Chapter 31: Gathering (6)

Marie, the daughter of Duke Requilis and a freshman in the Academy's Academics Department, was in a good mood right now.

She used to dislike going to events like family gatherings, yet she always wanted to help her family someday. Even if you have knowledge that surpasses others, if you lack the experience to apply it, it is meaningless. It was to put what she'd been learning at home into practice through her family's ideology.

In fact, each experience she had in a social setting was extremely beneficial, so Marie reluctantly stepped forward.

Even though she wanted her makeup to be done quickly and neatly, for today's event she double-checked for any flaws. The makeup process, which normally takes about an hour, took more than three hours.

However, the makeup turned out well, and the dress she brought from the mansion fit perfectly with no flaws. Marie was satisfied with her beautiful appearance and went to the Freshman Gathering with a surprising feeling of pleasure.

"Oh! Aren't you the Young Lady of the RequilisFamily?"

"Yes. My name is Marie Hausen Requilis."

"I am Genia Cleton Hirtu of the Hirtu Family."

"If it's the Hirtu Family... Ah! Are you Viscount Madd's daughter?"

"Yes! You know him as well. It's a great honor to meet you, Marie."

"Is Miss Genia having a pleasant time?"

While on her way to the gathering, someone recognized Marie, but she handled it well. As a noble from a Ducal family, she had learned how to greet people at the age of 14 thanks to her participation in 'social society.'

Of course, she didn't interact with people while wearing a 'mask,' like some others she knew. Some people just can't act, but rumors about her had already spread far and wide in society circles. Marie, the daughter of the RequilisFamily, had a lively personality. To put it bluntly, she has a tomboyish personality, but no one dared to openly criticize her because of her background. Rather, they were too busy flattering her with plain yet sweet words.

Marie really hated such people; pretentious people hiding knives on the inside while flattering on the outside. In order to gain something, these opportunists will reveal their true selves.

'This feeling again. I really hate it.' Even though Marie couldn't act, she could tell whether people were being genuine or not by their expressions. She was different from Rina in that she could naturally pick up on social cues, whereas Rina had excellent observational skills.

She also had a strong feeling that the student Genia, who was being friendly with her, had a calculating attitude toward trying to connect with high-ranking noble families like hers. Even though she didn't show it on the surface, Marie felt very uncomfortable in this situation.

'He never gives me that feeling.' Marie was currently chatting with Genia, but in her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about the red-haired boy she had recently met since starting school here—a man with crimson hair and golden eyes that glowed like a beast from afar.

Their first meeting was not very good, but the more time they spent together, the more she realized that he was a person who was far from superficial, even if he appeared distant. Even if he lied a little, his face showed it all, and while his tone was blunt, he put his sincerity into every answer.

'Sometimes it seems like he's hiding something...' It's probably a personal secret of his, but if so, it's certainly not a ruse Marie loathed. It's not her hobby to snoop into other people's personal lives as some do.

In any case, as Marie continued speaking with Genia, she thought about the boy she was recently interested in. She arrived at the main auditorium, where the gathering was to take place before she realized it.

"We're already there. It's a shame."

"We can chat inside just as easily."

"Really?"

"Of course. But I have someone else I'd like to meet separately, so I think we should split up here."

"Ah..."

Marie was eager to get out of there as soon as possible, which left Genia deeply disappointed. For Marie, she wanted to walk over to his side and talk like they always do.

What type of clothes did he wear to today's gathering? He bought a cheap dress suit that cost less than 8 gold, but for some reason, she thought it would look good on him. Even though he was not tall, his lean physique would make up for it.

Leaving Genia behind, Marie strolled inside the main auditorium. Even for her, who has been to numerous social gatherings, the interior of this auditorium is quite well-decorated. And for someone as tall in noble stature as herself, it was something to behold.

But there was something more important to her than the auditorium setting.

'Red hair... Red hair... Red hair...' As soon as Marie walked into the auditorium, she began looking for someone with red hair. There was a chance he hadn't arrived yet, but finding him came first.

Marie's alertly-moving gaze soon landed on red hair and a dark-haired woman who stood partially in front of that red hair too.

'...Cecily?' It was a face Marie already knew well—the princess of Helium, and one of the high-ranking women she met at the academy.

The woman, dressed quite provocatively, was engaging in friendly conversation with the red-haired male student. The male student was deeply flushed while engaged in the conversation with a tender expression.

"..........."

Marie's brows twitched for a split second and at the same time, an unknown emotion welled up from the depths of her heart. Seeing the two of them talking like that with her own two eyes was extremely unsettling. So much so that she wanted to separate the two right now. In response, Marie moved her legs and approached them. Unknowingly, her face had hardened.

———————❖———————

It is said that a woman's transformation is innocent. This is a kind of maxim that arose as a result of the fact that ordinary women can look stunning when they put on makeup.

The men, on the other hand, usually laughed and claimed, 'It doesn't matter.' Breaking up with a girlfriend because her bare face is unattractive is an extremely rare occurrence and men are frequently chastised for ending relationships in such a way. Of course, this is only for ordinary women who become beautiful with makeup, and women who are beautiful even without makeup frequently use makeup to tone down their beauty, or conceal it completely.

Furthermore, in Cecily's case, her attractiveness was not limited to her face but extended to other areas as well.

"Isaac, your face is flushed."

"..........."

Cecily, who spoke in a playful tone, had me staring blankly. Is it because of the heat on my face? I couldn't even tell that my own face was red.

'Really now...' Finally, I sighed and covered my face with one hand. And I was able to keep the base desires that arose from the depths of my heart at bay. I wasn't a eunuch, and seeing Cecily like this made my instincts as a man come out.

Most men will understand my feelings. It's natural for a man to be drawn to a beautiful woman, especially when she's dressed provocatively and flirting with him. As a man, however, I should try to control my instincts. I inhaled deeply and opened my mouth.

"Huu... Noona...?"

"Hmm, what?"

"...Aren't your clothes a bit...too much?"

"What's too much?"

Don't you know? No, I'm sure she's doing this on purpose. I sighed again at Cecily, who asked, maintaining her playfulness.

"That... dress..."

"Is it too racy?"

"...Yes." As my heart calmed down a bit, I lowered the hand that was covering my face. Cecily's fixed gaze on my face began to shift downwards as soon as I lowered my hand.

I'm not a sage, and as a man, I can't completely control my instincts.

Meanwhile, Cecily looked at me, then softly smiled and opened her mouth, saying, "You don't have to try so hard not to look."

"...but that's rude."

"If you say it's rude for me to wear this dress, wouldn't it be weird for that person? And most demons wear clothes like this to social gatherings. Men, in particular, are honest about their desires, aren't they? It's a way to test how much they can control their desires."

That's true... it's a reasonable phenomenon, I suppose. I nodded my head weakly to her explanation.

If other people wore clothes like this, people would gossip, but it felt different because Cecily was wearing them. Along with her elegance, her inherent dignity has been enhanced, adding to her allure.

However, it is still something that I find difficult to look away from. "...Are you going to keep going like that?"

"Huh? Of course. Is Isaac worried that others will look at me strangely?"

".........."

"I guess I'm right, seeing as your face turns red without a word," Cecily said, wiggling her fingers.

I felt my blood pressure rising in real-time. I hurriedly changed the subject so as not to get a nosebleed. "Oh, ah, anyway! What were you doing before?"

"Oh, just talking to some people I've never met before. It wasn't very pleasant. Most of them, both men and women, gave me lust-soaked gazes. Certainly, humans are honest with their desires."

Despite her calm tone, the content of her words was unpleasant. Frowning slightly since I didn't understand, I asked, "Don't you feel bad? Even if you are a demon..."

"Isaac. Don't arbitrarily apply human standards to other races. Humans have their own ways, and so do we."

"..........."

"We demons want to live as humans, but if we accept what others impose on us, it will only be an imitation. Demons, as you stated previously, should live like demons."

At Cecily's sharp advice, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut. I felt like I'd been hit with a hammer in the head. Imposing human ways on other races, as she stated, is an unjust and ridiculous action. Perhaps my actions upset her.

"...I'm sorry. I spoke carelessly."

"No, it's fine. This must be due to your thoughtfulness as well. It feels good to be thought of in that way."

Cecily smiled as she shrugged off my apology. I returned her gaze with a calm smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"Huh?"

In the friendly atmosphere, a familiar woman's voice cut through the gap. Cecily and I both turned our heads in the direction of the voice. Standing there stood a girl no less beautiful than Cecily, with her arms crossed. I'm not sure what she was dissatisfied with, but she looked very unhappy.

For a brief moment, I had no idea who this beautiful woman was, but I recognized her white hair and bright blue eyes. "...Could it be Marie?"

"Why are you calling me that?"

At the mention of Marie's name, the beautiful woman answered bluntly. With a slightly dazed expression, I looked at Marie. Her white hair, which was long enough to reach her waist, was tied in a ponytail, revealing her swan-like nape, and perhaps because of the makeup, she gave off a mature look overall.

The white dress with a faint bluish tinge was also daring, though not as much as Cecily's. The shoulders were completely exposed, and the thunderbird-like collarbone line was visible, as were the moderately large breasts, which exuded sex appeal. Finally, she wore expensive-looking jewellery, as befitting a young lady from a ducal family, but it added little to her beauty.

In conclusion, whereas Marie as a student exuded a youthful beauty, the current Marie exudes a mature beauty akin to Cecily.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Do I look weird?" Marie asked in a grumpy voice as I blankly stared at her. She must have been embarrassed to avert her gaze and reveal her flushed cheeks.

I hurriedly gathered my thoughts and spoke from the bottom of my heart, "No. It's just... I was too surprised. You're too beautiful, I didn't recognize you for a moment."

"...I'm beautiful?" Marie's previously sullen face softened a little at the word beautiful. Then, after looking up and down at Cecily next to me, she cautiously opened her mouth again. "...How beautiful am I?"

"To the extent of falling in love at first sight, like I said before."

"...Huh?"

As soon as I answered that, Cecily next to me revealed her doubts. Her expression showed that one of her eyes was squinting as if she was thinking about something.

Regardless, Marie's mouth drew a line as if she was satisfied with my answer. Then, facing me, she spoke without hesitation. "You're good at answering ambiguously, so when did you learn to be so blunt? But it doesn't matter, I'm not losing to anyone, at least."

"When have I ever answered ambiguously? If I did, I would have used all sorts of empty flattery and said that you were a goddess of beauty."

"That would have been something to hear if you did. It's too bad."

"Then should I do it now?"

"No, that's enough. By the way..." Marie, who was conversing with me, slurred her words and turned her gaze to Cecily rather than to me. She looked her up and down again and cautiously opened her mouth. "Cecily is... quite bold, isn't she? I don't know where to look."

Marie seemed to share my sentiments. Regardless of who the person is, they would have a similar reaction if they saw Cecily.

Meanwhile, Cecily smiled and made an unexpected move after hearing Marie's remark. "Yes. Marie is bold too, right?" She subtly grabbed my arm and drew me closer to her chest.

Her action was smooth and natural, and it took me a moment to react. The fire that had been dormant rose again as soon as the soft and pliable touch was transmitted through my arm.

"What, um...what are you doing...?"

"I was curious how Isaac would react to this dress."

What's this again? Cecily's answer perplexed me. This is a markedly different response from her previous one. She was obviously joking, judging by her unique playful way of speaking, but I still didn't get it.

"...what do you mean?" Marie appeared to be taken aback by Cecily's response as well. While squinting one of her eyes, she expressed her mental confusion.

Cecily tightened her grip on my arm even more. Even if I tried to pull it away, it wouldn't budge. When I struggled, the feeling of her soft bosom was clearly transmitted.

"It's as you heard. I was curious about Isaac's reaction."

"No, um...Cecily Noona? Earlier, you definitely said...

"...This is another of your jokes, right? Can't you see Isaac is in trouble?" Before I could open my mouth again, Marie strode forward and grabbed my arm, the one that Cecily was holding. However, Marie, who was close to normal in physical strength, was unable to overcome Cecily's demon-enhanced strength.

As a result, the two women confronted each other, with my arm between them. Despite the sudden chill in the air, Cecily maintained a mischievous demeanor. "It is not a joke. And crossing one's arms in this manner is a kind of reward for someone who has conquered their desire. It's an old culture of our Helium."

"That's a common story among you demons. We, humans, won't take your actions very well in a public setting like this. What you're doing to Isaac right now is an act only between lovers. It might make others doubt your chastity."

"I told Isaac earlier that applying human standards to other races is not a good idea. And we demons have a very conservative view of chastity."

"Since you came to the human world, shouldn't you follow human laws and customs? At least, that's what I believe."

The two women engaged in a fierce battle without making any concessions. What is notable here is that Marie had a hardened face, whereas Cecily always wore a mischievous smile.

But it makes no difference. As I looked around, I noticed several eyes looking at us with interest. The Princess of Helium and the Young Lady of Requilis fighting over a man. What an exciting development this was to them, no doubt.

You've probably heard this: Life is a comedy when seen from afar, but a tragedy when seen up close.

'...I want to go home.' That's how I felt right now.

Editor and Proofreader:- In Valen's Name

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