Lord of Rot

Soon, another noble lady approached Leech. It was the one who had invited Bode to dance earlier.

Leech had danced the least of anyone. The ball had been going on for a long time, and most people had gone through at least five partners, yet he had only danced once.

She was beautiful in her own right, though her nose was a bit flat. She didn’t have the Ivory Tower Miss’s enviably small, palm-sized face, nor did she have eyes like the deep sea. Still, Leech mentally gave her a 90. The reason was simple: she was huge. A weighty, hourglass figure—an asset prominent enough to overshadow any minor flaws.

’If the lights were off, I’d give her a 120.’

His hand was already raised. The etiquette of the nobility was just so troublesome.

A gentleman should not embarrass a lady.

Nine parts etiquette, one part action. Appearances were everything. That was the nobility for you.

"My beautiful lady, may I have this dance?"

"Of course."

The two began to dance to the music.

Although Leech was being a perfect gentleman, friction between them was inevitable. That hadn’t happened during his dance with the Ivory Tower Miss. It really did depend on the person.

"Are you a friend of Bode’s?"

’So she came over to ask about Bode,’ Leech realized.

Leech shook his head. "No, I’m his cousin. Lewis is my uncle."

The Busty Miss looked surprised. "My apologies, I don’t believe I’ve seen you in Linta Bay before."

Leech glanced down. ’Oh.’ Even in the "safest" of gowns, an unsafe figure could produce astonishing visual effects. He quickly tore his gaze away from the abyss.

"I’m in the Eastern Gorge," he said. "Porcupine Territory, in the Eastern Gorge."

The Busty Miss fell silent.

It seemed she had never heard of that remote place, but she maintained her noble etiquette and didn’t let the conversation turn cold.

However, after hearing that Leech’s territory only had a few hundred people, she completely lost interest in continuing the conversation.

’A poor Baron.’

But her enthusiasm for Bode remained.

"Perhaps you could tell me what Bode likes."

’Good, the conversation is finally back to Bode.’

"He..."

Leech paused. He felt something soft rubbing against him, and even felt a nimble finger gently scratching his palm.

The implication couldn’t be more obvious. As long as he helped her land Bode, he could spend a romantic night with the Busty Miss before him—in any position he liked.

’That might not be the right way to put it.’

Even if he couldn’t help, she probably wouldn’t mind a passionate night with him anyway. A country Baron didn’t meet her standards for a husband, but the handsome Sir Leech Clarence was certainly attractive to the ladies. A single night with no strings attached, where each could find their own pleasure.

Leech pulled back, putting some distance between them.

The same tactic hadn’t worked for the "Charming" young lady, let alone this one. He had no desire to get dragged into a mess just for taking his pants off.

"He likes skinning things and dissecting corpses," Leech said, ignoring her advances but still answering conscientiously. He felt he was being a true gentleman. "If you want to share a hobby with Cousin Bode, you could try buying some rare monster corpses and inviting him to dissect them with you." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The Busty Miss’s expression soured. It seemed she had remembered Bode’s titles in Linta Bay.

The Fishman Butcher. The Skinner.

The rumors about him were all incredibly bloody. There was even a legend in Linta Bay that Bode Wisdom spent every night in the castle dungeons. They said he would flay prisoners with a skinning knife the size of a fingernail, and his skill was so exquisite that his victims would remain alive even after being completely skinned.

Leech admired her stiff expression. It was much cuter than when she was flaunting her charms.

Just then, Stacy and her partner drifted near Leech, the four of them now less than a step apart.

Stacy’s partner, a slick young noble, was praising her beauty, but she wasn’t hearing a word of it.

"You are as enchanting as the stars in the sky."

"And your gown, especially, complements you perfectly."

He chattered on, flashing a smile he thought was handsome. Stacy felt it was more agonizing than wrestling a crocodile in a swamp.

Suddenly, the music took a sharp turn.

Stacy looked at Leech, and then at the Busty Miss dancing with him.

She suddenly grabbed the greasy noble youth’s hand. He was thrilled, mistakenly thinking his praise had won her over. But in the next moment, Stacy gave a sharp tug, sending the young noble spinning toward Leech and his partner.

"Whoa!"

Leech heard a cry beside him. He quickly let go of the Busty Miss’s hand and grabbed the incoming nobleman, preventing him from making a fool of himself by falling flat on the floor.

At the same time, Leech noticed Stacy’s gaze.

And her lips, clearly mouthing the words, "Take my hand."

’Alright,’ Leech thought, reaching out and taking Stacy’s hand. She grasped it and spun toward him.

The young noble had just stumbled to a halt when he realized his partner was gone. In his place stood another lady who had just been abandoned, and her expression wasn’t very pleasant.

The young noble immediately raised his hand, saving them both from embarrassment.

The moment their hands touched, the young noble was shocked.

Because... they were huge.

’Perhaps this trade isn’t so bad after all.’

He immediately broke into a brilliant smile.

To any onlookers, they had simply swapped partners. But Leech knew that if he hadn’t stepped in, the young nobleman would probably be on the ground with his ass in the air right now.

"This is your ball, Stacy," Leech said as they slow-danced. "If you cause a scene, I’m guessing Uncle Lewis will have your head."

During his time at Green Forest Castle, he’d often heard Lewis yelling about having Stacy’s head.

"He can’t beat me," Stacy said nonchalantly.

’Alright, I get it. You two have a great father-daughter relationship.’

"You’ve danced twice already?" Stacy asked suddenly.

"Yes," Leech nodded.

"Which lady left the biggest impression on you?"

’Both were very impressive,’ Leech thought to himself. ’One was the Ivory Tower Miss, and the other, the Busty Miss.’

But he couldn’t say that out loud, especially not in front of another woman.

"Everyone has their own unique qualities. And etiquette forbids me from refusing a lady’s invitation," he said, a hint of resignation in his voice.

The truth was, he hadn’t wanted to dance with either of them.

"I’m surrounded by buzzing bees," Stacy said, seemingly satisfied with Leech’s answer and expression. "The first one you danced with was our Miss Water Hyacinth, the beauty of Linta Bay."

This also meant she had been keeping a close eye on who Leech was dancing with.

"The Ivory Tower Miss?"

"If Fami knew you called her that, she’d probably get angry, jump up, and stomp her feet," Stacy said with a laugh, clearly finding the idea amusing.

Leech nodded. "I’ve already witnessed it."

Hopping like a little rabbit. He had seen it with his own eyes.

"As for the second one, if you’re looking for a bit of romance, she could definitely give you an unforgettable night."

"I’ll pass," Leech said, shaking his head. Then he looked at Stacy. "So, what about the third one?"

She was the third one.

"Very good at making things difficult," Stacy answered truthfully.

The men who had danced with Stacy tonight had all been terrified. When she didn’t want to dance with someone, she would deliberately release her Transcendent’s aura. These noble youths, already weak in the knees and unsteady on their feet, couldn’t withstand it at all. They felt as if Stacy was about to murder them, making for a dance filled with sheer terror.

"Leech, what do you think of my dress?" she asked suddenly.

Although many people had complimented her dress tonight, she really wanted to know Leech’s opinion.

"Hmm..."

Leech glanced down, then said, "It’s beautiful, but it’s missing one thing."

"What?"

"A two-handed sword."