No, This Crazy Bitch
It was the second day of the banquet—the ball.
In aristocratic society, a ball was an indispensable social gathering. Of course, it wasn't just about dancing as the name suggested; it was more like ordinary socializing—eating, drinking, and chatting—with dancing added on top.
Well past lunchtime, in the late afternoon when the sun had drawn close to the horizon, Leon headed to the ballroom dressed just well enough not to look shabby.
The ballroom was located in the east wing of the imperial palace. He signed his name in the guest book at the entrance and stepped inside.
The interior was already bustling with nobles, easily twice as spacious as yesterday's banquet hall or dining hall, with the space extending up to a second floor. The center was left wide open like a plaza for dancing, while an orchestra played music without pause in one corner. Sofas and tables were scattered along the edges for gatherings, and finger foods, alcohol, and beverages were placed here and there for people to grab as they came and went.
Pretty flashy.
As usual, it was dazzling with decorations and magical lights. Leon popped a canapé into his mouth and moved on.
Even in a place overflowing with multicolored hair, a bright red head stood out.
"Oh, there you are."
Before long, he ran into Carotin, who was with his fiancée Tina.
Leon asked,
"Anything special going on today?"
Carotin replied,
"Nothing particular. Just kill time however you like. Ah, His Majesty will probably come around for a look midway through."
"That so?"
Leon smacked his lips. As expected, no particularly interesting events.
He had come here without much thought. Technically he didn't even have to attend, but sitting alone in his room would be boring, so he showed up.
There was one thing worth watching, though: Billy.
Billy absolutely hated crowds and bustle. So in the original story, he had resolved not to attend the ball, but... he got caught by a group of young ladies and was dragged here half-forcibly.
Caught by a group of young ladies? What did that mean?
Billy was a man who could rule the world with his face alone. Women flocking to him like mad was only natural. He had been showing his face here and there since yesterday's banquet, so there had been plenty of time for aggro to build up.
In fact, Billy's looks were already famous among the capital's young ladies and noblewomen. The rumors had been flying for a while.
Anyway, thanks to the young ladies' pleas to please come to the ball, Billy ended up here.
And then he gets challenged to duel after duel because of all the jealousy.
He would keep getting hit with handkerchiefs from envious men. But it was hard to call it Billy's bad luck. Considering human nature—especially that of nobles—it was only natural.
After all, Billy's status was on the lower side here. Not even a rural baron's son, but the eldest son of a baronial house. So the thought process of the hot-blooded young noble warriors here went something like...
— Huh? Who's that guy sucking up all the women? Why are they hanging all over him?
— Damn, that bastard's ridiculously handsome.
— Whoa, no kidding. Where's he from?
— Eldest son of the Keintel family.
— Where's that?
— Some backwater baronial house.
— You've gotta be kidding me. How'd he even get in here? What a joke.
— I can't take this. Lady Olivia's over there too. Weird, I was sure we made eye contact...
— This is a fucking duel. What else are handkerchiefs for if not throwing them at times like this?
Something like that.
I'll just watch Billy fight a bit and kill time before leaving.
That was Leon's plan. He had no particular desire to help or interfere. It was just a minor incident. Billy would easily take them all down anyway. His popularity would only rise further.
A little later.
"Leon. I'm here."
Celia arrived lightly.
"..."
Seeing her, Leon was briefly speechless. Her appearance instantly drew the gazes of every man around. Celia in a purple dress matching her hair and eye color was a beauty so stunning that calling her peerless wouldn't be enough.
Under Leon's piercing stare, Celia faltered slightly and asked,
"S-so, how do I look today? Do I look okay?"
Leon nodded wordlessly and gave a thumbs-up. Celia beamed with joy.
"Ahem, ahem."
Soon someone approached, deliberately making their presence known.
"Oh... Princess."
Turning his head, Leon's mouth formed a circle.
"Heh."
Esabel smiled confidently and placed a hand on her hip, tilting her pelvis at an angle like a model. Today her hair was half-up instead of a ponytail. She also wore a silver dress matching her hair color, with a slit on the side revealing her pure white, toned thighs.
Esabel kept going "heh heh" and giving him looks. Leon tossed her some praise.
"Please step back a bit. You're blinding me."
Esabel raised her nose and shoulders, pleased. In truth it wasn't praise—the dress was covered in so many sparkles that it really did sting his eyes.
Soon Riana arrived as well, and he met Cheren too. Cheren wore an elegant cream-colored wrap dress that suited her remarkably well. She had always been a great beauty, after all.
Having only ever seen her in uniform with a sword at her side, Leon spoke with a sense of novelty.
"Wow, Instructor. You look absolutely beautiful."
Cheren's cold face softened a little.
"Thank you."
"Yes."
On the second floor of the ballroom, a woman glanced down at Leon's group below and said,
"Why are there so many women around him? You never mentioned that."
A silver-haired man answered indifferently.
"What does that matter?"
"..."
"So, are you not confident?"
The woman smiled seductively with her eyes.
"No."
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Leon was currently laughing face-to-face with a middle-aged man. Their hands remained clasped from the handshake.
The middle-aged man laughing heartily was none other than Duke Celsius Bastio—Carotin's father.
"Haha, this fellow's got a real presence! Full of vigor!"
"Your Grace is quite the man yourself."
"I am a bit like that, yeah!"
—Hahahaha!
They burst into laughter again, roaring as if competing. Just listening made one feel refreshed.
Leon laughed with Celsius for a long while before parting. His chest felt clear, but the hand he'd been holding tingled. His throat hurt from laughing, so Leon moved to get something to drink.
But then.
Click, click—
The sound of heels approaching at a steady pace. There was a strange mana that dug into his ears and seized his attention.
Whoosh—
Next, a light top-note fragrance stimulated his sense of smell. It naturally turned his gaze. It was definitely an extremely expensive perfume.
"..."
Leon looked to the side.
She was a beauty of such striking youth that it made one's eyes light up. Pink hair, large eyes, a lively smile. A woman who had surely claimed the first-love spot in countless men's hearts for life.
Oh, she's pretty.
Leon admired inwardly. He was a man too, so he didn't dislike beautiful women.
"...?"
But the woman seemed to sense Leon's gaze, slowing her steps and looking sideways. The liquor in the wineglass she held swayed.
"Oh my."
She put a fingertip to her lips and widened her eyes. The sweet voice that flowed out was so coquettish it could melt one's guts. She smiled with an expression of utter delight and said,
"You're Young Master Leon, aren't you?"
...In that moment.
...
In a corner of his mind, Leon felt a certain awkwardness. A sense of dissonance and irritation. It was because he had unconsciously detected an excessive naturalness in the series of actions, gestures, expressions, timing, path, and breathing the woman had performed. A kind of intuition.
The sharp intuition formed by the sense Leon was born with, the countless dense experiences he had gone through, the senses of a warrior nearing Master level, and the Cheonryeong dwelling in his soul. It far surpassed the level of what ordinary people commonly called "intuition."
Leon brushed the faint rejection to a corner of his mind and nodded.
"Yes, that's right."
The woman approached with a seductive smile.
"My goodness, it's so nice to meet you!"
Click, click—
"Let me introduce myself, I'm—"
Just as she gently placed a hand on her collarbone and was about to reveal her name.
Slip!
Her left foot lost its footing. The high heel slid on the smooth marble floor. Her ankle twisted, and her body's balance collapsed. She was falling. And the direction she was falling was precisely straight toward Leon.
Her body shook violently, and her arms flailed along with it. The glass she held sloshed— and spilled the liquid inside.
Splash—
The bright red alcohol sprayed widely and came flying. The woman's form collapsing into his arms.
For anyone else, it would have been a truly critical moment, but... in Leon's vision as he reflexively activated Extreme Speed, it looked as slow as falling leaves.
"No, this crazy bitch."
Leon muttered without realizing it.