Chapter 124 - Start of Spring Festival

No sooner had Ferda finished his speech than several nobles approached him.

"It is an honor to meet you, Regent of Valdrova. I was deeply moved by your words."

"I am not very eloquent, so I am not sure whether I conveyed them properly."

"What are you saying? I was greatly moved by what you just said! I would very much love to take part in that great dream! Lord Regent!"

Most simply showed favor, saying it had been a fine address, while some reacted passionately, as if they had truly been inspired.

The middle-aged think with their heads, but the young think with their hearts.

In their hearts, a hero was still setting out on an adventure, heading for the princess locked inside the castle.

In that sense, Ferda was thinking about his own speech with his head.

'This is so cringey I could die.'

Hope, friendship, and all that.

They were empty formalities that did not suit Ferda.

Such things were hard for him even to think about, and he could not have drafted them himself.

Unless one was seasoned in politics, doing something to this degree was impossible.

He cast a sidelong glance at that ambitious woman.

Olivia Arken.

She was standing at a round table close to the host of the banquet.

Of course, she was not alone.

She was mingling with other high-ranking noble young ladies.

'They called it the Golden Rose, didn't they?'

A social circle with Olivia Arken as its center.

It was said to be a device for driving away men who approached her.

Olivia, the golden rose, was being protected while surrounded by thorns and leaves.

Ferda watched her smile.

It was full of pretense.

That was strange.

He had certainly not felt that pretense when she looked at him.

'Maybe her acting got much worse in the meantime.'

After receiving all the greetings from the nobles who had gathered around him, Ferda approached Olivia this time.

It was to match the scenario she had drawn up.

"Thank you for your help with the Start of Spring Festival."

"Not at all. I was the one honored to be of help."

"Then I hope you enjoy yourself."

Olivia smiled faintly and tilted her head a little.

Ferda also moved on without saying more than necessary.

It was a clean exchange, so no one would think them a man and woman caught up in a scandal.

'She's doing well.'

Inwardly satisfied with her assistance, Ferda lightly made his rounds of the banquet hall and offered greetings.

Though it was said to be a banquet for everyone, separating knights and nobles was an unwritten rule.

That distinction was made through their clothing.

Nobles wore splendid attire, while knights wore vests and looked relatively plain.

Among the knights, Ferda saw two familiar faces.

They were Zed and Malcolm.

"Your speech was truly impressive, Lord Regent."

"I-It was really amazing! Totally!"

Even though they were dressed the same, the impression was different.

Zed looked neat and stylish no matter what he wore, while Malcolm looked like a country bumpkin no matter what he wore.

'William would have been perfect for this occasion.'

William was such a thorough man that even Ferda regarded him as an example.

In truth, Ferda had wanted him to attend, but William had politely declined.

As security captain, his will was to fulfill his sense of duty and stay up all night during the Start of Spring Festival.

It was regrettable, but it had to be respected.

"Lord Regent, lend me your ear for a moment."

Unlike his beaming face, a complaint popped out of his mouth.

"How long are you going to let this guy keep shadowing me?"

"What do you mean, shadowing?"

"Every time I try to go somewhere, this bastard goes, 'Sir Zed, where are you going?' and tries to follow me around."

"Is that so?"

"If I want to shake this guy off, I have to say I am going on a secret mission, right? Then that bastard might go around telling everyone, right? Then it would not be a secret mission, would it?"

With stress-reddened eyes, he glared at Ferda.

Ferda had no reason to care about extreme stress and the like, but Zed had a point.

"Go. I will deal with him."

"Then I am off."

Whether his steps were light because he had set down a heavy burden, or whether he was fleeing to avoid being caught, he moved swiftly.

"Huh? Where did Sir Zed go..."

"He remembered something he had forgotten, so I sent him on an errand."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Do not try to find him. Why not mingle with the other knights?"

"Uh... well..."

Malcolm scratched his head as if embarrassed.

"Um... Was I a nuisance to Sir Zed after all? I am not good at occasions like this, so I was trying to get some help from Sir Zed..."

Was that why he had been shadowing him?

"You even became an Imperial Knight of the Empire, yet you have never stood at a place like this?"

"You are the only one who invites me to such occasions, Lord Regent... I was not even allowed to attend the knighting ceremony and only received my certificate of appointment. So I naturally thought that during the Start of Spring Festival, I would eat some leftovers at the lodgings and go to sleep, but then you invited me. I wanted to help you save face... I wanted to ask what I should do, but it seems I was bothering Sir Zed."

He was a man who could never come close to a true knight in his lifetime, but his grit was better than anyone's.

Ferda had been considering sending him back to his room, but he could not help changing his mind.

"So you would feel more at ease carrying out an order than socializing in a place like this."

"Yes, sir! If it is something I can do, I will do anything!"

"Then I will give you an order."

Malcolm wagged his tail like a country puppy in the morning.

"Watch to see whether any accidents happen here. Understood?"

"And then I take care of them?"

"There is no need for you to step in. Just watch. While eating food and drinking beverages. Understood?"

"Yes, sir! Understood."

He accepted the order, but Malcolm belatedly sensed that something was strange.

However, thinking he only needed to carry out the order, he soon put that suspicion aside.

In effect, it was no different from before he had received the order, but the air of aimlessness surrounding Malcolm disappeared.

With that, the matter regarding Malcolm was settled for the moment.

After passing through strangers one after another like that, Ferda found someone he knew.

It was Arwen.

He had not been on the list in particular, but Ferda had deliberately inserted him.

"Arwen Wolfheart, knight of Count Concillus's domain, greets you, Lord Regent. Thank you for inviting me to the Start of Spring Festival."

"Count Concillus favors you, so should I not help?"

"Favor me? That is absurd."

He had not asked in particular, but Ferda knew that Concillus treasured Arwen quite a bit.

He was an elderly man, and he would need someone to inherit his territory.

Someday, Arwen would be recognized not as a knight, but as Ulvera Concillus's adopted son, and inherit the county.

Therefore, Arwen had to become Ferda's person, and Ferda had to look after him.

"Zed told me you have a woman in your heart."

"Ahem... There has not been any particular progress yet..."

It was a reaction fitting for an innocent bachelor who had known nothing but swords and honor.

Then his gaze slipped somewhere.

When the woman in the green dress met his eyes, she smiled brightly.

That immature-looking young lady was certainly a woman he had seen at the Grand Council.

"She is from House Purity."

"Yes. She is their third daughter."

She seemed like a princess from a fairy tale.

Not in a good way, but in the sense that she looked somewhat dim.

Unlike the sharp eldest or second daughters, who had been made into strategic weapons, she gave a strong impression of having been left to grow in a greenhouse.

In other words, she had no value to exploit.

It did not seem Arwen would have any reason to suffer over her.

Still, just in case, Ferda gave Arwen a hint.

"Do not do anything strange here."

"Of course. What problem would I cause here?"

"If you are going to, do it after returning to the county."

"Yes? U-Understood."

Arwen did not understand what Ferda meant.

After the conversation ended, Arwen walked over to that duke's daughter.

Arwen smiled awkwardly, and the duke's daughter smiled bashfully.

Watching that sight made his stomach ache for no reason.

Some people could not even hold hands with their fiancée, while others were having fun...

'It must be worse because of this atmosphere.'

Before his regression, how had it been when he came to parties like this?

No one had approached Ferda, who had come as a guest.

It was as if they had only sent him an invitation in name, and were uncomfortable that he had actually come.

'I was just like Malcolm.'

That seemed to be why he had unconsciously felt pity for him.

Because I had been like that, because I knew what that feeling was.

Even at this moment, Ferda felt lonely.

No, he felt even lonelier than back then.

It felt as if he had left his other half somewhere else.

A moment later, a signal sounded from the musicians' side.

They had been given enough time to laugh and talk, so now it was time to raise the mood in earnest.

It was the sound announcing the start of the ball that would heat up the banquet.

The dressed-up bees moved about, making advances toward the flowers they liked.

'The host's duty.'

Ferda searched among the flowers the bees ignored for someone quiet.

A freckled, skinny young lady with black hair.

She was not pretty, but not ugly either, simply someone with a strong impression of being unnoticeable.

Naturally, he did not know which house's daughter she was.

Ferda walked over to her and held out his hand.

"As host, I would like to ask you to dance, if you do not mind."

The freckled young lady looked around, then pointed at herself.

"Oh my, will you really dance with someone like me?"

"It would not do to be unable to enjoy yourself at such a fine occasion."

"If you are all right with it, Lord Regent, I would gladly accept."

The freckled young lady shyly took his hand.

Around the time the pairs had been formed to some degree, the musicians moved from the prelude into the main piece.

It was not a passionate dance, but a light waltz.

The volume was also adjusted enough for men and women to converse with each other.

The paired men and women were asking each other about their backgrounds.

Of course, Ferda said nothing.

Since he thought he only needed to fulfill the host's duty, he did not try to chatter unnecessarily.

"Lord Regent, you are engaged to Lady Valdrova, are you not?"

The freckled young lady raised the topic first.

"That is correct."

"Have you seen the Grand Duchess in person as well?"

"Yes."

"Um... Were you not afraid? I know it seems like a rather foolish question..."

"I was not afraid."

The woman's eyes went round.

"Is that possible? When the other party is a dragon?"

"..."

"Oh my, I keep being rude. Still, for insignificant people like us, marrying a great Aspect feels wondrous..."

"It is fine."

As she said, there was no one who could understand his engagement to Valdrova.

Only Ferda knew what sort of existence she was.

"She possesses a heart wiser and warmer than any human, and I know that because I have seen it."

"Is that so?"

"Moreover, she takes interest in many things, and strives to understand and empathize."

The side only Ferda knew.

And the side he wanted to tell others about.

So Ferda told the freckled young lady about it one thing at a time.

The freckled young lady, who had been quietly listening, said this.

"Now that I look at you, Lord Regent, you seem like a truly warm person as well."

"Pardon?"

He wondered what she meant.

"Because I can feel that you love her to the bone."

"Why do you think that?"

"When you talk about the Grand Duchess, I can see a smile on your face."

A smile?

Ferda was startled by that fact, and because of it, the steps he had been focusing on became tangled.

But it did not lead to a catastrophe.

The freckled young lady skillfully turned her body and restored the off-beat rhythm to normal.

Ferda asked her naturally.

"Am I smiling?"

"Yes. Did you not know?"

He had not.

For Ferda, who rarely smiled at other people, it was surprising even to himself.

"Ah. Your face is trying to go back to normal."

The young lady drew Ferda's attention.

"Please smile like that. Show them that the person engaged to the Grand Duchess is someone who knows how to love."

"Do you think that would be better?"

"Of course. Please keep telling me. About what kind of person Lady Valdrova is."

Hearing the freckled young lady's words, Ferda naturally relaxed his expression.

Following his heart, he revealed himself and spoke of Valdrova.

A moment later, the piece ended.

"Thank you for granting a lowly young lady the honor of dancing with you, Lord Regent."

"Not at all. I should be thanking you."

That was sincere.

The freckled young lady met his eyes, smiled faintly, and disappeared.

Watching her, Ferda realized he had forgotten one thing.

'Come to think of it, I did not ask her name.'

Because he had spent such a comfortable time with her, he had not properly asked about her background.

Still, it would be rude to abruptly approach and ask her name.

The ball was in full swing, so it would be fine to do so afterward.

Ferda moved according to the scenario that was his highest priority.

'Now I ask Olivia to dance.'

The scenario for resolving the scandal.

Then he would be rejected, implying that their relationship had not deepened romantically.

Ferda moved toward the table where the Golden Rose was.

As planned, like strangers.

Showing that he was acquainted with her, but held no affection for her,

he reached out to a single flower.

"As host, I would like to ask you to dance, if you do not mind."

Olivia's answer, with her mouth covered by her fan, was as expected.

"Yes."

"Yes, then... pardon?"

No,

"I would like that."

She herself broke the scenario she had written.

"Let us dance."