C 128
Tuk, tuk, tuk.
The faces of the boys who were watching it fall suddenly distorted.
"What is this...?"
The pure white liquid fell into the palm of one of the children and soon began to fall like rain.
Chaja-! Chaja-!
A flock of crows flew over their heads.
It wasn't much.
It was just bird droppings.
"Oh! What is this, what is this?!"
"Ugh, it stinks!"
"W-why are birds following me?"
They became frantic and started running here and there.
Looking at the table starting to get dirty, I felt a little sorry, so I quickly got up from my seat.
"Ah..."
In the distance, a lady who seemed to be the host of the banquet held the hem of her dress with a pale face.
It seemed like she was about to cry.
"Um, I feel a bit sorry for her..."
I rolled my eyes slightly and walked away.
"Hey, you!"
A boy covered in bird droppings walked in front of me. It was quite fascinating to see him herding birds without being like the Pied Piper.
"Eww...."
He's dirty, and I don't want to touch him. As I sidestepped him slowly, the faces of the boys turned red.
"Why are you calling me?"
"You did this, didn't you?"
"Me...?"
I widened my eyes and tilted my head.
"How could I?"
"I don't know! That's what happened the moment I removed your chair! It was you!"
"You've been harassing us!"
"Who am I, and how?"
I tilted my head once again.
"Eirin?"
"Eirin!"
When I turned my head at the overlapping voices behind me, I saw Richard and Phil Rosemont, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
"I didn't expect to see you here..."
Phil Rosemont came running over and smiled innocently. He didn't seem to mind the birds that were around him or the boys covered in droppings.
"He has quite an impressive mindset."
Before I knew it, Richard was also standing in front of me.
"Who's bothering my Yongyong?"
"Who is your Yongyong?"
As I squinted my eyes, Richard suddenly closed his mouth.
"Sorry, Eirin."
"Hmm."
I'm not even a child anymore, so he has to stop giving me nicknames. Richard looked at me, then abruptly opened his eyes and looked forward.
"Do they all want to die?"
The corners of Richard's mouth twisted slightly.
"Do they think it would be difficult for me to immobilize them face down on the ground?"
"The young duke shouldn't even be involved! Who is she to...?"
"What do you mean? She's my family."
Richard spoke confidently. His words made me stop suddenly without realizing it.
"Family..., the Duke Collin's daughter..."
"No, but once we've met as family, we'll be family to the end."
"He must have used some strange curse!"
"Didn't he?"
Richard chuckled mischievously.
"And if I did, what then?"
Richard snapped his fingers and blew a gust of wind. A bunch of leaves flew from somewhere and stuck to their bodies.
Seeing the collaboration of the leaves with the bird droppings made me feel a little queasy.
Phil Rosemont was by my side, holding my hand.
"His hands are cold."
I gently kneaded Phil Rosemont's hand and then slowly raised my head.
"If what Eirin used was a curse, then why not say that what I did was also a curse?"
He pursed his lips and then slowly rolled his eyes.
It's a face that can literally captivate people in an instant. Richard was crazy, but he turned out to be a cuter kind of crazy than I expected.
I laughed for a moment and then shrugged.
"Well, that's magic! This kind of dirty magic..."
"What the hell are all of you doing?!"
A young lady with a bright red face stepped in between us and shouted.
"Why do you keep having accidents?"
I thought she was talking about me, so my shoulders trembled, but fortunately, it was the group of complainers who mumbled a response.
"No, it wasn't an accident; it's this peasant who..."
"Peasant? Don't you really know who this person is? She's a special guest I invited!"
"She's a special guest... Where is she...?"
"Hey, at this gathering, I invited the dragon that the Etham family values..."
The freckled face of the young master, who had raised his voice, paled at the whisper.
At best, he seemed to be the age of Callan or Silian, but he looked even more immature than that.
"That can't be... This girl... No, this person..."
The young man who had been acting like a supreme predator just a moment ago suddenly became servile.
That's why I hate strong people against the weak.
He suddenly became servile, but it didn't sit well with me.
When I turned my head with my arms crossed, the lips of the complainers speaking in front of me closed tightly.
"I-I'm sorry."
With a openly scared expression on their faces, the meddlesome troublemakers offered apologies.
"I didn't know she was a dragon..."
"You mean you would have intimidated me if I weren't a dragon?"
"Oh, no... How could we intimidate the direct lineage of the Etham family...?"
They quickly shook their heads.
Looking at their pale faces, I felt like I realized how grand the name Etham was.
"Oh, I should go see my sister Sharnae."
I raised my voice loudly.
"I guess I can't live without my sister..."
If you're so afraid of me, I hope you're also afraid of Sharnae.
"I'll leave for today, miss. I'm sorry I couldn't attend for very long."
"...No. I'm sorry I couldn't bring someone from a truly high-quality family."
In fact, most of the accidents were caused by me, but the organizer didn't blame me in particular.
"Is that why everyday behavior is important?"
Or maybe it's because of the notoriety of the Etham family.
"It's alright."
Indeed, if I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have come. Next time, I'll have to pick a successor or something.
"Let's go back together, Eirin."
"Eh? You can stay here."
"No, there's no need to be here when you're not."
Richard shook his head. Well, I wondered what he would say when I said I didn't want to.
"E-Eirin."
"Oh, you were still holding my hand."
I looked at Phil Rosemont's carefully stretched hand and then looked up.
"Yes?"
"I-I... I'll go too."
Phil Rosemont said.
The young man who swallowed hard had a somewhat solemn expression on his face. Should I say he looked a bit like a student deciding to skip school for the first time in his life?
"Why, you...?"
While clicking my tongue, Phil's face filled with tears.
[—I will be a knight, so please be kind to my foolish younger brother.]
Hill Rosment left behind some words, and I certainly felt a little guilty for just having to give up.
I glanced quickly at the host's expression.
"It's okay to come back. I think we'll have to cancel today's banquet soon."
She murmured, seeming a bit resigned. It was definitely a mess all around.
I inclined my head slightly and turned around.
"In a while..."
I wanted to give her some form of compensation, so I opened my mouth as soon as I could.
"If I throw a party, I'll send you an invitation."
Then the host's eyes widened.
"...Really?"
"Yes."
"You promised!"
"Oh... Of course."
"I'm Asha McLane."
The host, whose expression had been gloomy a moment ago, suddenly took my hand and said.
"...Yes."
Now it seemed like she didn't even care about what would happen because of the party I was organizing.
"Is the party I'm organizing really that amazing...?"
I'm still a bit confused because I don't understand the importance of the party.
She even personally saw me off.
I left the mansion with Richard and Phil.
Richard, who saw Phil holding my right hand, took my left hand in the same way.
Suddenly, I was caught in the middle and felt a little uncomfortable.
"I should go with Laurent."
I was about to go with Laurent, who was probably waiting outside to take me.
"E-Eirin."
Phil grabbed the hem of my clothing with a stiff expression. I widened my eyes.
Richard's hand slowly and gently moved away the hem of my clothing that Phil was holding, and then he took a step away from me.
Although he quickly moved his hand away when I narrowed my eyes.
"What's wrong, Philip?"
"Ah...! C-can you help me?"
Phil Rosment somehow caught me with a rather desperate look on his face.
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