Chapter 214: Vol. 2

Vol. 2 Chapter 214

Before the Evening Party

Translated by Raizu

After meeting with the Adellahan family, the Zeldomitra family, and then the Milendorva family, I decided to rest in a private room for a while.

[Huffー...]

Even the sigh that flowed out of my mouth seemed to be seeping with fatigue.

Consecutive exchanges with the five Great Nobles of the Kingdom was an event that drained my mental strength. I even felt like my brain was wearing out from the mind-boggling conversations and constant extreme tension.

[Young Master must be tired. Would you like to have a drink before the next one?]

[.....right, something warm, please.]

As I watched one of the civil officers leave the room, I slowly reflected on the afternoon exchange meeting in my head.

I got some comments from my father, but I was able to respond without any problem. After meeting the Adellahan family, there were no particularly troublesome topics or accidents. All in all, it actually went pretty smoothly.

Looking back, the hardest part was greeting Crowne. Other than that, it ended with moderate greetings and chats, and a non-obtrusive conversation. However, exchange meetings are essentially like that. That surprise attack lady is a bit strange.

[Fuhー...]

I let out another sigh.

The exchange meeting between the Zeldomitra family and the Milendorva family had no problems, but there was no refreshing moment either. Because of that, I feel like my fatigue level increased by 30%.

At least, Adellahan family had a cutie named Kalmia, so it was refreshing to my soul. On the flipside, the next two families only had men of the current generation attending the meeting. My heart was devastated.

[If Young Master is too tired, consider not attending the evening party...]

[Wait. Why do you think I've been working so hard this far? I'm still going.]

I declared to the escort who advised me.

The evening party is a casual party, so it would be a loss to miss it.

And if I'm absent without permission, Plume will be in trouble. It's not even an option, as it will also mean skipping Prince Dunkel's invitation.

The servants in charge of dressing finished the preliminary preparations while I drank the tea given by the civil officer. I stood up on the spot, spread my hands, and was stripped of my clothes.

This private room, roughly the size of a studio, is simply a changing room. At the evening party, there would not only be eating but also dancing, so it's necessary to change into appropriate clothes.

For that reason, the Nobles who finished the exchange meeting are now starting to change their outfit.

There might be a half-naked Princess next door. When I thought about it, energy filled my lower body. I know I'm thinking about useless things, but I can't help it while waiting for the dressing up to be finished.

The maid who was in charge of dressing me put her hand on her face as if she was "I'm in trouble" because she thought she made my crotch hard for no reason. As expected, I can't deal with them right now, so I envisioned the face of Viscount Galiana in my head and made it wither.

[What do you think?]

After I finished dressing, a large mirror rock was placed in front of me.

I twirled my body around a few times and struck some poses. There didn't seem to be any problem.

[How about Plue?]

[I believe it will take some more time to finish changing clothes.]

Even though the Sylopea family ended the exchange meeting and started changing clothes before us. After all, dressing up for women takes considerable time.

[What is Young Master planning to do now?]

[Maybe reviewing the venue, although there might be no need for it given how small the area is.]

Although there are many private rooms for changing clothes, it seems that there are not enough for all the Nobles to enter at once. I didn't feel like occupying a private room to the point of causing trouble for other people. Since the idea is not Noble-like, I will not say it.

Besides, I thought I'd check out the Princesses from all over the country before joining Plume.

When I left the changing room and walked a little, my father and Earl Sylopea were there.

At night parties, children of nobility don't go with their guardians unless they're in the single digits. Even in places where a little rudeness is allowed, if you cling to your mom and dad, others will think of you as an unreliable person who lacks autonomy.

As the next generation of the Quordenze family, this is a rumor that must be avoided.

[Wilk-dono, please take care of Plume.]

Earl Sylopea's costume was dinner-style. It doesn't look like he's going to dance.

I nodded at the Earl's words and expressed my enthusiasm for the escort. I'm sure this passionate feeling was conveyed, as the Earl stepped back with a smile, and my father stood in front of me instead.

[Wilk, it's alright to be a little rude during this evening party. No one will mind. Feel free to let loose a little.]

According to my father, slips of tongue won't be much of a problem at the meeting hosted by Prince Dunkel tonight. It's like a final confirmation.

[It's the same with children's gatherings. As long as you're comfortable and dignified, that's fine.]

[Yes, father.]

This is something I've already heard.

According to my father, slips of the tongue won't be much of a problem at the conversation hosted by Prince Dunkel tonight. Rather, it is said that it is much more negative to remain silent for fear of making a mistake, or to show a flustered appearance in an attempt to cover up a mistake. This is because it gives the impression that a child cannot do anything without a parent. If that's the case, it would be better to show defiance even if it was a wrong statement.

After a series of recaps, my father glanced at Earl Sylopea and confirmed that there was a sufficient distance, and said in a low voice.

[Are you really going to dance with that Adellahan Princess?]

[That's what I intend to do.]

[...Do you remember what we talked about this morning?]

Again with that?

This morning, I received several requests from my father for this evening party. It's a request, not an instruction. Most of them were convincing, but there were some that could not be overlooked.

I didn't give a definite yes to that.

[Well, about that...]

I turned to my father and showed him a fake smile.

The request was to invite Princess Alina to a dance at the evening party.

No matter how I looked at it, the request seemed to be nothing more than building a route for mutual marriage, so I declined it on the spot. In the worst case, I was prepared for an argument from early in the morning.

However, surprisingly, my father didn't insist on it and withdrew the request on the spot.

Individual autonomy is important for evening parties. As a father, he may have thought that it would be wrong to give his son too many instructions. Besides, yesterday and today I continued to show that I was uncomfortable with the mutual marriage.

He may have decided that it would be best to avoid any awkwardness between parent and child before the start of today's social gathering, or perhaps he wanted to prioritize more important requests than that.

I think that the fact that I've been rehearsing the morning's conversation here now echoes the fact that I invited Kalmia to dance at the exchange meeting.

I decided to answer what my father didn't want, with a stiff smile on my face.

[I will do my best.]

I decided to consider my father's request positively, saying that if I have the chance, I would.

There is a justification for respecting individual autonomy, so let me do as I please.

[Wilk.]

[Of course I would want to make a good experience to tell when we return to Newnelly. Don't you think so too, father?]

[...are you still trying to negotiate now?]

[No, I'd just invite anyone because I wanted to. But, I will certainly use whatever is available.]

For instance, the dance with Kalmia.

What my father is most concerned about now is that I blatantly avoid Alina because I was against the mutual marriage.

I danced with Kalmia, whom I met in the afternoon, but I didn't dance with Alina, whom I met yesterday. This could be interpreted by those around me that Wilk Quordenze holds a strong stance against the Levios family or Alina Levios in particular.

This is a very unfavorable development for my father, who wants to maintain a good relationship with the Levios for the sake of destroying the Spierzeig.

It was good blackmailing material.

[Instead of pushing through with the child's selfishness, should I take advantage of the situation and shove it...]

He wasn't angry or anything. [Good grief, what a troublesome lad] was what my father said in an exasperated tone.

[Fufufu. Father, what are you going to do after this?]

That's why I replied with a slightly playful gesture. However, my heart was pounding.

Even if I had the material, it's another matter whether I can actually say it. Because it might worsen our relationship, and even may lead to conflict.

After all, my father is a hardcore Spierzeig hater who would do many things to absolutely decimate them. If I were to deny him a chance to do just that even a little, regardless of whether I'm his own son, there's a small possibility that he'd push through.

I threatened my father with strong courage and resolution.

The reason why my father acted with an exasperated tone was supposed to be a sign of his intention, that he's "not angry about the threats. And don't want to worsen the parent-child relationship".

[You've become rather reliable... Well, what am I going to do, huh?]

My father was quick to change his tone.

Yesterday, I just said I don't like Princess Alina. From my father's point of view, it may have been reflected only as a slightly stronger selfishness of the son.

It might be better to show my father a more Noble-like and plot-like offensive. Perhaps because I have memories of my previous life, I often saw my father as my boss. There is a feeling of hesitation to go against the instructions head-on or even use tricks to rebel.

How strong can I, a son, go against my father, who is the head of a Noble family? It is difficult to judge. As a former Japanese, I would like to refer to the extent to which the sons of Nobles around me are in conflict with each other. I've heard that there are quite a few rebellious children, but I'd like to know a specific example of how far it's okay to rebel.

For a moment, my father put his hand on his chin and looked at me.

[After this, I was going to talk to King Levios and Earl Evenapis... But it seems we don't have time tonight, so let's postpone this talk until tomorrow.]

For the time being, he didn't have enough time to negotiate with me to work out the details, so for the time being, he won't be discussing mutual marriage at today's evening party...that's how I interpret it.

I don't know how serious it is, but if he really wanted to bring Earl Evenafis to talk to King Levios tonight, it would have been dangerous. Fanny may have been secretly shipped without my knowledge.

Anyway, just putting the situation on hold for now is enough. The main battle will be after returning to the Quordenze mansion. I felt it's necessary to prepare some kind of negotiation material.

[Father also has a lot of people to say hello to, so I think it's only natural that there isn't enough time. Yesterday and today, I've seen more familiar faces, so I'm sure I'll be busy with more people to dance with.]

I'd invite not only Kalmia but also Alina to dance. There. I'm keeping my promise.

[Hmm. You should take it slow and enjoy each song.]

Yes, I will dance with one Princess per song.

[Hahaha!]

My father and I laughed at each other there. This was the end of the verbal battle.

As for dancing with Alina, it's not that I don't like it.

Having a full set of otoro, salmon roe, fatty tuna, sea urchin, and other delicious sushi toppings don't necessarily mean you can fully enjoy the taste. I think it's more fun to reset your mood by eating refreshing toppings and gari between meals. In other words, in order to fully enjoy the body touch with a beautiful Princess, it is better to raise and lower the tension with a delicate Princess in between.

That's why I decided to have Galina...I mean Alina takes care of the lower part. Originally, among the Nobles of the Quordenze faction, there were some unfortunate Princesses. My father asked me to dance lightly with them, and I had already accepted that according to sushi theory. In other words, it can be said that the case of Alina this time was just an increase in the number of gari.

In the relaxed atmosphere, I continued to chat with my father.

[.....it might be a while before I invite a Princess from another place. I plan to dance with Plue for a while.]

[Umu. I'm counting on you to escort her... Hmm, that face. Sounds like you're having too much fun?]

It seemed that I was unconsciously smiling. But, I'm genuinely happy that I can get close to Plume, Papa.

[I'm really looking forward to it. Maybe I'll get so caught up in dancing with Plue that the evening party will be over before I know it.]

I meant it as a joke, but my father showed me a thoughtful gesture and then said.

[.....well, that's also a pass. It's just advice, but in case of an emergency, you can choose to do it that way.]

There are quite a few evasive Nobles who can't dance with Nobles who don't have a deep relationship with them. You can't let go of your first partner.

However, they are aware of this and thus won't participate in the dance in the first place. So they would start interacting with each other through meals instead.

In my father's words, I guess he assumed that I was the unaware, evasive type. Sometimes you don't know until you actually stand on the spot.

If I only danced with Plume, the people around me would just think I was a person with that kind of temperament, and they wouldn't have the impression that I had a beef with Alina. From my father's point of view, this seems to be a passing score.

But, I want to touch the bodies of the Princesses. I will not be at the mercy of this advice.

[...I would like to say that you can relax and enjoy yourself, but you must never let your guard down. Always be careful somewhere in your heart. You hear me?]

Saying this, my father put his hand in the shape of a good job and moved his thumb to pierce his heart. Those eyes are serious.

[I still have a lot of things I want to do, so I'll be careful.]

I don't know what to say, but the dance hall is a place where the human weapons known as the Highlord dance together. No matter how strong, I'll get killed if hit by magic while having no guard.

If I let my guard down while enjoying the fun atmosphere of the evening party, someone might assassinate me.

[Father is also in similar situation, so please be careful too]

[Of course. ...There's no point in continuing to talk here, let's meet again when it's over.]

The number of aristocrats who have finished changing their clothes has been steadily increasing since a little while ago. Parents and children talking all the time wouldn't look very good.

I briefly greeted my father and Earl Sylopea before leaving.