Around the time when Kevin's training was getting more intense, Baron Romero officially announced something that shook the entire area around Dmitry.
"The marriage of Dmitry and Lawrence has been broken."
The breakup—People knew what that meant. It meant that Dmitry's protection to resolve the conflict with Barco had disappeared, leaving Lawrence to prepare for war by themselves.
In such a situation, naturally, people started gossiping. Baron Romero had announced that the Lawrence family's irresponsible attitude was the reason for the breakup, but the public's interpretation was different.
"The reason for the breakup? Obviously, the flower of Lawrence decided to marry for the sake of her family, but when she experienced Dmitry's Fool firsthand, she couldn't stand it anymore. Other than that, why would Lawrence demand a breakup? Even though Barco's blade was reaching the front of her neck, the fact that she still made such a decision means that Dmitry's Fool was worse than the rumors."
"No way. Making that decision even if the family is destroyed? But what about the rumors that Dmitry's eldest son subjugated the Blood Fang?"
"Do you seriously believe those rumors? There's no way someone who's been called Dmitry's Fool for decades could subjugate Blood Fang out of the blue. He probably pulled some strings to improve his reputation to avoid a breakup. It's not that the new Roman Dmitry wasn't enough, but Lawrence demanded a divorce because he wasn't up to their expectations."
That was the public opinion. Roman's reputation was terrible. He had lived his whole life as a fool, and Flora Lawrence was praised as the flower of Lawrence.
With one incident, he had achieved a different reputation from his past. However, the people had seen how badly responsible Roman Dmitry was, and although his reputation was improved by the subjugation of the Blood Fang, the one-sided perception could not be changed entirely.
Nevertheless, the Dmitry family did not take any action. The Baron knew that it was not a fact that could be changed by using every word in the dictionary, and it was an undeniable reality that Roman Dmitry had lived his past life like a fool.
However, he trusted the changed Roman. He was completely different from the rumors, so the Baron was able to laugh at people's reactions and continue his work without minding them.
In such a situation, the bright day for Barco's social party came.
"…Do you seriously want me to wear this?"
Roman's expression hardened, and his eyes trembled. He looked tired of the clothes that caught his eye, luxurious and decorated with gold thread splendidly.
Hans said, "Young master, this is your first public appearance after the breakup with Lawrence. The status of the young master and the Dmitry family is on the line, so you can't just wear any clothes. By the way, to explain this garment, it is the work of Pierre, a craftsman working in the North-East area, and we spent a lot of money to get rid of the waiting time due to dozens of people ordering from him and to make the custom-made clothes. The man was not driven solely by money, so it took quite a while to convince him even though we carried a lump of money. But now, are you saying you won't wear this masterpiece created through blood and sweat?"
Two weeks ago, shortly after Roman announced his intention to attend the banquet, Hans started to go and look for clothes for Roman every day. He even checked the fabric and if the color would suit Roman's tastes. Seeing Hans contact famous artisans for him, he again realized how unusual he was.
Regardless, seeing his assertive attitude that seemed as if it wouldn't tolerate rejection, Roman had no choice but to smile and nod.
"I get it. I'll wear it."
In the past, people often thought of the devil when they heard the word "Heavenly Demon." They believed him to be a monster that had neither blood nor tears, and someone who would cut off their heads at once even if they asked to be his prisoner.
In fact, when he was on his way to reaching the peak of his martial arts, there were many instances when he would condemn his subordinates with a cruel heart. However, Roman never ignored the devotion of his subordinates.
And Hans was a man who showed his devotion to him thoroughly. Although the Dmitry family grants him daily bread and salary, he has a sincere heart for Roman. That's why he even went in search of the best craftsmen and asked them to make clothes for Roman. However, what was his reason behind those actions? Honestly, Hans didn't want material rewards; he just hoped that Roman would happily accept the dress he brought for him.
Roman smiled—just because it was a particularly effortless action. Even though the colorful clothes looked burdensome to him, he showed a smiling face to Hans while struggling to hide his hardened expression.
'Just looking at it makes me choke on my breath, but if the rules of this world are like this, then I need to follow them.'
When someone stays in the kingdom, they often hear a saying that they must obey the kingdom's laws. And now was the time for Roman to adapt to them—just as he had adapted to reality as a child by following instructions that came from above in a dark cavern. Now, Roman clearly knew when to take the lead and when he had to follow what was made in advance. He decided to wear the fancy clothes. It meant accepting reality, and also meant Roman was adjusting to the new world.
It took him quite some time to change into them. Regardless, Hans' eyes suddenly turned into hearts when he finally saw Roman come out with the changed clothes.
"…It's really, really cool."
The clothes were a combination of black and gold. In the golden light that bloomed on a serious and charismatic black background, Roman looked like a nobleman with a high reputation.
At that moment, Hans became sure—the main character of Barco's banquet would be his young master, Roman Dmitry.
Chris and Kevin—They were the two people who would accompany Roman to the banquet. As they were following him as escorts, they were armed differently than usual.
Clack clack.
The rustling of the armor resounded loudly. As Chris was in the knight uniform, he wore a custom-made armor. The armor, which was silver, adequately fitted to his body and shimmered in the sun. Also, his golden hair was fluttering gracefully in the wind. That figure proved why Chris was called a handsome swordsman. His posture and appearance right now were just confident and gorgeous.
Glance.
He looked at the sword hanging from his waist. A sword of a suitable length so as not to touch the ground was engraved with a pattern symbolizing Dmitry.
"Why is he so late?"
Kevin hadn't come out yet. As the principle was that the escort should finish their preparations before their master, Chris showed a slight dissatisfaction at Kevin's delay.
Just then, from afar, a silhouette of a dwarf stature jumped out.
Clack clack.
"…Sorry!"
It was Kevin. And his look… was the exact opposite of Chris.
As it was only recently decided that he would be the second escort, custom armor couldn't be made for him, who was only a commoner. Moreover, due to him being in his mid-teens, an armor that could fit him couldn't be found either.
So he just put on armor that matched the size of the blacksmith. The problem was that even that was too big for Kevin, and Chris gave an absurd smile seeing a helmet big enough to cover most of his sweaty forehead.
'I have to escort Roman with this guy.'
Kevin—He was just like a boy soldier. Even if you ignored his sloppy appearance and ignorance of the etiquettes of escorts, Kevin couldn't even hold his center properly in his armor.
The day the two fought each other, Chris didn't like Kevin's tenacity. It was not that he didn't understand Kevin's plight, but his ignorance of Chris's training and devotion to his sword sparked something inside him.
Was that why?
Seeing Kevin grabbing the helmet that kept dropping down, Chris said sharply, "We are the lord's escort and the face of Dmitry. Whatever happens outside, don't act hastily. The young master's reputation depends on our actions as well, so we should be especially careful with our words and actions."
The last duel—because of that, Chris decided to sincerely follow Roman.
Back in the day, I wouldn't care Dmitry's Fool or whatever he was known as, but now I can't afford to see Roman being ignored or disrespected. He's my own master.
Roman Dmitry's reputation would soon be that of his own, so he knew that from now on, he had to be extra careful with his words and deeds, just for the sake of his master. On the other hand, Kevin was worried. As he didn't know anything about a knight's etiquette, he might make a mistake at a banquet where etiquette is extremely important.
That was why Kevin nodded his head seriously after hearing Chris' words.
"…I'll keep that in mind, sir knight."
"Great."
A smile appeared on Chris' face when he was called by the title of knight. He and Kevin are in the same position right now, but Kevin still called Chris 'Knight', probably because it was difficult for him to evaluate himself on the same level as Chris.
Maybe it was because he was a little relieved now? Chris suddenly walked over to Kevin and fixed the crooked helmet.
And…
The time has arrived. Seeing Roman come out, Chris and Kevin packed their things.
Now it was time to leave for Barco.
Barco's banquet.
The hottest topic of discussion at the banquet was that Lawrence's Flower and Dmitry's eldest son—both who broke their marriage—would be attending the banquet.
The banquet had already started. And seeing that Roman Dmitry had not yet appeared, the drunken nobleman at the banquet said to the man standing next to him, "What the hell is that guy, Roman, thinking? Even though he knew that Barco's eldest son wanted Flora, he insisted on an arranged marriage, then abruptly broke the marriage and announced his intention to attend Barco's party."
"That's exactly why he's called a fool. He would have chosen one of the two things if he was a smart guy."
"I guess. It is common sense to either fight against Barco by pushing the arranged marriage to the end or to turn away from Lawrence for the sake of a smooth relationship with Barco in the first place. Because of Roman Dmitry's actions, the Dmitry family's position has become really ambiguous now. They are indeed a dominant force in the North-East region, but marrying Lawrence and trying to maintain a good relationship with Barco in the future is just too greedy and unrealistic."
"And they say Roman Dmitry is coming to the banquet to make up for his mistakes. What a funny guy, hahaha."
The nobles laughed. Roman was an object of ridicule for them. He was now known as the guy who ignored the relationship between the families and behaved in his own way, but was eventually abandoned due to the breakup of his marriage with Flora.
It was obvious why he was coming to the banquet—abandoned by both sides, he seemed to be trying to restore his relationship with Barco now.
All over the banquet, conversations on the topic of Roman blossomed. Most of them were people who had experienced Roman by meeting him themselves, so there was no hesitation in remarks that demeaned Roman at the banquet.
Even among an aristocratic crowd, Roman's reputation was low. Dmitry's name prevented him from being ignored while in front of them, but they couldn't help but gossip behind his back.
In that situation, a noblewoman who didn't know about him asked, "Who is Roman Dmitry?"
"You will see it for yourself. He has a dirty look and a small physique, so he's not a good-looking guy. By the way, he is so pretentious only because he is Dmitry's eldest son. He always had a bad reputation from the beginning among the nobility. To put it bluntly, if I were Flora Lawrence, I would have objected to marrying him, even if I had to bite my own tongue."
"Is he that bad?"
"Would he be called Dmitry's Fool for no reason? A lit chimney must smoke. Once he drinks alcohol, he will naturally reveal who he really is."
Just then, when the party is about to ripen more, Barco's servant exclaimed with a deep voice.
"Roman Dmitry, the eldest son of the Dmitry family, has arrived."
Roman.
Hearing that name, the attention of the people, who had been gossipping about him until now, was simultaneously focused on a single place.
And…
At that place, the door opened, and Roman entered the banquet hall.