DFBE 20

Chapter 20

The time for dining with the Emperor had arrived.

After the imperial banquet quest, Lucy wondered if this was another new quest and waited for a notification window to appear.

But the status window remained completely silent.

That meant this event was not particularly important to the game’s overall flow.

‘Maybe this only happened because my reputation increased, even though it’s still negative?’

There hadn’t been any dramatic changes, but at least she had successfully completed her first quest.

More importantly, she had gained the fluffy, chewy-rice-cake-like puppy of her dreams.

The puppy was gentle, smart, and followed Lucy well.

Even when Lucy briefly left it in a servant’s care while heading to dine with the Emperor, it neither fussed nor whined, simply sitting quietly in place.

Thanks to that, Lucy was able to head toward the dining hall with Bartholomew feeling at ease.

The dining hall had a very different atmosphere from the brightly sunlit banquet hall.

A long red carpet embroidered with golden thread stretched across the floor, with an equally long dining table placed upon it.

Though night had fallen, golden candleholders placed throughout the room cast a warm glow.

Servants and maids stood lined up against the walls, waiting to attend to them.

Elisha, who had arrived first, was seated to the left of the Emperor’s seat of honor.

When she spotted Lucy, she rose from her seat.

The moment Lucy saw Elisha, she felt strangely conflicted.

Lucy, having no spare dresses, was still wearing the same dress from the banquet hall, while Elisha had already changed into a new evening gown.

‘She really is beautiful.’

Feeling slightly shabby in comparison, Lucy approached her.

Ever since Lucy had entered, Elisha’s gaze had avoided her completely.

Instead, her eyes were fixed on Bartholomew.

To the point of seeming rude, she stared at him openly.

“Lucy. Won’t you introduce me to the gentleman beside you?”

Elisha said with a graceful curve of her lips.

‘Good. This much I can answer.’

Lucy cleared her throat and spoke.

“Sister, this is Young Master Bartholomew Faraday. Bartholomew, this is Elisha Adelstein.”

The moment Elisha heard Bartholomew’s name, her eyes widened.

She stared at him intently.

It was a searching gaze.

Lucy was surprised.

She had expected Elisha to greet him with her usual beautiful mask-like smile.

As the silence dragged on, Bartholomew spoke first.

“It is an honor to meet Your Imperial Highness.”

“…Indeed. I am pleased to meet you as well, Young Master Bartholomew.”

Elisha replied in a strangely awkward voice before sitting back down.

Lucy and Bartholomew took their seats opposite her.

Even after sitting down, Elisha could not take her eyes off Bartholomew.

Though he surely noticed her gaze, Bartholomew kept his eyes lowered and never looked up.

Only Lucy’s eyes darted busily between the two of them.

‘What is this?’

Why was Elisha acting so strangely?

Did she know Bartholomew somehow?

But judging by Bartholomew’s attitude, that didn’t seem to be the case.

As awkward silence flowed between the three of them, the Emperor finally appeared.

All three rose to greet him.

Lucy had just been about to introduce Bartholomew to the Emperor.

But Elisha stepped forward first.

“Father, this is Young Master Bartholomew of the Faraday family.”

The moment the Emperor heard Bartholomew’s name, his eyes gleamed briefly.

“Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you.”

The Emperor nodded and took his seat of honor.

Once the Emperor arrived, the meal truly began.

Servants and maids placed dish after dish upon the table while pouring water and wine into their glasses.

“Please, enjoy yourselves.”

The Emperor signaled the start of the meal.

Lucy cautiously picked up her utensils.

She feared her negative stats might somehow cause trouble.

‘Like spilling water all over the Emperor while drinking.’

Just imagining it was terrifying enough that Lucy decided not to even look at the water or wine.

“Come to think of it, this is my first time seeing Young Master Bartholomew.”

The Emperor showed interest in Bartholomew.

“It is well known that the Faraday heir has never appeared in high society due to health problems.”

So it was famous.

Lucy looked at Bartholomew with fresh surprise.

“I assumed you would not attend this imperial banquet either. I also heard the Duke of Faraday could not attend because he was away on business overseas.”

The Emperor regarded Bartholomew with interest.

“How did you come to accompany Lucy here today?”

“We met at the temple.”

For someone meeting the Emperor for the first time, Bartholomew appeared perfectly calm.

“Princess Lucy said she needed a dance partner, and fortunately, I was able to help her.”

He was even good at flattering people.

Lucy had practically begged him to become her dance partner, so hearing him say it so elegantly left her somewhat dumbfounded.

“Was the song choice today Lucy’s idea?”

“Yes, it was.”

Bartholomew glanced briefly at Lucy before continuing.

“We put great effort into choosing something that would please Your Majesty.”

Lucy’s eyes widened.

“The song, we hoped, would bring at least a brief moment of joy to Your Majesty, who bears the burden of watching over the Empire.”

Lucy felt deeply moved.

It was such perfect flattery, yet she herself could never have spoken those words aloud.

Bartholomew was doing it for her instead.

The Emperor laughed heartily.

“Indeed. It was a very thoughtful idea. I truly enjoyed it.”

This time, the Emperor’s gaze turned toward Lucy.

“No one else realized that I had been longing for my homeland. Yet you alone noticed it, Lucy.”

The Emperor smiled faintly.

“It surprises me greatly that the one who cared enough to notice was you.”

Jackpot.

Lucy could practically feel that she had successfully gained the Emperor’s favor.

She even regretted not being able to see his affection meter.

Suppressing the corners of her lips from rising too much, she simply lowered her gaze shyly and smiled.

“Lucy. Are you still staying in the detached palace?”

“Yes.”

“You were always frail as a child, so you were specially cared for there. But it seems your time at the temple has improved your health. In that case, moving into the main palace may not be a bad idea.”

Escape from the shabby annex too?

Lucy was just about to eagerly nod.

“Father.”

Elisha, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

“I worry it may still be too soon.”

She looked at Lucy with eyes full of concern.

“It hasn’t been long since Lucy was unable to move properly or even speak. If her environment changes too suddenly, it could negatively affect her.”

Lucy was stunned.

Elisha pretended to speak for Lucy’s sake, but in truth she simply feared Lucy moving into the main palace and receiving the Emperor’s favor.

‘But I can’t exactly insist that I’m fine either.’

Her negative stats still worried her.

It was true that she had once been unable to move or speak properly.

If she displayed such behavior in the main palace, Elisha might seize upon it for criticism.

The Emperor quietly observed Elisha before nodding.

“Your sister has a point. Sudden changes in environment can indeed cause problems.”

As he sliced into his steak with a knife, he continued.

“Still, she cannot continue living that way forever. We can simply change things gradually.”

The Emperor lifted his gaze toward Elisha.

“Isn’t your social gathering coming up soon? Invite your sister there and help her take her first steps into high society.”

“What?”

“Why? I thought, as you said, gradually changing her environment would be good for Lucy. Or do you not think so?”

Elisha looked troubled.

The Emperor had instantly seen through her intentions and clearly disapproved.

That was why he was using the social party as an excuse to order her to look after her younger sister.

Forced into a corner, Elisha smiled.

“Of course not, Father. Lucy, I’ll send you a formal invitation myself, so please be sure to come.”

“It would also be nice to see Young Master Bartholomew appear more often in high society.”

The Emperor had just included Bartholomew in the invitation as well.

Ding!

[New Quest Available!]

[Attend Elisha’s Social Party!]

[The children of the Empire’s most prestigious noble families will gather there.]

[The male leads you must capture will naturally also be attending.]

[Show off your charm at the social party and raise their affection levels!]

[Success Reward: Affection +20 with each character, Reputation +50]

[Failure Penalty: Reputation -80]

A new quest had been given to Lucy.