The engagement ceremony, after all, was nothing particularly special. It was merely one form of banquet where the protagonist happens to exist.
After a ceremony that was closer to mere formality, there was a simple event where the two parties exchanged rings.
“The two of you, please exchange rings.”
At the words of the man who appeared to be a priest, I looked toward Adelle. Her face was stiff, resembling that of a cyborg, clearly quite nervous.
If it were up to me, I might have wanted to grab her cheeks and shake her back to reality, but I refrained. Instead, I gently took her hand.
‘Cold.’
Her hand felt not just pale but almost deathly white, as though blood had drained from it entirely.
Well, this engagement ceremony was a grand banquet with practically every noble worth mentioning in attendance. It would be stranger if she weren’t nervous.
I slowly slipped the ring I held into the ring finger of her left hand.
I could feel my own hands trembling slightly, like someone with Tourette’s syndrome, and I forced back a smile. Then, I slowly approached Adelle.
I gently grasped her right hand and slowly slipped the ring onto her finger.
Simultaneously, a small yet audible “kyaah” sound came from far away—it was from young noblewomen evidently interested in love affairs.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh.”
I gave her a slightly sly smile, which made Adelle unintentionally release a nervous laugh. Her rigid expression seemed to ease just a little.
“It’s your turn now, Adelle.”
“..I understand.”
Though her hand was trembling slightly, Adelle successfully slid the ring onto my left-hand ring finger.
In the mere act of exchanging rings, one would think there wouldn’t be so much tension, but this was common. People tend to get nervous in unfamiliar situations.
With that thought complete, the priest’s words continued.
“May the blessing of the gods be with you henceforth.”
As he finished speaking, a divine light descended from the heavens. The sensation of the priest’s unique blessing washing over me nearly made my face contort, but I barely managed to suppress it.
Though it was called the blessing of the gods, it bore striking similarities to the emperor’s power.
“The two of you, we sincerely congratulate you on your engagement.”
With the engagement ceremony concluded, as usual, a ball commenced. And at its center stood Adelle and I, clasping hands and looking at one another.
Perhaps because of the intertwining gazes of all kinds directed our way, Adelle was still stiff as if she were a robot stuck in repetitive motions.
Still hasn’t returned to her senses, I see. Looks like it’s time for some drastic measures.
With that thought, I smiled. Curious, Adelle’s expression came into focus.
“Would you care to dance with me, Adelle?”
Saying this, I knelt on one knee and gave her hand a gentle kiss.
Adelle’s face, momentarily bewildered at this flowing, natural action, instantly flushed red.
“Wh, what—”
Taking her hands again, we began to dance. Unlike the previous time when I had somewhat forcibly dragged her along, this time I stepped in sync with her.
A flicker of surprise crossed Adelle’s face for a brief moment, and I struggled to suppress a chuckle.
“You don’t need to be tense, you’re Abel’s fiancée, after all.”
I whispered softly in her ear, and after momentarily hesitating, she nodded slightly, then began to lead the dance carefully in sync with my steps.
I inwardly marveled at how much Adelle’s dancing had improved compared to last time.
As Allen had said, after the previous embarrassment, she had practiced hard, and her skills had indeed vastly improved.
“You’ve gotten much better.”
“It’s because Mr. so-and-so is such an excellent dancer, isn’t it? I need to keep up as a fiancée, don’t I?”
“You’ve done well.”
I briefly praised her, which made her face slightly redden. At this point, I thought privately that calling her a red radish noblewoman might not be far off the mark. The thought made me chuckle.
“You’re rather adorable for a noblewoman, aren’t you? So susceptible to praise.”
“…Quiet, focus on the dance.”
The music at the ball was gradually reaching its climax. The musicians played their instruments tirelessly, maintaining the atmosphere.
At its center, Adelle and I were dancing, catching the eyes of the crowd.
Though their attention wasn’t particularly welcome, this was necessary to make the gossip true, wasn’t it?
Just look—noblewomen were already giggling behind their fans.
Slowly, they started to tire out, but their excitement seemed boundless, their faces filled with energy.
After what felt like some time, the ball drew to its conclusion, and the banquet time began. Congratulatory words and gifts—essentially bribes—started pouring in from visitors from the provinces.
Actually, calling them bribes was a bit off. In such grand banquets, coming unprepared with a gift would actually be considered more impolite.
With a smile on my face, I mechanically accepted their gratitude. “Thanks! Thank you for coming! Appreciate the gift!”—the same general sentiment repeated endlessly.
Thus I disliked attending banquets, whether they were engagement ceremonies or balls.
Even in my past life, I was an introvert who felt awkward at events like MTs, despite this rebirth where I ended up with a handsome face and powerful magic.
My essence, it seems, hasn’t changed.
As I carried on with these idle thoughts, a somewhat familiar face came into view.
Mysterious silver hair and eyes that seemed to shine golden.
The only noble lady of the duchy of Lewis, and the original protagonist of the original work, that is, the main character from “The Villainess Keeps Reversing Time”—Estelle Von Lewis.
The noblewoman beside her, however, was unfamiliar.
Still, for some reason, I had an ominous feeling about it all.
“It’s been a while, Estelle Von Lewis.”
“..Luna Von Aite.”
Holding the ends of her dress, Estelle greeted her gracefully, and I could feel Adelle’s hand slightly trembling.
Unaware of her nerves, Estelle was likely someone who had met a rather unfortunate end in the original story when she tried to befriend our protagonist.
Her plight made her seem somewhat pitiable, and I instinctively covered her trembling hand.
“..It’s been a while. Adelle Von Este.”
With a slight bow of her head, Adelle maintained proper etiquette. Perhaps my support helped; her voice seemed steadier as she greeted the woman.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Lady Este.”
“Thank you.”
The face of the noblewoman who introduced herself as Luna a moment ago slightly contorted.
She tightly gripped her wineglass, and I inwardly hoped she wouldn’t do anything rash. After all, I was no ordinary person—I was a duke of this empire.
Sure enough, my hopes were dashed when her wineglass quickly tilted toward me.
This is exactly why I dislike romance tropes.
With my other arm, I moved in front of Adelle. The wine missed her face but instead stained my pristine white uniform red.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Adelle’s eyes widened.
Music continued to play, but conversation ceased. A suffocating silence filled the room, and the face of Lady Aite visibly paled.
Whatever her intention was remains unclear. Perhaps clouded by some wretched trope-driven blindness, she momentarily lost sight.
But this situation was not one to be taken lightly.
“Lady Aite.”
“…Hic.”
Lady Aite, trembling at my voice, began hiccuping. Even Estelle, standing beside her, looked surprised by her sudden action.
Of course, within the confines of the original work, she wasn’t inherently an antagonist. Her action was likely not at Estelle’s behest.
“You know what must be done.”
“…I’m sorry!”
Without delay, Lady Aite bowed deeply and apologized. Still bewildered, Adelle stood there silently, sweat beading on her brow.
This wasn’t what one would expect from a villainous noblewoman. She hesitated, clearly unsure of what to do.
If it were the Adelle from the original story, she wouldn’t have wasted any time intimidating Lady Aite, either physically or verbally. But the Adelle standing here now was from [Axidor].
“…I forgive you. Please don’t do this again.”
Estelle’s eyes widened in shock, possibly recognizing a different meaning in Adelle’s response. She seemed ready to gasp but quickly closed her mouth.
Most of the nobles present, being mostly from the provinces, didn’t seem all that surprised by Adelle’s leniency.
“Th-thank you! Lady Este, thank you!”
“Please step back.”
As soon as my words ended, Lady Aite hurriedly left.
Although the immediate situation was resolved, she knew full well the repercussions of her actions.
“…The main flow never truly changes, does it?”
In the original story, the person who had just performed such an act was another noblewoman, though her name escapes my memory now, certainly not the one who just left.
Is it inevitable that what was destined to happen, always comes to pass?
“Are you alright?”
“..Yes.”
She doesn’t appear to be, does she.
Naturally, coming face to face with someone’s malice so directly isn’t something she’d be accustomed to yet.
In a way, this might even be fortunate. The Adelle from the original story, worn down by malice, had displayed a chilling level of cold-blooded madness.
