Unable to hold back, I snapped at the noble lady blocking our way.
“Excuse me, ma’am. What did you just say?”
“Ah, ah, ah, ah-ma, ma…?!”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
As she trembled in front of me, I took a step closer.
“Could it be that you’re calling me… ma’am…?”
“Then, is there another lady here besides you? Do you think I called for the lady next door? Huh?”
“Ugh, what the…”
Ignoring her words, I continued.
“We’re officially guests invited by Miss Eliya. Why are you picking a fight with someone innocent?”
“You…!”
I disregarded the noble’s reaction.
“If you have a complaint, take it up with the owner here. Or are you just too chicken to speak up? I guess there’s a difference in status even among nobles…”
Suddenly, the lady brought her hand down sharply.
Her movements were painfully slow, clearly a noble who had never been in a fight.
I tilted my head back and easily dodged.
I almost instinctively countered with an arm throw, but my last shred of sanity stopped me.
I wouldn’t be able to take it back if I did that.
Instead, after dodging, I mocked her.
“Oh my, what should we do if our esteemed lady has such nasty hands? You need to keep your dignity.”
“N-no, you…! I-I…! Ah, ahhh-!”
The noble lady screamed and clutched her neck as if she were about to faint.
Just then, Anna shouted in a panic.
“Countess…!”
At that moment, everything went cold.
Countess?
Then, Narcissi?
The mistress of the Bevel family?
A crowd started to gather, and the lady, Narcissi, seemed flanked by her attendants who glared at me.
“Y-Yuda? What do we do? We’re in big trouble…?!”
Richard asked anxiously, and I replied firmly.
“Let’s run.”
“Run?!”
“Yes. Right now.”
“Get those brats!”
With Narcissi’s scream echoing behind us, we sprinted with all our might.
*
I ran until I was ready to throw up.
Thanks to our youth, we could weave through the crowd.
“Huff, huff… hoo…”
“Ugh…”
We managed to escape outside the mansion.
Luckily, no one seemed to be chasing us.
Each of us leaned against the wall, trying to catch our breath.
“Yah, damn it, Yuda…”
“How could I have known she was the countess…?”
I had no idea what Eliya’s family looked like.
I’d never seen them in real life.
I only vaguely knew their names.
So naturally, I had no idea that lady was Eliya’s mother.
‘Not a single resemblance! Hair color, eye color, features—all different!’
But… she must be her mother, right?
I actually have no clue.
Eliya, who hardly talked about her family, never mentioned them.
As I struggled to catch my breath, someone suddenly burst out laughing.
“Pfft, heh…!”
It was Lindell.
After catching his breath, he erupted into laughter.
“Pffhahaha! Oh, heh heh!”
As he started, the others began to chuckle as well.
I couldn’t help but join in.
Honestly, it was a hilarious situation. No doubt about it.
While we all laughed, Dillon alone remained serious.
Richard slapped my shoulder.
“That felt good, didn’t it?”
Lindell wiped away tears, joining in.
“I’m telling you, it was so relieving. I won’t forget that lady turning crimson and shaking.”
“Ah, ahh, ahh-!”
Argon grabbed the back of his neck, mimicking Narcissi.
It was even more amusing since it didn’t resemble her at all.
At that point, even Dillon couldn’t hold it back.
“Pffft…!”
He tried to cover his laughing mouth, but it was too late.
Another round of laughter erupted.
“Not even close!”
“Oh, my stomach hurts….”
Perlyn clutched his belly, and Daik came up to me and proffered his fist.
“That was cool, man. I really admit it, you’re something.”
“Thanks.”
I bumped fists with him, chuckling.
A few others joined in, saying “Yeah~” as they extended their fists.
We celebrated our little victory, bumping fists.
Dillon shook his head as he looked at us.
His face still held traces of his unfinished laughter.
“Ah… I feel like my lifespan is fluctuating.”
“For someone like you, you sure were laughing a lot?”
“Be quiet…”
As Richard teased, Dillon gritted his teeth and tried to stifle his laughter.
Just then, someone came running from the mansion.
I turned around, instantly alert, to see Anna, the maid who had guided us.
“H-haa… haa…”
Her complexion was pale as she stared at me, sweating.
She placed a hand on her chest, catching her breath, before suddenly crumbling down.
“Wah, ahh…!”
“Ah… Anna? Are you crying?”
“Waaah…! Sniffle-! What am I going to do now…! The countess is surely going to…!”
The girl, who was speaking through her hiccups, began to sob uncontrollably.
It was not the time for jokes anymore.
Anna was the one responsible for guiding us.
And I had caused a major incident.
I just served the countess, Narcissi, a hefty piece of humiliation.
Anna might have to bear responsibility for that.
Feeling restless, I approached her.
“Don’t… don’t cry first…”
What do you do when a kid starts crying…?
It was awkward even when I played around with kids at the gym and they broke into tears!
“Wah…! Sniffle…!”
“Wait, Yuda’s crying!”
“Ugh~ you trash!”
“Shut up!”
I patted Anna’s back.
“Uh… I’m sorry. I thought it through poorly… I know. It’s just how I am. I lose my temper easily, charge ahead without thinking of the consequences, and act recklessly…but, um… what if Miss Eliya helps us?”
“……”
“Or, I could take responsibility myself. If anyone says something, just give my name. Should we go get in trouble together?”
“No… it’s my fault for not managing you well… I had fun meeting you all. I think I should…”
“Hey, you can’t already give up on life at such a young age. Now, come on, stand up.”
Anna sighed and stood up.
Dusting off her knees, she looked at me, placing a hand on her forehead.
I turned my head, trying to be discreet.
She might look older than this Yuda guy, but she’s still just a kid.
She’s probably around 16 or so.
I felt unnecessarily guilty.
Since others seemed to realize the situation was serious, they didn’t tease me as before.
“Ha… what can we do? It’s already happened. We’ll figure it out somehow.”
Anna chuckled helplessly.
She had a tendency to shake things off quickly.
“It’s almost time for Miss Eliya to arrive. Shall we move?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Let’s not have a repeat of earlier.”
“Right!”
She looked at me as if she couldn’t trust me, shaking her head.
I followed behind her as quietly as I could.
The rest of the crew from the 13th Room also seemed to behave themselves.
*
Following Anna, we arrived at the central hall.
As she had hoped, no repeat of earlier occurred.
No one dared to provoke us, and I didn’t lose my temper either.
The Countess Narcissi didn’t come to hold us accountable. Thank goodness.
The spacious atmosphere of the central hall was grand.
The ceiling stretched high like the sky, with dazzling chandeliers.
And there was a red carpet leading from the front door to the central podium.
Today’s protagonist, Eliya, would walk that path.
Guests filled the surrounding area.
This crowd of gentleman and ladies looked just like the ones I saw from outside.
Among them, I spotted someone distinctively familiar and welcome.
“Moon Deer?”
The red carpet split between stairs on both sides.
In the wide space between those steps, a Moon Deer was present, accompanied by a fence.
The guests gathered eagerly to admire the Moon Deer.
“Is this the one that the young lady has tamed this time…?”
“Just look at those eyes and that magnificent antlers. How can something be so beautiful?”
“Definitely a direct descendant of the Bevel family. She’s not simple…”
“I wonder how the Molsin Church will take this…”
“But it’s not like she did anything wrong. It’s been ages since they had a hostile relationship…”
“Should we be thankful they didn’t come?”
The Moon Deer seemed unbothered, leisurely roaming within the fence.
With so many people around, I couldn’t even consider approaching, but suddenly the Moon Deer raised its head.
It looked straight at me, perking its ears.
I smiled and waved at it.
Given the crowd, I couldn’t get closer anyway.
We gathered at a spot away from the red carpet.
This was a rather awkward distance.
“Will we even see her when she enters?”
Lindell grumbled, accurately.
The seats close to the red carpet had already been taken up by significant nobles or early arrivals.
Although we were Eliya’s guests, we weren’t in a position to stand next to them.
Being here really made us all feel our respective places.
“But Yuda, what about that gift? You can’t just leave it unhanded.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t expect to give it anyway. I bought it just so it wouldn’t feel awkward coming empty-handed.”
It’s not like it’s something I can use…
There are only boys at the training camp, so there’s no one to give it to.
Maybe I should give it to Anna as a token of apology?
I’m not sure.
I suppose I’ll figure something out.
After coming to that conclusion, I surveyed the crowd of nobles.
Naturally, I was curious about Eliya’s family.
Members of the Bevel family that only appeared by name in the game.
It didn’t take long to find Narcissi grabbing her neck earlier.
With her curled golden hair and blue eyes.
‘Guess those people around her must be the Bevel family.’
Unlike when they looked at us with disdain, Narcissi’s gaze toward her family was very warm.
Her expression was soft.
I almost mistook her for a different person altogether.
‘But… how come nobody resembles Eliya?’
Black hair and red eyes.
There’s not a single mix of those around here.
‘Sure, there are red-eyed people…’
But Narcissi has blue eyes.
Everyone nearby has eyes just like Eliya’s.
Despite looking so close to family, they were all sporting luxurious golden hair.
‘Eliya’s hair is pitch black…’
As I was observing them and lost in thought…
“Miss Eliya of the Bevel family is entering!”
The doorman announced loudly.
The murmuring noise gradually quieted down.
All the guests moved closer to the red carpet and fixed their gazes toward one spot.
The grand entrance of the hall.
We tried our best to peek through the crowd.
I couldn’t help but be curious.
Small as I was, I somehow found a space between the crowd’s legs.
At that moment, the massive doors softly opened.
Pat, pat.
Small feet stepped on the smooth carpet.
The black leather shoes shimmered under the light of the chandelier.
Her ravishing black hair was elegantly styled in braids.
Her indifferent crimson eyes stared ahead.
The dress she wore seemed to be inspired by that same color.
‘Today’s makeup is rather bold.’
Her cheeks appeared especially rosy.
For a kid, her makeup was quite thick.
Being a noble must be exhausting.
Eliya walked the carpet, receiving polite applause from the guests.
She didn’t look at anyone.
She merely walked gracefully.
Today, she appeared a bit more expressionless, perhaps it was just my feeling.
While she walked majestically, she suddenly stopped.
Her gentle gaze wandered around before suddenly fixating on one spot.
As Eliya locked onto something with her stare, the applause began to quiet down.
Instead, the murmurs followed her gaze.
Eliya took another step forward.
She was walking toward the direction, toward a group of guests.
She stepped off the carpet.
Without uttering a word, the guests parted left and right.
Eliya walked between them as if it were the most natural thing.
The one she was headed for… was me.
Eliya spotted me precisely.
I couldn’t figure out how she noticed me among the crowd.
I had no space to step back.
Eliya came closer.
Quickly, I knelt on one knee, and the other candidates followed suit.
“Yuda.”
Eliya stood before me.
“Yes… Miss.”
“Look up.”
I gazed up at her.
Her large eyes blinked, alternating between the box she put down next to her and my face.
“Is that a gift? For me?”
“… Yes, it is.”
“Hand it over.”
Having hesitated, I carefully offered the box.
“Thank you.”
Eliya smiled brightly.
“Did you cut your hair? It suits you well.”
“Ah, yes? No, yes… Thank you…”
Cradling the box in her arms, she turned to walk back.
Acting as if nothing happened, Eliya once again walked across the red carpet.
I stood there in a daze, watching her.
‘What just happened…?’
It was originally a gift for Eliya.
I didn’t expect to give it, so I had given up.
The attendant turned it down, and I had never thought Eliya would come to get my gift herself.
No matter how much I teased Eliya’s curiosity, could she really be that interested?
Anyway, the gift found its owner.
Okay, great, that’s all good.
But….
Why did she have to take it in such a conspicuous way, in front of so many people?
‘Did it really have to be like that…?’
Just then, Richard tapped my shoulder.
“Hey… you’re in big trouble.”
He was right.
Hundreds of nobles gathered here were all focused on me.
“…Ah.”
Things just keep going wrong.
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