Chapter 133 - Episode 130: Making the Rounds ②
Once it was confirmed that all the nobles had entered the venue, the King and Queen appeared, and the start of the banquet was declared.
Though called a banquet, it was a light, buffet-style gathering with the dancing elements of a ball removed. The purpose was to praise those who had contributed to the recent war or had achieved dazzling results in domestic administration lately, while deepening the interaction between nobles from various parts of the country.
The nobles had already been chatting as they pleased, but for all intents and purposes, the banquet began with the King's opening declaration. Following the declaration, the attendees proceeded to give their greetings to the royal couple.
First, those who had received rewards at the daytime ceremony—the protagonists of the evening—approached the King and Queen in the order they had been rewarded. Marquis Gardwin and Marquis Bechtolsheim, who had been generals of the main army, were first, followed by Count Marcel, who had carved open the breakthrough in the main army's decisive battle.
"...I've never seen His Excellency Marcel with such a bright expression."
Watching Count Marcel exchange words with the royal couple from a distance, looking to be in a good mood, Noein murmured this impression to Arnold beside them.
In Noein's memory, Count Marcel always had a stern—or rather, grumpy—face. Seeing him not only smiling but occasionally even letting out a light laugh was refreshing.
"It's only natural. For His Excellency Marcel, the previous war was the long-awaited national-scale conflict. By achieving great military feats, he was able to demonstrate his strength as the foremost warrior of the Northwest."
The House of Count Marcel had been known as a military family since the kingdom's founding, but in the present era where full-scale conflicts between nobles had decreased, their opportunities for activity had been limited to repeating skirmishes on faction borders where hardly anyone died, or contributing to monster subjugation within the Northwest.
The current head, Edmund Marcel, regardless of his actual ability, had zero experience in a major war, and it was said that other factions sometimes ironically called him the "Undefeated Knight."
Amidst that, he finally obtained the opportunity to participate in a major war and further achieved unquestionable military merit. Since he had brilliantly proven himself to be a brave military commander, there was no way he wouldn't be happy... Arnold explained these circumstances to Noein.
"I see... so those kinds of problems exist when a peaceful era lasts for a long time."
"Yes. Normally, one should be grateful to the warriors who maintain their strength for the sake of wartime. In reality, there are nobles who badmouth them like that. And then, when wartime actually arrives, they rely on the very warriors they spoke ill of... it is lamentable."
"It's complicated, isn't it."
The fact that he could describe such circumstances as "lamentable" suggested that Arnold was indeed a decent person as a noble. Noein once again raised their internal evaluation of their stepfather.
.....
After Count Marcel, the greetings of the high-ranking nobles to the royal couple continued, and after Viowulf, it was Noein's turn.
At this moment alone, Noein joined Clara, who had been with the gathering of ladies, and together they stepped forward before the royal couple to deliver their greeting.
"Your Majesty the King, and Your Majesty the Queen. It is a joy beyond measure to be granted the opportunity to attend this banquet hosted by the Royal Family."
As they spoke, Noein dropped to one knee and bowed their head, while beside them, Clara pinched the hem of her dress and lowered her waist.
"Baronet Arqvist, your efforts in this war were commendable. I praise you once more. Enjoy yourself to your heart's content tonight."
The King spoke magnanimously, but the Queen beside him showed a slightly displeased expression.
"Your Majesty, why is Baronet Arqvist bringing a beastman slave to a place such as this?"
Because they were in the presence of the royal couple, the guards Matilda and Dant were keeping their distance, but even so, Matilda's rabbit ears seemed to catch the eye.
"That is the point. This Lord Arqvist is, as you can see, known to be an eccentric... however, they have achieved great results in the war, and it is said that the Arqvist territory, which was merely a forest, has grown into a town in just a few years. It is quite impressive."
When the King spoke of Noein's achievements in this way, the Queen's face also became slightly impressed.
Queen Ingrid Roadberg. She was about three years younger than the King, a woman who had married in from a ducal house at the northern tip of the kingdom about ten years ago... Noein recalled her details in their head. It was information they had heard from Arnold beforehand.
"Even when delving into history, I hear that great figures were often eccentric individuals. This one might also achieve a feat that will be carved into the history of the kingdom, no? Besides, social gatherings are more interesting when there are whimsical people like this. Being an eccentric is a fine thing."
"...If Your Majesty says so, then it is fine. Lord Arqvist, I look forward to your future activities."
The King's manner of speaking was somewhat exaggerated, as if trying to show his tolerance toward his subjects, but the Queen obediently followed his lead.
"I am overcome with emotion to receive words of encouragement directly from Your Majesty the Queen. Though I am still inexperienced, I shall strive to meet your expectations as a noble of the kingdom."
Noein responded with safe words, but perhaps because it was a humble attitude beyond reproach for a subject, the Queen also looked satisfied. It seemed Noein's peculiar behavior had been permitted by her.
"Just as with Baron Rosbroke who came to greet me earlier, and you as well, young talent is beginning to rise in the kingdom. With you all here, my reign shall be secure, hahaha."
"Such words are too generous for someone like me."
The King, laughing in a good mood, shifted his gaze to the person beside Noein.
"And the bride was the daughter of Viscount Koenitz, was it? I heard you married just last year; how is the relationship with your husband?"
"Y-yes. My husband always treats me with kindness. I still have many shortcomings as a noble's wife, but I am striving to be of even a little help to my husband."
"I see. For a noble, the existence of a partner is a great support. Continue to be harmonious."
"Hohoho, what a lovely wife."
Clara had been nervous before the royal couple, but that innocence seemed to be well-received by the couple instead.
Thus, Noein and Clara's greetings ended in a reasonable success.
.....
After that, once Arnold's greetings to the royal couple were finished, Noein was led by him once again to make the rounds of greetings with the other nobles.
Since they would meet the Northwest nobles again at the year-end gathering, the main focus this time was introductions to nobles of other factions.
That said, the relationship between factions could not be called good, even as a compliment. While individual houses might have interactions across faction lines for business or other reasons, overall, they often bickered.
Naturally, in these social settings, things ended up remaining as superficial greetings. They exchanged friendly words to the extent that they wouldn't suddenly become decisively hostile if a dispute were to occur. Even if it was only on the surface.
"...My head is starting to get muddled, as expected."
"This is your first time in a place where nobles from across the country gather. Just matching faces to names must be a struggle."
When Noein muttered this while taking a short break, Arnold replied with a faint, wry smile.
Noein had been taught the names of the primary nobles of each region by Arnold beforehand, but the task of fitting dozens of faces to those family names was not easy for Noein either. Setting aside today, they had no confidence in being able to keep their faces and names matched forever.
On the opposite side of the venue, Clara was likely enduring similar hardships.
"Now... regarding the greetings after the break, shall we go to that person?"
As he spoke, the person Arnold looked at was—the biological parent of Noein, Count Maximilian Kivileft.
"Of course. I've heard that Count Kivileft is a great man who governs one of the foremost large territories in the Southeast. It would be rude not to greet him."
While spitting out that sarcasm, Noein's eyes sparkled. The moment they became conscious of Maximilian, they reflexively wore an evil smile again, but they quickly fixed their expression.
"...I get it, so at least maintain a calm face on the surface. Please, whatever you do, do not start a fight."
However, Arnold, having seen Noein's momentary smile, warned them while shuddering.
"Yes, it's fine... rather, I'm worried about whether he can stay composed."
Noein said, striving to wear a gentle smile.