༺ Irregular ༻
– Squeak…!
The carriage screeched to a halt, battered on all sides by stones and eggs, at the designated location prepared by the Imperial Family.
– Thud!
With a resounding thud, Frey emerged from the abruptly opened door. Limping slightly and holding his walking stick, he made his way toward the guards. Alice and Arianne followed him, their expressions a mix of complexity and pale discomfort.
“Frey Raon Starlight enters.”
A servant announced as such, the words echoing through the grand ballroom arranged by the Imperial Family.
“……….”
A chilly silence enveloped the ballroom.
– Step, step.
In this silence, Frey moved quietly. His eyes were solely fixed on the place where his name tag was placed.
“Hmm.”
Receiving curious, openly hostile, and cold glares, Frey approached his seat, and then soon frowned.
“What is this?”
To his surprise, his seat was situated at the very edge of the main hall. According to tradition, as the eldest son of a duke, Frey should have occupied the frontmost seat. Even if that weren’t the case, it was customary not to place anyone at the very last seat.
Yet, unmistakably, Frey’s name was positioned in that spot on a simple name tag, the kind typically used for barons.
“…….”
Realizing the intention behind this arrangement, Frey cautiously scanned his surroundings.
“Hehe, heh…”
“…Is he going to flip it out? That would be entertaining, right?”
Most of the nobles observed with anticipation, curious about his reaction.
In the past, such a situation would have been unimaginable. However, among the nobility now, Frey was no longer someone they felt compelled to respect or even acknowledge.
Undergoing daily public scrutiny, investigation by both the Imperial Family and the Church, and even facing disregard from commoners, Frey was destined to lose both power and wealth in the surprise hearings following the Hero’s Verification and Inauguration Ceremony.
– Swish…
So, when Frey, with a gloomy expression, took a seat at the very end and bowed his head, the nobles discreetly turned away, covering their mouths to hide their smiles, while the maids chattered amongst themselves.
“If Frey becomes a commoner… what will happen?”
“I don’t know for sure… but I bet the noblewomen will torment him a lot?”
“Should I take him in and raise him? If he doesn’t obey, I might whip him a bit.”
“You must be joking. What if you get targeted too?”
The hushed murmurs of the young maids, recently initiated into service at the Imperial Palace, reached Frey, seated at the far end.
Frey was no longer a public enemy; he had become public prey.
His usual confident expression, playful smirk, and the arrogant look were conspicuously absent. Instead, he appeared anxious, desolate, fearful, and utterly defeated.
For those familiar with his past demeanor, witnessing Frey in such a pitiful state brought a perverse sense of satisfaction.
The impending title of the Disgraced Young Duke, soon to be bestowed upon him, held a strange allure, causing several onlookers to salivate at the prospect of controlling someone who had fallen from the highest pedestal.
Thus, despite his wretched appearance, Frey became the subject of explicit stares and remarks for quite some time.
However, there were a few exceptions.
“…He doesn’t look well.”
“Right, he looks worse than the last time I saw him…”
Whispers exchanged among the Starlight Mansion servants, cautiously discussing behind Alice and Arianne.
“”……….””
Pitiful glances from several young ladies observing Frey.
“Mentor, who is that man? We were told not to sit there, weren’t we?”
“…Sigh. I didn’t want to come.”
A cute-looking girl spoke, having just arrived at the ball while holding her mentor’s hand.
.
.
.
.
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“Frey~! Hello?”
“Hmm?”
Seated miserably at the very end, Frey was addressed by someone.
“It’s nice to see you here.”
“…..?”
Turning around to respond, Frey tilted his head in confusion as noble ladies with heavy makeup gave him sly grins from behind.
“Would you like to come over to our table? It must be quite uncomfortable for you here.”
“Yes~ Come over to ours~”
As the grinning ladies tugged at Frey’s sleeve with their offer, he inquired.
“Who are you?”
At his question, the young ladies’ laughter faltered.
“Hehe… You don’t remember us?”
However, the apparent leader among them remained composed, whispering with a smile.
“We were in the same class.”
“Same class?”
“And we were devoted fans of yours…”
They were the representatives of the so-called Frey Faction at the academy, all hailing from noble families of at least the rank of a Marquis.
“Do you still not remember?”
As the girl who used to massage Frey’s shoulders daily gently wrapped her hand around his shoulder, he lowered his gaze and spoke quietly.
“I still don’t recall.”
“Oh, come on…”
“…Because I’m just not interested in frivolous women.”
The young lady, who used to massage his shoulder, fell silent.
“…I guess you don’t realize the situation you’re in right now?”
A moment later, the girl’s expression turned menacing.
“Soon, you’ll be finished. Perhaps you’ll just become an ordinary commoner, right?”
“………”
The girl’s fingernails dug into Frey’s shoulder as she spoke.
“Do you know how much bribe I’ve given you so far? No, not just me. The combined money and bribes from the families gathered here… could probably sustain the empire for five years?”
Saying this, the girl leaned in close to Frey with a cold expression.
“So, how are you going to take responsibility?”
“Ugh…”
“You’ll soon be a commoner, stripped of all your wealth. How do you plan to face the fury of the noble families who invested in you?”
Despite the girl’s nails digging into his shoulder, Frey, without turning around, simply lowered his head.
“Hehe… It’s amusing. The mighty Frey is now bowing to me.”
With a satisfied look, the girl whispered in Frey’s ear.
“Do you want us to take you as a slave?”
“…….”
“With our power… we can easily hide someone like you. It’s a piece of cake.”
Continuing on, noticing Frey’s pale face and his fixed gaze on the floor, the girl smirked.
“In return, I’d like you to repay the humiliation we’ve endured because of you.”
“………”
“If you refuse, you might find yourself sold to a brothel, or even get kidnapped. There are quite a few who have been eyeing you.”
Hearing this, Frey murmured in a quiet voice.
“Stop it.”
“Huh?”
The girl, tilting her head momentarily, smiled.
“You should stop.”
“Pfft.”
Suddenly, surrounding the now slumped Frey, her arm draped over his shoulder with eyes full of greed, their leader spoke up.
“How funny.”
“Ugh…”
She whispered, twisting his arm back and forth.
“Since when could you ever command us?”
Hearing this, Frey closed his eyes and spoke in a timid voice.
“I clearly warned you.”
“Oh dear, so scary… What should I do? I’m so terrified my legs are going weak…”
The sight of the Disgraced Duke, who couldn’t even acknowledge his current state, trying to command them till the end.
And the quivering in his voice brought delight to the girls who held numerous grudges against him.
“Why? Why don’t you scream for help?”
However, there was a problem with Frey maintaining such an attitude for long. The girls slowly surrounded him, showing cold expressions.
“Maybe a hero will appear to save you?”
“You, there.”
“Huh?”
Just before the young ladies completely surrounded Frey, someone appeared beside them.
“Would you mind stepping aside?”
“What? Who are you?”
It was a seemingly young girl, wearing a robe that completely covered her face.
“I wasn’t originally planning to come, but I insisted, so there’s no seat for me. Excuse me.”
With those words, she squeezed through the young ladies and took a seat next to Frey.
“What’s with this clueless little girl…”
The leader of the young ladies, observing her, spoke with a cold expression.
“Little girl, don’t interfere. Go away…”
“…Please let her be.”
“What?”
The leader turned to see the person who had appeared behind her, and she gasped.
“I can’t let my disciple stand, can I?”
“Ah, yes, of course…?”
It was because the Magic Tower Master of the empire was standing there with a stern expression.
“”……….!””
The rumored presence of the Magic Tower Master’s apprentice drew the attention of the nobility to the edge of the room.
“What are you looking at?”
However, with a single word from the Magic Tower Master, their gazes turned back.
“Well, we will… take our leave…”
In that situation, the young ladies chose to retreat for the meantime.
“…We’ll be back later. Be prepared.”
Whispering coldly into Frey’s ear, they quickly walked out to the hallway.
“”……….””
A brief silence followed.
“Excuse me.”
The girl broke the silence with a gentle question directed at Frey, who still had his head lowered.
“Are you okay?”
“……..”
“Hellooo~?”
With no response from Frey, she leaned over to get a better look at his face.
“Hmm…”
She stared at Frey’s face for a long time.
“…Mind your own business, kid.”
However, Frey, without even glancing at her, responded with an icy tone.
“……..”
Undeterred, she looked up at Frey, who had already turned his attention to the Verification Ceremony, nearly at its end.
“Why did you just let them treat you like that?”
“…….”
“Why?”
She persisted with her question.
“…Do you not recognize me?”
“I do? I just heard about you from my mentor.”
“Then, why do you continue to talk to me?”
“I’m curious.”
“Haah.”
Frey slightly frowned and sighed, glancing back as he muttered.
“I didn’t need to be considerate of idiots who can’t understand even when told to stop.”
“…?”
“But…”
Frey shifted his gaze to the girl, who tilted her head. He raised an eyebrow and posed a question,
“…Who are you?”
On the girl’s left hand, a ring sparkled.
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Meanwhile, at that moment…
“Ah, ahhhh…!”
From beyond the corridor door, the young lady, who had earlier been pressing Frey’s shoulder with her nails, found herself caught between Serena and Clana.
“I’m, I’m sorry… I’m sor… Arghh…!”
Serena and Clana, with cold expressions, had each seized one of the girl’s shoulders.
“Do you remember the ones who ran away earlier?”
“I remembered all of them. Both their families and names.”
“Is today’s announcement prepared?”
“Yes, perfectly.”
They were talking calmly.
“But… who’s that little girl?”
“She’s the disciple of the Magic Tower Master.”
“I see. She originally wasn’t supposed to come… she must’ve arrived unexpectedly and didn’t have a seat. If that’s the case, it’s a relief…”
With a slightly tense expression, Clana, who had posed the question to Serena, breathed a sigh of relief at her response.
“…Wait, the disciple of the Magic Tower Master?”
Soon, she furrowed her brows and directed her attention to the girl in the robe.
“In the previous regression, the disciple of the Magic Tower Master was… only Irina, though?”
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