Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The 6th Candidate (1)
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Water Lily Palace Lord.
Niel Ragnar Tone, better known by her moniker of "Ice Dragon," stood on the second-floor terrace overlooking the garden in a single glance.
Her face, lightly veiled by a jhulbu fan said to be all the rage in the East, was tinged with anger.
"Your friend still hasn't arrived, it seems. All the other Nine Dragons are already here, yet this young junior shows up so late. His lack of manners is crystal clear."
In truth, if one were to nitpick, Julius and the Plum Palace Lord had arrived far too early in a manner uncharacteristic of them.
But Niel paid no mind to such details, continuing to tear into Theo without pause.
"Mom."
Ray, who had been standing blankly beside her, gazed quietly at Niel.
Her face, still impossible to read, could seem vacant or simply expressionless.
"It's about to become an official occasion. Mind your words."
"Palace Lord."
"What?"
"He's my friend. Don't badmouth him."
"......"
Niel felt a surge of emotion in that moment.
The expression that appeared on her face was the textbook image of a doting mother.
Slap!
"What did you just say? Don't you find him infuriating? He's the one who stole your place!"
"It wasn't my place."
"Of course it was yours! After all the hardship you've endured...!"
Niel knew full well how much Ray had suffered all this time.
Hadn't the child been living on borrowed time, born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
The pain she had gone through to overcome it had been so agonizing that even Niel, watching from the sidelines, had felt it vicariously.
Just when it seemed she was finally seeing the light...
Some bastard had appeared out of nowhere at the Awakening Ceremony and snatched away the position that rightfully belonged to Ray.
A bastard son who had never shown any particular promise before.
"And that's not all! I heard a few days ago that Kyle summoned that boy to the Half-Sword Tomb alone. He even bestowed one of the swords from his personal collection. Even with you right there...!"
But what had truly wounded Niel's heart the deepest was something else entirely.
The bestowal of a half-sword.
An incident that had set Winterer abuzz.
Ray still hadn't even had a proper one-on-one sword duel with Kyle, aside from the third Awakening Ceremony.
But,
"Yeah. You're right. I went through hell."
"Exactly...!"
"But Theo worked even harder than I did."
"What?"
"I know. I know how much of a training maniac Theo is."
"......"
"So I don't hate Theo. I respect him, actually. He's amazing."
Ray remembered how Theo, during their time together at the Awakening Ceremony, never once rested, his mind never straying from the sword.
"So don't hate Theo. Or I'll hate you too, Mom."
"You're seriously saying...!"
"It's true."
Niel felt another surge, but faced with Ray's impassive gaze, she found herself at a loss for words.
She could only let out a deep sigh.
Her daughter, who took so fiercely after her, was impossible to dissuade once she dug in her heels.
"Sigh! Fine. I get it, I get it."
Flutter!
Niel unfurled her jhulbu fan once more, covering her mouth.
"But don't force me to go easy on him just because he's your friend. I'll judge the boy on my own terms."
Only then did a smile finally bloom on Ray's lips.
"Yeah. That's good enough. You'll like him too once you see him, Mom."
"......That brat."
Niel pouted her lips.
*When she used to say nothing mattered but Mom, Mom, Mom. Now it's all Theo, Theo, Theo.*
In truth, Niel didn't exactly hate Theo.
No, she was actually grateful.
He was the first friend the aloof Ray had ever made.
*But that's that, and this is this!*
As Niel's parental instincts blazed fiercely,
"He's finally here."
The banquet hall suddenly grew rowdy before falling into silence.
All eyes turned toward the entrance.
A faint smile touched Ray's face as well.
"Well, well?"
Niel watched Theo enter the banquet hall, her expression one of considerable intrigue.
* * *
*Still uncomfortable as ever.*
Theo fidgeted with his too-tight clothes but entered the banquet hall without showing it much.
"Look, my son. Everyone's captivated by your dashing figure. Hehe."
Cecilia Ragnar, entering alongside him on his arm, covered her mouth with her fan and laughed softly.
A fan made from the feathers of a duke bird, or so she said.
It was one of the products she had launched with her new business venture.
The formal attire Theo wore, as well as Cecilia's dress and jewelry, were all the same.
"Some gaze in admiration, others in rivalry or scrutiny. Ah, and over there—someone's glaring daggers at you for some reason. Perhaps they think you stole their spot? What a shortsighted fool they must be."
In a voice too low for others to hear.
Cecilia continued softly, for Theo's ears alone.
"From now on, my son, you must turn all those gazes into one. Can you do that?"
One single gaze.
Theo recalled the looks the household staff gave Kyle.
Awe.
Could he draw that from others in the future?
The road ahead was undoubtedly long.
"Theo, you made it."
"Theo!"
"It's been a while. I hope you've been well."
At that moment, three people approached Theo.
All youths who, if not quite as dressed up as Theo, had clearly put in effort.
"My son, who might these be?"
"My friends, Mother. This is Erika and Holkus of Langke, and this is Wellington of Narsio."
Perhaps because it was Ray's birthday party, all the同期 from this Awakening Ceremony were gathered.
Having arrived early and chatted plenty already, they all seemed in high spirits.
"So these are the friends you mentioned introducing me to before. A pleasure. I'm Cecilia of Camellia Palace."
Wellington was the first to bow gracefully in greeting.
"Oh my! I thought you had some hidden beauty of a sister tucked away, Your Highness Theo, but it's your mother. I nearly committed a faux pas. I'm Wellington. Call me Well, if you please."
"Oh? Hohoho! They say the young heir of Narsio has a silver tongue that can lead people around by the nose, and it seems the rumors are true."
"Oh dear, such words wound me."
"Hm? Whatever do you mean?"
"I spoke from the heart, yet you twist my intent..."
"Oh my. Hohohoho!"
Cecilia laughed with what seemed genuine delight.
Even Theo let out an awkward chuckle beside her.
*She's a real vixen.*
Just then, Holkus suddenly went rigid with tension, thrusting forward a sketchbook and a signing pen.
Cecilia blinked in bewilderment at this unexpected sight,
"I'm a f-fan! Please, just one autograph!"
"A fan...?"
Cecilia's eyes widened at the surprising declaration.
Theo and Wellington's gazes naturally turned that way as well.
Erika alone sighed deeply in the middle, looking exasperated.
"Yes! I've devoured every recorded play starring Lady Cecilia! Especially that final tearful scene in *The Prodigal's Return*, where you're cradled in the prodigal's arms—I must've rewatched it dozens of times, it was that impactful! And *The Talent-Spitting Mage*, *The Three-Time Lifer Ranker* left me in awe too, and...!"
"Oh my. Those are over twenty years old. How embarrassing."
Contrary to her words, Cecilia smiled warmly as she took the sketchbook and pen.
"Holkus Langke, was it?"
"Yes! That's me!"
"Please keep being good friends with my son from now on."
Cecilia signed the sketchbook and added a note: *Have a wonderful day today.*
Holkus clutched it like he owned the world.
*......When the hell did you even watch that stuff?*
*Huh? Didn't I mention? I love classic masterpieces. And Lady Cecilia was my favorite. Ever heard of Cecil-feng?*
*No clue...*
*Ugh. Stop obsessing over swords for once. Take a look at the world, you know? Enjoy some culture and art, huh? Your brain's all muscle up there.*
For a split second, Erika felt an overwhelming urge to smack her oversized little brother's head.
*Lady Cecilia was the ultimate trendsetter back then, until twenty years ago. Everything she wore sold out instantly, and stage jewelry flew off the shelves. Husbands scrambling everywhere to snag them for their wives—stories that'd bring tears to your eyes...!*
*Shut up with the nonsense.*
*Anyway, she was the pinnacle, then suddenly retired. That's all you need to know. I only just found out she's Theo's mom.*
The guy knew every trend and celeb inside out, which was downright bizarre.
*But the way he acts... People like that, hoping to be cool by fangirling over stuff like this—they're the real losers, right? The total nerds?*
Erika bowed her head in greeting to Cecilia amid her musings.
"I'm Erika Langke."
As Theo, his mother, and his friends exchanged busy greetings,
The other gazes in the banquet hall focused on them.
-Lady Cecilia... no, Camellia Palace Lord now? Anyway, was she always that stunning?
-Right? She always had this perpetual scowl that made approaching her tough. Now, what is it... her aura's just radiant? With her son's fortunes turning, her face is blooming too.
-No wonder the Family Head fell so hard back then.
-Yeah. Who'd guess she's over forty with that face?
-If she weren't the Family Head's... I'd shoot my shot...
-These men, seriously—where are you looking!
-Ah, aaah! S-sorry! Honey! Honey! Aaaah!
The men who had been staring blankly at Cecilia were dragged off by their wives or lovers, ears pinched.
-That dress looks new. Where's it from?
-Right? Should I ask?
-I know, I know. Rumor was Camellia Palace Lord was scouting real estate for a boutique. Probably from there?
-Oh, really?
-Those accessories are gorgeous too. Think we could get matching ones?
The young ladies fixated on Cecilia's dress and jewelry,
-Cool...
-Such unparalleled elegance. Born with a different vessel, huh.
-Can't I get clothes like that somewhere?
-They say his sword's top-notch too.
The young swordsmen eyed not just Theo's outfit but the splendidly adorned sword at his side.
Each for their own reasons, scrutinizing Theo and Cecilia's every move.
And among them,
Were those with entirely different aims.
Matchmakers.
-I hear His Highness Theo has no fiancée. No one he's seeing either.
-So if we lock it in now, it'll pay off big!
Having already earned Kyle's recognition meant Theo's future was beyond doubt.
Rumor even had it he was being adopted into Plum Palace Lord's registry—no more worries about his background.
Nobles who had brought daughters of marriageable age sought any chance to arrange a meeting with Theo,
While the matchmakers lay in wait for an opening to approach Cecilia.
But with no clear chance in sight, and Julius and the Plum Palace Lord poised to cling to Theo at any moment, everyone hesitated to act rashly.
-This is...
-When do we...
An untimely game of chicken.
Then,
Someone barged into Theo's group without a care for the others' stares.
"Hey."
-Wh-who's that guy...!
-What's this punk doing!
A man with a languid face and eyes brimming with decadent allure.
Navan Barkus.
"Wanna talk? My liege?"
In that instant, every gaze in the room turned to Theo,
'M-my liege?'
Holkus's eyes shook violently.