Chapter 41
"Your skin’s getting younger and younger, my lady….."
"My second son finally got into the Ivory Tower….."
"Oh, congratulations. My first son……"
Until the Crown Prince started the society officially, everyone was free to say h.e.l.lo to each other. Everyone knew each other’s face very well, of course. Only Vanessa was isolated alone.
"Uhm….."
As nervous as she was, Vanessa looked around without focus.
She drank a sip of alcohol.
She wasn’t familiar with alcohol either.
She didn’t like alcohol.
‘It’s bitter….’
She was just holding the gla.s.s for decoration.
She hadn’t experienced this type of party.
She had attended a few fas.h.i.+onable societies a few times in the northern territory.
However, the northern party was much less strict and more free.
Over there they didn’t make small talk like this, nor made their own small groups.
"Who is the lady over there?"
A random voice was directed at Vanessa.
From the voice, n.o.ble ladies started to look at Vanessa.
"Who is that?"
"I’ve never seen her before."
A small whisper was getting bigger. These ladies were also playing their political rule. Which meant they memorized most of the ladies from a powerful family. From a young age they were trained in this way.
"….."
Suddenly, the whispering had stopped.
Did they finish their talking?
Unfortunately for Vanessa, it wasn’t over.
They just finished their ‘a.n.a.lysis’.
"She has some good face…"
"Is she a concubine?"
A total stranger to the n.o.ble ladies.
The stranger had a good facial mask, but was not young.
And she didn’t look confident.
In that case, they concluded her status in two cases.
The stranger must be a lady of a small and weak family, or a concubine of it.
"I think she is concubine. She’s got a big a.s.s."
"She has a big a.s.s so….."
"Seems she doesn’t have a son yet, does she?"
"Haha, you are entertaining, Mrs."
They spoke it quietly, but clearly.
Their every single word was relayed to Vanessa.
‘Why am I here……?’
Vanessa’s hand started shaking.
She wanted to run away from this ballroom.
But she couldn’t.
She didn’t want to bring disgrace on Ian.
‘Those n.o.ble b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.’
And Ian heard it very clearly as well.
Every single word of it.
Thanks to support of mana.
All of them were wives of n.o.ble houses, or a lady who will be.
Ian never expected them to be so flimsy.
‘Maybe I overestimated them.’
They needed to be stopped.
Ian started to walk to them quickly.
Then suddenly,
"I am so disappointed in you ladies."
The voice that stopped Ian.
It was the princess of royal, ‘Hyree Greenriver.’
"P, princess?"
The sudden appearance of the princess panicked those ladies.
She was supposed to enter the ballroom with the Crown Prince, but why was she here?
"Mrs. Serecio."
"I, I am listening, my lady."
"Is it true that it’s easier to give a birth if a woman has a bigger a.s.s?"
The target was the Mrs. Serecio who mentioned her a.s.s before.
The princess must have heard everything before.
"T, that is….."
"Then can you say the same thing to me?"
"W, what do you mean…."
"According to what you say, Aren’t I the most suitable as a concubine?"
Her short speech was very challenging.
She was still at the border between girl and lady.
"We have gathered here to have a good relations.h.i.+p. The Crown Prince has invited all of you with his very hand. But now, look at what these high n.o.ble ladies are doing. Watch your language and do not insult any of the guests of the Crown Prince."
Even if she was young, her speech was critical. Not even these ladies, but men over there were all watching here now.
"Oh, let me guess. It is not the party that’s held by the Emperor, but the Crown Prince. So now you ladies are insulting his guest?"
"M, my lady! It is not….."
Thanks to her criticism, the ladies’ faces turned pale.
After a huge sigh, the princess approached Vanessa.
Vanessa’s face was still in dark.
"Mrs, are you okay?"
"I, I….."
"I apologize to you instead."
"I am not….."
"Pardon?"
"I am not a concubine."
Vanessa managed to stop her shaking.
Then she seeked Ian.
Finally, she made eye contact wih Ian.
Vanessa’s eyes were asking his permission.
Ian nodded shortly.
"I, I just came here….. thanks to my son. This party is too much for me, so I feel uncomfortable……"
It was the princess who made a curious face firstly.
Other ladies looked confused.
Why is she mentioning her son, not her family?
"My son is only supposed to be invited, but I luckily got invited, too….. Ah, my son’s name is Ian, Ian Page. H, he just became a mage of the Ivory Tower recently."
The mage of the Ivory Tower, Ian Page.
His name was followed by four t.i.tles.
‘The Ivory Tower.’ ‘Youngest.’ ‘Arch mage.’ ‘4th cla.s.s.’
Who wouldn’t know? No one in the capital.
Now the faces of the other ladies turned black.
‘M, mage? Why here?’
‘Did a mage just get invited to fas.h.i.+onable society?’
An Archmage and his mother were invited to the fas.h.i.+onable society.
It was an extremely rare case in the whole history of the empire.
But right now, it didn’t the matter.
They were being very rude to the mother of the Archmage.
It was a vital mistake.
"The Crown Prince highness enters."
While the room was full of heavy silence,
An announcement awoke the people from their thinking.
Quickly, they returned to their place.
For some ladies, his appearance saved their life for a moment.
"Ah,
The Crown Prince made a feathery wave.
He moved onto the chair for the host of the party.
He wore more luxurious cloth than on normal days.
Only If he hadn’t opened his mouth, he wouldn’t lose his dignity.
"Khmhm! As everyone knows, I held this fas.h.i.+onable society, instead of my father. Well let’s see, I brought some introduction, but before all of that…."
After pausing his speech, he started to search for someone.
"Ah! There you are!"
It was Ian, who the Crown Prince was looking for. Suddenly the Crown Prince made huge smile.
"I would like to introduce someone before this party. A special guest of today, the youngest 4th cla.s.s Archmage, my only brother in oath, from since I met him in the Mogrian province."
The Crown Prince had refused to hold the fas.h.i.+onable society even when the Emperor had asked to.
However, in this year, he didn’t.
Rather, the Crown Prince asked before his father asked to him.
The reason was simple.
"Ian Page!"
"Mrs, how many times had I told you to think before act? You ruined the future of our house! Are you out of your mind?"
Including Mrs. Serecio, few ladies of n.o.ble house, were called by the head of their house, and being punished.
"I, I will do my best to fix this ……"
"Best? Not good enough! By any means necessary, fix this situation! YOU MUST!"
They were in an emergency.
Every lady bent their body to Ian’s mother, Vanessa Page, as much as a maid did.
Now Vanessa was treated more like royalty than the princess who was next to her.
‘Better than me.’
His t.i.tle of Archmage made them quiet, but it was the Crown Prince who turned the tide completely. Ian used to looked down on the Crown Prince. But today, he satisfied Ian.
‘His treatment was much wiser than the emotional reaction from me.’
From since he rewound the time, he couldn’t calm down whenever his mother was related.
Maybe because he lost his mother once before?
Every time his emotions blinded him. It wasn’t an ideal reaction for his mother, but he couldn’t control it.
‘I’m thinking too much sometimes.’
On the other hand, the Crown Prince ended the situation with a single speech.
It was his talent.
Even though he didn’t intend to.
"Haha! I received your royal letter very well."
There was nothing funny, but the Crown Prince made big smile.
Today, Ian decided to listen and support him.
Ian didn’t know when he became his royal servant and his brother in law, but it was tolerable.
"Recently, I read some book. There is such a phrase. A good king always listen to his men’s advice."
He was supposed to finish reading the book when he was 8 years old.
It seemed he just started reading it.
"I read your letter very carefully. But the book also said another things. Listen to your men’s advice carefully, but take only the advice that is necessary. The decision is yours."
With his proud voice, the Crown Prince kept saying.
"So I did. As you said, I didn’t trick the n.o.bles, but I really wanted to invite you. You were the reason for this fas.h.i.+onable society after all. So I took half of your advice! Fairly, I took half and ignored half. As the book says."
Take only what’s necessary.
It shouldn’t mean this.
But, Ian decided to play around with him for today.
"Outstanding, your highness."
"Haha you make me feel high. Please keep….. what is it? Yes! Please keep giving royal advice to me. I thought you were just a kid, but you actually care for me a lot."
Ian replied with nodding, with a smile on his face.
"Ah, by the way. When I just entered, the atmosphere was weird. Did anything happen before? Hyree… I mean, the princess was supposed to enter with me. But she had arrived here earlier."
While saying this, he looked at the princess and Vanessa.
He had lived his life, which was full of hidden enemies.
He had a good sixth sense.
"It’s just a tiny thing, your highness."
"That means there was something."
"There was some misunderstanding. My mother was a stranger to other n.o.bles."
The Crown Prince moved his eyebrows shortly.
He had a good sense for these kinds of things.
"I had to do something."
"Your highness."
"Don’t worry. I still remember your advice. Draw loyalism from the n.o.bles and make them stand on my side. Trust me, I am capable of it."
With confidence, the Crown Prince walked into the section, where Vanessa was standing.
"Mrs. Page, Sorry for my late greeting."
With a serious face, the Crown Prince greeted her.
With an embarra.s.sed face, Vanessa replied to him.
"Y, your highness."
"I guess I mistreated the mother of my brother in oath. Well, then… Should I call you as mother in oath?"
The Crown Prince said with a smile on his face.
There was no such t.i.tle called mother in oath in Greenriver.
However, his intention was obvious.
"Tell me whatever you want. I will listen."
The faces of the ladies who were flattering each other nearby, especially Mrs. Serecio and the ladies with her, turned shocked.
The princess wasn’t enough, but now the Crown Prince.
He talked to Vanessa full of care with the t.i.tle of ‘Mother in oath.’
They chose the wrong person. Very wrong.
‘I have to admit. In this field, he is much better than me.’
Ian thought while watching the Crown Prince’s actions.
He had to admit.
The Crown Prince was one of the best in the world on how to treat n.o.bles.
"Hmm."
Due to sudden attention to Ian, he looked around.
Numerous heads of houses and reclaimers looked at Ian.
They were trying to make contact with him while the Crown Prince was away.
‘Before I get bothered….’
Ian left his seat quietly.
He left from the ballroom to the connected terrace.
Ian never expected to see anyone here, but there was a very fit man with height.
He was too fit for a normal n.o.ble.
"Sir Oliver?"