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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Grand Social Party
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Noble etiquette, huh.
To Jeon, who had lived in a democratic society in his previous life, it was a completely unfamiliar concept.
But what could he do?
He was in a position where he had to follow Lena around and provide interpretation on the spot, so he had no choice but to learn it.
To that end, a separate teacher had been assigned to instruct Jeon.
"Greetings. I'm Angela, in charge of the maids' training."
"Yes, hello. I'm Jeon."
"Noble etiquette encompasses a truly vast array of things, but neither I nor Sir Jeon needs to master it all. After all, we're not nobles ourselves."
In this world, noble etiquette was incredibly diverse.
From dining manners to speech patterns, gait, hand gestures, foot movements, even facial expressions.
From head to toe, every single action a noble was expected to perfect wasn't just one or two things.
But since Jeon wasn't a noble anyway—he was merely an interpreter—he didn't need to learn it all.
"What we need to learn are the etiquettes for commoners like us when dealing with nobles. I'll start by explaining the key points to watch out for."
"Yes, ma'am."
In the end, what was required of Jeon wasn't noble etiquette per se, but the etiquette of an attendant.
"The most important thing to remember at a social party is to never make direct eye contact with nobles."
"...Ah."
"So, when you're not facing them, it's fine, but if your eyes meet, it's easier to just avoid looking at their face altogether."
In short, keep your eyes down.
It was all about the class divide.
Of course, it wasn't enforced as strictly in everyday life—like when he first saw Lena at the Imperial Bank—but at a social party where nobles gathered, it was different.
"Social parties are where noble etiquette is most strictly observed, so you must be cautious—extra cautious."
It was a place that took empty formalities to the extreme, enforcing even things that were usually overlooked.
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."
"Very well, next..."
The etiquette lessons that followed emphasized far more prohibitions—"don't do this"—than instructions—"do that."
Still, the silver lining was that once he got into it, nothing felt all that alien or difficult.
Reminds me of my army private days.
Having already experienced a time when the list of things he couldn't do outnumbered what he could, it was easy for him to think of himself as a lowly private thrust into a gathering of generals.
That mindset made absorbing the etiquette lessons a breeze.
Anyway.
Mornings, being relatively free, were spent on etiquette training.
Afternoons were for his main job: interpretation.
"Greetings, Lady Lena. I'm Jeon, assigned to handle interpretation and translation by your side from now on."
"Yes, pleased to meet you, Sir Jeon. I look forward to working with you."
They already knew each other privately, but this was their first official interaction.
Jeon's greeting came out a bit awkward.
Lena responded with calm, refined poise.
...She's like a completely different person from back then.
Where had that tomboy gone, the one who dreamed of world travel and even ran away from home?
Standing before him now was a true noble lady of grace.
As Jeon blinked in mild surprise at this new side of Lena, their interpretation work began in earnest.
"Haha, it's an honor to meet you, Lady Lena. I'm Delfino, handling silver distribution in Celleron..."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jason, in maritime trade. Regarding the Silvermont Family..."
"Greetings! I deal in foodstuffs here in Celleron..."
Lena's afternoons were packed with meetings.
Since they all spoke the Imperial Language, Jeon's role was to interpret their words to her in real-time and vice versa.
Man, there are a lot of them.
Especially given Langley's island nation traits, many couldn't easily meet Silvermont Family members despite wanting connections.
Word of Lena's visit to Celleron had drawn a crowd.
It made perfect sense why they'd hired Jeon as interpreter, despite knights like Risar who knew Imperial.
The visitors just kept coming nonstop.
And they really do own silver mines.
As Jeon had once guessed, the Silvermonts owned multiple silver mines.
Every merchant in the area wanted a piece, so the stream of guests didn't let up for days.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Lena Silvermont."
"Regarding silver distribution, we're already well-stocked, but we'd like to expand trade with the Empire. I hope for good relations going forward."
"Maritime trade—you have your own fleet? It'd be nice to discuss properly in Langley sometime."
"We welcome foodstuff trades with the Empire anytime. It's something both our family and Langley are pushing lately."
Lena handled them all flawlessly, the picture of noble perfection.
Is this borderline split personality?
He'd noticed it during their first official greeting.
She was so transformed from the girl he'd met before that Jeon revised his view of her as just a spoiled brat.
"Phew."
Finally, a brief lull in the endless visitors.
A short breather.
Even if the translation happened automatically in his head, relaying between two people was tiring work.
As Jeon caught his breath...
"Hmm... Why are you so good at this job than expected?"
"...Pardon?"
"I mean, come on! You look younger than me, and it's your first day—how are you handling it so effortlessly?"
The poised noble lady vanished.
Back was the tomboy Lena, striking up conversation abruptly.
"Who says I'm younger than you?"
"Huh? You just spoke casually to me!"
"What, can't I?"
"...Well, no, but... Tch. Lame."
Jeon's curt response killed her playful mood, and she pouted lightly.
"Anyway, you did pretty well."
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. I thought you were some clueless kid, but I stand corrected."
"...What did you even think of me?"
Her tone was still grumbly, but her lips curved up slightly—she was pleased to acknowledge it.
Still a kid at heart.
Watching her, Jeon chuckled, reminded of a shy cousin or nephew praised with, "Hey, you're actually good at studying."
"Truth be told, I was worried about you going to the social party. Afraid you'd cause a scene."
"Hey! I don't mess up at places like that!"
"Seeing you today, yeah, you seem fine."
"...And once you're there, you won't even have time for those thoughts."
"Huh? Why?"
It was a light tease.
But Lena's sudden hint of gloom made Jeon probe further.
"Oh! Lady Lena! Greetings!"
Another guest arrived, cutting off her answer.
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Days blurred by in a frenzy of morning etiquette lessons and packed afternoon interpretations.
Five days flew past.
The social party day arrived.
Among nobles, social parties were natural and routine.
But this one in Celleron felt entirely different.
"Keep a sharp eye on the perimeter!"
"One slip-up, and heads will roll!"
"Celleron's image is on the line with this party! Double-check every little detail!"
The preparation staff carried a battlefield tension, as if this weren't a party venue but a warzone.
And for good reason.
"The Fifth Prince is arriving! Everyone, shape up!"
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
This was a social party graced by the Emperor's bloodline—the Empire's rulers.
Celleron was a port city, the largest nearby, but still distant from the imperial capital.
We must impress him no matter what!
Viscount Celleron saw this as a golden chance to forge imperial ties and staked everything on it.
"Wow... They said a big shot was coming, but this scale is insane."
Jeon, unaware of the stakes and unfamiliar with parties anyway, didn't care about royalty.
To him, it was just a massive, ostentatious waste of money.
"Even I've never seen a social party this grand."
But for nobles, such scale was rare—even Risar, Lena's guard knight, seemed impressed.
"A whole castle for a social party."
Typical parties, even large ones, used dedicated halls.
This one commandeered an entire inner castle in Celleron—a mad extravagance.
"They kept sending invitations begging me to attend this time. Now I see why."
"You don't usually go to parties?"
"...Lady Lena isn't particularly fond of them."
"Ah."
"But judging by the scale, I get why they insisted. Every noble in the region will be here."
A social party's prestige hinged on the highest-ranking attendees and sheer numbers.
With the Fifth Prince confirmed, the first was secured.
So Celleron invited every local noble.
The more nobles, the grander the success—and the deeper the impression on the prince.
The invitees, eager for rare access to imperial blood far from the capital, flocked without fail.
Now, a line of nobles queued at the castle gates.
"Thank you for attending. We'll verify invitations before entry."
Lena's group, arriving early, still waited ages to enter.
But entry came with a snag.
"With so many guests, only Lady Lena Silvermont and two companions are permitted."
"...I've never heard of this."
"It's a necessary restriction due to the crowds. Please understand."
"Even so, how are we supposed to provide escort with just two?"
Personnel limits—even for castle entry irked Risar, who showed open displeasure.
"Security inside is airtight. The full might of House Celleron is mobilized—you can rest easy."
"Escort is a separate matter."
"We've prepared space nearby for the rest to wait. Close enough for immediate entry if needed."
"Risar, no choice. Let's comply for now."
Lena agreed, but they couldn't turn back now.
Networking with imperial blood was vital for Silvermont.
Plus, resisting further might slight the hosts.
"...Understood."
Risar relented.
Entry party: Lena, Risar, and Jeon.
"...Why me?"
"You're the interpreter, aren't you?"
Jeon immediately objected.
When he'd heard of the limit, he assumed he'd be excluded.
Secretly relieved to skip the party hassle.
Now he was dragged in.
"No, Risar, you could handle basic interpretation. Bringing me instead of another knight..."
He argued logically, feeling wronged.
"I'm a knight, not an interpreter."
"That's not what I...!"
Risar brushed it off, hauling Jeon inside anyway.
Ugh, this is dizzying.
Upon entering, Jeon's head spun.
The opulent decorations glittered blindingly.
Guests vied in splendorous attire.
It felt like his energy was being sucked away.
"...What's that?"
Still, duty called.
Clinging to sanity amid the chaos, Jeon noticed odd stares.
Not quite...
Not at him.
All eyes were on Lena and Risar.