I Am a Ruined Noble of a Ruined Kingdom

Chapter 9: Social Debut (1)

Iruealfi and I had been frequenting the Imperial Palace often these days.

The Emperor seemed to enjoy talking to me. Thanks to that, Iruealfi's workload was beyond imagination.

I was really sorry for her, but it wasn't my fault. It was all Netionpies and the Emperor being ill-mannered.

It was just amazing that Iruealfi was silently carrying out her duties without any complaints.

As always, the Emperor and I were having tea time inside the glass greenhouse today. The difference from before was that Iruealfi was also present in the same place.

And today the Emperor seriously proposed.

"How about a social debut?"

We were in a position where we were unintentionally receiving a lot of public attention. But the relationship between me and Iruealfi was not something that could be revealed to others.

So we needed to come to an agreement, and the compromise that the Emperor presented was a social debut.

Rumors grow larger as they add to the mystery. The secret between me and Iruealfi could rather cause troublesome things.

Therefore, the Emperor thought that it might be better to face people openly in official settings.

Of course, the narrative about me was a problem to think about from now on.

"Frankly, I don't care whether I do it or not. However, one thing, will the scandal about Iruealfi subside if I go out into high society?"

After meeting Charles, I felt sorry for Iruealfi from time to time whenever I saw her.

She was a woman who would eventually need a marriage partner. If the past I was involved in becomes a blemish, who would take responsibility for Iruealfi?

For this great monster who turns the world upside down.

"I don't care. Even if someone points a finger at me, I won't be hurt. What I want is only..."

Iruealfi stopped talking, smiled awkwardly, and changed the subject. I pretended not to know while guessing that it was about Miren Yustiha.

"Ahem, do you know? There are a lot of people who are jealous of me and curse me behind my back."

"How unlucky do you have to be, Keuak!"

Iruealfi ruthlessly kicked my shin. I had to kneel down because I couldn't bear the pain. As Netionpies's five senses were delicate, the sense of pain was unnecessarily sensitive.

Her violence seemed to have increased by one level since the day Charles visited.

"It's funny, even those people go crazy when I show my face to them once. I don't even have to look to know what they're thinking."

"Isn't that because you're getting cursed because you're unlucky?"

"Shut up. If you get more than ten of those embarrassing nicknames, you'll know even if you don't want to. Anyway, so."

Iruealfi confidently added.

"Scandals don't do any harm to me."

The Emperor laughed and agreed.

"Marchioness Yustiha's beauty is the most beautiful in the world after our Empress. By the way, I'm the one who spread the nickname White Sword Beauty."

"Your Majesty!"

Iruealfi's face was instantly stained with shame. Her arm trembled, and her fingers were fiddling with the sword hilt. It was a truly amazing endurance and loyalty.

"Even if Iruealfi doesn't care, the scandal must be quelled. Does Your Majesty think that's possible with a social debut?"

"Hmm."

The Emperor rested his chin on his hand and pondered. I added in a reproachful tone.

"Your Majesty is also Your Majesty. You knew how inappropriate it is for unmarried men and women to live together, didn't you."

It was an obvious fact that I also knew. However, the concept of cohabitation was vague because I was consumed by the scale of the mansion.

It would be unreasonable to see two people living on a university campus as cohabitation. I felt that way when I moved into the grand mansion.

The Emperor protested, saying that he was also wronged.

"Then what should I have done at that time? If I left him alone, it was obvious that Marchioness Yustiha would oppose it. If I forcibly separated the two, how would Marchioness Yustiha act?"

"I will refuse the Imperial Order and kill the threat to the Empire."

Sreung-

Iruealfi's beautiful silver sword reflected the light and sparkled. I screamed in horror.

"I told you not to take out that unsightly thing! Can't you put it away right now?!"

While rebuking her, I clutched my throbbing left limbs and waist. This was a learned mental pain.

"I'm just saying what if that was the case."

A feeling of regret lingered on Iruealfi's expression as she retrieved her sword. She seemed to hate me quite a bit.

"...Look at this. Even I was conscious of it, so I didn't talk to you in the glass greenhouse until our second meeting. Please understand."

"Your Majesty, I admit it. I was short-sighted."

"Nephi. I'm just following orders because I don't care about the scandal. Don't worry about it."

"Hmm!"

Even if Iruealfi was okay, I wasn't okay. For a while, silence lingered as all three of us tried to find a suitable plan.

Then, all of a sudden, the Emperor exclaimed and snapped his fingers. It was a gesture of remembering something.

"I have a suitable excuse."

"Is that true?"

I asked with a delighted expression. The Emperor smiled at me.

"Marchioness Yustiha's prowess is not known to the world. So from now on, Marchioness Yustiha was seriously injured while performing a top-secret mission."

From the perspective of someone who had been directly affected, it didn't make sense. But fortunately, I was the only one who had my limbs cut off by her.

"And the one who treated that was the Imperial Family's hidden god of medicine, Marquis Alteon. In fact, the medical knowledge of the Ruined Noble of a Ruined Country is beyond imagination."

The Emperor's words would be true. Even though it was a fantasy world, he was the one who uniquely modified his body to be immortal. He might have repeated human experiments countless times.

However, that was the story of Netionpies, the original owner of the body. All I knew about the human body was that the upper body and lower body could be separated surprisingly beautifully.

"In that way, the hidden god of medicine received the title and the grand mansion for his dedication to his family and for saving Marchioness Yustiha. Isn't that a pretty good story? You didn't receive a territory either."

It was an excuse that was possible because my title was virtually a honorary title.

"It seems okay if I say that I'm staying to treat the aftereffects. A little bit of contradiction can be glossed over appropriately."

Iruealfi also agreed. She wouldn't know that it was not honorable for the commander of the knighthood to be seriously injured. It would be a compromise that suppressed her pride as a martial artist.

I decided to accept Iruealfi's kindness and determination.

"If Iruealfi agrees, I have no objection either."

"Good!"

The Emperor clapped his hands as if he was very pleased.

"In three months, there will be a banquet at the Fayta Duchy, one of the four major ducal families. Marquis Alteon's social debut will be then."

"Then I'll keep that in mind, Your Majesty."

"I'll have to send a letter when I get back."

"As a pair who are the focus of attention, an unprecedented number of people will gather. Haha!"

With the Emperor's hearty laughter as the last, today's meeting came to an end.

◇

We left the Imperial Palace in a carriage returning to the mansion. Outside the window, the sunset, dyed red, was fantastically coloring the sky.

The streets were a different scene from the daytime. Pretty lights were decorated and ready to shine. Rather than children playing, the busyness of adults stood out. All of the things seemed like movements to welcome the stars, so it looked beautiful.

While watching the outside scenery with a floating feeling, I inadvertently spoke to Iruealfi.

"Iruealfi."

"Yes."

"You also had a social debut, right?"

At my question, Iruealfi suddenly made a nostalgic expression. Perhaps she was reminiscing about the old days, her voice contained an ethereal feeling.

"It was when I was sixteen. It's been so long, hasn't it."

"Come to think of it, how old are you exactly now?"

"I'm twenty-six. It's been 10 years already."

"Is that so..."

Even though I had spent close to one or two months with her, I had just learned her age for the first time. As I quietly nodded, this time she asked.

"How old is Nephi?"

"I don't know either. I guess I'm a little older than the Eld Empire."

"Wow..."

Iruealfi's mouth was wide open at the extraordinary scale. It was an unusual sight, so I couldn't help but fix my gaze on her.

Iruealfi was embarrassed, so she quickly hid her mouth with her hand.

'I somehow don't like it.'

Actually, I wanted to confidently tell her that I was also twenty-six. It was the age before I possessed this world.

The time I was sealed in the Great Cavern was long, but I didn't include it because I didn't know the exact time. But I can't say it. She wouldn't believe it, and there's no way to prove it.

Thinking about that made me feel a little depressed. I changed the subject to shake off my 잡념.

"You're going to the banquet too, right?"

"Of course."

"Then... will you wear a dress then too?"

Iruealfi always wore the pure white uniform that symbolized the knighthood and carried a silver sword at her side. It was truly the demeanor of a dignified knight commander.

Perhaps it was because I was always around Iruealfi? Charles's appearance in a dress felt rather awkward.

Iruealfi denied my question firmly.

"The knight commander always wears a uniform regardless of gender. Regardless of official and private occasions."

"I see..."

I was a little disappointed-

"Were you perhaps looking forward to it?"

"What?"

Iruealfi's eyes were thin and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. And a voice that was definitely teasing...

I denied it in horror.

"Absolutely not!"

"Hmph."

Was it because my expression showed it? Or was it because she interpreted my horrified reaction differently? It was a different reaction than usual. It was like the eyes of a beast aiming for an opening.

Iruealfi's words continued after a time lag.

"I wore a dress when I had my debutante. At that time, the sword was in the realm of hobby."

Iruealfi was subtly saying monstrous things.

"I received a lot of attention. You could say it was monopolized. I don't know where they came from, but there were so many people who gave me flowers at first meeting."

"You're popular."

I retorted curtly.

"Hehe, among the people who had their debutante at the time, I'm the only woman who hasn't been able to get married until now."

She expressed it self-deprecatingly, but in fact, she didn't seem to have any regrets. It was Iruealfi-like confidence.

"Suddenly, I remember. It was a snow-white dress decorated with pearls. It was a relatively simple design with no fancy decorations like frills."

I followed her words and imagined it. Iruealfi, who was ten years younger than now, slowly came down the railing in a pure white dress.

Below the railing, an illusion was drawn where the crowds were taking their eyes off Iruealfi. She did not cower at the many gazes and mingled with people with dignity.

I'm not there.

"It was a dress that my sister chose for me. I liked it so much that I bought it without hesitation."

I was a little surprised because Iruealfi brought up her younger sister's story. She didn't seem to notice that she had said it unconsciously, but...

"You don't hate dresses, do you? It seems like it's just uncomfortable."

"Of course it's uncomfortable. I can't wear it by myself, it's cumbersome, and I also wear a corset."

"Then why?"

To my pure question, Iruealfi answered as if it was obvious.

"I'm also a woman? When I see shiny rings, I want to try them on, and when I see pretty dresses, I want to wear them."

"..."

Iruealfi's words gave me quite a shock.

It wasn't just because I heard an answer that was different from the image. It was because I briefly overlapped her future.

The figure of a demon covered in black armor and a helmet. The beautiful silver sword disappeared, and she was wielding a blood-stained sword in the form of a nodachi. Her hair, which had become ashen as if it had been covered in graphite, fluttered like a broom.

The woman who let out a death rattle in a hoarse voice that scratched the chalkboard when she was about to die.

She was Iruealfi Yustiha who had lost everything.

"Well, I won't have a chance to wear it anymore. Unless it's a wedding."

"...You'll be able to wear it."

I answered in a sunken voice. Perhaps she felt something was wrong, Iruealfi looked at me.

"Nephi? What's wrong?"

Even though Iruealfi seemed special, she was actually no different from others. Just a woman who liked pretty accessories and wanted to wear elegant clothes.

However, her extraordinary talent had simply covered her essence.

How much loss did such Iruealfi feel that she became a destroyer of the world who had abandoned her ego? It's impossible for me to even imagine.

Perhaps because I thought of it once, the Iruealfi in front of me and the Iruealfi in the future kept overlapping.

The pure white uniform became black armor. The snow-white and glossy white hair that reached her waist became ashen and dragged on the ground. The silver sword became a blood-stained taedo, and the voice that was like birds chirping became a metallic sound that scraped at my nerves.

I looked at the outside scenery and cooled my head. I decided to let the complicated thoughts flow away with a sigh.

'For me to be so deep in thought, there's nothing that doesn't happen'

I woke up from my thoughts and answered appropriately.

"Yeah, the outside scenery was nice, so I was blankly spacing out."

"You really don't have any manners."

Iruealfi shrugged her shoulders and rebuked me. I chuckled and countered.

"Try living alone."

"That's okay. You can't do that at the banquet, so let's have special training when we get back to the mansion."

"I don't want to."

"Do you think you'll have the right to refuse?"

"...Wouldn't I?"

"Yes, you know that well now!"

It was the appearance of a sincere and energetic Iruealfi. I believed that this was the essence of the human being Iruealfi Yustiha. She would continue to be an upright human being like now.

'I can change it. There's no need to worry.'

The carriage had just arrived at the mansion. Iruealfi tilted her head as she looked at me, who was standing still blankly.

I took a step and said.

"Hey, Iruealfi, you should really be grateful to me."

Then Iruealfi made a dumbfounded expression.

"Did you hit your head or something? You need shock therapy."

Sreung-

Ooh.

"I told you not to do that!"

This damn trauma is really driving me crazy.

I ran up to the mansion as if escaping. Iruealfi slowly followed and rattled off lies to the servants that it was nothing.

I was upset that everyone believed her words.

That day. While someone spent the night agonizing, someone else fell asleep refreshed. Feeling the sorrow of the weak, I vowed.

On the day I do her a favor, I will definitely demand a forehead flick.