COARV Chapter 22

"Saint, I am Simon, a knight of House Charlotte. Please call me Sir Simon. To meet you like this—"

"It's an honor, Saint! I'm from House Liam in the east...!"

As the enthusiastic knights introduced themselves, Lina cringed, then found herself drawn to the dance floor as if mesmerized when the music started. Lesche and Seria were dancing.

The grand ballroom was breathtakingly beautiful. Sweet melody. Most of the people who'd been conversing among themselves were now watching them. Though occasionally whispering to each other, they basically kept their gazes fixed on the dance floor.

"Teacher, teacher."

Lina asked Baron Aison beside her in a small voice.

"Why are only His Grace the Grand Duke and Seria dancing first? Is it because they're the hosts? If I held a ball, could I do that too?"

"Ah."

Baron Aison answered with a smile.

"It's because His Grace the Grand Duke's rank as defined by imperial law is extraordinarily high. The Grand Duke of Berke has traditionally held rank equal to the imperial family."

House Berke was a distinguished meritorious family of the empire, one of the few households granted permission to maintain a substantial private army to protect the empire from the glacier for generations. The Grand Duke of Berke could use the special title "Your Grace," and his rank stood equal to royalty.

"What about Kallis and me?"

"Well... The saint is of course a great personage, but the empire maintains strict distinctions between nobility and royalty."

The imperial house of the Gleick Empire was relatively generous in granting noble titles. Not that they engaged in selling offices, but they were magnanimous enough to grant count titles to heroes who returned victorious from war. The empire's vast territory and exceptional population allowed such generosity.

But that generosity extended only to count titles.

The probability of a count being elevated to marquess was extremely low. An unspoken boundary. Particularly, for nobles of count rank or below to marry into imperial bloodlines was as rare as finding a needle in a desert.

Even if a beautiful count's son or lady with elegant manners attracted attention in high society, they almost never succeeded in entering the imperial family through marriage or war merits. Most royals typically married into marquess houses or higher.

'The saint could probably receive a count title at least. Still, since a saint appeared within the Gleick Empire itself, His Imperial Majesty was apparently quite pleased.'

But anything beyond that would be difficult given the Gleick Empire's customs. Unless Lina married into royalty, that is.

"I see..."

Lina stared vacantly at Lesche again when a group of noblewomen approached. They were noblewomen from near Haneton territory. Since their families were closely connected to Haneton, society people called them "Haneton's noblewomen."

"Countess Mathieu!"

Lina, who'd built some acquaintance with Haneton's noblewomen while following Kallis around for several days, called out happily. But she quickly became flustered. The noblewomen's gazes toward Lina were openly unfavorable.

The most influential among them, who effectively served as their leader—Countess Mathieu—spoke first.

"Saint, I thought you wouldn't come to the ball."

"Pardon...? But I received an invitation."

"Oh my. You still don't understand society's workings."

"...What?"

The noblewomen exchanged glances.

"Right now, the mistress of this place is Her Grace the Grand Duchess of Berke. So shouldn't the saint have returned the invitation with flowers enclosed?"

"That's right."

"Exactly."

Lina felt no goodwill from the agreeing Haneton noblewomen. She gritted her teeth.

"No."

"Pardon?"

"I said no. I learned from my teacher, didn't I? To become Grand Duchess of Berke requires imperial permission. So Seria is still Lady Seria Stern. And... you all tormenting me like this isn't right either."

"...Tormenting you? We are tormenting the saint?"

Lina answered resolutely.

"Yes. This isn't moral."

She could hear the noblewomen surrounding her exhale "...Ha."

'This is bad.'

Baron Aison nearly pressed his hand to his forehead.

Lina absorbed knowledge quickly. But she absolutely lacked the physical time of learning to fully grasp these subtle social confrontations and deflect them elegantly. A perfectly trained lady would naturally avoid such unpleasant situations or use sharp but perfectly courteous language to indicate she too was invited to this venue, thus avoiding difficulty. The elegant and customary response.

Lina could have handled it that way. If she'd studied a few more months as Baron Aison had expected. If she'd made a leisurely debut in the capital's high society. This clumsy response would never have occurred.

But the milk was already spilled.

Moreover, those noblewomen apparently had a very favorable impression of Seria Stern, who'd been designated as the future Marchioness of Haneton. That's why they came to Lina like this even though they weren't the hosts.

"Are you lecturing us on morality, Saint?"

"Those aren't light words to speak."

At the noblewomen's words implying she'd ruined the Stern wedding, Lina's face went pale. She clenched both hands tight.

"Saint, we should be go—"

Baron Aison hurriedly attempted to intervene, but too late.

"Do outsiders know you're acting like this? What about Kallis?"

"......"

"......"

"......"

Baron Aison couldn't bear to watch the noblewomen's faces turn cold, so he averted his gaze. Lina had just chosen the worst possible options.

'If only Lady Seria Stern had been friends with the saint, she would have rescued her perfectly in this situation.'

Seria Stern was a viper of a woman. She never lost even in the capital's jungle-like high society. When she glared with those poisonously beautiful eyes, most people tucked their tails. Her reputation preceded her.

As Baron Aison entertained such hopeless wishes—

"What's going on here?"

Kallis's voice came from behind. Baron Aison and Lina turned around as if beholding their savior.

"Kallis!"

Lina hurried behind Kallis and pressed her forehead against his back as if hiding. Kallis glanced at Lina hiding behind him, then faced the noblewomen standing before him. The noblewomen elegantly bowed their heads to the territory's lord.

"Marquess Haneton."

Baron Aison stepped forward swiftly.

"The noblewomen and the saint were having a conversation."

"A conversation?"

"Yes. Nothing significant."

If only things could pass smoothly like that. But the situation didn't flow according to Baron Aison's wishes. Because sniffling sounds came from behind Kallis.

"...Lina?"

Baron Aison nearly clapped his hand over his mouth. Lina was crying, tears streaming down her face. Kallis looked forward with an angry expression.

"I'd like to ask the noblewomen here. What is this about? Did you all gather together to torment the saint?"

Countess Mathieu slowly lowered her head. Since Lina had even cried, this couldn't pass easily as Baron Aison had intended.

"Our frank words seem to have offended the saint."

"When you overstep, it's not frank words—be especially mindful of that."

"...Understood, Marquess Haneton."

Their faces turned cold as if carved from ice. In high society, nothing dealt greater damage than indifference—even more than envy and jealousy. Being treated as if you didn't exist. The noblewomen seemed to have decided to cruelly withdraw any curiosity or feeling toward the saint. No warmth remained in their eyes.

After they withdrew, Lina raised her head.

"Kallis..."

Kallis exhaled a quiet sigh as if tired. Lina's body flinched. Baron Aison spoke up quickly, reading the room.

"Saint? Your dress is wrinkled. Let's go fix it."

"What? Yes..."

Lina followed a maid to the retiring room to straighten her wrinkled dress. Baron Aison spoke to Kallis.

"That was an unfortunate choice. To offend those noblewomen. Several of those families cooperate very closely with managing Haneton territory."

"I know. But Lina was crying."

"That's true."

"When we return to the territory, I'll have to distribute some treasures appropriately. It'll be exhausting for a while even after returning."

Kallis was also a proper Marquess of Haneton. If Lina hadn't burst into tears, he could have followed society's unspoken rules and let it pass with ignorance. That outcome would have been better.

But he couldn't ignore a saint crying floods of tears behind him. Though the situation was unavoidable, Baron Aison sighed at the unfavorable circumstances that would follow.

'Those noblewomen were already favorably disposed toward Lady Seria Stern—this is bad.'

"...Marquess Kallis Haneton said that?"

"Yes, to Haneton's noblewomen no less. Lady Stern."

"Thank you for telling me, Lady Aston."

"Not at all."

In any society, there are nobles who play the role of bringing gossip to curry favor with those in high positions. Seria Stern was no exception.

After her marriage to Lesche, such nobles seemed to have multiplied. Society gossip reached her several times faster than when she'd been in the capital. Having rewarded the lady who'd secretly informed her of events during her first dance with Lesche by using her name, I frowned as soon as she withdrew with a satisfied expression.

In the original story, Haneton's noblewomen had been very favorably disposed toward Lina. There was a part where Lina made her full debut in the capital, then later received Kallis's invitation to visit Haneton territory. She'd gotten along extremely well there.

'I didn't expect this to happen.'

No wonder. Baron Aison's complexion had looked strangely poor for a reason. I deflected the approaching noblewomen with the excuse that I was tired from visiting the glacier this morning. I couldn't let them get close for long conversation and discover my swollen cheek.

Perhaps a few sharp-eyed ones had already noticed.

But what could I do? I sipped champagne, bubbles bursting on my tongue, and leaned lightly against the wall.

I stood against the western wall.

On the opposite wall, Kallis stood watching me.