Imperial Banquet (1)
Imperial Banquet (1)
"Alderin? What kind of unheard-of backwater is that? I guess even a countryside like that has an arena? Khahahahaha!"
A giant man laughed gluttonously while threateningly swinging a flail.
Renoa chose the arena as the first destination for our city tour.
When she had come to the arena before, it seemed to suit Renoa's taste quite well.
Well, that could be the case.
If she wants to watch, she can.
'But if we came to watch, we should just watch and leave. Why do I always get dragged into this?'
I thought she was watching quietly, but then she suddenly told me to go for a round.
Afraid of being recognized, I had to throw off the knight uniform I wore for the first time today and put on some shabby clothes.
I turned my head and looked at the spectator seats.
Renoa and Bibi were watching from among the general audience, not the VIP seats.
Bibi was stuffing her face with snacks as if I were some kind of entertainment, and Renoa was smiling faintly as if this situation was purely amusing.
"Show them the dignity of Alderin's strongest gladiator."
"Give it your all. Huhu."
It was as if they were saying exactly that.
"You country bumpkin bastard! How dare you look away with me right in front of you! I'll crush your fucking skull!"
The gladiator threw the flail he was swinging at me.
Without even needing to swing a sword, I dodged it by just tilting my head while staying in place.
Then, I grabbed the chain and gave it a light Bung.
"Uwaaaaak!"
The gladiator, sent flying through the air, fell into the spectator seats.
"What?! Skull Crusher Bernard in one hit?"
"Wasn't he just some hillbilly gladiator?"
"Alderin, just what kind of place is that?"
The pouring gazes were embarrassing. I hurried out of the arena and went to Renoa.
"Are you satisfied?"
"It's no fun. It was more entertaining to watch when you were weak. You've become unnecessarily strong."
A look of great disappointment.
She even looked somewhat sad.
Just who did I have to become strong for, and now she says I've become unnecessarily strong.
Seriously, if you weren't my master, I would've beaten the shit out of you.
"You don't have to be so disheartened, Irion-gyeong. We made a killing thanks to you, after all."
Bibi shook a heavy pouch of money.
These women are really something else as a pair.
It seems they even gambled on the outcome.
"Whatever. If the sightseeing is over, let's go somewhere else."
We left the arena and strolled down the main street.
We didn't take a carriage.
It was because it would stand out too much, and Renoa said she wanted to walk.
Renoa moved her head restlessly as she walked.
Then, the moment she saw something interesting, she would stop walking or go closer to take a look.
"Come to think of it, was this Agassi's first time seeing the city?"
"Since I was only ever at the mansion."
"How do you feel about seeing the city for the first time?"
"It's not bad."
She seemed sincere.
Her expression was lighter than usual.
Then she looked at me.
"What about you...?"
"It's my second time."
"For the record, Irion-gyeong's first time was with me."
Bibi boasted while making a V-sign next to me.
"Watch your phrasing, will you? People will get the wrong idea if they hear that."
"What kind of wrong idea?"
"Do I really have to say it out loud? And besides, is a maid supposed to tease a knight?"
"Ah."
"Let's mind our manners, shall we? Understood?"
Sorry, but I'm not the me of the past anymore. I'm the exclusive knight of a Lady, no less.
Where does a mere maid think she's...
Just as I was feeling a sense of satisfaction from exercising my power for the first time, I felt an intense gaze from the side.
Renoa was staring at us with her eyes narrowed.
Having spent several years together, I know now. That look is the one that comes out when she's dissatisfied.
"...What is it this time?"
"You two seem quite close."
"Well, Bibi is the only one I can really talk to openly."
"What could you two possibly have to talk about so openly? Are you talking behind my back?"
"Well, among other things?"
"What?"
Renoa furrowed her brows.
"I'm joking. Why would I talk behind Agassi's back? Surely Agassi doesn't think she has many flaws? Right?"
"......."
Renoa couldn't answer.
If she agreed, she would be admitting she had many problems, and if she denied it, it would mean there was nothing wrong with the conversation between Bibi and me.
Bibi gave a thumbs up from the side.
"That was legendary, Irion-gyeong. Even Agassi can't do a thing against Irion-gyeong."
"This much is easy."
Kwak!
"Ugh!"
"Don't get cocky. Tsk."
Renoa, having stomped on the top of my foot with her shoe, began to walk again.
"I knew it. You deserved to get hit. I warned you tens of thousands of times not to do that."
Bibi followed behind Renoa with her hands behind her back, walking chong-chong.
When did you ever tell me not to?
You were just chiming in happily until a moment ago, and now you're flipping the script.
"Anyway, there isn't a single normal person around me."
They say birds of a feather flock together, so why are there only strange people around a normal person like me?
I have no idea.
Even after leaving the arena, Renoa wandered all over the place.
Like a chick that had just hatched from its egg, she took in every little thing without missing a beat.
People chatting while walking the streets, adventurers gathered in taverns drinking even in broad daylight.
Children running around playing, and couples on dates holding hands.
To her, who had been confined to the mansion her whole life, everything was a new experience.
She wondered if she would have lived like them if she had been born into an ordinary family instead of being the illegitimate child of a Ducal family.
But just as someone who has never eaten an apple cannot know its taste.
Renoa could not imagine herself living like them.
Her worldview was just that meager.
"Agassi, don't your legs hurt?"
"No problem."
"Is there anywhere else you'd like to go? The sun will set soon, so it'll likely be the last stop for today."
"Well..."
Renoa looked around, unable to give a clear answer to Bibi's question.
Then, a certain place soon came into her view.
"What about there?"
"It's the slave market. A place where slaves are commonly bought and sold. I don't recommend it."
At the mention of the slave market, Renoa stared blankly at Irion.
After staring like that for a moment.
Renoa turned her head and entered the slave market as if possessed.
Irion and Bibi had no choice but to follow behind.
As soon as they entered, a stench stung their noses. The floor was filled with unidentified foreign substances.
Excrement, or fresh blood.
But Renoa continued to walk, not even caring that her shoes were getting dirty.
Iron cages lined both sides. Inside, half-naked slaves were huddled together.
Renoa's gaze brushed past the faces of the slaves one by one.
There was no light in their eyes.
Eyes like piles of ash, where hope, fear, and even hatred had been completely burned away.
They were like empty shells from which the soul had escaped.
"A child from a noble family has arrived. Well, is there a product you need?"
A slave merchant who spotted Renoa came running over in a hurry. He recognized at once that she was a noble just from the atmosphere she exuded.
Renoa gestured toward the slaves and asked.
"Why do every single one of them have dead eyes?"
"Even a speechless beast knows the day it will die, so wouldn't a slave know too? It's because they are destined to toil until they die."
"Don't they struggle to be liberated?"
"Hahahaha. Is such a thing even possible? Harboring vain hope only brings pain upon oneself. It's easier for those fellows to just give up early and accept reality."
A fate of being exploited for a lifetime.
A shackle that can never be escaped.
It is only natural to despair.
At the merchant's explanation, Renoa turned her head. Irion was there, where her gaze landed.
He, too, was a slave.
Unlike those trapped in safe iron cages, he had crossed the line between life and death day after day in the arena.
Nevertheless, Irion's eyes were the exact opposite of theirs.
Rather, he craved survival to a terrible degree, and he finally seized the position of a knight despite his status as a slave.
Irion was different from those things.
Her slave was more special than anyone else.
A faint smile mixed with superiority spread across Renoa's lips.
"Let's go back."
Renoa turned away without lingering, as if she no longer had any business with the slave market.
With that, today's city sightseeing was over. The three returned to the mansion.
"Have you returned, Agassi?"
The butler bowed politely to Renoa.
"Gaju-nim said that you should attend the dinner banquet upon your return."
"...Understood."
"Let's go to your room, Agassi. I will help you change."
Renoa nodded.
"Irion, you may leave now. Good work today."
"Understood."
After sending Irion away, Renoa returned to her room with Bibi.
She changed her clothes and tidied her disheveled hair. After erasing all traces of having gone out, she headed to the main building.
Everyone was already seated in the dining room.
Renoa bowed her waist modestly.
"Renoa Edelheid. I have returned from my outing and come at your call."
Duke Pascal welcomed her with a bright smile.
"Welcome. Have you eaten dinner?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet, I see~ Then sit here. It's our first family meal, isn't it? Everyone was waiting for you to arrive."
Renoa approached the table. She was looking around to see where she should sit and was about to sit in the very last seat.
"No, not there. Here, here."
Duke Pascal tapped the table. The seat right next to him.
It was the seat where Florencia-buin usually sat. Having been pushed one seat over, she was clenching her fists with a humiliating expression.
"But..."
The quick-witted Renoa hesitated and couldn't sit down easily. She was afraid of the backlash if she sat there.
However.
"It's fine, so sit down. From now on, this will be Renoa's assigned seat."
"......."
"Aren't you going to sit?"
"...Excuse me."
The highest person in the Ducal house is the Duke. One must not go against his words.
Renoa had no choice but to sit in the assigned seat.
Duke Pascal smiled bang-geut.
"Mmm, it's good to see the whole family gathered in one place. I'm hungry, shall we eat?"
The most awkward family meal in the world began.
No one said a word, keeping their eyes fixed on their plates and only moving their arms. Even then, they barely ate.
Only Pascal smiled brightly.
"How is the meal? Is it to your taste?"
"Ah, yes..."
"You say that, but you're just picking at it?"
"I had some snacks while I was out, so..."
The Duke asked questions without stopping, his gaze burdensome from the side.
Renoa answered while diligently moving her mouth, which didn't want to move well.
"Right, right, it must have been fun."
"Yes..."
"It's a good thing to enjoy life."
Pascal nodded with a satisfied expression and put a piece of meat in his mouth.
"Ah, that's right. Come to think of it, didn't Cassius say he had something to tell everyone?"
The Duke looked at Cassius.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
Renoa kept her head down and only glanced at Cassius, who was sitting opposite her.
"A message has arrived from the Imperial Palace. It is an invitation requesting attendance at the celebration of the 1st Prince's coming-of-age ceremony."
"Does everyone have to go?"
"Just one person to represent the family will suffice."
"Hmm. I'm busy with magic research, and Cassius is busy with public affairs. I wonder who should go..."
Duke Pascal pondered with a prim expression, poking his lips with a fork.
At the mention of only one person, the air in the dining room tightened tensely.
A banquet hosted by the Imperial Family is a social gathering and a political arena where the direction of the next power is entangled.
It was also a stage to imprint one's presence as the successor who would shoulder the future of Edelheid.
It was a position that anyone would see as rightfully belonging to the legitimate eldest son or the legitimate daughter.
Since the eldest son, Cassius, couldn't go, it was only proper for the second son, Lowell, or the eldest daughter, Idella, to go.
"Our Renoa can go."
Duke Pascal spoke in a gentle voice, lightly stepping all over their expectations.