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Chapter 22 – Coming of Age Ceremony (2)

Rudine’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh, Lady Isabel?”

“…I greet the Sun of the Empire.”

Isabel quickly bowed her head 90 degrees.

It was to show proper respect to Rudine, a member of the Royal Family.

“Please, raise your head, Lady Isabel.”

Rudine smiled softly.

It was the innocent smile of a pure girl, untouched and untainted.

“Anyway, about Kyle…”

Rudine playfully tapped her index finger against her lips.

“It’s really strange.”

With her final note raised, Rudine tilted her head inquisitively.

“I heard that Lady Isabel annulled engagement with Winfred…”

Annulled.

At the aggressive remark, Isabel’s expression hardened.

Rudine chuckled at Isabel’s reaction.

“So, shouldn’t you be careful about your titles?”

Rudine’s gaze towards Isabel was compassionate, as if looking at a naive child.

But the underlying truth in her words was a clear warning.

“You are no longer just Kyle’s fiance, so be careful what you say,” a typical noblewoman’s way of subtly threatening.

Isabel’s arms trembled uncontrollably in shame.

Watching the situation unfold, Luna stifled a laugh, covering her mouth with her right hand.

‘These crazy women.’

Each one of them seemed to have a screw loose, biting and tearing at each other like wild animals.

I stood there, arms crossed, utterly dumbfounded, watching them.

Then Luna, as if oddly intrigued, asked.

“Will it be fine for you, Princess?”

“Are you talking about me?”

“Isn’t today a monumental day, where the entire Empire celebrates the Princess’s coming-of-age, filled with their wishes?”

Her words were unnecessarily long.

Based on my experience, this is most likely a buildup to turning the conversation around.

Sure enough.

Luna added, blinking her eyes playfully,

“People from all over the Empire have gathered here, waiting eagerly for the Princess.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

“Of course. And it’s almost time for the ceremony to begin. It’s truly a blessing for the gentleman who will be escorting such a beautiful lady.”

Luna exaggeratedly praised Rudine.

Rudine, with an amused expression, merely nodded in response.

“It almost sounds like a suggestion for someone to escort me at this moment… Haha, perhaps it’s just my mistaken impression?”

“Of course. How could I entertain such a misguided thought?”

“Thank goodness! I am well aware of Lady Winfred’s character from Kyle. Your family’s bond is so deep, isn’t it? I’ve always admired it.”

“That’s quite embarrassing to hear.”

“Hehe, to think that the Lady Winfred also feels embarrassed. You truly surprise me in many ways today.”

Luna and Rudine concealed their sharp words between each seemingly innocent exchange.

Already being somewhat unhinged women to begin with, inheriting memories from before the regression only made them even worse.

Isabel, watching the situation with a dumbfounded expression, seemed almost normal compared to them.

I watched their intense squabble in a daze.

There was no reason for me to intervene, and besides, my concerns lay with Rudine anyway.

‘Let’s not deviate from the plan.’

I’ve confirmed the existence of the Relic, so now I need to be even more cautious.

This coming-of-age ceremony is just a one-time event to establish a connection with Rudine.

If I slowly build our relationship like this, there will surely be opportunities for a perfect moment to arise.

That’s when it happened.

“It’s about time!”

Rudine glanced at the clock on the wall and clapped lightly.

“Escort, hmm…”

Her gaze fell directly on me.

I imitated the usual Kyle, maintaining a flustered expression.

A moment later, her tightly closed mouth slowly opened.

“Kyle, if it’s okay with you, would you please escort me?”

Huff—

A gasp escaped Isabel’s open mouth.

Even Luna blinked in surprise at the sudden request for an escort.

Out of the blue, a request for an escort.

I glanced at Rudine’s face out of the corner of my eye, but couldn’t read any emotions.

I cautiously replied.

“… Are you really asking me that?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Rudine nodded confidently.

Then Isabel wrinkled her brow.

“Escort? Are you serious right now?”

“Of course.”

“Hasn’t the nobleman been already chosen to escort the Princess? Surely you don’t intend to change your partner on the day itself?”

“Pardon? Where have you heard that? I haven’t asked anyone to escort me yet though, Lady Isabel?”

“No, but that’s…”

“Enough.”

Rudine cut off Isabel, indicating her words were of no use.

“So, Kyle, what’s your answer?”

“…”

“You wouldn’t leave me alone on this one-time coming-of-age ceremony, would you?”

In the previous run, Kyle Winfred didn’t attend Rudine’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Or rather, he couldn’t attend.

— If a bastard like you shows up at the Imperial Palace, it would only disgrace our family name, wouldn’t it?

— Take care of the house while I’m gone.

— You better do a good job of guarding the house, just like a guard dog.

Luna Winfred’s insults echoed in my ears like a hallucination.

Thanks to that, I endured for days, confined to my room, surviving only on bread and water until Luna returned.

— How dare you offer to escort me and then not attend the coming-of-age ceremony?

— I don’t want to hear any excuses!

— Yes, it’s my fault for trusting someone like you.

Because of that, Isabel, who attended the coming-of-age ceremony alone without a partner, was furious.

Thanks to her outburst, the progress rate increased slightly, but the atmosphere was quite unpleasant.

And above all.

— Princess, Rudine Eckart.

— The Rosary hanging around that woman’s neck. That’s the Relic you’re looking for.

The Rosary around Rudine’s neck sparkled.

It didn’t take long to make a decision.

“It’ll be my honor.”

Isabel sighed with a blank expression on her face, as if she had been stabbed in the back.

Her eyebrows furrowed as if she felt betrayed.

Luna stood still, not saying a word.

More accurately, she sat there frozen as if her mouth had been glued shut.

She hesitated, her lips moving as if trying to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“Kyle, this way!”

I silently followed Rudine.

****

“Silence! The First Princess, of the Rising Sun of the Empire, Rudine Eckart, is entering with Kyle Winfred… the second son of Duke Winfred! Show respect!”

With a loud announcement, Rudine took my hand and slowly proceeded forward.

Countless astonished gazes were fixed upon us.

The fact that the Royal Princess was entering with the notorious bastard of the Winfred family.

It was an awkward situation, as nobody dared to express their disapproval openly. However, the current circumstances were far from understandable, leaving everyone with confused expressions.

Reluctantly, the applause echoed throughout the ceremony hall.

Despite the grand scale of the ceremony, in reality, it wasn’t much different from other typical gatherings among nobles, primarily for exchanging information and fostering connections.

Rudine ascended the stairs as if flowing water and sat on the throne adorned with gold.

It was a seat that overlooked the entire hall from above, exclusively for nobility.

“Kyle, sit here too.”

I cautiously sat beside Rudine.

Soon, according to the order of entrance, the Emperor and Empress of the Empire would enter.

In order to kidnap Rudine in the future, it was also necessary to maintain a good relationship with the Emperor and Empress.

Of course, they would likely disdain me, but with a few pieces of future information, I could handle those gazes.

It was a moment of taking a breather.

“Oh, Kyle. Would it be okay if I asked you something?”

Rudine’s cheerful voice rang in my ears.

I nodded, and she continued her question as if she had been waiting.

“I couldn’t ask earlier because there was no chance, but why did you end up breaking off the engagement?”

Since I’m leaving this world anyway.

I barely managed to swallow the words that surged to the tip of my tongue.

“Just differences in personality and various other reasons often led to conflicts between us.”

I chose my words carefully to avoid arousing suspicion.

As the conversation continued with a safe and conventional response, Rudine spoke with a sulking face.

“Really? It must have been tough.”

“Hm, yeah. But it’s okay now.”

“Is it? But Lady Isabel didn’t seem okay at all.”

“…I guess she’s still at the stage of acceptance. It’ll get better over time.”

Why are there so many questions?

I patiently answered her questions, trying not to arouse suspicion.

Then, an unexpected question struck my ears.

“Ah! Come to think of it, I heard that you sold the engagement ring at an auction?”

The engagement ring and the auction.

It was information that she couldn’t have known without investigating me.

“It was a ring with a blue gemstone. Quite romantic. It’s so like you.”

“…”

“That’s right. You participated in the auction yourself, didn’t you?”

“…”

“The next day, as soon as the sun rose, you went to the Count’s residence and demanded an annulment.”

A strong warning sound rang in my head.

I remained silent, unable to find a suitable response.

Rudine spoke playfully with a smile still in her eyes.

“A ore stone.”

“…”

“I was really curious. Why would you accept an Ore Stone as payment? For what reason? The Kyle I know wouldn’t have any interest in collecting ores.”

“…”

“Each of you, Luna Winfred, Isabel Yustia, there’s something strange about all of you, isn’t there?”

Rudine’s eyes still smiled, but there was no trace of laughter on her lips.

A sense of unease pervaded the heavy air.

“You know. I’ve really been waiting for today.”

Pfft.

Rudine burst into laughter with a solemn expression.

“Kyle.”

“…”

“Kyle, no. Kyle Winfred. My one and only friend.”

A sinister gleam flashed in Rudine’s bright yellow eyes.

“Have you returned too?”