chapter 2
2 – Prom – 1
Splendid jewels whose price is hard to guess.
A large room that can accommodate dozens of people if you put your mind to it.
A space that anyone would think of as a splendid party hall.
This was the restaurant at the residence of the Duke of Axus.
“Do you know that today is His Highness the Crown Prince’s social debut, Ike?”
“Yes, Father.”
At first, I thought I would never be able to adapt to this restaurant, but after a month, I got used to it.
On the contrary, if there was one thing that was difficult, it was talking with my family.
Because the number of times I talked to my family was few and far between in my life.
“Does your mother and brother join the party too?”
“Unfortunately, they say no because they are busy with student council work.”
“Sorry.”
Father. Addos Access.
Mother. Nia Access.
Brother. Lucal Access.
These are characters who never appeared in the original work and were not even mentioned.
Honestly, Ike was a minor role in the first place, so there must have been no reason for his family to come out.
“Ike. As you may know, we are a family of knights with a long history, having been with the imperial family since the foundation of the Astraia Empire. That’s why His Majesty is expecting a lot at the ball tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“So, protect the crown prince no matter what happens tomorrow. You don’t have any talent for swords, but I know you tried harder than anyone else. Be confident in your efforts.”
“Thank you, Father.”
I wasn’t the one who made that effort.
I myself have been training in the past month, but it was all thanks to the efforts accumulated by the ‘real’ Ike Axus.
“His Highness the Crown Prince will be your lord from now on. I believe you will fully understand what this means.”
“… All right.”
My father asked me in a stern voice.
I nodded, but in my heart I apologized quietly.
I’m sorry, Mr. Addos. No, father.
What I want to protect….
Then the party started.
★
“Awesome.”
Looking around, I expressed my sincerity without hiding it.
The mansion of the Duke of Axus was enormous, but the imperial palace was more than that.
The ballroom located just outside the palace was of this size, so I wondered what it would be like inside the main building of the imperial palace.
Maybe something like this could be created if we had the utmost luxury as human beings.
“Hello, Prince Ike. I am the second son of the county of Lore….”
“Young master Ike. I am the eldest son of Baron Mariet….”
After arriving at the ballroom, I kept saying hello to someone.
Ike is not the eldest son, the heir to the family, but the second son.
However, the Duke of Axus is one of the two largest dukes of the Astraia Empire.
In other words, the second son of the Duke of Axus could be said to have a higher status than the successor of most families.
“Hmm.”
I’ve already met countless nobles, but Reina hasn’t even seen her face yet.
I wanted to meet you in advance just in case.
Okay. The fact that she was the fiancée of the prince was no different from a secret, so it would be natural for her not to appear until the very end.
“It’s a bit inconvenient.”
The black tailcoat I tried on for the first time was a bit tight.
Rather than the feeling that the clothes are small, it was the feeling that it was slightly difficult to move because of the muscles in the body.
Wouldn’t this be impossible when you need to swing your sword in a hurry?
Originally, it would have been impossible to carry a sword in the ballroom of the imperial palace, but the Dukes of Axus have been active as knights of the emperor since the founding of the empire.
Among the ordinary nobles participating in the party, he was the only one allowed to possess a sword.
“But the clothes look like this….”
“Ike. Soon, His Highness the Crown Prince will enter. Focus.”
My father approached me and whispered in my ear.
I wanted to ask about Reina’s location, but it was impossible as she just said this to me and left right away.
Well, since she is definitely the main character of the party, maybe she will appear with the crown prince.
In that case, let’s wait and prepare what we have to do in the future.
“I don’t know what to do.”
It is certain that something will happen at this prom.
But I had no idea what the incident was.
The original was about 4 years later. It begins with the female protagonist entering the academy.
In addition, Reina’s past was only serialized as an anecdote in her original story.
And the fact that she fell for the prince through a certain incident at her ball was briefly described, but I remember that there was no exact content.
Maybe I simply forgot.
“His Highness the Crown Prince is entering!”
A man’s voice echoed through the ballroom.
After saying that, I looked towards the entrance hall and saw a man standing in the middle and knights who had taken their positions to escort him.
Red eyes that go well with the brilliant golden hair.
The pure white uniform was decorated with various ornaments as if to indicate his noble status.
He is the crown prince of the Astraia Empire.
Another main character who is recognized as the author of ‘She heals the wounded world.’
It was ‘Leon Aegis Astraia’.
I couldn’t remember exactly his illustrations or descriptions in the works, but when I saw his face, I thought it must be something like that.
And behind him, a figure slowly emerged.
“… Ha.”
How many times has her eyes been stolen by her?
Unlike usual, her lightly wavy hair made Reina’s cold atmosphere a new charm.
In addition, the bright water color and platinum colored dress added to Raina’s innocent feeling, and her modest accessories rather highlighted her appearance.
While looking cold as ice, it was a transparent and clean beauty.
She shines enough to make me doubt that she casts some kind of spell on me.
Isn’t the words I spit rather ruining her charm?
I was worried about that.
“… I am Leon. Leon Aegis Astraia. The first heir to the Empire.”
Then the prince stood on the podium and quietly opened his mouth.
Everyone in the ballroom swallowed at his remarks.
It was short and polite, but it was a declaration that one’s position was strong.
Surely, this ball was his social debut.
To say that without the slightest hesitation in such a situation was also proof of his talent.
“Thank you to everyone who participated in this event today.”
After looking around the entire ballroom, the prince slightly lowered his head.
“I hope everyone enjoys the party.”
And with those words, I came down from the podium.
It was short, but it must have left a strong impression on everyone inside.
Of course, since I already knew the ending, I didn’t think much of it.
“But Reina is not with me.”
I thought he would be with the prince because of the engagement declaration, but he was alone when he came down from the podium.
When and where did it fall?
“Did you find me?”
But thanks to Reina standing behind me, her doubts were quickly dispelled.
But it wasn’t Reina as a childhood friend.
From nob le mt l dot com
Perhaps because of the attention from the people around her, there was a figure of her famous as the Ice Princess.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Young master Ike. Did you just call my name?”
“Uh, um. Miss Rayna. It’s nothing.”
Guessing her intentions, I also showed a public attitude, and Reina slightly lowered her head as if that was the correct answer.
“Okay. Have a peaceful day.”
“I hope Miss Reina has a peaceful day.”
After that conversation, she left.
A beautiful but cold expression and atmosphere.
To be honest, the Reina Roselia I knew was closer to this side.
In the original work, she was a character who used honorifics for everyone and did not allow anyone to approach her in a relationship.
Of course, I like it more now that we can be close.
“Hmm…. Huh?”
As I scratched her head in thought, I felt something between her neck and her suit.
“What is it?”
When I put my hand in and took it out, what came out was a piece of paper folded about twice.
Inside it was a short message written in elegant handwriting.
「It was decided to announce the engagement in the middle of the party. I don’t think that’s possible, but you should never tell other people.”
It was a letter with Reina’s request written on it.
Did she sneak it in when I was standing behind you earlier?
“… I didn’t mean to say it in the first place.”
For some reason, I felt a bit distrusted, so I smiled bitterly.
“Anyway, this isn’t what matters right now.”
I stopped thinking for a moment, but the most important thing was what would happen in the future.
An incident in which Reina, who does not easily open up to others, completely falls in love with the crown prince.
What the hell is that?
Giving her life to protect Reina?
However, the prince only saw her as the object of her arranged marriage, but she had no other thoughts.
At the end, he broke off his marriage with Reina and chose her heroine.
It’s difficult.
In the end, no matter what I think, I can’t get out of my realm of speculation now.
The only thing you can do is to be nervous so that you can respond whenever, wherever, no matter what happens.
I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t help it.
When Gaiden was serialized, I would personally contact the author and ask about the settings.
… That’s not even funny.
“Damn it.”
As I was lamenting and helping myself over my absurd family, I noticed that the surroundings had become a little noisy.
“At this point, I think I’ve said hello to everyone.”
At the center was the crown prince again.
He was not on the podium this time, but in the center of the ballroom, drawing attention.
And if there was another thing other than the location, it was that Raina had settled down next to him before he knew it.
When I quietly looked at the clock hanging on the east wall of the ballroom, more than two hours had passed since the party started.
Surely less than an hour had passed until I said hello to Reina.
“As most of you have probably already noticed, this party is not just about my debut.”
“Who is that?”
“Certainly from the Roselia duchy….”
“I am the Ice Princess.”
I could tell that the atmosphere in the ballroom was agitated.
The meaning of this situation was so obvious that some of the nobles’ faces were tinged with astonishment.
Maybe he wanted to raise his family’s daughter to that position.
“Miss Reina. Will you give me the honor to dance with you?”
The prince gently knelt down and held out his right hand to Reina.
Basically, the first person an unmarried man invites to dance at a ball must be his fiancé.
There was such a custom in the empire.
Even the crown prince couldn’t avoid that custom.
Then the relationship between the crown prince and Reina was obvious.
“Thank you very much, Your Highness.”
Reina held his hand and took a stance.
Then music began to play quietly in the ballroom.
It was the prince who stepped in first.
At that moment, bright red blood splattered across the ballroom.