Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1368. An Unexpected Debut (3)

‘All I have to do is meet him.’

Of course, meeting Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn’t be easy.

With the sheer number of people attending the ball and the fact that I held only the shabby title of a fallen noble that Commander Jin had managed to dig up, it was difficult to make any kind of connection with the count whose name was becoming popular.

At this rate, I would have to start from the very bottom. After all, what mattered most in high society was one’s status and the power their family possessed.

Princesses and princes from every royal family would be there, along with children from prestigious noble houses. Naturally, Kim Hyun-Sung would stand out in their eyes.

‘He’s handsome, after all.’

He was a talent that the Empire had been openly supporting, and he was powerful in his own right as well. In addition, the Blue Guild stood behind him, which was another major advantage. Above all, he was handsome.

Compared to the pot-bellied nobles twice their age with a habit of leering at young women, the difference between them and the fresh, radiant First Kim Hyun-Sung was beyond words.

Nobles wouldn't hesitate about being sold off into marriage for the sake of their family’s interests, but even noble ladies had eyes. No matter how great a family’s influence was, no woman would dream of appearing at her first ball to meet a balding, fat nobleman.

Each of them imagined their own version of a charming prince or princess, and Kim Hyun-Sung suited their ideals perfectly. He was the ultimate groom.

‘Honestly, his conditions aren’t bad either.’

For one, he held a title.

‘And his title can be passed down, too.’

In a society overflowing with second, third, and even fifth sons with no right of succession, a man with a title he could pass down was a rare find.

‘It’s an imperial title, to boot.’

Though his background as a common adventurer seemed like a flaw, people had long since accepted adventurers as citizens of the continent, and there were certainly those who looked upon him favorably.

Above all, he had an aura he couldn’t hide. That subtle, unmistakable air of someone who had grown up in privilege, an aura that would make people think, 'Ah, this guy must have been raised in luxury even on Earth.'

In truth, Kim Hyun-Sung had never received any formal etiquette training, but when one was good-looking and competent, even small flaws came across as charming quirks.

For him, ignorance wasn’t shameful. It was actually attractive.

Sure enough, I heard voices from every direction.

“Did you hear? They say Count Kim Hyun-Sung from the Empire is coming.”

“W-what? Really?”

“Yeah. It’s confirmed. They saw him entering the royal capital with the Imperial delegation.”

“What’s he like? There are so many rumors about him... What if he turns out to look like some rough mountain bandit?”

“They say he’s really handsome.”

‘Bad news travels fast.’

“What?”

“I said he’s really handsome. Tall, well-built, a head full of hair... and he’s got that distinctive air adventurers have—that sharp, hard-to-describe aura. They said he’s not even from the North, but he gives off that same cold Northern vibe.”

“B-but he’s an adventurer. Don’t you think he’ll be... uncivilized?”

“So what? Being an adventurer these days isn’t a flaw. If anything, it just means he’s capable. And if he is a little wild, well, that might make him even better at night.”

“Kyaaa!”

“Ahahaha!”

‘They’re just having the time of their lives, huh.’

Well, considering the age of most debutantes, their reaction was understandable. Normally, a family would decide to present their son or daughter to society when they were ready, but the standard age for debuting in high society was around eighteen.

On Earth, the idea of marrying at that age would be absurd, but these primitive continent-dwellers clearly didn’t care about such things.

“Are there any other people to watch out for?”

“Plenty. The fourth prince of the Magic Kingdom is making his debut this year... and there are still many influential families without a proper match. Viscount Enpister is still looking for a bride, and I heard the second son of the Duke Airlight is planning to attend this season as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s what I heard, too. Of course, there are also people you need to watch out for in other ways. Like Duke Pinkrain...”

“What? That pig?”

“Shh! Someone might hear you.”

“He’s already married.”

“Haven’t you heard? His wife passed away a few months ago...”

“How does someone who just lost his wife show up at a ball already? And at a debutante ball, no less?”

“I suppose he just wanted to make an appearance since the Imperial delegation is here.”

“As if he has ever cared about diplomacy. We all know why he’s here... he must be here to creep around the young debutantes again. Ugh, that disgusting man.”

“Shh! Mind your manners.”

“Manners, my foot. He’s the one who should be minding his manners. There are men who stay single for the rest of their lives after losing their wives. But him? Not even a few months have passed, and he’s already looking for a new bride! Duke or not, I’d never marry that man. There are even rumors that he killed his own wife...”

“You shouldn’t say such things, Lady Pastel. The honor of Count Pinkrain-”

“Honor? Hah. As if he ever had any to begin with. Besides, it’s just us here.”

‘Looks like this region is full of gossip too.’

With their faces hidden behind fans, they chattered endlessly, gossip spilling from one to another in a constant stream. New bits of information were being updated by the second.

They talked about who was having an affair, how their attendants caught the two during one of their secret meetings, and the fact that they couldn’t attend this ball due to the disgrace that followed.

Most of it was useless gossip, but among the noise, there were a few pieces of information worth noting, like how this ball was actually organized and being conducted.

“But doesn’t all this have nothing to do with us anyway? Duke Pinkrain, Count Kim Hyun-Sung, and the third prince of the Magic Kingdom... they’re all people of high status and have a reputation. There’s no way any of them will come to our salon.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Maybe not the others, but Duke Pinkrain might. I mean, really, what kind of lady would want to marry that pig? Even he probably knows his place by now. He’ll be wandering around salons for lower nobles, drooling over whoever he can find. Don’t you think so?”

‘So this is what they mean by birds of a feather flock together.’

Well, considering how many people were participating in the ball, it couldn’t really be helped. It was bound to be organized this way. Quite reasonable, actually.

‘They grouped people of similar level together. So it’s basically like classmates or something, right?’

It certainly suited the nature of an event meant to encourage social bonding. This salon, in particular, seemed to be full of fallen nobles, troublesome figures in high society, daughters of minor baron families, and people others would be embarrassed to introduce in public.

‘This salon is really awful.’

For a place where noble ladies were gathered, the room was incredibly simple. It felt a bit cramped, and aside from a few tables for conversing with other visiting nobles, there wasn’t anything that could be called luxurious.

Even the nobles seated with her were the same; judging from the quality of their dresses and accessories, their families obviously lacked money. It felt as if they’d desperately scraped together hidden funds to at least look the part. No wonder these noble ladies had such harsh tongues.

‘Damn it. Can I really... meet Kim Hyun-Sung here?’

It had to be possible just to meet him, but could I actually do it?

I was confident, of course, but it was only natural for anxiety to creep in. The ballroom would almost certainly be divided by zones as well. They also encouraged people to mingle only within their own circles, so I couldn’t help but feel worried about the possibility that I'd meet only fresh young heirs or washed-up old men.

From what I heard, it was common for salons to arrange meetings with one another, like some kind of large group blind date, so I couldn’t avoid wasting a lot of time on pointless things. Naturally, I had no choice but to send a message.

"Seriously, Commander, what the hell... You should have gotten at least the basics right! What is this?!"

— It was you who said to prepare as soon as possible. Even if the Union of Kingdoms’ system is a mess, this is still an event that has continued for many years. You didn’t think it would be easy to enter such a place under a fake identity, did you?

"Still, there should be a limit. Damn it. If I had known that I was going to end up in this state, I wouldn’t have come here as a lady."

— Besides, based on what you said, you should be able to attract attention even without a proper background. I simply judged that you could manage somehow with that fine talent and effort of yours.

"I mean."

— What? Not confident? It was you who spouted all that nonsense, Lee Ki-Young.

‘This bastard’s seriously pissing me off.’

"Forget it. Just do your job, damn it. Focus on the monitoring or whatever."

— Pfft! Pfft...

‘Is that bastard trying not to laugh?’

While I was clenching my fists, I heard someone speak.

“By the way, Lady Pastel, have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“They say the young ladies of the Peneloti Family will be attending this debutante ball.”

‘Huh?’

That was my family.

“If it’s the Viscount Peneloti, then the cursed... the ill-fated—I’m sure it was the third daughter of that family...”

‘What the hell, now I’m cursed too? How far has this rumor even spread?’

It wasn’t shocking that people used words like “cursed” or “ill-fated” to sound dramatic, but hearing it said out loud was another matter.

“They say Viscount Peneloti’s madness can flare up at any time. Who would want to form ties with such a family? What could have happened this year for them to show up here?”

“Well, last season was such a success. The Peneloti Family must be desperate to get rid of their troublemakers somehow, probably including the third daughter.”

And it seemed that Viscount Peneloti was insane now.

“The young ladies of the Peneloti Family are in for a rough time. With the third daughter here as well, it’s going to be a hard season for them... how pitiful...”

Just then, one of the young ladies sitting in the corner muttered to herself.

“Hey. You shouldn’t speak so carelessly about someone being cursed or ill-fated.”

“Pardon?” Lady Pastel asked.

“She was suddenly pushed into attending the debutante ball... She must be the one having the hardest time of all. I’ve already heard plenty of young lords saying things like, ‘Which salon is the Peneloti third daughter in? I won’t even go near that one.’

"No matter what they say, we should at least support Lady Peneloti. After all... aren’t we all in the same situation?” asked the young lady.

“Ah...”

“Lady Pastel, wasn’t it you who hit Marquess Bilter’s eldest son over the head with a wine bottle at your fifteenth birthday party? I heard the Bilter Family hasn’t even looked toward the Pastel territory since then,” the young lady remarked.

“T-that bastard started it first...” Lady Pastel stuttered.

“And Lady Brush, you were caught reading radical literature banned in the Union of Kingdoms, weren’t you? Eat, Pray, and Revolt, was it? Don’t you think you were lucky not to be thrown in prison?” the same young lady said.

“I-I’m reflecting on that. It was out of childish impulse...” Lady Brush mumbled.

“And then there’s Lady Palette. I’d only heard rumors, but it seems you still haven’t quit smoking. No matter how much perfume you use, the smell lingers, you know that, right? Could you be a bit more considerate of your fellow salon members?” the same young lady grumbled.

“I’m sorry...” Lady Palette muttered.

‘What is with this salon? Damn, is this the Suicide Squad or what? Nobody said anything about it being a group project.’

“And as for you...”

‘Why me? I didn’t even say anything. Not a single word.’

“Who... are you, exactly? I don’t think we’ve met before,” she asked.

Just then, all four of their gazes turned toward me.

“...”

“...”

Naturally, I lowered the fan that had been hiding my face. The eyes of the four young ladies widened. I was grace itself and the embodiment of refinement—the embodiment of elegance, and a beauty beyond words.

“...”

“...”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Aina Peneloti, the third daughter of Viscount Peneloti,” I said, introducing myself.

I could only offer the kindest smile I could manage.

‘Just trust your unni, girls. I’ll carry this team for sure.’

“Ladies, are you ready? It’s time to depart.”

The curtains of the debutante ball finally rose.