitewolf."

"Very well! Follow me outside."

What the fuck were they doing? Would they only come to their senses once their entire bodies were frozen solid? Every blood vessel and cell in their bodies torn to shreds—

"Ah, even if I were to die beneath Lady Whitewolf's feet, I would count it an honor!"

... Somehow, I thought they'd enjoy even that. I couldn't understand them no matter how hard I tried, but anyway.

'At least clearing the quest won't be a problem.'

The Connection Quest, [Tonight's Star Is Me, Me!]. With a failure penalty of ???, I'd put some effort into it.

Altering her dress was part of that effort. The manual dexterity granted by my whopping 110.4 Agility had made it possible.

Of course, manual dexterity alone wasn't enough to create a beautiful dress. Talents such as aesthetic sense and creativity were only the basics. An understanding of color, knowledge of fabrics, and so on: it required a combination of countless talents and knowledge.

But altering a dress that was already beautiful wasn't particularly difficult. In that sense, Seraphia had excellent taste. The Villagers' performance hadn't been improving by the day for nothing.

Anyway, whom Seraphia danced with was none of my concern. I did, however, need to check which of them was up to something. I stared so hard my eyes nearly fell out, using Predatory Instincts[S] on the idiots spouting that bullshit.

'... No one stands out so far.'

That was when it happened.

"Her Highness the Queen enters!"

The voice rang through the ballroom. All the commotion ceased at once, and Queen Marceline appeared. In a dress adorned with dazzling gold thread, she resembled a golden rose in full bloom. Her presence was truly overwhelming.

Keeping Predatory Instincts[S] active, I surveyed her surroundings.

'The king hasn't come.'

The ball was the most important event of the social gathering. Traditionally, the king attended along with the queen. But he was absent, perhaps because he was bedridden with illness.

'I don't see Leon, either.'

First Prince Leon was absent as well. I'd been looking for him since the earlier events, but hadn't seen him.

'I thought he'd at least attend the ball.'

And it wasn't just Leon. None of the other princes were anywhere to be seen. Their absence couldn't be a mere coincidence.

'So they really do intend to make a move here.'

Certain of it, I sharpened all my senses.

'Now, what will you do?'

* * *

With Queen Marceline's arrival, the ball began in earnest. The scions of countless noble houses flaunted their status and family names, pairing off to dance. Seraphia received countless invitations as well, but she chose none of them.

Dancing together at a ball meant fostering ties between houses. It could even be interpreted as considering marriage.

'I must only dance with someone Brother approves of.'

It had to be someone from a house that could help Adrian. So she cautiously looked to him for guidance. But to her surprise, whenever a noble approached her, his eyes bulged in a glare, his face twisting into the fiercest scowl imaginable.

... Anyone could tell he meant, "Not that one."

Those looks placed tremendous pressure on the nobles. The Wastrel of Madness, who had beaten even a prince. There wasn't a noble present who hadn't heard the rumors. If he would beat up royalty, what would he do to a mere noble?

"I-I might lose my life just for making eye contact."

"I'd be better off finding someone else."

"Ah! Must the lady remain a flower atop an unreachable cliff...!"

In the end, the nobles slowly backed away. Too afraid even to show their interest in Seraphia, they were utterly cowed by Adrian. As a result, she couldn't dance even once.

... If this was how it would be, she didn't know why he'd taught her to dance. Yet strangely, she didn't mind. She felt protected by him. Though she stood alone beneath the ballroom's brilliant lights—

'Hehe.'

A smile she couldn't suppress kept creeping onto her face.

The ball continued until only its final highlight remained: the presentation before the queen. The noblewomen of each house came forward with their daughters to pay their respects to Queen Marceline.

"Your Highness, my youngest daughter, Luciel, has a remarkable talent for music and poetry, and has attended numerous events throughout the kingdom..."

"Adeline excels in both scholarship and the arts, and in particular possesses the eloquence and wisdom essential to diplomacy. She will be an asset who contributes greatly to our kingdom."

The noblewomen extolled their daughters' virtues, introducing them to Queen Marceline and the many noble houses attending the ball.

Seraphia, on the other hand, was alone. Nevertheless, she walked onto the stage with confidence and grace.

"Seraphia Whitewolf of House Whitewolf pays her respects to Your Highness the Queen."

Her elegant bearing was flawless.

'That was absolutely perfect!'

Her efforts practicing through the night were paying off.

"Furthermore, I believe I owe my presence here entirely to Your Highness's compassion and the grace of the royal court. Though I have little to offer, I hope I may play some small part in bringing glory to the kingdom."

As she finished her introduction, a murmur swept through the ballroom.

"My word...!"

"How can she be so refined!"

"Her grace shines through not only in her appearance, but in her words!"

"At the next gathering, I swear I'll dance with her!"

"Hey, watch yourself. Her brother's giving you quite a look."

Countless nobles competed to voice their opinions. Amid all the murmuring, Seraphia maintained her composure, but...

'Hehe.'

Strangely enough, a smile she couldn't hide kept slipping out.

* * *

Throughout the ball, I checked every noble who approached Seraphia with Predatory Instincts[S]. I also thoroughly inspected every object placed in the ballroom. It left my eyes feeling ready to fall out, but anyway...

I quietly dealt with anyone suspicious, and removed any suspicious objects as soon as I found them.

And so the ball ended with Seraphia's spectacular debut.

◆You have cleared the Connection Quest [Tonight's Star Is Me, Me!]!

◆You have gained 2,143,000 quest experience!

◆You have leveled up!

The Connection Quest was safely cleared. Four levels gained in one go. And that wasn't all.

◆Seraphia's affinity 「Bond Tier」 has been unlocked.

◆You have acquired the Bond Skill, Mental Empathy[E]!

The Bond Skill, Mental Empathy[E]. I could check what it did later. That wasn't what mattered right now.

Queen Marceline sat quietly, making no move. I kept a close watch on her until the very end.

Then—

GRRRK!

I heard the harsh grinding of teeth, and Queen Marceline left her seat.

'Looks like she's finally given up.'

That seemed to be the case. I'd blocked everything in advance, as though I could see right through it all. It seemed this had deepened the discord between Queen Marceline and Luseria, ultimately derailing their plans for the ball.

'Is that it, then?'

Only then could I relax.

But it wasn't all over. The matter of inheriting the countship still remained. On that note...

'She could still give me trouble over the succession.'

I needed to prepare for that possibility.

'Let's see...'

Sorting through my thoughts, I turned toward the palace's guest suites.

* * *

On my way back to the guest suites, I sank into thought.

'I've figured out all her plans.'

I had seen through everything Queen Marceline was doing. She was in the palm of my hand. What remained was simple: destroy her plans one by one and completely overturn the results she intended. Then...

'You won't be able to stay in the darkness forever.'

The Sovereign of Darkness would be all but certain to step in.

When I reached the guest suites, Seraphia was pacing outside the door. Whatever she was thinking about had left her looking grave. Then she suddenly recoiled in horror and shouted into empty air.

"No!"

"No to what?"

"Eek!"

She looked as though her heart had dropped out of her chest.

"Waaagh...!"

She'd even lost the ability to speak. But then she recognized me—

"Brother!"

Her heart leaped straight back into place, and her powers of speech returned in an instant.

"A-are you all right?! You're not hurt anywhere, are you?!"

Her eyes darted over me, checking my condition. I watched her for a moment, then asked,

"Why did you do that?"

"... Pardon? Oh, I just... You startled me."

"I mean, why did you fight the Royal Knights?"

"Oh, ah. That..."

She hesitated, avoiding my gaze.

"It's just that you..."

She began in a small voice, then stopped.

"I thought you might be in danger... I just..."

Unable to continue, she hung her head.

I was about to scold her, but stopped myself. In the end, her becoming implicated along with me had made things easier. I could say it was entirely thanks to her that Queen Marceline hadn't imposed even a light punishment on me.

"Don't do it again."

"Huh...?"

"What is it?"

"N-no! Nothing!"

She hastily waved her hands, then bit down hard on her lower lip.

"Anyway, it seems His Majesty the King's illness shows no sign of improving."

"... Oh."

"The social gathering will likely take place first, so make your preparations."

"Yes! I'll do my best to prepare!"

"Then go inside. It's getting la—??"

Something... was wrong.

... Everything was far too familiar.