Chapter 67: Banquet (1)

We got dressed and put on makeup with the help of the maids.

I was orange. Yona was white. Emily was black.

While the two were infinitely colorful, I was moderately colorful and plain at the same time.

As expected of designer Prisel.

She looked at our dresses one by one and nodded to confirm.

The maid who was waiting behind approached.

“Baronet Rachel? You have to go down first.”

“What about the two of them?”

“The banquet hall can be entered by family. Since Baronet Rachel has obtained the surname Arcane, you cannot enter with the Muelia bloodline.”

“Oh, right. I see. Let’s go.”

When I went down to the first floor, there were two carriages.

Both were colorful and expensive, but the difference between the two carriages was stark.

The size, the number of wheels, the number of horses, etc. The family crests attached to the front were also different. I’m going to ride the one in front.

“You can get on here.”

“Oh, but I didn’t buy this carriage?”

“The head of the family prepared it.”

“Ah, I see.”

I was moved by Delkarmen Muelia.

He took care of such a trivial thing that the head of a Great Duchy wouldn’t care about.

And since he said that in the morning, maybe my score went up.

“I’ll be leaving.”

“Yes. Please depart.”

Our destination is the place where the imperial banquet takes place. According to the coachman, it takes about 10 minutes.

Yee-haw!

Heehee!

It was a carriage ridden by nobles, so it was incomparably comfortable to the carriage I rode in a normal city.

I watched the scenery that quickly passed by the window. As we passed a certain alley, colorful carriages were lined up.

When I looked at it with curious eyes, the maid who was riding with me answered.

“They are nobles below the rank of baron. Since it’s an imperial banquet, a lot of nobles are flocking to it. So all the families below the marquis are coming at this time.”

“Then, does Muelia come last?”

“Yes. After all, it’s the protagonist of this war. It appears right in front of His Majesty the Emperor.”

As we ran a little more, the speed of the carriage gradually decreased. As it is a dense area, the carriages are backed up.

Knock, knock.

“Baronet Arcane Rachel. We have arrived. You can get off now.”

The coachman opened the door. I took his hand and got off the carriage.

The outer wall of the banquet hall that unfolded like that was enormous.

“Wow. This is the imperial banquet hall.”

I haven’t seen a banquet hall while living in the Muelia family.

The Muelia family is the second in command in the empire, so the Muelia banquet hall was also quite colorful. But the imperial banquet hall was so colorful that it was incomparable to that.

First of all, the outer wall itself is made of gold.

It may look tacky because it is full of gold, but it is nothing but colorful thanks to the jewels and crystals of various colors embedded in various places. The scale itself was so enormous that it could not be contained at a glance.

‘I have to get a grip.’

I came here with the Muelia forces. Other nobles don’t know my face, but you never know.

I didn’t want to be ignored for being countrified here, so I walked as expressionlessly as possible.

At the same time, I kept thinking of the words of the ancient wise man, “See gold as stone.”

So I was waiting in line when suddenly there was a commotion behind me.

“Hey! Don’t you know who I am?! But you’re telling me to stand in line? I’m Count Hayeom, who will soon be promoted to marquis!”

Of course, the knights who were assisting nearby approached.

“Count Hayeom. Please stand in line.”

“Ha. It’s just an imperial knight. Get out of the way. Hey. Barons and counts. Won’t you move?”

A rough-looking guy is causing a scene. He was walking proudly to the front, passing the nobles standing in line.

It’s a scene that appears at least once when you read a novel.

So I always wondered if there was such a person in real life. It doesn’t make sense. Being a noble of high rank basically means that he is good at politics, but he does this.

But it actually existed.

‘Oh, is it possible because this is a novel?’

For a moment, I forgot that the world I was in was based on a novel.

Anyway.

Everyone looked at the heir to the barony. Their gazes were by no means favorable.

“Heir to the barony. Please stand in line now. Otherwise, I will take you out by force.”

“You? Dare?”

“Take him away.”

Two knights dragged the count away. He resisted saying to let go, but there’s no way they would let go.

Honestly, the situation itself was funny.

That’s right.

Usually, the fate of a guy who appears as that character in a novel is already decided.

You can think of it as a character that appeared for entertainment purposes.

So maybe that’s why I laughed without realizing it.

It wasn’t a big laugh. It was just that the corners of my expressionless mouth went up slightly.

But unfortunately, at that very moment, I made eye contact with him.

He glared at me with eyes full of anger and was dragged away by the knights.

‘Well, what’s going to happen? He won’t be able to come in anyway.’

There’s no way he’ll be able to come in after making a fuss in front of the nobles.

“Next person,”

After the commotion was over, the line quickly shortened.

It was my turn soon.

“Next person, please give me your invitation.”

“Here you go.”

“Hmm. Baronet Arcane Rachel… Ah, here it is. I hope you have a pleasant banquet. Lady.”

The cold knight bowed his head briefly and let me in.

I entered the banquet hall.

Then my determination to see gold as stone was immediately broken.

Sparkle sparkle glitter glitter.

It was so colorful and beautiful that it was incomparable to the outer wall. It was so shiny that it was dazzling.

“Ahem.”

I checked my clothes for no reason and went inside. There was no special call.

Inside, women wearing beautiful dresses like me and men wearing handsome suits were each enjoying the banquet.

‘The real banquet starts in an hour, right?’

That’s because the nobles who will come in have a long way to go. From 30 minutes later, those above the marquisate will come in, and finally, the emperor and his family will come, and the real banquet will begin.

Honestly, the real banquet is not much different from trying to stick to the powerful people and say a word.

In fact, most of the nobles who come to the banquet are for the purpose of building connections.

Well, I came here at the recommendation of Delkarmen Muelia, and I don’t really care about connections.

I took a glass of white wine from the passing servant’s tray and went to a corner.

Emily and Yona are not here, and I don’t know any nobles, so I have no choice but to stay in the corner and wait for them.

Then someone approached.

“Hello. Lady. I haven’t seen you before, what’s your name?”

He is a man with black hair greasily styled with pomade. He asked, shaking the red wine.

When I looked at him with a meaningful look, the man revealed his name first.

“Oh, my name is Jamie. I’m the heir to Baron Well.”

“I am Baronet Arcane Rachel.”

“Ah, you’re a baronet? It’s nothing else, but you’re so beautiful. Would you like to dance with me?”

Dancing starts when the banquet starts.

Classical music is still playing softly, but no one is dancing to it.

In other words, the man’s words mean to dance a dance like a waltz after the banquet starts. He also added a hunting comment that he was ‘so in love…’, so it’s definitely flirting.

So I refused appropriately.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I have someone I’m supposed to dance with.”

“Is that so? Then have a pleasant banquet.”

The man left coolly. I’m glad.

Usually, when a woman refuses like this in a romance fantasy, something big happens.

After that, I received various dating requests, such as asking me to dance, asking me to eat, etc.

But I refused them all.

Who dates someone they met for the first time today, and moreover, they are all men. I used to be a man until half a year ago, so there’s no way I can love a man.

However, I was able to talk with those who wanted to talk with me.

“Hello. I am the second son of Baron Hassoon, Roel.”

“I am the first daughter of Baron Jewi, Yui.”

They are people from Baron Hassoon and Baron Jewi, respectively.

Since they are the children of a barony, they can’t even catch the eye of a powerful person, so they just enjoy the banquet like me without any thoughts.

“What did you do to get the title of baronet, sister? It’s not easy for a commoner to become a noble.”

“I am an alchemist. I got the title for the achievement of curing a high-ranking person’s daughter while making medicine. By the way, do you both have partners?”

They both nodded.

“Yes. I have a fiancé.”

“I also have a partner. Don’t you have one sister?”

“No. As you know, I’m a baronet and I just attended the banquet..”

“Then you’re likely to not have one. Then, shall I introduce you? I have a friend who’s a good person.”

Roel asked with sparkling eyes.

I politely shook my head.

“No. It’s okay.”

“Why? Most of them will have a higher status than you, so if you do well, it’s an opportunity to rise in status.”

“A reason… well.”

There is someone I want to dance with.

To be precise, it would be a person I have to dance with.

For Emily.