25 – Because You Appreciate Beauty
The night before the festival passed, and the dawn when hungry birds cried arrived. It was the day when the royal ball would be held.
The actual reception started at 6 p.m. Therefore, it was customary for the invited guests to enter the palace by 4 p.m. and wait for the opening ceremony.
At first glance, it may seem like plenty of time was given, but that wasn’t the case. To step into their own world, shining with vanity, they needed numerous preparations since morning.
…Of course, only for Elphicia.
‘Having a baptismal name is really convenient at times.’
The owner of the baptismal name remains untainted in any situation. Always maintaining cleanliness, impurities seem to repel themselves.
From Noble mtl dot com
Honestly, even taking a bath was unnecessary for me. Skin care was the furthest thing from the baptismal name, with no residues to worry about.
So, all that was required of me was to don the attire of the knight order in a grand manner.
“Wow, Dad looks so cool!”
“I’ve never seen the director dressed like this before.”
“I still can’t believe the director used to be a knight.”
Children displayed various reactions to me wearing the pure white attire.
I had already mentioned that wearing the attire and pretending to be a knight was absurd, but there were unavoidable circumstances. Apparently, with only Urien attending the royal ball, Tina and Glen had few opportunities to witness such a sight.
“But Director, can’t you just create a sword with light, so you don’t have to carry one?”
Glen asked. It seemed the radiant sword from the illegal auction left a deep impression.
“Would I really do that? I just have a regular sword. I can’t create miracles every time I train or spar.”
“What about now?”
“… Too bothersome? It’s not like I can attend the party with a sword. It’s not suitable.”
Glen’s expression shattered as if his fantasy had been broken by my honest answer. From his perspective, I seemed almost like a savior, and he believed everything about me would be perfect.
“It’s not good to keep a sword at home, right, Director?”
“Well… Director is right about that…”
Tina, agreeing readily, was sparkling with excitement next to Glen.
“But I really want to see Dad training and sparring with a sword. It would be awesome, right?”
“Did the director never use a sword when slaying dragons?”
“Yeah, my dad just kept punching away with his fists.”
“Of course, it’s our boss…! So, he didn’t need a sword after all?”
“… Isn’t it crossing the line as a living being to be able to engage in a hand-to-hand battle with ‘that’, boss?”
Come to think of it, he always avoided telling the kids about catching the dragon. He deliberately muddled the story because it wasn’t a pleasant memory for Tina. But now that Tina, the person involved, was happily revealing it, it seemed like unnecessary worry.
However, I felt embarrassed being showered with praise from these little ones, so I tried to divert their attention with a joke.
“Our boss, who crossed the line, is also really good at word chain games. If it’s Julian, he’ll be able to keep winning even after 10 years.”
“Wow, that’s funny! After 10 years, my vocabulary skills will be exceptional… for sure!”
“Reputation.”
“… Accomplishment.”
“Swindler.”
“Cough…!”
“And that makes it 17 wins and 0 losses. Julian is truly the weakest. That’s just how the world works.”
“I’ve never been plagued by such a strong sense of inferiority before…”
I tapped Julian’s shoulder, who was wallowing in self-loathing. It seemed like that was even more humiliating, as the little one did a dry cough.
“Feeling a bit less tense?”
“Why would I be tense…”
“We’re going back home, shouldn’t you relax?”
“Well…”
Julian finally realized that he had momentarily forgotten his worries because of the silly laughter. However, he didn’t want to admit that it was because of me that he relaxed, so he pursed his lips and maintained his silence.
“So… when did Julian confess his true identity to you guys?”
It might feel unfair to take only Yurian to the Royal Palace’s martial arts gathering, but the kids didn’t show much concern. Surely, it was a reaction to Yurian revealing his identity first.
Tina and Glen spoke in unison.
“The day Dad caught the dragon…”
“We found out during the party at the Byeonchangbaek residence.”
“After all, we all confessed together. Whether you’re a descendant of the extinct royal family or a half-dragon, it wasn’t easy for me to keep my mouth shut alone.”
Indeed, the kids knew how to keep secrets among themselves. While it was good that they got along well, I felt relieved knowing that the children had successfully built their own society.
Acknowledging each other’s differences was admirable.
“I’m blessed too. It’s not every day you meet such kind kids… except for Yurian.”
“Why exclude me!”
“I just felt like doing that today.”
“There’s no such ridiculously funny day… it can’t happen…”
As we exchanged these playful jokes, the other two children burst into laughter.
Seeing the completely relaxed atmosphere, I earnestly advised Tina and Glen.
“Kids, you have to enjoy yourselves while we’re not around. Got it?”
“Go and come back, Dad.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
I shook hands with the two children who bowed slightly. The place we were heading after leaving the playroom was a room in Elphicia, full of festive decorations.
Since I had already finished preparing, I intended to wait leisurely. Of course, there was a slight curiosity to see the decorations.
Knock, knock.
As I knocked, the permission to enter came frighteningly from inside. Without hesitation, I opened the door.
As soon as I stepped inside, the open window allowed the air to flow, and a strong wind blew through. In response, Elphicia’s long hair danced in the wind.
Soon, the door closed, and the settled hair shimmered statically. Despite that, she had an inhuman lack of imperfection.
The expensive dress she had never worn since our first meeting was the same. Elphicia inherently possessed a pinnacle of splendor that captivated human attention.
“Stun… ning.”
The breathless exclamation came as soon as he saw her.
Instead of a lavish dress, she opted for a slender design that revealed her figure. It was an impression as delicate as a rose stem. Moreover, it was lighter and seemed more agile than the previous dress.
Naturally, the color was red.
The color that suited Elphicia more than anything else.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but make a messy remark.
“… Except for the exposure, it’s really beautiful.”
Upon hearing this, Elphicia made a sound as if her breath was caught in her throat.
“Is that the only thing you have to say?”
“Yeah…”
It was provocative enough to reveal the valley of her chest, and the outline of one thigh was delicately accentuated. If someone had the mind to do so, a significant exposure incident might occur.
Aware of my concern, Elphicia twisted a strand of her side hair.
“Are you worried? Worried that other men might glance at me?”
“No, I’m worried about you.”
“… What do you mean?”
Elphicia dropped a chilly atmosphere. However, considering her mood, I had no choice but to state the truth straightforwardly.
“You know, Elphicia… If you dress too provocatively, I might end up committing a sin. How can I harbor inappropriate fantasies about you? It shouldn’t happen… When we’re pressed together dancing, it becomes inevitable…”
“Excuse me, may I have a moment? Harthe, would you mind looking around?!”
“Huh?”
I scanned the surroundings as Elphesia requested. Finally, I spotted the maids who were tidying up Elphesia’s makeup and fixing her hair.
“Sticking close together, dancing… If we dance like that… Well, you see…”
I blurted out the words, openly acknowledging our contracted marriage. I was so flustered that my mind couldn’t function properly.
Perhaps that’s why. It was my way of giving up control over my speech and just blurting out whatever came to mind.
“If we dance while sticking close together… I’ll fall so deeply in love with you… I’ll keep thinking about our second and third generations, and I’ll want to get rid of all other eyes. Jealousy is unpleasant, but I won’t be able to bear it. Definitely…”
“…”
“Definitely…”
“…”
“… That’s what I mean…”
“…”
This is a disaster.
It’s a total disaster.
I tried to come up with something, but it felt like my words had flown off into space. Perhaps it was being dismissed as a flimsy excuse for my belated attempt.
But those worries were temporary.
The faces of the maids who were dressing up Elphesia turned bright red.
“Oh my… Your Highness, you have such adorable thoughts!”
“You are truly loved!”
“Wow… Aren’t you a unicorn? To be so pure and sincere. I think I’ll make a knight my ideal type from today.”
Ah, or perhaps not?
It seems unexpectedly convincing. Only then did I exhale a sigh of relief. Somehow, escaping from the suspicion of a contractual marriage, I felt pure joy.
On the other hand, Elphesia kept her lips tightly sealed without a word of praise.
“Elphesia…?”
At my call, she grimaced awkwardly.
To me, her expression seemed like a smile and at the same time, it appeared as if she were angry.
Given the lack of evidence to infer emotions, it was hard to make assumptions.
In the midst of such uncertainty, Elphesia spoke in a low voice.
“You there.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Bring another one with a similar design. Cover the chest properly.”
I felt like applauding her judgment. I couldn’t execute it myself, trying to maintain dignity…
“Elphesia…!”
Even though we were changing it anyway, it would be good to address the side slit of the skirt as well…
I wondered if she somehow deciphered my inner thoughts.
Elphesia turned her gaze towards me and made a pointed remark.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of giving up on the side slit.”
“Why…? Isn’t it cold?”
“Well, freezing to death from the cold…”
“Ugh.”
Certainly, this was, to my eyes, indeed a feeble excuse. Since Elphesia had no right to interfere in whatever I wore, the excuse could only become feeble…
Meanwhile, she looked at my dejected self and smiled wryly.
“Curious about why I’m so stubborn?”
“… Just a little, yes.”
“Hmm, there’s really no reason for me to teach you.”
As she spoke,
“I find the leg line that looks like a side slit charming.”
… she said.
Faced with this wordplay that was hard to simply accept, I was bewildered.
Whether I liked it or not, Elphesia gracefully turned her gaze back to the dressing table.
Leaving behind one last remark.
“As you know better than anyone.”