“Um, after you finish greeting Lady Aria, what will you do? Will you come back here?”
“No, I’ll have to act separately for a while.”
“I… see.”
Luna’s voice suddenly darkens, and she lowers her eyes.
It’s nice that she seems disappointed, but this can’t be helped.
“Just to avoid misunderstanding, it’s not because I’ve grown tired of talking with you alone. I have to give way to people who want to greet you, Luna.”
From the beginning, it’s important to refrain from monopolizing a specific person. Moreover, I can’t ruin Luna’s chances to interact with others.
After all, this banquet is also for expanding networks and deepening friendships.
“If it becomes a problem before that, I’ll resent you, you know.”
“You mean if no one comes to greet you?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
When I entered the venue with Sia, Luna was standing alone, but that was probably because she gave off the impression of being an [unattainable flower].
Although her status is low, her current appearance is just as beautiful and elegant as Elena’s or Aria’s.
(Well, if I give up my spot, I’ll end up alone… But I need to make sure Luna enjoys herself since it’s her first time participating.)
There’s no doubt that seeing others greeting Luna made it easier for everyone else to approach her as well.
In fact…
“I want to greet her soon…”
“Let me say hello too…”
“I wonder how long they’ll keep talking…”
These kinds of eager gazes were coming from all around.
“Well then. I’ll gather my courage and go greet Lady Aria. Enjoy the banquet, Luna.”
“W-wait, please!”
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to take a step, she held me back.
“…We can’t be apart the whole time. You promised we’d go out to enjoy the night breeze together.”
“O-of course. Don’t hesitate to call me when you want to take a break.”
“Yes… You enjoy the banquet too.”
“Thank you.”
With those final words, as I moved towards Aria, I saw nobles starting to approach Luna to greet her.
At that moment, a line of carts loaded with various dishes began to be brought in.
Leading the servants at the front was Elena, with beautiful red hair just like Aria and Luna.
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“Thank you very much. Please excuse me.”
Aria-Tielle finished greeting the host by lightly lifting the hem of her dress with both hands, pulling her right foot diagonally back and inward, and slightly bending her left knee. She then moved to the left side of the banquet hall, maintaining perfect posture.
More conscious than anyone of her dignified and elegant demeanor.
While Aria remained completely unfazed by the attention she was receiving, inside her mind she was…
(Ugh~ The most difficult greetings are coming up~…)
Her expression didn’t change at all. But in her heart, she wanted to collapse onto a bed with a loud “Ughhh~”.
It’s not that she hated these gatherings. In fact, Aria loved them. But because she was putting on such a perfect act to hide her true self, the most exhausting time was about to begin.
If her reputation and likability were low, she wouldn’t have to greet as many people. But that wasn’t the case for Aria.
She was the daughter of a duke’s family and a famous person known as the “Lovely Songstress.” On top of that, she treated everyone equally because it was too troublesome to differentiate.
As a result, the place was overflowing with nobles who wanted to talk to her, become friends, or make connections.
(Sigh…)
Just as she let out a mental sigh, steaming dishes were being brought in.
(The food looks so delicious… but I have to hold back… Even though I’m hungry, I must resist…)
Because she was about to be bombarded with non-stop greetings, she couldn’t prioritize her own time.
She had to think of others first.
She needed to maintain a “ready to be greeted” posture and always create an atmosphere that made it easy for people to approach her.
(My… food…)
With a lingering sense of regret, she moved to the wall.
And just as she created a “feel free to approach” atmosphere…
Aria spotted a tall man heading straight for her.
(Ah! That’s right… The first one to come greet me is the one who glared at me…)
She flinched for a moment, but with so many participants here, this place was a safe space for Aria.
Quickly changing her mindset, she decided to initiate the greeting first.
It was one strategy to avoid upsetting him.
“Ahem. Good evening, Sir Byleth. What a wonderful outfit you’re wearing.”
“G-good evening. Thank you for your kind words. You look absolutely stunning as well, Lady Aria.”
“Hehe, thank you very much.”
While maintaining a natural smile, Aria thought to herself.
(Huh? He’s not glaring today… But that’s a very creepy forced smile…)
His strained expression was clear to see.
Is he nervous? Is he scared because of her higher status? While she considered these possibilities, Byleth had glared at her in the past.
It’s hard to say if her current thoughts apply, but there must be some reason for his behavior.
“Um… It’s been since our academy days that we last met, right Lady Aria?”
“That’s correct. Have you been well, Sir Byleth?”
“Y-yes. You seem to be doing well too, Lady Aria.”
Byleth was still maintaining his creepy smile, but that was all.
(The conversation feels normal, and I don’t sense any sarcasm… Ah, could this itself be a roundabout way of harassing me?)
Sonya had told her it might be a misunderstanding, and that he was popular among the servant class, but there was a precedent.
If he’s trying to harass her from the greeting stage, there’s a high possibility he’ll use that glare to disrupt her performance when she sings.
It’s necessary to be extra cautious.
(I-if that’s your intention, I’ll just make sure not to look at you…)
While she had no idea what kind of grudge he might hold, she couldn’t afford to fail during her performance.
Just as she strongly resolved to “Absolutely not let things go his way”…
“Ah, I apologize for my thoughtlessness. Since we have the chance, would you like to talk while we enjoy some food?”
“Huh!?”
“Um, I heard from Miss Elena that it’s fine to eat while standing…”
“…”
(W-why…)
Aria’s eyes widened, and she was at a loss for words.
She had just received such a shocking invitation.
Due to her status as a duke’s daughter, she had never received such a proposal before.
“It might be considered rude.”
“They might think I’m getting ahead of myself, both the person and the other participants.”
Everyone worried about such things.
Moreover, for Aria, who had to maintain a “waiting stance,” it was impossible to make such proposals.
To avoid creating conflicts by “proposing to this noble but not to that noble.”
“Um…? Lady Aria? Were you not in the mood for that?”
“N-no! Shall we go together then?”
“Gladly. Shall we head over?”
“Ah! Y-yes…”
Aria was surprised again when she saw his action of directing her right hand towards the lined-up dishes.
He had demonstrated to the other participants that “he invited me.”
With this single move, Aria wouldn’t be suspected of making the proposal herself.
(To consider both my feelings and the circumstances of a duke’s daughter, and act like this…)
Was that creepy, strained smile just because he’s not good at smiling? As she imagined this, that conversation flashed through her mind.
[“Because I’m scared…! When we passed by each other at the academy once, he glared at me like he was going to kill me!”]
[“As I’ve said before, he might have thought, ‘You’re putting on too much of an act.’ There are people with sharp intuition, after all.”]
The exchange she had with Sonya, her personal maid.
(Could it be that his smile earlier meant something like “You don’t have to be so reserved”…?)
This incident made it completely impossible to grasp what kind of person he was. She lost all sense of how to approach him.
However, there were two things…
“L-Lady Aria, what kind of food do you prefer?”
“I’m fond of fish dishes. So, I’ve been curious about the ones lined up over there.”
“I see. I’m glad I invited you then.”
He even brought up topics to keep her from getting bored.
And the other thing…
She felt gazes that seemed to be observing… no, restraining her.
From her friend Luna, who was greeting a male noble, and from her friend Elena, who had finished bringing in the food and joined the banquet.
“…Hehe.”
“I-is something the matter, Lady Aria?”
“I’m sorry. I just had a little laugh remembering something.”
Although there was a possibility they saw through her, she covered it up with an elegant smile.
She never expected to receive what could be called jealous feelings from those two.
This was something she definitely wanted to ask about later.
She never thought she’d gain such an unexpected harvest.
How long had it been since she attended a gathering where greetings felt this enjoyable…?
Aria’s pink eyes were filled with a bright light.
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