Vol. 1 - Ch. 198 - Soirée

Who didn't know that spring was the season for social gatherings in the Royal Capital? It seemed like the Rovenne couple didn't. Soon after their arrival, they made an official visit to their patron and governing lord, Marquis Dragoon. A day after that, they received an informal visit from Marquis Dosperior.

But that was it. In an anti-climatic twist, they didn’t receive or make any more visits after that. 

Bellwood was completely down with it, especially when his wife Cecilia told him before that 'We might not have time for our usual sightseeing in the Royal Capital this time.'

"It's so boring. After all those scary predictions from you, and after almost losing all of my hair in trepidation because of them, there's nothing, zilch, nada. I guess I’ll just check out bakeries on the outskirts."

Bellwood lost all his brewing tension, and instead began to concoct his sightseeing plan inside his mind. 

To begin with, the Rovenne couple never bothered to mingle with high society except when it was absolutely necessary. And unlike last spring when their son just qualified for the Royal Academy, they skipped most of the social gatherings this spring. 

Then what about the other small-time nobles? Surely, they’d never pass up the chance to suck up to the nobles of high society. But they did with the Rovennes. None of them made contact with the family. The reason was due to the rumors stating that 'The Rovenne family is full of crazy nutcases,' which started to spread since that day in the station. And rumors often didn't take long to get around, especially with such a hot potato like this one.

But, this peace couldn't be explained with that reason alone. A fresh example was the Leverance family of Jeu. Many of the real big-wigs knew that the Leverance family would never miss this chance to attempt to talk about marriage with the Rovennes. Rumors were merely a deterrent, but they could never fully stop these big shots. 

Nonetheless, there was no movement from them. The question, then, was who could deter even the top guns? It had to be someone big. Someone they knew, like, *maybe a bigger big shot than those who already had plans to invite the Rovennes?*

"This... was certainly not what I expected. Perhaps Her Excellency has cleared these troublesome matters for us?... Either way, there's no reason to stay inside our house if no one’s coming, I guess."

Cecilia murmured with a troubled look. Schord saw that as a chance and gave them a push.

"It's a wonderful idea, in my opinion. Young Lady Roselia still has her classes to attend tomorrow. I’ll do the house-sitting for you in case any guests arrive. I've also gotten the chance to check out some precious literary works I would have never had access to, all due to Sir Godorfun. It would be a waste for me to let this chance slip by."

Schord knew how much Cecilia liked her little outings with Bellwood, and the stress she had been accumulating behind everyone's back. On the other hand, he got permission to borrow books from the Royal Library by the grace of Godorfun.

The printing technology of this world wasn't completely non-existent. However, the books still held incomparable value, and as such, they couldn't be so easily lent. 

The special permit in Schord's hand, in fact, even allowed him to access the books that weren't available for public eyes. 

After his ordeal with Allen in his preparation for the Royal Academy entrance exam, Schord had grown more fond of learning, and he rejoiced at the chance to read the latest research results or important documents, things he would never be able to read in the backwater region he was in.

"Well, I guess we can indeed take this chance to go out for a stroll, Bell."

Receiving Schord's push, Cecilia suggested their next plan, which immediately brought a smile to Bellwood's face.

◆◆◆

The morning of the next day.

Even in this world, the morning started rather early for the bakeries. 

While his masters were out in the wee hours of the morning, starting their search for freshly baked bread in the market, Schord was leisurely reading a book in the dining room with coffee when he heard the bell chime. 

This was too early even for a noble visit, so who could it be? Schord pondered the question as he placed a bookmark in the book he was reading and headed for the entrance. Outside, he saw an elegant lady dressed in a butler's uniform.

"Welcome. I'm the steward of this house. My name is Schord. May I ask the auspicious name of your lord?"

With a smile fixed on his face, Schord asked this question. The woman returned the greeting with a similar broad smile.

"Pardon me for such a sudden visit. My name is Espin, the head butler serving the Yuglia family. I've heard of your good name, «Unceasing Prudence» Schord Bainfaus. It's an honor to meet you. I'm here to deliver an invitation to a banquet my master has extended to Viscount Rovenne."

The woman — head butler Espin — then proceeded to hand over a meticulously crafted invitation toward Schord, the wax crest of the Royal Family firmly sealing it shut. The recipient’s name on the letter was Bellwood Von Rovenne, and it was signed by Patrick Arthur Yuglia.

Lately, Schord had learned to take a philosophical view of his life. However, even that persona was broken when the name of the absolute figure in the kingdom suddenly appeared before him, putting his mind in disarray.

"O-Oh my goodness... An invitation to the banquet of the Esteemed Yuglia royal family itself? This honor is too much for me to receive, alas my master isn't home yet..."

Espin nodded in a dejected tone. 

"So it would seem. As a matter of fact, Patrick-sama is keenly aware of how sudden this invitation is for tomorrow's banquet given that Viscount Rovenne must be having trouble keeping track of the other invitations he's received. In lieu of this only being a private invitation from the Yuglia family, the King doesn't have any expectations. So rest assured that turning this down will not offend him."

"It's t-tomorrow?!"

Schord once again lowered his gaze at the invitation. A careful glance revealed that the banquet was to be held at the Yuglia family's own residence in the Royal Palace premises tomorrow evening. 

Schord might not be in touch with the typical noble custom, but even he could see that the timing was just too absurd. 

"As it stands, His Majesty is due for a foreign trip the day after tomorrow. He hopes to hold a banquet with them before he leaves, as in his words, 'you’ll never know until you try.' And well, once the master is adamant on something, no amount of persuasion would work on him. The queen herself has chided him that 'it would be a nuisance to others' and tried to stop him, but alas. 

But of course, making room in one’s schedule at such short notice is impossible for nobles, so he said he would understand if people turned it down. The queen has especially asked me to be polite in explaining matters, so as to not leave any apprehension behind."

Espin concluded with an apologetic expression. 

"......Understood. I’ve accepted the invitation."

Schord promptly replied after some short guesswork. 

His master had been complaining about the lack of things for him to do last night, so they should have had no reason to turn this invitation from the royal family down.

However, when Espin heard his prompt reply, she found herself audibly gasping.

"A-are you sure you can accept this without Viscount Rovenne's consent?— Ahem, I mean, it's certainly great news for us should you accept the invitation. But... nobles value their reputation more than their lives, especially if they've been invited by the royal family. 

I doubt anyone would try to openly complain, but a proper follow up would be required for rescheduling and cancelling previous arrangements. In the absence of that, others would harbor distrust for Viscount Rovenne. It doesn't take long for rumors to circulate after that. And should they know that the decision was made arbitrarily by their family steward, it would only fan the flames and invite needless doubts from others."

Schord found her worry amusing and chuckled.

"Hahaha. I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness, Miss Espin. However, it just so happened that my master has been trying to find ways to kill time. So rest assured that there's no problem."

Espin was dumbfounded this time. 

Viscount Rovenne was the man of the hour, so him having 'free time' was perhaps the one thing that she didn't expect to hear.

Typically, their schedule should have been full down to the single minute, and the worst case scenario would be that their whole stay in the Royal Capital might be spent in only answering to these invitations. This was why her visit had been purposely made in the early hours of the morning, so that she could receive a direct rejection from the Viscount. But who would have thought that he would be so busy that he had to start his schedule early in the morning? Or so she had convinced herself.

Yet, the elderly person in front of her paid little heed to the etiquette of the stewardship and readily made a decision for his master.

"Indeed, your fame truly isn't without reason, «Unceasing Prudence» Schord Bainfaus-sama. Your performance has been an eye-opener for me. To reiterate, as written in the invitation, you, too, have been invited for tomorrow's banquet. Once again, do excuse the sudden nature of the invitation."

Espin followed this up with a bow. However, Schord rejected his invitation.

"I'm honored just to receive an invitation, however that won't be necessary. I’m merely a steward in the end, I hope you remember that. I might follow as my master's assistant, but I would refrain from joining the banquet personally, as a servant should."

Espin was amazed at how resolutely Schord rejected the invitation. His voice was devoid of any sort of ambition. 

She could suspend her logic for a moment and believe his claim to be true, and that everything has merely been a misunderstanding while he himself was no more than an ordinary old man. Despite that, the people were heaping praise on him due to the misunderstanding. She couldn't help but think to herself: could she have a similar level of self-restraint while basking in the glory?

Suddenly, she remembered the report she had read about the investigation of Schord — personally carried out by the Head of the Intelligence department — in the Rovenne region. 

In the personality and character portion, he was given an S grade. However, he was more than meets the eye when it came to integrity. 

Espin took a second look at the old man in front of her, and watched him give her a gentle smile. Yet, Espin sensed a chill running down her spine for some mysterious reason.

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