20. Eventful Party (Part 1)
Eleonora, the bonafide villainess, had been extremely busy.
In addition to the queen’s education, study, and student council, she was also in charge of the new students’ gala.
“I love parties, but I never realized how much effort goes into preparing one…!! All this hard work… Someone has to pay me or else!!”
If it had been a humble lady, she’d sympathize with the host and reflect on her conceitedness, but this is Eleonora we’re talking about.
“I’ll take advantage of my privileges as the chief executive and uninvite the girls I don’t like!”
Eleonora stayed up all night to edit the guest list, which consisted of hundreds of guests. As a result, several young ladies wouldn’t receive invitations.
After all, she was the type of person who would spare no effort for evil deeds, even if it came at her own expense.
“She’s so annoying! Not only is she prettier than me, she’s also bustier… Oh, and this girl has better taste than me…!!”
She justified her behavior—as a villainess does.
As there was no one to stop her, Eleonora’s wicked plan was successful. Not even Berthold and Theselius would expect her to go that far.
“Ohohoho! I finally managed to outwit those devils! Even if the ladies criticized me, I’ll just blame those two! If those girls don’t like it, they’re free to complain to me!”
Eleonora was in a good mood, laughing boisterously even though she had dark circles under her eyes. As it was a nice change of pace for her, she worked hard to prepare for the party.
Besides, even if her hair was unkempt and her face tired, Eleonora was still beautiful nonetheless.
When Berthold saw her, he smiled.
“I thought she was going to hate her job and give up, but she’s working really hard…”
“As expected, she has grown. I also like that hardworking side of her.” Theselius smiled in approval.
Their impression of her grew favorably.
Not only did Eleonora’s kindness (read: misunderstanding) touched them, the two of them were also beginning to reassess her value as a member of the opposite sex.
The gala required a male-female pair.
The young ladies of the academy were swooning at the crown prince’s handsome aides.
It wasn’t like they didn’t welcome the attention. They simply refused to date because they wanted to focus on their work (which involved honing their skills and expanding their horizon).
“E-excuse me… May I ask you to escort me to the party?”
The young lady, who straightforwardly confessed her feelings, was fidgety. She looked about to cry.
In the past, they wouldn’t refuse her right away so as not to hurt her feelings, but now they had a magic word.
“I apologize. I have to escort Lady Eleonora that day.”
“O-oh, right, of course… I’m sorry. Please do your best at your job…”
Satisfied, the female student briskly left.
Yes, Eleonora’s existence was a convenient trump card for both of them.
While Eleonora and the others were steadily progressing with their preparations for the gala, a certain female student was extremely pissed off.
She was none other than Mara, the commoner.
Currently, she was on her own because Baldi and Carter were taking supplementary lessons because of their low grades.
“There’s a gala coming up, but I can’t even meet Prince Lydian, let alone get a dress from him!!”
She was chewing her nails, and the look on her face resembled that of a bandit.
“…Aaaah!! By now, I should’ve received an invitation from Prince Lydian. He’d offer to be my escort for the party, and the two of us would be on a date!!”
The absence of Hildred, who was key to Lydian’s encounter event, turned out to be fatal.
Mara was seething, but as soon as she sensed someone’s presence, she quickly reverted to her gentle self.
“Mara! I’m sorry for making you wait!”
“I’m sorry, our professor wouldn’t let us go!”
Carter badmouthed the professor, but in all actuality, the professor simply wanted to help his students, whose grades were falling after they were blinded by love. He took time out of his busy schedule to teach them, but his good intention didn’t reach the two.
“I feel sorry for both of you… I’m here for you! If you have any gripes, I’m willing to listen!”
“Hehe, you’re so kind.”
“Your kindness always saves us…”
Fooled by Mara’s exterior, Baldi and Carter guffawed, and when she said, “I don’t have a dress for the gala, so please buy one for me.” They agreed right away.
A male student passing by scoffed at them. “Ugh…”
After all, no matter how cute Mara was, her behavior was simply uncouth.
Any sensible man wouldn’t be fooled by her superficial appearance.
Unaware of her declining reputation, Mara had them buy her a gorgeous dress. Afterwards, the two escorted her to the gala. Instead of a pair, they attended as a trio.
Their fiancées had already expected that they’d go with Mara, so Mellia came with her older brother, while Dellyrud went with her younger brother.
It was a grand party, with the best orchestra, food, magician, and some more to keep the guests entertained. Eleonora, who became the center of the attention, had her vanity satisfied.
Above all, Lydian looked extremely fine and dazzling in his white formal attire. Eleonora was truly happy that he was her partner.
“Eleonora, what a wonderful party. Thank you for your hard work.”
“I’m glad you like it!”
Eleonora soared to Heaven when her beloved appreciated her efforts.
However, a woman suddenly intruded on the happy couple.
“Your Highness Lydian~ Let’s dance!”
At the sudden voice, Lydian tilted his head, while Eleonora’s gaze flashed with anger.
“Who?”
“Erm, my name is Mara. I’m from a different class! My friend is a close aide of the crown prince, and I heard about how amazing you are from him! I really want to talk to you in person!”
Mara made up a story.
In the game, Baldi and Carter were close aides of Lydian. However, in reality, the bridge had been burned, even more so with the presences of Berthold and Theselius.
It could be said that Lydian had no friends in this kingdom.
‘Despite her lack of manners, she has the gall to straight up lie to the crown prince!’ (Eleonora)
Lydian was perplexed, but his heart fluttered at the villainous side that Eleonora showed as she stood beside him.
‘Eleonora is so cute when she’s jealous.’ (Lydian)
Actually, Mara, who was trying to win over Lydian, was a thousand times cuter, but that didn’t matter in the face of love.
Lydian couldn’t help but blurt it out.
“Eleonora, you’re so cute.”
At Lydian’s words, Eleonora’s face flushed red almost instantly. Her face was that of a blushing maiden.
“T-thank you for your compliment, Your Highness Lydian…”
Lydian smiled when he saw that Eleonora was blushing while fidgeting, before staring coldly at Mara.
“Are you aware that I’m the crown prince? It’s as if you have no manners at all. Just because the royal academy is open to all regardless of social status, doesn’t mean that it’s an excuse to act unruly. This is just the basics of the social circle. It’d be best if you could wrap your head around it soon.”
Mara turned pale at Lydian’s ruthless words.
“H-how terrible… Your Highness Lydian…!!”
Honestly, even if she was merely pretending, the tearful Mara looked endearing.
‘Why would Lydian yell at me? Again, I’m sure it’s Eleonora’s doings! I knew it, she’s also a reincarnator!’ (Mara)
To get rid of Eleonora, she cried for everyone to hear.
“Lady Eleonora is talking ill about me…!”
Eleonora was furious at that.
She was about to lash out in anger—
—But Lydian stole her chance to do so.
“Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? Why would Eleonora even talk about you?”
Eleonora was opening and closing her mouth like a fish at the stolen turn.
Even though she wanted to deride that woman! No, not just deride, she wanted to push her into the flower bed and cover her in mud.
Before she could do that, Lydian had already spoken to Mara.
Presently, everyone was fully aware of Mara’s true nature. As such, they no longer saw her as a poor girl who was dragged into the schemes and plots of the aristocrats. Besides, what Lydian said was true.
Due to Mara’s past, no one tried to help—
—no one, except for idiots.
“Why did you make her cry!? Even if Your Highness is the crown prince, I won’t stay put!”
“That’s right! How dare you threaten others using your status!”
Despite not knowing the full context, Baldi and Carter confronted Lydian.
“Apparently, the two of you are foolish enough to come to her defense. Where are your fiancées?”
However, instead of answering them, Lydian asked an unexpected question.
Their engagements were decided between the royal family and their respective families while considering the power dynamics. Lydian had always wanted to recruit Mellia and Dellyrud due to their excellence, along with Baldi and Carter as an extension.
Lydian was right to doubt them. Blinded by love, they renounced their pride as noblemen, and shirked their duties as human beings. They even dared to scream at Lydian.
“—Don’t try to avoid the question! Our engagement is something that my father decided on his own to begin with. Unlike Mara, Mellia is strong, so she’ll be fine on her own.”
Mellia, who listened to these words from afar, heard something snap inside her.
In truth, Mellia was anything but strong. She was so reticent that even lower-ranking noble ladies gossiped about how ‘quiet’ and ‘inconspicuous’ she was.
—So how could he claim that she was strong?
‘He doesn’t even know me. I used to love his smile, but it doesn’t matter anymore.’ (Mellia)
Mellia took off her glasses.
Once, when Baldi was throwing a ball, it accidentally smashed her glasses. Thus, he gave her a new one as a symbol of apology. Now, it has become an object of pure loathing.
Because the frame was laden with decorations, the glasses were a hassle to use. Nevertheless, Mellia still wore it because of him.
Now, the glasses, which used to be her prized possession, became nothing more than garbage.
Baldi continued to hurl insults at Lydian, unaware that he’d been ditched by his fiancée.
“How can you call yourself the future king after hurting an innocent woman!? No, how can you call yourself a man after you made her cry!?”
Baldi lacked the vocabulary, so his insults were mostly straightforward, but Carter spouted a bunch of nonsense. If he’d been smarter, he might have become a con artist.
“Why should my life be tied to a marriage decided between two families!? Suffocating manners, old-fashioned hierarchies, and never-ending rivalries… In order to carry the family name on my shoulders, I was made to undergo a harsh education, and was forced into a loveless marriage… All this time, I’ve been suffering…”
Dellyrud was taken aback by Carter’s words.
Carter wasn’t the only one who was forced to marry someone he didn’t even like? She often felt discouraged by the harsh education, but since she was born into an aristocratic family, she was determined to do it.
Even if it was a marriage of convenience, as long as they remained respectful and supportive, they’d grow to cherish each other as family.
Dellyrud studied hard to keep up with Carter. After learning that he hated perfume, she switched to potpourri. After learning that he hated makeup, she kept it to a bare minimum.
However, they were for naught, as none of them reached Carter’s heart.
‘I also dislike arranged marriage as much as you! Even so, I tried my best to love you! How dare you complain when you didn’t even try!’ (Dellyrud)
Dellyrud looked at Carter with disdain.
Her younger brother, who stood next to her, whispered.
“…I don’t want to be related to such a moron. I’ll help you annul the engagement.”
When she heard that, Dellyrud burst out laughing.
The future was bleak for Baldi and Carter, but they were too foolish to realize that, and recklessly challenged Lydian to an argument.
Translator’s Note:
Might as well offer their heads to Lydian by this point for a quick and painless death.
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