Chapter 88
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88
“Since when could you walk?”
“You didn’t need that wheelchair two days ago, did you?”
“Then why did you keep riding in it?”
There are certain adult circumstances you wouldn't understand, Leon.
Have you ever heard of K-media play?
I gave him a sweet smile and replied, “Because I felt like it.”
“Wow, look at her. I knew it. She really was using me as her personal horse.”
Even as he grumbled, Leon Frezier couldn't take his eyes off me.
I, too, was quite pleased with my appearance.
Tulia, you’ve outdone yourself.
Simply calling her a ‘beauty’ didn’t feel right. Just as there are poisonous potatoes and poisonous spiders, Tulia was the ultimate ‘poisonous beauty’ of the world of The Milk Bread.
“But why a bright red dress?”
Well, that’s because today, I plan to decorate this banquet with the blood of a few people.
…Instead of giving that gloomy answer like the original Tulia would have, I gave him the real reason.
“The plum blossoms are in full bloom on the Statis Plains, aren't they? That’s why I wore it.”
“……Huh?”
Leon Frezier looked bewildered, as if he couldn't make head or tail of what I was saying.
“Half of that was a joke. The truth is, the largest gem I own is this red ruby.”
In Tulia’s jewelry box, which had been filled with all sorts of low-quality, cheap trinkets, there was—unusually—one top-tier red ruby necklace.
I didn't know about it at first. I was just rummaging through her jewelry box to dispose of things when I accidentally pressed a button on the inside of the mirror. A hidden compartment at the very back popped out.
This ruby necklace was what had been hidden inside.
I guess the old Tulia was stashing it away.
Of course, the family’s treasure vault was filled with rarities that would be fit for a kingdom’s tribute. However, most of those necklaces had likely been pawed at by Aubrey, so I didn't really want to wear them. This ruby necklace, which I’d found like a secret reward, was much more to my liking.
Coincidentally, the dress Adel brought was a red one that matched the ruby necklace perfectly, so I put it on immediately.
By the way.
This guy really is a male lead.
And a very popular one at that—no, he was overflowing with popularity. Setting aside my personal feelings, Leon Frezier’s appearance was indeed spectacular.
His black hair was neatly swept back. His eyes were a blend of green and blue, like a verdant island embraced by the sea. With his perfect features and his flamboyant formal suit, he truly looked the part.
Perhaps it was because he was a male lead, but Leon Frezier looked like a perfect sculpture, every detail meticulously calculated. It was fascinating how even his pitch-black hair seemed like a symbol of passion on him.
Of course.
Tulia was prettier. Tulia was the prettiest. At least, that’s how it looked to me whenever I looked in the mirror.
Sigh. But how am I supposed to ask this guy to dance?
That’s right. I was still a slave to the quests.
Ding!
When I checked the quest log for the first time in a while, the text immediately appeared.
[Sub-Quest: Ruler of the Banquet]
You are trash!
You have no money, bad luck, and everyone hates you!
(Except for one person) No one loves you!
Sub-Goal: Dance with ‘Lisian Frezier’ and ‘Leon Frezier’ at the ‘Banquet’.
Success Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: –10,000 Coins
However, I wasn't as despairing as I had been when I first received this quest. To be honest…
I feel like I’ve gotten quite close to Leon Frezier lately.
You can only bicker like we do if there’s some level of friendship. I had a strong feeling that if I asked Leon to dance, he might grumble or even mock me, but he would ultimately agree.
I wonder what the success reward is?
Now, I was just intensely curious about that question mark.
I closed the quest window and asked Leon, who was still staring at me.
“By the way, why did you come to my room?”
“What? Wow…”
Leon’s voice was full of disbelief. Behind him, I could hear Adel and the other servants stifling their laughter.
What? Why is everyone laughing except me?
“Why are you laughing?”
“Lady Tulia,” Adel said in a tender voice, unable to fully hide her smile. “What else would it mean when a gentleman visits a lady right before a banquet?”
“He’s not a gentleman, though?”
“Oh, seriously! Hey!”
Adel finally burst out laughing. The chief physician and the assistant butler, who had been gauging the mood, did the same.
“Ha, seriously… You’re driving me nuts.”
Leon started to roughly sweep his hair back as usual, but then he remembered he’d worked hard to style it for the banquet and lowered his hand. That hand was then smartly extended toward me.
“I’m here to escort you, okay?! Lady Tulia!”
“Aha!”
* * *
The banquet was incredibly crowded.
The hunting competition was nothing compared to this.
Even though the largest hall had been opened, it felt hot. This was despite it being winter. It was worth the effort of hanging those thick, light-colored curtains. They allowed for ventilation through the slightly cracked large windows while the thick fabric provided a degree of insulation.
Plus, the cream-colored Botani wool lining makes the hall look even brighter.
People attending such a grand banquet, regardless of gender, were bound to wear their finest clothes. This meant the hall absolutely had to be bright and radiant. That way, the expensive dresses, jewels, hats, and gloves would be more visible.
Boasting. Showing off.
The host of a banquet has an obligation to support the guests' desires. Thanks to that, the hall sparkled like a lake at high noon. I lost myself in the sight of the multicolored dresses and the sleek, lustrous suits.
“His Grace the Grand Duke is entering!”
As the servant standing by the door shouted loudly, the hall fell silent in an instant. The orchestra, which had been summoned in advance, also lowered their volume and switched to a gentle melody.
Moments like this made me truly realize that I was in another world.
It’s quite a sight.
Grandfather, having stepped onto the prepared platform, slowly scanned the hundreds of nobles.
“Thank you for coming to my birthday banquet.”
It was a short greeting, but many nobles had eyes sparkling with anticipation, eager to hear even one more word from him. This is why power is so important.
If he had accepted gifts, they probably would have piled up to an incredible height.
We might have had to open another hall just for them. Even though today was Grandfather’s birthday, not a single gift had come from outside. This was because it was a Frezier tradition and an unspoken rule.
The Head of the Family does not accept gifts on their birthday.
According to one of Corico’s internal monologues in The Milk Bread, if they didn't have this rule, all sorts of vicious cycles would have occurred as people brought bribes to curry favor. Seeing this many nobles in person made me agree with that sentiment even more.
“I hope you all enjoy the banquet.”
A short while after Grandfather stepped down from the platform, a sweet melody began to play. Pairs of nobles moved onto the floor and began to dance joyfully.
Anyway, Tulia is dazzlingly beautiful.
In the Grand Banquet Hall, several long mirrors that reached from the floor to the ceiling were mounted on the walls. They served as decoration and made it easy for guests to check their appearance. Thanks to them, I could see Tulia’s reflection every now and then, and she truly was so radiant she didn't even need the lighting.
Ah, so bright.
However, not a single man asked Tulia to dance. Not one.
“……”
Even though I had more or less grasped the power of the Grand Duchy now. Even though I had changed my image quite a bit.
Despite all that, Tulia was still a ‘Wall Crystal.’
In The Milk Bread, a ‘wallflower’ was called a ‘Wall Crystal,’ and the ‘belle of the ball’ was called the ‘Social Circle’s Crystal.’ I liked that term.
It was funny because it sounded like a wall lamp.
And I thought I’d finally escaped being a wall lamp. I’d received the Glory of Frezier's Necklace, and rumors had spread everywhere that I was Grandfather’s favorite. But Tulia was still a wall lamp.
And I was Tulia.
Oh, for heaven’s sake… A wall lamp. I’m a wall lamp!
I guess rumors of holding power are no match for a mountain of accumulated infamy.
Besides, it wasn't like Tulia had a gentle impression. No matter how beautiful she was, if she smiled even slightly wrong, she looked like a gumiho about to eat someone’s liver, so no man dared to approach her easily.
“……”
As a result, my dance card dangled, completely blank. Leon Frezier had temporarily left my side because a noble who was like his mentor at the Academy had arrived. Lisian was also busy, having been called away by a flood of greeting requests from the Elders.
Hmm.
I realized anew that it had been quite a while since I’d stood alone as Tulia. I began to have a reasonable suspicion that the original Tulia in The Milk Bread had gone around picking fights because she was lonely. The game described Tulia as being a Wall Crystal the entire time she was in the Grand Duchy. So, whenever she was bored, she would pour wine on nobles her age and trigger harassment events for Corico.
Suddenly, a scene from the game came to mind.
It was the day Corico had established herself in the Grand Ducal House and was hosting Grandfather’s birthday banquet. Since it was a game with many choices, you could even choose the decorations yourself. Among them was this choice:
[Which flower will you choose to hang on the walls?]
1. Roses
2. Lilies
3. Tulips
If you clicked option 3 and chose tulips, you would see an event where Tulia was thrown into the dungeon. That choice was a blatant insult to Tulia, and with her personality, there was no way she would stay quiet.
You’d get to see an illustration of Tulia being dragged away by soldiers after trying to pour wine on Corico…
Swallowing my bittersweet memories of the game, I looked around. Surprisingly…
There are a lot of Wall Crystals from the Frezier family.
Sophia Frezier was one. And Sandra Frezier, the daughter of the mistress Belladonna whom Great Count Nigella had brought in, was another. Both were standing by the wall like me, talking to their followers or sipping champagne. Their eyes were busy scanning the room.
I guess they’re looking for Lisian and Leon.
That was it. The two highest-ranking bachelors in the Frezier Grand Duchy were Lisian and Leon. Therefore, those two had an obligation to dance at every banquet they attended.
If this were the Imperial Capital, the twins would have had to start the first dance.
The Grand Duchy’s social customs were a bit different from the Imperial Capital’s, so it wasn't quite that strict. However, wanting to dance with the most handsome and outstanding gentlemen at a banquet was a natural desire for any lady of the Brillant Empire.
So, Sandra Frezier and Sophia Frezier always asked the twins for a dance. Since they were Freziers attending their grandfather’s birthday banquet, the twins couldn't really refuse to dance, so they always accepted their requests.
Normally, it would be more proper for Tulia and the twins to dance.
But the Tulia in The Milk Bread was someone who ignored conventions, so she would always just stand by the wall and glare at the twins while they danced.
“Tulia?”
Then, a voice suddenly reached my ears. For a moment, I almost mistook this world for a movie scene rather than a game. A staggering beauty that could deceive the world was shining dazzlingly before my eyes.
“Wow, Lisian…”
This is insane. As expected of Corico’s true male lead. Lisian, looking just as dashing as Leon Frezier, had approached me before I knew it.