"Whoa..."
A half-swallowed sigh flowed from Perezâs mouth, who came out to the terrace and breathed in the fresh air.
Although it was intended, it was uncomfortable for the nobles who kept talking to him and ladies who kept asking for dance requests.
Perez crossed his arms leaning against the railing on the terrace.
It was because the main character who had been following him to the point of annoyance followed him to the terrace.
"Iâm so glad youâve got a good delivery, you?"
It was Astana who was drunk and bloated.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Perez looked at such Astana with contempt and pathetic eyes.
Then the tearful Astana, who was choked up in his throat, shouted.
"You! How dare you look at me like that?"
Then he tried to grab Perez, but it was a big waste.
The impossible could not have been possible for Astana, who was drunk and reeling.
"Ugh!"
Astana, who almost lost his balance and fell over the railing, gulped in surprise.
But soon he realized looking at Perez and said loudly, pointing fingers.
"Enjoy it when you can! You canât even dream about it later, you lowly!"
Perezâs eyebrows wriggled.
It wasnât because of the word âlowly thingâ that he has been hearing.
He didnât care about those words anymore.
"Enjoy it when I can?"
Perezâs reaction made Astana more elated.
"Now that Lombardy is young, you can pretend to be close to each other because itâs an act of playmate. If sheâs a little older, you wonât be able to do it."
Perez did not answer, but Astana laughed knowingly.
"She is the daughter of Gallahan Lombardy. Although her motherâs lineage is a bit flawed."
It sounded like a dog breed was being judged.
"Gallahanâs money is more than enough. Unlike you who disappear right now and no one will look for you."
Perezâs mouth opened as if to spit something out and closed again.
He had nothing to say.
Unfortunately, all Astanaâs sneering remarks were true.
These were also concerns that have been floating in Perezâs head since Lulak Lombardy went to Poirak Palace.
"You donât deserve to stand next to Florentia Lombardy."
Away.
Perez eventually gritted his teeth.
âI donât know if itâs me.â
Perezâs red eyes glared at Astana as if they were burning him to death.
And one step closer, one step closer.
"What, what?"
Astana, who had been sarcastic to his heartâs content, remembered that Perez has the power to spit out or something and took a step back.
Perez, who pushed Astanaâs leg until it touched the terrace railing, spoke in a low voice.
"Wrong."
"What, what?"
"Wrong."
And after a momentâs thought, Perez has come up with the right words.
"You are like Belsach."
It was a word that Tia sometimes used with really bad language.
"Well, whatâs that mean?"
Perez looked sneeringly at Astanaâs trembling legs and turned around.
"Enjoy it when you can."
Perez, who only left that comment, went back into the banquet hall.
* * *
"Where is he? Heâs not going back already, is he?
After calming down my father and grandfather, I went around looking for Perez again, but he didnât even show up.
As I looked around, I noticed a mid-teen-year-old boy with nearby platinum blonde hair and slightly dark skin.
"Iâm sorry, but I donât want to dance."
Straightforward, this doesnât exist in the ethics of the Capital, so itâs a bit of a rudeness category.
"Oh, my! How could you say such a rude thing..."
Sure enough.
Lady, who had applied for dance, returned in great displeasure.
"Whoa..."
Rather, the boy, who sighed as if he was in trouble, turned around and bumped into me standing behind him.
"Iâm sorry! Iâm so lost in my mind... Are you all right, Lady?
The boy grabbed me by the shoulder as if he was very sorry, and handed me a handkerchief even though there was no dirty place.
"Itâs okay. The Capital is very different from the East, so you must be distracted."
When I returned the handkerchief and said so, the boyâs eyes were round.
"How did you know I was from the East!"
"Well, I knew when I saw Young Lordâs skin color and refused to dance a little while ago. I heard the East has a slightly different culture."
No one in the Capital uses that word.
"Wow, thatâs great!"
The boy who said so smiled broadly.
The synergy effect was enormous when the colorful blond hair, light sky blue eyes, and fresh smile were combined in the light of the banquet hall.
Itâs like a bright sun shining brightly.
Looking at the smiling face, the boy readily reached out and said.
"Nice to meet you, Iâm Avinox Ruman."
Oh, youâre the son of the young Lord Ruman who took over the title.
I greeted Avinox hand in hand.
"Iâm Florentia Lombardy."
"Oh, Lombardy!"
Avinox recognizes me right away.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Florentia Lombardy!"
There was no sign of flattering or trying to look too good.
He was right and confident.
Now I understand why I felt âlike the sunâ a little while ago.
Then, Perez, who had just emerged from the terrace not far away, was seen.
"Perez, here you go!"
Perez looked at me as I shouted.
By the way, the look on his face was somehow alarming.
I think he walks more than twice as fast as he normally does.2
"Tia."
"Where have you been?"
"I went to get some fresh air."
"What? I didnât even know that, and I looked for you a while."
"...did you looking for me?"
Perezâs face looks oddly pleased with the moment.
"Then youâd find me, wonât you?"
Heâs the one of course.
But as I talked to Perez, I saw Avinox looking at Perez with eager eyes.
"Oh, this is..."
"Iâm Avinox Ruman, Your Highness Second Prince!"
Thereâs a lot of spirit in it, and thereâs a laser flashing in the eye.
I think theyâre waving a glow stick somewhere in their back.
But an unexpected answer popped up from Perez.
"Oh, this time the Lord is Lord Indite Ruman..."
He seemed to know that the Eastern Lord of Ruman has changed recently.
Oh, he was a very smart kid.
His beauty and sword skills keep covering Perezâs brilliant brain.
"Well, do you know me?"
To be exact, he knows his father, Lord Ruman.
Perez nodded.
"Oh, thank you. Iâve always wanted to meet you someday since I heard that youâre making your own aura at a young age!"
Turns out that Avinox was a fan of Perez.
"Ugh..."
Perez looked very troubled in this situation.
Youâve never met such a straightforward nobleman.
It was a bit strange for me to remember the appearance of Perez, who possessed all the nobles of the whole Empire and made them in his side.
"Oh! Father!"
Then Avinox called someone who was passing by.
"Oops, Florentia!"
But the answer was Tilliana, who showed her face behind a manâs back.
Tiliana, who ran halfway to me with a glad face, introduced me to a group of people following her.
"This is Florentia Lombardy!"
It was people in fancy clothes.
People with slightly tanned skin who boldly use bright colors.
Among them, the tallest man in his late thirties approached me and greeted me.
"Hello, Lady Lombardy. Iâm Indite Ruman, the Ruman familyâs householder."
Despite the elongated scar on his chin, his straight smile was the same as Avinoxâs.
"I heard you helped my niece Tiliana a lot, so I came to thank you in person."
"Oh, donât mention it..."
When I nodded, Indite Ruman opened his eyes wide as if he were surprised.
"Well, youâre not surprised that sheâs my nephew, even though she has a different last name than me?"
"No, Iâm very surprised."
"What a calm personality you are!"
Tiliana stepped in from the side.
In fact, I knew who Tilliana Gitterwell was, from the time I heard her name.
Indite Rumanâs younger brother, Tuke Ruman, was married and independent, receiving a small estate called Gitterwell.
And turned the castle into Gitterwell.
I heard itâs not uncommon in the East.
However, the young lady, who was dark in the situation of the East, could not know the fact. [1]
"I heard Tiliana was teased because she was misunderstood as an eastern countryman..."
"Wow, uncle!"
Tiliana jumped, but Lord Ruman just smiled mischievously.
"The heart of Lady Lombardy, who helped the weak even though she didnât know that Tiliana was Rumanâs, is beautiful."
"I just did what I had to do. What a compliment."
I wasnât bored thanks to Tiliana resembles Craney.
And it was Tilliana who spoke to me first at debutante training.
"Ahh, as expected..."
Ruman gave me a happy nod.
Then the people around them split apart and another group of people approached.
"Oh, Ruman."
"I see, Your Majesty."
It was Emperor Jovanes and my grandfather, following by my father and Clerivan.
Two colorful groups of people are gathered in one place, so of course, the eyes of others at the banquet hall are drawn at once.
"Donât do this here, letâs go up."
It was an invitation to the âback roomâ that was only allowed to a very small number of people at the banquet.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lord Ruman nodded happily and gave perception to the surrounding family.
Then, only one man who seems to be the closest person quickly goes to Ruman.
"Now that youâve made your debut in society, come with me as the main character of the debutant, Florentia."
Itâs a bit annoying.
But I canât say no, so I slightly bent my knees to say thank you.
And the eyes of Emperor Jovanes were on Perez, who stood beside me.
"Second Prince, too."
That was all he said.
Perez was also formally invited.
As we all headed upstairs together, people stepped back and cleared the way.
Many peopleâs eyes stayed particularly on Perez.
They were surprised that Perez, who was a Prince but had no reputation, headed to the back room with important figures, including the Emperor.
Perez also had a slightly stiff face, perhaps conscious of their gaze.
I said with a tap on the side of such a Perez.
"If you go, there will be something delicious. Letâs eat it while adults talk."
"...Yes. Letâs do that."
Only then did Perez smile and nod.
Then he slowed down for a moment and looked back as if he were checking something.
"What are you looking at?"
"Ah, nothing."
Perez replied, shaking his head immediately and sticking behind me.
And that night.
It wasnât until a very dark night that we were able to get on the carriage back to Lombardy.
Louryl and Clerivan called separate carriages to return to their respective homes, and all the families sat together in Lombardyâs large carriage.
On either side of me were twins, and Shananet was taking care of my grandfather and my father, who had overdone with Emperor Jovanes and Lord Ruman.
"I hate Tia."
"Thatâs so mean."
Gilliu and Mayron pout their mouths.
"Why again?"
When I asked bluntly, the twins started filling.
"How could you not dance with us?"
"Always be with Second Prince... no, itâs just the Second Prince."
Gilliu sneaked a glance at Shananet and said.
"Next time, then. Weâre going to have a lot of banquets together."
"Next, next time?"
"Together..."
The twins exchanged their eyes quickly and suddenly played rock-paper-scissors.
"I won! Iâm first!"
"Argh!"
Mayron won and Gilliu lost.
Mayron laughed out loud as if he had won the world, and Gilliu tore his head off.1
Maybe itâs because Iâm young.
Iâm having a hard time after the banquet. Theyâre so energetic.
I was thinking about that, but the carriage rattled once.
Drunken father leaned on my shoulder at the move.
"Tia..."
My father muttered frantically in a low voice.
"Our Tia, letâs grow up a little slower... Just a little..."
Oh, my father.
I patted my fatherâs head small and opened the carriage window.
The Palace was moving away from the window.
* * *
The day after the debutante.
Perez, who had finished his sword training early in the morning, was having a leisurely breakfast.
It was the same day as usual.
Then, suddenly, Perez said to Caitlyn, who was pouring drinks.
"Get ready to go to the academy."
"...Yes?"
"Iâm going to the academy soon. But donât let anyone know yet."
Perez raised his eyes and looked at Caitlyn.
The word ânobodyâ clearly meant Lombardy.
"...Yes."
"Thank you."
It was Perez who knew how big it was for Caitlyn, loyal to Lombardy.
"And today, a guest is coming, so it would be better to prepare."
____________________________________________
Glossary
[1] âIn the dark (about something)â - an Idiomatic, meaning not knowing very much about something. Do not know anything about it. Or uninformed about it.