Chapter 55
Not long after, guests began to flock to the Pluto Ducal House.
Crescent pressed her face against the window from the neighboring building, unable to close her mouth.
“…Wow. All these people came because of my debutante ball?”
Was it really necessary for so many to gather?
Even so, she was overwhelmed just seeing the banquet hall—it was like a heavenly floating garden.
It was grand enough to rival a royal wedding hall!
‘Is this what a noble debutante ball is supposed to be like?! And I’m not even a noble… Did they really spend such a huge fortune just for my debutante ball?!’
Crescent worried about the Duke’s finances, even though she didn’t need to. After all, using a little sand on a beach wouldn’t make a noticeable difference.
But there was an even bigger concern.
It was the dress she was wearing for her debutante ball.
With trembling lips, Crescent slightly lifted the dress.
She couldn’t possibly walk around the mansion wearing just the dress, so she had draped a black hooded cloak over it.
Even though the cloak covered most of it, the cream-toned dress sparkled provocatively.
‘It’s too revealing. My shoulders are freezing. The top is too tight and uncomfortable! And what’s with these heels!’
She wanted to throw off the dress immediately and change into her training outfit.
There was no outfit more comfortable than the training uniform she had practically lived in for over six years.
At that moment:
“Miss! There you are!”
Turning at someone’s call, she saw the servants. They must have been looking for her.
“Soon it will be time for you to make your grand entrance! Come quickly.”
“…Yes.”
The time had finally come.
But there was no escaping.
Crescent followed the servants with a resolute heart.
Since it had come to this, she would show a dignified presence as a paladin sponsored by the Pluto Ducal House!
She squared her shoulders and walked confidently, her heels clicking.
After all, the people weren’t there to see her—they were attending a banquet hosted by the Pluto Ducal House.
So she must not disgrace the Ducal House’s name. She needed to step forward gracefully as the young lady they sponsored.
Crescent removed her cloak in front of the door leading to the banquet hall.
Soon, the doors opened, and a loud voice echoed through the hall.
“Today’s guest of honor is Miss Crescent Dallas!”
Below the balcony and down the stairs, countless eyes were fixed solely on Crescent. The crowd was enormous.
Yet Crescent remained composed as she approached the rounded railing.
Finally, her figure was fully revealed to the crowd.
She wore a soft-colored, dazzlingly ornate dress. The layers were meticulously draped, sparkling like it had been dusted with light.
Its radiant, delicate glow could not be replicated in just any dress shop.
As it was the day the Pluto Ducal House’s ward debuted into high society, this was the finest dress obtainable in the Empire.
However, the dress itself barely drew the crowd’s attention.
It was the lady wearing it whose beauty and presence shone even more brilliantly.
“Oh my….”
“Are there really such beautiful ladies in the North…?”
People murmured in astonishment.
They were genuinely impressed and stunned.
Crescent looked both modest and magnificent at the same time.
Her golden-blonde hair, soft and not overly bright, flowed elegantly, and her gem-like pink eyes left a radiant impression with every blink.
Anyone who looked at her once would be captivated.
Even in the hall, people couldn’t take their eyes off Crescent.
No one in the North—or anywhere in the Empire—had ever seen a beauty like her.
“Good heavens… what a stunning beauty…”
At just fourteen, she possessed transcendent beauty. What could she have looked like as a child? And how much more beautiful would she become in the future?
Crescent began descending the stairs.
Even under all those gazes, each step she took was perfect and poised.
Her delicate frame moved with a softness as if feathers were floating down with her.
The noble ladies watched her intently, not wanting to blink.
“But isn’t she a paladin? Is she really one?”
“Of course. I heard she is, but does she really look like someone who wields a sword…?”
“I can’t believe it either. She looks like she could barely hold a fork, let alone a sword.”
“She’s just… too beautiful. Simply too beautiful!”
Ding!
<‘Dragon Slayer Sylvester’ says that even if those people got hit just once by your fist, they’d stop saying things like that.>
‘No… Sylvester…’
<‘Lily Druid Gabriella’ says that the debutante dress should have been a crop top. If they saw your abs, they’d know you could wield not just a fork but thirteen tridents!>
‘No… Gabriella too…’
<‘From Maid to Saint—Astina’ says that watching you train is fun, but seeing you appear in high society is even more entertaining. Finally, there’s a chance to show off your beauty!>
‘N-No…’
Crescent almost stumbled, but managed to descend the stairs completely.
Though it was only one floor, the stairs felt unusually long.
Finally reaching the bottom, she approached Ruben, Rearwin, and Miles.
She could feel the crowd’s gaze following her like a swarm of meerkats.
Standing side by side, Ruben smiled kindly.
“Finally, we can formally introduce to everyone the brilliant and outstanding trainee paladin of our house.”
Thump, thump.
Crescent’s heart raced.
For some reason, being called “the brilliant and outstanding trainee paladin of our house” made her chest flutter.
It meant that she was growing well as a paladin.
The crowd’s eyes shone as they continued to listen to Ruben.
“Crescent has been under our house’s sponsorship for six years. During that time, she has received both material and moral support from our family. But the Pluto Ducal House has received far greater benefits from her than we ever provided.”
“…!”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Ruben had just praised Crescent immensely.
She had given them more help than they had given her…?
“Crescent was simply a child Rearwin wanted to raise. Yet she became a paladin who brings honor to the Pluto Ducal House and even saved our lives. Perhaps it isn’t us sponsoring her—it’s this child who came to save us.”
“!”
“My goodness…”
The crowd was astonished.
Most already knew how extraordinary Crescent Dallas was.
Being a woman born with divine power for the first time in 150 years was enough to prove it.
Yet the Pluto Ducal House held her in even higher regard. No one had expected such praise, and amazement swept through the audience.
The one most shocked, however, was Crescent herself.
She clenched her hands tightly, unable to show any outward surprise.
Ruben chuckled softly.
“By now, everyone here must understand. Crescent is not merely a ward to us. She is a gift and a light from the god Amas to the Pluto Ducal House. Therefore, our family wishes to treat her as a divine gift.”
Ruben paused briefly.
A divine gift.
The crowd fell silent, curious about what he would say next. Something monumental seemed about to happen.
“As a beginning, the Pluto Ducal House wishes to adopt Crescent as the legal daughter of Miles and Rearwin.”
“…!”
