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Feeling awkward.

If an ordinary person were to have a one-on-one meeting with the Twilight Tower Master, who is one of the seven colossal figures in the magical realm, they would likely feel intimidated not just by his status, but by the overwhelming presence that emanates from him.

Superhumans, beings that transcend human intellect, are like unavoidable disasters for ordinary people, merely existing.

However, that didn’t apply to me.

First of all, I also stood among the superhumans like Franz, so I wouldn’t be affected by the pressure he exuded. It would be a different story if he had shown me direct malice, but there was no reason for me to feel fear from someone who looked at me with amusement.

Yet, that faint smile on his face felt more unsettling than any open malice he could have displayed.

It’s truly lamentable that this came from my own karma.

Let’s briefly recall the starting point of this situation. Ah, yes, the banquet from last night. That banquet was the problem.

To be frank, as soon as I caught sight of his face on the balcony, I half lost my sanity. His appearance was a clear signal that Richard was in the vicinity, and thus, shamefully, I was frightened by the arrival of the story’s original male lead just as I was about to stand by her side.

In the end, what I feared did not come to pass, but during the process, I made one major mistake.

So preoccupied with thoughts of Richard, I completely ignored Franz Ertuven, who was the first to speak to me. No matter how much I am a member of the Count Kraus’s Lesser House, he was a noble who lived in the same era as my father and was a duke of the Empire.

If I had politely declined his attempt at conversation, it would have been one thing, but I unilaterally ignored his self-introduction and left without a word.

Clearly, this could be seen as an act that would insult his honor; if Franz were to challenge me to a duel now, I would have no words to defend myself.

Of course, if I were to argue back, I could say that Franz was an “uninvited guest” at the banquet, and therefore, I had no obligation to engage with him. However, considering his power and influence, that wouldn’t hold much weight.

But I wasn’t worried about a duel with him. After all, someone whose feelings were hurt to the extent that they’d challenge me wouldn’t be smiling at me right now.

Thus, I was able to lighten the heavy burden in my heart somewhat, but it didn’t fully alleviate my concerns. Franz’s smiling face reminded me of the expressions my father made just before pulling one of his mischievous pranks, only adding to my unease about what he might say next.

As I stared at him silently, Franz pulled a small candy from his pocket, popped it into his mouth as if it were nothing, and spoke to me casually.

“Hey, kid. You don’t need to be so tense. Well, I had my faults yesterday too, and I’m not here to pin anything on you regarding yesterday, so don’t worry.”

“…Then why did you want to see me?”

“I’m just here to see my friend’s son’s face. What, do I need any special reason?”

Franz said this nonchalantly while rolling the candy around in his mouth. With the way he presented it, I felt I needn’t worry anymore about what happened last night, but still, I found Franz overwhelming. Though, he wouldn’t know how I felt, so with a carefree face, he offered me his congratulations.

“Oh, speaking of which, I forgot to say this. A day late, but congratulations on your engagement. If you’re planning on holding an engagement ceremony, I hope an invitation will reach the Ertuvens this time.”

“Haha. Since we’re thinking of keeping it small with just family, unfortunately, that won’t be possible. But I will definitely send you an invitation later.”

Franz looked slightly dissatisfied at my response. He seemed to think that I was teasing him, but this was information I had previously agreed upon with Elena, so I had no words to counter with.

No, what was I supposed to do about something already decided?

Now that the topic of engagement came up, I couldn’t help but recall events from the garden the night before.

After leaving the banquet hall last night, we headed to the garden she had created.

Since it was already quite late, we didn’t have much time left. But even in that short period, there was no issue in bringing us closer than before.

There, I heard her wishes and saw the future she envisioned for both of us.

Though we had talked for a long time and thought we knew each other well, I doubt there were many conversations as meaningful as the ones we shared in that garden.

That was when we seriously discussed our engagement.

If Franz had met me just two days earlier, he could have attended the engagement ceremony, but it seems this was certainly not meant to be.

“You’re just zoning out while I’m right in front of you. This is what happens with the Kraus family…”

“Haha… I’m sorry.”

Franz’s admonishment snapped me back to reality from my reminiscing. I must have unintentionally gotten lost in the memories of that day. The happy moments spent in that place were too fleeting, leaving a bigger impression.

If it weren’t for Franz, I could have spent more time there like that again.

“What’s with that look? It’s rather unsettling.”

“…It’s nothing.”

It seems I’m not very good at hiding my emotions. I thought I was decent at maintaining a poker face, but recently, it seems everyone, including Elena, can easily see what I’m thinking.

Franz wrinkled his eyebrows a few times, then relaxed his expression completely, clearing his throat before speaking to me.

“Hmm, that aside… You know, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“About my son Richard.”

“Ah…”

As soon as he mentioned Richard’s name, instead of feeling uneasy like before, I recalled the boy I met that morning.

It seems that, due to their father-son relationship, Franz had caught on to Richard’s feelings for Elena long before. Did he witness my conversation with Richard at the banquet? His demeanor while bringing up Richard was far less rigid than before.

“Try not to hate Richard too much. That kid won’t cause any trouble for you and Elena. I can promise this on my name as Ertuven. The reason I went there yesterday was to help him sort out his feelings. There was no other reason.”

Franz seemed to think I bore a grudge against Richard and overly defended him in his absence. Admittedly, I couldn’t say that my treatment of Richard at the banquet was particularly favorable.

Although I wasn’t angry at him, standing before the original male lead and seeing him with Elena had put me in a rather prickly mood. Franz must have sensed that and was giving me these words on purpose.

If he saw our earlier conversation at the training grounds, he might not have said such things.

“Don’t worry. I know Richard is not that kind of person.”

I replied to Franz with a soft smile. He seemed taken aback, not expecting me to respond that way.

From Franz’s perspective, just the night before I was glaring at his son as if I wanted to kill him, only to switch my attitude overnight, so it’s understandable he would be confused.

After that, I briefly shared what had happened when I met Richard at the training grounds that morning. Once he heard my story, he resumed his usual easygoing laughter.

“I see… I think I might have spoken too soon.”

It was a bit embarrassing since I had brought up unnecessary concerns after the matter between the main parties had already been settled, yet Franz seemed relieved rather than uncomfortable.

“More importantly, how was he? Was he okay? No, that can’t be right. His hair must have been a mess, and his eyes surely turned red from lack of sleep. Am I right?”

 

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