Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Ball (2)
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The ballroom was already buzzing with excitement.
Hundreds of nobles were laughing and chatting.
A considerable number of servants were also attending to their needs.
“The Heroes are making their entrance!”
“……”
Seriously, did they have to shout so loudly?
I thought my eardrums would burst, but the embarrassment was even worse.
In any case, the effect was undeniable.
The soft music that had been playing came to a halt.
Immediately, hundreds of pairs of eyes turned our way.
If I had been alone, I would have felt immense pressure.
But Ceria and the princess stood on either side of me.
Luciel and Aruru followed a short distance behind.
Second Prince Karl and the elven lady were also entering at the same time.
The attention was somewhat divided, but more than half of the eyes were still fixed on me.
Well then…
What was one supposed to do at a ball?
This was my first time actually experiencing one, but I had Jace’s memories.
At its core, a ball was all about socializing.
An event for talking with many people and building connections.
Of course, dancing with one’s partner was the highlight, but that part was relatively short.
In Jace’s case, he had never made a social debut.
Having been born into a martial family and attending the Hero Academy, he’d never had the chance.
However, dancing and etiquette were basic skills for any noble child, so he had mastered them perfectly.
Ceria’s situation wasn’t much different.
She had only ever interacted with members of families she was already acquainted with.
It seemed today would be filled with nonstop chatter.
All sorts of nobles would surely approach us, showing their interest.
They would likely bring up trivial matters, and my head was already starting to ache just thinking about it.
Well, I’d just have to handle it appropriately.
Playing along and nodding vaguely should do the trick.
I soon stood at the spot designated for the Hero’s party.
Large, round tables were placed here and there.
They were piled high with alcohol, drinks, and desserts.
The sight was more than enough to make a certain girl’s eyes sparkle.
“Ahh, this is way beyond my expectations! Could this place be heaven?”
The fox beastkin cheered, her tail wagging gently.
She couldn’t contain her excitement, as if she had the whole world in her hands.
It seemed the spread consisted mostly of her favorite things.
She even handled her liquor well, so as she said, this might as well be heaven for her.
Aruru immediately launched her operation.
*Hee hee! No one can stop me!*
Gorging herself with such gusto went against ballroom etiquette, but I had no intention of stopping her.
I mean, look how long she’s held back.
I’ll just let her be and see her challenge her limits.
She was so cute that everyone would probably just watch her with fond amusement.
I slowly looked around.
The Emperor was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he was absent.
I guessed it was either because he couldn’t be bothered or as a sort of consideration for the guests.
If the supreme ruler of the empire was present, everyone would feel pressured.
It would be best for him to make a brief appearance when the atmosphere livened up and then leave.
In his place, the heirs to the throne were in attendance.
Thus, the ball had just the right level of gravitas.
A moment later, the First Prince approached with several nobles.
It seemed he intended to socialize with us—the one thing I had hoped to avoid.
Well, I had to greet him, at least.
“Greetings, Your Highness, the First Prince.”
Ceria and the princess also paid their respects.
A hint of satisfaction appeared on the First Prince’s face.
As befitting a rather distinguished man, he possessed all the dignity of a prince.
When I praised him endlessly on that point, he returned the compliment.
“I’m sure I cannot compare to you.”
The budding camaraderie from trading compliments…
I wanted no part of it, but I had no choice.
The First Prince also spoke to Ceria and the princess.
He elegantly expressed his admiration for their radiant beauty.
It wasn’t empty flattery; he seemed genuinely impressed.
But the girls showed little interest in the prince, accepting his words merely out of politeness.
Soon, the princes faced each other.
Both were smiling, but I could feel an unidentifiable tension between them.
“……”
Huh? Are these guys about to fight in front of me?
If you’re going to argue, do it somewhere else! What a nuisance.
Unfortunately, like true princes, they paid no mind to their surroundings.
“Karl, I see you’ve made a futile attempt. But I doubt it will have much effect.”
“We shall see about that. Besides, it’s not what you think, brother.”
The Second Prince taking the elven lady as his partner.
An attempt to show off his connection to the Hero’s party.
It seemed they were discussing that very act.
It was essentially using Ilensia, but the Second Prince was the manly type, so perhaps some of his intentions were genuine…
In any case, even I didn't think it was a big deal.
If he had managed to win over the princess, who was a Hero, that would be one thing. But the elven lady was… somewhat… terribly ambiguous.
Of course, it was better than doing nothing.
So, as of now, the Second Prince had scored a point.
Now, it was time for the First Prince’s grand counterattack…
He would probably aim directly for the Heroes.
There’s a saying: to catch the general, first shoot his horse.
But if you have the ability, you can just aim for the general himself.
I wondered what his move would be.
I just hoped he wouldn’t bother the princess.
She had only just started feeling better; this could make her sullen again.
So just aim for me instead!
I would gladly sacrifice myself to protect the princess’s self-esteem.
And the First Prince did just that.
He introduced the nobles he had brought with him, one by one.
“This is also fate. It wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted.”
“……”
Yeah, I had a feeling it would be something like this.
He seemed to want me to get close to the nobles of his faction.
To be honest, it wasn’t a bad proposition for me.
As close followers of the First Prince, they were all high-ranking nobles.
Earning their favor here would be helpful in some way or another.
If I were just a Hero, I could ignore them.
But as the future heir who would one day lead the Crodain Family, I had to pay some mind.
The true essence of a ball was socializing, after all.
A perfectly natural flow of events… that was the First Prince’s strategy.
Meanwhile, the Second Prince was flustered by the First Prince’s grand scheme.
He was in a situation where if he tried to do something now, his partner, the elven lady, would be in the way.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment. Please take care of me, Your Highness.”
The girl smiled brightly, as if she knew nothing.
From the Second Prince’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if he lost his mind.
But he had to endure it.
You chose this path, so you’d better suck it up.
No matter how much of an airhead she was, a comrade was a comrade. If he neglected her, she might get angry.
At last, the Second Prince made his decision.
He would cleanly give up on this competition and focus on taking good care of the elven lady.
A manly decision to take responsibility.
One way or another, he was definitely a cool guy.
I glanced at the elven lady who was with the Second Prince.
She seemed to be having fun, which was a relief, but something felt off.
I didn’t know why, but it felt somewhat artificial.
Well, I’m sure she’ll handle it fine.
She wished to become the Empress.
In certain situations, there was an ending where she actually became the Empress.
Of course, the possibility wasn’t entirely gone now either.
I could cheer for her all I wanted, but I was a little worried.
*Hey, are you prepared for this?*
It’s one thing if it all works out, but if things go wrong, you’ll be left out in the cold.
If the Second Prince lost the competition for the throne, the elven lady would go down with him.
In other words, it was no different from a gamble with her life on the line.
It was something she should have obviously considered, but being the airhead she was, she probably overlooked it.
I’d have to wait and see how things unfolded.
At this stage, nothing I did would matter.
The heir to the throne would be decided much later.
It was a post-ending development, so I could think about it after defeating the Demon King’s army.
For now, I needed to focus on my own affairs.
I dealt with the surrounding nobles one by one.
Most of them held titles of count or higher.
They either ruled over vast territories or held important positions in the imperial court.
They were powerful people, so it was best to make them allies if possible.
But… in the end, the situation I had feared occurred.
The princess was still by my side, but Ceria had ended up at a table across from us, facing formidable opponents.
The noblewomen who ruled high society…
They were like an evolved form of villainous young ladies.
Their venomous tongues could break an innocent young lady in an instant.
They couldn’t touch the princess because she was a Hero.
But Ceria had all the qualifications to be a tempting piece of prey.
This ball being her social debut.
The fact that she was the Hero’s fiancée, which they found displeasing.
And the jealousy sparked by Ceria’s innocent beauty.
There were probably many other reasons as well.
It was incomprehensible to the average person, but finding a solution was more important than analyzing their motives.
They must have prepared a cruel initiation for her.
They would try to humiliate her in some way.
I could picture them targeting her relentlessly, as if it were their sacred mission.
“My, you are truly beautiful.”
“Ah, yes… thank you.”
“I heard you’re engaged to the Hero. When did you two start seeing each other?”
“We met when we were young…”
“So you’re childhood friends. I see… you’re quite lucky.”
It had already begun.
They were subtly prodding her.
They hid their mouths with ornate fans, but their scorn was palpable.
“I see,” “you’re quite lucky,” and so on…
It was impossible to miss the hidden meaning in their words.
They were looking down on Ceria.
Belittling her, as if her position wasn't earned through her own merit.
It was as if they were completely disregarding the memories we had built together.
Well, I mean…
Technically, I was just possessing this body…
And the time we’d actually spent together wasn’t even a year, let alone ten…
But I had already merged with Jace’s body.
I had inherited his memories, too, so I was incredibly close to the original Jace.
Ahh, I can’t take it anymore!
How can I just watch my lovely fiancée be toyed with by these nasty noblewomen?
Still, I had to endure it.
It would look bad for a man to interfere in women’s affairs.
If I stepped in, the situation might get even worse.
Perhaps because my gaze had been fixed on the opposite table for a while…
A middle-aged noble showed a look of curiosity.
“Is something the matter?”
*Is something the matter?*
My fiancée is in mortal danger!
I forced myself to calm down and spoke calmly.
“Looking at that situation, I’m worried my fiancée might feel pressured…”
“You seem to care for her deeply. Well, she should be fine.”
No, what do you mean, *she should be fine*?
Are you taking this lightly just because it’s not your problem?
“My wife is among the noblewomen gathered there, you see. Haha…”
“……”
Huh? So one of the people tormenting Ceria is your wife?
I swear on the Hero’s honor, I will ruin your political career!
He seemed completely oblivious.
But he deserved to be punished for not being able to manage his own wife.
Anyway.
Right now, I had to rescue Ceria.
If only this could be resolved without me getting involved…
*Our little cutie.*
How about you handle it?
Like a Pretty Girl Problem Solver☆.
*Om nom nom.*
I gave her a perfectly good chance, but she didn’t even pretend to listen.
As if her instincts came first, she was completely focused on conquering the five-tiered cake.
I understood the fox beastkin’s feelings.
*Right, you probably want to avoid those nasty noblewomen too.*
Given who they were, there was a risk of her getting turned on instead.
In that case…
Is the only way out for her to do it herself?
I checked on Ceria’s condition.
She was forcing a smile, but I could see she was getting annoyed.
She looked ready to enter battle.
If they crossed the line, she would fight back.
It was a relief that she wasn't intimidated.
I wanted to applaud her courage to stand up to them.
But this fight was unreasonably disadvantageous for her.
A rookie making her social debut versus seasoned noblewomen.
The difference in experience was immense, and she was outnumbered.
No matter how I looked at it, she had no chance of winning.
The more she fought back, the deeper she would sink into the mire.
This won’t do.
How could I stand by and watch my beloved in peril?
If it comes to it, I’ll have to step in myself…
Just as I made my decision, a certain woman appeared.
“My, what a pleasant group of faces.”
“───!!”
The noblewomen were, without exception, horrified.
They were at a loss, as if they had just met the King of Hell.
Why? For what reason?
The ladies who ruled high society were usually quite tough.
They should have had nerves of steel, not batting an eye at most things.
Yet they were trembling like mice before a cat.
How strange.
A situation that was completely incomprehensible by my standards…
“……”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
Because I had belatedly realized the woman’s identity.
Wait, that’s my mom?
Her transformation was so drastic that I had become a son who couldn’t even recognize his own mother…
Lady Martina’s sudden entry into the fray.
With this, the flow of events had become completely unpredictable.
I had no idea what was going on…
But as her son, I had to put my faith in her.