As I smelled the fragrant scent of Dolores's palm covering my mouth.
I carefully examined the Imperial Prince's necklace.
On the outside, it was a necklace shaped like moonlight, with a moonlit gem glowing faintly blue.
It was a 4-star piece of equipment I had never seen before in the Banquet Hall.
But what does the Star Rating matter right now?
'What options does an ordinary appraiser see?'
[It only shows up to the 'Origin Script' that you call flavor text.]
Origin Script.
Then in other people's eyes, that equipment...
-----------------------------
[Necklace of Moonlight Essence] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment]
-----------------------------
[With the Goddess of the Moon's benevolent hand, she shall caress you.
May that blessing last forever....]
-- In the name of Selaea, Goddess of the Moon --
-----------------------------
This is how it appears, isn't it?
[And I did a quick search, and it says Selaea is a god famous for medicine and magic within the Tower.]
...Then reading that, anyone would have no choice but to think it's equipment that heals illness.
It says it grants a blessing. In fact, before the essence was completely drained, it probably did heal them.
Blessing my ass. Crazy.
I don't know who Selaea is, but I feel like I should report this to the police.
I clutched my dizzy head and fell into thought.
Then another person caught my eye beside him.
She, too, was gaunt like the Imperial Prince, and right now she was passing exactly in front of me.
The Imperial Princess and I made eye contact.
-----------------------------
[Sun-Rising Pendant] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [45 / 80]
-----------------------------
[The Descendant of the Sun shall protect you with a burning blessing.
That light shall illuminate your path ahead.]
-- In the name of Solau, Descendant of the Sun --
-----------------------------
[It heals the wearer by the amount of Sunlight Essence contained.]
[When the essence runs out, it absorbs sunlight to replenish energy.]
-----------------------------
Unexpected.
The Imperial Princess's equipment is quite excellent, and the compatibility is fine too.
Then what exactly is the problem...?
Why is this person also so thin?
Just then.
Crackle.
The equipment interface, which had been fine, became distorted.
-----------------------------
[Special: Lunar Eclipse] [Set Effect Activated]
[When the equipment of the sibling god Selaea is nearby, it is forcibly converted.]
[As the moon swallows the sun, it is encroached upon by Moonlight Essence due to Selaea's pressure.]
[It also drains the wearer's vitality and offers it to the Moonlight Essence.]
-----------------------------
[You're so dazzling that my irritation is flaring up... Hey, do you want to die?]
[Se... Selaea, b... but I'm your brother....]
[Shut up. Either reduce your light, or go die outside. Choose one of the two.]
-- From the Reunion of Selaea and Solau --
-----------------------------
...So, to summarize simply.
Solau and Selaea are sibling gods, but if Moonlight Essence becomes insufficient...
She tyrannizes and pressures her older brother Solau, and even drains the wearer's vitality?
What kind of set effect is this trashy?
Yuna suddenly came to mind.
Although she extorts 200 dollars from me, I thought it was a relief she wasn't this vicious to me.
[...?]
Anyway.
That Necklace of Moonlight Essence doesn't just torment the wearer.
It seems to torment even the Imperial Princess's pendant beside him....
As if to prove it, the Imperial Princess was gaunt despite having decent compatibility.
The main culprit, in the end, is the Necklace of Moonlight Essence.
[Essence] [3/100]
Essence that still has a long way to go before being filled.
If he doesn't take that off, the Imperial Prince will die.
"......"
Anyway, Lady Dolores, when are you going to remove your hand?
My breathing was getting a little uncomfortable, and I couldn't keep this up, so I subtly stuck out my tongue and brought it to her palm.
"...?!"
The effect was immediate.
Dolores flinched in surprise and withdrew her hand....
What? Why isn't she removing it?
Dum dum dum.
Just then.
Dum dum dum.
In front of the Banquet Hall's dais.
The drumbeats subsided, and the hall slowly grew quiet.
When the Emperor, seated at the head table, lightly raised his hand, the quiet hall became even quieter.
"- Everyone, you have worked hard coming such a long way."
A low voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Today is a meaningful day to celebrate the birth of my two beloved children into this world."
The Emperor's gaze turned to the twin siblings standing beside him.
His eyes, looking at his children, were filled with boundless affection, but...
At the edges, some shadow had fallen.
Perhaps it was the look of a father watching his two children grow thinner day by day.
Since I couldn't imagine how he felt, I swallowed a bitter feeling inside.
"But let us set formality aside at this point. For today at least, everyone enjoy yourselves comfortably before you leave."
A rather short and plain speech.
When the Emperor finished speaking and lightly raised his glass, the nobles in the hall all raised theirs in turn.
"For the glory of the Empire."
"For the glory of the Empire!"
Only then did Dolores also remove her hand from me and respond to the Emperor.
The banquet began.
***
The opening of a banquet may vary depending on its type.
Perhaps because it was the twins' birthday, the first procedure was gift presentation.
The nobles came forward to the dais one by one and presented the gifts they had prepared to the siblings.
Swish.
"This is snow ginseng, said to grow only in the northern snowfields. I humbly offer it, as nothing is better for boosting vitality."
Swish.
"This is an elixir made from ground pearls of the deep sea. I heard it is exceptionally effective in controlling frail energy."
Swish.
"This is a fire crystal mined from the lava valley on the 53rd floor of the Inner Tower. It warms the body and improves blood circulation, so I hope it helps preserve Their Highnesses' health."
Swish.
Watching the gifts being delivered one by one indifferently, I suddenly noticed one commonality.
They were similar in nature. Expensive health foods, rare medicinal ingredients, and elixirs said to be good for the body.
They were all related to health.
In a way, rather than gifts for the Imperial Prince and Imperial Princess, they were gifts offered to the Emperor who wished for their health.
When I asked Yuna, the two were 16 years old.
Since they were not yet at an age for health management.
Perhaps because of that, the two children's expressions were not very good.
"Hmm."
If someone gave a 13-year-old me red ginseng as a gift, I might feel the same.
I subtly leaned toward Dolores, who was sitting beside me.
"...Lady Dolores, is there somewhere the Imperial Prince and Imperial Princess are unwell?"
Dolores did not answer my question immediately.
Swish swish.
She swept back her hair and slowly nodded.
It seemed to mean yes. The two's illness was known to the world.
And even the gifts coming in were related to healing their illness.
As I thought that and indifferently watched the dais, the announcer called the next name.
"The Doloris Ducal Family presents gifts to Their Highnesses."
What, was it our turn?
Dolores rose from her seat and walked gracefully to the dais.
What she held in her hands was quite different from the others' items so far.
Not medicinal ingredients or health foods, but two beautifully wrapped books.
"These are collections of tales and adventure stories from distant foreign lands. I thought Their Highnesses might enjoy them, so I prepared them separately."
Dolores's voice was calm.
"...I hope that when you feel stifled, you can at least walk through the wide world within these pages."
In that moment, the twins' expressions changed from the polite smiles anyone could see.
Especially the Imperial Prince's eyes sparkled so much that color returned to his pale face for the first time.
He adjusted his glasses and opened his mouth.
"Is this perhaps the complete edition of The Voyager of the Great Sea?! I heard it went out of print......!"
"Older brother."
The Imperial Princess quietly admonished the Imperial Prince, who had raised his voice in excitement.
It meant to maintain decorum, but a faint smile had spread at the corners of her own mouth as well.
As expected of Dolores.
She really is different.
Rather than trying to look good to the Emperor, she would give a truly needed gift. That was it.
Seeing them not as sickly royalty, but as sixteen-year-old children.
Thus the gift presentation ended, and the banquet entered its main flow.
And before long, I realized one fact.
The banquet was more boring than I had thought.
Asking after one another's well-being.
Listening to the music played by the orchestra, taking food from the large tables and eating roughly.
The end.
Before I knew it, the groups had split into two.
One side was the adults of each noble house.
The other side was their heirs.
They had divided into a group of peers gathering together and a group discussing politics and business.
Poke.
Then Ruby poked my side.
"Hey, let's go. Just follow me."
"Ooh."
It seemed she intended to take me over to the peers.
That was quite reassuring. Staying stuck beside Mama the whole time was a bit awkward anyway.
I obediently nodded, but before I moved my feet.
I paused for a moment.
Because in the space beyond, where the peers were, the Imperial Princess and Imperial Prince were sitting in the center.
There was something I had to say before that.
I leaned toward Dolores beside me again and lowered my voice.
"...Mama, you know I have good eyes."
"Yes, of course."
It was a kind voice that seemed to have no particular thought behind it.
"...But the Imperial Prince's and Imperial Princess's necklaces are a bit strange."
"What do you mean?"
First Principle.
Always report to Dolores.
Since I knew nothing about politics or etiquette, reporting first and acting later was right for me, rather than acting first and reporting later.
I lowered my voice as much as possible and whispered what I had just seen.
The Imperial Prince's necklace looked good on the outside, but in truth it was draining his vitality.
His was also encroaching on the Imperial Princess's necklace beside him, drying them both out to death.
As my story grew longer, Dolores's expression hardened.
"......"
She no longer questioned the truth of my words.
I was not a child who spouted nonsense to get attention.
Because she knew that all too well now.
There was a moment of silence.
Ruby also stopped the finger that had been tickling my side and whispered.
"I'll be over there."
She, who had been gauging something with a stiff face, opened her mouth.
"...I cannot know for now who gave that necklace. But in all likelihood, it is someone's gift."
"......"
"So, it is difficult to step forward right now and claim that thing is an ill omen."
Dolores continued calmly.
"It would amount to directly denying a gift someone offered to the royal family, and moreover, if it is equipment to be worn on a royal's body... it must be an item that the finest appraisers examined again and again."
"......"
"To claim that such an item actually absorbs vitality, the evidence is too weak."
That was true.
I could see it, but others could not.
Only I could know the truth beyond the Origin Script.
If I stepped forward for nothing, I would only shoulder a pile of political risk and end up treated as a crazy child.
Dolores might be given some consideration... but me, even more so.
"...So, what I mean is."
Dolores quietly looked down at me.
"If it is a place with relatively low hurdles, for example a conversation among children, it might be possible."
She paused to choose her words, then quietly asked.
"Do you have a way to prove it?"
If she asked that.
I, of course.
"Of course."
There was no way I wouldn't.
Sorry, but it is only difficult to track down to reach a conclusion.
Proving a conclusion that already exists is too easy.
And I felt something from her words just now.
[One more thing]
[I think Lady Dolores's level of trust in you is immense.]
[She is trying to push you into high society right now.]
Even Yuna's analysis.
Thinking about it, that was true.
Because she believed and trusted my words from beginning to end.
[She judged that the possibility of you doing well is higher than the risk of failure.]
[Even if things go wrong, she seems confident she can clean it up herself.]
When I nodded with a confident expression.
Smack.
Dolores slightly bent down and lightly kissed my forehead.
"Do your best."
She added in a soft voice.
"Even if something goes wrong, don't worry too much."
She met my eyes.
"Because I am always behind you two."
...That's reassuring.
With that one sentence, even though I hadn't actually felt that burdened.
Even the remaining burden disappeared.
I gave a small nod and walked toward Ruby, who was waiting.
***
Holding Ruby's hand tightly.
As I headed toward the peers, I quietly racked my brain.
And in that process, there was Yuna's full support.
The Queen of the Social Scene, Kim Yuna.
Yuna scanned the opposite hall where the peers were.
[Let me sort out the situation first.]
[I'm not sure about the Imperial Prince, but the Imperial Princess is a bit unusual.]
[That girl isn't mixing into the crowd and keeps circling around the outside.]
'Outside?'
[Yeah, she's using the excuse that she has to read the book Lady Dolores gave her to fend off the nobles who came to greet her, and she's slowly slipping to the edges.]
[But even at a glance, she isn't very interested in the book. She doesn't look like she's enjoying this place.]
She must not be feeling well either, so the noisy center can't be pleasant for her.
[So, here's the thing?]
[You should also hold Ruby's hand, quickly exchange only the necessary greetings, and naturally slip outside.]
[Distance from the Imperial Princess, moderate, about 5 meters?]
[You are the most handsome and intriguing person in this hall right now?]
Thanks for the compliment.
Even if it's empty flattery, I appreciate it.
[But even so, other nobles can't easily approach you. Do you know why?]
Who knows.
[The stars of today's event are the Imperial Prince and Imperial Princess. The spotlight must not dare turn elsewhere.]
[If they all rushed to some handsome little kid from an unknown ducal family, it would be an insult to the stars' faces. Everyone can only watch and read the room.]
Indeed.
So while drawing the Imperial Princess's attention greatly.
I was to stand in a windless zone where no one could actually approach?
[So....]
"Ruby, I'll rest a bit."
"Yeah."
Ruby also seemed to have noticed that I had received some kind of hint from Dolores.
As soon as I finished speaking, she naturally stepped forward.
"Your Highness the Imperial Prince, I have an interesting story about the book... would you perhaps be curious?"
She skillfully took on all the aggro and led the Imperial Prince and the group of nobles toward the curtains.
Nice, Ruby.
[Now, you.]
[Keep chewing chocolate about 5 meters in front of the Imperial Princess.]
[With a chic expression, aloofly.]
It was an expression I had never made in my life.
But I decided to try it once.
Chew.
With a chocolate in my mouth, I indifferently took a seat at the edge.
And I kept chewing only chocolate.
Chew chew.
...Five minutes passed like that.
My mouth tingled from the excessive sweetness.
'Yuna, this is right, isn't it...?'
[Yes, keep chewing.]
[Pick only chocolate and keep going, keep going.]
I wondered what kind of strategy this was.
If I were in their place and there was a kid chewing only chocolate for five minutes straight, I would probably say something.
Forget about my face or whatever, this is just drawing aggro.
[Never look at the Imperial Princess.]
Chew chew.
While I was wasting away on chocolate like that, I felt a gaze from far away.
It was Ruby.
She was looking at me with eyes that asked what on earth I was doing.
I'm dying of unfairness.
I unwrapped another chocolate, filled with a sense of injustice.
Just when I thought I might faint from a blood sugar spike.
Chew.
"...If you eat only sweet things like that, you might collapse, you know?"
"......"
Someone spoke to me from behind.
A clear and gentle voice.
I could tell without turning around.
Caught.
You little...
"Perfect timing. I was just about to collapse, so you came at a good moment."
At my shameless answer, the Imperial Princess blinked slightly.
[Oh, that's good!! That's really good, but mind your manners, manners, manners!!!!!]
Right.
I naturally corrected my posture as if it had been part of my greeting.
Bending one knee lightly and bowing my head.
"...I am Lionel, taken in by the Doloris Ducal Family."
I tried my best to show I had learned manners and gave a polite bow.
The Imperial Princess looked down at me for a moment.
Pfft.
She let out a faint laugh.
And.
"...I received your greeting well, Lionel."
After laughing for a while, she slowly wiped the smile from her face.
Then she quietly looked down at me and asked.
"You must have something you want to say, enough to eat chocolate for a full 10 minutes... correct?"
Her last words.
Hit the mark exactly.