4623-chapter-12-part-3
12. The Rough Emperor, the Anxious Grand Duke, and the Nobles Who Are Watching Them (3)
Translated by: ???
“Ah. There’s nothing to worry about. This is the child who is in charge of my security.”
“I see.”
The Marquis briefly glanced at Alberic’s companion, who tilted his1He assumed that Eve is a man. top hat, worn slightly pushed forward, and lowered his head. However, he quickly averted his gaze, seeming to trust Alberic considerably, and answered with a face that suggested Alberic would handle it on his own, withdrawing his interest.
In Britannia, the nobility often grew their hair long and carefully maintained its lustrous appearance as a symbol of leisure and affluence. As a result, many individuals, regardless of gender, took pride in their long hair.
With the changing times, short, trimmed hair became fashionable among young gentlemen. However, noble families with long-standing traditions or elderly aristocrats still preferred to grow their hair long, reaching below their waist. Because of this, it was difficult to tell at a glance whether Eve was a woman or a man, simply judging by the long strands of hair that reached her clavicle.
Furthermore, with her daily sword training and a well-toned physique, Eve was hardly distinguishable from the gentlemen nearby who wore vests, frock coats, and ties. In fact, she had a more upright posture and a dignified presence compared to the slightly overweight or shorter men, garnering admiration from those who glanced at her straight and noble shoulder line.
The reason Eve was able to enter the men’s lounge without any particular restrictions was due to these circumstances.
It was a familiar task for Eve to provide security for affluent individuals. She skillfully ignored the furtive glances thrown her way, maintaining a stern expression and conveying a strong message of ?I have no interest in your chatter?, and she spread her gaze and rolled her eyes, slowly surveying her surroundings.
In the midst of the other group of gentlemen, William could be seen quietly listening to his counterpart talking. His demeanor was indeed a far cry from the original work, about a billion years apart. He was a man who preferred to be alone, to the extent that the players of the game gave him the nickname ‘Wilkikomori2A wordplay of his name, William, and hikikomori. Hence, the Wilkikomori (?????). Hikikomori is a phenomenon in Japan where people withdraw from society and seek extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement..’ Yet here he was, willingly accepting the role of a lackey, following the scent of power like a hyena. It was a character twist that no one could have anticipated.
As the conversation grew more relaxed, the gentlemen began retrieving tobacco cases made of gold and silver from their pockets, once again indulging in the ritual of extracting one tobacco at a time. Some would place the tobacco into a short clay pipe, while others would take out a pipe from their pockets and start smoking.
Having tried smoking through Octavia a year ago, Eve was able to completely break the habit of indulging in the taste of bland, nicotine-free tobacco, which lacked the refined essence she had become accustomed to. She glanced at the men in front of her who were puffing out smoke through their noses and mouths with a subtle expression of nostalgia.
‘Oh, if only I had a pack of Marlboro, I could easily turn their world upside down.’
Anyway, the spot where Eve stood was gradually turning into a raccoon den3A place full of tobacco smoke.. Alberic, too, pulled out a tobacco case that Eve had never seen in the mansion before, seemingly for social purposes, and borrowed a light from the adjacent seat to ignite his tobacco.
Once again, small talk resumed among the group. Stories about companies that had recently developed patents for smoking or discussions about tobacco plantations sporadically reached her ears. Amidst the conversation, unexpectedly, Eve’s hand suddenly reached out from behind Alberic.
The man standing near the gentleman, who was focused on the conversation, accidentally flicked off the ember hanging from the end of his tobacco, causing it to bounce off in Alberic’s direction. Eve swiftly caught the ember with her hand, just moments away from it potentially falling onto Alberic’s thigh. She casually stood there, acting as if nothing had happened, while silently hinting at the question of what had just occurred.
“Oh, dear. I apologize, young Count. It could have been a big problem.”
“… No, it’s fine. Nothing happened, so it’s all right.”
The man, who apologized in response to Alberic’s soft response, saying that if something had happened to his thigh, it could have been bad, felt extremely embarrassed. The surrounding gentlemen exchanged subtle glances and expressed admiration for Eve’s agile movements.
“Hmm, quite a skilled individual, indeed.”
“Very agile movements, indeed.”
Eve stood behind Alberic’s back, unable to see his expression, but she thought he would be inwardly clicking his tongue. She had to avoid drawing attention to herself, so when the gentlemen praised Eve, Alberic briefly smiled without any significant response and quickly redirected the conversation back to the topic he wanted to discuss. Seizing this opportunity, Eve surreptitiously flicked her hand that had been hiding behind her back.
Amidst the ongoing casual conversations, William’s discrete movements caught their attention as he exchanged greetings and quietly slipped away from the group. Alberic quickly noticed this and subtly flicked his finger at Eve.
Eve gracefully bent her waist and brought her ear close to Alberic’s face in a polite manner. Whispers flowed into her ear, and she pretended to nod and quietly respond before swiftly leaving the lounge.
Another gentleman’s voice asked, ‘What happened?’ and Alberic’s voice could be heard responding, saying that he had assigned a task.
Keeping a completely unobtrusive presence and maintaining enough distance to go unnoticed, Eve followed William and his entourage until they arrived at one of the attractions of the Imperial Palace: the garden. William quietly exchanged words with his entourage at the entrance of the garden and proceeded inside alone.
The garden, meticulously shaped with perfect symmetry on both sides, was adorned with a central promenade and a grand fountain. Every corner of the garden was carefully tended, leaving no area untouched by human hands. As it was the season when flowers were just beginning to bloom, the meticulously well-groomed garden beds glowed with vibrant shades of green.
As it was still early for the banquet to begin, there were quite a few people not only inside the palace but also in the gardens. However, the sight of lovers engaged in ?having an affair?, often depicted as a cliché in Western-inspired romantic fantasy novels or comics set in the medieval period, was unfortunately absent.
‘If the game setting were the French court, there might have been a possibility.’
Eve thought, slightly disappointed, as she clicked her tongue and observed the direction William was heading, naturally choosing a pathway in the opposite direction of the entrance he had taken, leading to a more distant area of the garden.
The neatly well-groomed garden, resembling the orderly blocks of a planned city, had trees with considerable height that partially obstructed the view. However, the garden was precisely divided into sections, resembling a grid, making it easy to find one’s way with a closer inspection.
Eve pretended to take a walk, following the sounds of footsteps and subtle movements around her. She turned a few corners, as if she were truly enjoying a leisurely walk. And finally…
“Ah.”
“Oh.”
She successfully orchestrated a chance encounter.
“You are the one from before…”
“It’s been a while, Your Excellency. I am Evelyn, of the House of Count Vermell.”
“Hahaha, your attitude has become quite stiff. Good to see you.”
As he had been formally introduced as the ?Archduke?, it was only natural that she couldn’t rudely address him as before. Eve straightened her previously bowed waist and subtly glanced sideways.
“It seems Your Excellency was enjoying a walk. I apologize if I interrupted your contemplation.”
“It’s fine. But aren’t you also taking a stroll alone?”
“Ah, yes. Then, I hope you have a pleasant time…”
William swallowed a chuckle inwardly as he watched the familiar young lady look sideways, as if she found him difficult, and looked like she was about to run away.
“Since we’ve met here, why don’t you at least keep me company? Speak a little more comfortably. Don’t worry as no one will eat you.”
“What? Ah, yes.”
As William finished speaking, her greenish brown eyes widened in surprise. However, Eve quickly averted her gaze, seemingly flustered, and responded in a hesitant tone.
“Um, you don’t happen to have made other plans separately, do you…?”
“Hmm?”
“Your Excellency, being young and charming, it suddenly crossed my mind that you might have made a delightful rendezvous with a lovely lady in a place like this. I hope I’m not being impertinent by asking…?”
“A lovely lady, you say? Haven’t we already met?”
“Uh, uh, well. I apologize.”
Eve, unknowingly scrunching her face and letting out a strange frog-like sound, hastily composed herself and closed her mouth. William couldn’t help but burst into a suppressed chuckle at her fresh and unfiltered reaction, emitting a soft laughter, ‘Puhaha.’
‘Your character collapsed, Sir! That was totally out of character! NG4No Good, NG!’
With long, fluttering eyelashes and a slightly downturned eye tail that could have appeared melancholic, he drew a vibrant smile, capturing a warm sense of humor. In game illustrations, he might have been portrayed as a cool and decadent beauty with a cold demeanor, but now, as he closed his eyes and laughed by her side, his aura was closer to that of a big dog.
“You’re different from other ladies…”
“Ah, please don’t say that. I really dislike those kinds of remarks, like ‘you’re different from other women.'”
“Haha, is that so? My apologies.”
“You can just be honest and say it. Like saying you think I hurt my head somewhere.”
Observing the man who chuckled every time she spoke, Eve thought that his sense of humor was quite unique. The two of them continued walking, turning left and right without any particular direction, while engaging in conversation.
“But it’s hard to find a lady like you, wielding a sword, in a place like this.”
“This place…? Ah, you mean the capital, right? In the Imperial Guard Knights and the military, there are indeed female knights and soldiers, but it’s true that their numbers are not very high. However, if you look closely, you might still find a few.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
