novelPlease don't come to the evening concert (2)
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Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Please don't come to the evening concert (2)
It was already getting dark outside.
Wendy took a deep breath, looking up at the magnificent Jerus Hall.
When she walked up the stairs leading up to the arched front door, she saw the staff of Jerus Hall, wearing silver uniforms.
After confirming the silver envelopes presented by numerous people coming and going in and out of the hall, they were busy escorting them to their seats politely.
As Wendy and Lard stepped into the hall, they drew attention from people everywhere. Jane, Jane, Jane. She recited her hastily coined name three times and stared at the faces of the staff who were smiling at her brightly.
"Hello. Welcome to the Jerus Orchestra."
Lard's hair was combed back perfectly, as if he was determined not to allow a single hair to get tousled. Feeling a bit stuffy about his slicked-back hair, she watched Lard hand the silver envelope to the staffer.
"I will escort you to the royal box on the second floor. Would you like to go with me?"
"Good. Go in front."
After opening the envelope, he pointed to the front stairs before escorting them.
As Lard nodded, he started walking one step ahead of them.
"Your Excellency!"
Before they went upstairs into the hall, a man jumped towards them, calling him.
His forehead with no wrinkles and his slightly bald head made it impossible to predict his age.
"Wow! I can't really believe you have come to the concert today! Hahaha, I've not seen you in a long time."
"Long time no see, Viscount McBurney."
The two greeted each other gladly. People, standing at a distance, glanced at the man who casually approached and greeted Lard. She quickly noticed that they were looking at him with envy.
It looked like she was not the only one who felt Lard was stiff and old-fashioned. It seemed everybody found it hard to deal with Lard.
"By the way, I am so surprised to see you are with a beautiful lady today. Hello, ma'am. My name is Lunas McBurney and I think the world of Sir Schroder. Please call me Lunas comfortably."
She was a bit embarrassed by his easygoing attitude, who greeted her kindly and allowed her to call him by name.
"Hello. Please call me Jane."
"Viscount, goodbye. See you next time."
As Lard said goodbye, as if to block their conversation, McBurney said shyly, "Oops! I think I disturbed you stupidly. I'm sorry. I'll see you again next time. Jane, please enjoy the concert."
He politely bowed to them.
Only then did the staffer with Jerus Hall, who escorted them, started to move again.
She looked up at Lards face, recalling his encounter with Viscount McBurney a moment ago.
She had passed the first hurdle successfully.
A red corridor appeared when they opened the door of Jerus Hall, ornately decorated with gold and silver foil. The long corridor had open doors at regular intervals.
The staffer escorted the two through one of the doors, bowed to them and disappeared.
"I knew you were a nobleman, but I never expected this, Duke Lard! I think I have to offer you formal greetings again. Please forgive me for not showing my due manners."
Wendy greeted him with an exaggerated gesture, then sat down on the red velvet sofa.
She became a bit sulky. She knew Lard was the son of a duke, but she did not know that he had already obtained the title of duke.
Of course, he had no obligation to tell her about his title, but she felt grumpy.
She didn't know whether she was annoyed because of her repulsion against high-ranking noble families or because of his failure to inform her about his title in advance.
She knitted her brows as she got frustrated with herself, eating her emotions uselessly.
Watching her troubled mind, Lard was also a bit frustrated and stared quietly at her round shoulders.
The smell of dust hung in the concert hall. It was a common smell in closed spaces. It would be a little better if they put stucky plants with air-cleaning effect everywhere in the concert hall. Stucky was a plant that grew well in the shade.
Of course, putting a plant in a place with no sunlight was nothing but torture to the plant, but she focused on something else while sniffing her nose.
The royal box was a round terrace in all red.
Fortunately, as the lights were dim, it seemed difficult for others to recognize Wendy and Lard.
She slowly took off her gloves, looking at the seats on the ground floor being occupied gradually.
"I never doubted that I would be a knight because it was the only thing I wanted. But I never wanted this title 'duke. ' As my father died so early, I came to be registered as head of the family with the title of duke, but I never wanted this title sincerely. This is a separate matter from my pride in the family."
Lard, standing next to her silently, suddenly talked about himself. Obviously, he couldn't ignore her sullen look.
"Just like you didn't want to become Wendy Waltz because you wanted to, I didn't become Lard Schroder because I wanted, especially the title of the duke. I don't want you to call me by title."
She nodded quietly while she was fidgeting with her gloves meaninglessly for a while.
Obviously, she couldn't ignore his sincere words as usual.
Of course, she became Wendy Waltz because she wanted, contrary to what he just said.
Looking at him as he sat right next to her, she asked, "If you don't mind, can you tell me about your late father?"
As if to read the intention of her question, he looked into her eyes. But even she didn't know why she asked such a question, so it was hard for he to grasp her intention.
"... My father was a valiant knight. He also liked the name of a knight better than that of a duke. My father fought at the battle of Baltazar Restoration and was killed in action. It turned out that he restored Baltazar and died in the name of the knight as he wished. So, his was a glorious death as a knight."
The family of Duke Schroder was politically neutral and did not enter the political arena, but it produced outstanding generals across the generations. His late father was also a great knight and general.
"... How about you, Lord Schroder?"
"Well, what do you think happened to me? At that time, I had to suddenly take over my father's title as I lost him suddenly. As my mother passed away earlier than he, so I had to deal with the sudden changes in my family alone."
He tried to be calm as usual, but a light glimmered in his gray eyes, as if to trace his past memory.
When she was about to say she was sorry for having asked him such a question, a man stuck his head out from the royal box on the left. His gesture was so unusual in the calm of Jerus Hall that both of them turned their eyes to him naturally.
"Hey, captain!"
He was none other than the blonde imperial knight, Jean.
She frowned instinctively.
"Wait a moment! Just sit there. I'll be right there in a minute."
Even before he asked for his approval, he asked for his partner's consent and quickly approached them. Wendy never expected he was sitting in the royal box right beside her.
While grumbling, she looked over at Jean's seat as she felt suddenly spooky.
She suddenly looked over at the place where Jean was looking out of her face.
"..."
It was a sharp glance. The woman with green hair, who apparently accompanied Jean, was shooting a keen glance at Wendy, which was malicious beyond description.
Faced with her sharp glance, Wendy could do the same, but she had no choice but to refrain because it would make her a new enemy.
Of course, it seemed that the woman already became her main enemy, given her glaring eyes.
"Captain!"
"Sir Simuan, I didn't allow you to come to my side."
"Oh, let me stand here and talk to you!"
Even though he was rebuked by Schroder, he was still smiling.
He kept looking at the woman right next to him. Fortunately, he didn't recognize Wendy at a glance.
"I am so thrilled to see you here. I made a beeline here as I pretended not to know you when I clearly saw you here. Let me go back right after greeting you!"
As his voice grew louder in excitement, Lard glanced at him and begged him to come in.
"Can I greet your partner?"
Lard first opened his mouth as he was about to greet Wendy.
"Lower your voice, man. This is Miss Jane. If it's your purpose to say hello to her, just go ahead. But you shouldn't disturb my mind after leaving here."
"Pardon? Ah... Sure. Miss Jane, nice to meet you. I'm the deputy captain of the First Imperial Knights..."
Jean, who was about to introduce himself, was surprised to know that the woman he was seeing up close now was somewhat familiar. Although he was astonished to know his boss had changed women on a daily basis, Jean was surprised for a different reason this time.
"Hello? I'm Jane. Please don't forget my name when you leave this place."
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