The Grand Ball
"Master, we will arrive at the Miseria family residence shortly."
"..."
Inside the luxurious carriage.
A man resembling a British gentleman, wearing a top hat and formal attire, holding a luxurious cane in his right hand, gazed out the window with a sigh.
"Long time no see here. Right, Ivan?"
"Right."
The black-haired young man sitting in a slouched posture in front of the man muttered that.
Unlike the man called the head of the family, he was dressed in light hunting clothes, with a beautifully decorated sword at his right waist, more like an adventurer than a noble.
"The Miseria family is a venerable family that has served the kingdom for a long time. What will I be if you go out dressed like that."
"They're hiding quietly in a place where no one can see them. Whatever."
"...I don't know who to marry off this kid to."
What is a noble?
I'm just going to meet a business acquaintance who's close to my father, but why do I have to follow etiquette and wear uncomfortable clothes?
Ivan couldn't understand any of these things.
"Do I really have to get married? I just wanted to graduate from the academy and become a knight."
"The son of a baron's family, and that too from a merchant family, saying he's going to be a knight? Are you serious?"
"Even father knows. I think holding onto troublesome things is better than swinging a sword."
While listening to the deep sigh of the man in formal attire with one ear, Ivan quietly looked at the distant Miseria family estate beginning to appear.
"Thinking about it, the daughters of the Miseria family have been maturing a bit too. Last time, I heard they were the same age, right?"
"Right."
"You don't have any expectations for meeting a girl your age?"
A girl your age.
Ivan had never been attracted to girls.
Originally, to the point where he doubted if he was noble, he was a special case among specials, so no girl his age would be interested in him.
Ivan tried to recall the girls from the Miseria family he last met about ten years ago.
"...What did they look like?"
"You must be an idiot for having expectations from me. Yeah. Just stay quietly hidden somewhere and don't cause trouble."
"Okay."
For a moment, silence fell between the two.
Then, the creaking carriage stopped.
"We have arrived, Master."
With the sound of the carriage door opening, a man in butler clothes bowed his head.
From afar, a man with a bushy beard was looking this way with a relaxed smile.
"It's been a while, Baron Albion."
Calpin Miseria.
The head of the Miseria family welcomed the two with a dignified appearance.
"No issues, Viscount Miseria?"
"Of course. Why would anything happen to us, haha."
After the two exchanged light handshakes, Calpin greeted the black-haired young man standing next to the baron as well.
"Long time no see. Ivan."
Unlike his slouched attitude and inappropriate clothing, Ivan received Calpin's greeting with proper etiquette.
"It's been a while, Viscount Miseria."
"Yeah. It's been about 10 years, right? Since we saw our pretty girls when they were still young. Right, at that time, Ivan was also a little kid. Haha."
Calpin, smiling while looking at the grown boy, soon looked at the sword at his waist and said.
"You said you wanted to become a knight, right?"
"Yes. When I turn 18 next year, I'll enter the Swordsmanship department at the academy right away."
"Since etiquette is fine now, speak comfortably. By the way, impressive. That decision must have been tough..."
As he said that, Calpin looked at Baron Albion with an expression that didn't seem very pleased, his son, and gave a sympathetic smile.
"Daisy and Camille? Come out and greet. This is the head of the Albion family."
"If it's Camille... Viscount Miseria's eldest daughter, right? I remember hearing that her body is weak and she's been bedridden since childhood."
Camille Miseria.
The daughter of the viscount's family, but because her body is too frail, she hasn't appeared in any official events since childhood, a veiled girl.
Because of the death of her mother, the viscount dotes on his daughter obsessively, and he wouldn't have brought his eldest daughter to this place.
"Recently, she's improved a lot. It seems like she's changed a bit, and lately she's been exercising on her own."
"Really? What a thing to celebrate. Congratulations."
While the two were lightly conversing, a girl with crimson hair standing behind the Miseria viscount approached with a light step.
"Nice to meet you. Baron Albion. I'm Daisy Miseria, the daughter of the Miseria family."
"Oh, long time no see. It's been only 10 years since the last time, but you've become a mature lady."
"You're too kind."
The two exchanged light greetings.
But no matter where I looked, Camille wasn't with Daisy.
"Daisy? Where's Camille?"
"Uh, sister said her shoes are too unfamiliar, so she's coming slowly over there."
"Aigoo, this..."
Turning my head, I saw Camille coming down the stairs one by one in the distance, and it caught Calpin's eye.
Of course, since she hadn't worn shoes in her entire life and gone anywhere, it was only natural.
"Sorry, father."
"It's okay. Come down slowly. Camille."
"That kid..."
Suddenly, the gazes of everyone including the Albion family focused on the girl coming down the stairs.
"That person is the eldest daughter of the Miseria family..."
"Her body is really thin. The rumor that she's sickly must be true."
"Is that natural white hair? She's so beautiful."
The girl coming down the stairs carefully, receiving the spotlight from everyone.
Ivan's gaze, who was idly playing from behind the baron, naturally turned that way—
While struggling down the stairs with sweat, Ivan felt the strongest shock he's received in his life.
***
I didn't expect this.
I thought I could just put on the dress and not think about it.
I didn't think I had to wear such high-heeled shoes.
If I slip here, it's a disaster of a lifetime.
It's the second best to tarnish the family honor, but if I fall here, with Camille's fragile body, I might die.
I've lived so hard, and dying by rolling down the stairs is not it.
"Sister~ Come quickly~"
...But why is all the attention focused here?
I'm not concentrating on the tips of my feet because it's too burdensome.
"Sorry, Baron Albion. As you can see, my eldest is still quite uncomfortable with her body."
"Ah, no. Rather, it's fortunate that she's much better than what I heard from rumors. Haha."
Sorry. It takes ten seconds to take one step down the stairs, so sorry.
It took about three hours, or three minutes, to finally come down the stairs.
"Sister, are you okay? Your legs don't hurt?"
"It hurts..."
I thought my legs had muscles from jumping every day lately, but...
They don't have any.
One shoe and my legs are screaming.
"Camille, are you okay? If it's too hard, go in first and rest."
"Ah, no. Father."
Since I've come this far, I can't enter looking like a clown.
I followed the etiquette I learned from Daisy's shoulders and greeted Baron Albion.
"I'm Camille Miseria, the eldest daughter of the Miseria family. Nice to meet you, Baron."
"The honor is mine. Wow, Viscount Miseria, I see why you dote on your eldest daughter so much. She looks like a flower."
"Ahaha, you're too kind."
A flower? Me?
No matter how I think, Daisy with her voluminous and attractive appearance is more flower-like than my lifeless face and fragile body that might collapse at any moment.
After the baron accepted the greeting, I met eyes with the boy looking this way, wearing clothes that don't match nobility, from behind the baron.
Ivan de Albion.
A supporting character who will become a great knight in the future, rivaling the protagonist and the swordsmanship department top at the academy, going back and forth.
Even though it's honor built on money, as the son of a baron's family, just seeing him in hunting clothes and carrying a sword at a noble family's ball shows how special he is.
Calpin, having known him since childhood, didn't seem particularly concerned.
But I endured the pain felt vividly on the soles of my feet and approached Ivan with a dignified appearance first.
Since he's a guy who will become famous after entering the academy and his talent blooms, it wasn't bad to build connections now.
"Hello. Ivan. I've heard a lot through my father."
"Ah, that. Ah... Hello. No, hello. I'm Ivan de Albion."
...Why is he trembling like this? Did Camille do something to him?
There's no way. If he hit Camille when he was young, but the opposite situation doesn't seem possible no matter how I think.
For some reason, Ivan showed an odd behavior, and I extended my right hand and requested a natural handshake.
"I heard Ivan will enter the academy in two years too? Daisy and I will go then, so do your best. Us."
"...!"
What is that reaction.
I just extended my hand to shake, but instead of shaking, why is he staring at my hand like he's pierced it.
"Ah, ah! Yes, please take care!"
Ivan gave a shy smile and shook my hand.
His hand felt wet enough to be felt through the hand.
This, is it sweat?
In the development I know, the storyline where Ivan is linked with Camille doesn't exist in the original. Ivan is famous in the original as a guy who only looks at swordsmanship like a stone for girls.
But why is he suddenly grabbing my hand and sweating like this?
After a brief awkward handshake, Ivan hurriedly withdrew his hand that he had been holding.
"Ah, father. I'll go get some water for a moment."
"Eh? Ah, yeah. Do it."
Baron Albion looked at his son with a bewildered expression at Ivan's suspicious behavior, which he had never seen before, as he ran away.
At some point, Daisy had approached and whispered into my ear with an excited voice.
"Sister, I told you, right? Guys get hooked on sisters like you."
"...Really?"
I was skeptical, but did he really have such feelings for me?
Ivan was definitely a cool swordsman who would grow to rival the protagonist by honing only swordsmanship his whole life.
But it's unfortunate for him. I have no intention of dating a man. Never.