Vol. 1 - Ch. 199 - Soirée (2)

Evening. 

Once the Rovenne couple were back, Schord briefly explained the situation about the royal family’s soirée invitation.

"—And that's everything that happened. I beg your pardon for making such a decision at my own discretion."

Bellwood could feel the world in front of his eyes spinning when he heard Schord's explanation.

"A soirée hosted by the royal family of Yuglia, and at such short notice?!... I can't. I’ve already planned to check out the bakeries in the northern district tomorrow..."

"Give up, Bell. You could make up a lie, but what would you do when they learn about how open your schedule actually is? It would be tantamount to slapping the face of the royal family after they had so hastily arranged the matter. Do you want to turn them into your enemy?"

Bellwood crashed onto his desk at Cecilia's words, the urge to cry welling inside him.

"Why? Just why would the royal family waste their time inviting a measly viscount from a backwater place, of all people? I have seen the visage of His Majesty only once, and that was when I appeared in the palace to receive my noble rank. Even then, there had been at least hundreds of people lining up there for the yearly inheritance ceremony. They're putting importance on the wrong people for real."

"Well, that is just how much potential they see in Allen, I guess. In this situation, a parent should be proud of their kid's achievement. You certainly aren't setting a good example, however… Anyway, what about you, Rose? At minimum, we only need me and Bell to attend the event for formality."

After hammering the final nail for Bellwood's coffin, Cecilia turned to ask Roselia about her participation. 

Needless to say, Allen and Roselia had been invited to the soirée as well.

"Hmm~ I'll go if Allen-kun is attending. Otherwise, I’m not that interested either way. Though I definitely would like to see Allen in a tuxedo, he he."

Roselia's eyes shifted to the tuxedo hanging on the wall as she said that.

Schord had urgently arranged for Allen's attire since the latter originally didn't have any formal clothes in his possession. As for Allen's participation, they had left a message for him saying to contact them back if he intended to join them using the academy's formal line. However, they have yet to hear any word from him.

Rose's gaze lingered on the tuxedo with a spellbound look as she sipped her black tea in disappointment. 

"I'm home!"

"Hiya, Allen-kun is back! Hurray! Alright, I’ll be coming with you then! Now, what should be my dress for tonight?..."

Roselia's expression flipped like a child excited about an excursion trip. Though Bellwood's inner voice was still silently weeping. 

◆◆◆

The evening of the next day. 

Hitching a ride on a carriage with the royal crest — a motif of a winged lion holding a shining orb in its mouth — being pulled by four horses, we arrived at the Royal Palace. 

I, for one, had no interest in these soirées or whatever, but I couldn't just turn down an invitation from the royal family while being a bit familiar with them, and act like nothing had happened afterward, so I eventually decided to come.

It just so happened that the knight mission I was part of was suddenly called off, so I couldn't use it as an excuse to turn down their invitation anymore, not with their level of intel. 

We entered through the northern mana-reinforced gate, something I had become used to after constantly making my way here due to my knight duties, and made our way to the royal family's residence. 

Incidentally, had it been the 'King's' sponsored official soirée, the typical entrance to take would've been the southern gate, dubbed the Dawn Gate, and the location would've been the Royal Palace instead. 

Even for me, it was my first time visiting the royal family's residence, and I must say, I was quite surprised at its serene, chic ambience. The door of the carriage was opened for us when we arrived.

"We've been waiting for you, Viscount Rovenne, and the esteemed family members of the Rovenne house. This one's name is Espin, the head butler serving the Yuglia family. Please, come this way."

At the beckoning of Espin, we got off the carriage when four knights, seemingly royal guards, promptly performed a synchronized knightly salute toward us. 

I saw a familiar face, Caprine-san who came with us on the transportation mission, among the knights. 

I remember hearing that she was a royal guard. I hurriedly returned the salute, though this only incurred a wry reaction from her. 

"...You're here as a guest of the Yuglia family today, so a salute is unneeded, Allen-san. And—"

Caprine-san paused a bit, her eyes shaking in grief. 

"I couldn't stop the incident from happening in the earlier mission… I have no words to describe how sorry I am."

An extensive expression of remorse dyed her face as she spun her apology. I shook my head in fluster.

"That wasn't your fault, Caprine-san. I may not have been there, but I’m sure you must have done your best. And anyway, I’m sure that he’ll come back like it never happened, so don't take the matter to heart."

I nodded firmly as I said that, which brought a bittersweet smile on her face.

"You look great in a tuxedo, Allen-kun. Anyway, I’ll be making sure of the security today."

"Thank you for the compliment, and yes, please take care of us."

While I was casually chatting with Caprine-san, my father appeared dazed, his mouth opened agape. On the other hand, a joyful smile was tugging on my mother's lips while my elder sister latched onto my arm. 

"Now that's a side you’ve never shown us before, Allen-kun. But I guess I don’t have anything to say since it was a mission. Anyway, I liked that cool side of yours!"

I felt a wave of awkwardness, and was left to scratch my head in silence.

◆◆◆

The exact location of the soirée was an outwardly leaning rooftop terrace on the third floor of a western style mansion.

The building itself featured four stories though the third and fourth floors were protruding in a convex shape, so the roof of the second floor shared a design like that of an open roof balcony of a wooden deck. 

South from that vantage point was a meticulously maintained western-style garden, and beyond that was the back door of the Royal Palace, which now reflected the orange glow of the sunset. 

The trees in the garden released a rustling echo as a gentle breeze, reminiscent of spring, brushed past them. 

I'd bet my money that this view was something exclusive to this spot. 

As it hadn't been long since the season broke out of its wintry shackles, the chill had yet to completely melt away from the atmosphere, though the rooftop's ambient temperature was quite warm thanks to the arrangement of magic lamps and heaters.

From the look of things, it seemed like everyone but His Majesty and the Queen had arrived. 

"Heya, Allen. Look at you, all dressed up so nicely, huh? But my word, you definitely aren't a man for these sorts of attire."

Hearing that oh-so familiar tone, I turned around and saw Dan dressed in a tuxedo much like mine. Though given his short and stout stature, the attire appeared a bit tight around the neck.

I found myself chuckling unwittingly.

"Pfft, ahaha! But you do look the part for sure. What was the saying, the clothes make a man? That's it."

Dan pursued his lips at my chuckle and protested.

"...That’s definitely not a compliment, is it? And what do you mean I’m all what my clothes make me, you and your mouth. I couldn't do anything, you know? The invitation came at such short notice, so it was impossible to tailor a new attire for me. Speaking of which, you aren't any different from me either. I’m sure your dress is brand new too."

While Dan and I poked fun at each other and shared greetings like usual, my mother looked at us with a joyous expression. 

"He must be your friend from the academy, right, Allen? It seems like you’ve made plenty of friends there. This put my worries at rest. I'm Cecilia, Allen's mother. Please continue to be his friend."

"A-Ah, yes. I am Daniel Serdos, a classmate of Allen's. It's nice to meet you."

Dan whipped an innocuous smile and greeted my mother, and then whispered to me in a subdued voice, "Woah, your mom looks quite beautiful, and she seems gentle too."

«Yeah, gentle until you pissed her off, that is.»

I also whispered back to him, though it earned a faint look of discontent from the person in question.

"You know I can hear you, right, Allen?"

"R-Right, let me introduce to them, I mean, my parents."

Dan's survival instinct must have kicked in. Maybe he noticed the faint mystic aura coming from my mother since he suddenly changed the topic. 

I followed the direction Dan pointed out and noticed a middle-aged couple there. 

"I'm Thomas Von Serdos, Daniel's father. Thank you for taking care of our Daniel."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Allen Rovenne. Thank you very much for lending us your precious monster repelling tool during my visit to Serdos."

Hearing my greetings, a broad smile appeared on Count Serdos’ face as he said in a soft tone.

"As long as it serves you well, then our heirloom relic has served its worth. Now that I look back, I presume that it must have played a role in building your Sail Club away from prying eyes. To be honest, I wasn't so sure about your club at first, but I must say you have me speechless with your achievement. The game you played was truly of a grand scale that no ordinary person could comprehend. This Thomas is impressed from the bottom of his heart. I hope you continue to support each other in the future."

...No, wait. I only borrowed that to fulfil my greed to feast on deareise though. If anything, the idea of a Sail Club hasn't even been conceived yet. 

Well, no need to correct him there either way. Nevertheless, he didn't look like what Dan made him out to be. I guess he must have had a great laugh seeing the gobsmacked faces of the people who used to point fingers at him after our transport mission. 

But thanks to that, Dan could now wholeheartedly give himself to the cause without listening to the garbage. I didn't think the earlier scenario would repeat itself, but going against expectations was human nature, so I decided to drive the final nail in the coffin.

"If you mean the earlier transport mission, don't mention it. It was mere baby steps for Dan, or a mere checkpoint, if you will. In the grand scheme of Daniel Serdos, you have merely seen the tip of the iceberg, Count."

As soon as the words were out, a portion of the crowd — they had been straining their ears in our direction — was stirred. 

"H-Hey, don't just say whatever comes to your mind, Allen! I’m already tired trying to tackle our current problems. That's more than a checkpoint you're making it out to be! Father, you must not take his words at face value!"

"Haa, did you forget what I said? It's on me how I evaluate you, alright? And I’m sure you're going to achieve so much more in the future that would dwarf your current achievements. Heck, I bet it would go beyond that, actually. But you know, I didn't say it lest it puts too much pressure on you."

I purposely said this in a loud voice audible enough to be heard by the surrounding crowd. Dan promptly talked me down, noticing the tension. Meanwhile, the woman next to Count Serdos instead burst out in laughter.

"Pfft! Hahaha! I'm Veena, Dan's mother. Now I can see why that little sister of mine took a fancy to you. You are quite broad-minded. I certainly felt delighted to hear that… I pray for a greater height for you, just like you do for Dan."

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