A Taste of Revenge
In an instant, the gossip of the party locked onto Franche Decartes. And why wouldn't it? After making such a scene and storming out of the hall only moments ago, she had just walked back in arm-in-arm with an unknown man.
"Keep your eyes straight ahead. Keep your chin up, and maintain an arrogant expression."
"...What is the point of that?"
"It is necessary for our upcoming operation."
Franche nodded. Then, she began to act. Wearing a mask was second nature to her. Perhaps that was why she executed my request flawlessly on the first try.
"Will this suffice?"
"Perfect."
With that, the two of us began to stroll through the banquet hall side by side.
"So, what is this operation of yours?"
"First, we dance."
"...What?"
"This, too, is necessary for the plan."
"Are you sure this is not merely your own desire?"
"Of course not. I keep my public and private lives strictly separate."
Franche reluctantly extended her hand. I took it, and we began to glide across the floor to the rhythm of the music.
"...I suppose your royal blood shows. You dance well."
"Anyone can do this much."
In truth, I had no idea what I was doing. I was simply relying on Jin's muscle memory, letting his body move on instinct. How could a guy who spent his entire life playing games in a corner of his room know how to ballroom dance? I'd never even stepped foot in a club.
"May I ask what this operation is now?"
"We are going to slander him. To spread malicious rumors."
"What...?"
Franche's brow furrowed.
"Are you in your right mind?"
"Perfectly sane, I assure you."
"Very well, let us hear it. What sort of rumor do you intend to spread?"
"Let's spread a rumor that the Young Duke prefers the company of men."
"...You really are mad."
Call me mad. Call me reckless. It didn't matter. Right now, healing her wounds was my top priority.
Though our time together had been brief, I knew Franche was not someone who deserved to be persecuted by everyone and discarded like trash. She was merely a villainess created to be consumed in a Rofanso. A victim manufactured by the developers just to drive the plot forward.
"So, your grand plan is simply to rumor that the Young Duke prefers men?"
"Yes."
"You have utterly lost your mind..."
She stared at me with a bizarre expression.
"This is how high society works. If this succeeds, the rumor of the Young Duke's preferences will spread like wildfire, and your honor will remain untarnished. Oh, and you may introduce me simply as your personal escort knight."
Franche narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Very well, I shall try. Though I cannot guarantee its success."
"A wise decision."
Franche and I continued to dance to the music. One song wasn't enough; we stayed on the floor for the next. We needed to give the whispers more time to brew.
'It should be about time for the rumors to start circulating...'
Using my heightened senses, I tuned out the music and focused on the conversations of the nobles echoing around the hall.
—The woman I bedded the other day...
—Really? How did you seduce her?
—Simple. With a face like mine, how could she resist?
...Useless chatter. I filtered it out and shifted my focus elsewhere. Soon, the exact conversation I wanted drifted into my ears.
—Is Lady Decartes dancing with another man?
—Do you think she was having an affair? Is that why the Young Duke unilaterally demanded to break off the engagement...?
—Knowing Lady Decartes, it's highly likely.
—Shh! Watch your mouth. What if someone hears you?
—Oh, please. Everyone is thinking the exact same thing. There's no need to worry.
'I can hear you, you absolute bitches. What do you mean, "everyone is thinking the exact same thing"?'
Well, at least the primary objective was achieved, so I let it slide. I turned to Franche.
"Do you see those noblewomen over there? As soon as the music stops, we are heading straight to them."
"Those ladies? I have no acquaintance with them. Besides, they are practically nonentities with very little influence."
"Do not worry. Rumors always start from the most insignificant places."
"...Very well. Since we have already come this far, I shall play along to the end."
She gave her consent. The first button was fastened.
A moment later, the music drew to a close. Franche and I made our way toward the very group of noblewomen who had just been gossiping about her.
"Oh my, Lady Decartes. What brings you to our corner?"
"Is there a law forbidding me from joining you?"
"No, of course not, but..."
'Tone it down a bit. Your mask is a little too thick.'
I leaned in and whispered softly to Franche.
"From now on, just do exactly as I say."
"Alright."
"First, naturally steer the conversation. Start with what happened with the Young Duke."
Franche nodded.
"Ahem. There is no grand reason for my visit."
"Then...?"
"I came because of what transpired with Young Duke Persia. It felt inappropriate to speak of it with those close to me, so I thought I would share it only with you ladies."
The noblewomen's eyes sparkled with intense curiosity. Yes, you're dying to know, aren't you? Franche gracefully took a seat beside them.
"So, what exactly happened?"
"It is rather delicate to speak of, but..."
Franche paused for dramatic effect, leaning in close to whisper to the ladies.
"The Young Duke... has absolutely no interest in women."
"No interest in women?"
"Indeed. And it is not simply because he is obsessed with his work or his training, mind you."
"Then what is it?"
Franche glanced around as if checking for eavesdroppers. It was a perfect performance. A secret needed this level of theatricality to feel genuine.
...Of course, these women would start blabbering the moment we left.
"...The Young Duke prefers the company of men."
Splash! It was as if a massive boulder had been hurled into a placid lake. The noblewomen's faces contorted in sheer shock. Their eyes went wide, and their mouths fell agape, completely blindsided by the revelation.
"I-Is that true?"
"It is."
"But for him to have an affair with a man..."
The ladies stammered, utterly bewildered by the sudden, scandalous news. Franche pressed on.
"Do you really think my engagement with the Young Duke would be broken over something trivial? He tried to suppress his desires for a long time, but it seems he could no longer hold back. Perhaps there is already a man he is intimately involved with? That is why he demanded the annulment."
'Uh, I didn't tell you to go that far. I just said to spread rumors that he might be gay...'
"...C-Could that really be true?"
"What reason would I have to lie about such a thing?"
The young ladies exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes.
"I may have shown an unsightly side of myself earlier, but I have managed to compose myself. If that is the Young Duke's preference, there is nothing to be done. Besides, it would be a shame to ruin my night at the banquet just because of a broken engagement, wouldn't it?"
Franche smirked. Her acting was flawless, a testament to a lifetime of wearing masks. The young noblewomen were completely hooked.
"In any case, please keep this strictly between us. You must absolutely not tell anyone else, alright?"
"Y-Yes, of course!"
"We would never dream of disobeying your wishes, Lady Decartes!"
They said that, but they would undoubtedly spread it everywhere. After all, gossip was the only source of entertainment in their dull lives.
"But who is the gentleman standing beside you?"
"Ah, forgive my late introduction. He is merely my personal escort knight."
She drew a firm line, calling me her personal escort knight to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings. Franche rose from her seat with a gentle smile. I whispered to her once more.
"Let's spread the rumor to the other groups as well."
"Very well."
After that, Franche and I wandered around the hall, spreading the rumor of Cassus's homosexuality to every noblewoman and young lady we encountered. They were probably cursing Franche in their minds. Their expressions made their distaste painfully obvious whenever we approached. Yet, they couldn't dare ignore a lady of her standing. No matter how poorly she was treated within her own household, she was still a Duke's daughter. In high society, the position of the youngest daughter of the Decartes Ducal family carried immense weight.
"This should be enough."
"But is this truly alright?"
"Do not worry. Once a rumor starts spreading, tracing it back to its source becomes nearly impossible."
However...
"Just what kind of nonsense have you been whispering about?"
"..."
"..."
Cassus had found the source with ridiculous ease. Well, in that case, our only option was to play dumb. I whispered to Franche.
"Be shameless. Act like you have no idea what he is talking about."
The moment she heard my words, Franche reacted instantly, addressing Cassus.
"Pardon? I haven't the slightest idea what you mean."
"The rumor circulating the hall right now—did you honestly think I wouldn't find out where it came from?"
"Why would I ever spread such rumors? What do you take a daughter of Decartes for?"
Cassus let out a scoff of pure disbelief.
"Ha! Do you think I cannot read your mind? Your pride was wounded by the unilateral annulment, so you are trying to slander my name."
Yet, Franche's expression remained entirely unbothered. Wearing a mask was more natural to her than anything else in the world.
"Are you raising your voice at me based on mere speculation?"
"Speculation? I have already heard it from the noblewomen over there. They said you told them directly."
"I have no acquaintance with those ladies... as you should well know, Young Duke."
Cassus gritted his teeth, his brow furrowing as he glared at Franche.
"Do you truly believe you will get away with this?"
"I am merely a victim of false accusations. I have nothing more to say to you."
Excellent. She was doing wonderfully. Through my enhanced hearing, I could already hear new gossip taking root.
—Look, the Young Duke is furious with Lady Decartes.
—What is going on? Could those rumors actually be true?
—It certainly seems so. If the rumor about his preferences originated from the Lady herself...
—But how would she know such a thing?
—They were betrothed, weren't they? They must have spent plenty of time together. A woman's intuition is never to be underestimated.
Yes, keep it going. Keep spreading it. You're doing beautifully.
"Franche Decartes. I will never forget this."
His face twisted in a hideous scowl, Cassus stormed out of the banquet hall.
Thud, thud. He stomped so heavily that the sound of his boots seemed to reverberate throughout the entire venue.
Wretched bastard. Whether in the game or when he was spitting venom at Franche, that piece of trash had made my blood boil countless times. Seeing him like this was incredibly cathartic.
As the sub-male lead, he had likely forced himself to attend this party just to catch a glimpse of Somire, who was due to arrive soon. But with this disaster, his mood must have been utterly ruined.
'You ran your mouth so proudly earlier. Serves you right, you motherfucker.'
In this world, homosexuality was considered a sin. He wouldn't be able to escape the scandal. The thought of the misery awaiting him brought a refreshing wave of satisfaction.
But Franche's face was pale with anxiety. She spoke in a trembling voice.
"Was this... truly alright?"
I offered her a gentle smile.
"It is perfectly fine. There is no concrete evidence that you are the source of the rumor, is there? If the other ladies claim otherwise, you can simply deny it just as you did just now."
Franche nodded, her expression a complex tangle of emotions. To ease her troubled mind, I decided to change the subject.
"Shall we step out onto the terrace? Getting some fresh air might help clear your head."
"Yes. My mind is in such disarray... I need to cool off."
With that, we stepped out onto the terrace. As expected, the night sky of this world, adorned with countless twinkling stars, was breathtakingly beautiful.
"How do you feel? Has your mood improved a little?"
"It has. Though, until just a moment ago, I wanted nothing more than to become one of those stars."
Franche's eyes wavered. Watching her, a wave of sorrow washed over me as well.
"I am glad... that I met you. Truly."
"I am glad to have been of service."
Yes, this is it. Step by step, I would draw closer to her, and eventually, I would ask her to release the Slave Brand.
"Sigh."
Franche let out a soft sigh.
"What is on your mind?"
"Nothing. It is just... the only escape route I believed in has vanished."
"..."
Cassus was never an escape route. He was merely a temporary refuge. Even if her treatment had improved for a short while, the ultimate end would have been exactly the same. This was, without a doubt, the better outcome.
Just then, Franche turned her gaze to me. Despite having exacted a petty revenge on the Young Duke, her expression remained heavy.
Suddenly, she asked:
"...You will never leave me, right?"