Silver chandeliers illuminating the hall, the large windows displaying the beautiful scenery of the night, the instruments creating harmonious melodies, and exquisite dishes arranged in an orderly manner. Such was the main hall.
Be it sight, hearing, or whatever senses one uses, there was an aura of gaudiness no matter where one stands. Not only the hall, the people inside the hall also wore similarly grandiose and gaudy clothing and accessories.
In such a grand hall, there stood two young people who caught many of the other's attention. It was not only because of their ranks and accomplishments, but because of their natural beauty. They are without a doubt amongst the best in terms of appearance amongst the participants.
Those two people were none other than Grey and Yuna, and currently, the both of them are...
"It's Marquess Beldon." ［Vanessa］
""Eh?""
... in a state of mild confusion from Vanessa's unexpected statement. They couldn't help themselves but give a short and confused response.
While it was true that many nobles had greeted them after the King's introduction, Marquess Beldon didn't look like them. He wasn't waiting just for an idle chat and a merry greeting.
Marquess Beldon had a serious and gloomy atmosphere looming upon him. It was as if he was in a serious predicament that could turn his life for the worse if something was to go wrong.
"Beldon... A relative of my student,,,?" ［Yuna］
"That's right. If I remember correctly, his son should be studying in the Royal Academy. I think his name was George." ［Vanessa］
"George... The one with the bad attitude, right?" ［Grey］
"Un. That's the one." ［Yuna］
The student's name being mentioned, Grey reminisced about their first day in the academy. He could still remember the face Geroge made when he saw Yuna freeze the training grounds. It was really pale.
George was the reason why Grey became a little anxious. He was anxious about what Yuna would do if he were to piss her off. Thankfully, no such events occurred and their days as instructors went off without a hitch.
If there was something notable about him, it was that his Beldon household had been involved with a member of Iblis. They were victims who were about to be used for Iblis' goals.
Grey and Yuna couldn't help but wonder what Marquess Beldon wanted from them. They have heard from the Headmaster that he was a reasonable person, but they still didn't want to deal with it, especially if it was going to be troublesome.
『Grey, what do you think?』 ［Yuna］
『I don't know... It doesn't seem like he's bearing any ill intent.』 ［Grey］
『Uuu... I just wanted to drink my juice. Is that too much to ask?』 ［Yuna］
『Now, now, don't get too upset. I'll make you some when we get back.』 ［Grey］
『Really?! Yay～! Thank you, Grey!』 ［Yuna］
Their expressions unchanging, Grey and Yuna engaged in a telepathic conversation as they shared their opinions about Marquess Beldon who was still sitting quietly, waiting for their response.
"Everyone, please have your drinks, Yuna and I will just have a chat with Marquess Beldon for a little bit." ［Grey］
"We'll be back in a while." ［Yuna］
"Thank you for the drinks, Grey and Yuna." ［Vanessa］
"Yeah, thanks." ［Kris］
After placing the glasses of drinks on top of the table, Yuna and Grey then slowly walked their way towards Marquess Beldon's table. The very moment the latter noticed their approach, he calmly stood up and...
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highnesses, Archduke Grey, Archduchess Yuna, I am called Abraham, head of the Beldon Marquessal household. Pleased to make your acquaintance." ［Abraham］
... with his body slightly trembling, he greeted the two of them with a courteous and nervous bow. One could even notice his somewhat pale complexion as he was greeting Grey and Yuna.
"As you know, my name is Grey, and this is my partner, Yuna. The pleasure is ours, Marquess Beldon." ［Grey］
"We've heard things from His Majesty about you, it's good to finally meet you." ［Yuna］
"The honor is mine." ［Abraham］
In response to Abraham's over the top courteous introduction, Grey and Yina also introduced themselves courteously and formally, accompanied with a slight bow of the head by the end.
Strangely enough, when Abraham heard the mention of the King, his complexion became a little bit worse and he was frozen for a moment. He tried his best not to show the two, but their eyes could clearly notice it.
"Ah, how rude of me, please have a seat." ［Abraham］
"Thank you." ［Grey］
"Thank you." ［Yuna］
Before Yuna and Grey could even move their seats, Marquess Beldon went ahead of us and took it upon himself to move it for them, readying the chairs for Grey and Yuna's use.
While it was true that there was nothing wrong with being courteous, Abraham was just too courteous that it was making both Grey and Yuna feel extremely puzzled and uncomfortable. Along with the fact that he was amongst the highest ranking nobles in Alfrione, it made things even worse!
Neither Grey nor Yuna has a speck of understanding what was happening. Even though they felt like their stomachs were turning, they just remained calm and maintained a smile. They just wanted to go back to their table.
"Forgive me for the sudden invitation, Your Highnesses. I really wanted to talk about this when we are alone, but I don't think I'll have any other chance other than this time." ［Abraham］
"No, you don't need to apologize. We weren't doing anything of great importance, after all. Isn't that right, Yuna?" ［Grey］
"Uー Y... Yes. We are free at the moment." ［Yuna］
Yuna was about to answer with her usual "Un", when she suddenly remembered how tense the atmosphere was and decided to say "Yes" instead. She was trying to act formally with the number of nobles around.
'Cute...' ［Grey］
Seeing Yuna trying to act formal and fumble her words really made Grey extremely happy. If it wasn't for the situation they were currently in, he would have freely indulged in her cuteness already.
"I am glad to hear that." ［Abraham］
"Then, if I may ask, what might be the reason for your invitation? Is it anything urgent?" ［Grey］
"Ah!" ［Abraham］
As soon as Grey stated that question, Abraham abruptly stood up from his seat and bowed his head in a 90-degree position, making everyone in adjacent tables jolt from surprise.
"I would like to apologize for the rudeness of my son! I know this is impudent and unreasonable to ask butー" ［Abraham］
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Marquess Beldon, please calm down. Let us talk about this more calmly, shall we?" ［Grey］
"T-T-That's right! We're really gathering a lot of attention right now!" ［Yuna］
Because of Abraham's sudden outburst, all the eyes in the hall were suddenly turned upon them, and curious gazes came from all directions. The atmosphere quickly became as awkward as it could get.
Luckily, Yuna and Grey were able to convince Abraham to calm down before the commotion could get worse. But also because they were in haste, Grey and Yuna couldn't help themselves but switch back to causal language.
After a few hand signals from them, signaling that everything was alright, as if nothing happened, the crowd went back to what they were doing and they were once again back to their own conversation.
"I... I apologize for the sudden outbursts." ［Abraham］
"No, it's alright, by the way, what were you talking about earlier again?" ［Grey］
"You were sayinー Ahem... If I wasn't mistaken, you mentioned something about an apology, didn't you?" ［Yuna］
Upon her sudden realization, Yuna then went from informal back to formal language, and needless to say, it was a precious scene for Grey's eyes. Her trying so hard made her cute if anything.
"Ah, you don't have to use formal language with me, Your Highnesses. Please feel free to converse in the way you are most comfortable with. It would trouble me if you are uncomfortable during our conversation." ［Abraham］
"T... Thank you..." ［Yuna］
Thankfully, Abraham was a considerate person. With his words, Yuna's shoulders and breathing relaxed immediately. It was as if the tense mood was never there to begin with.
"Ahem... Then back to the topic... I would like to apologize for my son's impudence during your time in the Royal Academy. Words have reached me that he had insulted you during the first day, and as a noble, such an attitude is unbefitting for him. For that, I would like to apologize on his behalf. I am deeply sorry, Lord Grey, Lady Yuna, I hope you can forgive him." ［Abraham］
After his elaborate and stiff apology, Abraham bowed his head towards us once again. His hands were trembling even harder than how it used to be and his face became paler as well.
It was easy to understand why Abraham acted like that. He was fearing what the King had warned him about. The very thought of the kingdom being in danger because of his son's simple mistake weighed down heavily on his mind.
Neither Grey nor Yuna held any grudge towards the Beldon household, but from Abraham's perspective, his son had offended people he shouldn't have. It was the reason he had been trembling ever since.
"Umm... While he was prideful and had a sharp tongue, after what he did during the first day, he hasn't really done anything else which could make me angry. He also didn't complain during our training, so I don't think the apology is needed. I think he would be a great knight if he changes his personality." ［Yuna］
"Ah, that is..." ［Abraham］
When Yuna mentioned the last part of her statement, a dejected expression was painted over Abraham's face. He then revealed why George had turned out the way he is, clearing Grey and Yuna's doubts.
According to him, it seems that a servant of his wife has been poisoning her wife with alchemy and curse magic, and it seems that it was because of how he sees his mother act that George grew up to be that way.
In addition to that, that servant was planning to kill Abraham so that she can take control of the Beldon household with the Marchioness as her puppet in order to serve Iblis' goals.
Luckily, the servant had already been apprehended. As for his wife, she is currently being rehabilitated with George as the servant had also recently started poisoning him for her future plans.
While the King had mentioned what had happened to Grey and Yuna already, what Abraham had explained was more detailed. They could only sigh with how much atrocities Iblis had committed.
Thankfully, the familiars have yet to report anything suspicious around the royal capital. They could only hope that everything will turn out well and no more disasters occur which could have more innocents.
"It was because of my irresponsibility of watching over my household that this happened. I apologize for causing you trouble." ［Abraham］
After his explanation, Abraham once again bowed his head before Grey and Yuna. It made the latter wonder how much he had apologized to them already. They have already lost count.
But rather than answer Abraham's apology, Grey and Yuna were stuck thinking about what herbs and ingredients were used in the said poison. There was only one thing which matched the effects Abraham described.
"Marquess Beldon... The poison, did it perhaps use Rateras flower buds?" ［Grey］
"H-How did you know?!" ［Abraham］
"Wellm it's just that those effects matches that of Rateras'. Was I wrong?" ［Grey］
An extremely shocked expression loomed over Abraham's face as he looked at Grey. After all, he had just found out about the ingredients used yet Grey already figured it out just by hearing about it.
"N-No... You are correct, Your Highness..." ［Abraham］
"Mmm... To think they would resort to using that. How nasty..." ［Grey］
"It's hard to cure as well. The ingredients are hard toー" ［Yuna］
"A cure?! Did Your Highness just mention a cure?!" ［Abraham］
"Y-Yes...?" ［Yuna］
Abraham made yet another outburst after hearing Yuna's words. He had been searching far and wide for such a thing yet had never found one. Even now he could only serve medicine which lessens the effects of the poison.
Without warning, Marquess Beldon once again bowed his head, surprising Grey and Yuna even more. His pride didn't matter anymore. He just wanted to get rid of the poison inside his son and wife's systems.
"Your Highness, please teach me about how to make the cure! I will do everything in my power to repay you no matter how much it takesー" ［Abraham］
"Wa-Wa-Wa-Wait, please raise your head. People are looking at us again. We'll tell you the method so please!" ［Yuna］
Once again, people looked at the three of them and once again, they shifted their attention away after Yuna's quick intervention. Both Grey and Yuna were already tired from dealing with everything and wanted to go home.
Getting a paper and pen from the servants, Grey and Yuna wrote down the ingredients and procedure in making the cure. They made sure to mention the exact amounts in order to prevent any mistakes.
"Your Highnesses... Words can't describe how grateful I am. I truly, truly, thank you. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to tell me." ［Abraham］
"Then we'll be doing that when the time comes. Anyway, it seems like the dance is about to begin. We'll be going back to our table now." ［Grey］
"Ah, I apologize for taking so much of your precious time. I hope you can still enjoy the party." ［Abraham］
"Yeah, we will." ［Grey］
"See you next time." ［Yuna］
"Yes." ［Abraham］
Having resolved the little situation with Abraham, Yuna and Grey headed back to their table, where they relaxed themselves after dealing with a matter they had never expected to deal with in the first place.
"Ah... The ice already melted..." ［Yuna］
A dejected expression loomed over Yuna as she looked at her drink, the ice was now gone and melted with the drink. She didn't want to drink it anymore as it would have already been diluted with water.
Yuna stared at her drink with eyes full of disappointment, when coincidentally, the doors opened and the desserts were brought in by the waiters. One of which was the pudding they taught Carlton a few days ago.
From dejection, Yuna's mood immediately swung to a joyous one the moment she witnessed the desserts coming inside the hall. Her eyes were literally brimming with excitement. Her smile was very blinding.
"What is that...?"
"Is it a new dessert?"
"It looks... interesting..."
But amongst the dishes that was brought out, one in particular stood out amongst the others, and it was pudding. It was a dessert that only a few people inside the hall have knowledge of.
In spite of the fact that everyone was frozen in the confusion of what that peculiar dessert was, Yuna didn't pay any attention to them and just went ahead there to get a serving of pudding for herself.
Following Yuna, the Royal Family then got their own servings of pudding as well, making everyone even more curious about it and prompting them to get one themselves. Luckily, there was more than enough for everyone to enjoy.
"Amazing～! It's really delectable!"
"It's really sweet as well!"
"What an amazing texture!"
"This dish is called pudding! It is created by one of our dear heroes, Archduke Grey, a really delectable dish indeed." ［Ernes］
Hearing everyone's reactions towards the pudding, the King can't help himself but announce that Grey was the one who introduced the dish to them, making the crowd even more excited.
The King looked so proud at his own words as if he was the one who made them, but Grey, who was the subject of the applause, only felt embarrassed and uncomfortable from their reception.
"Grey, I got one for you as well." ［Yuna］
As nonchalant as usual, Yuna returned back to the table with another serving of pudding for Grey, which the latter really appreciated. After all, with how things are, he wouldn't be able to close to the table for pudding without nobles crowding over him.
"Is it delicious?" ［Grey］
"Un! But I still think that the ones you make are more delicious!" ［Yuna］
"Hahaha, I'm happy to hear that." ［Grey］
"Hehe..." ［Yuna］
Although Grey didn't think that Yuna was lying with her praise for him, he was somewhat doubtful since it was a first-rate chef he was being compared to. In spite of that, he was still very happy after hearing her words.
While both Grey and Yuna would be usually embarrassed by the way they are acting right now in public, because the hall was riddled with couples, they didn't stand out that much.
It wasn't long before music fully enveloped the whole hall and the people started to dance. It was a time where Cedric and Veronica's brief dancing lesson became a huge help. Grey and Yuna danced to their hearts' content.
The deeper the night went, the merrier the hall became. It was only until the party was over that the number of people inside the hall slowly dwindled as they went home with smiles plastered over their faces.
As for the guests of honor, they had a short talk with the royal family and other important figures first. After which, all of them then went back home, free from the "responsibilities" they once had.
"Well then, Grey, Yuna, this will be where we part ways." ［Kris］
"Take care on the way home～!" ［Aria］
"Yeah." ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Having said their goodbyes to one another, Grey and Yuna then parted ways with Kris and Aria and headed back towards the Aldridge Mansion, walking down the night streets.
It was only at that time that they noticed how deep the night had really become. Contrary to the party's lively and cheerful atmosphere, the streets were silent and serene. They could even feel the wind gently caressing their skin.
"Haah... Fresh air～" ［Yuna］
Yuna heaved a deep breath, enjoying the cool and fresh air, and enjoying the dim light coming from street lights and the stars above them. She then skipped to the rhythm of the night with a smile on her face.
"So, how was the party? Did you enjoy it?" ［Grey］
"Well, I can't say that I didn't enjoy it... but it sure was tiring. Especially with the case with Marquess Beldon, I really didn't expect it. But all in all, it was a fun experience." ［Yuna］
"Then, do you want to attend one again if we have the chance?" ［Grey］
"Ah... I might refrain from that offer for the time being..." ［Yuna］
"Even if there are lots of delicious dishes present?" ［Grey］
"Ugh..." ［Yuna］
The moment Grey mentioned the word "dishes", Yuna's resolve quickly wavered. After all, it was one of the few things she had enjoyed at the party.
As Yuna was being troubled by Grey's question, Grey on the other hand only chuckled as he continued to observe the lady before him. His heart only raced faster the more he looked at her.
Brought about by the perfect atmosphere, before he had noticed, Grey's body already moved on its own and he pressed his lips against Yuna's. It was so sudden that Yuna could not help but widen her eyes in shock.
The light of the moonlight shone upon them like the spotlights on a stage and they are the actors. The chirping of the crickets along with the gentle rustling of the wind became the music to their ears as Grey showed affection towards his beloved.
"Eh? Eh? W-why so suddenly?!" ［Yuna］
"Well... That's a secret." ［Grey］
"Eh?! Tell me! Tell me! Hey, Grey, tell me!" ［Yuna］
Yuna pounded her fists against Grey's shoulders lightly, trying to squeeze out the reason why he kissed her so suddenly. All while trying to hide her embarrassed and beet red face.
Too bad for her, there was no actual reason nor will there ever be one that will suffice her. After all, Grey just wanted to kiss her at the spur of the moment. He had once again fallen in love with Yuna.
CHAPTER 101 END