OHNIR – Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Frustration
This tea party was jointly organized by Starangui and Gloria, so its quality was naturally impeccable.
After the farce ended, the guests gradually arrived. By piecing together information from various sources, most had figured out Kelusta's commoner status—those who kept an eye on the royal family's affairs naturally knew that Prince Satrick had recently taken a special interest in a commoner.
However, they still hadn't expected that just a few words could provoke Avia to such a rage that she would even defy the academy's rules to try and kill this commoner.
It sounded unbelievable, but recalling the Charles family's typical behavior, many felt it wasn't so strange after all. They sneered inwardly. Marquis Charles had been famous for his arrogance and domineering nature in his youth. They had assumed he would have learned some restraint with age, but unexpectedly, the daughter he raised was just as foolish and impulsive.
The elder Charles's achievements had been earned through hard-fought battles against demonic beasts, but after he was granted the title of Marquis, the family's fortunes had declined with each generation. It was a complete waste of their ancestor's blood and tears.
—These were thoughts the minor nobles only dared to entertain in their hearts.
No matter how the Charles family's reputation had declined, they were still an established Marquis family. Even if many discerning people could see their downward trend, they were ultimately intimidated by their ruthless methods and would rather keep silent than utter a single word.
The class divisions in Nobili were stark. Although the royal family's efforts had eased the situation in recent years, it was still a trivial matter for a high noble to crush a commoner, or even a minor noble, with a mere flick of a finger.
The nobles simply assumed Avia had attacked Kelusta out of jealousy. Since Kelusta herself had said she was unharmed... logically, the matter should have been put to rest.
But Gloria did not think so.
The silver-haired duke's daughter sat at the head table, holding an exquisitely carved teacup. The aroma of black tea lingered at the tip of her nose. She took a light sip and, amidst the chatter of the noble young ladies beside her, cast an imperceptible glance at the brown-haired girl sitting at the far end of the table. With her head lowered and the seats around her empty, she looked somewhat lonely and pitiful.
She knew full well that Kelusta had no interest in currying favor with the powerful and was an obedient, well-behaved girl. Someone as clever as her would surely have understood the implication of her warning "not to attend the tea party."
And yet, she had appeared here without Gloria's knowledge. More seriously, if not for some fortunate coincidence, she might have even...
The Charles family would pay the price for their actions today.
The teacup was set down on its saucer with a soft click. The lively chatter at the head table instantly ceased. The young noblewomen turned in unison to look at the duke's daughter. Only after seeing the smile on her face did they relax and resume their interrupted conversations.
Only Starangui did not turn her head. She stared at Gloria without blinking, her lips parting as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. "Lady Gloria...?"
The silver-haired girl turned her head, her expression impassive.
Starangui bit her lip and lowered her already quiet voice. "I know you blame me for taking the liberty of inviting Miss Breviou... but I just wanted to help you. Since you've chosen her as a friend, you should at least treat Miss Breviou as an equal—"
She never expected to hide it from Gloria. Within the entire Holy Light Magic Academy, the number of people capable of sending an invitation to Kelusta behind the duke's daughter's back could be counted on one hand.
As for the true culprit behind the attempt on Kelusta's life... the higher a noble's standing, the better they understood the madness and audacity of the Charles family. It wasn't particularly rare for Avia to publicly harm a fellow student out of jealousy.
Besides, the feather fan had been destroyed by Kelusta, and the spell on the dress had already worn off. No matter how thoroughly they investigated, nothing would lead back to her.
"...I stand corrected, Your Highness." Gloria averted her gaze indifferently and said coldly, "Since she is my person, I naturally know how to treat her. Your Highness should be grateful she wasn't harmed this time. Otherwise, I would have immediately represented the Silentdis family in nullifying our prior agreement and begun selecting a new partner."
Her sapphire-like eyes shifted slightly, landing on a figure from the men's section who was politely rising and walking toward the far end of the table. Gloria let out a barely audible sneer and said calmly, "I think Prince Satrick would be a most suitable candidate."
Starangui's face instantly turned deathly pale. She lowered her head, her long, thick, pale-gold eyelashes—just like her brother Satrick's—concealing the venom in her eyes. Her slender fingers tightened, wrinkling the fine silver fabric of her dress.
Gloria paid no more mind to the princess's reaction. After delivering her threat, she did not look away, but simply watched Satrick's back as he approached Kelusta, her expression unreadable. Even her trademark smile had vanished without a trace.
The young ladies at this long table, daughters of at least a count, were adept at reading the atmosphere. They stole glances at the two silent power players at the head of the table and instinctively lowered their voices.
With the head table so subdued, the mood naturally spread to the nearby nobles. In an instant, the female guests' section, usually lively, became a picture of decorum. Each young woman was as poised as a model from an etiquette manual in a history book. Their soft whispers drew frequent glances from guests seated further away.
Kelusta had her head down, staring blankly at the cake on her plate while listening to the System sing Gloria's praises. Suddenly, she noticed the distant conversations had faded to a murmur. She lifted her eyes out of boredom, wondering if the party was about to end, only to find her gaze meeting someone else's.
"...Your Highness?"
Under Satrick's smiling gaze, Kelusta scrambled to her feet to curtsy, but before she could even lift her skirt, the golden-haired man gently reached out and pressed her back into her seat with a force that brooked no refusal.
"There's no need for formalities, Miss Breviou. You've had quite a scare today." Though he stopped Kelusta from rising, his own etiquette was impeccable. Placing his white-gloved right hand on his left shoulder, the prince, dressed in a light-colored formal suit, gave a proper bow to the seated girl. His voice was filled with sincere apology. "Regardless, you suffered this undeserved disaster today because of me... To express my remorse, I will do my best to fulfill any request you have, so long as it is within my power."
He lifted his eyes. His pale blue eyes were like a clear sky and the shimmering surface of the nearby Swan Lake, each ripple catching a light that made refusal impossible. His sincerity was practically overflowing. "I hope you can accept my apology."
Kelusta: "..."
Uh, aren't you a prince of noble status? Proactively seeking out a commoner to admit fault and offer compensation—do you think this is appropriate? Huh?
Not far away, several long tables apart, Gloria steadily placed her teaspoon on its saucer, producing a crisp "ding."
"No... you needn't do this," Kelusta said dryly, struggling to control her twitching facial muscles and forcing a strained smile. "Miss Charles's actions have nothing to do with you. Besides, I wasn't harmed in any way... Your Highness, you really don't need to take this to heart."
She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Satrick was truly Satrick; the "scheming" label he had in the original story hadn't wronged him in the slightest. The moment she finished speaking, a sorrowful expression appeared on the Prince of Nobili's face. He furrowed his brow and said, "Are you questioning the decorum of the royal family?"
"...A true master of the face-changing arts," the System commented.
"Damn it, how can he just throw accusations around like that?!—"
Kelusta's expression finally twisted beyond her control. She quickly gathered her skirt, shot up from her seat, and gave Satrick a deep, swift curtsy. Without lifting her head, she said firmly, "You've misunderstood! Your Highness, I have absolutely no intention of questioning the royal family!"
Satrick hadn't seemed to expect such a strong reaction. He was momentarily startled by the brown-haired girl's monkey-like agility and took a step back. After a brief stupor, he quickly recovered. He scanned his surroundings from the corner of his eye and, seeing that no one had noticed his lapse in composure, gave a light cough to cover it up. "I believe you, Miss Breviou," he said gently. "Please, rise."
Once Kelusta had risen, he sighed and fixed his charming blue eyes on her. Kelusta swore that if she weren't already familiar with Gloria and thus had a basic immunity to such gazes, any woman would find it difficult not to yield to those eyes. The Prince of Nobili tentatively extended a hand. "Since this form of apology has put you under pressure, then... shall we be friends? In any case, you were attacked by Avia today, and as her future partner, I bear an undeniable responsibility. I hope you won't refuse me this time, Miss Breviou."
Whether his tone was pleading or insistent, he had put it in such a way that for Kelusta to refuse again would be tactless.
So, she could only force a smile as she placed her right hand in Satrick's, allowing him to give it a polite, brief shake.
"Future partner," indeed... If Avia knew her fiancé had immediately run off to befriend the commoner she'd just failed to harm, I wonder if she'd get angry enough to go bald.
Satrick released her hand and smiled at the girl before him, who was clearly lost in thought. He was oblivious to Kelusta's inner monologue, assuming she was just shy. Thinking himself considerate, he suggested, "Since we're friends now, there's no need to use honorifics, Miss Breviou. You can just call me by my name."
Kelusta replied, her face expressionless, "Of course, Your Highness Satrick."
Time for the leader's favorite tactic: winning hearts and minds.
But who was Kelusta? She was the atypical otome game protagonist, the woman who'd read the script, the emotionless savior. With all those titles to her name, could she really be pulled into Satrick's camp so easily?
Satrick seemed to know not to rush things, so he paid no mind to the honorific Kelusta stubbornly insisted on using. He nodded and continued to watch the girl, as if waiting for her to say something more.
Kelusta, however, simply stared back, her expression unchanged.
"..."
"..."
After a long silence, Satrick finally broke it, asking awkwardly, "...Well then, may I call you Kelusta?"
An equal exchange. Increasing the intimacy of our address is the first step to success.
Having been educated as an heir since childhood, Satrick, who was well-versed in the art of winning people over, thought confidently.
—Unfortunately for him, the one standing before him was the true master of the game.
"There must be propriety between men and women. Furthermore, you have Miss Charles, who is to be your fiancée. You should be mindful of appearances, Your Highness Satrick."
Kelusta gave a fake smile and looked meaningfully at the stunned Satrick, offering a proactive suggestion. "I think calling me 'Breviou' would be just fine. It's an uncommon surname, which both avoids any impropriety and makes it perfectly clear you're addressing me. It's the best of both worlds, why not do it?"
After a moment's thought, she added considerately, "And you don't need to add 'Miss'—since we're friends now, we don't need to bother with such empty formalities, do we?"
"..."
Facing the girl's sunny smile, Satrick suppressed the strange feeling in his heart. After a long pause, he finally said through clenched teeth, "Alright, Breviou."
...Wait, that's not right. Why, the more he thought about it, did he feel like he was the one who'd been taken advantage of?
Wasn't he supposed to be the one using her? How did he end up being the only one still using her surname—stuck right back at square one?
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