### Chapter 31: Debutante (4)
‘Breaking the Bud’
This is a sort of initiation ritual primarily led by Lady Enbi, where newly introduced young ladies to high society are subjected to a form of ‘harassment’ by their admirers in a group.
Using the elaborate and roundabout speech typical of nobles, they outwardly praise the young lady and congratulate her debut into society, but upon closer inspection, their words are filled with malicious intent, criticizing the young lady’s inexperience and belittling her appearance.
What makes it even more despicable is that the targets of this harassment are selectively picked: those from families less powerful or influential, whose ranks are below their own. The young ladies who fall victim to the ‘Breaking the Bud’ ordeal are often unable to openly criticize Lady Enbi’s behavior due to the fear of higher-status families.
Instead, Lady Enbi ingratiates herself with powerful families, sometimes lowering herself to please them, which results in her actions being overlooked. This is because they, too, being women, naturally envy the beauty of elegant women.
Enbi is cherished for upholding the discipline and standards that others are too hesitant to enforce.
And so, Enbi’s eye catches a new target.
A woman who has never ventured outside the mansion, unaware of worldly affairs, and tragically fallen into the clutches of the notorious wastrel of the Netoire family.
Adding fuel to the fire, her appearance is so strikingly beautiful as to provoke Enbi’s dormant jealousy—this is none other than Cecilia.
“I’m so thrilled that we can have this conversation, Young Lady~ I heard that you weren’t feeling well for some time….”
“Thank you for your concern. I’m much better now.”
“Ah, I see… is that so?”
While feigning concern for Cecilia’s well-being, Enbi could detect no particular tension or anxiety in her demeanor.
‘Does she know her looks and pride herself on it? Tsk, this is why women with good faces are so infuriating…’
Having silently sneered at her, Enbi gave a look to her followers, which signaled the other young ladies to begin their barbs.
“I’m envious, you know? No matter how much I eat, I never gain weight, so my dress doesn’t fit as well as yours. I admire how your dress fits perfectly.”
“Watching you, Young Lady, reminds me of the stories circulating these days—that prideful women rarely receive affection from men, don’t they?”
“Young Lady, isn’t this necklace exquisite? It’s the latest piece from Futik—oh! I apologize if it’s inappropriate, but you probably wouldn’t be familiar with it, would you?”
“The Duke and Duchess seem to raise their children very freely. If my parents were to loosen their grip a little, it would be wonderful… Sometimes, I think it would be nice to be quiet like you, Young Lady.”
But Cecilia showed no reaction to the barbs aimed at her looks, character, family, and even subtle digs at the Duke and Duchess; she simply remained calm.
With only detached replies like ‘Is that so?’ or ‘Yes,’ the Young Lady’s nonchalant attitude began to irritate Lady Enbi, who decided to shift her strategy and attack her fiancé.
“Still, it must be difficult for you, Young Lady, to have ‘that’ Lord Rab as your intended…”
At this, Cecilia, who had remained unperturbed until then, visibly flinched.
Lady Enbi mistook Cecilia’s reaction as one of shame and enthusiastically continued her slanders against Rab.
“What does it matter that a person looks good on the outside if their character is ruined? I bet he only sought your hand in marriage for your body—I dare say… If he takes a liking to violence and lashes out at your beautiful face, even thinking about it makes my heart ache.”
Watching Cecilia’s darkening expression, Enbi grew elated and further exaggerated the rumors about Rab, even fabricating entirely unrelated stories, all while under the misconception that she was successfully instilling fear in the Young Lady.
“Frankly, it seems like a quick divorce might be best for you soon~ Should you separate from the Young Master, don’t hesitate to come to me! I can introduce you to a certain noble—but his age might be a bit advanced—though he’s a decent person named Lord Butai.”
Of course, this was a lie.
Lord Butai, known throughout society, was forty years old, still unmarried, notoriously dim-witted, and infamous for his abnormal tendencies, thus unable to inherit the headship of his family.
Upon realizing that Enbi was essentially proposing to act as a vessel for an old man’s seed, Cecilia’s face contorted in anger, just as she was about to speak—
Knock, knock.
The knocking sound interrupted her before she could respond.
Startled by the knock, all heads—including Cecilia and the other young ladies—swung toward the door.
“Wh…who’s there?”
“It’s Rab Netoire. I would like to confirm if my fiancée is present here.”
The unexpected response caused Enbi to flinch momentarily, but she privately smirked, viewing it as an opportunity, oblivious to the implications of what was about to unfold.
—
It happened in the blink of an eye.
“Excuse me, have you happen to see where my fiancée went? She mentioned she went to meet the Duke and Duchess, but I can’t find her.”
“Are you referring to Lady Boichi? I saw her being escorted by some young ladies a few moments ago…”
By the time the Duke and Duchess’ meeting with her should have ended, with no sign of Ria, one servant nearby was questioned and offered a peculiar response.
‘The Duke and Duchess have returned to the hall, but why hasn’t Ria? She must have been detained by the overly curious young ladies of similar age.’
While this might be a good opportunity for the reclusive Ria to make friends, the dance for the debutantes and noblemen introduced by Lady Altero is about to commence shortly.
Although it’s a bit unfortunate to interrupt her rare time with friends, I’ll have to fetch her.
After asking around, I managed to find the room where the young ladies were gathered. Just as I was about to knock and retrieve her—
“Still, it must be difficult for you, Young Lady, to have ‘that’ Lord Rab as your fiancé…”
Hearing the voice from inside, I paused my hand from knocking.
The conversation and the tone revealed that Cecilia, who had supposedly gone to meet the Duke and Duchess, was now surrounded and targeted by the young ladies.
While it doesn’t make sense that someone from the Duke’s family should be harassed, the jealousy of women can be truly terrifying.
Perhaps the rumors of Cecilia’s beauty and her engagement to a wealthy figure like the Netoire clan were just too much for these young ladies to bear.
Moreover, when considering the Duke’s indifferent attitude toward his own daughter Cecilia, they probably figured that meddling with her wouldn’t cause them much trouble.
And the reputation of the wastrel fiancé probably gave them additional confidence.
“Regardless of how a person may physically appear, what does that matter when their character is utterly ruined? I can guarantee that he pursued Young Lady’s hand out of lust—rumors have it that he enjoys hitting women, and if he should turn his violence toward Young Lady’s face… the thought alone is heartbreaking.”
Hmm… though it is slandering me, I cannot deny it.
As for the authenticity of the rumor about striking women, I don’t know, but the former owner of this body was undoubtedly an idiot.
Still, feeling a slight awkwardness, I waited for their conversation to subside when a particularly grating statement emerged:
“Actually, a quick divorce might be the best course of action soon. Once you separate from Lord Rab, please come to me! I can introduce you to a noble—I know Lord Butai, who might be slightly older, but he’s decent…”
“…Crossed the line, did we?”
I have heard of Lord Butai.
I made sure to investigate beforehand about any individuals with problematic characters who might harm Cecilia.
Among them, this man stands out as a prime example. He’s a first-born son but too incompetent to inherit his family title, lives off his parents due to his laziness, and is the No.1 noble avoided by all young ladies in the Empire because of his myriad bizarre fetishes.
Matchmaking Cecilia with such a person would be akin to ruining the anticipated meeting of Cecilia and the male protagonist, not to mention outright defaming her worth.
Knock, knock.
I contained my rising anger and knocked just before the young ladies’ harassment escalated.
“Wh… who’s there?”
“It’s Rab Netoire. I would like to confirm if my fiancée is present here.”
“An unexpected noble has arrived. Please, do come in.”
“Ah, yes!”
As one of the young ladies hastily rose from her seat, the parlor door creaked open.
“Pardon the interruption during your discussion. I was concerned since my fiancée seemed to have disappeared, but it appears you were in good company.”
“Dear me, we hope we haven’t caused you unnecessary worry.”
Seated at the head of the parlor was a young lady who warmly greeted me.
Ordinarily, during such gatherings, seating arrangements follow a clear hierarchy. The central seat is reserved for the individual of the highest rank, followed by the next highest in a descending order.
However, despite Lady Ria being the highest-ranking person here, the young lady firmly seated at the center appeared to be the de facto leader of the group.
“You must be Lady Enbi of the Gelosi Marquis family.”
“Oh my! That Lord Rab recalls someone like me is such an honor!”
“Could I possibly be unaware of the name of the woman leading high society these days?”
Suppressing my growing disdain, I put on a pleasant smile and approached Lady Enbi.
Though possessing a wastrel reputation, this Golden Sun has an exceptionally handsome face, and the young lady blushed slightly at my approach, showing no evident alarm or reluctance.
Furthermore, my light kiss on her hand elicited a smug smile as she glanced at Ria, a classic trope of a villainous young lady.
Of course, it would be most satisfying if one’s rival’s fiancé were completely smitten with oneself.
Despite my deceit, I couldn’t help but flare up at the sight of this scheming woman’s hand as my eyes instinctively sought out Ria seated beside her.
I worried whether she might feel shocked or angered by my actions, but contrary to my concern, she looked at me affectionately with a gentle smile.
“Seeing your violet hair reminds me of the columbine flower. Its beauty is akin to two blossoms merging into one.”
“Oh my, how romantic! I thought gentlemen are usually disinterested in such flowers, but you surprise me.”
“Our mother’s hobby is gardening, so I’ve learned a fair amount.”
The columbine flower, known in our terms as the Aquilegia.
Its meaning: dullness and foolishness.
How perfectly suited it is to her.
“Most gentlemen don’t take much interest in flowers, but your hidden depths make you all the more charming, Lord Rab.”
As Lady Enbi spoke, she boldly placed her hand on my upper arm, revealing no intention of hiding her feelings.
“Haha, it’s all theoretical knowledge on my part, but there has been something I’ve wanted to say ever since I laid eyes on you.”
“To me? I’m terribly curious now—what is it?”
Let her think I’m about to confess.
With heavy makeup covering her features and an overwhelming scent of perfume, Lady Enbi exuded an acrid smell, likely from some illicitly traded narcotic.
‘This is enough to dismiss any pretense of civility.’
Identifying the woman before me as a clear adversary, I steeled myself and began my act, whispering my inner thoughts as the villain.
Screeeech—
“Aaaah!!”
I uncorked a bottle of red wine placed decoratively on the table and spilled its contents over Lady Enbi’s head.
In no time, her hair and dress were drenched in wine, and she shrieked, struggling to rise, but I seized her by the hair and forced her back into her seat.
“It hurts! It hurts so much!”
To the terror-stricken group of followers and the flailing Lady Enbi, I offered an evil grin.
“Why? I heard your earlier words were quite informed.”
“What?!”
“You yourself said it. I have a habit of hitting women. And you know what? I especially enjoy—”
Crushing the face of someone as atrociously ugly as you.
Seeing the fear in Enbi’s eyes and her loyal followers, my sinister smile widened.
“Why? I thought you knew my hobbies quite well.”
