Side Story 3.3 - Side Story 3.3 (1/2)
Lucia Side Story 3.3: Happily Ever After
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 participate. 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 documents 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 passed 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 establishing 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 title. 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 attitudes. 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 cocktail 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 embarrassed 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.