The Banquet
The Banquet
The Somerset Count's House manor was quite large. It ranked among the biggest not only in the Goldpool Valley region where the territory lay, but in the entire southern province.
It was big enough that Rupert complained it was pointlessly spacious—or more precisely, that the upkeep cost a fortune.
That sprawling manor was usually quiet, occupied only by family and servants, but today it bustled.
After the elf-mountain special-fertilizer incident, the Somerset Count's House had fallen into rapid decline. Now, with word that they were hosting a banquet for the first time in years, guests came not only from neighboring lordships but from far away.
Some of them had come to see the Somerset second son, who had recently become the talk of high society by creating and selling things called picture books—and had even received a plaque of appreciation from the imperial family.
Conversely, nobles whose lands bordered Somerset territory had come partly to spy, worried that if Somerset revived, their own interests would be snatched away.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming all this way."
At the entrance to the family banquet hall, a bespectacled young man with blond hair greeted the guests in person. It was unmistakably the Somerset family's second son, Rupert Somerset.
Normally at such gatherings the head of the family would come out to receive guests, yet here the son was standing in for him.
'So that rumor was true.'
A noble who had received Rupert's hospitality thought to himself.
The recent rumor that Count Bradley, head of House Somerset and lord of the territory, had been stripped of his real power by his son and reduced to a figurehead.
At first he had dismissed it as mere gossip, but now that he had come and seen for himself, it seemed to be true.
Greeting guests was originally the head of the family's duty. Yet Count Bradley, the head of the house, stood alone and apart, far from the entrance.
"How frightening. No matter how much one craves power, to topple his own father and seize the family..."
The world of nobles was cold beyond compare, but even so, pushing aside one's own blood—one's direct-line father, no less—was never a common occurrence.
The noble burned Rupert's icy impression deep into his memory.
He had assumed that someone who made picture books—things for children—would be gentle-natured.
'The rumors had spread that way too. If I hadn't seen him myself, I would have been badly mistaken.'
***
"No, Father! What have you decorated this place with now?"
"Nobles are visiting our manor—do you expect me to show them a beggar's hovel?"
"I got the price from the merchant company head! He said there's no real difference from a fifty-silver statue, yet you deliberately picked expensive ornaments."
"Tch! That fellow's mouth is far too loose."
I was genuinely losing my mind. I was busting my ass to save every last coin, while Father had decorated the banquet hall with expensive items because he couldn't bear to be looked down on by the attending nobles.
'It's not that I don't understand...'
I did understand Father's position. It was the first banquet in years, and he wanted to show that the family had not fallen.
But seeing him leave the guest reception to me while he strolled leisurely around the banquet hall chatting with other nobles somehow grated on me.
'Isn't this the head of the family's job?'
He was definitely sulking over being stripped of the territory's financial management last time.
I had worn myself out frantically memorizing the guest list so I could greet the invited nobles at the banquet hall entrance and exchange brief pleasantries.
I had no talent for dealing with people to begin with, so forcing fake ha-ha, ho-ho conversation with nobles I didn't know was exhausting too.
'But surprisingly, no one's really trying to talk to me?'
Both Father and the merchant company head had warned me that plenty of people would probably sidle up and try to work an angle about the picture books, so I should be careful.
But far from approaching me, nothing much happened at all—I even got the sense people were keeping a slight distance.
"Hello, Rupert."
As I was greeting and sending off guests, I turned my head at a familiar voice from somewhere.
Blue hair and sky-blue eyes. There stood a woman with an impression so striking that a single glance was unforgettable.
"Hello, Lady Amelia."
Unlike the last time I saw her, Amelia had dressed up for the banquet in a pale purple gown, and I found myself staring at her before I knew it.
It was rude to keep staring at a noble lady's face, so I pulled myself together and greeted her with feigned composure.
Her looks really were stunning. Rupert, I apologize for calling you a sucker. I could certainly see why you would chase after her.
"Not at all. Rather, I apologize if I've been rude in coming uninvited."
Rude, she said. I hadn't even thought to send an invitation, but I had been flustered when the Bluewell Ducal House suddenly asked to attend.
Originally, I hadn't wanted to get entangled with Amelia, the heroine of the original web novel, either.
But—
"Not at all. I truly wanted to see you again. I mean that sincerely."
It was only after getting entangled with the imperial family that I realized it: compared with them, the Bluewell Ducal House was truly an angel among angels.
'The amount they sent as a genuine reward was no joke. I barely managed to stop myself from wanting to sell them books every time.'
Unlike the imperial family, who had fobbed me off with a single plaque of appreciation, the ducal house had paid generously. They were like a lofty mountain peak.
Unlike before, a smile came to my lips on its own, and my voice came out bright.
"...I see."
Ah. Was that too much? Amelia Bluewell's expression looked strange.
Her cheeks and ears were slightly flushed—I must have come on too strong.
'I need to be careful. I was too casual with her.'
As if my behavior hadn't sat well with him, the middle-aged man behind Amelia wore a grim expression.
"So you're the Somerset second son?"
"Yes, I am. Thank you for coming, Duke Bluewell."
"Hmph... Indeed, for me to come all the way to such a backwater— Ack! Amelia!"
The Duke of Bluewell, who had been speaking with a dissatisfied look, suddenly let out a surprisingly youthful yelp and turned toward his daughter.
Then, after clearing his throat a few times, the duke hurried into the banquet hall with Amelia.
I had wanted to at least offer my thanks to such a generous man.
***
Amelia was angry at her father for butting in before she could savor the afterglow of reuniting with that man.
'I truly wanted to see you again.'
Recalling his sincere words that he had wanted to see me again made my face feel like it would burst all over again.
Where had the coldness from our first meeting gone? His voice had sounded buoyant, his expression bright.
It had been a moment to confirm that he surely felt the same way I did—and Father had ruined all of it.
"Amelia, no matter what, how can you pinch your own father in front of people?"
"Be quiet. I truly asked you so many times."
At my words, Father finally fell silent, apparently unable to offer an excuse.
I had wanted to come alone, but Father had stubbornly refused to allow it, so we had come together.
'So that good-for-nothing can't try anything again!'
I had a feeling he would cause trouble if he came along. I had warned him before leaving and during the journey, begging him not to interfere—but in the end he had done it anyway, and I had no choice but to pinch his side to stop him.
He looked hurt, but it couldn't be helped. Today, at least, I didn't want my conversation with him interrupted.
The Somerset Count's House banquet was better prepared than I had expected.
I had been worried after learning they hadn't held a banquet in recent years.
Perhaps someone had helped them keep up with the latest banquet trends. Even in my eyes, after attending countless banquets in the capital, it was quite respectable.
Father, though grumbling, was also watching the currently popular troupe's jester tricks with interest.
Unlike social dances where a band was called and people danced, at a banquet the invited nobles sat at assigned tables while the host circulated among them.
So I had no choice but to wait for the man's turn to come to my table.
And at last.
"Are you enjoying the banquet?"
"Yes. I'm enjoying it very much."
"Enjoying it, my foot. You did nothing but stare at him..."
At Father's muttered grumbling, I kicked him in the shin under the table.
Only after confirming that he had coughed and excused himself to go smoke for a moment did I resume my conversation with him.
After exchanging the usual pleasantries—thank you for coming, thank you for inviting me—the topic naturally turned to the picture books.
"The picture book you made—my younger sister absolutely adored it. She still hugs it to sleep every night, to the point that it gives me a headache."
"That's a compliment to me, then. Embarrassing as it is, my younger sister is the same."
"I'd like to meet your sister sometime. She sounds adorable."
Since we both had younger sisters, we unexpectedly found common ground. The usually blunt man's eyes sparkled when he talked about his sister.
How fitting for an author who made books for children.
"By the way, this new work, The Little Mermaid, is a bit different from your previous works."
And once the moment was ripe, I brought up the reason I had come—and wanted to confirm his feelings once more.
Whether this story he had drawn was about us.
At my question, he fell silent for a moment, as if it were a question he hadn't anticipated. Then, after a brief pause, he answered.
"I wanted to depict that there are things people cannot attain. Because that is how we grow."
Was it my imagination, or did his eyes seem slightly moist as he said that?
I lost the nerve to press the subject any further.
"Ah, by any chance, are you planning to enroll at the Imperial Academy too, Rupert?"
So I changed the subject to the academy.
The academy, called the cradle of the empire, was approaching its enrollment period and was quite a hot topic among noble children.
But he answered with a slightly dazed expression, as if lost in thought.
"Yes, I'll probably enroll. An admission notice arrived not long ago."
I felt a little relieved at that answer. If he was certain to enroll in the academy, then there was still more time for us to see each other.
***
"By the way, this new work, The Little Mermaid, is a bit different from your previous works."
Amelia Bluewell suddenly brought up The Little Mermaid. Ah, the nightmarish memory came flooding back.
'I have something to discuss regarding The Little Mermaid. Make haste to the imperial palace.'
A mysterious letter delivered through the merchant company head not long ago. When I saw the crest stamped on that letter, I despaired once again.
Why on earth! Why was the Imperial Princess summoning me again!
Since I had to prepare to leave for the imperial palace the moment the banquet ended, hearing about The Little Mermaid made me feel like crying again.
"I wanted to depict that there are things people cannot attain. Because that is how we grow."
Holding back the tears threatening to spill over at the thought of being dragged to the imperial palace, I barely managed to answer Amelia.
After that, Amelia kept asking me things like whether I would enroll in the academy. But my head was already so full of the thought of meeting the Imperial Princess that I couldn't even remember what I'd answered.