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“Hmm… then, I’ll introduce myself properly too.”
I lowered my head in a polite bow.
“My name is Shunenia Kolhart. Please call me Shunen. And… thank you so much!”
Regardless of who they were in the original story, my gratitude was sincere. If not for them, I might have been trapped endlessly in scorn and humiliation.
I smiled genuinely, and the expressions of the five softened warmly.
Then suddenly, one cheek and the corner of my mouth began to sting, and my smile vanished. Ouch.
Crack. Their expressions split like glass.
“How dare you breathe the air of this land….”
“I knew we should’ve killed them back then! We should’ve made them sleep on the streets from the start!”
“Shut up, Nobel. You’re noisy. We’ll have to take care of this soon anyway. Now that I think about it, we left our share behind.”
“I don’t care who does it, just kill those two quickly… I’ll handle the cleanup….”
“Shunen, should we turn the heir into a vegetable?”
They began exchanging ideas that would terrify any normal person, and I hurried to stop them. Somehow, the curse I’d thrown at Saren worked way too well.
Only my “main characters” could escalate payback for a single slap to this scale. Impressive.
❖ ❖ ❖
A week after leaving the duke’s mansion.
My daze at the thought of living with the protagonists didn’t last long. Surprisingly, I became close with them quickly—close enough to speak casually.
“Shunen, I bought these from the most famous bakery in the capital. What do you think?”
Ethan got along quite well with Nobel, despite their constant bickering. Other than those moments, he was relatively quiet and had become my dessert buddy.
“I couldn’t decide how to decorate your room. For now, why don’t you just use this entire floor…?”
Retilia was firm and decisive by nature.
But sometimes, she made impulsive decisions—like when she tried to give me the entire top floor. For the record, I had no intention of using that much space, so I just settled in the room next to hers.
“Shunen, wanna try this? It’s a new shipment, but it’s pretty strong~”
Hazen was the one who most resembled his original portrayal—languid, indifferent, and listless. He was quite a drinker, but since he didn’t cause trouble, it was easy to get along with him.
“Sorry if I startled you earlier. That bastard Isaac went to see you by himself so…”
The biggest surprise was Nobel. He couldn’t even approach me at first; I had to make the first move.
He was still hot-headed and had zero patience when it came to Isaac.
Isaac himself needed no introduction—he was exactly as expected. The only unusual thing was the strange nickname Nobel used for him:
—“You damned apple!“
I couldn’t even guess how that nickname was born, but I didn’t have to wonder long.
“Ethan, that’s mine.”
“You’ve got legs, why don’t you get it yourself?”
“When someone’s already going, you should make use of them efficiently. Hand it over.”
“Is your head made of apples or something… Here. Happy now?”
Isaac loved apples. More precisely, apple pie.
I stared in disbelief as he shamelessly took his share of the desserts Ethan brought back. So… the nickname really came from that?
Anyway, they weren’t that different from how I remembered them—
…except for the strange amount of unsolicited kindness toward me.
Thanks to Isaac’s explanation, I also got a clearer understanding of what “Hardenberg” really was.
“So… they’re a special group recognized by the Emperor?”
“Exactly.”
Hardenberg was a group granted special recognition by the Emperor, holding a status nearly equal to a grand duke. They didn’t have a fief, just their mansion and the mountain behind it.
They weren’t shadowy figures like in the original story—they were the Empire’s sword and shield.
Though if they didn’t feel like it, they’d casually ignore imperial commands… the mere fact they cooperated at all was practically a miracle.
“Well, no country would be stupid enough to make enemies of the five of us. It’s a wise choice.”
“Hahaha…”
“You should be grateful we’re even entertaining you at this level.”
Isaac laughed mockingly, and I silently offered condolences to the Emperor who had to deal with this bunch.
And now, on my long-awaited first outing, I was personally witnessing Hardenberg’s intimidating presence.
‘Oh boy.’
I muttered inwardly. This was insane.
It was my first time visiting a bustling commercial district.
Shops for commoners and salons for nobles lined the streets, but as Retilia, Hazen, and I walked, people split and backed away in perfect formation.
‘This is like Moses parting the Red Sea…’
No one told them to, but they all instinctively moved aside.
Feeling awkward, I stepped forward through the path they made.
“Isn’t that them?”
“Hardenberg…”
“My God, they actually came out to a place like this…?”
I heard whispers all around—questions and awe held behind hushed breaths.
“By the way, who’s the one walking with them?”
“Isn’t that the new Hardenberg they talked about? From the Kolhart Dukedom…”
“But her eye color is…”
They were talking about me.
Glances flicked toward my eyes, trying to guess my identity.
‘So the rumors spread, but they don’t know the duchy’s a mess yet. Makes sense, I guess.’
Ethan told me recently that news of a “new Hardenberg” had become a hot topic thanks to the duke’s rumor-mongering.
The supposed “main character” of those rumors was Saren Kolhart.
Everyone had been waiting for Saren’s debut, but of course, the dukedom wasn’t in any position to proudly make such announcements.
‘Serves them right.’
The real problem was the attention on me.
I hadn’t even had my debutante ball, so no one in society would know Shunenia Kolhart.
“She’s got black hair though?”
“Why would they associate with someone like her…?”
“Shh! Do you want to die for offending them?!”
Naturally, speculation and gossip followed.
The whispers grew louder. This could get dangerous.
I glanced sideways at Retilia and Hazen. They didn’t so much as flinch under all the stares.
“What’s wrong, Shunen?”
“Maybe we should’ve taken the carriage… Reti, should I call it back?”
“No, no. You said you wanted to walk first, remember?”
…I didn’t exactly expect this.
I hadn’t considered that even commoners would recognize Hardenberg’s faces. Expecting a peaceful stroll was foolish of me.
“It’s just… everyone seems curious about me.”
The moment I said that, they both stopped walking.
“As expected, letting them talk about you so carelessly is annoying. Should I bury them right now?”
“Should we just kill everyone here…?”
“No no no! Don’t kill anyone! It’s fine!”
Their brutally honest suggestions were heard loud and clear by everyone, and the color drained from people’s faces.
I shook my head desperately.
“Of course they don’t know me! I haven’t had my debutante ball yet, and the dukedom kept me hidden, so how would they?”
“…Debutante ball…” Retilia murmured.
At least they paused long enough for me to catch my breath.
“Right. Two years ago, I was supposed to—”
“Then.”
“Huh?”
Retilia suddenly muttered something as if she had a revelation. Hazen and I turned to her.
“Then we’ll just hold your debutante ball.”
“…Huh?”
“So that no one in the Empire can not know you. Officially. Grandly. For generations to remember.”
“Wha…?!”
“Oh, I like that. As expected of Reti~”
“Just wait a bit, Shunen. Starting today, we’ll prepare your debutante. We’ll make sure the whole world knows who you are.”
Oh my god. What kind of logic is this?!
I stared, dumbfounded, at the utterly serious Retilia and the delighted Hazen.
It’s been two years since I was supposed to have it, and they want to hold a grand-scale debutante ball now?!
But their next statement was even worse.
“—We’ll seize the imperial palace as soon as possible.”
Retilia declared solemnly.
I screamed inwardly. No, that’s not what I meant!
While worrying about the palace becoming a frequent target for occupation, I desperately tried to stop them.
But of course, the other three heard the plan too—
“We were originally going to use the palace entirely, but since you didn’t like that, we decided to just hold your debutante there instead.”
“…M-my debutante… in the palace…”
“All the nobles and their heirs will have to attend, so at least no one in the upper class will be unaware of you anymore.”
And just like that, they decided to throw my debutante ball—my grand introduction—in the imperial palace.
‘They’re treating the palace like it’s a buffet hall for a birthday party…’
I was horrified, but the five were thrilled, saying this was the perfect opportunity to announce that I was part of Hardenberg.
❖ ❖ ❖
The day after Shunenia’s debutante was proposed, at the imperial palace.
The grand hall glittered gold, almost blinding. At the far end, the emperor, Karthus, sat on his throne.
“Sigh…”
He exhaled deeply, his blue eyes fixed on the man before him.
“Don’t you think this is a bit too much, Isaac Hardenberg?”
With silvery hair tinged faintly blue and deep black eyes—it was Isaac Hardenberg.
Isaac’s eyes curved slyly.
“Well. I don’t think this is too much to ask, Your Majesty.”
“You don’t think asking to hold a private debutante ball in the imperial palace is excessive?”
“Depends on who it’s for.”
The emperor rubbed his face wearily.
He’d been summoned abruptly, and Isaac’s “request” was this outrageous. He hadn’t even specified who the ball was for.
Though the rumors lately made it fairly obvious.
“This is for the new Hardenberg, isn’t it?”
“I can’t just let someone be disrespected simply because they’re unknown.”
“…I never thought I’d hear that kind of line from you.”
The emperor clicked his tongue in disbelief.
