Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen: Anniversary Date 9
“There’s something I’d like to ask you, Mr. Julius.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Among the young ladies here at this venue, are there any who haven’t glared at me or spoken ill of me?”
“There are a few. Not many, but… why do you ask?”
Julius’s face took on a worried expression.
He looked terribly apologetic when he said "not many," but for Karen, the fewer there were, the more grateful she felt.
“Would you dance only with those girls?”
Julius’s eyes widened, and Viscountess Capel clapped her hands together.
“Oh, how wonderful! If you tell me which young ladies they are, I’ll go speak to them myself.”
For Viscountess Capel, having managed to invite Julius, she would surely want him to dance with someone to make him the highlight of tonight’s soirée.
Karen, too, wanted to help preserve Viscountess Capel’s honor.
Thinking that this was what they called personal virtue, Karen looked up at Julius.
“However, they may simply have had no one to speak with tonight; they could still think poorly of you, Karen.”
“That is fine. We will make it clear that they were able to dance with you because they happened not to speak ill of me today. No matter what they feel inside, perhaps they will keep their mouths shut from now on.”
“I’ll tell them myself too!”
Seeing Viscountess Capel’s sparkling eyes, Julius glanced at Karen and said in a somewhat displeased tone:
“…But are you truly all right with this, Karen? With me dancing with other young ladies? If it were me, I would not wish to see you dancing with another man.”
“If it’s necessary, I’ll dance with others besides you as well.”
Dancing was completely a matter of refinement and social communication. That was why it was even taught at commoners’ schools.
Karen herself intended to dance without hesitation if it became necessary for her work as an alchemist.
“I thought if I sealed away my dancing with young ladies, I could seal away your dancing too, but I suppose that’s impossible.”
“If you agree to dance with them with my permission, the number of ladies who side with me will likely increase! Please go—for my sake!”
“…I’ll be going then.”
Karen cheerfully sent off Julius, who wore a sulky expression.
The young ladies who hadn’t spoken ill of Karen were almost all isolated young ladies. If they had friends, the conversation would almost certainly have turned to Julius—and Karen, inexplicably at his side—so perhaps this was a natural result.
After introducing Julius to the young ladies, Viscountess Capel immediately returned.
“Ms. Karen, please stay by my side. If anything were to happen to you, I couldn’t face Master Julius.”
“…Thank you, Viscountess Capel.”
From the corner of her vision, Karen noticed several young ladies approaching with dangerous looks in their eyes. Karen was fully prepared to engage them, but when Viscountess Capel stayed close to Karen’s side, they dejectedly turned back.
Karen returned her gaze to Julius. The young ladies who apparently hadn’t expected they’d ever get to dance with him were moved to tears or in a dreamlike state.
It would be a lie to say Karen didn’t find watching such young ladies amusing. But Karen felt as though she was seeing herself from a year ago, finding it both heartwarming and nostalgic.
“Ms. Karen, thank you for persuading Master Julius.”
Viscountess Capel, standing beside Karen, said in almost a whisper.
“I’m sure this will become a lifelong memory for them. They’re not the sort of girls I could have possibly introduced to Master Julius myself. But I invited them, hoping something good would happen to them… you see, those girls are the ones who will be participating in the territorial hunting festivals starting this autumn.”
“You mean the monster hunting, right?”
“Yes. They either have no brothers, or they stand in a position where, as future heads of their houses, the brothers cannot risk their lives—so the girls themselves must fight. Before stepping onto a battlefield where their lives are at stake, I hope they are able to gain a pleasant memory. I explained everything thoroughly, so I’m sure those girls are grateful to you, Ms. Karen.”
The young ladies in question, once their dances ended, sank onto the sofas in a daze, looking nothing like they bore such weight. But unlike Waltride, who was desperate to escape through marriage, these were young ladies who had steeled their resolve and would actually stand on the battlefield.
“It’s admirable. I don’t think those of us who bear and raise children are inferior, but still, I’m proud of those who fight to protect the nation. That’s why I’ve always thought I want to make this an event that becomes an important evening for everyone.”
“…That’s also an admirable way of thinking.”
Though party-loving nobles had a somewhat frivolous image, Viscountess Capel was fighting in a way Karen hadn’t known about.
“Of course, I want this to be a wonderful event for you too, Ms. Karen. So please allow me to apologize again. I’m truly sorry. I’ll speak properly to the parents of the young ladies I invited today.”
Though she likely regarded Karen as a mere commoner of C-rank, Viscountess Capel apologized nonetheless. She was genuinely trying to value Karen as an invited guest.
“I haven’t heard anything, and I don’t mind. However, Mr. Julius seems angry, so I’ll go soothe him.”
“Yes, that’s true. I’ve made Master Julius angry, haven’t I? Oh dear. He came all this way, but what if he never comes again?”
“If I say I want to come, he will come with me.”
“My goodness.”
Viscountess Capel blinked in astonishment, as though she had caught a sea bream with a shrimp, then nodded in understanding.
“Indeed. He danced because you asked him to, Ms. Karen.”
Julius, who had returned, took Karen’s hand without showing the slightest tired expression and assumed the posture of inviting her to dance.
“Having completed my task and returned, might I claim a reward from you, Karen?”
“If dancing with me is a reward, then gladly.”
When Karen and Julius stepped forward, some people made obviously unpleasant faces.
Julius himself confirmed that every young woman there, except for the three ladies he danced with, was speaking ill of Karen. So Karen showed those young ladies her most triumphant, smug face. The young ladies turned bright red with anger and frustration.
“You really do look like you’re having fun, Karen.”
Part of it was because Julius watched her, seeking reassurance. Yet that expression reflected Karen’s true feelings.
“Yes, I’m having so much fun!”
Everyone was in the midst of life-threatening battles, and within that, they sought fleeting joys of life, competing and struggling.
The young ladies who had spoken ill of Karen were probably fighting for their own lives too. Karen had simply won that battle, and perhaps there was neither justice nor evil in it.
The music began to flow. With the sense of liberation from baring her heart to Julius and the afterglow of victory, Karen enjoyed the dance even more lightly than the first.
No comments:
Post a Comment