Chapter 2
Chapter 2
In front of the grand main gate of the imperial ballroom, the carriage of the Roswell Ducal House came to a stop.
Before the carriage door opened, I tightened my gloves once again and steadied my resolve.
From the moment this door opens, I am no longer a butler.
I am the Empire’s greatest hunter.
My targets are the Crown Prince, who is said to be attending today’s ball, and in addition, the Archmage and the Knight Commander. If I can steal the heart of even one of those three for our young lady, my hunt will be a success.
The Crown Prince is the top priority, but the more options, the better.
And the young lady doesn’t seem to particularly like the Crown Prince anyway.
I carefully adjusted Charlotte’s outfit one last time, the main character of today’s ball, and asked with solemn determination.
“Are you ready, my lady?”
“No. I kind of want to go back and play chess with you right now.”
“Please, since you’ve come all this way, just follow what I say.”
“Hmph. Honestly, I don’t see what’s so great about places like this.”
As I respectfully opened the door, dazzling lights spilled out and Charlotte revealed herself.
The ballroom was noisy and bustling.
Yet the moment her feet touched the ground, the surrounding noise faded as if it had been a lie.
They had all been collectively stunned by “our” Charlotte’s beauty.
“Wow, look at that. Is that…?”
“That’s Lady Charlotte von Roswell. Goodness, how can someone be this beautiful…”
“I heard she rarely attends events like this.”
“Of course. The Duke must be protecting her. There are wolves here disguised as nobles.”
No.
She doesn’t attend because of her own will.
She simply hates crowded places.
In fact, the Duke had been begging her to attend public events more often.
And I had paid quite a price to drag her here today…
Well, whatever.
Ignoring all the whispers directed at her, Charlotte walked forward with steady yet elegant steps.
“Gulp… even her walking is beautiful.”
“The line of her legs feels like a painting…”
I taught her that.
I taught her that.
I was both uncomfortably aware of the sticky gazes directed at her legs and, frustratingly, a little proud of it, so instead of glaring, I moved to block their view.
Keep staring all you want, you extras. Our young lady is not hunting small fry like you today—she’s going for big game.
Before long, Charlotte slowly opened the doors of the banquet hall, and light reflected off the ornate decorations to greet us.
The imperial ballroom was the very embodiment of wealth and magic combined.
Tens of thousands of floating magical candles drifted across the ceiling like a galaxy, and the gold-plated walls reflected light so brightly it stung the eyes.
The nobles gathered from across the empire looked like a field of flowers, but compared to Charlotte standing at the center, they were nothing more than background props.
Good. The atmosphere is perfect. Time to locate the targets.
I scanned the surroundings as if I were wielding an invisible command staff behind Charlotte.
There.
First target. The emotionless iron wall type—Knight Commander Lucian.
The first target I spotted was a dark-skinned man with neatly tied silver hair and a clean shirt outfit.
Lucian Marquis, the Empire’s greatest swordsman and the embodiment of stoicism.
He was standing in a corner of the ballroom, absentmindedly holding a glass of wine while blocking all social approaches.
Lucian was actually a character with difficulty almost on par with the Crown Prince.
His nickname “Iron Wall” was not for nothing; he simply had no interest whatsoever in women.
However, even Lucian had a “weak point.”
In the original story, he was vulnerable to “strong women” or “unexpected clumsiness.”
Charlotte had no combat ability whatsoever, so we would aim for the latter.
“Lady, this is the first operation. As you pass by Marquis Lucian, drop this handkerchief. If he picks it up, say, ‘Oh my, when did I drop this? Thank you, Marquis. Hehe, as expected, you are as gentlemanly as the rumors say.’ and casually praise him.”
The key point here is to let him enjoy Charlotte’s smile from an angle looking slightly up at her.
Anyone who sees that angelic smile from that heavenly angle would inevitably think of it day and night.
Also, adding honorifics like “Marquis” and phrases like “as the rumors say” subtly signals that you already know him, which is important.
However, Charlotte responded to my perfect plan with a disinterested expression.
“A handkerchief? The one you bought me last time? Why would I drop that? That’s wasteful.”
“Please. I’ll buy you another one later. Just do as I say today.”
“…Really? You promise?”
Having secured my promise, Charlotte walked toward Lucian with reluctant yet still beautiful steps.
I held my breath and watched.
The distance narrowed, and Charlotte took out the silk handkerchief from her pocket.
Perfect timing. The crossing point with Lucian.
Now!
Drop it!
Thwack!
“…?”
I rubbed my eyes with both hands, thinking I had seen wrong.
But there was no way my eyes—capable of competing even with Mongolians—were wrong.
Instead of dropping the handkerchief, Charlotte had bundled it up and thrown it precisely at the back of Lucian’s head.
“Oops, Marquis. There was some dust on you, so I was just brushing it off.”
As Lucian turned around in confusion, Charlotte continued without apology, lifting her chin.
“By the way… they say you’re the Empire’s greatest swordsman, but you can’t even dodge something coming from behind? How disappointing.”
Lucian stared blankly at the fallen handkerchief, and I covered my mouth.
Who told you to compliment him—you’re just starting a fight!
Seeing the confusion in Lucian’s eyes, I quickly pulled Charlotte aside.
We had to resolve this before earning the wrath of the Empire’s greatest swordsman.
“Lady! There you are! Lady Charlotte, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You suddenly disappeared saying you were going to throw a handkerchief at someone you found favorable.”
“What? I never—this is your—”
“Ahaha, my lady has such a youthful side to her. Marquis, would you forgive her rudeness? She has been rather awkward with expressing affection toward men since childhood.”
“Affection? That’s ridiculous—!”
“Marquis! I will bow my head in apology. Please treat this as a childish mistake from a young lady…”
My desperate cover-up clashed violently with Charlotte’s attempts to undo it, and in the end Lucian nodded hesitantly, his face full of question marks.
I never imagined the Knight Commander, who was said to show no emotion even on the battlefield, would make such a face.
“Yes… I, I’m fine.”
“As expected, the title ‘Justice of the Empire’ is not given lightly. Thank you for your generous understanding. Then we shall take our leave.”
After thanking him, I quickly pulled Charlotte away.
Away from Lucian.
And…
“Lady…”
To properly scold this reckless young lady.
When I said her name in a lower tone, two steps colder than usual, Charlotte instinctively straightened her back.
Pavlov’s dog effect.
“Is this how you treat the Empire’s greatest swordsman?”
“W-well…”
She fidgeted, clearly aware she had done something wrong.
Cute. Ridiculously cute.
But even if I am her personal butler, I am still a man.
Softening slightly, I shouted in a half-joking, scolding tone.
“I told you to seduce him, not attack him!”
“You’re the one who told me to do everything! I did it all!”
“I told you to compliment him! Compliment! You started by insulting him—what part of that is a compliment?!”
“Isn’t it a compliment?! Saying he’s disappointing means you expected more from him!”
“…What?”
Does she really think that?
That thought didn’t last long.
That was the face she makes when she’s completely serious.
I sighed and ran a hand over my face.
My common sense and my lady’s common sense are moving in completely parallel lines.
…It seems she still needs a lot of education.
After the storm-like incident passed, Lucian remained where he stood and slowly picked up the fallen handkerchief.
As he recalled what had just happened, a small laugh escaped him.
“What was that…?”
A very bold young lady.
To behave so rudely and violently toward him, the Empire’s greatest swordsman.
And yet, the words that came from such a beautiful face were absurdly amusing.
“By the way… they say you’re the Empire’s greatest swordsman, but you can’t even dodge something coming from behind? How disappointing.”
Lucian replayed her lightning-like words in his mind.
“Disappointing…”
How long had it been since anyone said that to him?
Ever since he picked up a sword, no one had ever said such a thing.
Hearing disappointment about his swordsmanship was not unpleasant, but rather…
Strangely intriguing.
Disappointment… does that mean she expects more from me?
Something no one else— not even the Emperor—has ever expected.
“The best.”
That title is not given to just anyone.
The best. The strongest.
A crown granted to only one person in existence.
Someone who expects more from him.
Just how strong is she?
Lucian became curious.
And that curiosity slowly changed form the more he thought of her.
He recalled that she already knew who he was.
That fact made the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
Then he remembered what the butler had said, and his heartbeat grew faintly stronger.
“A person she’s interested in…”
That referred to him.
Clumsy, reckless behavior.
Yet that unexpected awkwardness seeped into Lucian’s heart.
He repeated her name, spoken by the butler.
“Charlotte…”
What an interesting young lady.
Next time they met, he decided he would speak to her a little more.
The man once called the Iron Wall thought so.