Chapter 32

The fear of meeting a future traitor and the curiosity of encountering a major character from a novel rose simultaneously. Orca, the Third Prince of the Empire. In the novel, he was depicted as a man who roamed the provinces under the pretense of illness, building his strength. Thanks to his early departure from the capital, he could safely build his power while the First and Second Princes engaged in a bloody competition for the throne. With that power, he would eventually rise in rebellion.

'The Orca I imagined was a sickly figure.'

The Orca I actually met felt completely different from my imagination. Objectively, he was a handsome man with a tall, robust build and a gentle demeanor. If not for his pale skin, which looked as if he had never seen sunlight, no one would have thought him sickly. Sensing his curious gaze, Orca, who had been talking to a servant by the carriage, turned his eyes to me. Startled, I flinched, and Orca gave a sweet, warm smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Surprised by the warmth of this unexpected character, my mouth opened slightly.

"Your Highness!"

A middle-aged man ran up from a distance and bowed to Orca.

"You must have had a long journey. I am Baron Gilan, the host of this gathering. We have prepared a seat for you inside, and refreshments are ready."

'So he's the host.'

The poor host was sweating profusely due to the appearance of such a significant figure at a small gathering of local nobles. Since the royal family mainly resided in the capital and local nobles rarely appeared in the capital's social circles, the royals were like figures above the clouds to them. For a prince to attend a gathering of local nobles was indeed a major event.

"Thank you for the welcome. However, it seems there are others who arrived before me."

At Orca's words, Baron Gilan turned his head hurriedly and noticed us, his shoulders trembling.

"Oh. That young man is Baron Eilsford."

"Baron Eilsford?"

For a moment, Orca's eyes, which had been smiling warmly, flashed sharply as he examined Altear and me. This was a fleeting change, and Orca quickly returned to his warm smile, walking over to us. Baron Gilan, unsure of what to do with the prince's sudden action, followed awkwardly.

"I've heard the story. Baron, you caught a dragon."

Orca extended his hand to Altear and spoke in a friendly manner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I wanted to meet you when I came here. I like strong people, you know. They say people are naturally drawn to their opposites."

The nobles, who had been watching the prince since his arrival, gasped at his unauthoritative behavior. According to etiquette, a person of lower status should greet first, so a royal initiating a greeting was improper. However, Orca seemed to care little for such formalities. Moreover, he mentioned his weakness, his illness, first, which made him appear even stronger.

'Indeed, this is Orca's strength.'

Considering how local nobles supported him firmly when he rose in rebellion, these moments must have laid the foundation for their support.

"…Altear Eilsford, Your Highness."

As Altear shook the hand extended before him, Orca smiled broadly.

"I've heard that the Eilsford territory has undergone many changes recently. It's also said to be a place of natural beauty."

This was a polite way of inviting us to his territory, a noble's way of speaking. Altear seemed to notice this, as his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"…"

"…"

Orca, smiling, and Altear, silent with a cold expression, created a tense standoff. I, caught between them, was sweating profusely.

Thinking that this standoff would never end, I closed my eyes and spoke.

"Um, please feel free to visit whenever you like."

I could feel Orca and Altear's gazes turn to me. The intense gaze made my shoulders involuntarily shrink, but to appear as the lady of Eilsford, I had to stand tall.

"Eilsford does not mistreat guests. It would be a great honor to have Your Highness visit."

"Oh, Lady Eilsford."

Orca's sharp gaze briefly swept over me.

"You are the niece of Viscount Bain. I heard you were the talk of the debutante ball."

"Is that so? I didn't know that story was circulating."

"Given your prominence, it's natural to be the subject of conversation."

"Ah…"

'A prominent figure.' A phrase with many implications.

'W, well, of course, I did stand out at the debutante ball…'

Unaccustomed to people's gazes, I must have looked quite awkward. Just as I was about to lose my composure, Altear moved slightly, standing between me and Orca, blocking his gaze.

"I look forward to your visit to Eilsford."

"Thank you. Baron Gilan has prepared refreshments. Shall we move together?"

"I still have people to greet."

"I see. Then we'll meet again shortly."

As Orca moved on, guided by Baron Gilan, I let out a sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat from my hands onto my pants, I heard Altear's voice from above.

"I didn't know you knew Prince Orca."

"It's hard to say we know each other."

Since there are few noble families in the capital involved in central politics, we all know each other's faces and names. When we grow up, the first thing we do is memorize the positions and names of others from the latest edition of the noble directory, a rite of passage for capital nobles.

'Especially if I'm known as a troublesome lady…'

Even if Prince Orca roamed the provinces, he wouldn't have missed knowing me.

"Rather, it seemed Your Highness knew Altear well."

Orca clearly knew about Altear catching a dragon and the changes in the Eilsford territory.

'But Altear catching a dragon isn't in the original story. If this event made Orca notice Altear, it means the story's flow has been altered.'

If the story follows the original, Altear becomes a terrifying villain. So, altering the story isn't bad, but because of this change, Orca noticed Altear earlier, making it hard to judge if this is good or bad. Looking at Altear with a complex heart, he shrugged nonchalantly, unaware of the situation.

"Princes always keep an ear out for news about nobles."

"That's true, but…"

Just as I was about to say I hoped he wouldn't get too close to Orca,

"Hey, finally getting to see your face!"

The man who had exchanged subtle glances with Altear before Orca's arrival approached us familiarly.

"Showing your wife only now! Isn't that a bit much, Altear!"

His loud voice drew everyone's attention.

'Everyone's looking again…!'

I thought I could blend in since there were many attendees, but from the start, I received a lot of attention, making my head spin. The man who approached, calling himself 'family,' made me particularly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry I couldn't attend the wedding, my lady. I am Balail, a close relative of Altear. However, this fellow didn't inform his relatives about his marriage, so I'm only now able to offer my congratulations."

The man introduced himself as Balail and extended his arm with a smirk. As I pulled back slightly, his eyebrows twitched.

"Aren't you going to accept my greeting?"

"Ah, no. I was just startled."

Though uncomfortable, a gentleman kissing a lady's hand is a common greeting. Hesitantly extending my hand, Balail grabbed it and smirked again. A chill ran down my spine.

"Who would have thought Altear would welcome such a beautiful wife? No one knew, not even me."

"…Your praise is excessive."

Balail didn't kiss my hand but kept touching it, making me want to pull away, but that would be a major faux pas. As I looked around nervously, the man's smile deepened. However, it didn't last long. Smack!

"Ouch!"

With a loud noise, Balail's hand was pushed away. Altear had slapped Balail's hand, pushing it away.

"Get your smelly hand off."

Altear treated Balail like a child with a bad habit, causing a 'tut' sound among the nobles. Balail, still holding his hand, finally realized what happened and blushed.

"W, what is this…!"

Balail shouted in protest, but Altear ignored him, leading me away.

"Altear! What kind of rudeness is this!"

Balail shouted loudly, but Altear walked calmly. The crowd, unsure of what to do, alternated their gazes between us and Balail. Altear, standing before the confused crowd, bowed lightly.

"It's been a long time since I attended a gathering. I am Baron Eilsford, Altear."

The short and concise greeting made the nobles, who had been exchanging glances, smile and approach us. They seemed to have decided to side with us.

"Indeed. I remember the young baron from his childhood. It's a pleasure to meet you again."

"Now that you're married and settled, it would be good to attend gatherings more often and build relationships."

The flood of goodwill made Balail, who had been calling out to Altear from a distance, close his mouth. Turning my head slightly, I saw the man, red with anger, fuming. Worried that Balail might attack Altear from behind, I subtly protected his back, and Altear, noticing, frowned slightly.

"Why are you standing behind me?"

"Me?"

"Your place is beside me, not behind."

Altear lightly placed his hand on my shoulder, and I naturally moved to his side.

"But that relative…"

I turned to inform him that Balail was targeting his back, but he was already gone. Looking at the empty space, I blinked, and Altear, as if to reassure me, lightly stroked my arm.

"I'll take care of that guy, so don't worry. You don't even need to remember his name. It's a waste of brain space."

"R, really…?"

"Really. So don't worry and just enjoy the gathering. Interact with people."

Enjoy the gathering? Interact with people? Altear's words made me suddenly feel the gazes of the crowd.

'That's right. I shouldn't be worrying about such a person!'

Turning my head stiffly, I saw many nobles waiting to greet me.

'Oh!'

I felt like I might lose my composure.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Eilsford. I heard you're from the capital. Do you enjoy hunting there too?"

"We're all locals here, so we're curious about the capital. Can you tell us more?"

"Come this way! We don't want you to get sunburned, so we set up a shade over here."

Before I could respond, the flood of questions made my head spin.

'Okay! Show the results of my practice, Nadia!'

This was the start of the main event.