Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Social Gathering Turmoil - 2
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Princess Rosmel's invitation stirred up a commotion far greater than her very appearance.
Everyone in the hall, save for Duke Grimjack, froze in place while standing.
An eerie silence stretched on, where a mere instant felt like an eternity.
My breath began to catch in my throat.
What the hell do I do in a situation like this?
"Your Highness, aren't you being a bit too mischievous?"
I whispered in a troubled voice, and the princess replied with a slight curl at the corner of her eyes.
"I genuinely wanted to dance with Young Master Heinz, that's why I asked. If you're truly not interested, feel free to refuse. I'm perfectly fine either way."
Even as she said that, her eyes sparkled with a look that screamed, 'Go ahead, just try refusing.'
I swallowed a dry laugh and shook my head.
"How could I possibly refuse Your Highness's invitation to dance in a situation like this? I'd end up getting thrashed."
"Hehe, then I can take that as acceptance, right?"
Princess Rosmel flashed a radiant smile before I could even respond and tugged at my arm.
From the shadowy corner of the dark banquet hall to the center bathed in brilliant lights.
In one swift pull, I was dragged to the middle of the stage, standing side by side with the empire's most noble lady.
Only then did the silence in the hall shatter, as if a spell had been broken.
"N-No way! This has to be a dream! A nightmare!"
"Her Highness reached out to that wastrel young master first...? Even third-rate novels these days don't write nonsense like this!"
"Hypnosis magic! It has to be vile hypnosis magic controlling Her Highness!"
"Damn it! Lucky bastard... Pay five times—no, ten times the taxes!"
The hall erupted in denial of reality, all sorts of slander, and base jealousy.
It felt like a riot could break out any second.
I shot Princess Rosmel a desperate glance, pleading for her to do something about this mess.
But she merely returned a bright smile, her lips curved in a blooming grin.
Ignore them all.
This princess had no intention of backing out of choosing me as her partner, no matter what anyone said.
"By the way, I have no idea how to dance."
"Don't worry. Just follow my steps—no need to try showing off. After all, we're the stars of the night no matter what."
"Such overflowing confidence."
"Beauty and the Beast, the Princess and the Wastrel. What do you think? Doesn't it sound topical enough just from the title?"
"Can't argue with that."
Soon, elegant melodies began to flow through the banquet hall. I entrusted my body to Princess Rosmel's lead and cautiously took my first step.
It was my first ball ever, so I was tense as hell, but strangely, my feet glided across the floor without a single mistake.
Is this muscle memory too?
"For someone who claims he can't dance, your movements are awfully smooth. Are you fooling me, Young Master?"
"...Looks like I had some hidden talent for dancing after all."
Princess Rosmel narrowed her eyes and stared right at me.
I turned my head away to avoid her piercing gaze, but everywhere I looked felt just as uncomfortable.
The classical music drowned out the nobles' blatant complaints, but there was no escaping their naked stares of disgust.
The steak I'd eaten earlier felt like it was coming back up.
"The stares from everyone must be pretty burdensome, huh?"
"They're glaring at me like they want to kill me—how could I not mind?"
Princess Rosmel let out a soft laugh at my grumbling.
Then, suddenly, she tightened her grip on my shoulder and pressed her face close to mine.
"Can't be helped. Let's end the fun here."
"Pardon?"
Princess Rosmel spun gracefully once before naturally breaking away from the dance line.
She still held tightly to my hand.
"Wait, Your Highness?!"
Ignoring my call, the princess bolted toward the banquet hall exit.
Near the door, imperial knights I recognized stood guard sternly.
As if on cue, they flung the doors wide open and cleared a path as she approached.
No sooner had we crossed the threshold than they slammed the doors shut, blocking the nobles trying to follow.
"Wh-where are we going?"
"The garden. Uncle already gave permission!"
"You even arranged the location in advance?"
"Of course! Father always says to prepare for any moment."
The garden brimmed with the scents of various flowers.
In the center sat a tea table, prepared ahead of time, complete with neat refreshments.
So she planned to bring me here from the start, huh?
"Perfect. Now, in this spot with no interrupters, let's have a cozy chat."
Before diving into serious talk, we sipped warm black tea to soothe our parched throats.
The moment my cup clinked onto its saucer, Princess Rosmel spoke up.
"The transfer of Lunaria territory might take a bit longer. Father says there are tons of administrative issues since it's been neglected for so long."
"That's fine. We're not ready to build the casino right away anyway. I'm okay with a little more delay."
"I'm glad you say that. Still, knowing Father's temperament, he might hand over Lunaria out of the blue anytime, so it's best to prepare in advance."
I nodded at her advice.
"Once the social gathering ends and I return to the territory, I'll get right on it."
Another sip of black tea.
Before moving to the next topic, Princess Rosmel paused and stared straight at me.
She gauged my expression silently, then lowered her voice even further, broaching a heavy subject in a subdued tone.
"And one of the maids from the Rose Palace was found dead in a deserted alley in the capital. Could it be that you..."
"Yes, that was me."
"I-is that so?"
Princess Rosmel's eyes widened, blinking rapidly.
She hadn't expected me to confess so straightforwardly.
In truth, I'd only held back because we hadn't had time to talk privately like this.
I'd never planned to hide the fact that I'd dealt with the maid.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But I assure you, I didn't do it for pleasure."
"I know. When we investigated her room after you handled her, we found piles of suspicious items."
"Suspicious items?"
"Carrier pigeons, explosive magic tools, suicide poison, and a huge haul of jewelry missing from the Rose Palace."
"Not the sort of things a mere maid would have."
She was probably too drunk on her mission to report to the cult to even properly clean her room.
She never dreamed Maribel would catch her and end her life.
Leaving such obvious clues behind—she was a sloppy spy all around.
"You already knew her true identity, didn't you, Young Master?"
"...Yes. But explaining the full details would be a bit difficult."
I mulled over whether to reveal the Nidhogg Cult's existence to the princess, my lips twitching.
But even if the imperial family got involved, would the cult crumble and peace return?
The answer in my head was a resounding 'no.'
If my memories were correct, the cult had prepared a last resort for when things went south.
Forcibly manifesting a calamity that would drag the world into apocalyptic ruin.
At this point in the story where nothing had progressed yet, if that calamity appeared, even I—who'd seen every ending—would have no counter.
That's why steadily whittling away at the cult was crucial.
Provoking them in the name of justice would lead to an irreversible bad end. So I couldn't tell the princess.
"Just know there's a shadowy group plotting to shake the empire. And please, keep this from reaching His Majesty's ears—I'd be grateful."
"Was the curse on me their doing too?"
I slowly nodded without a word.
Princess Rosmel's shoulders trembled faintly as she clenched her fists.
The pain that had tormented her all this time stemmed from someone's malice—she was furious.
If she used this as an excuse to report to the Emperor, I had no way to stop her.
In the tense silence, Princess Rosmel unclenched her fists and composed herself.
"...Then how do you know all this so well, Young Master Heinz?"
"That's..."
"Another topic that's hard to discuss, I suppose."
"Unfortunately, yes."
Princess Rosmel quietly reached out, wrapping both her soft hands around mine.
She had every right to feel miffed that I couldn't be fully honest.
Yet her expression held no lingering resentment or regret.
"It's okay. No matter what, the fact that you're my lifesaver hasn't changed."
"Your Highness..."
"And you're trying to protect the empire from that vile group, right?"
"That much, I can say with certainty: yes."
"That's enough."
As if satisfied with my answer, Princess Rosmel released my hand and shot up from her seat.
She lightly brushed off the wrinkles in her dress hem and turned her back to me.
Glancing over her shoulder, a meaningful smile played on her lips.
"Now I finally have a bit of an idea what kind of person Young Master Heinz is."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
"I'm not telling. I need to keep a secret or two to make things fair, don't I?"
Princess Rosmel giggled merrily and turned toward the banquet hall.
As she walked away without giving me a chance to press, an inexplicable unease crept over me.
I hope she hasn't gotten some weird misunderstanding.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A reception room far from the banquet hall.
Duke Grimjack, who had slipped out midway through the social gathering, sat with his eyes closed, waiting for someone.
Soon, the door opened, and Cassis entered.
"Father, you called for me?"
"......"
Duke Grimjack didn't answer his son's question. He merely crossed his arms and drummed his fingers rhythmically on his biceps.
Tap, tap, tap.
The steady beat echoed in the silence, slowly tightening around Cassis's throat.
When the finger finally stopped, the duke opened his eyes and looked at his son.
"Tell me—do you know what mistake you've made?"
His low, gravelly voice made Cassis flinch and bow his head hastily.
"I'm sorry! It was my failing—I wasn't chosen by Her Highness!"
"Whether you were chosen or not is entirely Her Highness's whim. That's not for me to reprimand."
"Pardon...?"
Cassis's eyes wavered at the unexpected response.
He'd assumed his father would chew him out for tarnishing the family's prestige.
But the duke's real concern was something else entirely, and Cassis seemed clueless.
At his son's stupid, brazen attitude, thick veins bulged on Duke Grimjack's forehead.
"You utter fool!!"
BAM—!
The roar shook the reception room as the duke slammed his fist on the desk.
The oak desk split clean in half from one blow.
Under the duke's overwhelming pressure, Cassis's body stiffened like a statue.
"When I told you to treat Heinz Altesia properly without mistakes if he came, what did you say to me? Didn't you boast that you'd take responsibility and handle it yourself?!"
Earlier, Duke Grimjack had issued clear directives on how to handle Heinz to everyone in the family.
Cassis had immediately stepped up, declaring he'd handle the hosting personally.
The duke had trusted him and handed it over, but the reports from the servants painted a far different picture.
"Yes! So I wanted to make that wastrel from Altesia see the full dignity of House Grimjack...!"
"Dignity? So to you, 'hospitality' meant showing off your superiority?"
"Th-that... Weren't you telling me to maintain discipline?"
The duke had no patience left for such idiotic excuses.
He shot to his feet, grabbed the heavy leather chair he'd been sitting in, and hurled it at his son.
"Guhk!"
Cassis instinctively raised his arms to shield his face, but a chair leg smashed into his forehead.
Blood poured from the gash, staining around his eyes.
"You're the only one in this world who twists the family head's orders to suit himself!"
"I-I'm sorry...! But I just couldn't understand! Why should we House Grimjack have to tiptoe around some Altesia wastrel?!"
"That's not for the likes of you to judge! You couldn't follow my orders, twisted them instead, and even harbored doubts? You dare challenge the family head's authority?"
"N-no, that's not it!"
"Get the hell out of my sight before I smash that smug face of yours!"
No further arguments were allowed for Cassis.
One more word here, and he'd be lucky to keep his life, let alone stay in the family.
As he clutched his bleeding forehead and turned to flee, the duke spat coldly.
"Useless brat."
The icy words stabbed into Cassis's heart like a dagger.
He ground his teeth until his gums bled.
Forcing down his crushed pride and misery, he dragged his heavy feet out of the reception room.
Meanwhile, separated by a thin wall, ears had been listening in on the exchange, holding their breath.
Brick-red hair symbolizing House Grimjack.
Unlike Cassis, who slicked his bangs back to flaunt his arrogance, this man had his calmly covering his forehead.
He was House Grimjack's second son, Hans Grimjack.
'This is my chance!'
Hans's lips twisted into a smirk.
A long-extinguished ambition reignited in his chest, burning hot with new hope.
His brother Cassis: personality in ruins, but skills outstanding.
Hans had lived his whole life compared to him, overshadowed.
And when Cassis became family head, Hans would be first on the purge list—so he'd been plotting escape.
But what was this?
His brother, who had Father's trust, had pulled off something utterly moronic.
A massive crack had formed in his ironclad position.
If Hans could just pry it open a little more, the family head's seat might finally be within reach for the eternal second son.
'The only one who can drag big brother down in the successor struggle is him now!'
Heinz Altesia.
Hans was convinced: to survive, he had to leap into the shadow of the rising star, Heinz.
"Man, I'm really curious now. How the heck did he sweet-talk Father?"
Does he have a crystal orb recording Father's sex scenes or something?