Formerly, The Fallen Daughter of the Duke

62. Behind the Night Club

Nobles from all over the Pfeite country were present at the night club to celebrate Vique’s 16th birthday without exception.

“You’re an amazing man, Lewis. I’ve attended nightclubs in the Noston Country as well, but I’ve never seen nightclubs that bring so many people together!

Claire sparkles her eyes as she watches the nobles hiss from the balcony dressed in luxurious venues.

“Right. For once, I’m the next king, and without a ceremony or something like this every decade, it would be the most gorgeous meeting of the year.”

Claire laughs when she feels Lui’s “Once Upon a Time” contains sarcasm.

Even the other day, Vike had just spent all night hoarding his clerical work and the sides of the Lewis had been attached to each other. In Claire’s eyes, Veek was shown in the excellent First Prince, but from the side, he seems to be a ‘troubled master who hates reports’.

Dion’s not at the club today. To be precise, I had no problem joining Claire as an escort, but Dion, whose face was known as the trace of the Mead family, solidified his attendance that he did not deserve this occasion of celebration.

When I saw it, Vike, who worried about Claire for the first time at a nightclub in the Puffett Country, put a lui on me.

The vice of the day is far away and surrounded by nobles. I just wanted to pass along a word of congratulations, but no matter what you think, that won’t be possible.

“Dear Claire,”

Turning to a familiar voice, there was Lydia.

“Dear Lydia! I thought I’d see you today.”

“That’s a lot of people. … but you can find Claire anywhere you want.”

“Long time no see, Miss Lydia”

Lewis says hello.

“Li…… Master Lewis. Long time no see.”

Lui, a woman but a Kingsguard knight of the First Prince, is famous among his noble sons. Lydia admired Lewis as someone in a house that probably didn’t leak, had strong magic, and bordered on the church.

“Your Highness seems to have difficulty getting around to greeting the ladies today. Sorry, enjoy the meeting.”

“I see His Royal Highness Vik at school every day, and I don’t need him at all, Master Lewis.”

Enjoy the conversation with your eyes sparkling. The ladies watching Lydia and Lewis farther into sight. They are the faces I found out at the Royal School. When Claire tried to speak up, she was softly gone.

(… shouldn’t be too conspicuous. I could have met with Master Lydia, and Lewis had better stay on Vique’s side)

Claire is called from behind again when she tries to tell Lewis that.

“Dear Claire Martino, Good afternoon.”

“Dear Nicolas. I’m glad to see you here.”

It was Nicola who followed her seemingly sweet friends. Even though Wagamama can do it all she wants, her friends always smile and look at Nicolas. That was one of the reasons Claire liked her.

“… Mm, over there”

“Yes.”

“I have a tea set in the back of the curtain.”

“Yes.”

……

……

“Claire, if you go. You won’t be able to talk to Veek today anyway.”

It took Claire three seconds to figure out that it was a tea invitation from Nicola. Lewis, who guessed as soon as possible, suggests to Claire.

“Yeah… but…”

“Miss Lydia is fine”

Lewis pushes her back, and Claire turns back to Nicolas.

“Dear Nicolas, thank you for inviting me.”

“… this way.”

Nicola has a complex look on her face and also looks like her cheeks are dyed red. I noticed Lydia seemed worried behind Lewie’s back, but Claire didn’t feel bad about this invitation.

“… Um. Could you not tell anyone what I invited you to do?”

The corner of the nightclub venue, Nicola says, guided Claire into a space like a small room created by using the pillars to close the heavy curtains.

……

Claire looks around the small room subtly. Nicola’s friends and samurai didn’t enter this room, so it’s totally just Claire and her.

Tea sets and confectionery are served beautifully in front of a large sofa of elegant construction that would have been deliberately brought from some room in the royal palace.

Some of the confectionery was mixed with classic cookies and scones, and pancakes were elaborated with maple syrup, Claire’s favorite.

Nicola’s attitude and way of inviting her was rather unfathomable, but I can see that she prepared hard for Claire.

“… of course.”

Suddenly Nicola in front of me seemed adorable and Claire had a broken face.

“What is it? That face.”

“I’m sorry, Master Nicolas. You need to talk to me.”

There are no ladies in this room. Claire grabbed the teapot and tried to pour tea into the cup that was kept in line.

“… I’ll do it”

Nicola, with her face still red, takes the teapot from Claire and pours tea.

“You can change the cup with mine.”

After pouring tea, Nicola says. Claire had no idea that this girl, who worked so hard to hold up her whole eyes and put up a vanity, would work evil.

“No need, Master Nicolas.”

“!?… Master Claire is a very unusual person.”

“Nicolas is really cute.”

“… be…!

“… very tasty. This tea leaf, it’s my favorite scent.”

I don’t care about Nicolas, who is blushing and circling her eyes, and Claire drinks tea. I’m sure this tea was also retrieved by asking someone about Claire’s preferences.

That’s the lady from the leading Duke’s house in the Paft Country, Claire was impressed.

Claire smiling and Nicolas looking kind of awkward.

Silence persists for a while.

“… Claire attended the Royal College of Aristocracy in Noston for a year, didn’t she?”

“Yes, it is”

“I wonder what the Royal College of Aristocrats is like…”

Nicolas, who should always be full of confidence with his gaze from above, speaks reluctantly.

“… compared to the Royal School, the biggest difference is that it looks like a ‘thumbnail of an aristocratic society’ in the whole dorm system.”

Although Claire answered, she couldn’t figure out what Nicolas was craving.

“You are… So you’re talking about a school that weighs on social experience. I wonder what life would be like if I moved in.”

……

“Right…… First, the Royal College of Aristocracy has an organization called the Student Union. His Royal Highness Asberto, the First Prince of the Noston Nation, is now enrolled, so an organizational structure is laid with him at the top. Nicolas, the royal family of the Paft Nation, wondered if he would need to take second place there.”

I felt Nicola’s eyes shake just a little.

“As far as academics are concerned, there is a lot more going on in the Pfeet countries. I may be anxious in the sense of self-drilling, but if you’re concerned about whether or not you can keep up with me without any problems, I wouldn’t worry about you if you were Nicolas.”

“… yes…”

This is a ‘door’ tangle. As we spoke, Claire was so sure.

Which rebellion is greater when it comes to installing doors: the Paft and Noston countries, the Noston countries without even thinking about it.

Impossible, but if ‘doors’ were used to invade the Paft country from within, the Noston country would have no way of doing so.

But fundamentally, that power relationship is the same thing even without doors. It should be true that we want to accept the proposals from the big countries as much as possible and to have good relations.

I guess that’s where the white feather arrow stood Nicolas. Send in royal international students and create the pretext of having ‘doors’ set up for her. The prospect is that it will be achieved without friction.

(I can’t believe you sacrificed Master Nicolas, even though it’s to maintain good relations between the two countries)

Claire felt her feelings sink.

“Hey. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I don’t want to study abroad because I don’t like watching Brother Veek and you!?

“Huh.”

Claire’s eyes dot after pointing out a completely different direction than what she was thinking.

“I’ve always wanted to study abroad. Though it didn’t come true with your father’s opposition! I’m going to help my brother, Veek, in the future, with experience.”

“Study abroad in the Noston Country…. You were.”

“I treat you like a princess all the time in this country. I can do academics and research, but I don’t have enough other experience…. Oh, even the Royal School hasn’t stood around well…”

Momentum was good, but at the end of the day, I get a moggy tone.

“Excuse me. I was worried about a misunderstanding.”

Claire bows her head.

“… that ‘student council’ sounds interesting. And I’m interested in all the students living in dormitory dormitories.”

“I do think it would be an organization that would be a good experience if you had such aspirations. Student-sponsored tea parties and nightclubs are frequently held in boarding houses. … it is the student council that oversees all of that.”

“You are! That’s more than I thought.”

The awkward look Nicolas had on her face when she entered this room completely disappeared, and I can see her eyes shining.

Nicola continues.

“I gave up studying abroad, enrolled in the Royal School, and I was just getting used to my new life, so I got a little lost in judgment. This would be even more delightful if it were for the good of the country.”

That’s what she said. Her expression was sunny.

She probably wanted someone to push her decision back, even as she decided to study abroad in her mind. In that sense, Claire, who was familiar with the circumstances of Noston’s country and moderately distant, was fit.

Thus, Nicolas decided to study abroad.

―――――

“You didn’t come to me yesterday.”

The next day. Vike, who visited Claire’s room, says dissatisfied.

“Naturally. There are a lot of people who want to talk to Veek, but we’re not getting close…. but I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Nicolas.”

“You knew.”

“Nicolas conveyed an atmosphere of wanting to talk to Claire about studying abroad. But I didn’t expect you to take Claire in the middle of a night club to celebrate my birthday.”

“Phew.”

“Yesterday, I was going to introduce you to His Majesty the King. I had to wait till the next opportunity again. … how far were you calculating at all”

Veek gives me a look that doesn’t seem funny, sighs with a cheek wand. Claire smiled as she was shocked by the subtle phrase, “Introduction to His Majesty the King,” but couldn’t grasp what he intended.

“You didn’t get a new dress.”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t get around to it, I’m sorry”

……

Claire, even here, can’t draw sincerity.

Does this simply mean you couldn’t introduce the quality tailors for the royal palace, or does it have a deeper meaning?

Incidentally, arranging dresses at evening clubs to attend in full is close to the fiancée’s duty in this country.

Vik clearly seemed to be guessing something about Claire’s relationship with Claire in her first life. However, Vique in front of him has completed a major event and has a purpose in planning from spring, relaxing and relaxing.

“What?”

As Claire glanced into the clear eyes in front of her, Vike smiled plenty of room.

“No. Nothing.”

Now and before, I feel that Vik has been looking straight at me. If that vik didn’t say anything, Claire didn’t have the courage to move from herself either.

(I wish the meaning of the dress was the latter)

Claire doesn’t even have a pattern, but I think it’s something else. Ever since I went backwards, I’ve been trying to think of Vique as a dear friend.

But I found my cheeks dyed by reaffirming that my thoughts contained different colors. Claire leans down not to be enlightened about it.

After Veek’s eyes on the clock, there are signs of him getting up off the couch.

“… you should talk to me next time”

“Huh?”

“The dress. Good night.”

I can’t give Claire the time to quit. When I looked up surprised at Veek’s words, he was no longer there.