“Are you nervous, my friend?”
“No, just feeling a bit awkward…”
“Seems like you’re not used to the tailcoat.”
Well, I haven’t had to wear something like this until now. It’s uncomfortable to move in. I want to loosen a button on this snug tailcoat, but the noble etiquette I’ve drilled into my head says that’s not proper.
I recalled all those noble manners I was pestered with to the point of bleeding from my ears and lowered my hands that reached for the button.
Although we were still inside the carriage, the head maid had railed on about how a disheveled outfit would make me the laughingstock of the event.
“You’ll adjust little by little. I used to find wearing a tailcoat uncomfortable when I was younger too.”
“It’s a three-day banquet, so it’ll probably be over before I get used to it.”
Three days.
Just three days.
In this short time, everything will be decided in the capital.
“You’ll get used to it in a day. Besides, no one would dare pick on you.”
“Exactly. No one would be brave enough to pick on Johann.”
Karina, sitting next to me, chimed in, backing up Duke Ryan’s words. Dressed up like me, she was so stunningly beautiful that I intentionally averted my gaze, nodding instead.
“Ho ho, Johann… are you blushing?”
“It’s just that you’re too beautiful.”
“Ha ha, you’re still young.”
The Duke, who had just hit his thirties, muttered like an old man. As he reminisced, I turned my gaze from him to the window. The road leading to the imperial palace was lively and bustling.
A multitude of people passing by, shops decorated with gems, and knights wandering here and there. The scenery made it clear why this was the imperial capital.
The biggest difference from Kalon was the lack of students, though.
Still, in terms of comfort, Kalon was the best. They say home is where you get used to, and after living there for a year and a half, it had become familiar. If Karina graduates safely, I’ll have to leave…
The position of a saint was indeed a busy job.
“Johann.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t get distracted.”
“Who would dare to approach when someone as stunning as you is right beside me?”
Would any woman want to approach with a beauty that could make even the most common beauty look plain next to her? As soon as they stand beside me, no matter how beautiful the flower, it would wilt like any other.
“Not a chance.”
“I can assure you that even the high elf queen wasn’t more beautiful than you.”
“Johann…”
“…Ahem.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just that age does that to you. I went through it too…”
The Duke’s gaze sank into memories. He must have been thinking of his late wife who died in a carriage accident years ago. I quietly fiddled with Karina’s hand and whispered, “It’s best to stay quiet…”
———————–
The summer ball held by the royal family was packed with countless nobles.
Young lords and ladies hoping to turn their lives around by coming to the capital. High-ranking nobles, the power players of the capital, and the lesser nobles that served them.
In the ballroom, where the ambitions of countless nobles swirled around, everyone was discussing one hot topic.
“So today is the day that the famous ‘Crow Hunter’ Sir Quartz makes his debut, right?”
“Oh my, I’m so excited. I heard he’s a tall and handsome man…”
“No way! I heard his face is so terrifying even demons would be shocked!”
Especially, the young ladies buzzed about the appearance of Baron Johann Quartz, whom they hadn’t seen yet. The fact that a new suitor appeared at a marriageable age was a huge topic of conversation.
They needed to snag the best match they could find, so the debuting Baron Quartz was the focus of endless rumors.
Some claimed he was a monster that even orcs feared, others said he was a sculpted handsome man, and some even whispered he was an orc hybrid—completely baseless rumors spread through the young ladies at the ball.
“But will he bring a partner with him?”
“If he brings a partner, we won’t have a chance…”
“I haven’t heard any news of him having a spouse or lover. He’s a paladin, right? So he might not be great with women.”
Everyone nodded in agreement to one young lady’s comment. Young nobles who were appointed knights at a young age usually had little experience with women.
Becoming a knight at the age they were debuting meant they had spent a lot of time training. Especially the sons of lesser nobles.
“They say he’s a commoner, so he’ll probably appreciate us approaching him.”
“But he’s the saint’s bodyguard, right? Would we even catch his eye? I once saw the saint from afar, and she was absolutely stunning.”
“Is there really a need to worry about making an awkward move?”
Earl Jenny’s comment found agreement among the other young ladies. The saint and her bodyguard—a literal pairing right out of a romance novel.
The saint had always been tied to individuals of high status, and it was custom for her to be linked with someone from the royal family.
Because of this, noble daughters didn’t even include the saint as a competitor.
“By the way, didn’t the First Prince have a crush on the saint?”
“I heard he sends her love letters every day…”
“Apparently, the saint has been so focused on her studies that she hasn’t replied, so my friend saw the First Prince looking quite gloomy.”
“Your friend?”
“My friend, Baron Alpaca’s daughter, is a maid for the First Prince.”
“Ah…”
Amidst the gossip, bits of information were exchanged. The young ladies stored that information away in their minds.
Because any information, if remembered, could be useful later on.
As expectations rose for the new face to make an appearance, a voice announcing that the awaited guests had finally arrived echoed through the ballroom.
“Duke Ryan and Baron Johann Quartz, along with Karina Kalon, are entering!”
“What?”
“The saint is here?”
“With them for the debut?”
Nobles turned to glance at each other in disbelief, then immediately focused their attention on the entrance of the ballroom.
The highest-ranked noble of the empire, the Duke, walked in, followed closely by a pair of a man and woman.
“That’s him…”
“Not exactly a looker…”
“I see why the orc rumors started…”
“One should always look at the inner qualities of a great knight rather than their appearance.”
“More importantly, the saint…”
“The saint has come to her debut!”
“Perhaps she’s here to help her bodyguard save face?”
“Do you see the glint in her eyes as she looks at Sir Quartz?”
The young ladies all turned their gazes toward the woman who suddenly piped up.
Martina Raymond.
The daughter of Marquis Raymond was smiling mischievously behind her fan. With her words, the young ladies’ eyes shifted back to the pink-haired saint.
Saint Karina Kalon seemed to be engaged in conversation with Baron Quartz, nodding with a smile.
“…No way.”
“Martina, are you…?”
“That’s right! Lady Susan. The rumors have spread among those at the academy long ago. While there’s no way we could dare to speak about the saint, it has leaked outside.”
“Oh my, how interesting!”
“Isn’t it?”
“So, that means…”
“We’re not the ones to contend with here.”
While the young ladies whispered in surprise at Martina’s bombshell, Duke Ryan and Baron Quartz were walking the red carpet towards the Emperor seated on the throne.
As all eyes were fixed on them, Duke Ryan and Baron Quartz knelt simultaneously and proclaimed,
“We greet Your Majesty the Emperor!”
“We greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The Emperor looked down with interest at Baron Quartz and Karina Kalon, who knelt behind Duke Ryan. He hadn’t heard that the saint would be attending the banquet, so he asked Karina Kalon,
“Saint, I didn’t expect you to grace this humble banquet.”
“How could I miss such a joyous day? I have come to recite a blessing for this occasion.”
“Ho ho. That was very saintly of you. Yes, please bestow a blessing upon the young sprouts of the country gathered here.”
At the Emperor’s call, Karina quietly stood and walked to the center of the ballroom. All eyes were on her. The current saint held a calm smile as she softly clasped her hands and began to recite her prayer.
“O Almighty Kalon…”
As her prayer began, one by one, the nobles closed their eyes and started to listen.
As everyone gathered their hands together, a gentle golden light began to emanate from Karina and spread throughout the ballroom.
“What is…”
“…let it be.”
The end of the prayer.
And the blessing.
The nobles in the ballroom felt lightness in their bodies and looked at Karina with tear-filled eyes.
“May everyone enjoy this delightful banquet.”
The true banquet had just begun.
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