Chapter 160
Chapter 160. Princess Ophelia’s Birthday Party (2)
The gaze directed at me soon turned away. Because of that, it was difficult to read the Princess’s intentions.
And because the surrounding reaction was so tremendous, I could no longer keep looking at her.
She had been buried amid the crowd.
“Congratulations on your birthday! It is truly a day worthy of celebration by all Subjects. To think I can stand in such an honorable place—I almost worry this might be a dream.”
“Congratulations!”
“To see you so grown brings me deep emotion. I sincerely congratulate you, Your Highness!”
As if they had been waiting, everyone began praising the Princess. Someone really needed to organize this.
The attention that had been gathered around Young Lady Sapiela naturally shifted toward the Princess. Ophelia smiled brightly, radiating that lively, energetic air.
She raised both hands and waved.
“Thank you all for coming even though you are busy! Today, let us eat as much as we want and have fun!”
“Hahaha! Her Highness is always so cheerful!”
“Excellent! You must dance with us later.”
“We have prepared the Sword Dance stage you like, Your Highness!”
I had roughly grasped the atmosphere. The nobles were happily playing along with the Princess’s words.
The way she waved her hands and smiled made her look like nothing but a young girl, but Young Master Hamel’s expression and mine did not change. We knew well what true face was hidden behind that smile.
Still, what did it feel like to become the protagonist of such a lavish party? I could not even imagine it.
“Discard those useless thoughts. Remember that we did not come here to play. We came here to work.”
Young Master Hamel’s sharp remark hurt. No, could a person not feel a little envious? Why did he have to be so stiff?
“In any case, the Princess’s popularity is greater than I expected.”
“They called her the Queen of High Society, and it seems that was not an empty rumor. To be honest, I thought Young Lady Sapiela would become the protagonist of this party…….”
It was a characteristic of this world, where the class system was firmly established. It was a world where strong men and beautiful women were idolized. Ability and character were separate matters.
“She was a bigger catch than I expected. You read her accurately, Young Master. I have learned something from you.”
“It is still too early to feel relieved. I have to prove that what I grabbed was not a rotten rope.”
“You should also check carefully whether it has been greased. Even if the rope is sturdy, if it has oil on it, everything comes to nothing.”
“You brought the Fountain Pen properly, did you not?”
“Are there Soldiers who go out to the Battlefield without bringing their spear and shield?”
“You bastard. You could have just said you brought it. Why react so sensitively? Are you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
Young Master Hamel gave a faint laugh and struck my back firmly once.
“Take good care of Ella. Make sure you block those worthless fellows from approaching her. In particular, be careful of the Third Prince. He definitely has impure intentions toward Ella.”
“Wherever one goes, the third one is always the problem.”
“Shut up!”
Still, perhaps he found it amusing, because Young Master Hamel laughed faintly and moved to the other side.
I observed his Route of Movement. At the end of that route stood Duke Mydas, Head of House Bahamut. The Duke greeted him with some surprise.
“Oh! Who was this again? Surely, Adeline’s…….”
“I am Hamel. It has been a long time since I last greeted you. Have you been in good health, Your Grace?”
“Yes. I believe I saw you once before with Sapiela.”
“It is an honor that you remember me, Your Grace!”
Young Master Hamel cast aside his usual scoundrel-like disposition and treated the Duke as if he were a completely different person. How nice would it be if he acted that way with other people, too?
I crossed my arms and observed the scene.
“Still, his first move was well played.”
Just then, a Maid passed by with a tray, so I snatched up a Wineglass.
I swirled the glass once, brought it to my lips, and took a sip.
In any case, the Duke’s House was a place that had rapport with House Adeline, and if Hamel pretended familiarity by mentioning Metis as well, he would likely be introduced to various people.
From what I had heard before, he had brought a personal letter from Marquis Chronos. If so, a natural picture emerged. The Duke would be pleased if Hamel said he had come to deliver his father’s personal letter.
“I heard that you sent a personal letter to my father some time ago. I have brought his reply, so if it is acceptable, please receive it.”
“Of course I should receive it. Give it here.”
As expected, Young Master Hamel took out a letter from his breast pocket, and the Duke broke the seal and read it on the spot. As he read the letter, he occasionally asked questions.
Things were going well. I nodded, then turned away.
“Now, let us focus on my own work.”
First, the thing I needed to do before anything else was remain faithful to my proper duty as an Attending Secretary. After straightening my collar properly again, I approached Young Lady Sapiela.
“Young Lady. How are you feeling?”
“I am fine now, so you do not have to worry.”
Perhaps because she had spent the past few days confined to the Mansion and was now mingling with people, she seemed more lively.
Even so, I lowered my head.
“Please tell me immediately if you feel uncomfortable.”
“Sir Dilen.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
She straightened the collar I had failed to adjust, as it had fallen slightly out of place. Her eyes as she looked at me held warmth.
“Raise your head.”
I raised my head and looked at her.
“You are an Attending Secretary, but you are also a Retainer of House Adeline. Do not bow your head carelessly to anyone. And enjoy the party properly. You have come here not as an Assigned Butler, but as a Baronet. Is it not enough for you to work at the Mansion?”
I had never imagined she would look after me to this extent.
To be honest, I was moved. I thought I knew the Young Lady well, but I had not known she had such a side to her. My heart stirred, and I felt something new in a familiar place.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Did that sound like nagging?”
“No.”
Sapiela nodded, and Eluna, who was beside her, looked back and forth between Sapiela and me with a subtle expression. Jealousy truly did beget jealousy.
“Then I will go carry out my mission. Miss Eluna, please take good care of the Young Lady.”
“I will, Sir Dilen.”
Only then did I leave. I pushed through the crowd and barely managed to reach the place where the Princess was.
The Princess was mingling with people while putting a moderate amount of food onto a plate and eating it. Noblewomen usually tended to eat drinks or desserts rather than proper food.
That was because they could avoid various mistakes caused by food.
However, the Princess showed none of that. Her cheerful image made even the act of eating food look lovely.
“Your Highness!”
Fortunately, the Princess recognized me.
Princess Ophelia set her plate down for a moment, pointed at me, and called out happily.
“It’s Sir Dilen!”
“I apologize for greeting you late. I offer my congratulations on your birthday.”
Murmurs rose around us. Aura User, Butler, Baronet. Those keywords lodged themselves clearly in my ears. A smile naturally appeared on my lips.
It seemed offers would soon come not only from the Bahamut Ducal House, but from other places as well.
“Seeing so many people come to congratulate you, I could not help but admire how blessed you are in your relationships, Your Highness. Thank you for inviting me to such a fine occasion.”
“Hehehe. I am pretty impressive, you know. By the way, where is Ella?”
The Princess looked around. She could not see Sapiela because the crowd blocked her view, but I pointed to one side for the moment.
“The Young Lady is over there. Thanks to Your Highness’s concern, she has recovered and was able to attend the party. Allow me to offer my thanks once again.”
“Sir Haston’s skills are excellent, after all. And I sent extremely precious medicinal ingredients, too~ Enough that she had no choice but to get better. They are medicinal ingredients that Father and I take as well.”
There seemed to be thorns in her words. Was it just my imagination?
“Would you like to step out for a moment?”
“Do you mean me?”
There were many nobles around us. However, the Princess pointed specifically at me.
“Yes. Sir Dilen. Let us get some air. Cassiopeia! I am going over there, so make sure no one follows us!”
“By your command.”
I followed the Princess out onto the terrace.
Dame Cassiopeia, the Princess’s Guard Knight, stood firmly in front of the terrace we had gone out to, her hand on her Scabbard.
Just the fact that I had gone out alone with the Princess was enough for me to receive everyone’s attention at once.
“If you come out alone with me like this, there may be misunderstandings, Your Highness.”
“So, does it make you uncomfortable?”
“That is not the case, but……”
“Is the one inviting misunderstandings not me, but rather Sir Dilen?”
Ophelia’s eyes cooled sharply.
Her tone was the same. It was no longer a cute, nasal voice mixed with charm, but a calm, questioning tone. It was similar to when Young Lady Sapiela was angry.
I could not help being surprised.
Even so, I did not lower my head. This was personal time, and the Young Lady’s words that I should not bow my head carelessly were circling in my mind.
“I do not know what you mean.”
“You are going to dodge me like that? Do you not hear often that you are quick-witted? That you know how to read people?”
“I am a Butler, after all.”
“What an amusing thing to say. I heard it has not even been a year since you entered as an apprentice. Can you truly call yourself a Butler? You may be a Butler on paper, but that kind of experience should not be easy to build.”
So the airheaded charm was an act after all.
I could not erase the thought that suddenly came to mind. She had clearly guessed my attitude.
“You were the one who told Ella to be wary of me, were you not?”
“No. How could I dare speak about Your Highness’s relationship with the Young Lady?”
“Because that is one of a Butler’s duties.”
That was the correct answer. While I remained silent, the Princess suddenly laughed.
“Do not try to deceive me. I may not know about other things, but my intuition is accurate. But you know how to read people, do you not? To think you realized I was a bad person. You were not made an Attending Secretary for nothing.”
“That is not true at all.”
“No. You can speak honestly. I am not the kind of person who holds grudges. I think I am a wicked woman.”
“I am not certain what you wish to say, but……”
“Even so, I would like you not to interfere.”
“Pardon?”
I asked because I truly did not know. What exactly was I interfering with?
“I may be a bad person. There are quite a few people who actually say so. Even I think I go around acting like a sly fox quite often. When I heard people say I was shamelessly brazen, I only laughed.”
Ophelia, who wore a self-mocking smile, leaned against the balcony railing. Just then, a hot summer wind blew. The Princess’s pink hair fluttered.
“But just because someone is a bad person does not mean there is a law saying she must not make friends, is there? I thought Ella was a good person I had met after a long time. So…….”
The Princess trailed off, then let out a sigh.
“I wanted to become friends with her.”
Sapiela was far removed from the Succession Order and had almost no Influence. And the Princess was saying that she did not want anything from her, but simply wished to be close to her.
That was why those few words struck me rather poignantly.
I smiled.
“Since you have spoken honestly, I should speak honestly as well. It is true that I told her to be careful of Your Highness.”
“As I thought. So that was why she did not come to the Academy!”
“No. It was not solely because of my words. The Young Lady does not like violent things. Did Your Highness not have her spar at the Banquet? It seems she was quite hurt during that
process.”
“Ah……!”
It seemed that was unexpected. The Princess looked regretful, as though she had made a mistake.
Silence continued for a moment, and the Princess’s next words, which broke it, were unexpected.
“Then…… if we do not do anything like sparring, and we just quietly drink tea and eat desserts, will Ella like that……?”
“She will. Since you sent your Royal Physician this time, she also seems grateful. I think it would be best for you to talk with her properly. Over time.”
“Got it! Hearing what Sir Dilen has to say has cleared up a lot of what was frustrating me. I really did well to talk to you.”
The Princess’s expression returned to cheerfulness. Then the words I had been waiting for popped out.
“Then I should repay you, should I not? Father will arrive soon. I will introduce you especially.”
“I do not know how I could ever repay this favor.”
“I want to go visit the Adeline Territory, so repay it with that.”
“We will make every preparation and await Your Highness’s visit.”
At that moment, an interesting plan came to mind. I sincerely thought I should invite the Princess to Adeline. For my sake, and for the House’s sake.