70
Time passed quickly, and the day of the banquet they were invited to arrived. As it was also the start of a grand festival in the capital, the streets, which had been getting more lively as the day approached, were now unmistakably festive.
Shops decorated their interiors and exteriors with cute and charming ornaments, and street vendors set up stalls in the large streets, enhancing the cheerful atmosphere. Even though it was far from nightfall when the festival would officially begin, crowds of people were bustling about to soak in the festive mood.
“You look really pretty, Arpel.”
And now, Rohan was facing Arpel with a wide smile. Happiness was dripping from his brightly blooming face.
Arpel couldn’t shake off the feeling of awkwardness. He had always preferred comfortable clothes even when staying at the temple, so he had never worn such formal attire like this banquet outfit.
What made him even more uncomfortable was Rohan’s outfit opposite him. Although there were differences in the details like the design of the buttons, the length of the sleeves, and the style of the collar, Rohan’s clothes were clearly chosen to match Arpel’s.
“Aren’t they too similar?”
“That’s why I like it even more.”
The question, asked while fidgeting with his sleeve, was simply dismissed. Seeing the face full of satisfaction and feeling those raw emotions, Arpel couldn’t bring himself to say he disliked it.
At a glance, Rohan’s clothes somewhat resembled the attire he used to wear for services at the temple. The difference was that it had more elaborate embroidery and elegant lace trimmings here and there, making him look more like a nobleman than a priest.
Unlike in the past when he would just roughly comb his hair neatly, his light brown hair was now smoothly slicked back. This was the result of the admirable efforts of the servants who had fussed over them since morning.
“I thought banquets were awful… but this doesn’t seem so bad.”
His slightly flushed cheeks and gentle smile were like a flower that had just shaken off the morning dew. It was impossible to look away.
Rohan’s eyes on Arpel were no different. Arpel, dressed in a white suit that contrasted with Rohan’s black clothes, looked even more like an elegant nobleman than usual.
His hair, which was more than half black, contrasted starkly with his pale skin and white clothes. His eye corners, which seemed even deeper due to the makeup, had a natural power to draw people’s gazes.
An atmosphere that seemed like it might disappear at any moment surrounded him. It was precarious, but equally enchanting. Rohan couldn’t help but lean his head on Arpel. A shred of reason stopped him from embracing Arpel tightly, which is what he really wanted to do.
“…No. On second thought, it might be awful.”
“Didn’t you just say it was good?”
“I don’t like the idea of others seeing you like this…”
Although Rohan’s body leaned on him shook slightly as if he was laughing, he was actually quite serious. When he thought about other people seeing the Arpel he had just been praising in his mind, his mood suddenly soured.
He did want to show Arpel off a little, but when he considered that the result of showing off would be countless unrelenting gazes, it became unpleasant.
In the end, Arpel had to coax and cajole the reluctant Rohan to get into the carriage.
“Have a pleasant time.”
It wasn’t just Oliver who looked fondly at the two dressed in matching outfits. The servants who had woken up at dawn and put their all into making them look as perfect as possible felt the same way.
Leaving behind the proud reactions, they boarded the carriage, which was ornate on the outside and splendid on the inside. Owen, who was already inside, looked very accustomed to riding such carriages, as if it wasn’t his first or second time.
“…Did you really have to wear matching clothes?”
Owen, who had been too busy since dawn to properly look at Arpel and Rohan, could finally see their outfits.
It was obvious to anyone that their clothes were coordinated.
“I think they’re just lovely.”
Of course, Rohan wasn’t one to be intimidated by such words. He calmly smiled and answered, leaving Owen looking bewildered.
“Don’t you know? Wearing matching clothes at a banquet like this…”
“That’s enough.”
The smile that had been all over his face deepened. At this implicit request to say no more, Owen finally had to click his tongue and shut his mouth. Arpel, who had been gauging the strange atmosphere flowing between the two for a moment, ultimately failed to notice the nature of the atmosphere and had to look away.
While habitually leaving Rohan to fidget with his hand, Arpel took in the view of the streets visible through the slightly open window.
Every year around this time, a grand festival was held in the capital. The first day of the festival commemorated the day long ago when humans achieved complete victory over the specters. It celebrated overcoming threats and surviving, and promised to achieve such victories in the future as well.
The festival that started with this meaning had not disappeared even after quite a long time and had become part of the empire’s culture. However, perhaps the fact that specters had not disappeared until now was the main reason the festival had continued.
As they got closer to the imperial palace, the hustle and bustle created by the numerous people subsided. Instead, the number of carriages noticeably increased.
It was a procession of nobles invited to the grand banquet hosted by the Emperor. Arpel, who had no particular connection with them except for receiving requests from nobles when he worked as a mercenary long ago, stared at them for a while.
But soon his interest waned and he closed the window.
With the window completely closed, the faint outside noise that had been audible suddenly cut off, and silence flowed inside their carriage. Despite the awkward situation of suffocating quietness, Rohan paid no mind and just continued to fiddle with Arpel’s hand.
“I’ll check your identification.”
There was a knock on the window. Through the slightly opened gap, a guard in armor could be seen. It seemed they had reached the entrance to the imperial palace.
“I-I beg your pardon.”
No matter how well-trained the imperial guards were, they couldn’t know the faces of all nobles. Just as they thought the guard would ask various questions or demand something for identification, he bowed his head at a 90-degree angle and closed the window without delay, causing curious gazes to turn to Owen.
“…This isn’t normal. Usually, we should go through proper identification procedures, but I’ve attended several banquets before, so any guard who has been working for a long time would recognize my face.”
The reason he immediately turned away was because of Owen. No matter how difficult it might be to memorize the faces of so many people, there was no way they would forget the young master of the Imperial Chancellor’s family – although his current status was that of a priest.
Even though they had entered the imperial palace earlier than expected, the carriage showed no signs of stopping. This also meant that the interior of the palace was incredibly vast.
…Unnecessary.
Although Arpel had thought the mansion they were staying at in the capital was quite large, this was on a completely different level. The same went for the temple.
“I hear the current Emperor greatly expanded the palace upon his ascension to the throne.”
Whether he had noticed Arpel’s curiosity, or perhaps felt burdened by the silence, Owen answered while glancing outside.
Was it simply a choice to consolidate imperial power? This brief question was quickly swept away along with the breeze that seeped in through the slightly open window.
***
The start of the banquet was very natural. Perhaps because so many nobles had gathered, there wasn’t even anyone guarding the front of the banquet hall to announce the arrival of new nobles. As people arrived in no particular order, it seemed the proper banquet atmosphere was being set as more people gradually gathered.
And as one of the few occasions where numerous nobles gathered, today’s banquet was also a day for many young ladies to make their debuts.
The colorful, voluminous dress skirts were reminiscent of various flower buds. Arpel, who was silently guarding a corner of the banquet hall, didn’t particularly speak but observed it all with some interest.
“Are you interested?”
A sulky voice was heard belatedly. The face he turned to see wasn’t much different from the voice. Only after Arpel quickly shook his head did the expression soften, but the face full of discontent hadn’t changed much from when he was younger.
Owen’s eyes were hollow as he looked at the two sticking close together like lovers whispering sweet nothings. It was even more so because one of them didn’t seem to be aware of the situation at all.
The two had been the center of attention since the banquet atmosphere started heating up. It was partly due to their sleek appearance, but largely because of their status. Any influential noble who had bought information would know that Rohan was a blessed being who had been causing a stir recently.
Even now, there were surely quite a few young ladies targeting Rohan.
Although no one would know Arpel’s true identity, his value had increased just by constantly being with Rohan.
Of course, one couldn’t deny that the clothes they wore were one of the reasons for the increased attention. Owen secretly observed the two.
“Is Leriana not coming?”
Arpel, who had been habitually soothing Rohan, suddenly asked Owen out of curiosity. Owen shrugged and replied naturally.
“No. She said she was busy with training. I understand that while that’s the real reason, she officially declined the banquet invitation citing poor health.”
Owen, who had been answering as if it was nothing, changed his reaction when he saw Arpel’s expression. Clear surprise was evident on the face that usually didn’t show much change for trivial matters.
“Arpel? What’s wrong?”
It was a change that even Rohan, who had been focusing solely on him, easily noticed.
Meanwhile, Arpel faced great confusion. He received an answer that the protagonist he had thought would certainly come was not attending the banquet.
‘…Leriana’s not coming?’
One of the few plot points that overlapped with the original story had completely diverged from the very beginning.
