Chapter 96

Let's go back to right after Chapter 2.

The news of Mary and Adi's marriage naturally shook the social world.

It was truly a bolt from the blue. Everyone was astonished, and many said, "I never thought it would happen," while some even started to reflect on the past, saying, "Now that I think about it, they were close even before."

It was that unusual.

In a social world where political marriages were the norm, a marriage that transcended social status, especially between a noble lady from the country's most prestigious family and a servant of that family, was unheard of. Even if the two were in love, it was unlikely that the surroundings would advise or that the parents would approve.

It would not be strange if they had eloped, yet the Albert family was talking about this marriage with joy. ——Moreover, the lady of the house had kept it a secret until the day of the event, seeking a surprise.

With such unexpectedness, the news of the marriage spread rapidly throughout the social world, and even beyond the country.

...And some people turned pale at this news.

"Do you want to talk to Adi?"

Patrick was approached by a classmate about a month after Mary's marriage announcement, during a party held at the Albert family's residence.

Those who approached him were people he had served on the student council with during his high school days. They had also advanced to the university, so there was no sense of distance.

Therefore, even at the party, he thought they would chat like friends... but then he was asked for a favor, and Patrick tilted his head in confusion.

The Dice family had authority and a wide network, so it was not unusual to be asked to make introductions at such events. Sometimes the opposite was true. That's how networks expand.

But the person they mentioned now was Adi. If it were a noble from a foreign country or a famous scholar, it would make sense, but Adi was a classmate from high school and even attended the same university now.

"If you want to talk to him, just catch him when he's walking around."

"Catch him... Don't say it so easily."

"It's easy."

"Maybe it was easy before..."

When one of them sought agreement, everyone nodded with awkward expressions.

From their expressions, Patrick understood what they were trying to say and shrugged his shoulders in understanding.

Adi, who is now the 'companion of the Albert family's lady,' was previously just one of the servants of the Albert family. To those in the social world, he was, to put it bluntly, 'inferior.'

And everyone treated him accordingly. Of course, the degree varied.

But then came this sudden reversal.

What was once the 'attitude towards a servant' suddenly became 'rudeness towards the companion of the Albert family's lady.'

Especially, they had been rude to Mary... and to Adi as well. They had suspected him of being involved in Alicia's bullying.

They had apologized to Mary when the misunderstanding was cleared, but upon reflection, they had not apologized to Adi. ——By the way, Patrick had apologized to both Mary and Adi. ...But the person he apologized to the most was Alicia, who was pouting and saying, "How dare you be rude to Lady Mary!" Of course, he wouldn't say that in this situation—

"Are you talking about that time? But Adi is not the kind of person who would hold a grudge."

"Maybe, but considering the future... just in case."

With everyone's plea, Patrick sighed and reluctantly agreed.

"Where is Adi, then?"

"We've been looking for him, but he's nowhere to be found."

They had found Mary but not Adi.

Hearing this, Patrick's brow furrowed. Then he told them, "Wait a moment," and left the scene.

After a while...

Patrick returned with a stern expression.

...Carrying a large tray of dishes in both hands, Adi followed.

Adi's awkward expression as he walked beside Patrick was unmistakable, and seeing this, someone muttered, "That's a forced escort..." to which everyone nodded in agreement.

It was like being caught at the scene of the crime and being escorted away. Adi was exactly in that situation now.

Adi placed the large tray in its designated spot—Patrick's expression as he watched this was unreadable—and joined the group.

They were about to start talking again, but Patrick was still glaring coldly at Adi.

"It's easy to know he's in the kitchen if he's not found. But even if it was before, now that he's married into the Albert family, he doesn't need to serve."

"I know, but I can't help but notice the empty plates and everyone's glasses..."

"Even so, don't leave Mary. After all, they just announced their marriage, so at a party, you should always be by her side to greet the guests."

"I would stay with the lady if I could. ...But the lady..."

Adi suddenly looked away, narrowing his rust-colored eyes as if recalling the past.

"...The lady was taken away by something very fast, with a golden tail, right after the party started."

Adi's words, tinged with melancholy, made the student council members turn their gaze to Patrick.

Receiving this gaze, Patrick also looked away, understanding that Adi's "something very fast, with a golden tail" referred to his own lover, Alicia, and trying to act innocent.

"It took her away in an instant. All I saw was the flowing golden hair."

"Oh, oh... But, you know, that liveliness is also cute, right?"

"Isn't Alicia's speed getting faster every year?"

"Alicia is a meteor that descended to me. ...In terms of speed, too."

Patrick tried to cover up with smooth words.

If there were any young ladies present who didn't know the situation, they might have swooned at the thought of being compared to a meteor. Especially if it was said that the meteor had descended to him, it would be irresistible.

But in this situation, his poetic words only made him seem more insincere. Realizing he couldn't cover it up, Patrick cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"They say they want to talk to Adi."

"To me?"

Adi turned his rust-colored eyes to the student council members.

It was the perfect opportunity to start talking. But they looked awkward and were at a loss for what to do.

Because they had always treated Adi as a servant of the Albert family, they didn't know how to approach him now that he had married into the family.

It wasn't a first meeting, nor was there a significant difference in status that required deep bows. It was a delicate situation.

Especially since they wanted to apologize, the awkwardness was even more pronounced. Seeing this, Patrick shrugged and offered to help, saying, "They want to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

Adi looked at the awkward faces, wondering what they were talking about.

After a few seconds of puzzled observation, he seemed to understand and his expression brightened.

Adi's voice, which showed no trace of blame, made the student council members feel slightly relieved.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"...Adi"

"I'll call someone to clean up right away. Is your outfit okay? I can bring a change of clothes?"

"No, nothing spilled."

"I see, so you broke something?"

"That's not it either."

Adi's head was filled with large question marks after being firmly denied.

"Then why are you apologizing to me? ...Scary."

"Well, what we want to apologize for is... during our high school days..."

"High school days?"

Prompted by Adi's puzzled look, one of them started to speak hesitantly.

"But I don't care at all."

Hearing the entire story and the apology, Adi hurriedly tried to reassure them.

He seemed to feel more apologetic than they did.

"Even though I married into the Albert family, I didn't do anything special. It was because the lady chose me and took my hand."

Adi's happy smile made everyone's expressions soften.

Then Adi bowed politely.

"I'm new to the social world. I may have shortcomings, so I would appreciate your guidance."

"No, we should... If that's the case, let's get along well."

"Yes, please."

They talked about the future and shook hands amicably.

The student council members looked relieved, and Adi seemed happy to have made new acquaintances in the social world.

They chatted for a while.

But in a party setting, it was impossible to stay in one place for too long, and they were interrupted by others.

Gradually, they realized the conversation was coming to an end, and one person's departure naturally led to the group dispersing.

"Please enjoy the rest of your evening, everyone."

"Thank you, Adi. It was good to talk."

"Me too. Excuse me."

He was about to bow deeply... but then he realized and changed it to a light nod, and left the conversation. His awkward nod made the remaining people, including Patrick, naturally smile.

With such a gentle gaze on his back, Adi walked... and then suddenly stopped. He was looking at an empty glass on the edge of a table.

It was something a waiter should clean up, not the son-in-law of the Albert family. At most, he should call a passing waiter to take it away quickly.

Under normal circumstances, that would be the case.

...But Adi picked up the glass, and while he was at it, he also picked up the surrounding plates and started to straighten the tablecloth.

He then headed towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Patrick, I found a shortcoming right away."

"...I'll go retrieve him."

With a heavy sigh, Patrick left the conversation to follow Adi.

A few minutes later, as the remaining people were chatting idly, one of them suddenly looked at something and said, "Is that...?"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw the silver-haired lady, Mary.

She was looking around the venue as if searching for something. Sometimes she would ask a passing maid, and when she didn't get the answer she hoped for, she would look troubled and continue searching...

"Maybe she's looking for Adi?"

"Yeah, maybe. If we tell her he went to the kitchen, she can catch up."

It was common for partners to get separated at parties. If you knew where they were—whether it was the kitchen or not—telling them would be helpful.

Thinking this, one of them was about to call out to Mary...

...When they saw her being swept away by something with a golden tail that suddenly appeared.

It was so fast that no one could even follow it with their eyes, and they were left staring at the spot where Mary had been.

They could hear Mary's angry voice, "You country bumpkin...!" but it was unusually small, suggesting she had already been taken out of the venue and into the garden. The lack of collision sounds suggested she was skillfully weaving through the crowd.

"...I see, that is indeed a meteor."

One person muttered, and everyone nodded.

They looked at each other and said, "There's nothing we can do about this," and decided to continue their elegant and refined conversation as befitting a party.

"Hey, Adi, the postscript."

"Really? Is it another announcement? ...Oh