Adulthood Ball (2)
Adulthood Ball! If the Debutante Ball marks the beginning of a noble's social life, then the Adulthood Ball signals its peak.
The reason is simple. Nobles must marry between the ages of 19 and 24.
"Yaaawn~!"
Sara Aision, 19 years old, a noble young lady. She let out a massive yawn, stretching from the moment she woke up.
Today was an incredibly important day. It was the first ball she'd attend after becoming an adult—the day of the [Imperial Adulthood Ball].
Unlike the [Debutante Ball], which only girls participated in, the Adulthood Ball included every noble turning adult that year.
That's right. All nobles. Naturally, it was a ball where men joined in too!
"Ah... what a pain..."
Sara scratched her head vigorously as she dragged herself out of bed. It was the long-awaited day of the Adulthood Ball, but she didn't feel even a speck of excitement.
Why? Well, Sara was already ruined (...).
At 14, full of dreams, she'd giggled to herself imagining a life of haha-ho-ho fun with her peers as a noble lady.
But at 19, Sara had become a cold, realistic adult who knew what the world was really like.
Sara... had no friends! Still! Even at 19!
'I'll just hang out with Charlotte and Princess Esilia anyway, so whatever.'
Charlotte. Princess Esilia. Always, every time, forever. Ever since she was 14, these were the friends she was sick of seeing.
After Sara got roped into Princess Esilia's circle, she lost even the slightest chance of making other friends her age.
If the princess had introduced her own friends to Sara, she might have ended up as one of the handmaiden posse tagging along... but no. The princess kept Sara hidden away, meeting only the two of them alone—or three, with Charlotte.
Sara had mustered her courage once and shouted, "H-hey, introduce me to more friends!"
But the princess just smiled and said, "Huh~? But I like things just like this~", brushing her off.
What could she do? Sara was just the daughter of some rural baron's family.
In the end, even at the Adulthood Ball, Sara would probably end up standing by the princess's side, peeling away at some dried squid like a side dish.
'Maybe I should find a guy.'
Sara thought with another yawn.
The real highlight of the [Adulthood Ball] was, honestly, meeting potential partners. The same went for the young lords.
The Adulthood Ball was... a place to find women. Friendships were settled in childhood. Now, at 19 and officially adults, it was time to scout for a spouse.
Who would make a good match? To figure that out, newly adult nobles attended the Adulthood Ball.
Of course, since the main event was pairing up, even non-adult nobles showed up.
Officially, to celebrate their younger siblings coming of age... but really...
"Heh heh~ Any good fresh stock this year~?"
"Ahem... The quality this year is worse than last."
"Should I come back next year too?"
They sized each other up like it was routine.
Balls like the [Adulthood Ball] happened several times a year, each with a different name—Harvest Festival, Goddess Festival, Founding Memorial Ball, whatever. The names changed, but it all boiled down to men and women pairing off.
Newly adult nobles at 19 aimed to seal the deal within five years at most. The deal? Marriage, obviously.
In the cutthroat noble society, every year counted. 23 was better than 24. 20 beat 21. And 19 was best of all...!
They dashed from ball to ball like their lives depended on it. If hearts aligned, marriage followed. Then, in their mid-20s, they'd wrap up their long, tumultuous social life—become wives or husbands, start families, and dive into business.
That was the life of nobles in this era.
...Of course, failure brought problems. Some couldn't let go of the glamorous social scene, sneaking to parties even after marriage and ending up in affairs... Others hit their mid-20s unmarried, turning into old bachelors or spinsters and becoming family headaches.
"Hyah!"
Sara changed clothes and dashed to the dining table. The family was already eating breakfast.
"Sara! You're up?"
"Yup~"
Her mother, Elena, greeted her daughter warmly. With silver hair sparkling softly like her mother's, the 19-year-old virgin was dazzlingly beautiful.
Not just because she was her daughter—objectively, Sara was a beauty.
Elena smiled contentedly as Sara bit into her bread.
"Sara. If you meet a nice boy at the ball today, bring him home without hesitation!"
"There won't be anyone like that!!!"
Lennon chuckled too.
"Yeah. Bring him. Doesn't matter how many."
"..."
Was the unspoken follow-up 'I'll chop them all up~', Dad?
Sara stared at Lennon in disbelief, but he didn't finish the thought.
"Dante."
"Yes, Father."
"If any seem off, handle it yourself."
"Of course."
Sara glanced at her brother across the table.
Dante Aision. Twenty years old. A year older than her, he'd become an adult last year... and skipped the Adulthood Ball.
No need to go or whatever. Total free spirit, that noble jerk.
"Um... Dante."
"Yes, Mother."
"If you meet a nice girl... won't you bring her home too?"
At her mother's cautious words, Sara snickered.
"Like any girl would like Brother? The guy with bugs crawling out of his clothes."
"Sara!"
Elena defended Dante.
"He looks perfectly fine on the outside! How would anyone know what's under his clothes?"
Defense...? Elena couldn't quite deny it either.
Dante... had bugs coming out from under his clothes.
No. Bugs came out from inside his body.
He was a bug tamer, after all.
Between 10 and 15, Dante had achieved incredible magical feats. Dozens of symbiotic bugs lived in his brain, and their numbers had grown, spreading to various parts of his body.
A red honeybee queen called the Noon Fairy resided in his heart, along with about 50 worker bees and larvae for future generations, all nestled in his skin and veins.
And whenever nearby bugs sensed his mana, they'd crawl into his clothes to lick it up.
As a bug tamer, Dante had a welcoming mindset—he never turned away incoming bugs.
So... both women's words were 100% fact.
Bugs were in Dante's clothes. And living inside his body.
"Bug Tamer Dante."
Sara tossed out casually.
"People don't see your magic much, but if they did, they'd freak out."
Dante replied mildly while slicing bread.
"How often would I need bug magic at a ball?"
"You never know? What if you have to use magic?"
"If it's unavoidable, you can't worry about prying eyes."
"Heh~ At that rate, you'll die single~"
Sara teased, hoping for a fun reaction, but Dante shrugged it off.
"If fate brings someone good my way, it will."
"..."
Sara pouted slightly.
What was with that otherworldly, detached answer? Did he want to get married? Or... did he have a secret girlfriend...?
But the only women he was close to were Charlotte and Princess Esilia...
'Wait!'
Suddenly, an old conversation with Charlotte flashed back.
"Where's Brother Dante?"
"He went out for training. Dad says he's been learning boxing or something."
"Training..."
"We don't need him anyway! He's just in the way!"
"I... don't think he's that bad..."
"?"
"Dante. He's not uncomfortable, I guess...?"
"Even with all the bugs?!"
"I've known him since we were kids... I'm kinda used to it now."
[...]
Sara shook her head vigorously. Charlotte, that girl. With so many cool, handsome guys in the world, why say something nice about her brother of all people?!
She should be screaming, 'Eek! A guy with bugs coming out~! So gross~!' already!
Sara crossed her arms, annoyed for no reason. If Charlotte actually confessed she liked Dante... what would she say?
Just imagining it gave her a headache!
"All done eating? Get ready and let's head out."
"Already?"
"No set entry time, but we should go early and wait."
"..."
Sara couldn't make sense of her brother.
'He horny for love lately or what?'
As mentioned, the Adulthood Ball was a mating ground for young nobles.
If you weren't there to snag a boyfriend or girlfriend, no need to rush.
Sara planned to show up, see her friends, enjoy some food, and bounce.
Lonely losers like her and Dante would just get whispers like 'Oh, you're early~ (Why'd they come so soon?)' if they arrived first.
'But if he wants romance, he should've gone last year.'
Dante skipped last year's. Yet here he was, insisting on going this time.
Officially, to celebrate his sister's debut... but who would buy that?
Everyone would think: Dante Aision's lonely and hunting for a girlfriend!
'...No way. Is he actually after Charlotte...?'
Sara couldn't fathom it, but Dante was dead serious.
"You'll act as bait?"
"For now."
"Too dangerous."
"Sometimes you need adventure to reach your goals~"
"But..."
"And if something happens, Dante can help, right?"
"...It could fail."
"We'll think about that later~"
Princess Esilia was volunteering as bait to uncover secrets of the shady group [Hand of Authority].
The Carmilton Liberation Army—radical elements from the [Northern Grand Duchy] seeking independence from the empire—were suspected of being backed by them.
The princess wanted to capture a key figure and extract info.
"If this goes well, I'll give you a handsome reward~"
"I'm not short on cash."
"Oh~! So you're working for free~!"
"...We'll see after it's done."
Dante had decided to attend the ball to help the princess.
He was getting deeper tangled with her, but backing out now would look weird.
And with Sara as the princess's close friend too, they were already in the same boat.
"Ta-da! Brother! Look at this!"
"?"
Sara spun around in her vibrant dress.
Elena and Lennon spared no expense for their daughter. With New World goods booming, House Aision was raking in gold by the chestful.
They poured money like water on one dress, but they had plenty to spare.
"Pretty cute!"
Sara felt great in her new dress.
"Brother! How do I look?"
"Pretty. Let's go."
Sara eyed Dante.
Dante Aision was dressed to the nines for the party too. Black hair just like his father Lennon's. In his sharp-suited frame, he exuded undeniable noble authority even from afar.
Most nobles didn't know he was adopted. His black hair matched his father's, and his stern, authoritative—yet charismatic—face screamed purebred noble.
"Brother, you look kinda old in that."
"How old do I look? Twenty-five?"
"..."
Sara almost said yes but stopped herself.
Seeing him in a suit up close... her usual teasing wouldn't come.
She stared out the window instead.
Damn brother. Dressing all sharp for no reason... He wasn't actually going to flirt with girls, was he...?
No way... my friend Charlotte...?!
The Aision family carriage rolled slowly toward the ball hall.