Chapter 27
In the end, I wore the ribbon that Valentin carefully tied for me.
He was so skillful that the ribbon looked beautiful, and I felt embarrassed to even complain.
“It’s pretty.”
With his straight green eyes looking up at me and his careful fingers smoothing the ribbon, I couldn’t tell which one he meant was pretty—the ribbon or me. Ahem.
“Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”
Even though I obviously avoided his gaze and grumbled, Valentin only smiled.
If he smiles so easily like that, how does he plan to survive in this harsh world?
Even though I know he’s the type who smiles while insulting someone, I still worry about him.
“I hope no one underestimates him because of that beautiful smile.”
Thinking something that would shock the Berenice Knights if they heard it, I walked quickly and arrived at the banquet before I even had time to feel nervous.
They called it a banquet hall, but it was really just a long table set up in a sunny open space—clearly a temporary place built with the servants’ hard work.
Even so, it was enormous.
Fresh flowers, probably brought from other regions, decorated everything so the place wouldn’t look plain. The table, the chairs, even the white fences were covered in flowers.
The Emperor, the Empress, and Marquess Tempel were already seated at the long table.
“Shouldn’t we have arrived first and waited, considering their age and rank?”
Unlike my worries, Valentin walked leisurely. I almost wanted to carry him there myself.
“I apologize. We were late because we needed time to recover.”
Valentin greeted them in a voice that did not sound apologetic at all. Empress Cordelia shot him a sharp glare.
However, perhaps because the Emperor was present, she chose to hold her knife gracefully instead of openly showing her displeasure.
“Sit.”
After the brief greeting, silence followed. Wasn’t this banquet supposed to be a light gesture of comfort after yesterday’s accident?
Clink.
Just as I thought I might get indigestion from the tension, Emperor Rikaion placed his glass down. His darker blond hair fluttered slightly in the wind.
“I heard the two of you nearly suffered a great disaster yesterday.”
His admiring gaze on Valentin shifted to me.
He frowned slightly, as if wondering whether I was a beast or a monster, then looked away and continued speaking.
“This happened because monster management was not handled properly. I deeply suspect that personal feelings toward the imperial family caused negligence in duty. Marquess Tempel.”
The Marquess, now the target of blame, quietly put down his knife and wiped his mouth.
“It is entirely my fault.”
After that, he simply endured the Emperor’s anger without making any excuses.
The monster subjugation was led by the imperial family, but the location—the Arphos Mountains—belonged to Marquess Tempel’s territory. So technically, he was responsible for monster control.
But still…
“Why does it feel like he’s blaming the wrong person?”
The one who planned everything was sitting there elegantly cutting her meat—the Empress. It felt unfair that an innocent person was taking the blame.
“Wait… where did he appear in the original story?”
As I stared at Marquess Tempel, I almost dropped my fork.
“Oh.”
I remembered who he was.
Our eyes met—his eyes full of untold stories between deep wrinkles shaped by time. Startled, I swallowed a piece of meat without even chewing properly.
Because the Marquess in front of me was the former father-in-law of Empress Elia.
More precisely, the former one.
So at this table sat Valentin’s father, his stepmother, and his birth mother’s former father-in-law.
And a cursed beast as well.
“Is this Hollywood? Or a chaotic upper-class soap opera?”
The Emperor’s criticism of the Marquess in front of Valentin, mentioning personal feelings, came from this twisted relationship.
“He might think the Marquess holds a grudge against Valentin.”
It annoyed me that he couldn’t raise his voice at the Empress, who constantly bullied Valentin, but he could scold the Marquess so easily.
“Well, it’s all his own fault.”
I silently cursed the Emperor while cutting into the roasted turkey.
Because my nails hadn’t grown back properly, I had trouble gripping the fork.
I wanted to just use my hands. But that wouldn’t be appropriate, right?
When I glanced at Valentin, our eyes met.
Judging by the way his lips trembled, he was clearly enjoying the show instead of helping me.
“…What a bad personality.”
I swore I would never ask him for help and looked back at my plate. Just then, a soft voice broke the silence.
“This is quite a unique experience.”
Confused by the sudden comment, I looked at Cordelia.
She gently swirled her wine glass and smiled at me.
Was she talking to me?
Before I could react, Valentin smoothly replied.
“What do you mean?”
“To dine at the same table as a beast. It’s an experience money can’t buy. It seems someone here is not familiar with table manners. I wonder if she can manage other things properly.”
Cordelia gestured toward my plate.
“Are you hesitating because it’s your own kind? You’ve been poking at it but not eating. It pains me to watch.”
I stared at the butchered turkey on my plate.
“My own kind…”
Should I feel ashamed for being treated like a beast? Or ashamed for not handling utensils properly?
Her words humiliated me twice. My ears drooped.
“So this is the social skill of nobles I only read about in books.”
Surprisingly, Cordelia’s face showed no sign of mockery. She looked innocent, speaking gently as if she were simply curious.
At least on the outside.
I felt lucky I hadn’t possessed a noble lady and been forced to join such terrifying mind games.
“Though instead, I’m rolling around in blood and sweat elsewhere.”
As I stayed silent, unable to find a response, Valentin calmly said something outrageous.
“Unique? Your Majesty lives with a beast every day, so I thought you’d be quite used to it.”
Cordelia’s smiling eyes twitched.
“What do you mean, Duke?”
“Wow.”
You’re truly insane.
While Valentin remained relaxed, I lowered my head and quietly put down my fork.
This was no time to eat.
If I was right, the beast he mentioned was probably…
At the same time I nervously shifted my eyes, the Emperor’s face turned red, and he slammed the table.
“Have you been drinking during the day?”
“I haven’t touched a drop.”
Valentin gestured to his untouched wine glass.
“As you said, we nearly faced disaster. I should refrain from drinking.”
His bright, smiling face was something Cordelia couldn’t match.
Valentin was the perfect example of social skill. No matter how much one studied the textbook, you could not beat the textbook itself.
No matter what nonsense he said, that smile let him get away with it.
Just like in the original story—no matter what crazy things Valentin said, people convinced themselves he was normal because of his face.
Especially Emperor Rikaion, who was particularly weak against Valentin’s appearance.
As the Emperor became distracted by that rare angelic smile, Valentin stood up.
“My health is not well, so I cannot stay for dessert. May I be excused?”
He was already standing while asking. Even as an ally, that boldness was shameless.
The Emperor pressed his brow and waved his hand.
“Very well. Leave.”
Valentin signaled for me to stand, then looked at Marquess Tempel.
“You’ve finished your meal as well. You should return quickly.”
“…Thank you for your concern.”
Before he even finished speaking, Valentin led me away from the garden.
I could guess who was glaring at our backs, so I kept my eyes forward.
“Duke.”
When we were finally far enough from the banquet, I opened my mouth.
“I want to eat something delicious.”
Now that we had left that suffocating place and were alone, my appetite finally returned.
“Sir Nathan! Are you alright?”
Neumann rushed toward me as he returned from the subjugation.
The knights dismounted and gathered around, looking fierce.
The most excited one was the passionate knight, Andy.
He strode over like an angry rhinoceros and pulled me into a hug.
“Nathan, you are a true knight!”
He slapped my back hard with his large hand.
“Your noble loyalty is like the legendary dog that protected its master in a snowy mountain! You truly deserve the title of Berenice’s final weapon, recognized by the Duke!”
Andy was only the beginning. Large men came forward to shake my hand, bump fists, give thumbs up, or hug me.
They patted my back and surrounded me with praise and applause.
Even Devon praised me.
“Well done.”
His simple praise made me smile widely.
That’s right—I did well this time!
While I was grinning, George, who must have worried about me all night, quietly approached.
“I’m truly relieved you’re safe. Well… not completely safe, but at least you survived…”
Seeing his relieved face reminded me of someone who looked like him.
“Jamie!”
Then I remembered the ruined handkerchief.
It was meant to wipe sweat during hunting, but now it was soaked in blood and in terrible condition.
“What should I do with it?”
Before I could think more, the loud chatter around me swallowed my thoughts.
The knights gathered and discussed what had happened.
Apparently, none of them had believed Valentin was seriously injured at first.
The area had already been cleared once before the subjugation, and they firmly believed nothing could truly harm him.
They only realized the seriousness after hearing the testimony of the healing mage, Lucy.
“Our Duke was really in danger. Which bastard did this?”
The most likely suspect was the imperial family.
Enemies are always close. Royal families are the kind where even relatives must be treated carefully.
Especially Empress Cordelia, who had pushed young Valentin into danger before—this would just be another one of her usual actions.
No matter how they thought about it, suspicion pointed to Cordelia. Anger boiled among the knights.
“This has gone beyond an annual threat to our lord. We cannot stand by!”
Blaming themselves for not protecting the Duke properly, the knights knelt.
Valentin raised an eyebrow and replied shortly,
“Bow.”
…Why did he suddenly become like that?
