TOM Chapter 18

I turned it around to attack him.

To interpret that: 'Everything you heard was just rumors, so why are you acting like you know so much?'

But Julian's expression didn't even crack.

Then let's just pretend it was innocent talk.

"That's right, we shouldn't judge based on rumors alone. Of course His Grace will treat you well, right?"

"No."

"......What?"

You're just turning my insides completely upside down.

I desperately wanted to say that, but I kept my mouth firmly shut.

Minuet's laughter echoed mockingly in my head.

Was it my imagination, or did the corners of his mouth seem to curve even higher than before?

Intimidated by Minuet who wasn't even physically present, I quickly corrected my words.

"That was just a joke."

"I see... that was unexpected, so I was surprised."

"Of course. If he wouldn't treat me well, we wouldn't have gotten engaged."

"Right. Oh, if you ever need help, please contact me."

Since you're Gavotte's sister, I'd be happy to help.

He added with a smile.

The orchestra in the back corner began playing dance music.

People started coming out to dance, stealing glances in our direction.

I thought Julian would surely leave soon too.

"Then would you honor me with one dance?"

He smiled and extended his hand to me.

Dancing isn't difficult, but hmm.

Usually the first dance is with one's cavalier, right?

Noticing my thoughts, Julian preemptively asked.

"It's fine, right Gavotte?"

This guy's a complete rogue.

There's no way intimidated Gavotte could say it wasn't okay...

"No, it's not okay."

"Oh?"

Gavotte grabbed my hand instead.

Then he led me among the dancing people.

Wow! My goodness, it's like a coming-of-age novel!

I was so moved I covered my mouth.

Oh, wait.

"Julian."

I turned my head while holding Gavotte's hand.

The smile had disappeared from Julian's face.

"Be careful of snakes."

Gavotte walked with his legs raised at right angles like a horse.

When we finally finished preparing to dance, I shared my observation with Gavotte.

"Gavotte, your legs are trembling."

"......They're not."

"If they're not, then why did you just look down? You looked because you couldn't be sure of your own body's condition, didn't you?"

"Where on earth did you learn to talk like that?"

"Are you getting angry?"

"How do you think you'd feel if you heard something like that?"

"Eh, but my legs aren't shaking though."

"Hey!"

Gavotte couldn't help but shout.

In the midst of that, the dance started again and Gavotte stumbled.

His ears turned bright red.

"You said you didn't get along, Gavotte. Why is Julian acting friendly? Did you actually hang out together?"

"If you start talking about first love or whatever again, I won't let it slide."

"Big brother is violent!"

"......Forget the goosebumps, I'm eighteen years old, you know?"

Suddenly bringing up his age?

"You're my younger sister!"

"Oh... Then try calling me noona."

"Why did that suddenly come out of your mouth? I never acknowledged you as my noona!"

"I see! Gavotte is above the law!"

"Hey!"

"If you don't like this topic, just continue the story you were telling before."

"You weren't even listening back then."

"No, I remember. Something about having an inferiority complex because of the Duke and having a bad personality, right?"

"Can you call that remembering?"

Of course.

"......You know I went to the Academy, right?"

"Yeah."

"I entered there because I didn't want to be compared to Minuet."

Oh, this is going deeper than I thought.

"It didn't suit me, but I joined a social club to pretend I was doing well. Julian was there."

"Did you fight?"

"It would have been better if we had fought. I was in the Magic Department, you see."

"Huh? You're a mage?"

The conversation was briefly interrupted as a turn came into the dance.

"There are few students in spirits, so we usually learn together. But... since I couldn't do practicals at all, I became a target."

"That means... you can't summon spirits?"

That can't be right.

Even now I can smell the scent of spirits from Gavotte.

I thought it might be an unfunny joke, but Gavotte was serious.

"Hey, don't make that face. Even direct descendants of Bonetti, only half can summon, you know?"

"No... Yeah, I see."

"......Do you think it's pathetic?"

"Is noona's personality that trashy?"

"What are you talking about!"

Gavotte chuckled.

Then he looked at my face for a moment.

As if checking whether I was lying, he looked a bit anxious.

Should I comfort him a little?

It seemed like I was overusing my holy power, but this much wouldn't cause any damage to my body, so I put strength into my voice.

"There are other pathetic guys out there, so don't worry about their opinions."

"Huh?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. You know that better than anyone."

"......Right."

Gavotte pressed his lips tightly together.

Was the effect too strong? His nose bridge wrinkled up.

Since the dance had ended, I led him to the outskirts.

Even then, he was silent for a moment before letting out a long-held sigh.

"It does feel refreshing to talk about it, but I don't know why I told you this story. Strangely, my mouth gets loose in front of you."

Originally, good people tend to open their hearts bit by bit to clergy.

I smiled playfully.

"And while dancing, no less."

"Right. At least it was a gentle song, thank goodness. If it had been an intense song—"

"Gavotte would have already met his maker."

"I'm not that weak!"

"Good, I'll keep watching."

"......Anyway. I don't know about others, but don't get close to Julian."

"Why is he still obsessed with you? Actually, isn't Julian the one who likes you?"

"Don't say disgusting things!"

Gavotte shuddered.

"It's not because of me, it's because of the Duke. He obviously has malicious intent, right?"

"Ah, right. You did say that. But what connection do they have?"

"Didn't you know? They entered the Academy the same year."

Kruelo went to the Academy?

There's more I don't know than what I do know.

What did he do so diligently in those four years?

"Usually people enter at fourteen, but the Duke entered at seventeen. And he still graduated early in one year."

"I wondered how they attended together despite the age difference."

"Thanks to that, only Julian looked foolish. He was praised by everyone around him as a genius, but while the Duke was there, he couldn't get a single glance."

He developed an inferiority complex from that?

And the Elder Council, whose specialty is touching on negative emotions, probably got their hooks into Julian.

There were still parts I couldn't understand, but this level of understanding about the extra character was sufficient.

"He was impressive though. They say the Duke first learned magic at the Academy, and his grade level changed every season."

"Is that possible?"

"Well, saying he first learned it was probably a lie. Still, it's monstrous talent."

Hmm, from what I know, Kruelo couldn't use magic until he was seventeen.

In 《Destiny》 he used magic so freely that I wasn't surprised to see him use it.

Whether to call it a vessel that the Elder Council spent hundreds of years carefully crafting, I felt a bit bitter.

"What kind of person was he at the Academy?"

"He had a bad personality. Even when professors spoke to him, he wouldn't even look at them. Since he'd receive a title immediately upon graduation, no one dared touch him either."

"Hmm."

"It was fortunate no one tried to stop him. Looking at the crazy things he did as soon as he received his ducal title."

"So it started from then."

"I'm not saying this for no reason. You haven't even had the engagement ceremony yet, so again..."

Just as Gavotte was about to repeat the same nagging, the lights in the ballroom suddenly flickered.

Huh?

When I looked up, the chandelier lights were repeatedly going out and coming back on.

That wasn't the only strange thing.

"Th-the tables!"

The tables were shaking violently and finger foods went flying in all directions.

Serving trays spilled over and wine glasses shattered in glittering heaps across the floor.

Naturally, the ballroom descended into complete chaos in an instant.

Gavotte immediately stepped in front of me, his face deathly pale.

I appreciate that he wants to protect me, but.

"Why is this suddenly happening? Is the Imperial family putting on some event?"

"How could that be! What is this, really?"

"It must be Prince Talias's anger, no doubt!"

Some woman screamed from the side.

Talias? Was there someone like that among the royalty?

I looked at Gavotte, demanding an explanation.

His face had grown even paler in that brief moment.

"Wait. What, is today that day? That prince's birthday?"

"Eh, there's no prince though."

"Not now! Decades ago. Why, there was a rebellion once, wasn't there?"

"Ah, when the palace was occupied."

"There was a prince who was captured and killed before they could drive out the rebels, and it happened to be his birthday."

"Oh ho."

"That prince loved balls so much that every year on his birthday, there are ghost sightings reported in the palace. I was sure it was all lies."

"Hmm."

Even as the lights flickered, Gavotte's complexion grew increasingly lifeless, until he looked like a dead person.

I nodded.

"10 points."

"This isn't a joke!"

What, they're telling ghost stories without any foreshadowing and expecting me to believe it?

People were shouting about Talias or whatever everywhere.

But for ghost sightings, this was way too noisy.

"What kind of ghost makes such a racket? There's no subtle flavor to it at all."

"How would I know? But I heard that in life, he was quite the madman."

"I know a guy like that too."

Then, the loudest screams I'd heard yet echoed through the air.

"Aaaaah!"

"Guhk, kuh!"

The spine-chilling eerie sounds carried the scent of death.

This seems real?

I turned my head toward where the screams came from, but with the lights flickering, there was no way to see properly.

People screamed in terror.

"No doubt about it, this is Prince Talias's curse—!"

"That's impossible."

The Crown Prince's voice immediately denied the hypothesis.

Even in this commotion, her voice rang out clearly.

As if enchanted by magic.

The Crown Prince said wearily.

"Please stop, Duke."

Snap—at the sound of fingers snapping, the endlessly flickering chandelier candles returned to normal.

As the surroundings brightened, the completely ruined ballroom became more clearly visible.

Hair and clothing were thoroughly disheveled, and even those who maintained some dignity had food stains on their clothes.

The tables were nearly all overturned and hardly any food remained intact.

The most spectacular sight of all was people's expressions.

They all looked stunned, blankly staring up at one place.

The head table where the Crown Prince sat.

And the beautiful man leaning against its armrest.

"Were you not entertained?"

Kruelo Whitedesert.

I knew it would be you.

Living or dead, there couldn't be two madmen like this.