The second day of the banquet dawned. It was also the first day of the ball. Perhaps conscious of the presence of outsiders, the Love Month Banquet was held in a very traditional way. Only slow music was allowed for dance music, and it was impossible to dream of moving your body to an exciting beat. This meant that it was boring.
The election of the king and queen of the banquet was the only thing that made the ball interesting. The candidates had plenty to do besides dress extravagantly and showcase themselves. Like a parade.
Cursing the god Stia and the spinning wheel of fate, I climbed into the carriage that was open on all sides. Calling it a carriage would be inappropriate because no horse would be pulling it. The horseless carriage, decorated like an ark for the end of the world, was said to be powered by Keran Illestia’s divine power.
Dressed in a light cream-colored robe embroidered with gold thread, Keran looked very divine today. If he used divine power to make himself shine, he would look like an angel who descended to the mortal realm on a mission. It was a shame I could not see him because his seat was directly behind me.
To my left sat Kyle, covered in a dark red dress—it was so small that it barely covered the front part of his body. The bold design of the dress exposed his broad shoulders to the world. His trapezius and deltoid muscles were impressive.
His meticulously applied makeup made his face annoyingly beautiful, creating a sense of dissonance. Since Grandpa Damien was from Nadon, Kyle’s skin was darker than that of the common Miluanian, and when he put on slightly darker makeup, he gave off the aura of a gypsy woman who works out a lot.
“What the heck are you doing, Kyle?”
I asked after laughing about 7% of the time I had ever laughed in my life.
“It’s ‘Kylie,’ with two ‘L’s,’ so be careful how you pronounce it.”
He replied casually. He seemed already immersed in the concept.
“Okay, Kylie. I’ve seen that dress somewhere. If Cornelia finds out you tore it apart, do you think she willll just stay still?”
“This is my dress. It was the wicked Cornelia Villard who started the fight.”
“Kylie” pointed to the torn seams on his sleeves, unable to withstand his thick arms.
“Maverick says she turned my room into her closet. That means half of the ownership of her clothes now belongs to me.”
“That’s truly miraculous logic. Edith would be so pleased if she knew you two were sharing things like this.”
Cornelia was Kyle’s younger sister. Like most siblings, they could not stand each other, so poor Edith had to intervene in their fights even on her wedding day.
“If it continues like this, I’ll have to grab them by the collar even at our parents’ funeral.”
I remembered Edith’s expression, filled with deep frustration that could not be hidden even by a veil.
“Ariel, you will have to help me a lot. Kyle and Cornelia like you, so they’ll listen to you.”
I returned a polite reply, but deep down I thought Edith was underestimating her younger siblings too much. If either of them my advice, things wouldn’t come to that.
“Edith should accept by now that she can’t keep both of us under the same sky.”
Kyle said defiantly. As he bent down, the dress made a loud noise.
“Anyway, Cornelia Villard has left me a vagabond with nowhere to go, so speaking of which, do you mind if we bring forward the day I become Dalton’s son-in-law?”
“You never get tired of spouting nonsense.”
“Excuse me.”
A soft voice interrupted. It was Keran Illestia, who was sitting directly behind.
“We’re about to depart, so could you please be a little quieter?”
Feeling embarrassed, I closed my mouth and adjusted my posture. However, despite saying we were about to depart, there was no movement, even after waiting for a while.
Even so, the presence of the student council president was not something to be ignored. Restlessly, I looked around, fiddling with the hilt of the sword at my waist in adherence to the concept of “Fitzsimmons’ René Levasque.” Then I noticed an empty seat. Anais O’Brien hadn’t arrived yet.
O’Brien showed up about ten minutes after Kyle started playing pranks on me instead of talking. She was clad in a cumbersome dress and high-heeled shoes, so it was difficult for her to set foot in the ark-shaped carriage. I went up to her and held out a hand.
“Hello, O’Brien.”
‘You can consider me your knight since I have a sword’, I added, as she seemed to be contemplating whether she could receive the escort of a fellow noblelady. O’Brien then held her head high and said, “Thank you.” It was as elegant as I had heard, but at first glance, it sounded aloof.
Anais O’Brien had reigned as the queen of Fitzsimmons until Rosemary Blossom transferred to the school. There was even a joke that a man would have to wait in line with his numbered ticket to be able to confess to this noble lady with sparkling blond hair and icy blue eyes
The Duke of O’Brien was a clerical family that produced bishops for generations. Anais O’Brien, from her position as a devotee, had never become the protagonist of the love rumors rampant in Fitzsimmons. Nevertheless, the second floor of the girls’ dormitory, where her room was located, was always crowded with her tenacious suitors.
“Wow, you are really pretty.”
I couldn’t help but blurt it out. O’Brien said ‘thank you’ again, but this time slightly flustered, her earlobes slightly red. Even such a beautiful girl felt embarrassed by being called beautiful. Though I am sure she heard it more often than greetings.
As soon as she was seated, Anais O’Brien fluffed the hem of her dress into a perfect fan shape. Then, as if it were a signal, the ark carriage set sail under the command of Keran Illestia, the captain, helmsman, and power source.
A crowd of onlookers cheered. Some waved placards with the names of Anais O’Brien and Rosemary Blossom written on them, but surprisingly, most were shouting ‘Kylie Villard’. To respond to the cheers, he proudly showed off his well-built biceps.
“More, more.”
“Ariel seniooor!”
As I admired his thick pecs, I heard a voice shouting my name. It was Kendra and Mia Peterson who drew <Ariel Levesque Beheading the Nightmare>. Mia, who usually smiles shyly when she is spoken to, was cheering in such a loud voice that even Professor Chapman, with his large build, would seem no match for her.
When our eyes met, Kendra made a heart shape with her hands above her head. I unsheathed my sword without hesitation, getting carried away without a second thought, on the very topic on which I had just criticized Kyle.
Kylie Vilard, the first-ever cross-dresser, and Ariel Levesque, with her unconventional concept, are, to my surprise, gaining cult-like popularity as candidates for the queen of the banquet. It was clear that there wouldn’t be just one or two crazy people among the crowd.
Swinging the sword in my grasp, Mia let out a scream louder than a dragon’s breath. Kendra discreetly covered her ears.
That’s when it happened. A ripping sound rang from somewhere.
“Kyle, if you don’t want to walk around the academy in your underwear, shouldn’t you stay put?”
“They would love it more if that happened.”
Kyle said with a smirk. Then, craving more attention, he made his way to the side, where Anais O’Brien and Marquis Bolton were. I laughed a little when I saw Bolton cringe and look like he was about to vomit at the sight of Kyle-or ‘Kylie’.
Jaden stood to the left of Keran Illestia, across from Kyle. I expected him to feel awkward in front of such a large crowd, but he was waving expertly.
Come to think of it, he was the hero of Milua, and while he had never fought in a war, he had survived a battle with a dragon. And at a young age, barely out of the womb, he had paraded through the streets of the capital on a dragon, not in a shapeless carriage like this one. It must’ve felt like swimming in a sea of people.
Perhaps realizing my gaze, he glanced over at me and bowed slightly. I smiled, put my hand on my waist, and slightly bent my knees. The dress I was wearing was the type that clung tightly to my body, making it difficult to grasp the fabric.
Beyond Jaden Spencer’s shoulder, I caught sight of Bryce Nadon. Contrary to Jaden, Edgar Ramos, who seemed to shy away from attention rather than seek it, was nowhere to be found, as if he had run away. Though I had no proof, I assumed he was probably enjoying the stunning beauty of the salt desert by now.
Nadon continued to ogle Rosemary Blossom, who wore a dress of classical sophistication with puffed shoulders. Blossom responded to the many people calling her name by meeting their gazes individually. However, whenever someone showed an ecstatic expression at her smile, Nadon would glare at them like he was going to tear them apart.
He plays his role even here. I sheathed the sword, clicking my tongue. Then, once again, a ripping sound was heard. Kyle had been gone for a long time, so it was not from him. A sudden sense of unease washed over me.
My dress, which I had been working on since the beginning of the year for the Love Month banquet, had one problem: the fabric wasn’t stitched together strongly enough in certain places. After I suddenly became the center of attention after flashing my back, I used to inspect my dress more rigorously than anyone around the time of the banquet.
How about this year? The incident with Kyle happened two weeks before the Love Month banquet, and I spent five days in Florence Belle’s world. It’s been a whirlwind since then. Did I mention the flaw to the seamstress when I had it fitted?
I didn’t.
My blood ran cold. It was not an illusion that I felt the cool breeze blowing on the back of my neck!
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