Chapter 107
The Imperial Debutante has begun.
It was an Imperial Debutante that received much attention every year, but this year"s banquet hall was even more crowded.
"This is the last debut party for Mrs. Impigra this year, right?"
"It"s the end of decades tradition, and I came to the Capital in a hurry because I wanted to attend."
Such a special event in the lives of the boring aristocrats was like a drought rain.
Perhaps that"s why those who entered the banquet hall were particularly excited.
And after entering, they all had similar facial expression.
"Oh, my G.o.d!"
"I"ve never had such a spectacular and grand debut banquet before...!"
As soon as you entered the banquet hall, there was a slight congestion due to people who were busy stopping and looking around, but no one was complaining.
"Look at those beautiful flowers..."
Someone sighed.
"Huh, huh..."
Some people burst into laughter at the sight they saw for the first time in their lives.
Originally, the Imperial Palace"s Debutante Dance was known as a grand dance that showed the dignity of the Royal Family.
But not to this extent.
"I feel like I"m in the fairy kingdom, not the banquet hall."
At the words, the n.o.bles around her nodded with their mouths open.
The inside of the ballroom was decorated with colorful flowers.
The interior, which could accommodate hundreds of people, was filled with the scent of flowers.
A small chandelier descends from the ceiling, and around them, large flowers were hung together in circles, creating a dream-like scene.
On the arch-shaped door leading to the terrace, small white, grain-like flowers stretched out like a vine and tickled the person"s forehead.
Soon after, the door and the wall on one side were filled with light pink and yellow roses to create a flower wall.
And most of all, what caught people"s eye was a small stream running through the entire banquet hall.
The waterway along the wall was made of white marble, and clean and transparent water flowed softly.
"What the h.e.l.l is this..."
"Am I dreaming?"
Those who approached as if they were possessed took out a small flower floating in the stream and touched it, or sat on one knee and dipped their fingers in cold water.
"Today"s debutante dance is going to be a long day. It"s so beautiful!"
"I heard a rumor... Lombardy state donated such a huge amount of money for today"s debutante."
"Ah, I heard today that Lord Gallahan Lombardy"s daughter is going to make her debut!"
Only then did people look inside the banquet hall, nodding convincingly.
The last banquet in which Lombardy"s money and all the know-how of maid-chief Impigra were poured out.
That alone explained this fantastic banquet.
The banquet began in earnest and the orchestra began to play.
Only then did the aristocrats, who were a little shocked to see the banquet hall for the first time, begin to pay attention to other things."But what is this?"
"Given the fact that they gave each one to the guests, I thought it was a banquet gift."
Since the Pellet Corporation handed out diamond necklaces to those who attended their celebration, it has become a new practice among the n.o.bles to give a gifts like this.
The n.o.bles carefully opened the small box in their hands with curious eyes.
"This is a diamond, isn"t it?"
"Oh, my G.o.d!"
Inside the box was a gold b.u.t.ton with diamonds attached.
The size and design would suit both women and men, making it perfect for use as a pin for clothing.
"It would be great for the lady who make their debut today! It"s such a splendid banquet."
"You said that the name of Gallahan Lombardy daughter"s was Florentia, right?"
"Now, no one in the aristocracy doesn"t knows her name."
It was a banquet hall where everyone was excited and had an exceptional amount of conversation.
Empress Rabini, who entered just when the atmosphere was ripe enough, hid the trembling mouth behind a gla.s.s of wine.
Even though the servant announced the Empress"s arrival in a loud voice, only the n.o.bles near the entrance looked back and greeted her.
The banquet hall was so loud and noisy that it was a simple things to happen, but the Empress couldn"t laugh it off.
Everything about the banquet, which was incomparably in luxurious, felt as if the maid-chief Impigra was laughing at her.
Then Astana approached.
"Mother."
"Ah, Prince."
The Empress smiled gladly at Astana, but her smiling face didn"t last very long.1
"I heard a word that it"s a banquet where the Lombardy donated. It"s amazing."
"What?"
The Empress"s eyes ached, but Astana said it in his stride.
"When a family member of the aristocracy has a debutante, they can decorate the Palace in such a luxurious way. And what a diamond b.u.t.ton…”
It"ll go very well with his diamond brooch.
Astana fiddled with the diamond b.u.t.tons he received as a return gift with great satisfaction.
Snap!
But the Empress roughly took it from Astana"s hand.
"This poor thing does not suit the dignity of the Prince."
What a poor quality thing?. The Empress"s words were forced.
Diamond is the most expensive, most difficult gem to get!
Astana"s face is distorted.
And took the diamond b.u.t.ton from the Empress" hand again.
The Empress"s eyes opened, which she had never expected from Astana.
"It"s ugly Mother?. You have to admit it. Just because you hate Lombardy doesn"t mean you can"t do that."
"Pri, Prince...!"
Empress Rabini doubted her ears.
"This banquet wouldn"t have been a scratch if mother hadn"t touched Mrs. Impigra."
What is her beloved son talking about?
But Astana"s sharp words never stopped.
"And even if you"re my mother, it"s not acceptable to take my stuff away so recklessly."
"Un, unacceptable..."
The Empress staggered small in shock.
But Astana only glares coldly at her like that, and doesn"t support her.
"How can you say that, Prince?... How can you, to me..."5
However, Astana blew his nose and walked toward the hall in the center of the banquet hall and away from the Empress.
"Something about dignity... Huh"
Astana murmured irritably.
He was tired of his mother"s low morbid obsession with Lombardy, and Angenas, who couldn"t do a job properly.6
"Hey, come here."
Astana called the servant who was carrying a gla.s.s of wine on a tray.
Astana was a prince, though he was not yet of age.
It"s also the Empire"s only enemy.
The dithering servant eventually gave Astana a gla.s.s of wine.
"Oh, it"s pretty good, huh?"
When Astana, who took a sip of wine, was so impressed, the servant quietly explained.
"It"s a Carlo vintage wine."
"Then isn"t it very expensive?"
Astana, who doesn"t know much about alcohol yet, has heard of it a couple of times.
"As expected of Lombardy..."
Lombardy"s wealth was growing by the year.
Not only the Lombardy family, but so did Gallahan"s Clothing Store, and so did the recently independent Pellet Corporation.
Just by looking at this debut banquet, Lombardy was a special being.
"It"s a big difference from Angenas, who can"t get a decent hunting ground."
Patriarch Angenas eventually failed to get the hunting ground Astana wanted.
A similar condition of small land was provided under borrowed names, but it was not satisfactory.
At that time, the servant standing in front of the door decorated with flowers raised his voice.
"Let"s begin the position of the debutants!"
Soon after, the tightly closed door opened and the first couple appeared.
It was the debutante and Cavalier this year when they performed their first solo dance.
"Lady Florentia Lombardy! As the only daughter of Lord Gallahan Lombardy..."
With applause from the people, Florentia entered the banquet hall holding Perez"s hand.
The green dress and the fine brown hair that glitters in the light met the surrounding flowers and plant decorations make her seem like a pretty forest fairy.
"Wow, what a great match!"
"They"ve been growing up on the same boat ever since they were children, so they look much closer, don"t you think?"
Astana heard the conversation of ladies and gentlemen who said they were one of the social circles.
Astana looked at Florentia.
And Perez, who turned his head and held Tia hand, caught Astana eye.
"Lombardy..."
Astana murmured, frowning at the aftertaste of bitter wine.
* * *
"Ugh, I"m nervous."
As I stood in front of the door to the banquet hall for the debutante, tension suddenly gathered.
"Lady, are you all right?"
Laurel asked anxiously as she swept my back.
"Yes, I"m fine."
No, as a matter of fact, it"s not fine.
My heart is about to pop out of my mouth, Laurel.
"A little while ago, Lord Lulak, Lord Gallahan, and Madame Shannanet"s family arrived at the banquet hall. Oh! And brother... No, not even Clarivan."
"Yes, the whole family is here."
"Sure! It"s your debutante day! There"s no way they"ll miss it!"
"Uhhh... I..."
When I recalled that it was a big deal for all the people in Lombardy to mobilize, it seemed to twist my stomach again.
"Why am I so nervous, Louryl? I think I"m going to faint at this rate."
It"s all about greeting and dancing in front of people.
Well, there are a lot of people.
A lot, no, a lot of more...
"But you"re okay. Other young people..., especially Lady Gitterwell..."
At Louryl"s words, I looked back at Tiliana right behind me.
Tiliana, whose complexion had turned pale, was staring blankly at only one place, shedding words from her Cavalier"s ear that comforted her.
I approached Tiliana and said.
"Hey, Tiliana."
"...Yes."
The reaction is a bit late.
"If you"re too nervous, why don"t you drink some water?"
"...Yes."
"Uh, I think a frog just jumped into the dress."
"...Yes."
"You can"t hear anything I"m saying, can you?"
"...Yes."
She"s gone. She"s gone.1
There seems to be no solution but to get beaten quickly because the banquet starts soons.
"Good luck."
Tiliana"s partner, who I thought looked like Craney last time, tapped her on the shoulder a couple of times and I"m back in my place.
"Miss, just stand still for a moment."
Louryl said, with a cautious face, she held my hair or clothes for the last time.
"I think I should go inside now. I"ll see you inside, Miss? Don"t be so nervous."
"Yes. I"m fine, so go in."
Louryl looked back at me again and again, still worried.
"Whoa..."
Actually, it"s not okay.
The heart, which had been intact even when meeting the Emperor and the Empress, and running a business with thousands of golds, was a mess today.
"You need to take a deep... Deep breath...."
It was time to exhale and raise my head.
Far away I could see Perez.
"Since when have you been standing there?"
I"m sure he"s looking at me.+
Why is he doing that over there without even coming close?
"Perez, what are you doing there?"
Perez, who heard my voice, blinked once as slowly as he had just woken up.1
"Tia."
Then he called my name and slowly began to approach me.