“ARIUS, when was the last time I saw you? Eight years ago?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for staying away for so long.”
And so, I quickly ended up at a ball Eric was hosting in the palace. But what was the point? It was just a gathering of all the same young nobles who went to the Academy. The king was there because my father decided to bring him along as a surprise since this was my fresh return to the social sphere.
Perhaps it was because he was Eric and Zeke’s father, but Albert Stallion, King of Ronaudia, was a blond-haired, blue-eyed stud of an older man. Even now, his appearance was as high-specced as always.
Usually, I would be the one to approach and greet him, but his casual demeanor that allowed him to pop into the ball of his own accord was very similar to Eric’s.
“Your Majesty, perhaps we should leave the reveling to the youngsters,” suggested my father.
“You’re right. Apologies for crashing your party, Eric. I leave the rest in your capable hands.”
Once my father and King Albert left, I was surrounded by noble girls, all of whom I didn’t recognize. The majority looked like they were upperclassmen. They all wore extravagant ballgowns, perhaps meaning they were daughters of fairly high-ranking nobles. I had a rough overview of all the nobles in Ronaudia, but I hadn’t gone so far as to memorize the faces of all the noble families’ daughters. I had nothing to do with politics and power struggles.
“Master Arius, I’ve heard so much about you,” twittered one.
“How incredible you are to best Prince Vern at the sword and defeat Master Marth at magic,” chimed in another.
“I also heard you did the most in the fight against those scoundrels who sneaked into the dungeon. Please, would you tell us the tale of your valiant battle against the villains?” she asked, even though I fought the cleaners on the final stage of the dungeon where there were no other students.
Rumors had spread because Eric had publicly touted what I did.
“You don’t mind if I spread rumors that you defeated the cleaners, do you?” he’d asked. “I’d like to keep my own hand secret so we can get the one major player among the anti-royalist group who escaped us this time.”
It was true I had finished them off, so I went along with it.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not in the habit of boasting,” I told the girls. “Feel free to gossip without me.”
Because these rumors were making their rounds around the Academy, I was getting more ardent looks from the love-driven girls recently, which was annoying. I just brushed off these people who came looking for juicy gossip every time.
“Oh, my! You did so much, yet you don’t brag. You are amazing, Master Arius!”
“You are the epitome of a gentleman!”
Maybe it was the atmosphere of the ball, but they grew even more excited as they surrounded me instead of releasing me when I treated them coldly.
“Everyone’s interested in you, Arius,” came a voice. “Perhaps you should enjoy yourself more. It is your first ball in a long time.”
“Prince Eric!” shrieked the girls together, getting even more worked up.
It wasn’t a question about enjoying myself or not. I was in the middle of studying how to handle nobles well.
“I’m not much for chatting,” I explained. “How about you join me for a dance instead?” I suggested, holding my hand out to the first girl who spoke to me. It was a ball, after all. The court’s troupe of musicians played at a volume that didn’t prevent conversation.
“I would love to!” she said, blushing. I led us in a showy dance for one song.
It wasn’t my first time dancing. I went to events like this until I was seven, and considering my stats, dancing was easy.
Thunderous applause broke out once the song finished.
Eh, if I were going to stand out, it’d be now, I guess.
There were noble girls already waiting at the ready, demanding their turn, and I gave each of them a dance with me.
Anyway, for now, I memorized the faces and names of all the girls I partnered with. It could be a hassle if we met again and I didn’t remember them.
“Seriously, this is so tedious,” I muttered, standing on the palace balcony alone in the cool wind, having slipped out of the ballroom.
“You’re quite the popular one.”
I turned toward the sudden voice and saw Sophia looking unhappy for some reason. I mean, I did notice her approach.
“Not as popular as Eric,” I commented. “Besides, they’re not interested in me. They’re interested in the son of the chief minister.”
The future royal chief minister met their criteria, and, unlike Eric and Zeke, I wasn’t engaged already. Well, there could be some girls simply after me for my looks, and others were curious about me because I had been standing out. Regardless, none of it had anything to do with me.
Sophia giggled at my fed-up expression. “That’s not true, Arius. You seem to have a low estimation of yourself. Everyone wants to become closer to you, specifically.” She smiled gently. “You’re a kind person who can’t stand by when people need you. It’s because of you that I’ve become more honest with myself. Thank you for that.”
“You give me too much credit. I just do what I want to.”
“Sure. Let’s say that’s what it is.” She stared straight into my eyes. “Thanks to the dungeon incident, I learned that you are powerful, but that’s no reason for you to force yourself to do things you can’t handle. Didn’t I tell you when we were children? You don’t have to force yourself to smile.”
This perfect beauty of a girl with hair the color of milky tea and eyes the color of turquoise… In Love Academy, she was the villainess, but in this world, she really was a good person.
She stood there in her red gown, gently smiling and bathed in moonlight, and I found I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. I’d never been that conscious of a girl being so close.
“Sophia…” I started but stopped. What in the world was I thinking? I had no interest in romance. Sophia stood there, unmoving, watching me, waiting for what I would say next. After a pause, I suggested, “You should probably be getting back to Eric.”
Conveniently for me, she was engaged. It may just be a political engagement, but it was still an engagement.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “Prince Eric is the host, and supporting him is one of my roles as his fiancée.”
It sounded like she guessed what I was getting at, and…the hint of sorrow in her expression was likely just a trick of my imagination.