In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 104

“Perfect, Lavinia Angenas. Perfect.”

Impigra Housekeeper nodded very satisfactorily and praised me.

Clap clap clap.

Then the palace maids standing behind the housekeeper also clapped softly.

“Ugh!”

Maeve Caporia glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.

“Wow, as expected of Lady Pirenthia! Amazing!”

Tilianna praised me with sparkling eyes that were like ‘Creny No. 2’.

This was the situation that repeated every few ball practice sessions.

Even praise becomes tiresome when repeated too much.

Hmph.

But of course, I didn’t lose my modesty on the outside and shook my head.

“You flatter me. It’s because Impigra Housekeeper taught me well.”

That was right.

I was surprisingly suited for high society.

I had been nervous after hearing terrible rumors about high society like ‘a battlefield without swords’ or ‘a place like a cliff where today’s winner becomes tomorrow’s loser’.

But my sword was sharper than I thought, and I belonged to the side that pushed people off cliffs rather than falling off them.

I wonder if it’s okay to be this happy about beating young ladies who are only in their teens.

Anyway, I was making a solid impression on Impigra Housekeeper.

Good, it’s going according to plan.

“Could you teach me the secret too?”

Tilianna asked me.

“I thought Lady Pirenthia would be good at anything… How can you speak banquet conversation so perfectly?”

The Debutante Ball practice was divided into morning and afternoon, and today’s morning class was about ‘speech’.

Since everyone was born and raised in noble families, they could use basic noble speech, but it was like taking supplementary classes for the ball and future social life.

But Tilianna particularly struggled with speech.

“No one in the Eastern Region uses this kind of language. Speaking in such roundabout ways is too frustrating.”

It was a culture befitting the Eastern Region, which was far from the center of the Empire and had strong coastal people’s temperament.

“If you don’t want to dance anymore, can’t you just say you’re tired? I don’t understand why you have to make excuses about shoes or makeup.”

Tilianna shook her head as if she couldn’t understand at all.

“At this rate, I’ll become the rudest young lady in Imperial Debutante Ball history…”

Tilianna muttered gloomily.

“I think the most important thing is to ‘keep smiling’. Just doing that should prevent you from being called rude, right?”

“Is, is that so…”

It was when Tilianna smiled ambiguously.

“How envious that Giterwell doesn’t need to go through the trouble of learning speech.”

The person who walked toward us and spoke was Campardel, who was like Caporia’s lieutenant.

I heard she was 14 this year, but she was so tall that you’d probably believe she was an adult.

“Wallflowers don’t need to make difficult rejections. Hoho!”

Caporia and her group constantly teased and ignored Tilianna, saying she was from an Eastern rural family they’d never heard of.

They mocked her slightly different speech and culture from the imperial center as being ‘country bumpkin’, so Tilianna was very intimidated.

Even now, Tilianna’s frightened large eyes turned toward me.

Try it once.

I sent her a look telling her to try the ‘keep smiling’ I had just taught her.

Tilianna gulped and nodded, then struggled to curl up the corners of her mouth and smiled while looking at Campardel.

“What, what’s with that smile?”

When Tilianna, who had been timidly intimidated every day, suddenly smiled, Campardel was startled.

“Hmph. There’s no use pretending to be calm! Who would want to dance with an unknown lower noble from the Eastern Region?”

She continued her verbal bombardment, but Tilianna gritted her teeth and endured without losing her smile.

Campardel’s eyes wavered as she watched Tilianna, then she frowned deeply and muttered.

“…So, so annoying really.”

You’re more annoying.

I glared sharply at Campardel’s retreating figure, but Tilianna was delighted.

“This is the first time I didn’t cry when Campardel picked a fight with me! As expected of Lady Pirenthia! You taught me an amazing secret!”

Seeing Tilianna get so excited over small things reminded me of Peres, whose eyes sparkled at a single chocolate cookie.

If today’s practice ends early, maybe I’ll visit Peres while I’m at the palace.

With that, break time ended and the afternoon class began.

All the tables and chairs in the banquet hall were cleared, preparing a wide space.

“First, let me tell you about the procedures of the Imperial Debutante Ball.”

Impigra Housekeeper said while looking around at the standing young ladies.

“When the ball begins, the young ladies will be called one by one to enter. Brief personal information about each young lady will be introduced. Of course, your partner cavalier will escort you.”

At the mention of partner and cavalier, the young ladies who had been quietly listening stirred.

“After that comes the most important stage of the Debutante Ball. The group dance performed by participants with their cavaliers is the highlight of the ball.”

Impigra Housekeeper explained in a calm voice.

“However, all eight pairs won’t start dancing at once. One pair selected by us organizers, including myself, will start the dance first. Naturally, they’ll receive everyone’s attention at the banquet, so the most excellent and beautiful dancing pair will be selected.”

One pair receiving everyone’s attention.

How wonderful it would be to make such a spectacular social debut!

The young ladies’ eyes sparkled with ambition.

“After that pair’s dance ends, the rest will naturally join in for the group dance.”

“Um, then…”

As soon as Impigra Housekeeper finished speaking, Campardel raised her hand and asked.

“How do we get cavaliers? Do, do I have to directly ask a gentleman to be my cavalier…”

Instantly, people tensed up and you could hear them softly gasping ‘Gasp!’

I had my own worries too.

The twins would definitely try to become my cavalier, but what if they fight over it?

No, they’ll definitely fight over this.

While I was worrying, Impigra Housekeeper said something unexpectedly welcome.

“No. The cavaliers have been selected by us organizers as suitable gentlemen for the young ladies, considering various factors like age, temperament, and family.”

“Phew, thank goodness…”

“I was surprised thinking we had to ask directly…”

Everyone sighed in relief and patted their chests.

But wait a minute.

They already ‘selected’ the cavaliers?

Sure enough, Impigra Housekeeper spoke toward the closed door.

“Please come in.”

The door opened wide and eight men entered in a line.

They all had youthful faces, not yet adults.

And at the very front was Peres.

Peres, who made eye contact with me immediately, smiled almost imperceptibly and stood in line with the other cavaliers behind Impigra Housekeeper.

“What…”

Why are you coming out from there?

I wasn’t the only one surprised.

The young ladies who had been standing elegantly while observing etiquette all went into chaos.

“That person, could it be the Second Prince?”

“Oh my!”

Even Maeve Caporia, who was on the Empress’s side, was the same.

“Kyaa, kyaaa… What do I do!”

Some covered their reddened faces.

The reaction is more intense than I expected?

I asked Tilianna, who was standing beside me blankly staring at Peres.

“Um, Lady Tilianna, is the Second Prince extremely popular among the young ladies?”

I really asked just in case I was wondering.

“Of course… Wow, this is my first time seeing him in person today and I can see why…”

Tilianna said while still unable to take her eyes off Peres.

“Even I, who came to the Imperial Capital recently to attend the ball, heard stories about the Second Prince first?”

“What kind of stories?”

“Well, you know. Beautiful like a painting.”

That’s right.

“And somehow mysteriously charming and cool.”

That’s also correct.

“He has a cold and aloof personality, but that’s also attractive…”

All the rumors seem to converge into one thing, but it is true.

Peres’s appearance was blooming more magnificently, enough to captivate anyone.

His face with little expression change wasn’t a flaw, but rather became a ‘cold charm.’

His body, which had developed admirably through consistent sword training, was incomparably outstanding compared to his peers.

Contrary to his tall height, his delicate face that looked as if it had been smoothly carved with a sculpting knife had a strange magic that made you want to stare at it blankly.

The eyes that reminded me of a rabbit when he was young were now close to the color of deep ruby.

Right, a ruby that sparkles when it catches the light…

The ruby is looking at me?

“The Second Prince keeps looking at Lady Pirenthia!”

Tilianna whispered to me in surprise.

My gaze, which had been blankly staring while being newly amazed by that guy’s beauty, properly entangled with Peres’s gaze.

And it didn’t break away.

Despite the distance of standing apart on this side and that side of the banquet hall, Peres was looking at me without even the slightest movement.

It seemed like the Impigra Housekeeper was continuing to explain something.

That voice sounded distant as if it were from some far-off place.

It was strange.

Why did Peres feel so unfamiliar today of all days.

It was when I tried to look away from Peres, thinking ‘I should still listen to the Impigra Housekeeper’s explanation.’

Changes began to occur on Peres’s face, which had been like an artwork carved by a craftsman.

His rigidly stiff eyes softly relaxed and took on a gentle light as if he might smile.

His mouth, which had been firmly closed in a straight line, was the same.

The corners of his still youthful crimson lips drew a secretive arc.

“Wo, wow…”

I could hear Tilianna’s admiring sound from beside me, probably seeing the same scene as me.

And the other senses that had been pushed far away also found their place.

“…Therefore, respecting each other as partners and maintaining a mutually desirable relationship can be said to be the first step of this Debutante Ball.”

Mm-hmm, good moral words.

Come to think of it, the other cavaliers were all handsome-looking as well.

As the Impigra Housekeeper had said, they seemed very carefully selected, and their behavior standing upright and their impressions were all decent young men.

Especially the brown-haired man standing at the very end of the line had a face that somehow reminded me of Creny.

Was it because of his curly brown hair or pale skin that resembled him?

Or was it because of his large eyes with drooping ends and his bashfully smiling face?

When Creny grew up, he looked similar to that young man…

“Who are you looking at like that, Tia?”

“Eek, what a surprise!”

Startled by the sudden voice, I turned around to find Peres had come right up beside me.

“Hello, Tia.”

He greeted me with a slight smile.

Then with a naturally flowing gesture, he took my left hand.

“Uh, uh.”

I didn’t even have time to stop him or pull my hand away.

Peres politely kissed the back of my hand and said.

“It is an honor to be your cavalier, Lady Pirenthia Lombardi.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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