Frenzied Party (4)
Count Dvar was a gossip.
In the world of high society, a gossip was someone who could take a secret you’d only shared with your closest friends—such as the embarrassing fact that you still hugged a doll to sleep at night—and ensure the entire circle knew about it by the next morning. If that happened, you could safely assume one of your so-called friends was a gossip.
And recently, Count Dvar had become utterly fixated on one particular individual.
Askal Erindale.
If you asked who the most talked-about person in the empire was right now, nine out of ten people would instantly say his name.
The tenth was simply insane.
“My lord, would you care for some refreshments?”
“I’m fine.”
The count was busy. He had to observe Askal’s every single movement.
There was something inherently delightful about watching a young man who had climbed so high. He would either pierce the heavens in ascent or plummet straight to the ground.
Which will it be for you, Askal Erindale?
The count took a sip of wine. In the distance, he watched Askal receive greetings from the duke—the highest-ranking person present.
Hmm. Naturally, if the duke had snubbed him, there would be nothing worth discussing.
The next to approach was Crown Prince Cain.
So the rumors were true. The crown prince really is keeping an eye on him…
Askal had now received the stamp of approval from the two most powerful figures at the entire party.
On the surface, everyone appeared to be minding their own business, yet an undercurrent of attention flowed toward Askal from every direction. Nobles hoping to forge connections with him. Young ladies angling for a night of passion—or perhaps something more.
It was a silent battle of wits and glances.
And the one who shattered that delicate ice was none other than the Second Princess, Serena Barba.
Oho. Princess Serena is making the first move.
Most people feared or avoided Serena, but Count Dvar rather liked her. She was always so proactive. The type of person a spectator simply couldn’t dislike.
Whispers rippled through the hall.
The young ladies were murmuring among themselves. Even without straining to listen, it was obvious they were talking about Serena.
Yet Serena paid them no mind. She walked straight up to Askal.
“Would you do me the honor of a dance?”
She grasped the hem of her dress and executed a flawless, textbook curtsy.
It was the very model of a perfect dance invitation—one that could be printed in instructional manuals.
Any man would have found it nearly impossible to refuse.
As expected. They say fortune favors the bold, but this time it seems the bold beauty is claiming her prize.
“I’m sorry. My legs are hurting. If you’ll excuse me.”
?
Something unbelievable had just happened.
Askal left those words hanging in the air and simply walked away.
Princess Serena stood alone on the edge of the dance floor, frozen in shock, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“Peanuts! Bring me peanuts!”
Count Dvar snatched a handful from the servant’s tray and shoved them into his mouth.
Crunch. Crunch.
This was far too entertaining a spectacle to watch on an empty stomach.
Askal was far more interesting than he had anticipated.
The ducal mansion was vastly larger than anyone imagined.
It wasn’t merely a place to eat and sleep. The estate served countless purposes. Hosting grand parties, for one. Or ensuring that an ignorant imperial official wandered its halls for eternity, for another.
“Where on earth is she… Sushia…”
This was his limit.
Every single person he met greeted him with the same tiresome lines: “Oh, what a pleasure to meet you. I am so-and-so. If you have a moment, shall we discuss the current state of the continent?” or “The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it? They say even the moon has a partner—where might mine be?” He had exhausted every ounce of his energy politely declining them all.
Still, he had fulfilled the bare minimum of social obligations.
Now all he wanted was to find Sushia, crush her in their cookie-baking showdown, then go home, wash his feet, and collapse into bed.
But Askal’s modest wish was not to be granted.
“We meet again, Askal.”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
He had run into the second-to-last person he wanted to see.
Cain smiled warmly as he greeted Askal. A crowd of talented young nobles surrounded him—most likely his inner circle.
“A pleasure. I am Baron Tahar.”
“The pleasure is mine. I am Askal Erindale.”
The noble who approached carried an unmistakable aura—the kind that silently declared, I have walked the golden path of success without a single failure in my life. You must be the same, yes? It was rather oppressive.
“I’ve heard a great deal about you. You truly are a remarkable talent.”
“You flatter me.”
Baron Tahar extended his hand for a shake. The moment their palms met, Askal felt the unpleasant clamminess of cold sweat.
If you have hyperhidrosis, at least give a man some warning…
Askal finished the handshake without showing his discomfort and discreetly wiped his hand afterward.
“However, no matter how capable a bird may be, is it not meaningless without a nest to call its own?”
Baron Tahar wore an oily smile. The only reason he could speak so boldly was the tacit approval of the crown prince standing behind him.
No matter how optimistically one viewed the situation, the emperor’s remaining years were few. Talk of the succession had naturally spread like wildfire throughout the empire.
Among the gossips, Crown Prince Cain’s chances of ascending were estimated at over ninety percent. No—more like ninety-nine.
Baron Tahar was confident that Askal would eagerly seize this golden rope being offered to him.
What is this guy even talking about?
Unfortunately, Askal had been too busy wiping his hand to catch most of Baron Tahar’s words. Whatever the man was saying, none of it had registered. Still, ignoring him outright would be rude, so Askal decided to offer him cookies instead.
“I baked some cookies. Would you like to try one?”
“…Cookies? At a time like this?”
Baron Tahar looked visibly flustered. Had this man even heard a word he’d said?
“Cookies, you say. They remind me of childhood. The three of us siblings once shared a single cookie.”
Crown Prince Cain took a bite of the cookie Askal had produced.
“But now that we’ve grown, one cookie is no longer enough to satisfy all three. And yet every one of us still wants one.”
“Fortunately, I have plenty.”
Askal rummaged around and pulled out even more cookies. The crown prince smiled and accepted another.
“Would you like more?”
“If you’re offering.”
It was difficult to refuse when someone kept offering. Besides, the cookies weren’t bad. But eating them without anything to drink was starting to make his throat feel dry. The crown prince swallowed hard.
“Hmm. There are still quite a few left. Another one?”
“I… I think that’s quite enough.”
Cain was growing visibly unsettled. Just how many of these damned cookies did the man have? And had he understood the “message” that had been so carefully delivered?
Wait.
A spark of realization flashed through Cain’s mind.
Fortunately, I have plenty.
In other words, it could be interpreted as:
The empire is far too vast for any single person to consume entirely. There is no need for the three of us to fight over it.
“I see.”
Askal Erindale.
Now he understood why this man had refused to join any faction. From the very beginning, he had been looking at the situation from an entirely different perspective.
How arrogant, Askal Erindale.
No matter how enormous the empire was, without a central pillar it would fracture in no time.
Yet when those words came from Askal—someone who had already piled up countless achievements—they carried a completely different weight.
And had there ever been a man who dared voice his own opinion so directly to him before?
Until now, everyone had simply nodded along, agreeing that he was right.
Perhaps what he needed right now was someone brave enough to say “no” to his face.
The crown prince licked his lips.
He was beginning to desire this man even more intensely.
I will have you, Askal Erindale. No matter what it takes.
After enduring what felt like an eternity of conversation with the crown prince’s entourage, Askal finally managed to break free.
I need to find Sushia… quickly…
This was truly his limit.
He felt like he might actually die from exhaustion.
He had searched every corner of the first floor, but there was no sign of Sushia. She had to be on the second floor.
The moment Askal climbed the stairs, the atmosphere around him grew noticeably quieter.
Unlike the first floor, which served as the grand party hall, the second floor felt more like a private living space.
This feels a bit intrusive, doesn’t it?
Just then, a quiet voice drifted through a crack in one of the doors.
—The current situation is…
—Then the plan’s progress…
It sounded like a middle-aged man and a young woman. He had unintentionally eavesdropped.
As Askal turned to head back down the stairs, he finally ran into the person he had been searching for.
“Oh. Chief, what are you doing here?”
It was Sushia. Normally she was a nuisance, but right now she was a sight for sore eyes.
“I finally found you. Did you actually bake the cookies like you said?”
“O-of course I did. You’ll be shocked when you taste them.”
Sushia was about to say something more when—
The door swung open.
Out stepped an extraordinarily beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair and sapphire eyes that seemed to glow.
The woman wore a dress adorned with a golden brooch reserved exclusively for members of the imperial family.
Askal’s mind instantly conjured up one person.
“Lia?”
The woman, who had been about to walk away, turned around and looked at him.
Her gaze was ice-cold.
“It seems you’ve mistaken me for someone else. Have you not?”
“Y-Your Highness the Princess!”
Sushia bowed deeply. Then she pinched Askal’s thigh hard and hissed under her breath.
“What are you doing? Apologize right now.”
Askal immediately lowered his head.
“Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
“No need. Anyone can make a mistake.”
Having said that, the Third Princess Julia turned and left.
For some reason, her footsteps seemed unusually hurried as she walked away.
“……”
Askal mulled it over carefully.
This kind of experience felt strangely familiar.
It reminded him of the time in elementary school when he had accidentally called his teacher “Mom.”
The feeling was almost exactly the same.
So embarrassing.
But why hadn’t Sushia recognized Lia? Was her eyesight that bad? Well, glasses were rare in this era, so it was possible.
“Haa… Haa…”
Julia walked briskly, almost running.
Only when she finally reached a place where no one could see her did she cover her face with both hands.
Did he notice?
The person she had just encountered was Askal Erindale.
Her superior, who had no idea she was the Third Princess.
…The person she held dear.
Julia struggled to calm her pounding heart.
But it wasn’t easy.
If he ever discovered that she was Julia—the Third Princess of the empire—what would happen?
Could she still remain by his side?
And if she couldn’t?
Just imagining it filled her with terror.