Ch 15.
The event prepared by the Navy for Schultz Tugrahan’s welcoming party was a luxurious shipboard party.
As the passenger ship set sail into the sea, emitting black smoke and carrying hundreds of people, celebratory fireworks decorated the night sky.
The shadows of the sparks undulated upon the pitch-black night sea.
It was the beginning of the shipboard party.
In the middle of the dark night sea, the chandeliers of the massive cruise ship lit up one by one, starting from the first floor as if sliding into view.
The orchestra began to play, and the socializing of the nobles followed.
And the protagonist of every scene was, without a doubt, Adrian. The splendid naval uniform with gold buttons and gold tassels was merely a tool to highlight his solid, well-built body.
It was to the extent that even Elisa could feel everyone’s gaze shifting toward Adrian. And only Elisa Shooter would be the sole blemish on the perfect Adrian Oberon today.
Already, the nobles began to chatter, letting their mouths run wild.
“He is truly handsome; I would have no further wishes if I could just dance with him once.”
“But why is the Roserica illegitimate child clinging to the side of the Young Duke?”
“Surely the rumor isn’t true, is it?”
“You’re not talking about that nonsense rumor that he’s engaged to Elisa Shooter, are you?”
“Oh, come on, that’s impossible.”
“But there are already words going around that Her Majesty the Queen’s authorization has already been granted.”
“A rumor is just a rumor.”
“An illegitimate child with a future Duke…… does that make sense?”
The ridicule that naturally followed such whispering stuck stingingly to Elisa’s back once again.
Ah, it really felt like returning to her days at the military academy. The same thing happened every time she was entangled with Adrian.
Elisa now knew how to handle those words. Pretending to hear nothing, pretending not to know, pretending not to be swayed. She had to pass through like that. She couldn’t avoid it even if she tried, and if she attacked, mockery returned.
However, when those words were heard, Adrian reacted instead of Elisa. Adrian paced restlessly on his own before committing the eccentric act of glaring at the people whispering those words.
When he finally tried to walk toward them, Elisa, noticing his momentum, grabbed onto Adrian Oberon.
“What on earth are you trying to do?”
“Then, am I supposed to just stand here and listen to that bullshit?”
“Pfft,”
Ah, she should have held it in. Ultimately, she couldn’t hold back and a laugh burst out.
Fortunately, she laughed quietly. If she had made a loud sound and drawn attention, everyone would have looked at her strangely.
“What exactly is so funny?”
Adrian Oberon raised an eyebrow. How could she not laugh at that attitude of his, acting as if he couldn’t understand at all?
If it were a place where they were alone without other nobles, Elisa would have tilted her head back and laughed out loud.
“How could I not laugh? Have you forgotten that it was a scandal you created, and a rumor you made?”
It was definitely so, yet now you’re going to act in front of me as if you did nothing, as if you’re different from them, as if you’re innocent?
Elisa’s sneer contained that meaning.
Though she didn’t know if Adrian read it.
An answer did not return for a long time.
When the conversation was abruptly cut off at an odd point, Elisa tilted her head and looked up at Adrian.
Their eyes met as if he had been waiting.
As if his red pupils had been fixed on Elisa since long ago.
“That is why, I said I would resolve it.”
Elisa stared into his red eyes for a long while as if to grasp the true intent of those words. However, once again, there was nothing to be read. Adrian Oberon’s snake-like eyes were always that way.
He was more aristocratic than anyone. He never showed his inner thoughts, as if wearing an unpleasant mask. Yet, he noticed other people’s weaknesses faster than anyone and had no hesitation in exploiting them.
Yes, because he was like that, he could crush Elisa Shooter so easily during their time as military cadets.
Elisa gave up on understanding Adrian long ago.
Instead, she stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips to Adrian’s ear.
Because everyone would be paying attention to the two of them.
And because every action between her and Adrian Oberon at this shipboard party would somehow reach Her Majesty the Queen’s ears.
She covered her mouth while smiling slightly, as if sharing a secret.
“Don’t talk bullshit and just smile quietly.”
Meaning, she decided to utilize everything she could utilize.
Elisa Shooter could do it. The marriage was fast approaching, and the King of a neighboring country had already stepped onto her home soil.
The military academy was the past, and the task facing her eyes was too immense.
The marriage she had to perform by royal command and the wounds she received in the past could not be subjects of comparison. All the events that happened with Adrian Oberon back then were merely trivial things.
Enough time had passed to make even the emotions of that moment—when she liked Adrian Oberon so much she desperately yearned for even a single fingertip—feel like nothing.
The past was the past. It wouldn’t disappear or go away.
So Elisa decided to leave all those things in the past.
So that Adrian Oberon could no longer exert any influence over Elisa Shooter.
“All those rumors are true, so what can you do?”
Elisa flashed a bright smile at the blankly frozen Adrian.
“Will the fact that your friends made a money bet using me just because I’m marrying you now disappear, or will the fact that you requested a dance to make me look ridiculous become something that never happened?”
As soon as Elisa’s words ended, Adrian’s shoulders flinched noticeably. The moment Adrian opened his mouth to retort, the entrance music played by the orchestra gradually quieted down, and a royal attendant opened the door and shouted.
“Her Majesty the Queen is entering!”
Instead of the calm entrance music, the sound of trumpets rang out, filling the hull.
The Queen, wearing a purple dress more splendid than anyone else’s, walked out gracefully. Every noble stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads toward the Queen.
Once the Queen’s entry was finished, the royal attendant opened the door once more and shouted.
“The distinguished guest of Shulid, Schultz Tugrahan, has visited Sepia! Everyone, please welcome him.”
And Schultz Tugrahan and the Shulid delegation entered in turn.
The atmosphere was quite different from the Queen’s entry.
Viewed objectively, Schultz Tugrahan was an exotic, handsome man. His hair, which took on a blue light only under the light, suited his copper skin very well, and his nose, which looked even higher thanks to his thick jawline and sunken eye holes, exuded masculine charm.
However, at that moment, everyone was overwhelmed by Schultz Tugrahan’s sense of intimidation and the aura emanating from a physical build that was different from the Sepian people down to the bone structure.
His height was nearly the same as Adrian’s, but his tanned skin, forged under the desert sun, made his physique appear even larger.
And above all, everyone in the kingdom knew the epithet that always followed his name like a tag.
“The King of Shulid? That Schultz Tugrahan, called the Blood Butcher, has come to Sepia?”
“Since someone of state-guest level has come, a shipboard party like this is being held.”
“But what is the reason for the sudden visit to Sepia? How long has it been since the war of independence with the Empire ended……”
“Surely it’s not war, is it?”
“Don’t say such ominous things. If that were the case, would they have launched a cruise so peacefully?”
Schultz Tugrahan approached the Queen, leaving the murmuring crowd behind. Queen Anne-Marie naturally reached out her hand to him, and Schultz Tugrahan lightly kissed the back of her hand in accordance with Sepian etiquette.
“Thank you for permitting the visit. Thanks to you, I shall be able to enjoy the beautiful sea of Roserica.”
“Roserica is a beautiful city. I hope you have an enjoyable time.”
Even though Schultz Tugrahan personally exchanged well-wishes with the Queen, the frozen atmosphere inside the banquet hall still showed no sign of thawing.
When no one could step onto the floor, the first one to move was Schultz Tugrahan.
He approached Elisa, who was standing with Adrian. He then reached out his hand toward her.
“Would you be able to grant me your first dance?”
“If I may be so bold, I am not of a status suitable for the King of Shulid, who rules a nation.”
“Are you not the daughter of a Duke?”
“My father is indeed a Duke. However, my mother was a commoner. I am an illegitimate child. Therefore, please withdraw the honor you have bestowed upon me.”
He furrowed his brow as if he didn’t quite understand.
“Status or the like does not matter. Am I not the King of a nation? Unless it is the Queen, whoever comes will have a lower status than mine. Furthermore, I am a person of Shulid. In Shulid, the very concept of an illegitimate child does not exist.”
“…….”
“Therefore, is it not natural for Admiral Shooter to be regarded by me as a young lady of a Ducal house? I am simply giving you the treatment you deserve.”
Saying so, Schultz Tugrahan bowed his waist in front of Adrian and kissed Elisa’s gloved hand.
“Now, will you accept my dance request?”
Elisa was more than a little flustered. All the refusals she had expressed as indirectly as possible were blocked. On the other hand, she couldn’t directly refuse the King of a nation and humiliate him in this place, could she?
Elisa looked slightly toward Queen Anne-Marie. The Queen nodded her head with a resigned expression, as if to say how could she refuse when things had come to this.
“Yes, I shall gladly do so.”
Elisa left Adrian behind and stepped onto the floor where a waltz was flowing along with Schultz Tugrahan.
Schultz Tugrahan’s massive shadow covered Elisa. Seeing him up close, his body made of muscle looked even larger.
He was thick and solid, giving the impression of a warrior to anyone who saw him.
However, contrary to such a build, his gestures and attitude in treating Elisa were quite cautious. He wasn’t clumsy at social dancing, but he wasn’t proficient either.
Therefore, Elisa led most of the waltz, and Schultz Tugrahan matched everything to her.
As the two began to dance in a soft atmosphere, the stiff air began to thaw little by little. Other people also began to step onto the floor one by one, and the atmosphere gradually ripened.
Right at that moment, Schultz Tugrahan whispered in a low voice.
“Did you receive my gift well?”
It was a question that was tantamount to a surprise attack.
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