Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Let's Observe Proper Etiquette at Banquets
After parting ways with Manuel, I returned to the banquet hall.
The banquet was already nearing its end.
Manuel, the host and main character of the evening, had finished most of what he needed to do. Before long, he would make a final round through the hall, receive greetings, and naturally signal the closing of the event.
Banquets are similar to plays.
When the lead actor prepares to leave the stage, the supporting cast gradually retreats behind the curtains as well.
Thinking I'd grab some dessert before leaving, I headed toward the food tables.
Then I spotted a familiar color.
Pink hair.
It stood out so much that it was easy to spot even from a distance.
But something felt strange.
That pink-haired girl was currently surrounded by several noble ladies.
'Is she actually popular?'
Based on my first impression, that didn't seem likely.
She definitely had a good personality. She approached people first, said whatever came to mind, and was strangely free of calculation.
In a school environment, someone like that would probably be quite popular.
But this wasn't a school.
It was a banquet hall.
Here, calculation mattered more than friendliness.
Possibilities mattered more than honesty.
A place where someone laughing and chatting with you today could become your rival tomorrow.
A place where family interests could make someone an ally one season and a stranger the next.
That's why people could quarrel in places like this.
But they couldn't become enemies.
Reveal too much of yourself, and you'll get eaten alive.
Act too cold, and you'll make enemies.
That's why noble ladies practiced those proud and aloof expressions.
I became curious whether Angela's natural friendliness could survive in an environment like this.
So I slowed my steps and moved closer.
Right then, an unfamiliar young lady spoke to Angela.
"Are you Lady Goldrun?"
"Huh? Ah, yes, that's right. I'm Angela Goldrun. And you are?"
"My name is Bianca Lascacci."
Interesting.
Angela introducing herself directly was one thing.
But the other girl had also introduced herself personally without using an attendant.
Angela could get away with it because she didn't understand etiquette very well.
Bianca Lascacci was different.
I could tell at a glance.
Compared to Angela, her attire was so refined it was almost unfair.
Even royalty would nod approvingly at how perfectly it reflected current fashion.
Someone like that was either incredibly wealthy or from a family that had to maintain appearances at all costs.
Her posture was impeccable.
The angle of her chin.
The way she handled eye contact.
The subtle movements of her lips.
Everything balanced perfectly on the line between arrogance and elegance.
Too arrogant, and people would correct her.
Too aloof, and she would inspire jealousy.
Noble ladies received specialized lessons just to master that balance.
A woman like that speaking directly without an attendant?
There was a high probability she was picking a fight.
If their families were bitter enemies, she would've attacked openly.
Judging from her polite tone, however, they probably weren't on such terrible terms.
'Still a provocation, though. What's the reason?'
The answer came immediately.
"Lady Goldrun, this banquet was hosted by His Highness Manuel. Yet why did you greet His Highness Rouang before greeting the host?"
"Uh... what?"
Angela blinked blankly.
Maybe it was the pink hair, but she looked even more foolish than usual.
The moment I saw her face, I understood.
'She genuinely didn't know.'
Just think of a birthday party.
Naturally, you greet the host first.
You give them a gift.
You offer congratulations.
Only then do you mingle with everyone else.
Today's banquet revolved entirely around Manuel.
No matter how much of a madman I acted like,
or how I attracted attention by showing up dressed in a way that practically exposed half my upper body,
those were merely side incidents.
Manuel hosted the banquet.
Manuel invited the guests.
Any noble who understood that wouldn't mistake the order of priorities.
Yet Angela had come to me first.
Without a single thought behind it.
Bianca naturally seized that opening.
"So House Goldrun intends to serve His Highness Rouang rather than His Highness Manuel? To express such intentions at a banquet personally hosted by His Highness Manuel is rather shocking."
"N-No! I don't have that authority!"
"Then perhaps you can explain why you greeted His Highness Rouang first."
"That's..."
Angela opened her mouth and stopped.
Naturally.
She had genuinely acted without thinking.
There was no prepared excuse.
The problem was that in this environment, such actions were interpreted in the worst possible way.
At banquets, who supported whom, who ignored whom, and who formed alliances with whom all became political signals.
And Angela had done something unfortunate.
At Manuel's banquet,
she had approached me before approaching Manuel.
That alone was enough to invite criticism.
The surrounding area gradually quieted.
The whispering noble ladies fell silent.
"That's a little..."
"The Lascacci side has the stronger argument."
"Lady Goldrun behaved rather rudely at this banquet."
"Approaching His Highness Rouang before His Highness Manuel was definitely a mistake."
"Even hiring a lawyer wouldn't help that defense."
"If this reaches His Highness Manuel's ears, House Goldrun could face difficulties."
Angela's face visibly paled.
Until now, she probably hadn't even understood why she was in trouble.
But the instant every gaze around her changed, she instinctively realized it.
Ah. Did I just make a huge mistake?
Her fingers fidgeted nervously near her waist.
Her eyes darted around as though she didn't know where to look.
She needed to explain herself, but her mind seemed completely blank.
From my perspective, she had simply approached me with a smile and started talking.
The problem was that sincerity didn't matter here.
Interpretation did.
Even if Bianca hadn't seized the opportunity, someone else trying to earn Manuel's favor would have.
Bianca had simply been the fastest.
The atmosphere, the logic, and the etiquette all favored Bianca.
At this rate, Angela would become the subject of gossip for the rest of the evening.
Watching for a moment, I came to a realization.
'I need to step in.'
Because I liked Angela?
That wasn't entirely untrue.
She was pretty.
A little naive.
Potentially useful.
But there was a more important reason.
Nobles lived on reputation.
This world called it honor, but the essence wasn't much different.
If I couldn't even protect a young lady who had just spent time openly talking to me under my name,
that would eventually become a problem for my own reputation.
Soon I would be leaving the palace and establishing a new foundation.
That sort of reputation would do me no favors.
It was better to intervene.
And in situations like this, the best intervention wasn't squeezing into the conversation with words.
It was flipping the entire board over.
So I walked forward without hesitation.
"Hey."
Bianca jumped and turned toward the sudden voice.
"Eek?! W-Who—?"
I didn't answer.
I simply walked straight up beside her.
And naturally.
Very naturally.
I draped an arm over Bianca's shoulder.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall froze.
Literally.
The noble ladies who had been watching quietly.
The attendants.
Even the nobles observing from a distance.
Everyone froze simultaneously.
Complete silence.
Bianca froze as well.
She had held the political advantage.
She had pinned Angela down with etiquette and logic.
But the instant my arm landed on her shoulder, all of that advantage vanished.
The middle of a banquet hall.
Countless witnesses.
An unmarried noble lady.
And a prince.
Once contact like this happened between those two parties,
who could still lecture whom about etiquette?
"He's insane! He's insane!"
"Shouldn't someone stop him?"
"Who exactly do you think can interfere there?"
"Well..."
"Could one of the young ladies stop him?"
"Not me!"
Among the voices that followed after the silence broke, many were criticizing me.
Yet nobody actually considered stopping me.
Bianca's face turned ghostly pale.
I could clearly feel her trembling shoulders beneath my hand.
Soon, I could even feel dampness through my sleeve as cold sweat began running down the back of her neck.
Her fear was completely understandable.
When people say this world is patriarchal, it's easy to assume that simply means men are powerful.
But in noble society, a more accurate statement would be this:
It's not men who are powerful.
It's the head of the family.
The family head decides a child's future.
Their profession.
Their marriage.
Their residence.
Their entire future.
The eldest son remains as heir.
The other sons become knights, are sent to monasteries, or are pushed into universities.
The same applies to noble daughters.
If a good marriage opportunity appears, they are married off.
If not, they become attendants.
In worse cases, they're sent to convents.
That's why noble ladies work so hard to increase their value at banquets.
To secure a better marriage.
To obtain a position where they can at least live as a mistress of a household rather than an attendant or a nun.
And the most important factor in that process is an immaculate reputation.
No scandals.
Extreme caution regarding even the touch of a man's hand.
So it was only natural that Bianca, still unmarried,
turned pale the instant Prince Rouang placed an arm around her shoulders in the middle of a crowded banquet hall.
Good.
Now everyone understood who had become the more difficult person to criticize.