◈ 177. [Side Story] Victory party
early in the morning. My room in the royal palace.
I wake up early in the morning and am in the middle of a fashion show surrounded by dozens of servants.
Washed, cremated, haircut… … .
At the same time, I am looking at myself in the full-length mirror, wearing this tuxedo, that suit, this evening coat, and so on.
‘This sort of thing happens in my life as a corner gamer.’
After eyebrow trimming, beard trimming, nose hair trimming, and ear hair trimming (what?!), I thought about it again.
On Earth, I wore shorts and a shirt every day. It was to the point where viewers would call it a school uniform.
I received a few donations asking me to change my clothes and buy some clothes with this.
‘But that was comfortable.’
I let out a groan as I felt the pressure of the suit tightening my entire body.
choking! Do men tighten their waists like this?
“Your Highness has such a good personality, you can wear any clothes, but you should be more careful on a day like today!”
Directing my flower arrangement, Alberto satisfactorily brushed his beard.
“In the past, you would always come to events with your clothes ripped or something like a grotesque skull decoration, and it would upset me. On the worst day, she even wore a woman’s dress… … .”
“… women’s dress? I?”
When I pointed to myself, Alberto nodded heavily.
“yes. It was a gorgeous floral dress in a very dark fluorescent green. Wearing high heels and putting flowers in her hair… … .”
“… .”
When I looked around, all the servants who helped me dress up turned pale, as if they remembered that day. really?
‘You entered an official imperial event dressed as a woman? The one called the prince?’
You really were a living, breathing half-hearted idiot, Ash Kim! proud of you! crazy bitch!
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Her Highness wearing a party suit with such serious and wonderful manners… … Illumination Alberto Now, even if I die, I have no time… … .”
“It seems like there are too many other grievances, but stop crying.”
They say that if I just do something, I will have no free time. What about this grandpa? I grumbled and tucked my arms into the next suit jacket.
I think I tried on about 20 sets in total. I don’t know what it is, and my eyes are spinning.
If something like a tem option or set effect pops up, I’d look at it and choose it, but there’s no such thing.
I just told Alberto to choose on his own, and after much thought, Alberto finalized the combination and put it on me.
“You look so good together, Your Highness! He is the most handsome man in the imperial city!”
Listening to Alberto’s unflattering flattery, I looked into the full-length mirror.
‘It looks like a funeral outfit… … ?’
The me in the mirror was wearing an all black suit.
From a shirt to a tailcoat coat outside a vest tie, to trousers, to a belt, to socks, to shoes. There is nothing that is not black.
I don’t know, but I wonder if even the underwear was changed to black.
‘No matter how much he is the prince of the Everblack Empire, isn’t he overdoing all black?’
When I look in the mirror, all I see is my face. Even after putting on makeup, her already white face became pale.
I babbled as I tapped my black hair, which had been cleaned with pomade (so unfamiliar), with my fingertips.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice to have the shirt or vest in a different color? They’re all the same black.”
Since all the suits are like this, I wonder if Ash from the past broke in wearing a fluorescent dress.
“What are you saying, Your Highness! Not all black!”
Alberto vomited.
The coat and trousers are black, the symbol of the imperial family, the shirt is a lighter ebony color, the vest is velvet, the socks are silk, and the shoes are leather… … .
In my eyes, they all look the same, but in this country, it must be different.
“that… okay. I will wear it like this. Stop explaining~”
Anyway, I am a gamer who is unfamiliar with fashion. You should wear whatever you give.
I slipped my fingers between the ties that were tight around my neck and adjusted them a little loosely. I took a deep breath and thought to myself.
‘I want to take a selfie and show it to the kids.’
If your lord decorates it, I want to show it to the Crossroad kids.
Do you want to say that you are cool or do you want to hold your stomach and laugh?
Alberto is bending down in front of me and polishing my shoes with his own hands.
It’s already shiny enough to be used as a mirror, but something keeps getting caught in the old butler’s eyes.
“Alberto.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Are there any other places where you feel uncomfortable?”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
I calmly raised my voice to Alberto, who was looking up at me curiously.
“It is a request that I believe in you. Can you listen to me?”
“… .”
Alberto’s decrepit eyes lit up skillfully, probably feeling the unusual weight of my words.
***
The official start of the victory party is said to be at 6:00 PM.
No, then I thought to myself, “Why are you preparing early in the morning and making a fuss?”
The main event starts at 6:00 PM, and the actual party itself continues from the morning.
So, it was around 11 am when I arrived at the grand banquet hall of the main palace where the party was to be held.
It is said that this place, which is spacious enough to contain about five of my villas, was created purely to hold royal events.
‘Because my villa was three times as large as the Manor House of Crossroads… … .’
It is said that this grand banquet hall is about 15 times the size of the Manor House in Crossroads. What is this difference in fighting power!
Anyway, the inside of this spacious banquet hall was already full of people. Are there many people in the empire who have nothing to do like this?
The first thing I saw was the servants who were struggling to deliver drinks and snacks.
Their faces are expressionless as if they are all too familiar with this.
The orchestra, which occupies the entirety of one side of the banquet hall, is currently resting.
There is still a long way before the main event begins, but the music team is already on standby.
And in the middle of this banquet hall- each nicely dressed aristocrat is talking about something with a glass of champagne in each hand, even though it is still morning.
Making faces, flattering each other, having fun, picking mulberries, everyone must have a lot of things to do.
Into that seething furnace where hundreds, maybe thousands, of people are fighting for notice.
I stepped in.
“You are in the position of His Majesty the Emperor’s Third Son and Commander of the Southern Front, Her Highness Ash ‘Bonhatter’ Everblack!”
Entered with the shouts of the loud attendants.
The orchestra immediately corrected their posture and began to play fast and exciting music.
Is it like a character theme song? What comes out when wrestlers or baseball players enter?
At once, everyone’s eyes in the banquet hall were focused on me.
I have given many speeches in front of the citizens of Crossroads. It’s light enough to look at this number.
I walked towards the center of the banquet hall with a relaxed smile. A whisper came from the left and right.
“The best scumbag in the imperial family has arrived.”
“It’s just that my face is shiny… .”
“Have you heard the news? They say they lost thousands of soldiers in the first battle on the southern front.”
“Not even incompetent. If only I was half like my older brother… … .”
“This is why bloodlines are so important… .”
Some of the nobles were openly gossiping about me, and I was
like, “Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
“It’s Prince Ash! Please take a look at this one time!”
“Hey Ash! Allow me to make ends meet! Right now tonight!”
“Mom, I want to be Prince Ash when I grow up!”
“Go out with me! Otherwise, I will die!”
Some nobles are terribly sucking me in… … .
For some reason, goose bumps ran down my spine, like the malignant obsessive viewers who clung to me every time it aired.
Why are you so extreme? The atmosphere in this town.
Anyway, without losing my relaxed smile on the outside, I burrowed into the middle of the party while spraying smiles everywhere.
I accepted a glass of champagne from the serving servant and quietly drank it, trying to quickly bury myself in the party hall.
Most of the nobles soon turned their attention away from me and went back to their business, but there were also many young nobles who flocked to me. this shit
“Prince! How was the southern front?”
“I hear monsters are swarming? Did you catch it yourself?”
“Rumor has it that he even spent the night with the Queen of Monsters!”
“Kyaaaa! As expected, Prince Ash! This beast!”
What are you talking about you crazy people No, the Black Spider Queen spent several nights together on the same battlefield.
I feel like I want to summon an automatic defense turret here, threaten it with a muzzle, and shout ‘Everything is gone!’
These are aristocrats who have the family and wealth to attend such a party anyway.
you have to show off They’re the ones who might become supporters of the Southern Front.
After drinking champagne, I looked around with a grin.
“I didn’t have a hot night with the monster queen, but there were quite a few corps commanders of the monsters I killed myself… how is it. Would you like to hear the story of my hardships on the southern front?”
Everyone gathered around me saying they would like to hear it.
I laughed bitterly.
It was sad that the story of those who sacrificed their lives to defend the front line was treated as just a little bit of fun here in the ecliptic.
But that’s the way things are in the world.
The work of others, not one’s own, no matter how heartbreaking it is, is eventually consumed as a symbol.
What I can do is to publicize how many people are suffering on the southern front and extort the maximum amount of subsidies.
Big! Raise your voice. After loosening the tie more loosely.
I started talking.
“good. Well, first I must start with the story of my first battle… … .”
I came from a streamer who made a living by talking while watching the camera. This is it.
Today’s content is Visible Radio The nobility of the ecliptic!
***
“… That’s how we held the funerals for 155 people who died that day.”
Stage 5 After talking about the battle with the Vampire King.
My throat was burning, and I drank an unknown number of glasses of champagne. oh it’s hard
My body is sore from talking for hours. Time passed lunchtime and headed towards the afternoon.
It’s like this even though I covered all the stories that I had to hide, such as the dungeon or the shadow unit, and just told the story without much bragging.
All of a sudden, several times the number of nobles gathered around me to listen to my story.
The other nobles, who at first stood in awe at a distance, listened attentively as the stage progressed, and burst into sighs each time they told the story of the warriors dying one by one in the battle with the Vampire King.
Recalling those who died defending the frontlines, I smiled and looked around at the crowd.
“It was a story about heroes defending the southern front. I would be delighted if it gave you an opportunity to take even the slightest interest in the border frontier.”
As soon as the words were finished, the nobles rushed at me.
“I’d like to send a donation, Your Highness the Prince!”
“Even in our family, to the warriors of the south… !”
“It’s not like this, just set up a foundation-”
I shouted inwardly to the Crossroads’ men as I received the promise of donations pouring in with my whole body.
Guys, the lord is working here too!
I decided to make a list of nobles who would send donations to the southern front and have a more detailed story at my villa within a few days.
The list was long and thick, as if it hadn’t been a waste of time to talk for hours.
In addition to simple money support, I smiled as I was promised support such as mineral cloth and food.
To be honest, I didn’t even think about this, but it’s an unexpected harvest.
I spend a lot of time just organizing sponsorship promises like that.
“Oh, oh, it’s hard… .”
After tidying up everything and leaving the banquet hall to rest by myself, I squatted down in the corner of the wide-spreading garden.
‘I’m terribly tired… … .’
The genre that suits me and is good at is a single game that I can play alone.
I’m tired of MMORPGs, so I’m not good at it. It’s hard to get along with people.
Far from a party like this! Now that you’ve ripped off enough donations, get out of here, you guys!
‘huh?’
Then I felt eyes staring at me. I wondered and raised my head.
“… .”
A girl in the garden was staring at me.
The ivory hair was a girl with her hair tied back in a braid.
Her skin was white, as if it were frosted, but a healthy cream color, as if slightly sunburned.
The pearl-colored dress is finished with the white fur of an unknown beast.
Ivory hair, cream skin, and a pearly dress. So, all three are the same color. Anyway, it feels white and immaculate.
“As expected, like a famous playboy in the empire.”
The girl opened her mouth slowly.
“You are good at speaking. His Highness, Prince Ash. It’s fun just to hear the story from the side.”
The girl’s wild animal-like bright yellow eyes narrowed.
“But how much of that story was true and how much was a bluff… ?”
I tilted my head.
“who?”
“well.”
The girl shrugged her shoulders sullenly.
“Maybe one of the many women you’ve hugged.”
