<Episode 146>
Just then.
When I turned my eyes and my field of vision expanded, I spotted a sturdy woman nearby. Those burdensome sparkling eyes belonged to…
“Miss Tara?”
“Yes!”
Standing next to Tara was the relatively tall and thin older Calpenweaver sister. She approached me with a bright smile and politely greeted me.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly, Viscount Weatherwoods. I am Edwina Calpenweaver, the eldest of the Calpenweaver family. And this is my younger sister, Tara Calpenweaver.”
As soon as the introduction ended, Tara clung to my arm like a cicada.
“Viscount Weatherwoods, I’ve been dying to meet you! It’s only been a day, but I’ve missed you so much! Did you have a good night last night?”
“Tara.”
As Edwina, her older sister, sternly scolded her, it seemed like a short sigh also escaped from somewhere else.
“Sigh. What’s the point of raising a daughter? She’s never even looked up at her father with such an expression…”
It seemed like the Marquis Calpen was hiding nearby, secretly observing his daughters.
Although Tara didn’t pretend to listen to Edwina’s scolding, she quickly noticed the two towering walls standing on either side of me and stepped back hesitantly.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted recklessly when your partners are here…”
“It’s okay. Stay by my side.”
“Really?”
Make sure they don’t argue.
Just as I was about to ask Edwina about her partner, a voice from the stage above the ballroom could be heard.
“Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin the ball, we will have a short award ceremony. Will the winner of the hunting competition please come forward?”
At last.
Who was the winner of the hunting competition? Me.
With a confident stride, I stood in front of the stage. The master of ceremonies looked at me with a disapproving look and slowly opened the glass case behind him.
The nobles surrounding us leaned forward, their necks stretched out, their gazes focused.
“To the winner of this year’s competition, Viscount Daisy Weatherwoods, His Imperial Majesty bestows a reward. It is the golden model of the Penrotta Stamp.”
The Penrotta Pendants.
A treasure symbolizing the authority of the Emperor of Penrotta.
On a white marble pedestal, three golden statues proudly displayed their dazzling figures.
“From right to left, we have the King’s Hall, the Crown, and the Scepter. The diamonds representing the King’s Hall and the Crown, as well as the amethyst on the scepter, are all intricately cut and set. His Imperial Majesty invited the renowned artisan, Credne, from the kingdom of Astrosa just to make one set.”
“Credne!”
Small gasps erupted from various places. Although I didn’t know who Credne was, it seemed that the artisan was quite famous. Moreover, only one set? Rarity was a testament to its value.
The master of ceremonies handed me the golden statue on the far right.
“This King’s Hall represents a symbol of vigilance against arrogance.”
A servant standing by my side accepted the golden statue on my behalf. Then, the master of ceremonies handed me the second golden statue.
“The crown represents the symbol of justice against wretched immorality.”
And the final golden statue.
“The scepter represents the symbol of the kingdom’s guardian against malevolent spirits.”
Three servants holding the different golden statues stood behind me. The master of ceremonies spoke to me.
“Among the treasures, the inscription beneath the scepter was personally engraved by His Imperial Majesty. Please visit the palace in ten days. His Majesty awaits dinner with you, Viscount. Everyone who participated in the hunting competition, please join us in congratulating Viscount Weatherwoods on her victory.”
Those surrounding me applauded cheerfully and offered light words of congratulations.
“Congratulations on your victory, Viscount Weatherwoods.”
“A personal feast with His Majesty. What a precious opportunity. I’m truly envious.”
“Oh my! You’re so amazing! Viscount Weatherwoods, the world’s greatest beauty and the most valiant lady!”
“Hooray!”
As everyone’s interest waned after going around in a circle, I flipped over the golden scepter held by the servant and checked the inscription underneath.
『May your soul remain untainted by malevolent evil.』
I recalled the words spoken by the master of ceremonies when he handed me the scepter.
“The scepter represents the symbol of kingdom protection against malevolent spirits.”
Malevolent evil.
It was a message personally engraved by the emperor himself. It didn’t seem like a meaningless statement. Especially after I’d confirmed Mephisto’s power through Rue.
‘What does the emperor want to tell me?’
Could this evil be referring to Mephisto?
‘In other words.. It could mean ‘Do not lose your soul to Mephisto.’’
However, the phrase “May your soul” in the sentence weighed on my mind. Didn’t it sound like it was implying someone else has already been tainted by malevolent evil?
Not long after, the servants stepped forward to collect the golden statues I’d received. They said they would personally deliver it to the townhouse tomorrow morning, relieving me of the task.
“That’s the woman I chose.”
Count Serenier, who had been applauding the loudest, patted me on the back and turned me around as if showing me off in his arms. Then, Rowayne interjected as if he’d been waiting.
“Chose? You speak too profanely. Please consider the count’s age.”
“Age is merely a trivial obstacle. Youth is nothing but an illusion.”
“It’s not just about the age difference. Aren’t you married?”
“My wife departed this world a long time ago, so it’s fine.”
“Don’t you feel any guilt towards her?”
“Why would I? I was the one who urged her to leave as soon as possible.”
“Pardon?”
“If I want to marry Viscount Weatherwoods, I would have to become a widower, wouldn’t I? That’s why I made a special request. If she was going to leave anyway, she might as well leave early.”
Rowayne was silently astonished. Did he really fall for his words? Rowayne truly was quite naive.
Either way, Count Serenier shamelessly continued his audacious words.
“And my daughter… She’s no different than a stranger, so in some ways, I’m no different than an unmarried man. A handsome man living alone, with a heart as pure as a new one. Besides, this is also abundant.”
Count Serenier rolled his thumb and index finger into a small circle, drawing a small circle shape. Then, with a bright smile, he asked Rowayne.
“Oh, Sir, do you have more money than me?”
To be honest,
‘This is a bit embarrassing.’
Even the young nobles I saw when I enlisted in the military weren’t as blatant as Count Serenier.
Is it because the balance shifted that he’s become so brazen? But Count Serenier originally seemed to be this type of person in the first place…
Afraid that the Calpenweaver sisters might learn from his bad language, I tried to push them away, but I hadn’t expected Tara’s fiery eyes to be unable to detach from Count Serenier. Tara, who belatedly noticed my gaze, turned around with a fake cough.
“I’m sorry. My hands are practically shaking at seeing this great fight play out. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
I’ve never seen anyone like you either.
“Goodness, what a crude thing to say, but when Count Serenier says it, it strangely sounds elegant. I guess it’s true that all that matters is voice and appearance, huh?”
“Shut up, Tara.”
Edwina, who nudged her younger sister harshly, spoke in a low voice that seemed to float without anyone noticing.
“The first dance will begin soon.”
Those words were correct.
As the servants started circulating the glasses of alcohol in the banquet hall, the atmosphere inside quickly changed.
Frequent eye contact with people whose names I didn’t even know became common. After experiencing a moment of confusion from subtle glances, I realized that, oh, it wasn’t me they made eye contact with. It was the person standing behind me that they were greeting.
Groups that were previously gathered as family units quickly dispersed, and young women gathered with other young women, young men with other young men, and noblewomen with other noblewomen, engaging in secretive conversations.
‘Even though that incident happened yesterday, everyone seems fine.’
Is it because they firmly believe this banquet hall is safe?
At present, the interior of the Imperial palace was being protected by the Berkeley-Gratten Knights. I heard that prominent military figures like Count Rosebell and Count Rogenhoff were alternating between inside and outside the banquet hall, fully prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.
‘If the banquet is suddenly canceled, there will be a lot of rumors going around, so they must be pushing forward even if it’s a bit difficult.’
Moreover, with the attendance of officials from the Northern Continental Union and other countries, it would be even harder to back out.
I asked the Calpenweaver sisters, who were on their third glass of champagne.
“What about your partners, Miss Edwina and Tara?”
“We both have fiancés, but a few weeks ago, they were injured in a landslide. So, I will be dancing with my father from the second song onwards, and Tara will dance with our uncle.”
“By the way, who will be your first dance partner then, Viscount? Count Serenier? Or Sir Rowayne?”
Only after receiving that question did I remember Raphael’s existence.
‘Come to think of it, is Raphael outside the banquet hall right now?’
As I wondered and looked around.
The surrounding noise abruptly ceased.
Everyone turned their heads towards the same direction as if it was planned. A sense of a new presence suddenly pierced through the silence. Heavy and rigid footsteps. From the moment my eyes met with the owner of those footsteps, the distance between us rapidly shortened.
Dressed in a dazzling white uniform with a badge on the right chest, everything was resplendent.
Raphael Zenail.
As our distance narrowed, Tara stood beside me, covering her mouth, unsure of what to do.
“Oh my, this is so- this is so-”
I calmly greeted Raphael, conscious of Count Serenier.
“Good evening, Raphael. It seems you’ve just arrived.”
Now that I think about it, the swordmaster too had just arrived at the banquet hall.
It was when I saw him standing next to Raphael and looking down at me.
Not Rue hitting Rowayne where it hurts, he literally did the money rub gesture on him TT
LEAVE MY BANKRUPT BOY ALONEEE he’s poor (like me)
The series has a lot of irish mythology crumbs so I searched up Credne just for the heck of it and I was right, so here’s what wiki says
In Irish mythology, Credne (Old Irish) or Creidhne (Modern Irish – pronounced [ˈcɾʲeːnʲə]) was the goldsmith of the Tuatha Dé Danann, but he also worked with bronze and brass. He and his brothers Goibniu and Luchtaine were known as the Trí Dée Dána, the three gods of art, who forged the weapons which the Tuatha Dé used to battle the Fomorians.[1]
It is said that Creidhne fashioned King Nuada’s silver hand, together with Dian Cecht.
Creidhne is often confused with the Irish warrior Creidne.
Thank you for the chapter!
You check names for their back ground? I respect your dedication!
For most characters I do! It’s neat to know the name’s meaning and also helps to know if a certain name is what the author meant. Still disappointed over not knowing what Gavroche (or Garrosh) is a reference to T-T since Daisy said it sound like a mountain guard’s name and I know there was def some crumbs behind it
Hello ! Thank you so much for translating this novel, I love it!! I’m currently binge-reading it hehe (your translation is really smooth btw) I may be wrong, but the names Gavroche and Jean immediately made me think it was a reference to Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.