That was the first-word Arisha said while looking inside the party hall. Evan had a bitter smile on his face as Shine quietly stood behind them.
âCompared to Maybellâs sense, itâs not enough.â
âYes, yes. Now I see how great of a party planner Maybell is.â
[The second son of the Sherden family and the noble Miss Arisha von Pellati are now entering!]
The moment Evan tried to explain what a party planner was, the attendant standing guard at the entrance announced their arrival. The nobles who were chatting throughout the venue turned to look at them all at once.
âHuh.â
âThat boyâŠâ
âHe came with the daughter of the Pellati family. How pretty.â
âYes, yes. They said the first wife of the Marquis was beautiful, and now I know just by looking at her son.â
âYou mean that boy is the owner of the Brotherhood Pharmacy?â
âIs that pretty maid with them? I canât see her well.â
Evan and Arisha exchanged such conversation as if it were completely natural and then gently held each otherâs hand as they stepped into the venue. They moved politely but confidently, Evanâs black hair and Arishaâs platinum fluttering behind them like an aurora, or so it seemed to those in the hall.
âHuhâŠâ
âI feel like my soul is refreshed just by seeing them.â
âI donât know if theyâre engaged, but the rumors of their relationship are true.â
âBoth are children of the dungeon city that have received the blessings of the heavensâŠheh.â
âIsnât he the commander of the dungeon knights?â
âAre those following them the reputable servant and the maid? The rumors were lackingâŠthey are not behind their masters at all. No, ratherâŠâ
âEverything is perfect except for the middle-aged man in the back.â
They endured without going to parties such as this until now to hide, but that had only made them more noticeable. However, because of their amplified expectations being more than satisfied, they seemed to have a problem with Dain, the escort knight who was in the back. He wiped away his tears.
âEvan, this isnât very fun.â
âIâll listen to your complaints later, so focus on acting now.â
ââŠYes. I havenât forgotten.â
Meanwhile, Arisha had joined Evan and forgotten all outside interests. Faced with the gazes of all those people, her cheeks were puffed out as if she didnât like it, but she calmed down upon hearing Evanâs voice. Yes, she had Evan by her side now. That was enough to receive their gazes calmly.
âYoung master, Iâll serve you at the table.â
âAlright.â
On the other hand, Shine seemed to liven up at the attention, escorting the party in a fixed posture Evan had never seen before. Belois was in a similar state, seemingly having more energy than when they entered the dungeon.
âIs that girl really a maid? What fool would leave her as a maid? Of course, sheâs still youngâŠâ
âI like the dungeon cityâs prestige. Theyâre attracting all kinds of wealth from around the world, so even servants like that are decorated as such.â
âIsnât he in control of the pharmacy? A little boy who knows nothingâŠâ
âNo matter how good he is, heâs the second son and not the successor. The Marquis seems to like him, though.â
âYou, donât be rude. If you donât want the dungeon city to be an enemy, be careful what you say.â
The Sherden family that governed the dungeon city was a major player in this country, so even the nobles couldnât talk rudely of them. So, people were whispering in small voices so that they couldnât be heard, except Evanâs five senses had already transcended human limits long ago.
âTheyâre talking about subjects they donât have the courage to discuss in front of us.â
âThatâs because they are rubbish.â
It wasnât just Evan. Shine, Belois, and Arisha had all broken through the 20th floor and were clearly able to hear the noblesâ whispers.
âEvan, are you going to pretend you donât know? Then Iâll take care of it.â
âWeâll just end up being made a fool, Arisha.â
âIâve no intention of showing off right now. Iâll remember their families and exact revenge later.â
âNo, thatâs scary, so please stop.â
âBut Pellati will surely pay back the insults ten times. To curse Evan is to curse
me.â
Arishaâs voice was passionate, but her expression was calm, which made it even more frightening. He lightly squeezed her hand.
âYou donât need to worry about it. Theyâre saying those things because they canât even guess weâre listeningâŠof course, if there is anything that insults us, we wonât let it go.â
Evan had recognized that he had become strong despite being once helpless, and he wouldnât let others walk over that.
âBut thatâs a separate matter.â
He had no intention of denying his identity or position. He was the second son of the Marquis, who ruled the dungeon city. To insult him was to insult the Marquis, and to go beyond that, the names of not only Evan but also the Marquis would be brought low. If anyone were to cross that line, he would not hesitate to force them to their knees.
âIf Evan thinks so⊠Iâm okay too.â
âI wonât let them insult you, so rest assured, Arisha. Now, letâs sit down.â The party sat at the simple table prepared for them. The butler, Shine, and the maid, Belois, werenât comfortable yet with attending to them, but they seemed to enjoy the situation.
âI will bring tea, master, young lady.â
âMake sure to respond appropriately to anyone who comes.â
ââŠWhy are these guys so excited?â
âSometimes they want to be faithful to their jobs.â
Evan and Arisha idly chatted with Shine and Belois while they enjoyed the partyâs food and drink. They hadnât come here to secure connections; rather, their primary purpose was to spread the rumors about Evan and Arishaâs relationship. 1602
âWell, we had a secondary purpose originally, but meeting Anastasia solved it much smoother than planned.â
So Evan just had to focus on his time with Arisha. By the end of the party, the rumors he wanted to spread would come out. No, wasnât that what Arisha wanted?
âŠIt feels like my retreat is being blocked.â
What the hell was Arisha thinking? He couldnât tell, but it was clear she didnât hate him.
âI have to be careful about narrowing the distance. If I ever grow to like Arisha as a member of the opposite sexâŠâ
âYou know that I hate that, yet you keep saying it.â
âNo, I hope that you will have fun when you are with me. Iâm not doing it on purpose.â
Evan let it go at that point. She had changed after visiting the dungeon.
â⊠Still, thank you for letting me know.â
âYes, if there is anything I would like to fix, it would be you telling me that right away.â
âIâm afraid youâll say itâs fun again, so keep it to a minimum.â
âBut you are so fun.â
Although there were many elements to be tackled in their conversation, at least on the surface, the two appeared to be hooked to each other. It was a perfectly formed space just for those two that others couldnât dare step within. However, there were those who would charge in even though they knew defeat awaited for them. There was such a person here, a Don Quixote willing to rush the windmill.
âYoung master, this is Myrti from Count Duben.â
âHuh? Ah.â
He had been so absorbed in the conversation that he had lost track of his surroundings. Evan raised his head at Shineâs words and looked straight ahead. An aristocrat who looked several years older than him was there.
âAre you Evan from the Marquis of Sherden? Iâve wanted to meet you.â
âItâs nice to meet you too.â
It was impossible to ignore the approaching person, no matter how focused he had been on Arisha. He responded modestly so as not to seem rude.
âRumors of you are spreading all over the kingdom. Sherdenâs treasure! Today I see that the rumors werenât over-exaggerating. Itâs a great honor to see you hereâŠâ
âIâm honored to see you as well. Iâm afraid that the nickname is undeserved. There is another who suits the word âtreasureâ better.â
âMh?â
âThis is Arisha from the Pellati family who has joined me.â
âUhâŠ?â
Suddenly the atmosphere shifted, and the aristocratâs face stiffened, but Evan pretended not to notice.
âI used to be confident in my own appearance, but I was arrogant. I met Arisha here and realized what true beauty wasâŠâ
âUhâŠ?â
âEvan, how embarrassing.â
At the right timing, Arisha chimed in. She said she was embarrassed, but she had a big smile on her face. In fact, if it werenât for the current situation, she wanted to ask what part of her was beautiful.
âAnd excuse me.â
âOh, I see. I apologizeâŠâ
âOh, no. Itâs okayâŠthen, have a good time.â
At the end of the perfect play, Don Quixote lost to the windmill and ran away in tears. The gallery cried along with him. The windmill showed off its invincibility and slew a dozen more Don Quixotes after that. As a result, an oddly excited atmosphere began to circulate around the venue until the partyâs owner appeared.