Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Smile Beyond the Mask
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"Lady of House Delbar."
Scribble, scribble...
One noble, checking off each arriving guest one by one, brought his pen to his notepad.
A moment later, he closed the notepad and carefully offered a small brooch to Carnel.
"You may enter."
"......Yes."
Carnel nodded quietly and took the brooch, pinning it to the chest of her uniform.
The brooch bore no ornaments or crests...
But it was proof of her nobility... a mark that guaranteed her superiority at this banquet.
"......"
Even among those gathered under the name of a banquet...
Status and rank... the lines between noble and commoner were clearly drawn.
'...I still don't like it.'
Carnel had certainly received many benefits from this divide, and she didn't deny that she had lived under the name of Lady of House Delbar.
The treatment she received as a noble.
The prestige of her family name.
All of it had indeed acted like wings for her.
'But...'
She believed those benefits were something anyone could create for themselves, and there was no need for hierarchies like this.
A single brooch... a single calling card deciding a person's worth and weight.
Such hypocrisy and authority... in Carnel's eyes, were nothing more than childish, lowly contrivances that made her click her tongue.
But now was not the time to show her disgust.
As the lady of House Delbar, Carnel had to play the role prescribed within the banquet's framework.
Clank.
The grand doors of the banquet hall parted to either side.
Dazzling light poured out through the gap like a flood...
And following that light, dozens of gazes began to focus on one person.
"Ah...! Lady of House Delbar, you've arrived!"
"Would you happen to not have a partner...?"
"Won't you take my hand...!!"
"You are truly beautiful...!"
From the moment Carnel took a single step inside, exclamations, flirtations, and flattery poured in from all directions.
People moved as if bound by chains, interpreting, speculating, and romanticizing Carnel's attire, her gait... even the direction of her gaze.
'Tch...'
But...
Carnel never once met any of those gazes.
She knew.
The only person whose gaze she would meet... was just one.
'......'
Under the brilliant lighting, with a refined expression and quiet footsteps...
Carnel walked silently toward the center of the banquet hall.
"Is that her...?"
"Hey, commoner, she's not someone for the likes of you to eye."
"Lady of House Delbar... as beautiful as ever today."
Nobles and commoners distinguished by their brooches.
Ladies showing their status through their gowns and their maids.
Greetings and wine glasses exchanged with forced smiles.
The wine in the glasses was expensive... but not a single drop of sincerity was contained within. That was the 'banquet.'
And in the midst of it all...
One person walking in alone, leaning on no one.
"......"
Carnelia von Delbar.
In that moment, she shone brighter than anyone...
But she was also the one most uncomfortable with that light.
The exclamations and praises showered upon her.
She knew all too well they were directed not at 'Carnelia,' but at the name 'Delbar.'
"......Sigh."
Carnel let out a small sigh and turned her head.
Passing through the hall... she moved to a corner of the banquet hall.
Since she had arrived early, that chronic latecomer Adel probably hadn't even shown up yet.
She judged it better to quietly hide herself in one corner than to linger under people's gazes needlessly.
And...
"Huh? President?"
"......Klaus?"
Turning her head, she saw...
Klaus approaching, dressed neatly in his uniform.
"Fancy meeting you here."
"??"
"Ah, I came with Charlotte."
"Oh......"
"Um... but where's Adel?"
"...You think he's already here?"
"Haha... yeah, right."
Snicker—
The two let out a laugh at the same time.
Even Klaus hadn't expected Adel to show up at the banquet hall on time.
"...You're better than Adel."
No need to teach him etiquette...
No whining about the uniform being uncomfortable...
Unlike Adel, he was polite and sensible.
"I think Adel's doing his best in his own way."
"Tch... true enough."
Carnel grumbled with her mouth, but deep down, she couldn't help but acknowledge it.
When scolded for lacking manners, he surprisingly accepted it quietly.
Even while habitually complaining that the uniform was uncomfortable, he wore it without fail every single day.
Not perfect... but at least someone who listened to what Carnel said.
"Ah, I should get going. Charlotte gets scary when she's mad...."
Klaus said goodbye with a smile, and Carnel nodded quietly.
And watching Klaus leave from afar...
There was a gaze observing him.
"......Hmm."
A man holding a wine glass.
Alpharts von Weisell.
Seated at a table slightly apart from the crowd in one corner of the banquet hall, he quietly stared at Carnel.
"Count Weisell, so here you are!"
"Ah, Count, please call me comfortably."
"Really? Then I'm grateful, Alpharts."
The two clinked their wine glasses in a brief greeting.
Alpharts tilted his wine again, gazing at the rippling red liquid in the glass.
And reflected faintly on that red surface...
Was the face of Carnelia von Delbar.
"More importantly, you..."
The count glanced around before whispering in Alpharts's ear.
"Is it true that you're smitten with the Lady of House Delbar?"
Flinch!
Alpharts's shoulder trembled slightly.
"I-Is that... the rumors have already spread?"
"Haha...! So it is true."
"...This is troubling."
"The rumors have been going around for quite a while now... anyway, keep at it!"
Alpharts brought the wine glass to his lips... swallowing a laugh inwardly.
Of course, it was all nonsense.
He had spread those rumors himself.
Not something that popped up out of nowhere, but the result of meticulously calculated image design.
Made to look like the pure love tale of one man that had been going on for a long time.
And that emotion... now too earnest and long-standing to reject.
"In any case, without you, an old man like me wouldn't even be alive right now."
"You're too kind. It's all thanks to your excellent judgment, Count."
"Haha! Humble too."
The count laughed heartily and raised his glass.
"You're not the only one saved by you here. Half the people at this banquet would be dead without you."
Alpharts smiled lightly.
When the Lust Calamity descended.
He wasn't even a noble then, but he stepped forward before anyone else.
Reconstruction, rescue, support, and reorganization...
Thanks to that, Alpharts gained the title of 'hero' along with noble status.
'Hmph... I got lucky.'
Honestly speaking, Alpharts had merely driven a single nail into a collapsing house.
But people exalted that small deed as if he had erected a pillar, a monumental achievement.
And on that bubble, Alpharts became a noble.
And now.
Funds procured from the gray zone, coaxing, manipulation, incitement among nobles...
He had poured everything into reaching this banquet.
"Anyway! I'll be rooting for you."
"Thank you. Your support means a lot, Count."
Alpharts tilted his wine glass once more.
On the surface of the red wine... that face still shimmered.
Carnelia von Delbar.
If he could get his hands on her... another leap forward would be possible.
'The rumors have spread enough.'
Alpharts had long admired the lady of Delbar, still loved her sincerely, and would never give up.
A narrative crafted to make people believe that.
Pure love. Devotion.
In the end, refusing him would make her seem cold and heartless.
No matter what expression Carnel made, what words she said...
People would open their lips toward Carnel, not Alpharts.
'And my looks hold up too.'
It was a bit embarrassing to think so himself...
But Alpharts often reaffirmed it while looking in the mirror.
Born a commoner, his appearance didn't pale among nobles.
No, rather, his neat and refined impression stood out even more.
'Heh heh...'
And now, a noble.
One of the empire's most注目 rising counts.
Position, connections, image—all in place.
Only one thing left.
A connection to the name 'Delbar.'
'Ah... perfect.'
In this place right now, no one shone brighter than him.
Alpharts was convinced of that.
***
"Ah, this is fucked."
I had gone to the empire from the cradle several times,
But coming this far was a first.
The gray zone was in the empire too, but... not this far.
"Tsk...."
And now.
I was lost.
No matter how I thought about it... being late was inevitable.
"The president's drawing skills are abysmal."
Carnel had even drawn me a map herself...
But it was impossible to call that thing a 'map.'
The roads twisted every which way, the lines went who-knows-where...
You couldn't tell if it was a map or just a squished earthworm.
"This is why I'm even more lost... no doubt."
I resolved inwardly.
If I ended up late... I'd shove the map Carnel drew right in her face as an excuse.
As I rationalized it to myself...
Suddenly, I put a hand to my mouth.
"Ah."
Empty sensation.
...My bare face, with the 【Mask of Silence】 removed.
"But... it actually worked."
The remnant left by the Lust Calamity.
I had succeeded in temporarily removing the 【Mask of Silence】 using the 'shard of the moon.'
"Of course... just for a day."
As Caramel said, the 'dream property' contained in the shard would disappear by the next morning without special treatment.
Meaning, the time I could walk around without the 【Mask of Silence】 was only one day.
"The problem is..."
Taking off the mask had solved the biggest issue.
But...
Removing one problem brought even more to fill the void.
"This feeling again."
...Heaven Above All, I Alone Am Supreme.
The sensation that on this land where I stood, no one existed but 'me.'
"Tsk... be careful."
I quietly raised my hand, stroking my face from forehead to chin.
If I wasn't careful...
I might really cause an incident.
"Oh."
Then, finally...
A building that looked splendid came into view.
The banquet hall...
I approached the entrance grinning from ear to ear.
And... one person who flinched in surprise upon seeing me.
"Ho, could you be... from House Delbar...?"
His gaze scanned my hair and eyes.
White hair, golden eyes.
Finally... his gaze stopped on the ornate uniform I was wearing.
But I dashed his expectations.
"Nope."
"Uh...... then?"
"I'm a commoner."
The moment my words ended, his expression twisted in an instant.
All that remained was arrogance and displeasure.
".........Ha. A mere commoner dares to come here without an invitation?"
"......"
That tone.
That look.
That disgust.
Ah—
As expected... fucked.
"Fucking hell..."
"W-What did you say...? Fucking hell!?"
Sorry to Carnel, but...
Avoiding an incident... seemed impossible.
"What are you staring at?"
"...W-What did you say...?"
I reached into my inventory.
And pulled out a single seal.
Directly bestowed by the emperor...
An absolute mark transcending my status.
The imperial seal.
"T-That's...!?"
"Open the door."
"......"
The noble, frozen with his mouth agape...
Quickly straightened his posture and flung the door open.
"Tch."
Clank.
The banquet hall doors opened.
Dazzling light flowed out, and under the brilliant lights, nobles' laughter and music mingled.
But... as I stepped into that light, only one thought filled my head.
"...Annoying."
These humans after all...
Needed to disappear.
***
Slurp.
Amid the soft music and quiet conversations.
Carnel, who had quietly taken a seat in the hall, brought her wine glass to her lips.
She leaned slightly against the backrest, savoring the aroma of the wine more quietly than ever.
...And at that moment, someone approached her side.
"Lady."
"......?"
Carnel lowered the glass from her lips and turned her head...
Staring at him wordlessly.
Then—
The man knelt right there.
"I, Alpharts von Weisell... dare to offer this lowly hand to you, Lady."
A common partner request at banquets.
But this was no mere ceremonial proposal.
With all eyes focused in this moment.
Alpharts acted hoping the hand he offered would appear as 'adorable devotion.'
'Now's the time.'
Alpharts smiled inwardly.
Carnel had been drinking fairly strong wine alone.
Her expression was looser than usual, with more fatigue and indifference than ever...
A clouded judgment.
'Even if refused, it's fine.'
Refusal would only highlight her coldness, and he would succeed in image-making as the pure-love man.
There would be chances to try again anytime.
Alpharts quietly... affirmed his victory.
But...
"......"
"......"
"......"
A strange silence descended.
Alpharts sensed something off.
No reaction.
From Carnel, from the crowd...
Even the banquet hall's murmurs seemed to have vanished.
Anxiously, Alpharts slowly raised his head... looking around.
And... he realized immediately.
The gazes weren't on him.
'...Why?'
Just seconds ago, all eyes had gathered around him.
Now... they were directed somewhere else.
"......?"
The moment he turned his head following those gazes...
Step. Step.
Footsteps approaching, cutting through the silent banquet hall.
...Ornate uniform.
White hair gleaming with beautiful light.
Dazzling golden eyes.
Adel, slowly parting the crowd.
And—
"...What the fuck is this retard."
Thwack!
"Ghak...!"
In an instant, something struck Alpharts square in the face...
Sending him tumbling to the floor from the impact aimed precisely at his face.
"What is the meaning of th─!"
Alpharts sprang up in panic and raised his head.
And...
The moment he saw the figure before him.
He couldn't continue speaking.
"Wh-What..."
As if another heaven existed above the sky.
An unrealistic scene overlaid on reality.
An ineffable aura flowed softly along that form...
And within it, golden eyes slowly turned their gaze.
"......"
Even though that gaze wasn't directed at him, Alpharts shrank back, intimidated.
But... that existence paid no attention to Alpharts whatsoever.
"Hello, President."
Carnel widened her eyes in surprise.
Unknowingly, she gripped the wine glass in her hand tightly.
Then...
Adel glanced at the glass Carnel held, naturally extending his hand.
"Is this good?"
Before her words could finish.
Adel lightly took the wine glass from Carnel's hand.
Then... casually downed the remaining red liquid in one gulp.
"......!"
Carnel stared at Adel's face in flustered silence, unable to speak.
Even then, Adel continued indifferently.
"President, you need to practice drawing."
".........Huh?"
"Couldn't tell if it was a map or a worm."
As he spoke, Adel indifferently unfolded a sheet of paper he had brought.
On it were crooked lines tangled together, with arrows pointing every which way.
Carnel's face flushed red.
"That was......"
But seeing her like that, Adel slowly... ever so subtly... lifted the corner of his mouth.
"Ah, should I call you 'Carnel' today instead of just 'President'?"
The expression that rose on his lips.
A smile.
Clearer and sharper than any day...
A laugh.
"......"
The expression always hidden behind the mask.
The man who lived concealing his expressions without a word.
That Adel...
Right here, in the center of this banquet hall.
Was smiling at her alone.
And then......
"Urgh... you! What do you think you're doing!"
Alpharts came to his senses and shouted.
His nose was swollen red, blood beading at his mouth.
...This man had ruined everything.
The perfectly laid plans, the timing...
Just who the hell was this guy?
No brooch symbolizing nobility on his chest.
"A mere commoner dares......"
The moment Alpharts ground his teeth and growled...
"What's going on here."
With a familiar voice.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall froze.
"Cr-Crown Prince...!"
Crown Prince Rufus.
He approached quietly and surveyed the situation.
Alpharts, seizing the opportunity, immediately pointed at Adel.
"That lowly commoner...! Rudely reached for the lady and caused a commotion!"
But...
Adel turned his head with a delighted grin.
"What... Rufus is here too?"
Casual tone, casual speech, no honorifics.
Addressing the crown prince... as if spotting a friend.
"Th-That bastard dares call the Crown Prince by name...!"
"A commoner dares...!!"
The crowd's voices grew heated.
At the center, Rufus narrowed his eyes briefly.
Then... quietly opened his mouth.
"That voice... no way... Adel?"
"Yeah, hi?"
Adel casually raised his hand in greeting to Rufus.
"A bit...... unfamiliar...?"
Rufus faltered, unable to continue for a moment.
Then, Adel pulled something from his pocket.
"Give my regards to the old man?"
"......!!"
"The imperial seal you gave me last time... using it great."
The item in Adel's hand.
Reflecting light, symbolizing imperial authority...
The moment they saw it... people's reactions flipped completely.
"Th-That's the imperial seal...!"
"No way... it's real...?"
Receiving the emperor's seal.
And... that 'old man.'
Adel... called the emperor 'old man.'
The moment they realized that, Alpharts's eyes shook violently.
"N-No, that can't be..."
He denied it endlessly in his mind.
No way.
Impossible.
But...
All those denials shattered before one person's expression.
"Ah... no."
Carnel.
She... gazed at Adel with indescribable emotions.
As if... a girl in love.
Carnel was now... pouring all her emotions toward one person, Adel.
"Ah.........."
And seeing that, Alpharts...
Realized it himself.
He could never...
Surpass this man named Adel.