The Unenjoyable Banquet
After the first slave entered the Mercury count's household, the noisy days passed by. Since the Mercury family had never taken in a slave before, the management naturally fell to Reina. The child brought in as a slave was a nameless beastkin girl. Because a beastkin's age could only be guessed at by appearance, her exact years were unknown, but judging from her physical growth and mental maturity, she seemed close to Reina's own age. She looked frail and emaciated, as though she had never once been properly fed even a single meal a day. Moreover, she had never received any basic education and thus did not understand the human tongue. Since Reina herself did not know the beastkin language either, communication was carried out almost entirely through gestures.
The first time the girl exchanged words with Reina was when they gave her a name. Normally, no household bothered to name its slaves. After all, plenty of families refused even basic human decency to their slaves. Reina, however, held no such prejudice. First she had the girl bathed until she was spotless, then dressed her in one of her own outfits that roughly matched her build. Once that was done, the sight of the cat ears and the wary expression on her face struck Reina as so adorable that she decided a name was in order. Even though the girl had yet to learn the human language, Reina thought that giving her a name of her own might make learning it easier.
After much thought, Reina suddenly seemed to have an idea. She placed her hands on the cat beastkin's shoulders and spoke.
"Natalie! Natalie would be perfect. Sylvia, don't you think so too?"
The sudden touch made the girl flinch, but she did not look displeased.
"Yes, Lady Reina. It suits her perfectly."
Sylvia was the personal maid assigned to Reina's room. Previously, when Valeon and Julia were away, the head butler Sebastian had looked after her, but Sylvia had always been the one who attended to Reina. Sylvia spoke formally only because of the master-servant relationship; she was simply an employee of the household receiving wages. In truth, serving Reina felt more like spending pleasant days with a friend, thanks to Reina's warm personality.
"From now on, I'll call you Natalie."
Reina pointed at the girl, who was staring blankly between her and Sylvia, then touched her own chest.
"I'm Reina, and this is Sylvia."
She finished the introductions by pointing at Sylvia as well.
"Rei… na."
In a small, fragile voice, the girl spoke Reina's name.
"That's right! You remembered my name, Natalie?"
The girl still could not speak the language properly, yet she clearly remembered the person who had treated her kindly. Even without understanding the meaning, she had found a word she could repeat.
"Reina."
She said it again, this time with a clearer voice. Reina felt as though she could float from joy. The girl had endured countless hardships and spent her days wary, hissing like a cat whenever the chance arose, yet now she finally recognized her.
Reina pulled her into a sudden hug.
"Haa, let's get along well from now on, Natalie."
Once bathed, Natalie was subjected to Reina's embraces at every opportunity. Wariness or not, nothing bad ever happened while she was being hugged. The first hug on the very first day had evidently left a lasting impression. After holding her for quite some time—
"Nngh."
Though she did not dislike it, the prolonged embrace seemed to make her uncomfortable, and she let out a small sound of protest.
"Ah, let's play now."
From then on, Reina and Natalie were inseparable, roaming the mansion together.
***
Time flowed on, and although they looked nothing alike and came from completely different backgrounds, Reina and Natalie lived like twins.
"Reina. I'm… suffocating."
They began another day in their usual embrace.
"Hngh. Natalie, ever since you learned to talk, you've become so cold."
Reina pouted as she finally released her. Startled, Natalie quickly hugged her back.
"N-no. I… like you, Reina."
Reina's expression brightened at once. After another long hug, Sylvia entered the room.
"Lady Reina, Lady Natalie, it is time to wash up, is it not?"
Sylvia had come to regard Natalie almost as Reina's twin and never forgot to address her as "Lady" as well.
"Mm."
"Once you are ready, Lord Valeon requests your presence in his study. He says he has something important to discuss."
"Understood."
After a pleasant bath and a change from nightclothes into daywear, Reina descended to Valeon's study. Natalie remained behind with Sylvia to continue her studies whenever such matters arose; even if they lived like twins, the affairs of House Mercury were not theirs to share. Yet not every day in their repeating routine could go smoothly. When Reina answered Valeon Mercury's summons and entered the study, she was met with shocking news.
"At the banquet, you must treat Natalie as a slave."
The regular banquet attended by countless nobles was approaching. Because House Mercury had never kept slaves, it already drew criticism, and the eyes of the noble faction would be especially sharp this time.
"But…"
Reina could not continue. Valeon's expression had turned grim.
"I have no desire to deny that Natalie is part of our household. However, that is not how she should appear in public. Removing her slave status would only give the noble faction a weakness to exploit."
Valeon Mercury spoke as though he were already being lenient. Then, with an air of resignation, he grew firmer.
"Reina, your father has tried his best as well. It is only for two days. We have no choice but to put a collar on Natalie."
Reina could not believe it. Not the kingdom's slave system, nor the greedy nobles who upheld it. The truth ignited a fire in the young girl's heart.
"You're all the same. Royalists or nobles, you're all drunk on power!"
With those words she could no longer hold back, Reina stormed out of the study. Neither Valeon nor Julia could stop her; they felt the same way. Once outside, Reina ran straight for her own room. She needed to see Natalie alone. The guilt of having to treat her harshly at the grand banquet seven days from now weighed heavily on her.
Bang!
The door flew open with enough force to break it. Startled, Natalie saw Reina's tear-streaked face.
"Reina, what's wrong?"
Reina rushed forward and threw herself into Natalie's arms. Though the crying expression worried her, she assumed it was merely their usual greeting and accepted the embrace comfortably. Yet Reina's body trembled, and Natalie felt her shoulder grow hot and damp.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry~"
Reina was weeping, apologizing over and over for what she would have to do. Natalie said nothing, only gently patted her back. The only thing that ever made the usually bright and cheerful Reina cry so bitterly was something involving her. Natalie could vaguely guess that, for some reason, Reina would have to treat her coldly. She simply accepted it.
The embrace of the two young girls sank deep into their hearts. Time passed, and the day of the decisive event arrived. As Natalie had expected, she was told she must once again wear a slave collar and stand at Reina's side. She had already steeled herself during their earlier hug, so it did not bother her, but the problem was not Natalie.
"I'm… fine, Reina."
Reina squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of the collar around Natalie's neck. Natalie might be fine, but the leash attached to that collar was now in Sylvia's hands, and the sight was unbearable. The collars worn by slaves tightened whenever the wearer resisted, cutting into the neck until it bled. If Sylvia and Natalie drifted even a little apart, Natalie would slowly be strangled. They could have used a different collar, but the knot on this one was easily recognizable, and it was better not to invite suspicion.
"Sylvia, you can do this, right? When we go around greeting people later, you must follow closely."
"Yes, my lady."
Sylvia, too, disliked holding Natalie's leash. Working in a household that rejected slavery had naturally made her reject it as well. Every time she saw Natalie restrained by the suffocating collar, guilt washed over her. As long as she made no mistakes, Natalie would not suffer further, yet that very thought only made her more afraid.
"Let's go."
At Reina's command, the three of them walked toward the banquet hall.
"The star of tonight's banquet! The beautiful daughter of Count Valeon Mercury, the Yellow Cosmos—Lady Reina Mercury!"
Sebastian, who was hosting the banquet, announced her name with vigor. Reina stepped forward at the perfect moment. Because the banquet used the mansion's grand hall, descending the staircase from the second floor signified her entrance. Nobles from each household stood at tables filling the hall and applauded. When she finally reached the bottom, a red carpet stretched before her. As she walked along it, nobles connected to House Mercury kissed her hand in greeting.
"It has been a long time. You have grown even more beautiful."
"Ah, Lord Goret Silverty. It is an honor to see you again."
They met every year, yet this was a formal occasion, so they exchanged polite compliments. Remembering the other's name was also a courtesy, and addressing them by name served as praise for houses lower than a count's. Passing through the line, Reina received hand-kisses from nobles and their children who were friendly with House Mercury. With that, her greetings were finished. The banquet, however, was far from over. Its true purpose was for everyone to mingle freely, eat, and socialize once all formal events concluded. Because House Mercury was hosting, a long line of nobles soon formed at their table to pay their respects.
"Count Valeon, I greet you. It is rather embarrassing to say, but I am Lorenzo Hardwin, lord of the small eastern territory of Hardwin!"
Hardwin was not a large city, and the Hardwin family was likely attending this banquet for the first time. His confident greeting was commendable, yet his ignorance of protocol was unfortunate.
"A viscount, I see. Welcome. I hope the food suits your taste."
Valeon did not rise from his seat. He offered a faint smile to subtly point out the other man's mistake.
"O-of course."
Lorenzo looked flustered, as though he had just realized his error. The reason became clear when one looked behind him: counts and marquesses filled the line. The rule of the banquet was that higher-ranking nobles greeted first, and the disdainful glances from those behind him only made it worse. Lorenzo quickly downed his drink, bowed, and hurried away. The next to fill the space was a famously boisterous marquess.
"Valeon! My dear friend!"
"Well, well! If it isn't Marquess Gorgon."
Valeon had known Gorgon would come, but there was a great difference between expecting him and reacting with genuine surprise.
"Since when do we use formal speech with each other? Are we not comrades who graduated from the same Royal Academy together?"
As he said, Valeon and Gorgon had attended the Royal Academy of Philadelphia in the same year and had been inseparable during their student days. The only time they had grown distant was after each inherited their family duties and could no longer leave their territories.
"Even so, this is a public occasion. Have you been well?"
"If you say so, then I suppose I have. Of course I've been well. When have I ever fallen ill? Hahaha!"
With that, he raised his glass. Naturally, Valeon clinked his own against it, fulfilling the banquet's purpose.
"Kyah! As expected, the Mercury wine—refined through generations of brewing—simply cannot be given up! Hahaha!"
"Your praise is more than I deserve."
The foundation of House Mercury lay in the wine produced from the vineyards they had tended since ancient times. In fact, Mercury wine was the most exported liquor from the Sog Kingdom to other nations.
"Ah, our beautiful flowers shine so brightly that I can hardly keep my eyes open."
Marquess Gorgon shielded his eyes as he looked at Julia and Reina.
"Thank you. You look dashing as well, Marquess Gorgon. I had heard stories from my husband, so I knew you were such a person, but seeing you in person makes you seem even more hearty and splendid."
Julia offered a composed thanks while Reina bowed her head in gratitude. Though Reina never lost her smile, inside she wished the banquet would end quickly. She did not forget to glance sideways at Natalie from time to time. While Valeon and Gorgon discussed the kingdom's affairs and future plans, the socializing came to an end. The real problem was the nobles who continued to arrive.
"Count Valeon, it has been a while."
The man who addressed Valeon without any honorific and in a distinctly unwelcoming tone was a mustached noble whose large belly made it obvious he ate well.
"Oh-ho, if it isn't Count Verden."
Both being counts, honorifics held little meaning. Still, the two continued their invisible battle of nerves.
"The food is decent and the mansion is grand, but as expected, something is lacking."
As a member of the noble faction, Count Verden was quick to criticize any royalist noble he met. He would not go so far on such a pleasant banquet day, yet he still voiced his dissatisfaction to uphold the authority of his faction. Behind Count Verden trailed a line of attendants that made one's brow furrow. The sight of him proudly stroking his mustache while doing so was utterly repulsive.
"I know what you are implying. Still, it would be best not to say it. After all, today is a joyous occasion."
Valeon spoke with a smile, yet Verden continued. One hand still held his wine glass while the other stroked his mustache as though analyzing it.
"Slaves are the very symbol of nobility. No matter how much House Mercury is called a founding contributor, certain duties must still be fulfilled."
The moment she heard those words, Reina nearly furrowed her brow so deeply that veins stood out on her forehead.
"But it is surprising that Lady Reina keeps a slave! Quite intriguing, really."
"That is enough. Criticizing the host family of the banquet does not seem like a wise choice."
Had Valeon not spoken, Verden might have crossed the line. Verden shrugged, drank his wine, and left with the air of someone who had landed a solid hit. Once he was gone, Reina turned to Valeon.
"I am going inside."
Now that the most difficult guests had departed, she chose to retreat to her room at once. Valeon nodded. Julia looked worried.
"Reina, are you all right?"
Reina nodded and walked away, with Sylvia and Natalie following slowly behind her.