The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

So, what should I do?

The reason I came all the way here was to see Jake and Roti as a couple. This was actually one of the more significant episodes in the original story.

If we’re being honest, the story between Alice and Leo was also an important episode, but that relationship has changed in many ways compared to the original.

In the original, Alice stops Leo from going to help Roti. This causes a brief distance between them, but... hmm.

I turned my gaze toward Leo. Not just Leo, but even Claire seemed like she was about to rush over to help.

Alice didn’t look like she was trying to stop them, though. She had a lot more composure than the Alice from the original, so she probably didn’t feel the need to worry about losing her standing because of something like this.

But still, I couldn’t let Leo and Claire help Roti.

Both of them were from a baron family. They weren’t even formally invited. The reason Alice stopped Leo in the original was because, if Leo—who had no invitation—helped Roti, it would negatively affect his reputation.

In this situation, we had all come at Jake’s invitation, but in the original story, it was Alice who had asked Leo to accompany her, which was the deciding factor. Alice, who wasn’t used to these kinds of events, had asked Leo to come with her because he was someone she knew. She likely asked him to come because she secretly liked him.

For Alice, it was about worrying about her reputation because of the man she was with. But to Leo, it just seemed like she was discriminating against a schoolmate. Anyway, that was the story.

So, luckily, I was closer to Roti than Leo and Claire were.

Even if I just walked normally, I would reach her first. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Without saying a word, I went straight to Roti and sat next to her.

There was no time for anyone to stop me.

Ironically, because everyone’s attention was already on this side, no one could even get a word in before I entered their field of vision.

“...”

Roti’s usually expressionless eyes widened in surprise. Not just hers, but also her mother’s. Both of them were staring at me in shock.

It wasn’t just their gaze. The nobles’ eyes were all on me too.

The murmuring stopped. What followed was a suffocating silence.

While the spilled wine on the floor was beyond saving, at least the large glass shards could be picked up right away. After all, it was just a wine glass that had broken, and if no one yelled at the person who got the wine on their clothes, it wouldn’t take long to clean up.

I carefully placed the glass shards onto the cloth her mother had been holding and covered them with the edge of it. Her hand trembled slightly as she did.

The maids and servants here had probably heard who the guests for today were.

And among those guests, I was one of the people they needed to be particularly careful about.

“Th-thank you, Your Highness...”

“It’s nothing.”

I said that and stood up from my seat.

The confused nobleman looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I glanced at him once, then turned my gaze toward Jake. His expression was also complicated. Confused, perhaps?

“You said earlier that the Duke of Lindberrow would compensate for the clothing damage, right?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Then, let’s just settle it that way. There’s no need to ruin the atmosphere of the banquet with anger on such a nice day, is there?”

When I looked back at the nobleman, his face had turned pale.

In the original story, Leo had said something more polite, providing more reasonable justification. He had the opportunity to gain bonus points with the right choices, and the official plot proceeded with those bonus points.

But I didn’t see any need for that.

If they didn’t like it, they could always visit the Imperial Palace.

“No, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t gauge the atmosphere properly.”

This approach was far more effective.

It wasn’t that I helped them out of kindness. Rather, I could frame it as stepping in to handle the situation because I couldn’t stand the ruined mood.

The nobleman quickly adjusted his expression and retreated. It was clear he wanted to get as far away from me as possible.

“Silvia.”

When the nobleman’s back disappeared, and the murmur of voices slowly began again, Alice approached me.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say, before a smile appeared on her face.

“You did great.”

I shrugged without giving much of an answer.

“...Thank you.”

I heard Roti’s voice. When I turned around, Roti and her mother were standing near me. Roti still had some wine on her knee, and her mother’s maid uniform was soaked with it.

At least, no one seemed to have cut their hands on the glass. The cloth had been thick enough to prevent that.

“It’s not that I liked the situation. There’s no need for thanks.”

“...”

Despite her words, both of them bowed slightly and slowly stepped back.

“Impressive.”

Only then did Jake speak to me.

“In a situation like that, reacting that way... it’s not something a noble or royal would normally do. I’m not criticizing, though. I just wanted to thank you.”

Then he fell silent, watching me carefully.

As the Duke’s son, he must have heard a lot of stories. It wasn’t like the Duke of Lindberrow was directly wary of me, so I didn’t think he was treating me like an assassin.

“Like I said to Roti, there’s really no need for thanks. I just didn’t like the atmosphere.”

I said that and turned my back without hesitation.

I then walked over to where Mia Crowfield was still standing, looking dazed.

Hmm.

Did I seem a bit cool?

---

It was fortunate, or unfortunate, that the atmosphere didn’t completely fall apart due to the incident.

The Duke of Lindberrow resumed his rounds, talking to the invited students one by one as if nothing had happened.

He even seemed quite interested in Leo and Claire, who had entered without an invitation.

Watching them answer nervously, it seemed the Duke hadn’t said anything too bad. I wondered if he knew Claire was adopted.

But it didn’t really matter to the Duke. After all, even if she was adopted, her status as a noble was clear. When I, who was also adopted, had been seen as a suitable match for his son, the Duke probably had a rather open mindset.

That mindset didn’t apply to everyone, though.

I didn’t drink alcohol. It wasn’t that I hated alcohol in my past life, but my tastes were quite cheap. I preferred beer or diluted soju, which you could buy cheaply at a convenience store, over expensive wines with good aromas.

...Honestly, there was also the issue of side dishes. If there had been a spicy soup or something, maybe I would have had some boardkara.

“...Your Highness.”

I hadn’t been drinking, but the smell of alcohol was still in the air. After being around it for a while, I started to feel a little uneasy, so I stepped out to the terrace for some fresh air.

From behind me, I heard Roti’s voice.

“Roti.”

I turned around slightly to speak, and Roti bowed politely.

“There’s no need for that. We’re still just students of the same school until graduation.”

“...”

Roti didn’t respond to that.

I tapped the railing I was leaning on. Roti seemed to hesitate for a moment before walking toward me.

But, as I had expected, she didn’t stand next to me. She stood diagonally behind me, about a step away. So, I had no choice but to turn around.

The bright light from the window cast a shadow over Roti’s face. Her expression was mostly neutral, but the shadows made it hard to detect even the slightest change in her features.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“...”

Roti seemed to hesitate again before slowly opening her mouth.

“Earlier, did you know about the maid... and what kind of relationship she and I have?”

Well, there was no need to hide it.

I stepped away from the railing and walked forward. Roti quickly shifted her position, thinking I was about to leave without a word.

But I only drew the curtains on the terrace window.

If someone wanted to eavesdrop, there was nothing I could do about it, but at least for now, this was a private conversation.