KTEESH Chapter 65

‘Seeing how he was utterly entranced by his face regardless of how Ifrit reacts, that makes it certain.’

It was understandable, really. The moment Ifrit entered, a light ripple of surprise swept through the entire banquet hall.

Those who recognized him as Marquis Pavel hurried to cover their mouths and whisper to one another.

‘They’re wondering why someone of that caliber would come to a place like this.’

I didn’t need to hear what they were saying directly to guess it. I could clearly see the many pairs of eyes glittering with curiosity, uncomfortably fixed on us.

Feeling slightly awkward, I looked at Ifrit standing before me. Even on his own he was an outstanding figure, but standing next to Gerald only made him shine all the more by comparison.

After alternating my gaze between the two men, whose styles were completely different, I spoke to Ifrit.

“You must be busy, Marquis. How did you manage to come all the way here?”

In other words, it meant, ‘I didn’t invite you, so why did you bother coming?’

Though I had phrased it indirectly, Ifrit seemed to understand the underlying meaning and smiled as if amused.

“Haven’t the ties between the two of us lasted quite a long time now? As a longtime acquaintance of you, my Lady, it was only proper that I come and lend my presence to grace the occasion.”

In other words, ‘I came to polish your image with my face.’

Considering the curiosity-filled gazes being poured toward us right now, the effect certainly seemed undeniable.

Just then, thanks to Gerald suddenly butting in, Ifrit’s eyes once again turned inorganic.

“Haha, we are acquainted now as well, aren’t we!”

“…”

At times like this, it was clear that, deep down, he didn’t consider Gerald to be a fellow noble at all.

After all, he didn’t even bother to acknowledge him.

‘In that case, when he approached Gerald in the city the other day, it must have been solely for the purpose of securing an invitation to this party.’

Even while being treated that way, Gerald kept trying to strike up a conversation with Ifrit.

To make matters worse, Helga soon hurried over as well and offered Ifrit a polite greeting.

“My goodness! It is an honor to have you here, Marquis Pavel!”

But his response was no different from how he had treated Gerald.

He fixed his gaze solely on me, without sparing even a glance toward Gerald and Helga, who were desperately trying to engage him in conversation.

The difference in how he treated the two of them versus how he treated me was starkly apparent.

Watching this strange exchange among the four of us, I suddenly found it amusing.

At this moment, Gerald and Helga were treating me as though I didn’t exist, and Ifrit was doing the same to the two of them.

In other words, the direction of attention flowed from Gerald and Helga toward Ifrit, and from Ifrit toward me.

‘What kind of love triangle is this supposed to be?’

Ifrit didn’t seem to be making any deliberate effort to be rude to the two of them.

‘Rather, it seems like he simply doesn’t register people who fall outside his interest at all.’

Like sacks of barley left standing to the side, he completely ignored the presence of the two beside him and leisurely exchanged a few more words with me alone.

As I responded to him appropriately, a realization suddenly struck me.

‘For someone who sent a note saying he would quietly offer his congratulations, there hasn’t been a single word actually congratulating the engagement.’

Listening only to his words, it almost felt as though we were attending some kind of tea party instead.

Either way, Ifrit had, in his own way, kept the promise he had made.

‘In the letter he sent with his Rodin bird, he did say he would come and behave himself.’

On top of that, I liked it even more because he blatantly sidelined Gerald and Helga, the hosts of the party.

After showing his face enough to the rumor-generators who were openly watching this way with glittering eyes, Ifrit headed deeper into the banquet hall.

Even then, he didn’t spare Gerald or Helga a single glance. The two of them followed after him with faces completely drained.

My gaze was no longer on them, but on the open entrance of the hall. There was still someone else who was supposed to arrive.

‘It should be about time now.’

And at the exact moment that thought crossed my mind, he entered the banquet hall.

“…”

The hall, which had been buzzing with murmurs as people gathered in small groups talking about what had just happened, fell silent in an instant.

Everyone stopped speaking and focused their attention on the overwhelming presence coming from the entrance.

I heard the sound of several people inhaling sharply, and one guest, startled, muttered softly.

“Why is that person here…?”

At the end of all those gathered gazes stood none other than Duke Blake, Rastan.

And he had arrived in a striking ensemble: a black uniform, a draped cloak, and even chain-like accessories, an undeniably lavish appearance.

‘Good heavens, he really came fully prepared and determined, didn’t he?’

The Rastan I knew drew attention anywhere he went with his looks and status alone, so he rarely bothered to dress extravagantly.

Because of that, I had no memory of him ever being dressed up to this extent, even counting my previous life.

Strictly speaking, since today was an engagement party, it might have been discourteous to dress in a way that stood out more than the main figures of the event.

Even so, Rastan was such an overwhelming figure that no one seemed able to even think of pointing out his attire.

‘One would almost get confused about who the groom-to-be is.’

That was probably partly because he was a powerful man and a respected war hero, but his captivating beauty, capable of bewitching anyone, must have played a major role as well.

“Wow… to think I would get to see Duke Blake in person.”

“His aura is really something else. He doesn’t even seem human.”

Though they tried to keep their voices low, exclamations they failed to fully suppress could be heard here and there.

At this point, the male lead of this party was unquestionably Rastan. Everyone’s gaze was fixed solely on him as they followed his movements.

Growing a little curious, I lightly swept my eyes over the guests’ faces and realized one thing.

At this very moment, no one cared in the slightest about someone like Gerald.

Even he himself wore nothing but a shocked and overwhelmed expression at the appearance of Duke Blake.

As I watched Gerald’s face, a mix of admiration, rapture, and elation, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Was this what Rastan meant by helping me?’

Certainly, if Duke Blake had come at my invitation, Helga and Gerald would be noticeably less disrespectful toward me while I stayed at the Lansval estate.

‘But did that man really come all the way to this shabby place aiming for just that? Someone as busy as him?’

While I was thinking that, Rastan came to a stop in front of me and faced me directly. He lowered his gaze to meet my eyes and smiled.

His face, which always carried a shadowed air, looked slightly tired, but even that was absorbed into an atmosphere that felt dimly mysterious.

As I looked at his face, which seemed to carry an even more peculiar mood than usual, he took one of my hands and pressed his lips to the back of it for a long moment.

Having experienced it several times now, I was used to the greeting and could return it calmly.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

Even after lifting his head, Rastan didn’t let go of my hand and greeted me in a low voice.

“I have missed you.”

Startled by his words, I glanced around, but fortunately, there was no one else standing close to us at the moment.

When I let out a small sigh of relief without realizing it, Rastan’s smile deepened.

I was about to return his smile when Gerald suddenly rushed over, greeting him in a voice that was a mix of tension and servility.

“Y-Your Grace! What brings you all the way here? …Ah!”

Flustered, Gerald suddenly seemed to think of something and thumped his fist into his open palm.

“Since I attended a banquet at your estate last time, you have come to my engagement party this time, haven’t you! Of course, looking after each other’s happy occasions like this is only proper between fellow nobles, isn’t it! Hahaha!”

Despite the obvious tension he felt in the face of Rastan’s overwhelming aura, Gerald still ran his happiness circuit at full output and spewed nonsense.

‘Does he really believe Duke Blake came here because of him?’

It seemed he had completely erased from his mind the fact that he and his mother had forced me to invite high-ranking nobles.

‘What am I supposed to do with this bloated ego?’

As I inwardly shook my head, Rastan, who had been looking down at Gerald’s behavior, turned his gaze back to me, met my eyes, and replied.

“House Blake has long maintained ties with House Krone, so when it concerns Lady Krone, it is only natural that I should come.”

As he spoke, he lifted the hand he was still holding and once again pressed a kiss to the back of it. It was a very open declaration that he had come not because of Gerald, but because of me.