HAPPILY EVER AFTER(3)

Translated by: Miss Ruby

Edited by: ShadowDog

Every three months, a joint conference was held by the king and it was attended by all the key figures in the nation’s leading administration. It was an important state conference with the largest number of personnel attending.

The attendants of the meeting began to arrive one at a time, from early in the morning, to partic.i.p.ate. And as they entered the conference hall, they took at least one glance at the pair of handsomely tall young men standing some distance away.

The two of them were young men around twenty-odd years of age. They conversed briefly with each other while reading the doc.u.ments they held in their hands. One of them had dark hair and the other, silvery blond hair, and when they stood side by side, the contrast of vibrant colors on their head was eye-catching.

A pair of red eyes quickly skimmed through the meeting files for today, then he spoke to the blue-eyed young man next to him:

“The contents are different from what I received a few days ago. Why has the agenda for today’s meeting changed so much?”

“Indeed. I should have double-checked it yesterday.”

A man in his mid-thirties was about to enter the conference hall when he discovered the two young men, so he turned and approached them. Damian and Bruno halted their conversation and bowed in greeting towards the man walking to them.

Robin’s eyes had a hint of wonder in them as he looked at the two young men who were stirring up all the young women in the high society recently. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that any party attended by these two youths would be crowded with ladies.

“Observing again today?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

After Duke Ramis pa.s.sed away two years ago, his heir, Count Ramis, succeeded him. Robin, who became the new Duke of Ramis, took a different path from his father. Although his sharp political insights fell short compared to his father, he was recognized for successfully and smoothly establis.h.i.+ng himself in politics with a gentle character.

“Why are you standing here instead of going in?” (Robin)

“When all the empty seats are filled, we’ll go in. I don’t think it’s appropriate to take a seat first when we’re just observing.”

Robin nodded, pleased with the answer the tall, dark-haired young man gave him. This merely 18-year-old youth didn’t show off his power, even though he held the honor of being the youngest Count and was the successor to the Duke of Taran, a man who held power second only to the King. Robin really like the young man’s prudence.

‘He looks so much like the Duke of Taran but he’s the complete opposite.’

There were people who were put off by the Duke of Taran’s powerful arrogance, which feared nothing in the world, but even those people were in favor of the next Duke who was both courteous and civil.

The platinum-haired youth that was always next to him, was also a desirable talent. He was rumored to have an extraordinary mind from a young age and as he got older, people said he was equipped with wisdom too. The Duke of Taran set his mind on the youth early on and even asked the king to grant him a t.i.tle. Bruno was born the third son of a Count and currently, he was a Count alongside his elder brother, Count Matin.

Robin admired the Duke of Taran’s ability to recognize talent and marveled at the bold rewards he gave them for becoming his people.

“What interesting story might you discussing?”[1]

Marquis DeKhan slipped into conversation and greeted the three men, who were gathered together. The Marquis looked at the two youths, with a gaze just as pleased as the Duke of Ramis’. Perhaps because he had gotten older, whenever he saw young people with manners towards adults, he was very happy.

Since the next Duke lowered himself, other people had to do the same. The Marquis was very aware of the younger people suppressing their youthful feistiness and being careful with their att.i.tudes. It was all thanks to Count Taran’s initiative.

“I remember Sir. Matin caused a huge incident not long ago.”

Bruno grimaced slightly, looking troubled. It was something that happened a week ago or so, but everyone he met brought up the same story.

“By ‘a big incident’, you mean…?”

“I suppose Ramis Gong hadn’t heard of it yet. Sir. Matin here, poured c.o.c.ktail on a Count’s daughter’s head.”

“Oh no, that is quite the mistake.”

“It wasn’t a mistake though, so the social circle was abuzz. He poured it on her head deliberately and embarra.s.sed her.”

No one had ever done such a thing in the social circle, where being courtesy to a lady was the virtue of a gentleman; even if they were a troublemaker. When the Marquis was told about the incident by his son, he had laughed for quite a while. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed till his stomach hurt.

When you met a lot of people in the social circles, it was inevitable to meet at least one woman who made you think, ‘what? such women exist?’. But you still had to endure it and be courteous with good manners. This was the etiquette they had learnt from as they grew up and they couldn’t do something that would bring criticism to their family name.

There were a lot of men who were extremely delighted to learn that Count Matin did something others hadn’t dared to do, and boldly at that. Robin was also momentarily surprised to hear this news, but his mouth twitched as he tried to suppress his laughter.

“People’s interest fade quickly, Sir. Matin. But you’ll still have to watch yourself for a while.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be prudent.”

Ever since the incident, Bruno had refrained from going to gatherings, but honestly, it felt more like a reward than a punishment. The few days he had spent relaxing in the evening was more than satisfactory.

“I don’t think any consolation is necessary. This incident does Sir. Matin more good than harm.”

The Marquis had been watching the situation with interest because it was flowing in a different direction that he’d expected.

“At first, public opinion was mostly sympathizing with the Count’s daughter. But as time went by, the critical gazes on her began increase.”

“How come?”

“Well, because the two gentlemen who have stolen the hearts of all the ladies in the social circle, stopped going to parties. I hear the ladies’ resentment for the culprit, aka the Count’s daughter, is unspeakable.”

Since Bruno was under self-probation, Damian decided to put off outside itinerary for the time being. As the two of them disappeared from parties in the social circle, the number of party partic.i.p.ants also dropped significantly. And it was practically only girls.

The number of attendants was a major factor that contributed to the success of a party. Especially for parties with a lot of ladies attending, the number of men that came was always proportional to the ladies. This event had led party organizers to realize the value of Bruno and Damian.

There were already a lot of invitations going to the two young men, but now, they were practically pouring in. Previously, the invitations to Damian were overwhelmingly more, but now it was almost the same. Bruno’s popularity had increased explosively. Now, when people said ‘Count Matin’, they were referring to Bruno, not Bruno’s elder brother who was the actual lord of the Matin family.

Bruno’s actions deserved to be criticized. However, the criticism of Bruno lost its power when Bruno went to apologize to the Count’s daughter personally and expressed that he was reflecting by not show himself even after a week went by, despite people expecting him to show up at parties like nothing had happened.

Bruno was a friend and close aide of Damian, who was no doubt going to succeed the Duke of Taran. In people’s eyes, Bruno’s future was promising. Even though he was young, he was in a position comparable to those with significant power.

Traits of humility in those in power was something that cultivated favorable impressions. As the favorable gazes towards Bruno increased, the people critical of him were careful with their words. No one wanted to provide a reason to become an enemy that could never build a relations.h.i.+p with future powers.

‘Why did he do that?’

Robin wanted to ask Bruno for the details of the incident, but he pushed down his urge. Asking about the situation would be gossiping about the Count’s daughter, and to the public, gossiping about a lady was an act more vulgar than dumping alcohol on one.

‘If it was someone else that did this, he would be buried in the social circle.’

But according to Marquis DeKhan, rather than being buried, Bruno was boasting unabated popularity. Robin had never understood Bruno’s popularity. He was surprised to hear that Bruno had poured alcohol on a lady’s head, but he wasn’t shocked. To him, it was something very possible for Bruno to do.

In the social circle, Bruno was originally famous for being rude to young ladies. To older n.o.blewomen, he was courteous and well-mannered but to the ladies who approach him as women, it was common for him to spit out hard words and for the girl who were courageous enough to ask him to dance, he rejected them right to their face.

The older n.o.blewomen called him a polite young man and were pleased, while the young ladies watched Bruno’s every move during parties and giggled happily amongst themselves.

Now, it wasn’t even a humiliation to be refused by Bruno for a dance. Bruno was known for not saying a lot but when he was rejecting a dance request, he spoke longer than usual so the girls who wanted to hear that, constantly asked him to dance. Thanks to that, Bruno was annoyed to death.

Robin simply couldn’t understand, so he asked his female relative, who had recently debuted, about the reason for his popularity.

[I mean, he’s rude to everyone fairly. Whether it’s a Marquis’ daughter or a Baron’s daughter, they’re the same to Sir. Matin. Do you know how cute Sir. Matin looks when he’s annoyed?]

As he watched his female relative cup her reddened cheeks with a dreamy expression, Robin thought to himself that he would never truly understand a woman’s mind.

While Robin was preoccupied with the secret that was Bruno’s popularity, Marquis DeKhan looked at Damian, covetously.

‘He will be such a perfect partner for Molly.’

Marquis DeKhan really desired Damian as his future son-in-law. His status as the next Duke was certainly part of it, but whether it was in his character or capability, there was no undesirable part. Compared to Damian, all other guys were dead wood.

His daughter, Molly, was thirteen years old. An age difference of five years was absolutely desirable. However, Molly had yet to make her social debut. There were a lot of individuals who drooled over having Damian as a future son-in-law. The Marquis was anxious about someone swooping in within the span of a few years, so he was considering pus.h.i.+ng Molly’s social debut a little earlier.

The sight of the Duke of Ramis and Marquis DeKhan chatting amicably with the embarra.s.sed young men at the side, attracted people’s gazes as they entered the conference hall, one after another. As they glanced over, repeatedly, their eyes were filled with the desire to be engaged in that conversation one way or another.

Translator’s Corner:

[1] Not sure how to word this sentence. He’s asking what interesting thing they are talking about.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER(4)

Translated by: Miss Ruby

Edited by: ShadowDog

A group of people approached the conference hall from beyond the hallway. When the Duke of Taran, the Head of Central, appeared leading central officials, the atmosphere in the conference hall changed. The knights standing guard in front of the conference hall stood more upright and there was a strange tension in the air.

The Duke of Taran became a real authoritative power while he was serving as head of the central administration. As he entered his mid-thirties, his experience aged with him and his aura grew more dignified. But at the same time, his aura co-existed with a feeling of being ‘rough around the edges’.

Marquis DeKhan looked the Duke of Taran, whose figure was drawing closer and closer, then he looked at the Count of Taran. Their appearances were similar, but father and son had very different atmospheres.

The Duke of Taran was like a wild beast. There was violence, dormant in those red eyes of his, akin to a hunter looking carefreely at the prey around it, right after it had eaten its fill. It made you fear for when he might run in and rip out your throat.

On the other hand, his son grew up among people, so he was like a human friendly beast. It felt like he would at least give you a warning before he ran in and took a bite out of you.

As a matter of fact, if you looked at Damian separately, he was definitely not the easiest person to approach. His personality was cold, he was only appropriately courteous and set a defined distance with people so they couldn’t approach beyond that. However, compared to Hugo, there was room to take a step forward with Damian.

Those who wanted to lean on the Duke of Taran’s power went after his son, Count Taran, rather than the Duke himself. Unlike Hugo who ignored everything, Damian responded politely. But on a closer look, there was in fact no difference.

Whether it was Hugo or Damian, they were both the same in having no interest in people outside their own. The reason why Damian was polite to pathetic people he didn’t even want to bother with, was because there were times when his mother saw his effort and praised him because she was very pleased. Damian always tried his best not to act against his mother’s teachings.

Hugo went into the conference hall without as much as a glance at his son, who was standing in the hallway. Usually, whenever people witnessed the stiff distance between father and son or their rigid manner of speaking, they would admire the Duke of Taran for educating his successor well.

As Duke Ramis and Marquis DeKhan also went into the conference hall, the people in the hallway decreased and the two young men remained standing there.

“Everyone always brings up that story when they see me.”

Bruno grumbled. He kept hearing the same thing over and over again so he was annoyed to death. His expression was askew, with a hint of cynicism.

“Don’t do it again. This was the first time, so it pa.s.sed over somehow but if you do it again, you’ll be branded as a scoundrel.”

“I know.”

Bruno was also aware that what he had done was not a minor mistake. But at the time, he couldn’t hold back.

It happened around the time he went to break room to avoid the dance requests that were surging despite his constant refusal. He heard some Count’s daughter yapping away about something; he couldn’t even remember her name.

[As you all know, there are almost no cases of an illegitimate child taking over a family. Who knows what will happen when the d.u.c.h.ess gives birth to a son.]

It was a widely known fact that Damian was not the d.u.c.h.ess’ biological son. When Damian first debuted in the social circle, it became a very hot topic.

When people gathered, they talked about the Duke of Taran’s successor. There were many who were uncomfortable with the Duke’s decision to have an illegitimate child succeed him. There were no reputable n.o.ble families who haven’t had illegitimate children enter the family register and it was a common headache to have an illegitimate child with superior capability earn the family head’s trust over the qualified heir.[1]

In Xenon, the position of illegitimate children was vague. Compared to other countries which didn’t even treat illegitimate children as human beings, Xenon was generous. There were no limits on the number of illegitimates that could be entered into the family register, and as long as the illegitimate child was in the register, they were treated as qualifiers.[2] What was funny however, was that in other countries, it wasn’t too uncommon to see an illegitimate child succeed the family.

However, Xenon was very conservative when it came to such matters. Even if their only descendant was an illegitimate child that was entered into the register, they would adopt a relative and have the relative inherit the family. Damian’s existence was a challenge to the deeply rooted custom in Xenon.

The uncomfortable looks that were sent to Damian lessened over time. The n.o.blewomen were cautious because the d.u.c.h.ess’ tender affection for Damian remained unchanged while other people were careful with their words because they knew that the Duke did whatever he wanted to do, without caring what people said.

Around when a gentleman with a charming appearance like the Duke of Taran’s but polite manners different from the Duke, began to capture the hearts of the n.o.ble ladies, Damian became the Academy’s Shyta.

Initially, students of Ixium, were usually second sons of families and below. Successors were taught by specialized tutors then built their connections by going to meetings or social parties. However, that changed, and successors also began to attend Ixium.

Ixium’s reputation rose tremendously over the years as it became clear that the academy’s status would be a central figure in the power of each country in the future. People began to see the Damian who had become Shyta, as an individual with outstanding capabilities.

Now at this point, there was no one who clamored about Damian’s birth status. It became an unstated rule to not bring it up even if you knew. However, Bruno was disgusted with the Count’s daughter who arrogantly brought up such unsavory details as a topic of conversation. Right then, something surged inside him and he took a c.o.c.ktail from the tray of the pa.s.sing servant and emptied it on the girl’s head.

Bruno knew that Damian wouldn’t really care even if he heard such talk personally. His friend was an interesting guy who didn’t have the slightest gloom concerning the weakness of his birth status. But still, it wasn’t exactly something good to talk about so Bruno kept his mouth shut about why he did it.

“I just hate those girls who say whatever they want.” (Bruno)

“There you go again.”(Damian)

When Damian frowned, Bruno gave a half-hearted, ‘my bad’.

“I know you wouldn’t do it for no reason.” (Damian)

The Bruno that Damian knew might not be the most amicable of persons, but it wasn’t possible for him to do such a thing without reason, so Damian guessed that the Count’s daughter must have done something pretty rude.

“But my mother is right. You are in a position where you have to consider things more carefully.”

When the d.u.c.h.ess was brought up, Bruno’s sharp blue eyes grew warm.

“Mother is always right.”(Bruno).[3]

“That is true.”(Damian)

The two young men nodded at each other seriously while saying something that would make people laugh if they ever heard.

Translator’s Corner:

[1] I think I’ve explained this before, but a second time won’t hurt. The family register is basically an official doc.u.ment that states you are a member of a certain house. It also gives you rights not applicable to those not on the register. Rights to n.o.ble t.i.tles, rights to take over the family’s mantle, etc.

[2] Qualifier: qualified to succeed the t.i.tle in your family.

[3] He says  ‘mother’ not ‘your mother’. This is not a mistake.

Quote: “the d.u.c.h.ess’ tender affection for Damian remained unchanged”

T/N: So, the more literal translation for this sentence would be “the d.u.c.h.ess kept pouring unchanging tender affection on Damian”.

But when I was typing this, I had this imagery of Lucia holding a bucket filled with ‘affection’ and just dumping it on Damian’s head, so I ended up changing it _(:3」∠)_

HAPPILY EVER AFTER(5)

Lucia had not attended the party where Bruno poured c.o.c.ktail on a lady’s head. She only heard about the incident after the fact, then she called Damian and Bruno, sat them down and talked to them.

“Bruno. I don’t think you did that for no reason. But I am worried because I hear that young gentlemen look very favorably on your actions. Do you want to become their hero?”

“I didn’t do it for something like that.

“Yes. I believe that’s not the case too. But think about the effects your actions could have. A gentleman observing good manners with a lady is proper courtesy and a promise for all. But if your actions are justified as right, someone will try to imitate you. There will definitely be someone who will rather insult and humiliate an innocent young lady in an attempt to become the center of discussion in the social circle. I do not want you to become a role model for someone so foolish.”

“I’m sorry. I was thoughtless.”

“I want the two of you to use this incident as an opportunity to once again realize that you are in a position capable of influencing a lot of people. Bruno, you go find that Count’s daughter and apologize respectfully. And then you two, stay away from parties for the time being and behave yourselves.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Yes, mother. Sorry to worry you.”

The next day, Bruno went to the Count’s manor and apologized respectfully; not only to the girl, but to her parents as well.

Bruno couldn’t forget the day he first visited the ducal residence upon receiving an invite from Damian.

[It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bruno. I’ve heard a lot about you.]

The d.u.c.h.ess looked at Bruno with tearful eyes, then she gave the boy a big hug.

Bruno had no memory of being hugged by his own mother, so he stood frozen stiff, in that warm embrace. For Bruno, the d.u.c.h.ess’ warm hospitality was both shocking and overwhelming.

During academy vacations, Bruno stayed at the ducal residence like he was family. Despite how large it was, the ducal residence was always filled with warmth. At first, Bruno was stupefied to see Chris shamelessly coming to the ducal residence to eat and sleep like it was his own house and even bring his brother, but then, the next thing he knew, he was doing the same thing.

The time he spent feeling the d.u.c.h.ess’ loving care, pa.s.sing the days with Damian, Chris, the troublemaking Jude and the cute and lovely Evangeline, were filled with happiness like a dream. Even the Duke of Taran, whom Chris found it difficult to be around, became an adult that Bruno adored and wanted to be like. And then from one day on, Bruno began to call the d.u.c.h.ess, mother.

Damian woke Bruno, who had been absorbed in past memories for a while.

“Let’s go in before His Majesty comes.”

“Ah, right.”

The time for the meeting to begin was drawing near so there was no longer anyone in the hallway. Damian and Bruno went inside before the doors to the conference hall closed.

The conference, which began in the morning, came to an end in the afternoon. After a long meeting filled with fierce battles of results and reports, people left the conference hall, looking tired.

Near the door of the conference hall, Damian and Bruno waited for the Duke of Taran to come out. Who knew what other people had in mind but their schedule for today wasn’t over yet. After attending the national conference, they had to organize the contents of today’s meeting, discuss reports and exchange questions with the Duke of Taran.

‘…I am exhausted.’

The time after a long meeting like this was the hardest for Bruno. It wasn’t because reports or discussion were beyond his capability, but because his stamina sucked. Seeing Damian’s face br.i.m.m.i.n.g with energy next to him, Bruno was in awe.

‘Monsters. They’re all monsters.’

The stamina of this pair of Duke father and son was really terrifying. Bruno had never once seen any of them tired, both Hugo and Damian. It wasn’t only all day long, even if they stayed up all night, they would look be br.i.m.m.i.n.g with vigor as if they had just gotten a good night’s sleep.

When the Duke of Taran came out, Bruno raised his slouched shoulders and stood straight.

Hugo approached Damian and Bruno and handed them a piece of paper.

“I have something important to discuss with His Majesty so both of you can go home first. As for the report, I’ll hear it when I get back.”

“Yes.”

Damian took the piece of paper valuably, like it was an important doc.u.ment. As he looked at its contents, his expression stiffened slightly.

“Father. This…”

Curious about the source of Damian’s bewilderment, Bruno tilted his head slightly to see the contents of the paper. The stiffness of his expression was more obvious than Damian’s.

The piece of paper had two short phrases written on it.

{ Dream’s Kiss

Summer Garden Rose }

Was this a new secret code for confidential information? Under the questioning gazes of the two young men, Hugo’s face didn’t even twitch.

“Since I’m going to be getting back late, you guys should go buy that before going back. The name of the bakery is Muiller. That, on the paper, is the cake’s name. Your mom says she wants to eat it.”

“…Okay.”