The Baron Kargonar-hosted victory celebration party was in full swing.
A banquet was held in honor of the hero who had liberated a city occupied by the fiends and saved his beloved serfs.
While some might not care about the first part, no one believed that the latter was truly the baron’s sincere intention.
[Shaking.]
Inside the carriage headed towards the baron’s mansion, Rex had just sent the 200th message to his retainers today.
However, Duke had long disabled the message function, and Ari, who was already infatuated, would pacify Rex each time this happened.
“It’s okay, Mr. Rex. I’ll take the lead.”
Duke paid no attention to the complaints and entered a meditative state inside the carriage.
‘What will this evening’s party dress theme be?’
Although filled with slightly impure thoughts, it was indeed a form of meditation.
Eventually, the carriage carrying their respective dreams arrived at the baron’s mansion.
After confirming their identities and invitations, the group attempted to enter the ballroom.
However, an unexpected person was stopped just as they were about to enter.
“Sir, please comply with the dress code.”
The knight guarding the entrance stopped Duke.
There was a separate reason why Duke alone among the group was stopped.
While everyone else was dressed in formal party attire, Duke appeared in his usual helmet and military uniform.
Anyone could tell that he likely had hidden a weapon or two under his cloak, making it impossible for even Rex to defend him.
“Duke, I told you this would happen.”
“How dare you, gentlemen, suspect a knight such as myself? If I had intended harm, you— uh!”
Interrupting Ari, whose behavior had become increasingly strange lately, Rex observed Duke’s demeanor.
The Duke Rex knew was someone who, while slightly overenthusiastic, generally respected common sense.
Even so, Rex found it difficult to understand why Duke was attending the party dressed this way.
However, Duke had his own logical reasons.
“I thought a soldier’s military uniform was universally accepted regardless of location. Isn’t that right about weapons as well? Has the common sense of this fief suddenly changed during my absence?”
Duke’s counter-question left the entrance knight in bewilderment as he motioned to his companion.
The companion responded by shaking his head, implying ignorance.
Knights, fundamentally, are strong but not necessarily without proper etiquette.
Only, in a group overrun by knights who couldn’t even handle basic accounting calculations, finding a proper knight who studies etiquette was rare.
Hence, even if Duke said his military uniform didn’t conflict with etiquette, no one could verify its truth.
Nevertheless, in this situation, the knights’ judgment was correct.
Rather, it could be said that Duke was throwing a tantrum without sufficient grounds.
However, etiquette—ultimately a consensus and perception among people—often leans toward the authority of whoever speaks.
Just as in an absolute monarchy, if the king decrees something as aristocratic etiquette, it becomes the norm;
in a fairy tale world where knights say what is etiquette, that becomes the rule.
After observing the situation, Duke prepared his backup line to preempt rejection.
“The Empire hosted a banquet for its knights newly returned from war. Out of respect for them, they were allowed to attend the banquet in their military uniforms. Am I mistaken?”
As Duke mentioned even the Empire’s etiquette, the knights were left speechless.
Of course, the nation they stood in wasn’t the Empire but the Kingdom of Ethilik, specifically within Baron Kargonar’s territory.
Though one might question why Empire etiquette mattered here, it was impractical to ignore such customs in a culture that followed Imperial norms to discriminate against Ains.
Thus, the knights had no choice but to accept Duke’s logic.
“Understood, sir. May I discuss this with the baron?”
Duke readily agreed.
The knights immediately reported the matter to the baron, who attached a condition.
“Excuse me, sir. If you are carrying any weapons, please hand them over.”
Duke currently carried no weapons whatsoever on his person.
Nevertheless, their request for him to submit a weapon implied their knowledge of Duke’s dimensional-storage magic.
The suggestion to even extract concealed weapons would provoke irritation in anyone.
The knight relaying the baron’s command, clearly understanding this, nervously watched Duke as sweat trickled down his face.
Duke observed this knight with unintentional pity.
‘Somehow, being in a middle management position sucks.’
Which was why becoming an assistant in charge of pleasing only one person was a much better deal than being a mid-level knight.
With this thought, Duke handed over his greatsword.
‘Anyway, there are plenty more weapons in my dimensional storage.’
Urgh!
The weight of Duke’s massive greatsword caused the knight to almost tumble forward.
Duke caught the knight mid-fall by his chin using telekinesis before he hit the ground.
“My apologies. Should’ve been more considerate.”
It was a lie. He had deliberately handed the sword to the strongest-looking knight, banking on this opportunity to indirectly advertise his strength.
Duke was fully aware of this and saw no reason to decline such a rare chance.
He smiled contentedly as he watched the knights groan while carrying his sword.
Thus, Duke’s party briefly wrestled at the entrance.
“Wow…”
Rex, having a commoner’s origin, seemed impressed and looked around in wonder, clearly seeing everything for the first time.
“Mmm…”
Ari, on the other hand, scanned the hall with a dissatisfied gaze.
Whereas Duke…
“Hmm.”
‘Ah, this food looks delicious. If I weren’t Duke right now, I’d be stuffing myself with this.’
To maintain his large stature required significant caloric intake.
Moreover, Duke indulged his desires privately where others couldn’t see, and his gluttony was no exception, exceeding the average by far.
Still, he refrained from touching the food in the ballroom.
‘Eating hastily with my helmet on would ruin the persona I’ve cultivated for myself.’
Only for the sake of staying true to his Duke character did he suppress his growing appetite.
[Duke, aren’t you eating?]
“You should enjoy it too, sir.”
Despite both their encouragements, Duke maintained his solemn stance and refused the food.
“I wish to focus on safeguarding Mr. Rex.”
“Sir, forgive me for being disrespectful…”
“It’s fine. You’re supposed to escort Mr. Rex, are you not? We are merely doing our respective best, so there’s nothing to criticize.”
And thus, while Duke’s group consumed food, the baron sent him some wine to show courtesy, acknowledging the knight on guard duty.
It was a culture that emerged given that superhumans generally didn’t get intoxicated.
Duke observed the wine with suspicion.
‘Could it be poisoned?’
There was no way to tell at first glance.
What stood out, though, was the fact that instead of Rex—who should have received the wine—it had come to him.
‘Well, might as well drink it.’
In fact, it seemed like a fine opportunity to shatter the baron’s mindset entirely, so Duke accepted it.
“Pop.”
The servant poured wine into a glass, and Duke lifted it.
As soon as he did, eyes focused on his helmet.
Even Ari, who looked on with bloodshot eyes, stared at Duke’s face with intensity.
‘Realize the kid’s never seen my face before.’
Still, Duke had no intention of fulfilling the curiosity of either her or anyone else in the ballroom.
‘Sorry, but I can’t just show my face that easily.’
This helmet had been specially designed for such moments.
Click.
Reacting to Duke’s mana, the helmet’s jaw opened.
However, thanks to the magical enchantment on his helmet, even the open jaw remained cloaked in shadows.
“Ahh…”
Duke gulped down the wine, using the crowd’s sigh of admiration as an accompaniment.
‘Still too early to reveal my face.’
It simply wouldn’t do for such an air of mystery to be so easily shattered.
Duke retained a dignified stance and drained the wineglass without leaving a drop.
‘Was it poisoned? Hmm…’
His taste buds lacked the ability to detect poison.
Given his prior experience consuming stronger elixirs and poison, this hardly mattered.
Nonetheless, Duke glanced toward the baron out of caution.
– Tsk.
He caught the baron briefly smacking his tongue.
‘There must be something in it then.’
Duke deduced as much from the baron’s reaction.
Not wanting to let the opportunity slip by, he thanked the baron via one of the servants.
– “Exquisite taste indeed. The wine from the Kargonar barony has an intriguing bitter aftertaste.”
It was a veiled insult.
A wine with a bitter aftertaste generally implied either low quality or tampering.
Whichever it was, sufficient grounds for offense.
Snap.
Upon confirming the baron’s wineglass breaking, Duke nodded in satisfaction.
‘That’ll do.’
Any further might lead to chair throwing.
Having successfully executed his subtle provocation, Duke sat back down and crossed his arms to pass the time.
In no time, music began to play in the hall.
‘Oh? Time for dancing, is it?’
As the music started, the baron’s retainers began to dance with their lovers or mistresses.
Ari, seemingly accustomed to the atmosphere, rose from her seat.
“Master. Let’s dance.”
“Wha…?”
Rex tried to refuse, but resisting her considerable strength was out of the question.
Thus, he was dragged to the middle of the ballroom and began dancing with Ari.
Fortunately, Rex had learned some dance moves during his academy days, so he was familiar with music-based steps.
However, knowing them didn’t mean he danced well.
“Ah! Sorry.”
He kept stepping on Ari’s feet, failing to match her rhythm.
Yet, she smiled gently, finding his awkwardness adorable, and patiently taught him one by one.
‘Mmm, such innocence.’
Duke smiled warmly watching the two.
In the middle of that, he noticed others among the baron’s retainers mocking the pair.
Since they couldn’t physically insult Rex, they resorted to criticizing his lack of refinement.
Duke’s expression hardened.
‘Guys, I’ve memorized those faces.’
He was already drafting a list of people to “handle” once they conquered this fief.
As the two blossomed with their youthful love story, Duke quietly glanced at his watch.
‘Almost time for Hana’s arrival.’
Sure enough, as the talk went, the entrance began to stir.
‘She’s here.’
The baron’s retainers couldn’t help but be flustered.
After inviting only Rex’s group and his own select companions, it was alarming that the lord of a neighboring fief had arrived.
Still, one can’t refuse those with valid invitations.
“Baroness Sneria arrives!”
Eventually, the baron had no choice but to reluctantly allow her entry.
‘So, the last plan’s off too.’
Initially, the baron had planned to ambush Rex with knights and assassins when the mood of the ball was at its peak.
However, with Hana’s presence, that plan had to be quickly canceled.
Facing both Rex and Hana simultaneously would simply be too overwhelming, even for a baron.
This was evident as the baron’s retainers and servants began bustling about.
‘Now, I can relax and enjoy, right?’
Duke turned his gaze from the baron to the entrance where Hana would enter.
Soon, the person Duke had been long anticipating entered—Hana.
On recognizing her attire, Duke’s usual composure slipped.
‘Eh.’
He could hardly mask his astonishment.
The Hana Duke knew always came to such events in military uniform—declaring her refusal to pledge allegiance to any man.
Yet, she—
‘Why a party dress?’
Hana wore something Duke had never seen her in: a party dress.
Although it wasn’t overly revealing or emphasizing her figure and instead featured a darker tone akin to a crow’s feathers,
it was undeniably a party dress.
If pressed to describe it—
‘A black swan.’
The ballroom guests seemed to share similar impressions, finding it difficult to look away from her.
The elegant “black swan” scanned the room escorted by a single female knight.
Upon spotting Duke, she approached briskly.
“Apologies. It took some time as this is my first attempt at makeup.”
Hana was notoriously known for not wearing makeup and not having handmaids.
Thus, her lateness from experimenting with makeup made perfect sense.
‘Did she do it herself or was it this knight’s work?’
Inwardly, Duke gave a thumbs up to the knight standing proudly behind Hana. (Of course, only in his thoughts.)
While Duke mulled over this observation, she blushed and extended her hand.
“Sir, might I have the privilege of a dance with you?”
Her girlish gesture startled the knight who’d accompanied her.
‘The queen!’
Hana was known for sitting quietly by the window during the parties she hosted annually in her fiefdom—a queen of shadows who rarely interacted.
That she would request a dance first was beyond even her knight’s imagination.
Duke quietly observed the shyly extended hand.
He then broke the silence.
“I don’t know how to dance. Would that be okay?”
“I will adjust accordingly.”
Duke nodded silently and discarded his cloak and military coat into his dimensional space.
For just a moment, Hana’s eyes lingered on Duke’s well-toned torso revealed beneath the white shirt.
Duke, too absorbed in scrutinizing her dress, failed to notice her gaze.
“An honor.”
“Likewise.”
Duke took her hand, and they began to move.
He wasn’t familiar with dancing in rhythm to the music.
But there was one thing he was undoubtedly an expert at.
Distance control.
Harnessing his overwhelming reflexes and combat experience, he could maintain a perfect distance without stepping on her toes.
Similarly, Hana wasn’t proficient in dancing but was adept at expressing emotions through her body.
More importantly, having observed and mimicked Duke’s combat style from afar, she was familiar with his rhythm.
Consequently, their dance soon began to captivate the ballroom.
“Wow…”
Initially, their steps were merely precise movements to maintain proper distance.
As they grew more comfortable, they slowly incorporated subtle twirls.
Before long, the serene movements transformed into something passionate.
“Indeed, a perfect representation of the opera ‘The Demon King and the Black Swan.'”
One courtier’s reference to an opera conveyed everyone’s impression.
Duke—stern and measured, commanding the center of the dance floor.
Hana—simple yet earnest in her dance lines.
Such was the evaluation from the ballroom audience.
Of course, fundamentally, the beautiful were bound to be admired regardless of what they did.
Even a modern dance routine would have elicited praise due to their aura.
Still, the external evaluations held little weight for Duke and Hana.
“Sir.”
“The music’s winding down.”
Exchanging glances during the waning melody, Hana had dared to perform something she had never contemplated before in trust of Duke.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, she leaned back slightly.
Duke slid his hand from her back to support her waist, providing balance.
Truthfully, neither knew whether this was an appropriate way to conclude the dance, but it didn’t matter.
The key fact was their confirmation of each other’s feelings.
As the dance concluded, she whispered softly, audible only to Duke.
“I was just a grain of sand on the beach, yet I longed to shine like a star in the sky. Today, finally, I’ve had the chance to make my presence known to the stars themselves.”
Duke mulled over her words and, in the spur of the moment, offered his honest reflection.
“Did you know? When you call the presence shining in the sky a star, the grains of sand in that very sky call you a star, too.”
Ultimately, stardom is relative.
Celebrating his ability to craft this line on the spot, Duke awaited her response.
However, Duke couldn’t see her face.
“Forgive me, Sir, but may we conclude our time together here?”
She kept her head bowed, allowing only her forehead to be visible.
