Chapter 388: The Second Day
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 388: The Second Day
The following evening, the second ball was held at the royal castle.
Today was the charity auction, the main event of the ball, so the hall bustled with a much larger crowd than the previous day.
As soft music filled the air, young men and women paired off to dance, signaling the start of the festivities.
“H-Hyun-woo… Can’t we dance later…?”
Delia, beautifully dressed in a sky-blue gown, looked at me with a desperate, tearful expression.
“Don’t worry so much. I’ll lead.”
“B-But…”
We were, without a doubt, the most watched couple here today.
If we didn’t dance, those noble bastards would surely mock us as country bumpkins who couldn’t read the room.
Of course, I couldn’t care less what they thought, but here, with nearly every noble in England gathered, I wanted to make one thing clear.
That Delia was my woman.
“Lia, you trust me, right?”
“Ugh…”
Delia squeezed her eyes shut and, mustering her courage, took my hand.
I smiled faintly at the sight.
I then led her by the hand and walked slowly toward the center of the hall.
In that instant, every eye in the room turned to us.
The successor to King Arthur, appearing after fifty years, and the Eastern mage who had worked with the Knights of the Round Table to thwart Belmoras’s plans.
For nobles who lived and died by power, we were a spectacular lineup they couldn’t possibly ignore.
Of course, the gazes fixed on us were anything but friendly.
They were filled with a wariness born from clear animosity.
Noble society has a lot in common with the stock market.
When someone profits, someone else loses.
One of us was a commoner who had shot up to third in the English order of precedence, while the other was a foreigner from the East who not only had the protection of the royal family and the Round Table but was also on friendly terms with two of England’s dukes.
The more power we gained, the more power others, who had enjoyed it until now, were bound to lose.
A few high-ranking nobles, in particular—those with much to lose and skeletons in their closets—must have been burning up inside.
But I didn’t care in the slightest.
Neither did Delia.
We paid no mind to the stares around us, looking only at each other.
-♩♪♬
As the music changed, I took a step back and extended my hand to Delia.
“May I have this dance, Miss Delia?”
“The pleasure is all mine, Baronet Lauderdale.”
We smiled faintly at each other.
It was obvious at a glance that Delia’s movements were awkward and clumsy.
Even so, she was doing her best to follow my lead.
As my hand guided her waist, her movements flowed smoothly with mine.
One step, then another.
Though she was visibly tense at first, Delia gradually relaxed, entrusting herself to me.
Her fingertips, her gaze, even her emotions were directed solely at me.
Slowly and precisely, I led her, naturally covering up her minor mistakes.
I ignored the audience’s stares pouring in from all sides.
In this moment, there was only Delia.
And for Delia, there was only me.
As the music swelled, Delia surrendered herself completely to my lead, and soon we were moving as one, as fluidly as flowing water.
Not a single word was exchanged, but we could feel each other’s emotions perfectly through our eyes alone.
We continued to dance in our own rhythm, our own space, our own breath.
Eventually, the music began to fade. I took a step back and bowed to her, just as I had at the beginning.
Delia followed my lead, curtsying carefully.
-!!!
At that moment, applause erupted from all around.
It could have been genuine admiration, or it could have been a facade to hide their hostility toward us.
But it didn’t matter.
We were focused only on each other, and that was enough.
Ting—
[You have declared before all the nobles of England that she is your woman. From this moment on, you are the Knight King’s consort and eternal partner.]
[Would you like to register Delia Pendragon as a match?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[Name: Delia Pendragon
Age: 21
Race: Human
Affiliation: Earth
Occupation: Head of the Round Table
Disposition: Kind, Responsible, Self-sacrificing, Mildly Obsessive, Devoted, Sincere, Gentle on the outside but strong on the inside…]
[Favorability Change]
[Name 0♡ → 92♡]
[Bond Level Change]
[Name Lv.0 → Lv.3]
[※You cannot acquire coins from relationships with individuals not met through the Another World Dating App.]
*
Once the ball concluded, the main event of the evening, the charity auction, began.
The proceeds from this auction were slated to be used for terror recovery efforts and to support the victims.
Noblesse Oblige.
Even the nobles who usually looked down on commoners readily offered their prized possessions for the auction today.
No, to be more precise, it was more that they ‘had no choice.’
The Queen herself had submitted an artifact called the ‘Radiance of the Sun,’ worth billions of pounds, and the Duke of Winchester and the Duke of Rutland had also generously donated items of comparable value.
In such a situation, offering something worthless would be an insult to their authority and a stain on their own honor.
From a distance, I slowly savored my wine, quietly watching the auction unfold.
Ophelia had whisked Delia away, saying there was somewhere they needed to go.
I had planned to take the opportunity to speak with some of the nobles who were friendly toward me, but a clueless old man had been occupying the spot next to me for a while now, making it impossible.
“…I didn’t realize you were still at the ball, Your Grace. I believe your item was sold for the highest bid some time ago.”
“That is none of your concern.”
The Duke of Rutland exuded the same difficult-to-approach aura as always.
Thanks to him, not a single noble came near me.
“You damn bastard. How dare you dance with another woman when you have my granddaughter… If it weren’t for Hyena’s request, you wouldn’t be standing here in one piece.”
“…”
Now I understood why this foul-tempered old man had insisted on staying by my side.
I avoided the Duke of Rutland’s murderous gaze and quietly tilted my glass.
“…If you make a single tear fall from Delia’s eye, I will turn you into minced meat.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I bowed my head slightly with genuine sincerity.
He’s not even Delia’s grandfather.
“That aside, how on earth did you do it? Your growth has been steep, but you shouldn’t have the skill to defeat Lancelot and Belmoras’s high-ranking executives all by yourself.”
The Duke shot me a sidelong glance, his eyes filled with meaning.
He was right. With my original abilities, defeating all of them would have been impossible.
It was no exaggeration to say that my victory that day was purely thanks to the ‘Devil Slayer’ title.
“Well… I was lucky.”
Of course, explaining everything from start to finish was too much of a hassle, so I just brushed it off.
Fortunately, the Duke didn’t seem inclined to press further and simply gave a slight nod.
Just as a heavy silence settled between us.
“Sir Lauderdale!”
From a distance, Sir Gawain was waving and approaching us.
A woman who looked to be my age was with him.
I had a strong feeling that a proper conversation would be impossible with the Duke of Rutland around.
Just as I was about to speak to the Duke, planning to excuse myself to exchange pleasantries like a proper noble…
“…Where did he go?”
The Duke had vanished without a trace.
Had he tactfully stepped aside, or had he simply slipped away because he disliked the noisy atmosphere?
Well, either way, it worked out for me.
“Sir Lauderdale, there you are.”
Sir Gawain, who had drawn near, greeted me warmly.
I bowed my head and shook his hand.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m perfectly fine. Besides, shouldn’t I be the one asking you that question, Sir Lauderdale, since I was the one just lying around?”
“What does that matter? What’s important is that you did your best, Viscount Coventry.”
“Haha, hearing you say that saves me some face in front of my daughter. Thank you.”
He smiled good-naturedly, then gently nudged the back of the noble lady standing beside him.
“Allow me to formally introduce you. This is my daughter, Monica.”
“Monica David Coventry, eldest daughter of the House of Coventry. It is an honor to meet you, Baronet Lauderdale.”
“Lady Monica, the pleasure is mine.”
I gently took her hand and placed a brief kiss on its back.
A soft, sweet scent of lilac brushed past my nose.
Immediately after, Sir Gawain approached me.
“Ahem… To be honest, Sir Lauderdale, if you were amenable, I was thinking of arranging an engagement with my daughter with the prospect of marriage…”
“‘Was thinking’…? Past tense, I see.”
He nodded with an awkward smile.
“Haha… Well, I had a word with the Duke of Rutland. He told me not to entertain any foolish ideas. If I had known about your relationship with Miss Delia from the start, I wouldn’t have even tried.”
“…The Duke of Rutland said that?”
“Yes, he said a few words just before he left. He’s such a taciturn man that it’s rare to hear his voice. It seems he’s quite fond of you, Sir Lauderdale.”
“…”
At his words, I inwardly shook my head.
The person that old man was fond of wasn’t me; it was Choi Hyena and Delia.
“I wouldn’t mind being the second wife, you know?”
“?”
Just then, Lady Monica, who had been standing beside us, stepped closer and whispered to me quietly.
Sir Gawain’s jaw dropped, speechless, as if he was shocked by his only daughter’s provocative behavior.
Meeting her light green eyes, I smiled.
“My apologies. I could tell at first glance that you are a very charming woman, but I’m afraid I’m a terrible man with a bad habit of womanizing, hardly a suitable partner for someone like you.”
“What a shame.”
Upon my polite refusal, she gave a slight nod and stepped back, indicating she hadn’t been entirely serious either.
“…I never knew my daughter was so forward. She hasn’t spoken much to me for some time, so I just assumed she was introverted like her mother…”
I silently patted the disheartened Sir Gawain on the shoulder.
There was no guarantee that his situation wouldn’t one day be my own future.
“By the way, Viscount Coventry. Do you remember the promise you made me last time?”
“Pardon?”
“The favor.”
“…Ah.”
In exchange for saving his life, he had promised to grant my requests without limit.
For the record, my first request had been for him to keep secret the fact that I had used the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword to absorb demonic energy from Lancelot’s corpse.
“I’m not going to ask for anything outrageous, so you don’t have to worry. It’s something the House of Coventry, one of the wealthiest in Europe, can certainly handle. Besides, you’ve acquired a new territory, haven’t you?”
“…”
Sir Gawain nodded silently.
Although he hadn’t done much during the recent terror attack, the public hailed him as a hero, and the royal family had even granted him a new territory.
Thanks to that, Sir Gawain and his family must have profited immensely, which meant he would surely be unable to refuse even a somewhat demanding request from me.
“It’s nothing much, really. Just build a few orphanages.”
“…Pardon?”
The day I arrived in London, I had chased a young vagrant who stole my wallet through the slums.
There, I saw children abandoned and neglected in squalid conditions.
The sight of them living in their own little groups reminded me of my own childhood.
No, in some ways, it seemed even worse.
“From what I’ve gathered, seventy percent of the orphanages in England are run by the church. However, I heard that the church recently cut funding to these orphanages due to financial difficulties, leading to a sharp increase in the number of street children.”
Hearing my words, Sir Gawain’s expression darkened considerably.
It was a natural reaction, hearing about the dark side of his homeland from a foreigner.
“So, please build about thirty orphanages. It will also help the reputation of the House of Coventry, so please don’t see it in a purely negative light…”
“No.”
At that moment, Sir Gawain shook his head firmly, his face resolute.
“I will establish and operate one hundred orphanages across the country in your name, Sir Lauderdale. Furthermore, I will solicit investments from other nobles to launch a child support project. It would be a good idea to establish a foundation while we’re at it. And of course, the founding chairman will be you, Sir Lauderdale.”
“…?”
Excuse me?
“Haha… This is the first time I’ve felt so pathetic. When you brought up the promise, Sir Lauderdale, I was inwardly calculating my family’s finances and weighing the pros and cons. But you… you were only thinking of the children of a foreign country…”
“…”
Incongruous with his age and stature, Sir Gawain suddenly began to shed tears.
The sight left not only me but also Lady Monica, who was standing beside him, completely flustered.
“Although we may not be able to save every child, I swear on the name of the House of Coventry that we will do our absolute best.”
“…Uh, well… thank you…?”
“There’s no time to waste, then. Sir Lauderdale, please excuse me.”
With that, Sir Gawain and Lady Monica left the ballroom.
Stunned by his sudden outburst, I stood there blankly for a while.
It was then.
“Sir Lauderdale.”
I turned my head at the familiar voice from beside me and met the eyes of a woman in a pure white uniform.
“Could you spare a moment? The Saintess wishes to see you urgently.”