Finding Attached Noble Ladies (1)
Sisilia sprawled face-down on the bed, kicking her legs as she chatted with Fern inside the glowing crystal orb.
“Stay put there for now. Until I call you.”
—You’ll visit sometimes, right?
“Mm……”
As part of the preparations for opening, there was that quest: Make an Awesome Tutorial. Dungeon creation was beyond Sisilia’s control, so she needed Fern’s power. But not right now.
“I’ll come when the time’s right, so wait.”
—Got it! I’ll make a super cool dungeon by then!
“No killing people.”
—Of course! I’m not ready to face the Demon God yet.
‘Come to think of it, she said if I kill her, she can’t even go to the Demon God. Why’s that? Does he crush souls for fun or something?’
Sisilia tilted her head, then gave up thinking about it. She hadn’t intended anything like that.
The orb went dark. She tucked it carefully into her travel bag under the bed, then hugged her rabbit doll and rolled around.
‘Tomorrow’s finally the ball!’
She’d racked up plenty of achievements, so there’d surely be tons of people singing her praises. That alone made Sisilia happy.
What she was especially looking forward to? Befriending the current crop of noble ladies!
‘Gotta make a bunch of friends.’
And build some connections while she was at it.
Thud.
A presence approached from outside the mansion. Sisilia popped her head up like a meerkat. This aura……
“Chiron’s back.”
She scrambled out into the hall in her pajamas.
She bumped into Chiron, who looked utterly exhausted, and bowed her head.
“Welcome home.”
“Mm.”
He handed his clothes to the maid and undid the buttons on his coat. Sisilia’s eyes sparkled as she said,
“Was my cooking tasty?”
“……Was that cooking?”
Sisilia mumbled and teared up. Chiron hurriedly clarified.
“It was an astonishing taste.”
Granola soaked in milk for four hours had been astonishing. ……In that he couldn’t even identify the flavor.
“Right?”
Sisilia beamed with pride. It had been worth the effort.
Chiron let out a soft sigh and patted her head. Still, it was commendable that she’d tried to cook for him with those tiny hands.
“Um, the ball’s in two days.”
A ball? Suddenly why?
“B-ball?”
Marie, standing nearby, looked shocked too.
“Yeah. Betty kept begging(?) me to go with her……”
“Partner.”
Chiron gripped her narrow shoulders urgently.
“Your partner. Decided?”
His daughter’s debutante! In the Liannen Kingdom Dads Association poll—“What do you most want to do with your daughter?”—the overwhelming #1 was dancing the first partner dance!
It was only natural for Chiron to look forward to it.
“Yeah. I decided.”
“……!”
Sisilia averted her gaze, a bit shy. Chiron swallowed hard, tense.
Her little lips moved.
“……I’m going with Vice-Captain Edward.”
“!!”
“!”
Chiron and Marie’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“M-Miss. Even so, that’s a bit……”
“……I’ll step out for a moment.”
Chiron emanated a dangerous aura as he headed for the door. Sisilia tilted her head.
“Where’re you going?”
“To throw a gauntlet in that bastard’s face.”
He should’ve killed him ages ago. Chiron truly regretted sparing Edward in this moment.
‘Whoa, the vice-captain and captain are gonna fight.’
It was a massive event. Sisilia started to follow with a bright smile.
Finally catching on, Marie grabbed her wrist.
“Miss.”
“Yeah.”
“Enough with the jokes. You might actually kill a royal.”
‘It was just getting fun.’
Sisilia was disappointed, but she couldn’t turn Chiron into a traitor, so she came clean.
“It was a joke. You’ll go with me, right?”
“……”
Chiron, fuming to the tips of his hair, calmed instantly.
“No helping it. I’ll accompany you.”
(For the record, he was clearly thrilled.)
The Windsor Knights’ achievement this time was merely a truce.
But people treated it as a virtual victory report. The demons had never yielded so much as an inch before, let alone agreed to a truce.
Thus, the capital’s nobles were buzzing with activity.
‘Who was the idiot saying the Windsor Knights were washed up?’
‘Damn it, I shouldn’t have bought into those rumors from twenty years ago.’
‘Gotta connect fast! The Windsor Knights’ power is only gonna grow from here!’
The underground power struggles had begun.
Especially for invitations to the upcoming Victory Celebration Banquet. But formal war commendations took time.
A celebration for victory meant a grand scale, and preparations dragged on. Minimum a month, even rushing.
So nobles focused on the nearest banquet: the Eisenberg duke’s daughter’s debutante.
‘Perfect timing.’
‘That’ll be the key moment.’
‘All the majors will show. Northern grand duke’s kid, after all.’
In fact, Sisilia was under a huge misconception here, unbeknownst to her. A debutante was a noble lady’s first ball after coming of age—her official announcement of adulthood to society.
Just getting invited didn’t count as a full social debut.
“Betty. Northern grand duke, right?”
“Yes. The famous Eisenberg family’s lady.”
“Faust the commander? He’s the duke, huh.”
“……P-Pardon? No, of course not. It’s farther west. Borders the empire, not demons.”
Sisilia prioritized flash over substance—beyond basic etiquette, her knowledge was spotty. She knew demon politics better than Liannen’s power structure, honestly.
“……Not northwest grand duke?”
“Y-You really only hunted demons since age six, huh.”
“……”
Sisilia’s face went blank.
‘Need a mood boost.’
She had the perfect solution: the mirror.
Today’s coord was a simple white semi-dress with a pastel green short cardigan draping her shoulders. On the left, a cute ribbon matching the cardigan instead of a gaudy brooch for accent. Hair accessory? Ribbon too! All green and floaty.
Self-assessment: Bold yet dignified perfection, as befitting the capital’s trendsetting Sword Princess.
‘This’ll let me blend right in with the noble ladies. Hehe.’
And so, oblivious to the power intrigue, Sisilia entered the fray.
“Congratulations on the victory.”
“Heard the Windsor Knights pulled off something huge again. Must be Vice-Captain Edward’s noble blood at work, eh? Heh heh.”
Edward shook his head with a benevolent smile.
“My subordinates showed true prowess. I did little myself.”
“Nonsense! Word is you planned the whole operation, Vice-Captain Edward!”
“The kingdom’s blessing, heh heh—”
“Quite so!”
“I’m deeply honored by your words, my lords. A great privilege.”
Edward smiled with his eyes and raised his glass.
Once seated and out of sight, his face turned cold.
‘Boring.’
He hadn’t wanted to attend the banquet at all. He’d have skipped it, but it was the Eisenberg lady’s debutante—no refusing that.
Still—utterly tedious.
‘While we risked our lives on the front lines, these fools hid by safe hearths, stuffing their fat bellies.’
No one here piqued his interest.
But when ladies came to greet him, Edward met them with a soft smile and perfect etiquette.
“Lord Edward, you look dashing as ever!”
“The honor is mine. Lady Charlotte of the Campbell house. You shine beautifully yourself.”
He was killing time with such rote exchanges when—
An unexpected figure crossed his vision. Someone who wouldn’t show even if the world split in two.
Sisilia Windsor.
Blank-faced, drawing stares from the crowd as she walked.
“……!”
“L-Lord Edward?”
He shoved Charlotte aside at an angle and strode off, entranced. Toward Sisilia in the farthest corner, wearing the exact same bored expression he’d had moments ago.
—Whoa, Lady Sisilia, you’re amazing!
—Where’d you get this dress? Which salon? Spill!
—I-If it’s not rude, could we……be friends?
That’s what she’d hoped for.
Thud.
“That must be the famous……”
“Scram.”
“Yes.”
“Beautiful lady, may I have this dance……”
“Your head must be heavy.”
“Pardon?”
“I can help with the baggage.”
“S-Sorry!”
“If it’s no bother, a word with the lady here……”
“Fine.”
“Thank you! Lord Chiron! Then……”
“If you beat me in a duel.”
Tears welled in Sisilia’s eyes. Chiron was putting on a mad blocking show.
Even Grandpa Moses couldn’t get through.
“C-Captain……”
‘No friends at this rate!’
Noble youths getting crushed scared off the ladies too.
Sensing the crisis, Sisilia protested to Chiron.
“You’re overdoing it. What if people tease you as a doting dad?”
“……”
Chiron crossed his legs, Sisilia at his side.
“Leave it be. I’ll handle it.”
He downed his champagne in one gulp and said flatly,
“Minors.”
“……”
“You, who gets scammed three times a month and knows nothing of the world.”
He set down his glass and shot her a look.
“Just leave it?”
Sisilia pouted. Beatrice tried to comfort her.
“Mm, even I think leaving Lady Sisilia here alone is kinda risky.”
“!”
Beatrice too……!
Sisilia trembled with betrayal. Ten laps around the training grounds with a one-ton rock when they got home.
But she’d survive.
“Didn’t expect the captain here. Nice to see you.”
The white knight on horseback arrived.
Sisilia gazed at Edward with sparkling eyes.
“……What business?”
Chiron’s eyes darkened low. True lion aura.
But to socialite Edward, just an old lion.
He was the prince. Heir #1. Politics incarnate.
Social skills? Child’s play—honed since infancy.
“Oops.”
Edward dropped his wine glass. It shattered, splattering Sisilia’s dress hem.
“Clumsy me, spilled some wine.”
Obviously no accident.
Purple drops on her white dress. Edward smiled sincerely.
“Overheard something fun earlier.”
“……”
“Can’t even talk to Sisilia without beating the captain, right?”
Chiron showed no emotion, but the air around him grew heavy.
“Correct.”
“Then, conversely—”
Edward’s lip curled into a smirk.
“Beating the captain means I can do whatever I want with Sisilia?”
‘Even you have limits in society.’
Edward thought, gazing past the raging Chiron at Sisilia’s innocent eyes fixed on him.
‘Time you learned humiliation.’
Of course, Sisilia was……
‘Vice-Captain’s a god!’
……clapping like a seal inside.