Chapter 66 - 22. By Personality (2)

People were always thirsty for emotional stories. Even if it was a scandal involving a ghost like a lady and a duke, they were interested in it.

“Hoo… Do you follow the tradition of the knights? Hohoho, you’re still young.”

As if the king hadn’t thought that Aloken would do such a thing, he looked at the atmosphere for a moment and laughed out loud. After that, King Balmong said happily that he was going to give this treasure to Lady Celsius over there.

“…I am honored, Your Majesty.”

All the nobles in that place, including Naverius, Hanar, and Purson, watched as the cold-blooded northern man gave all his glory to her.

When their eyes were fixed on each other, Fanora had no choice but to move according to Aloken’s will.

“I-I’m glad! Aloken! If you come here, I will make your wish come true right away!”

“Look at that! They must have been promised according to tradition.”

“So cute.”

As Fanora laughed and rejoiced bigger than ever, Aloken took advantage of the attention they had on her and gave her a crooked grin. Her poor situation, where she was forced to act, was so pitiful.

“Lady Fanora Celsius, I bestow you this treasure.”

“…”

“By the way, is there only one servant you bring along? This is quite heavy, so be careful not to drop it.”

That’s how the award ceremony ended. The royal family started the after-party by evaluating this year’s winner. At the time, nobles gathered to build friendships with the royals. Fanora looked around, holding the velvet storage box, which had been given to her by the king’s servant.

“Are you looking for someone? For example, like your lovely fiancé.”

“It can’t be true.”

“Oh my.”

Then, the person she was looking for didn’t come out, and the wrong person started talking. Aloken came down from the podium.

“Do you like the necklace you received? Why don’t you try it on to see if it suits you?”

“…It’s such an underserved treasure that I’m afraid to snap it out of in a place like this. I think I will drop it.”

“It’s not that heavy though.”

Aloken narrowed his eyes and smiled. He ordered several of his servants to lift the box from her arms. He even scolded her for only bringing one maid even after her status had changed.

“By the way, Aloken. What kind of wish did you want to the point of participating in a dangerous jousting tournament…”

Fanora ignored her fiancé’s scolding and continued. “…Anyway, if it’s not an unreasonable request, I will do whatever you want.”

“Your attitude is surprisingly docile.”

Isn’t it better to get the punishment quickly? Since she didn’t know where that man might end up, Fanora wanted to deal with his wish quickly.

“…What do you want?”

But there was no way everything would go in your way. When Aloken heard Fanora’s words, he grinned and spoke casually. “I haven’t decided what I wish for when I ask for it.”

“Yes?”

“Besides, how can I easily blow away such a precious opportunity?”

Click. Aloken took out the king’s gift from the box that came into the hands of his servant and said, “I’ll decide my wish later after careful consideration.”

“…!”

“Your expression hardened. Why? If you’re angry, tell me. I’m sorry, but I don’t understand such things well.”

Then he approached Fanora and hung the ruby necklace in his hand around her neck. Fanora accepted it quietly, fearing that her hair might get tangled with the precious jewel.

“Hmm.”

There was a ruby as big as a human eyeball. Aloken, who stared at the royal treasure on Fanora’s neck, smiled with satisfaction, whether he thought the necklace looked good on her.

“It looks awkward.” However, Fanora wasn’t happy even though she had obtained one of the greatest treasures in the kingdom. Rather, she kept touching the necklace as if it was uncomfortable.

“No, it’s not awkward…”

“Is it because I don’t usually enjoy wearing jewelry?”

Suddenly, Aloken brought his hand to her cheek.

“You’ve only worn a simple necklace unless it’s a very important time.”

To be exact, he removed the black hair that was covering Fanora’s cheek and tried to check her ears. As expected, there were no accessories in her ears.

“Aloken.”

“You didn’t wear a ring today. What about the engagement ring?”

“It’s… at home. I usually wear it all the time, but I forgot this time.”

Aloken’s hand then went to Fanora’s silk glove. He held Fanora’s hand and touched it as if checking something. He pointed out her engagement ring was missing, which made Fanora struggle to explain.

I’m in trouble. Since she was always bare-handed in her past life, it was uncomfortable for her to wear rings all the time. That’s why she left it off at home. But how could she leave it on a day like today?

They’ll ask if I don’t wear the engagement ring. Fanora swallowed her dry saliva, waiting for Aloken to get angry. But what follows…

“Do you have any favorite accessories?”

When a rather unexpected sound came out, Fanora’s head tilted.

“Yes? Favorite?”

“Whether it be earrings, necklaces, rings, or bracelets.”

However, this seems to be a pretty important question for Aloken. He circulated around Fanora, standing still and looking at all parts of her where she could wear accessories.

“I’ve never seen my fiancee like jewelry. Since ancient times, dressing up has been an indispensable part of the daily lives of nobles.”

“…”

“Do you have any jewelry that you particularly cherish? Like a memento, for example?”

Fanora answered his question, hiding her empty hands. “…I don’t know because I’ve never thought deeply about jewelry.”

“You’re not interested in the jewelry itself?” Aloken showed a look of disappointment for some reason. “You’re so frugal.”

A few years ago, Fanora tried to refuse the investment recommended by Naverius. Her condition was quite different from when she was cornered as an extravagant person. He asked her if she had no money to spend on it and told her how recklessly she usually spends money.

“Haa… I’m a little worried now. I don’t even know what to give you as a present because you’re not a greedy person.”

“Even if you don’t give me anything…”

“Hmm, I see! If you don’t have any accessories that you like right now, I can make new ones that will appeal to my fiancée.”

Snap. With a finger snap, Aloken ordered his servant before Fanora could intervene. “Immediately go to the jeweler and make an order. Tell them to make unique accessories that no one in the kingdom has ever made.”

“Yes, Duke.”

As the whole process proceeded quickly, Fanora refused it belatedly. “I don’t need it!”

Her belated refusal was no obstacle for Aloken. “I’m even more interested in ordering it by seeing your complexion dyed blue like that.”

His fiancée shouted not to give her accessories, and she hated to become his wife. Aloken replied to Fanora’s response, which was out of the ordinary thing he had learned. “Well, hunting is more fun shooting a struggling fox than catching a rabbit with a trap. Don’t you think so too?”

“Duke.”

Their scuffle in a small voice seems to be a love fight to nearby servants. By the time the eyes of people around them gradually softened, Aloken told at the end.

“…That’s enough. Oh, and Fanora. Unfortunately, today is the last time I see you this month.”

“Last?”

“Of course, I will definitely make time for the summer ball, so don’t worry.”

Aloken seemed to be busy with his family matters. He revealed that he had to finish important work in the capital within this year’s social season. In response, Fanora nodded calmly. Then, let’s go to see Countess Maquil.

It was then. Someone ran towards her from afar. Soon, a face appeared in front of her, revealing emotions that weren’t like a noble’s characteristic.

“Carl!”

“Lady Fanora!”

He was the second winner in this tournament, so Fanora thought he would be busy getting attention from the nobles by now. For some reason, no nobles were after Carl.

“Ah,” Fanora remembered belatedly. Didn’t a horse die due to Carl’s strength in the second or third match? His spear shattered with a crackling sound, and fragments of the spear pierced the horse, causing the audience to see a fountain of blood out of nowhere…

“People get scared when you do that.”

“Yes? Which one?”

“Never mind. It’s not an important point.”

Fanora briefly recalled unimaginable skill of Carl and returned to the main subject. Soon, she questioned the person who appeared in front of her with cold eyes. “Carl, don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Gasp, that.”

Did Carl have something to say? When she asked that question, his eyes were trembling, and his body shrank just like a dog.

“I’m sorry I lost when you told me to win.”

He apologized, using rather poor vocabulary, but Fanora shook her head in disagreement.

“Not that.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you lose to the Duke?”

“…!”

What Fanora really wanted to question was about the jousting. Carl was surprised as if he didn’t think Fanora would notice it.

“H-h-how…”

“When you taught me how to ride a horse, I’ve already seen how good you’re at handling horses.”

She complimented me all of a sudden!

“And when I sparred against you, I experienced firsthand how strong you are.”

To say that he was strong and good at riding horses. For Andras, this remark was much more of a compliment than a compliment of their appearance, so Carl was slightly getting shy. But that wasn’t the point of the story.

“Having watched you from the sidelines like that, I noticed that you deliberately missed the reins and fell on the first charge.”

“Aha.”

“Why did you do that? You, who likes to compete, did that?” Fanora whispered to him for a moment, fearing the servant behind her might listen.

Then Carl answered proudly with an attitude that what he did was natural. “Ah, that. Originally, I really wanted to win.”

“Then?”

“I didn’t expect the Duke to win until the end. That, the patriarch taught me since I was little. In a tournament like this, you shouldn’t win against the royal family and the person who had power after them.”

Ah… After his explanation, Fanora came to understand the whole situation. “I thought the Marquis family wouldn’t care about that…”

“I don’t know much about the power structure or anything because I’m stupid.”

Fanora thought that the Marquis, whom she had never met, was wise. No matter how much they wield the kingdom’s military power, they would be tired if they had a conflict with the royal family or the duke’s family.

It’s a pity that I couldn’t stop Aloken’s mischievousness, but thanks to him, Aloken’s status has increased. At the same time, I’ve also been receiving attention, so it’s rather good. Fanora nodded her head, convinced herself. After that, she corrected the small part that Carl misunderstood.

“Carl, I didn’t order you to win, so you don’t have to be sorry.”

“…!”

“Because what I really asked for was for you not to get hurt,” Fanora said and slowly moved. But at that moment, an unanswered question popped into her mind. She decided to ask that question.

“Ah, right, the wish.”

“Yes?”

“If you won, what would you wish for?”