Chapter 15

VOL . 2 CHAPTER 15: SKIPPING PARTY WITH A FRIEND

Today marks exactly one week since I arrived at the royal capital . Tomorrow Ill be leaving the capital since Im concerned about my territory . Finally, Ill be going home .

Patrick said he had an errand and went out in the morning . Ever since we visited the church, hes been going out daily without telling me where hes headed . There is no way

Is he having an affair?

No, thats impossible .

My speculation, which has an established reputation for being wrong, was dismissed by Rita . Well, that isnt good . Patrick and I are a loving couple no, no, no, nothing is different .

But I dont have any proof hes fooling around .

Miss Yumiela . You should realize how loved you are .

What the heck, this is embarrassing . Its kinda embarrassing being told something like that with a serious expression . Im loved, am I? This is annoying . Rather than feeling loved, I feel embarrassed . Heh .

Since my facial muscles are dead, I always look expressionless . Looking at my blank expression, Rita said .

Ah, so this expression is what Patrick is talking about . Thank goodness Ive seen it .

I didnt make a face .

No, you didnt . I swear it on my life .

Isnt she going overboard incorrectly with all this loyalty? I think that making light of your life is entirely unrelated to ones loyalty . And I dont want her life values view to be skewed .

Rita, your life is yours alone . Please dont bet on your life too easily .

Im so grateful that Miss Yumiela cares so much Im really lucky .

Rita trembles in admiration . I cant believe that Ritas admiration runs deep just what kind of person am I?

Its a little bit after noon, and suddenly there was a commotion from our residences front door .

When the noise got even louder, I could already guess who it was . I bet you .

Currently, it feels like a boomerang struck me in the back of my head, but thats it . I was dressed to be taken to the Duke house .

Look! The dress really suits you!

Why do I need to wear a dress? I was told this was only a dinner invitation .

Dont you usually wear a dress for a party?

Party? It should have been a dinner invitation from Eleanora . Why are we talking about parties?

The black dress I was forced to wear restricted my movement and showed my bare shoulder . If given a chance, I would take it off right now . But just because its uncomfortable, doesnt mean that I will strip my clothes in public . Im a civilized person not a caveman .

I didnt hear anything about going to a party?

Did you really? But no worries, its all the same, youd be able to have a meal there!

Oh, I forgot . Shes someone who gets away scot-free after being asked by the Cardinal to invite me to church but played around instead . This cant be just a simple dinner, I shouldve asked for more details .

Well now that Im here I hope I hear some news about the Duke, it should be easier if I come to the party .

Whether its a dinner party or buffet party, you shouldnt worry about the meal because there would be more food to choose from .

Eleanora looked at me in my black dress from top to bottom and said with a smile that couldnt be better .

You look lovely! Yumiela-san, you look great in black!

Haa, thanks .

She said that in earnest . She really believed that the combination between my black hair and black dress would look gorgeous, she didnt care about the deep-seated disdain towards people with black hair in this kingdom .

If such a pure girl seems delighted, maybe going to the party that I hate once might be nice, it will make her happy .

Where is the party and when is it?

The party is here! Father will be hosting the party . And all the people from fathers faction will be here .

Does that mean this party is a gathering of people from the extremists faction? Scratch my last thought, I dont wanna go .

The dance hall where the party was held, was said to be the largest after the royal castle and the academys hall, but it was a bit smaller than I imagined . Just because its smaller than expected, does not mean that many nobles would own such a dance hall .

When I swept my gaze across the room and looked at the furnishing, everything from the table to the doorknob seemed expensive . It was well polished and gave off a classy feeling .

Hey, dont be so nervous! Im with you .

I dont feel nervous but excited . My strength was nearly gone by the time I finished my make-up and had my hair braided . The heels I was wearing were also difficult to walk in .

Eleanora must have gone through the same thing, why did she look okay? Maybe shes used to it since she usually wears a dress .

The Duke will be there, right? Since I was invited, I should greet him

Isnt your father going to be there?

Eh? I was the one invited by the Duke wasnt I?

Im the one who sent you an invitation! Father said I could bring as many friends as I want .

The Duke probably wasnt aware that I would be here . Is that really okay?

The details I got from talking to Eleanora was that the Duke himself rarely attended the regular scheduled extremist gathering .

Looking even more dressed up than usual, she puffed up her chest with pride .

Well, I have a role as the host to play at . Its the least I could do as Edwin-samas future wife .

Huh, what did Miss Eleanora do?

My suggestion was accepted by my family!

Isnt that what you are supposed to do as a host? The Dukes housekeeper works hard no, it would be even harder to clean up after the job was entrusted to her .

About fifty people were in the hall, they were the heads of the families from the Dukes faction along with their family . They were surprised to see me attending the party without notice .

While everyone was looking at us from afar, a man approached us . No, no, Im only attending this party for the various cuisines lined up on the table . I didnt come here to have a casual conversation with some oji-san I didnt know .

Thank you for inviting me today, Miss Eleanora . Oh, this is the first time that we met, young lady .

This is my friend, Yumiela-san!

What a load of bullshit, obviously youd know who I am just by looking at my hair . Just because you smile to try and hide your intention does not mean I cant see through it .

Before Eleanora could say anything back, he continued by speaking to me . I held myself back as I tried to control my anger .

Nice to meet you, Count Dolknes, my name is Arcleton . And just like you, I was given the same rank .

Nice to meet you .

If youre here today, does that mean that Count Dolknes will be under the Dukes patronage?

No, nothing like that .

As expected, he must have thought that Im changing sides . If he thought that way, I wouldve laughed at him . The plan to make Prince Edwin the next King has become even more solid .

At my denial, he doubtfully said .

Then, why would you come here?

I came because my friend invited me . No other reason .

I see, so youre here because of Miss Eleanoras invitation . Then lets leave it at that .

His upbeat temper couldnt even hide his true intentions . This is going to cause a troublesome misunderstanding in the future, I can already feel it .

My hunch was correct, next to me Eleanora moved to grasp both my hands .

Yumiela-san! Now we are friends! Thats the first time I heard you acknowledge our friendship!

I know, but please let go of my hands . Look, dont you need to greet all the guests and play the host since this is your familys party?

Oh! Youre right! Ill see you later!

She trotted towards the other guest with a big smile on her face . Okay, she finally left .

Next time someone comes to greet me I have to clarify that I have no intention of joining the Dukes faction . He looked at Elanoras retreating figure in front of me with a condescending expression .

You seemed to have a hard time, that young lady isnt right in the head . But I guess it a blessing in disguise, it makes her more malleable .

His disparaging remarks about Eleanora offended me and I tried to retort . But, I would be just as guilty now, wouldnt I?

In fact, just now I persuaded her to leave me alone and play the host . What is the difference between them who egg on Eleanora to pursue the prince and me?

Maybe I should treat her better . I have avoided having a deeper relationship with her because shes the Dukes daughter .

But before that, the man who stood in front of me continued talking nonsense without care .

His Royal Highness Edwin is worthy to be the next King . Count Dolknes seemed to have noticed it as well .

But His Highness doesnt seem interested in becoming the next King? Didnt he say he has no intention of succeeding the throne?

True . But thats until he said he was worried about his honor, deep down he must have that desire to succeed the throne . With that in mind, can you say youre his loyal subject?

That sounds bad . Does he really believe that Prince Edwin is aiming for the throne or is he trying to capitalize on his lack of ambition?

I couldnt place a finger on it, but one thing that I know for sure is that he doesnt have an ounce of loyalty . As evidence, he was already anticipating the future official position . The royal faction, who currently held the important governmental positions would be removed and the Dukes faction would be appointed to fill in the positions . That was clearly his aim .

He didnt realize I looked at him unamused while he spoke animatedly .

Moreover, His Highness subjugated the Demon King . As a noble, you must take up your sword in times of crisis . Ultimately, power is everything . Count Dolknes, you should know better, right?

You could say that .

I cant completely deny his claim because so far Ive gotten out of difficult situations using physical force .

But this is different . Just because Im extremely strong doesnt mean that Im a good noble or a good lord . The world doesnt revolve around how strong you are . Im the perfect evidence of that .

If you say that power is everything, why not assign everything based on how high your level is? Say, what is your level?

Ah, Im not good at combat

Then you will be nothing but an insignificant noble .

W-what! Im talking about His Highness here, he was the one who defeated the Demon King! Is there any nobleman who can beat His Highness?

I was there . Im the one who defeated the Demon King .

I thought he understood that much . Its useless to talk about it any longer . Lets cut this talk short .

I can . If you want to rule the kingdom through force from behind the scene go for it, but dont forget that Im here . I wont stop your endeavor but if it ever threatens my well-being, Ill deal with you with all my power .

T-thats Ill try not to stir any trouble for you .

You do that, Ill keep my eyes on you .

I turned my back and walked away from him . The nobles who stood around and listening were moving out of the way, opening a path for me .

It would be nice if this would make them lose their interest in me a little, but I dont think it would affect them that much . To begin with, the second prince faction is trying to rebel against His Majesty the King and the Crown Prince . Even when I clarified my standpoint, it didnt change the situation either .

Why did this happen when Im coming over for dinner? At least I should eat when I can . Plus, its free .

In the meantime, lets get something to drink . I saw Eleanora on my way there .

She was having conversations with girls her age, I think I may have recognized some of them . These girls are the one who was throwing their weight around at the academy as part of Eleanoras entourage .

Right now your chance . When His Highness become the King, you can be the Queen isnt that wonderful?

But both my father and Yumiela-san said its not a good idea .

If you get married you wont feel lonely . If both of you were married, your union would be blessed .

Is that so? But Im

Eleanora was about to change her mind any moment after being surrounded by her peers who kept egging her on . Looking at that scene, theyd most likely curl their lips when it goes smoothly .

Youre one step closer from marrying His Highness!

Are you sure? Marrying Edwin-sama

When we were still in the academy, Eleanora was always surrounded by people . And now, even though we had graduated she was still the focus of their attention . But how many of them were her real friends? Isnt Eleanora, who looks like the polar opposite of me, alone like I used to be?

Duke Hillroses expression when he talked to me yesterday suddenly came to mind . It wasnt a bad expression, but when he talked about Eleanora before we parted ways there was a gentle smile on his face .

No, hes irrelevant . Im going to face her on my own volition as a friend not because of her father .

Miss Elanora, wouldnt it be nice if I invited asked you out once in a while?

Eh? Yumiela-san?

By the time I noticed, I was already walking away tugging on Eleanoras hand . Her entourage looked flabbergasted at us like they didnt know what was going on .

We quickly walked along the corridor rushing out the hall . Eleanora made some noises but she went along without resistance .

Hey! Where are you taking me?

Uh? I dont know . It doesnt matter where are we going, as long as I can eat .

Nevertheless, the way Elanora walked was slow . She looked like she was about to fall down any minute now after keeping up with my pace . Thats what happens when you wear heels .

Then without warning I carried her .

Hyaaa! You cant do this, let me go! Edwin-sama

Eleanoras face turned red when she said that, what kind of misunderstanding are we having this time? What is so embarrassing about getting princess carried? Id like her to think that this was better than being carried on my shoulder .

We were running out of the Dukes residence, walking towards the capitals street . I also have trouble walking because of the heels should I take it off?

I ended up kicking off my heels right there and walked barefoot . The pebbles on the street were welcomed to try to hurt my feet .

I didnt know that Yumiela-san was such a pushy person .

Miss Eleanora is pretty good at it, too . Shall we go into some random store?

Running under the darkness in the evening, I went from the middle of the noble district to the commoner district . The dimly lit streets were illuminated with the light coming from the stores . Its hard to say when there were so many well-lit restaurants on the street .

I put down Eleanora in front of a fancy restaurant that I would never normally visit .

Isnt this kidnapping?

No, we are friends having dinner together .

So, friends usually do this kind of thing? I didnt know that .

What do friends normally do? Since I dont have many friends, I will refrain from saying anything since Im not sure myself .

Lets go inside, my hand pushed the door .

The staff was somewhat unnerved by our appearance but still politely served us .

Looking at the stores interior, this place was even fancier than I expected . We chose to sit by the window . It wasnt a surprise that this restaurants customers were nobles .

But none of the customers were wearing dresses . Naturally, none of them were barefooted .

After quietly observing our surroundings, Eleanora started talking in a good mood .

This place is lovely! Its pleasant even though it looks modest .

This, looks modest? If this is modest, what would that say about my favorite store in the capital?

While sipping her after-dinner tea, Elanora earnestly said .

The meal was delicious! Its hard to say the ingredients were good but they were interesting and enjoyable to eat!

Right .

I have to say something as well, something about the way it tastes it was really good .

Well, I dont care about cuisine . While stalling the conversation by sipping the tea little by little, I think about something thats been on my mind .

Money, what should I do?

I had brought enough money to pay for the dinner but currently, Im broke . I left it at the Dukes residence with the clothes I was wearing before I changed into this dress .

Thats why I mentioned that this dress was useless . The lack of pockets is one of its many flaws .

As I looked at Elanora, I thought that she wouldnt have brought enough money like I did . She wore a necklace with a large jewel embedded in it That would be a good payment substitute, right?

Yumiela-san? Whats the matter?

Would the staff be in trouble? But theres no other way, I thought worriedly as I stared at her chest .

Then I heard a familiar voice from the side .

What are you doing here?

Patrick!

Yes, a wallet arrived!

He saw us from outside as we were sitting right beside the window . It wasnt planned by the way, Patrick was just walking past the restaurant when he saw us . Were lucky!

Thank goodness youre here .

Why are you walking barefoot? Where are your shoes?

I took them off . It was getting in the way .

Are you a child?! Haa, it cant be helped .

Patrick sighed deeply . And he suddenly carried me in his arms .

Wait a minute, this is embarrassing . Im sorry I lied being carried on the shoulder is better than this .

Miss Eleanora, lets go . The Dukes carriage is waiting outside .

You two look wonderful! I also like Edwin-sama Aah! Edwin-sama has become Yumiela-san! Get out of my head!

It appears that Ive interrupted Eleanoras fantasy . Patrick looked at me like hes asking what Ive done now .

Eleanora, who entered the Dukes carriage, bowed to me . I wasnt looking presentable in Patricks arms .

Thank you, today has been fun!

Im glad to hear that .

Yumiela-san, will you asked me out again?

If I have the opportunity, I will .

Sometimes its nice to do this . Maybe once every four years .

Not long after we saw Eleanora off, we headed home . He still wont let me down so I ended up in a sideways hug .

Since the streets were getting less crowded, I didnt have any urge to hide my face anymore . Looking at the night sky, I couldnt help but nestle my face in his chest again .

Hey, Patrick .

Yeah?

I think Ive made a friend .

I stared into Patricks eyes, his eyes were as beautiful as the starry sky . Then I continued to nudge his chest with my nose .

His gentle voice comes into my upturned right ear .

Im glad .