"Whoa……"

  A half-swallowed sigh flowed from Perez’s mouth, who came out to the terrace and breathed in the fresh air.

  Although it was intended, it was uncomfortable for the nobles who kept talking to him and ladies who kept asking for dance requests.

  Perez crossed his arms leaning against the railing on the terrace.

  It was because the main character who had been following him to the point of annoyance followed him to the terrace.

  "I’m so glad you’ve got a good delivery, you?"

  It was Astana who was drunk and bloated.

  Perez looked at such Astana with contempt and pathetic eyes.

  Then the tearful Astana, who was choked up in his throat, shouted.

  "You! How dare you look at me like that?"

  Then he tried to grab Perez, but it was a big waste.

  The impossible could not have been possible for Astana, who was drunk and reeling.

  "Ugh!"

  Astana, who almost lost his balance and fell over the railing, gulped in surprise.

  But soon he realized looking at Perez and said loudly, pointing fingers.

  "Enjoy it when you can! You can’t even dream about it later, you lowly!"

  Perez’s eyebrows wriggled.

  It wasn’t because of the word ’lowly thing’ that he has been hearing.

  He didn’t care about those words anymore.

  "Enjoy it when I can?"

  Perez’s reaction made Astana more elated.

  "Now that Lombardy is young, you can pretend to be close to each other because it’s an act of playmate. If she’s a little older, you won’t be able to do it."

  Perez did not answer, but Astana laughed knowingly.

  "She is the daughter of Gallahan Lombardy. Although her mother’s lineage is a bit flawed."

  It sounded like a dog breed was being judged.

  "Gallahan’s money is more than enough. Unlike you who disappear right now and no one will look for you."

  Perez’s mouth opened as if to spit something out and closed again.

  He had nothing to say.

  Unfortunately, all Astana’s sneering remarks were true.

  These were also concerns that have been floating in Perez’s head since Lulak Lombardy went to Poirak Palace.

  "You don’t deserve to stand next to Florentia Lombardy."

  Away.

  Perez eventually gritted his teeth.

  “I don’t know if it’s me.”


  Perez’s red eyes glared at Astana as if they were burning him to death.

  And one step closer, one step closer.

  "What, what?"

  Astana, who had been sarcastic to his heart’s content, remembered that Perez has the power to spit out or something and took a step back.

  Perez, who pushed Astana’s leg until it touched the terrace railing, spoke in a low voice.

  "Wrong."

  "Wrong."

  And after a moment’s thought, Perez has come up with the right words.

  "You are like Belsach."

  It was a word that Tia sometimes used with really bad language.

  "Well, what’s that mean?"

  Perez looked sneeringly at Astana’s trembling legs and turned around.

  "Enjoy it when you can."

  Perez, who only left that comment, went back into the banquet hall.

  * * *

  "Where is he? He’s not going back already, is he?

  After calming down my father and grandfather, I went around looking for Perez again, but he didn’t even show up.

  As I looked around, I noticed a mid-teen-year-old boy with nearby platinum blonde hair and slightly dark skin.

  "I’m sorry, but I don’t want to dance."

  Straightforward, this doesn’t exist in the ethics of the Capital, so it’s a bit of a rudeness category.

  "Oh, my! How could you say such a rude thing……"

  Sure enough.

  Lady, who had applied for dance, returned in great displeasure.

  "Whoa……"

  Rather, the boy, who sighed as if he was in trouble, turned around and bumped into me standing behind him.

  "I’m sorry! I’m so lost in my mind…… Are you all right, Lady?

  The boy grabbed me by the shoulder as if he was very sorry, and handed me a handkerchief even though there was no dirty place.

  "It’s okay. The Capital is very different from the East, so you must be distracted."

  When I returned the handkerchief and said so, the boy’s eyes were round.

  "How did you know I was from the East!"

  "Well, I knew when I saw Young Lord’s skin color and refused to dance a little while ago. I heard the East has a slightly different culture."

  No one in the Capital uses that word.

  "Wow, that’s great!"

  The boy who said so smiled broadly.

  The synergy effect was enormous when the colorful blond hair, light sky blue eyes, and fresh smile were combined in the light of the banquet hall.

  It’s like a bright sun shining brightly.

  Looking at the smiling face, the boy readily reached out and said.

  "Nice to meet you, I’m Avinox Ruman."

  Oh, you’re the son of the young Lord Ruman who took over the title.

  I greeted Avinox hand in hand.

  "I’m Florentia Lombardy."

  "Oh, Lombardy!"

  Avinox recognizes me right away.

  "Nice to meet you, Lady Florentia Lombardy!"

  There was no sign of flattering or trying to look too good.

  He was right and confident.

  Now I understand why I felt ’like the sun’ a little while ago.

  Then, Perez, who had just emerged from the terrace not far away, was seen.

  "Perez, here you go!"

  Perez looked at me as I shouted.

  By the way, the look on his face was somehow alarming.

  I think he walks more than twice as fast as he normally does.2

  "Tia."

  "Where have you been?"

  "I went to get some fresh air."

  "What? I didn’t even know that, and I looked for you a while."

  "……did you looking for me?"

  Perez’s face looks oddly pleased with the moment.

  "Then you’d find me, won’t you?"

  He’s the one of course.

  But as I talked to Perez, I saw Avinox looking at Perez with eager eyes.

  "Oh, this is……"

  "I’m Avinox Ruman, Your Highness Second Prince!"

  There’s a lot of spirit in it, and there’s a laser flashing in the eye.

  I think they’re waving a glow stick somewhere in their back.

  But an unexpected answer popped up from Perez.

  "Oh, this time the Lord is Lord Indite Ruman……"

  He seemed to know that the Eastern Lord of Ruman has changed recently.

  Oh, he was a very smart kid.

  His beauty and sword skills keep covering Perez’s brilliant brain.

  "Well, do you know me?"

  To be exact, he knows his father, Lord Ruman.

  Perez nodded.

  "Oh, thank you. I’ve always wanted to meet you someday since I heard that you’re making your own aura at a young age!"

  Turns out that Avinox was a fan of Perez.

  "Ugh……"

  Perez looked very troubled in this situation.

  You’ve never met such a straightforward nobleman.

  It was a bit strange for me to remember the appearance of Perez, who possessed all the nobles of the whole Empire and made them in his side.

  "Oh! Father!"

  Then Avinox called someone who was passing by.

  "Oops, Florentia!"

  But the answer was Tilliana, who showed her face behind a man’s back.

  Tiliana, who ran halfway to me with a glad face, introduced me to a group of people following her.

  "This is Florentia Lombardy!"

  It was people in fancy clothes.

  People with slightly tanned skin who boldly use bright colors.

  Among them, the tallest man in his late thirties approached me and greeted me.

  "Hello, Lady Lombardy. I’m Indite Ruman, the Ruman family’s householder."

  Despite the elongated scar on his chin, his straight smile was the same as Avinox’s.

  "I heard you helped my niece Tiliana a lot, so I came to thank you in person."

  "Oh, don’t mention it……"

  When I nodded, Indite Ruman opened his eyes wide as if he were surprised.

  "Well, you’re not surprised that she’s my nephew, even though she has a different last name than me?"

  "No, I’m very surprised."

  "What a calm personality you are!"

  Tiliana stepped in from the side.

  In fact, I knew who Tilliana Gitterwell was, from the time I heard her name.

  Indite Ruman’s younger brother, Tuke Ruman, was married and independent, receiving a small estate called Gitterwell.

  And turned the castle into Gitterwell.

  I heard it’s not uncommon in the East.

  However, the young lady, who was dark in the situation of the East, could not know the fact. [1]

  "I heard Tiliana was teased because she was misunderstood as an eastern countryman……"

  "Wow, uncle!"

  Tiliana jumped, but Lord Ruman just smiled mischievously.

  "The heart of Lady Lombardy, who helped the weak even though she didn’t know that Tiliana was Ruman’s, is beautiful."

  "I just did what I had to do. What a compliment."

  I wasn’t bored thanks to Tiliana resembles Craney.

  And it was Tilliana who spoke to me first at debutante training.

  "Ahh, as expected……"

  Ruman gave me a happy nod.

  Then the people around them split apart and another group of people approached.

  "Oh, Ruman."

  "I see, Your Majesty."

  It was Emperor Jovanes and my grandfather, following by my father and Clerivan.

  Two colorful groups of people are gathered in one place, so of course, the eyes of others at the banquet hall are drawn at once.

  "Don’t do this here, let’s go up."

  It was an invitation to the ’back room’ that was only allowed to a very small number of people at the banquet.

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  Lord Ruman nodded happily and gave perception to the surrounding family.

  Then, only one man who seems to be the closest person quickly goes to Ruman.

  "Now that you’ve made your debut in society, come with me as the main character of the debutant, Florentia."

  It’s a bit annoying.

  But I can’t say no, so I slightly bent my knees to say thank you.

  And the eyes of Emperor Jovanes were on Perez, who stood beside me.

  "Second Prince, too."

  That was all he said.

  Perez was also formally invited.

  As we all headed upstairs together, people stepped back and cleared the way.

  Many people’s eyes stayed particularly on Perez.

  They were surprised that Perez, who was a Prince but had no reputation, headed to the back room with important figures, including the Emperor.

  Perez also had a slightly stiff face, perhaps conscious of their gaze.

  I said with a tap on the side of such a Perez.

  "If you go, there will be something delicious. Let’s eat it while adults talk."

  "……Yes. Let’s do that."

  Only then did Perez smile and nod.

  Then he slowed down for a moment and looked back as if he were checking something.

  "What are you looking at?"

  "Ah, nothing."

  Perez replied, shaking his head immediately and sticking behind me.

  And that night.

  It wasn’t until a very dark night that we were able to get on the carriage back to Lombardy.

  Louryl and Clerivan called separate carriages to return to their respective homes, and all the families sat together in Lombardy’s large carriage.

  On either side of me were twins, and Shananet was taking care of my grandfather and my father, who had overdone with Emperor Jovanes and Lord Ruman.

  "I hate Tia."

  "That’s so mean."

  Gilliu and Mayron pout their mouths.

  "Why again?"

  When I asked bluntly, the twins started filling.

  "How could you not dance with us?"

  "Always be with Second Prince…… no, it’s just the Second Prince."

  Gilliu sneaked a glance at Shananet and said.

  "Next time, then. We’re going to have a lot of banquets together."

  "Next, next time?"

  "Together……"

  The twins exchanged their eyes quickly and suddenly played rock-paper-scissors.

  "I won! I’m first!"

  "Argh!"

  Mayron won and Gilliu lost.

  Mayron laughed out loud as if he had won the world, and Gilliu tore his head off.1

  Maybe it’s because I’m young.

  I’m having a hard time after the banquet. They’re so energetic.

  I was thinking about that, but the carriage rattled once.

  Drunken father leaned on my shoulder at the move.

  "Tia……"

  My father muttered frantically in a low voice.

  "Our Tia, let’s grow up a little slower…… Just a little……"

  Oh, my father.

  I patted my father’s head small and opened the carriage window.

  The Palace was moving away from the window.

  * * *

  The day after the debutante.

  Perez, who had finished his sword training early in the morning, was having a leisurely breakfast.

  It was the same day as usual.

  Then, suddenly, Perez said to Caitlyn, who was pouring drinks.

  "Get ready to go to the academy."

  "……Yes?"

  "I’m going to the academy soon. But don’t let anyone know yet."

  Perez raised his eyes and looked at Caitlyn.

  The word ’nobody’ clearly meant Lombardy.

  "……Yes."

  "Thank you."

  It was Perez who knew how big it was for Caitlyn, loyal to Lombardy.

  "And today, a guest is coming, so it would be better to prepare."

  ____________________________________________

  [1] ’In the dark (about something)’ - an Idiomatic, meaning not knowing very much about something. Do not know anything about it. Or uninformed about it.