Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Four: Alumni Reunion 3
“What!? Mr. Julius!?”
“Karen, I came as your partner, but was that a bother?”
Julius, who embraced her from behind, wore a terrifyingly sparkling smile. Moreover, despite this heat, he was dressed in his formal knight’s attire with full force.
There were wealthy people among commoners too, and especially many successful individuals among those who graduated from commoners’ schools. So there were people dressed well enough to be mistaken for nobles, but Julius’s appearance with his styled hair was dazzlingly brilliant, and from his bearing and manner, an aura of nobility overflowed abundantly.
At this commoners’ school alumni reunion, Julius stood out completely. Even the women who had been watching Karen’s conversation with Ahim with displeasure were now stunned as if their souls had been extracted at the sight of Julius.
Karen agreed with that feeling in her heart—she understood it well. To commoners, Julius was far too radiant to cause squealing and fussing.
While everyone was entranced by Julius, Karen looked up at him and caught her breath. Though Julius wore a beautiful smile, his golden eyes weren’t smiling.
His magical power seemed to be raging with heightened emotions, making his eyes glitter intensely. Perhaps to suppress his magical power, a strong fragrance wafted from him as if he were carrying about five sachets.
Karen broke out in a sweat from the waves of anger emanating from Julius.
“Should I perhaps have invited you…? But, you see, this commoners’ school reunion is, so to speak, a networking venue for me—a work occasion, and I wondered if it would be appropriate to invite you to a work event, Mr. Julius. It’s a place full of commoners, and while it’s true that it’s fine to bring a partner, it’s not mandatory, and plenty of people attend alone.”
Julius narrowed his eyes while maintaining his smile.
“Indeed, I do understand. For me too, socializing is part of work. I’ve attended countless times as an obligation, and even after I began seeing you, I’ve attended social functions for the Ehlertt family alone. I considered them not the sort of occasions to burden you with. However, I hadn’t realized that this behavior would make you feel this way, Karen.”
“No, I don’t mind at all when you attend social functions alone—”
Seeing Julius’s smile deepen, Karen fell silent without finishing her sentence.
For nobles, attending social gatherings was precisely part of their duties. Dancing there was merely a greeting, performed to build relationships. Even married people danced. Of course, there was also the aspect of searching for a marriage partner.
However, while Karen couldn’t help but wish Julius wouldn’t dance with anyone, she had never voiced it, nor had she ever thought she wanted him to take her as his partner. Because she had thought it was a world separate from hers.
So now, Karen didn’t understand what Julius was feeling.
While she was thinking, Julius’s fingers caught the hand Karen had been extending to take Ahim’s.
Julius looked at Ahim.
“I’m sorry, but Karen has me as her partner. Please give up on dancing with her.”
“—Hey, Karen, that guy’s a noble, right? So you’re already being kept by a noble?!”
Ahim ignored Julius and shouted at Karen.
“Wake up, Karen! I don’t know what sweet words you’ve been deceived by, but you’re just being used!”
“That’s not true, Ahim.”
“It is true! Nobles, no matter how kind they act, don’t think of us commoners as the same kind of humans! These nobles put on friendly faces for us because they want to make our abilities their own. They just want to use us!”
“Well, there’s probably some desire to make use of me.”
The people of the Ehlertt Earldom were very kind to Karen and felt gratitude toward her. But still, she could glimpse their intention to incorporate her into their fold.
For nobles, marriage was also politics. If there was a house that possessed something they wanted, they would consider marriage with that house.
Before Karen accepted the Ehlertt’s commission, if Julius could have obtained a Legendary-class magic-sealing magical tool simply by marrying the princess, he would have married her.
Karen had understanding thanks to interpreting nobles through her previous life’s knowledge. For someone raised as a pure commoner, these were incompatible values.
“Even if that man shows signs of liking you, he doesn’t really like you.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
If this had been Karen from a little while ago, she would have taken Ahim’s words to heart and become depressed, but the current Karen stated firmly:
“This person truly cares for me.”
“There’s no way that’s true! Don’t spout such delusional nonsense! Are you planning to throw away alchemy again and waste your time devoted to a man!?”
Everyone who learned of Karen and Julius’s relationship initially said the same thing. They were all worried about Karen. Because from an outside perspective, Karen and Julius were far too mismatched—Karen said with a bitter smile:
“At first, I also thought that if Mr. Julius was around, I might get distracted and unable to concentrate on alchemy. But, Ahim—”
“Don’t say it, I don’t want to hear it.”
Ahim irritably cut off Karen’s words.
“I was stupid to think you’d finally returned to the path of alchemy. No—maybe I was the one who underestimated your talent. I should have known sharp-nosed nobles would sniff it out right away, and that a pure, romance-brained girl like you would be as easy as twisting a baby’s arm for a handsome nobleman. It’s my fault for not making it in time.”
“In time?”
Ahim glared at Karen, who tilted her head.
“I’m going to create the Philosopher’s Stone, Karen. I’ll create the Philosopher’s Stone that you could have made too if you’d devoted yourself to alchemy—and that’ll wake you up.”
After spitting out those words, Ahim turned his back on them.
Ignoring the people trying to stop him, Ahim left the hall.
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