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“Oh, didn’t I tell you earlier that you can call me ‘Fol’ no matter the time and place?”

“But—”

The situation was different from the previous party I had been invited to, which—while also organized by royalty—had only been attended by the royal family and their friends. If we were seen by people who didn’t know that I had saved Fol’s life, it could very likely lead to some unexpected misunderstandings. Even if that wasn’t the case, it was bound to produce all sorts of rumors.

“As the butler who danced with a daughter of a marquis, as well as a foreign Imperial Princess, what are you even trying to argue at this point?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Thinking about it rationally, this situation was rather strange. It was less bizarre to the members of the royal family, who knew that the neighboring country was interested in me because of the technique I had used to save Fol, but to others, it must have looked quite odd.

“On that subject, how are you faring, Fol?”

“Hehe, I’ve surprised everyone.” 

Although her smile was full of playfulness, there was no way for everyone not to be surprised. 

‘Just a commoner with a Count’s support.’ That was Fol’s status in the Academy, so there were even some who had made it known that they weren’t in favor of her attending the Noble course.

This ‘commoner’ now attended the party as the country’s princess. Having witnessed it, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what state of mind everyone was in. More children than usual had left the party halfway, which surely wasn’t unrelated.

“More importantly, let me thank you again. I’ve received a magical tool from Lancelot as a welcome back present, but… you were the one who made it, right?”

“Well… I asked His Highness Prince Lancelot a tremendous favor, and I gave him something as a token of my gratitude… That’s what you’re talking about, right?”

I implied that she should thank Prince Lancelot instead. Although my true thoughts were: ‘His Highness Prince Lancelot will bear a grudge against me, so please spare me.’ She probably understood what I was truly thinking, too. She chuckled.

“No worries, I won’t do anything to cause any trouble to the people I am indebted to,” Fol said and held out her hand. No matter how one looked at it, it was the same gesture Lady Sophia had used—in short, it was an invitation to dance.

“…Didn’t you say that you won’t cause the people you’re indebted to any trouble?”

“Oh my, is this trouble?”

‘It is.’—wasn’t something I could have said. I mean, at this point in time when everyone’s attention was gathered on Her Highness Folcenia, as she had now appeared on the center stage, it would be unwise not to immediately take her hand upon receiving her invitation.

“Lately, my Lady has been learning some worrisome things. I wonder whose influence that is?”

“Oh, that’s definitely your influence.”

I shrugged, took Fol’s hand and asked for a dance.

And so, we began to dance. I hadn’t danced with Fol since the entrance exam, and she had become even more skilled than she had been then. Moreover, I wasn’t too conscious of it back then, but her sense of rhythm was certainly similar to mine. This was probably due to her teacher being Teacher Tristan—my older sister from our previous world.

“Thank you for accepting my request, Cyril.”

“On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you. I am grateful for you being this considerate of me.”

Fol’s real identity was Her Highness Princess Folcenia. This fact didn’t just serve as a shock to the people around her. As members of the Student Council and Fol’s friends, Lady Sophia and I were gathering a lot of attention too.

Namely, the question was whether we knew about Fol’s true identity or not. If we had gotten close to her without knowing about it, the people who had looked down on Fol would likely make us into their scapegoats, accusing us of Lèse-majesté.1 However, if we had become close after knowing all the details, that would be proof of how much she trusted us.

Fol appeared in front of everyone as Her Highness Princess Folcenia for the first time at this party, and it was of grand significance if we continued interacting in the same way as we did at the Academy.

…Truth to be told, I had a feeling that it might have a little too much of an impact.

Even in the game’s events, it was the daughter of a Viscount who had gotten close to the royal family, not letting the difference in their social standing defeat her. However, even in the original plot, it was unheard of for a butler who hadn’t been born into nobility to be close to the royal family. I believed that, even without the two of us dancing, just talking to her would have been sufficient, but… this was Fol after all.

As I pondered these thoughts, our dance came to a close. We have naturally gathered some attention, but neither Fol nor I took notice of the stares.

“Well then, let’s talk at the Academy later.”

Fol left, a gentle smile on her face. I watched her go and then walked through the ballroom, intending to leave as well, when I happened to come across some familiar faces once more. It was Alicia and Pamela, each being escorted by a middle-aged man—most likely their fathers. 

Although I had said that I had ‘happened to come across them’, it seemed that they had been waiting for me. They were unmistakably looking at me. Therefore, I stopped before them. However, they hadn’t addressed me yet. I was a mere butler, while this was most likely Viscount Lindberg and Count Ford. It was proper etiquette for a person of a lower social standing to wait to be addressed by the higher-ranking person.

However, ten seconds passed, and they still hadn’t spoken to me. Was this… was I mistaken about them having some business with me? Or were they testing my etiquette? I didn’t mind if it was the latter, but if it was the former, it would be extremely embarrassing.

Should I leave, should I stay? As I was seriously pondering this, Alicia spoke to me.

“Cyril,” she said. However, the man next to her—most likely her father—pulled at her hand.

“Alicia! No matter how close you are with each other at the Academy, you mustn’t act the same way when we’re in high society. It’s proper etiquette for the person of a lower social standing to wait for the other person to speak to them.”

Without thinking, I almost retorted: Yes, that’s correct, but also, it isn’t?! and I wanted to be praised for resisting doing so with difficulty. However, in order to resolve this misunderstanding, I had no choice but to talk to them.

“Excuse me. You must be Count Ford and Viscount Lindberg.”

Given their reaction, I hadn’t been mistaken when guessing who they were. Before the two men who were mistaken about my social status could humbly reply to me, I continued, “Please forgive me for my rudeness in addressing you, even though I am a butler. I am Cyril, I am the butler of Marquis Rosenberg’s daughter, Lady Sophia. Your gracious daughters help me out often at the Academy.”

I bowed my head politely. 

Lately, I had become a little numb to this, but, technically speaking, even just saying ‘Your gracious daughters are good friends of mine.’ was likely to be considered impudent when coming from a butler. However, thankfully, the two men weren’t offended. In fact, when the two daughters each retorted to their respective parents, “Didn’t I tell you?” they replied with, “Seems like it.”

Now that the misunderstanding had been resolved, the person with the highest court rank was Count Ford. Despite this, when the man spoke to me, he still seemed a little concerned.

“Excuse me, but are you truly a butler?”

“Yes. I was born into a family who has been serving the Rosenberg Marquis household for generations, but we are without any court rank.”

“I see… That’s what I had heard from my daughter… So it really is true.”

‘Why are you doubting it so much…?’ Since I had a very clear idea of why, I felt quite apologetic. As if he had sensed my apologetic thoughts, Count Ford shook his head.

“I don’t mean to cause you any trouble. I heard that you saved Pamela during the entrance exams and I wanted to find an opportunity to thank you. Also, I am truly sorry it messed up your exam.”

“I am undeserving of such words. Moreover, there is no need for an apology. I was simply doing what I should as Lady Sophia’s butler.”

Under no circumstances would I say that I had intentionally made use of the situation in order to make Lady Sophia top of the class. Additionally, if I hadn’t saved Pamela, there was even a possibility for the First Prince to fall for her at first sight. I was full of guilt as well. 

I insisted that I didn’t want him to worry about it, and it seemed that he did understand that, but… now it was Viscount Lindberg the one who thanked me, having heard that I had saved his daughter, too. He seemed to be talking about the incident that happened during Prince Lancelot’s birthday party the year prior.

That incident had also been convenient for me. And, although by the time I intervened, the event in which Prince Alforth fell in love with Alicia at first sight had already fallen apart, the fact that I had changed the course of the story still rang true. 

…How should I put it… I felt really sorry.

I was praying that Alicia and Pamela would find a good match from the bottom of my heart… No, I wouldn’t just pray, I would help them out so that their connection to Lady Sophia would become even stronger. If they had connections to a grown-up Lady Sophia, their status would be comparable to that of a Prince’s consort.

I pondered these things and we continued with some idle chatter, when Lady Sophia returned. 

The daughter of a marquis, a Count and a Viscount. 

Considering their social status at the present time, their court rank was higher than hers. Of course, were her future influence taken into consideration, it’d prove difficult to determine it, but there was no need to worry when it came to my Lady. First, I introduced Lady Sophia to the two men, and then I introduced them to her.

“This is Count Ford and Viscount Lindberg. They told me they feel grateful that I helped out their daughters and I’ve received excessive words of gratitude.”

Technically speaking, my remark could lead to someone retorting: “How dare you, a mere butler, say this?”, but from the moment Lady Sophia returned, I was her escort once more. Making use of this, I indirectly let her know that they had treated me well and that I wished for her to treat them well, too. These words had an immediate effect on Lady Sophia, who was quite amicable to people who acknowledged me.

“Ah, I see. Miss Pamela and Miss Alicia also treat me very kindly. I hope we can get along from now on as well.”

‘I want our families to get along,’ Miss Sophia had answered with a smile. Afterwards, they began talking about the potatoes lent to their territory and other such things. Although Lady Sophia was born into a marquis household and was still very young, she led a splendid conversation with these owners of other fiefs, despite the fact that, when I first met her, she would be bullied by a maid and on the verge of tears. 

I couldn’t be careless either. In order not to bring shame upon my position as Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler, I had to strive to work even harder. 

While acting as Lady Sophia’s partner, I took this new oath.

We\'re almost at the end of the third volume, the epilogue is up next! That being said, I will be taking a break from posting next week. I\'ve been swamped with work and translating and I need to give my brain some rest. Thank you for your patience and understanding and Happy New Year! Hope to see you soon!

(Off topic but why does this sentence sound like the beginning of a joke: The daughter of a marquis, a Count and a Viscount walk into a bar…)

Thank you for your comments and your support! If you\'d like to support the translation, you can send me a Ko-fi:

1. ”…a French term meaning "to do wrong to majesty", is an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9