Social Debut
The clink of cutlery, the fragrant spice drifting to the tip of her nose. The dining room of the Bland barony held an atmosphere that, for all its modest means, could stand shoulder to shoulder with any other noble house.
Tina looked down at the plate before her. Pasta, generously dressed in a mouthwatering sauce, still trailing wisps of steam — clearly just finished. For someone who had once lived on delivery food, it was a meal far beyond her station.
She twirled the noodles around her fork and popped them into her mouth with a soft little ah. Chewing daintily, savoring every bite, she let a small smile settle on her lips and turned to Artasha.
"It's delicious! Mother, you should try some too."
"All right."
Artasha, seated across from her, began to eat with a faint smile of her own. No wonder she was a noble — even simply eating pasta, an unmistakable grace radiated from her every movement.
"It's just as you said. Quite good."
"Isn't it?"
A full week had already passed since Tina first truly faced Artasha, and they had grown close enough now to share meals without the slightest awkwardness. Even Artasha, so cold at the start, had opened her heart a little.
Isn't this all thanks to my outstanding people skills? Looking at it this way, I might actually be pretty capable.
"Mother, say aah."
She wound a neat coil of noodles around her fork and held it out before Artasha's lips. Startled by the sudden gesture, Artasha hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"…Tina. Mind your dignity."
"Ah — I'm sorry, Mother."
Got a little too carried away, huh. Crossed a line without realizing it. As she sank back into her chair with a slightly dampened spirit, Artasha let out a short sigh and parted her lips.
"…Ah."
Those red lips opening softly. They said no parent could truly win against their child — and Artasha, however reluctantly, accepted Tina's childish little game. At the kindness of it, a smile rose unbidden to Tina's mouth.
Artasha swallowed the noodles Tina had prepared for her, dabbed her lips once with a napkin, and regarded her daughter with grave seriousness.
"Tina. The date of your social debut has been set."
"Has it?"
"Next month, the imperial palace is hosting a debutante ball. I thought it might be a suitable occasion."
She hadn't expected the subject to come up today, but having heard the rumors beforehand, she had already steeled herself for her entry into high society.
"I'll prepare the dress. You, for the next month, will learn etiquette. I've already secured a tutor."
"I will."
They still hadn't finished paying off their debts, and yet she was hiring a tutor on top of everything else. Artasha clearly meant to debut Tina properly, even if it meant stretching themselves thin.
"…Tina. And I should tell you this in advance."
Something held her back. Artasha only hesitated for a long while, her eyes lowered, unable to speak easily. When Tina took her hand and offered a look that said it was all right, Artasha finally found the words.
"I hear the young lady of the Labram viscountship will also be attending next month's ball. I would be glad if you could maintain a good relationship with her, as much as possible."
The Labram viscountship. A house name that had never once appeared in the game. Which meant they weren't a major power… probably.
"May I ask why?"
"…We owe that family a great deal of money."
Ah. So that's it. Debt, huh. Nothing to be done about that.
"…I'm sorry to have to say such a thing as your parent."
"Please don't. If anything, I'll do my best to be of help to you, Mother."
"…"
The air around Artasha remained as lofty as ever, yet the deep eyes hidden behind her long lashes had sunk into quiet sorrow.
She really is pure, isn't she. Even when she puts on that cold face, every feeling shows right through those clear blue eyes. Unlike me, with my pitch-black insides.
Wanting to offer even a little encouragement, Tina slipped over to the seat beside her, leaned in gently, and left a soft kiss on Artasha's left cheek.
"Cheer up, Mother."
"Th-thank you."
A faint flush bloomed across Artasha's snow-white skin. That such a simple kiss could make her so happy — mothers truly were mysterious creatures.
Still… high society, huh.
In romance-fantasy novels, the social world was always described as a miniature battlefield…
I'd better prepare myself.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
The woman Artasha had hired as her tutor taught her with wholehearted devotion, and Tina, for her part, absorbed noble etiquette into her very bones so as not to bring shame upon Artasha. The world of the aristocracy was utterly unlike the society of South Korea she had known, but somehow she managed to learn it all. By now, even a lady's bearing had settled reasonably well into her body.
She had prepared other things on her own, too. Since befriending the young lady of the Labram viscountship — the one Artasha had mentioned — was the main objective of this debutante season, she had dug up every scrap of useful information she could find.
Of course, I told Artasha I was going to the library and snuck out…
And so time flowed on, until at last the long-awaited debutante ball arrived. Tina now stood before the main doors of the ballroom managed by the imperial palace itself, wearing a splendid dress for the first time in her life.
A door gilded so thickly it was practically plated in gold — lavish, extravagant. The contrast with the Bland barony, which had sold off every decoration that might fetch a price, could not have been clearer.
"Even finding a dress like this must have been hard…"
She lowered her gaze to the sky-blue gown cascading long beneath her. No glittering jewels adorned it, yet the intricate patterns wrought by a master's hand more than took their place.
Having never worn anything of the sort, she had felt strange for quite some time. The first time they cinched that corset around her, she had genuinely thought her waist would snap in two.
As someone who still thought of herself as a man, she would have liked nothing better than to throw this fluttery dress straight into the trash — but what could she do, reincarnated as a noble young lady? When in Rome, submit to Roman law.
Still, the hardship had paid off. The Tina reflected in the mirror was truly beautiful. Bold as it sounded, she thought she was pretty enough not to fall short even of the two heroines.
Mother must be fretting herself sick right about now.
Imagining Artasha — stern-eyed on the outside, endlessly soft with worry on the inside — drew a quiet snort of laughter from her. The way she had clung to Tina's hand until the very last moment, pouring out advice after advice, made it plain just how anxious she was.
What Artasha had charged her with was this: do not act rashly, always keep your composure. And no matter what others say, do not lose heart — stand tall and proud.
I'm a little nervous…
Stepping into the social world that novels always painted so mercilessly set her nerves on edge in more ways than one. But for the sake of her happy freeloading life, she would have to overcome this. She forced down the pounding of her heart and strode boldly toward the main doors.
A red carpet unfurled a path across the vast entrance. It was so magnificent she almost felt as though it were making her the protagonist of the evening.
When she reached the doors, two men in full plate armor — the sort a medieval knight might wear — stood guard with unyielding presence.
"May we ask which house you represent?"
"I've come from the Bland barony."
The middle-aged knight looked her up and down once, gave a short nod, and answered.
"The young lady of House Bland. We've heard a great deal about you."
None of it good news, I'm sure. Yet the knight opened the doors without the slightest change of expression. Tina offered a polite greeting and stepped inside.
A sight she could never have witnessed in her previous life unfolded before her eyes.
Countless chandeliers hanging from the ceiling formed a glittering canopy of clouds over the hall, and the luxurious carpets laid across pure white marble became the very footing of the nobility. In this world of the aristocracy laid bare, throngs of men and women conversed with smiles upon their lips.
Lavish.
If she could just sneak off with a single painting from the walls, it would go a long way toward the family's debts. Seeing them hung in endless rows only left her with a quiet sense of loss.
As she stood staring blankly at the expensive furnishings plastered across every surface, someone tapped her lightly on the back.
"Good evening."
A young woman who looked about her own age. With fiery red hair and matching red eyes, she possessed a rather striking beauty — not quite on Tina's level, but impressive all the same.
She inclined her head in an elegant greeting. Tina returned it at once, without hesitation, just as she had been taught.
"Might this be your first time attending a banquet?"
…How did she know?
Was I standing around looking that clueless? Did I come off as a complete novice to everyone nearby?
"Hoho. Had there been such a lovely young lady as yourself, I would certainly have remembered."
"…Thank you. Your praise is far too generous — I hardly know where to put myself."
It was a pleasant thing to hear, but knowing this was the ruthless social world of a romance fantasy, she couldn't simply take it as pure compliment.
"I am Rosee Bedarlin. Might I ask the young lady's name?"
Bedarlin.
A month of study had paid off — she recognized her at once. She had been mentioned in the original game as well, after all.
In high society, not knowing the young lady of House Bedarlin was enough to mark you as a foreigner. The daughter of Count Bedarlin, who had risen to economic preeminence in the empire through the oil trade.
She lived in a world entirely different from Tina's — but just as Artasha had told her, she answered without flinching, head held high.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Bedarlin. I am Tina Bland."
"…Bland?"
Those eyes, so full of goodwill only a moment ago, went cold in an instant.