Chapter 279

(279)

The young lords and ladies of the court nobility debut at their first ball held in the Imperial Palace, upon turning sixteen.

“Hello. I am Angele from the Feltria household and will soon be attending the Mage Division of St. Sophia Academy.”

Before leaving their estates to attend the academy, it is customary to declare one’s future path to the elders, build relationships with peers of the same status, and form a network of mutual support.

‘St. Sophia Academy Mage Division? That’s convenient. I have a nephew who is an officer in the student council there, I’ll let him know to look after you.’

‘You’re attending St. Sophia too? Let’s be friends. I am in the Swordsmanship Division; if you need to have your skills evaluated, let’s go together.’

‘My older brother is the top student this year at the Mage Division of St. Sophia and has been inducted into the Royal Magic Guild. Go visit him, you might receive useful study materials if you’re lucky.’

The debutant’s ball is not simply about dancing; it is an announcement of one’s presence in the world and an official declaration of the start of social activities as a noble.

For court nobles, this means graduating with excellent results from the academy to prove the purity of one’s bloodline, then entering institutions such as courts, administrative offices, the knighthood, mage associations, or the parliament to serve the Imperial Court and bring honor to one’s family name.

To be part of this long-established group united by blood and oaths, one must fulfill all the conditions they demand without fail.

For me, the debutant’s ball is also a place where I swear before the elders and seniors who have gone before us that I too will follow in their footsteps.

In other words, not having attended a debutante ball means being an outsider to society—lacking connections in a world of endless connections, and being forced to compete on unequal grounds.

Debuting at seventeen or eighteen means delaying the entire schedule of one’s life.

Since noble society tends to prefer younger candidates of the same caliber, anyone who delays their debut would need talent and effort on par with skipping academy grades just to catch up.

That’s why even today, lesser nobles hope for their children to follow the proper noble path and thus spare no expense to prepare for their debut.

But beneath the surface, there’s always something darker.

Rudi was born into a noble family in name only, and the world of balls and debutante ceremonies was entirely irrelevant to him.

‘If it weren’t for that position in the palace as a maid, I’d have starved long ago.’

The hall was as vast as the imperial palace, with white marble floors and glowing softly under the light of the golden chandeliers.

There was a subtle embarrassment in realizing it was his first time at such an occasion, even though he was over twenty.

‘If I had not come, it would have been no problem, but now that I’ve come…’

With the sensibilities of a head maid, Rudi could detect the gazes around him.

“That’s Count Consecratus.”

“His eyes are as beautiful as rumored.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any distinct signs of being a hetero race.”

“Still, we shouldn’t underestimate him. Look at his posture.”

“…If someone tries to intimidate him with his lineage, he might just slap them with his glove.”

Adorned in ornate fans and uniforms, the nobles sent sharp and calculating glances in his direction.

Rudi held Duke Valencius’s hand a little tighter while lightly meeting their gazes.

‘That gentleman is the former Deputy Leader of the Silver Knight Order. Does he suspect I’m trying to seduce His Excellency? His gaze isn’t very friendly.’

‘That is the current Chief Justice—someone I’ve heard enjoys romantic novels for their sense of justice, though I didn’t expect him to smile at me so openly.’

‘That face looks familiar. The Badged Noble I met with Valen at the council meeting! It might be better to greet him after paying respects to the Duke.’

‘This is socializing, no, it’s work. There’s no one here purely for enjoyment. Time to focus!’

His kind expression and cheerful smile softened a few initially critical glances.

‘Is this person really unimpressed by intimidation? After all, she also fought valiantly during the city’s liberation.’

‘Was I mistaken? This person seems unlikely to engage in vulgar seduction. Maybe I should apologize.’

‘Nonetheless, I must find out why his family’s servants were beaten so thoroughly. You reckless dueling fanatic.’

After what felt like endless steps, Rudi found himself standing before Duke Marietta.

* * *

“I am Rudi Consecratus. Your Excellency, thank you for the invitation.”

She had a striking yet austere demeanor, with pale skin, and was a Badged Noble of magical heritage.

“Nice to meet you, Rudi. Everyone has been curious about you. Who could this mystery chosen by the famed Duke Valencius be? I hope you’ll meet many people today.”

Despite her critical tone, which was befitting of a Badged Noble, there was evident warmth behind her smile.

Duke Valencius teased lightly.

“Don’t harass him too much, will you?”

Marietta chuckled behind her fan.

“I will ensure he survives.”

Rudi couldn’t help but feel an unpleasant chill run down his spine.

The ball wasn’t a place to enjoy a dance—it was somewhere work could get you close to death, but if you were here, it was polite to at least share a dance.

A melancholy and elegant waltz started, and Rudi followed Valencius’s lead around the hall.

Rudi tried hard not to focus too much on his yellow eyes.

‘Really, he’s incredibly handsome.’

Valencius was fresh, strong, and slightly mischievous. He exuded a dangerous charm as well, and seeing him close-up tightened Rudi’s heart pleasantly.

Rudi understood why protagonists in romance novels often mistake fear for love or love for fear.

‘So it really is similar.’

Staring at Valencius reminded him of the excitement he felt when wielding his magic bow.

‘Heart is pounding.’

Even though his heart raced, time seemed to slow down. The world faded away, and the thought of moving a single finger…

“Rudi.”

“Huh, Yes?”

“My fingers are about to fold.”

“Oh! I’m sorry.”

Rudi panicked and loosened his grip on Duke Valencius’ hand that they had entwined.

He had been unknowingly crushing Valencius’ fingers with his magic ring.

The thin white gloves offered no buffer against the pressure of the ring.

Valencius let go with a soft laugh, revealing his white fangs every time his red lips moved.

“Now, Count Consecratus, for the moment, forget about being my employee and relax.”

Valencius declared this like a pronouncement and stepped back.

“Count Rudi!”

“Consecratus!”

“I’ll avenge my maids!”

Court nobles approached swiftly, like hawks swooping down on a rabbit.

‘Starting now.’

But Rudi was a rabbit with a hidden blade.

“Nice to meet you.”

* * *

“Count Consecratus, where did you get that magic bow? Can you help me procure one as well?”

“Lady Rudi, have you heard anything from His Excellency Duke Valencius about the expansion blueprints of Solentaraon?”

“I would like to foster a good personal relationship. Would you care to dance?”

“Looking at your walk, you must know Sir Sycarioius. I’m from a military noble family too. If we weren’t at this event, I’d have challenged you to a duel.”

“How many magical tools have you brought with you?”

“Do you have any thoughts about marriage or perhaps a lover? Perhaps I could introduce you to some fine young men.”

“Could you please deliver this document to His Excellency Valencius? It’s highly confidential.”

“Are you interested in the parliament side?”

“My friend recently joined Her Majesty Queen Jeilliris’ service as a maid. Your positive recommendation would be much appreciated.”

“Not really. Then why did you severely punish our maids and servants earlier?”

“Truly stunning!”

Questions, favors, requests, business cards, introductions, compliments, and criticisms rained down.

“Uh, Yes?”

Rudi, like a fisherman aboard a frail boat caught in a storm, drifted amidst the surging waves of human interaction.

‘Yes. I am no longer a fallen noble who hasn’t had his debut ball.’

But he gripped the tiller firmly, unfurled the sails, and began to harness the wind.

Rudi, being the first head of the Consecratus family, carefully began his dialogue while savoring the strange taste of the title that did not seem fitting for him.

“A dance is always welcome.”

“Her Majesty Queen Jeilliris prefers her maids to be creatively dressed but remain quiet. She enjoys fine coffee, so it’s preferable to wear light perfumes.”

“Absolutely! You should revise the education of your house staff if they can’t stop badmouthing the royal family outside!”

“The magic bow came from the Ivory Tower. I’m unsure if I was allowed to share it, but… would you be interested in investing in the integrated magic workshop? The ones they produce might be rougher than mine, but you might receive a few.”

“Work for now suits me more than romance, but if we can start as friends, I’ll contact you during my vacation.”

“The ring? Ah, yes. I’m a collector of magical tools. Perhaps… Oh, yes. Thank you.”

“For the Emperor! Brightest light! May you illuminate the Emperor’s future! Let’s drink! It’s a penalty shot if you don’t join.”

Still winter, the sun set early.

Rudi danced, conversed, drank alcohol, exchanged favors and salutations with court nobles from sunset until midnight.

‘Hot.’

When his face flushed and his corset felt suffocating, a man took his hand and led him to the edge of the hall.

“How’s it going?”

A cold breeze swept through him, clearing his head.

“Master Valen.”

Next to him, supporting him, stood Duke Valencius.

The firmly built arms were strong underneath the uniform.

“That’s good.”

“You came.”

“I’ve been watching, making sure no strange ones bothered you.”

Rudi smiled.

“Actually, I knew.”

“Thought you would. You need to refine your intuition.”

“I think I succeeded.”

“Succeeded?”

“Made friends with a magic-focused noble family from the Ivory Tower handling goods—Count Iseas and Lady Marlena. I’ve received invitations already. Next time, I’ll visit them. There’s supposed to be an auction, so I’ll check if there are any corrupted magical tools.”

A flicker of a sharp red glint passed through the lively green eyes before fading away.

Rudi smiled brightly.

“This is fun. I feel like a big shot.”

“Exactly. I thought you’d enjoy it.”

Valencius nodded, looking like a clear youth.

Rudi, surprised more by his expression than the words, asked,

“Do you really?”

“Not like you, but I also had to seek out others who understood me. Neither myself nor Lady Sorelazie nor Lady Trentia can be called ordinary people, and most of the old acquaintances have drifted away. I thought you might feel lonely sometimes.”

“Haha. Still, Master Valen is my favorite.”

A cold gust of wind ruffled her hair.

“Ah.”

Stepping closer, Valencius helped smooth Rudi’s hair while saying,

His yellow eyes, red lips, and self-assured smile came too close.

“Thank you.”

Rudi felt as if his heart was being squeezed suddenly.

He was ready to pull out his magic bow and shoot somewhere immediately.

Bathed in the moonlight, the youthful Duke shimmered with a pristine beauty and a notorious danger.

With a bright smile, he said,

“Congratulations on your debutante ball, Rudi.”

* * *

I was heading toward the cathedral with Lady Trentia in a dark quadriga carriage.

Rudi’s debut was a success.

From now on, she would no longer be just the reckless maid duelist of Valencius; she would become an influential duelist in court nobility society.

When I need to manipulate nobles, I won’t have to run around personally anymore.

Did I just increase my workload?

Or did I give her my trust?

A flicker of laughter arose and faded.

It’s time to get our hands slightly dirty.

“Matheos.”

Even now, mechanized knights still follow Marcus more than they follow me.

With Lady Trentia leaving to the eastern region with me, I’ll inevitably be separated from at least Commander Alberto, who is relatively friendly.

If Marcus has different intentions about Sorelazie, I have no way to stop it.

Therefore, it’s necessary to have surveillance.

Even if I want to stop it, I need someone with the authority to visit the Integrated Magic Workshop for proper supervision.

“Send some Holy Knights to the Integrated Magic Workshop.”

“No. What exactly do you think the Church is nowadays? Do you know how few Holy Knights we have with all these deployments lately? You seem pious now, but ultimately you’re treating the Church like a maid of the Imperial Court.”

“…”

“Let me also talk about maids while we’re at it. In these troubled times, to flaunt an unmarried maid as a concubine and indulge in decadence and lewd games—”

I pulled out my money pouch.

“Would this amount be adequate as a supplementary donation?”

“Yes.”