The party venue was filled with young people ranging from minors (under 15) to around 20 years old, and about half the number of adults. The party was the birthday party of the daughter of a Marquis family—but it was also a part of their matchmaking activities—so it was only natural that there were a lot of people in that age group.
Yes, 15 years old was the age of adulthood here, but when I said "adults" I meant people much older—the parents or grandparents who were accompanying the children here today.
The star of this party was of course the young lady of this town, but it seemed that the other invited girls also jumped on the bandwagon and tried their own search for a husband... Well, it made sense, considering so many young nobles were gathering here. Also, since the younger ones were accompanied by their parents, it was not like there were only young people there. There were many children who came alone with guards, pretending to be adults, so there seemed to be fewer adults than children.
The guards were waiting in the carriage. Apparently, there were too many people attending the birthday party to fit in the waiting room... However, when the number of participants was smaller and only the heads of each household attend the party, it seemed that it was often the case that only the driver remained in the carriage and the guards stayed in the waiting room.
Like me, the members of Society were blending into the venue individually, trying not to attract attention. They tried to make themselves less noticeable by looking down, covering their mouths with a fan, or hiding in the shadow of others, but it was easy to see through. But before that happened, an incident occurred that would attract everyone's attention, so there was no need to worry.
...Okay, here it comes!!
"...Oh, aren't you Keidith-sama of Count Kurvarich family?" (A woman)
"Huh?" (Keidith)
For a while now, whenever Keidith (that guy) spoke to women, they would respond, but it would only be a quick greeting and they would quickly leave before the conversation could progress. ...Clearly, he was being avoided or considered to be of an inferior rank and treated appropriately.
Of course, no one would be so rude as to ignore him, but anyone who would do something like that in an environment like this probably wasn't even invited in the first place. After all, the host of this party was a Marquis family, so there was a possibility that some of the attendees would meet someone they knew and then develop a romantic relationship. So, for the sake of the family's reputation, they couldn't let any strange people sneak in...
...However, this was not the case if there was some reason to invite them intentionally. Of course, everyone tried to avoid such foreign objects as much as possible.
So, for Keidith right now, it must be very nice to have a woman approach him. ...That was supposed to be the case, right? If only the person who spoke to him wasn't that person...
"...Mi-Mileisha...?" (Keidith)
Shocked, Keidith blurted out the words without thinking. Well, it was not at all strange for an international student to be invited to the birthday party of a high-ranking noble's daughter, right?
"Oh? Isn't it considered rude in this country to call a woman by her first name without her permission when you're speaking to her for the first time?" (Mileisha)
Saying this, Mileisha-chan turned her attention to those around him, and they were all shaking their heads. Of course. It would be a big problem if one idiot caused the nobles of other countries to misunderstand that all the nobles of this country were rude.
"Ah, so this was the only one who was rude after all, huh? In order to slander me, a foreign exchange student spread malicious rumors, and when he was found out, he lost face and credibility, saying that he was only the third son of Count Kurvarich Family, Keidith-sama..." (Mileisha)
*Chatter...*
There was a buzz in the venue when Mileisha-chan made that statement. Many of the young ladies were probably already aware of the rumor, but they all reacted as if they were hearing it for the first time. ...That's it. The one who says "An actor..."
Many of the sons were less aware of the rumors than the ladies and the majority of the adults had never even heard of the rumors about Mileisha-chan, so they were staring in shock. As expected, it was not possible to let the adults hear the unfounded slander against the daughter of a noble family from another country, so it seemed that only a very small number of people, including the parents, spoke to the adults about Mileisha-chan and Keidith. And according to interviews conducted by our members, it seemed that those people were reprimanded on the spot and stopped spreading the rumor... Therefore, only a small number of adults knew about these rumors beforehand.
They were shocked and in disbelief that the son of a noble family of their own country had committed such a shameless act against the daughter of another family, and of a noble family of another country at the same time. Also, there was the agitation at the risk of infuriating the noble family of another country. Not just the daughter's family, but all of the nobles in that country, even the royal family. Furthermore, this was a major issue that concerned the future existence of the treaty for accepting international students in each other's countries. Some were scared to think that it could have a negative impact on exchanges between other countries as well.
This was an extremely disrespectful act towards a young girl from a foreign country who had taken the trouble to come to this country to study, risking her life for the sake of future exchanges between the two countries. This had gone from being just a rumor among children to now reaching the ears of adults, including many high-ranking nobles...
Since this was no mere rumor, as the victim had spoken out clearly to the perpetrator in front of a large group of nobles, it was unlikely that this matter could be swept under the rug any longer.
"...Wh-what are you saying? That's completely unfounded..." (Keidith)
"Oh, many people have testified that you have been spreading false rumors about me. And now there are people here who will testify to that as well. Do you need testimony? If so, I'd like to ask everyone to provide it..." (Mileisha)
"Ugh..." (Keidith)
Looking around, Keidith must have seen the girls he had spoken to. And from their expressions, he could tell they were clearly siding with Mileisha-chan.
"And what’s more, this is the first time we’ve spoken to each other, and you suddenly started calling me by my first name. You’re spreading fabricated rumors about someone you’ve never met before. ...This clearly means you're in the wrong, right? This is not something that can be dismissed as mere child's play, is it? There are many witnesses, so if you wish to contest the truth of the matter, I am always available to take you on." (Mileisha)
Ah, when it comes to a formal investigation, that guy has no chance of winning, right? Since it involves relations with other countries, the royal palace will probably be involved. If that happens, it won't just be a bad thing. So I guess he can't deny it here...
"Norveth Kingdom, spreading false rumors to slander me, the daughter of Count Larisdelle, is a despicable attack on the Larisdelle family, and is tantamount to a declaration of war. Furthermore, an attack on one's own noble family is also a declaration of war against Norveth Kingdom. …We must immediately inform our home country of the situation." (Mileisha)
The adults' faces seemed to have turned pale. But if I were to intervene now and get myself involved, it would be a big problem. I would then become a party to the matter. …Well, I can't just carelessly butt in, right...?
I think it would be much better to just watch silently as Mileisha-chan has the complete upper hand, hoping that he'll crush his opponent, feel relieved, and be satisfied with that. It's safe to assume that the exchange student girl would not want to stir things up and worsen relations between the two countries... After all, Mileisha-chan is a girl who chose to study abroad in this country...
"Wh-what are you..." (Keidith)
Keidith was surprised and seemed very anxious at Mileisha-chan's extremely assertive attitude. Even though she was playing on the opponent team's home ground, Mileisha-chan was by no means a timid young lady who couldn't say what she wanted to say. She was the kind of girl who left her home country to study abroad with only a few guards. It was no wonder she had a stronger heart than the average daughter of a noble family.
...In fact, when she first visited General Store Mitsuha, Mileisha-chan spoke in a very harsh manner. After I revealed my true identity… that although I am the daughter of a Viscount, I am not just the daughter of a Viscount, but the Viscount himself, a nobleman with a title… our positions were reversed, but…
The reason she usually behaves so quietly is because Mileisha-chan has no intention of willingly starting any trouble and because she plays the role of "a gentle, kind, and wonderful exchange student from another country." Make more friends and be seen as a good person by everyone...
However, now, it would be more detrimental for her future if she were thought of as "a weak-willed, easily manipulated woman," so she decided that she should display the resolute attitude of a noble daughter, and the strength to repel and crush attacks from her enemies. ...Following the advice from Sabine-chan...
Sabine-chan had already earned the immense trust not only from the members of Society, but also from Mileisha-chan and her guards. At the very least, she should be entrusted with such an important decision.
Furthermore... The current Mileisha-chan is a beautiful girl. ...Well, she was originally beautiful, with the dignified and toned appearance of an aristocratic girl. However, there's no way that the people of Society would send Mileisha-chan off to such an important battlefield unarmed.
...Fully armed. Everyone worked together to create a flawless makeup look. The accessories I lent were made from artificial gemstones from Earth. Now, as her beauty surpassing that of the members of Society along with her accessories which would be considered incredibly expensive in this world, no one would question whether she was a princess from some country or another. …Well, far from being a princess, it wouldn’t be strange to call her an angel or a goddess.
When Mileisha-chan called out to him, the man seemed shocked and confused. Thus, this was the main reason why I hadn't been able to provide a proper counterargument even after that. There weren't many people who could calmly argue when questioned by an angel or a goddess...
Author's Note
Announcement!
The 11th volume of my work, "I Shall Survive Using Potions!" will be published on April 2nd!! (^^)/
One after another, "they" are gathering in the royal capital.
And so Kaoru and the rest of KKR begin their activities...
Thank you very much! (^^)/
Translation Note
Thanks to TV.Station for correcting some mistakes.