The room montarily buzzed with activity, but people quickly seed to focus back on their own business, as if nothing had happened. No, they pretended to do so. Just as it took ti for ruffled waters to still, they discreetly shot glances my way while keeping their composure.
Because of this, I naturally found myself locking eyes with a few of them.
However, each ti this happened, we simply exchanged formal nods and nothing more. No one approached directly. The older nobles seemingly had no intention of getting too close, likely finding my social position a bit ambiguous.
Though I was the fiancée of the Kraus family, I was still quite young.
Being sixteen, I was old enough to be considered an adult, but neither Damian nor Sir Arthur were by my side. Were anyone to approach openly, they risked being seen as trying to take advantage of an inexperienced young girl. For now, simply acknowledging each other’s presence was sufficient.
There were those, however, who were not bound by such limitations: the kids around my own age.
While most had averted their gaze from , much like dying embers, I still felt eyes on from a corner of the banquet hall. It wasn’t hard to deduce that these young girls, who constituted the majority of the crowd, were the offspring of southern nobility, excluding those participating in the tournant.
Looking into their eyes, I sensed that they had been waiting for to join them.
Given the clear divide in the room’s demographics, there was no room for to awkwardly stand in the middle. Knowing that not all of these looks were friendly, I moved towards them, eting their expectations.
‘Fighting* miss!’
Hailey sent a soft cheer of encouragent from behind, then went off to find her own place in the room.
As Hailey’s presence behind disappeared, the reality of being alone finally sank in. It was not pleasant to be alone among unfamiliar faces in an unknown place. But I was not particularly nervous; I’ve had more than my fill of experiences like this in the past.
“Lady Edelweiss, this way.”
As I approached, soone naturally addressed .
I didn’t recognize the face, and she didn’t seem like soone I’d t before. She was one of the people who had been casting glances at earlier, but now she greeted with a friendly smile. Even if it was just superficial courtesy, I had no intention of spurning it. Nodding, I took a seat where she indicated.
Glancing around to make eye contact with those present, I greeted them softly.
“My na is Elena Edelweiss. Thank you for your consideration.”
“Oh, right. I haven’t been paying attention. We haven’t been formally introduced, have we? I’m Michelle, of the Frank family. Nice to et you.”
“Likewise, Lady Frank.”
With the exchange of formalities, Michelle led the round of introductions.
She seed to be the ringleader of the faction standing before now…
As I sat next to Michelle, I noticed a small group gathered apart from everyone else. I locked eyes with one of the young ladies in that group; she greeted with a silent smile, to which I reciprocated with a nod. Judging by the vibe—similar to what I felt from Hailey earlier—it seed like I might have chosen the wrong seat.
Well, no matter. I can always move.
Not many people asked questions. Most inquiries ca from Michelle, and the rest seed to be waiting for her approval, like obedient dogs. It wasn’t the most comfortable atmosphere, but it was easier to think than having chatter co at from all sides. As I answered Michelle’s questions, I tried to recall what I knew about the na ‘Frank.’
Fortunately, it didn’t take long.
Though I was not particularly interested in comrce, I was vaguely aware that the Frank family managed one of the leading rchant companies in the south. I also had a faint mory of hearing that the owner of this rchant company was a woman, which likely ant Michelle was that future magnate.
The most critical connection between her and would be…
At least as far as I could rember, there was none.
During my academy days, I had seen students from the south make use of goods from the Frank estate, but that was a common practice. I didn’t even recall seeing Michelle’s face around when I was with Damian. Suddenly, I began to wonder if her hostility towards stemd from sothing other than what I’d assud.
“I heard Lady Edelweiss is from the north. The icy plains there are rumored to have blizzards all year round. Aren’t you finding the heat in the south a bit too much?”
“Not at all. I find the warmth quite pleasant. More importantly, it’s delightful to see so many different kinds of flowers outdoors.”
While she seed concerned on the surface, her real intent was to dean the North as a region with nothing but snow. However, it was true that once one left the cities, all they had was snow. It was a fact unlikely to change, so I didn’t particularly get mad about it.
While it was unfortunate to my father, who had worked hard for the North, it was a fact that the South suited better.
Ignoring her derogatory comnts about my hotown, I smiled.
I noticed a slight tremor at the corners of her mouth.
Is she taken aback?
Not wanting to leave things hanging, Michelle, who had been questioning , adjusted her expression and continued. Her questions weren’t as aggressive as I had thought. The influence of the House of Frank in the South was limited in front of the na ‘Edelweiss’.
“Speaking of which, I heard Lord Damian is also participating in the tournant. Since he has previous experience of participating unlike others, what do you think about Lord Damian’s possible performance?”
“Well, I haven’t really thought about his performance... as long as he returns safely, that would be enough.”
“You seem to really enjoy sweets, Lady Edelweiss. You can’t seem to let go of the pastries.”
“Ah? Is there a problem?”
“No, never mind.”
Michelle glanced at my waist and hurriedly closed the topic with a flustered face.
I was starting to grow tired of this lukewarm exchange.
I had filled enough ti, maybe it was ti to move to another location.
As I was pondering an excuse, the very person I had been searching for at the banquet hall called out to .
“Ah, Noona!”
The eyes of those surrounding shifted in one direction. There stood a young boy with bright brown hair and striking green eyes. Everyone seed surprised, as if they had no idea a child would be here.
“Alphonse.”
Michelle and the others seed unaware of who Alphonse was. The expression on their faces revealed they were wondering why such a young boy was at this gathering. Granted, Alphonse did resemble Arwin, so unless one knew, they wouldn’t think he was a mber of the Kraus family.
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.”
“Hehe, I was on the terrace, looking at the forest. Sorry, I should’ve told you before moving.”
“Excuse , Lady Edelweiss. Who is this child?”
I naturally stood up from my seat to talk with Alphonse, and a flustered Michelle approached . But before she could even ask her question, she saw the insignia of a sword and dragon engraved on Alphonse’s right arm and closed her mouth. She evidently had no intention of interrupting our conversation.
Taking Michelle’s silence as a cue, I prepared to leave my seat.
Alphonse seed to catch on, too. Despite his innocent, childlike deanor, he was subtly guiding away.
“Noona, the spot I was just in has a really beautiful view. I was getting a little lonely being there by myself. Would you join ?”
“Of course. My apologies, Lady Michelle. I think I must take my leave now. It has been a rather enlightening ti.”
“Yes, yes...”
Moving in tune with Alphonse’s rhythm made it easy for to slip away. Once we were lost in the crowd, far enough that our figures couldn’t be seen by the group, Alphonse and I high-fived and began to circulate around the hall.
“By the way, Alphonse, were you wandering the banquet hall alone without Ken?”
“No, I happened to et one of my brother’s acquaintances in the hall, so I was with them. Oh, Noona, you should et them too; they seed very interested in you.”
An acquaintance?
I pondered on Alphonse’s words for a mont.
If Alphonse, who had a knack for reading people’s emotions, said that much, then it must an that this person held goodwill toward . Yet, I couldn’t think of anyone off the top of my head. I wasn’t fully aware of all of Alphonse’s social connections, but most of the people I did know were participants in the tournant and thus not present here.
My questions about this mysterious acquaintance remained unanswered until Alphonse led to her.
The place Alphonse took to was a balcony slightly apart from the main hall, offering a good view of the forest. Like brother, like brother; whether it was him or Alphonse, they both seed to prefer the seclusion of a balcony away from the crowd. Suppressing a small laugh at this observation, I stepped onto the balcony behind the curtain.
Soone had already claid that spot, and their back looked familiar.
“Sir Louis!”
As soon as I stepped onto the balcony, veiling myself with the curtain, Alphonse called out the na of the person standing there. With that, a cascade of auburn hair fluttered, revealing a face very familiar to .
Dark brown eyes that seed to contain no emotion faced .
Yet, as if a single drop of paint had fallen onto a blank canvas, a subtle change appeared in her eyes. It wasn’t a dramatic shift, but it was certainly the opposite of the emotion Michelle had shown earlier. Slowly, she bowed her head, greeting with a knightly courtesy as if she were serving her lord.
“I am Louis Graham.”
Louis Graham.
I knew her even without the introduction.
Louis was one of the few acquaintances I had in the South. I hadn’t expected to encounter her here, as I assud she would be participating in the tournant.
How could I ever forget her? She was one of the six knights who had stood by my side until the end.
Especially in the case of Sir Louis. With her consistent impassivity in every situation, she was an unforgettable figure. Maybe it was the joy of our unexpected reunion, but unlike with Michelle, my greeting to her was sincere.
“I am Elena Edelweiss. Thank you for taking care of Alphonse.”
“...”
She said nothing, rely shaking her head and then fixing her gaze on Alphonse as her response.
She was still a woman of few words.
After a brief pause, the silence lingered.
Alphonse subtly excused himself and leaned on the railing of the balcony, beginning to stare at the forest. I intended to join him in observing the forest, but strangely, I found myself immobilized, as she refused to avert her eyes from .
“...”
“Um, if there is sothing you’d like to ask...”
It seed like she had sothing to say but chose not to, leaving no choice but to speak up first. Her ears twitched as if catching my voice. After blinking a few tis, she turned back to and spoke.
“You look beautiful.”
“Yes?”
That was all she said.
Louis then retracted her gaze from and abruptly turned to stare at the wall.
I didn’t recall anything like this happening before.
Receiving such unexpected praise left a bit flustered, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Maybe it felt that way because I knew she wasn’t one to lie. Her words seed more authentic than the countless platitudes others had offered.
“Thank you for the complint, Sir Louis.”
In response, Louis gave a slight nod, her shoulders dipping a little. I couldn’t be certain what she thought of it, but to , she resembled a shy, steadfast bear, and it looked quite endearing.
Could my impression that she seed a bit embarrassed be a misunderstanding?
I turned my head toward the forest, waiting for her to resu her gaze upon the scenery.
--- END OF CHAPTER ---
[TL: In Korean culture ‘Fighting’ (화이팅) is a cheer of encouragent, similar to “You can do it!” in English.
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