Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1373. An Unexpected Debut (8)

"Why are you so angry?"

— What kind of nonsense are you planning this time, Lee Ki-Young?!

"Nonsense? I was just doing my job..."

— Shameless bastard... Don’t make me laugh! You definitely...

"What did I do? What did I do?"

— ...

"First Life Commander Jin was the one who approached me first, and he boldly played E2 to E4 in front of me. He was also the one who told me that he'd visit me in two hours, so why are you blaming me? I was just standing still. It was First Life Commander Jin’s idea. Besides, I didn’t even know he was here..."

— That’s...

"Do you really think I approached him just to tease you? That’s pure narcissism. I have plenty of things to do. I’m stressed out because of Hyun-Sung... Sometimes in life, unavoidable things just happen. This situation is exactly one of those.

"If there’s something I can use, I should use it. Since Marquis Jayce is opening the way for me, how could I refuse?"

— ...

"If you want to complain, you should complain to First Life Commander Jin, not me. Who in their right mind would schedule a visit to an innocent young lady’s salon so late at night?"

— ...

"And I know from experience that the first life and the second life must be treated separately. If you treat them the same, you'll only suffer a loss. Now, repeat after me—First Life Commander Jin and I are different people! I don’t know this First Commander Jin! I'm Second Life Commander Jin!"

— Stop talking nonsense, Lee Ki-Young. I know that... damn it... damn!

Of course, he knew what I was talking about. There was no way that guy wouldn't know that treating the first life and the second life the same was a mistake.

He was probably more objective than me. However, witnessing it with his own eyes was a different matter. Seeing someone with the same behavior, demeanor, face, and way of speaking as him acting in a romance drama with his archnemesis, how could he stay quiet?

‘He must be raging inside...’

No, he had to be more than enraged. He probably wanted to gouge his own eyes out. He would rather see First Life Commander Jin die than see this. This was the most rational and easiest way to reach our goal, but he couldn't withstand it.

‘Is that why he’s throwing everything aside like that?’

At this point, I couldn’t help but worry that a mysterious assassin could go after First Life Commander Jin.

"Anyway, this is absolutely necessary, Commander. If you really don't want to see it, go do something else. Wouldn't it be nice if you had given me a proper status from the start? Since I have to climb up from the bottom, I had to draw unnecessary attention. Now, I’m flirting with people like First Life Commander Jin."

— Flirting? Don't make me laugh. That guy isn't interested in Aina Peneloti. He’s just...

"Wait, why do you keep defending First Life Commander Jin? You don't have to. I understand everything. And if this isn't flirting, then what is it? Is it normal to tell a young lady who just debuted that you'll show up at eleven o'clock deep into the night?

"Anyway, if you don't want to see it, then don't!"

Crash! Boom!

I heard loud noises once again, and Second Life Commander Jin went radio silent. Of course, he didn't actually go radio silent, as I could hear him scream out of rage every now and then.

Anyway, I had no time to assuage that guy's feelings.

‘Damn it, I don't even have time to eat.’

“Change into your dress, Lady Peneloti!” Lady Paint shouted.

“Uh... what about dinner...?” I asked.

“Dinner? Are you serious right now?! Marquis Jayce is arriving in two hours!” Lady Paint answered.

‘Damn, I’m hungry... I’ve been hungry this whole time...’

“I’ll bring you some finger food later, so please hold on for now, Lady Peneloti. He's our salon’s very first guest; we can’t afford to treat him carelessly. Our salon’s entire future depends on the impression we make on Marquis Jayce today,” Lady Paint said.

“Is it really that serious, Paint?” Lady Pastel asked.

“Of course, Lady Pastel. Marquis Jayce is probably interested in Lady Peneloti, which is why he has decided to visit us, but receiving a guest properly is still very important. Especially when it’s someone of his standing,” Lady Paint answered.

“What about you, Peneloti? Do you like him?” Lady Pastel asked.

“Huh? Ah... I-I’m not sure yet. I think I need to talk with him first...” I replied.

“Lady Peneloti! You have to win him over! This is revolutionary! Revolutionary, I tell you! To announce a visit at such a late hour—he’s got some nerves! His status is perfect! His looks have earned passing marks from me, too! Maybe we should start calling you Marchioness Jayce!” Lady Paint suggested.

“I just... I’m so nervous... I can’t calm down. Can I just have one cigarette...” I requested.

“Do you plan to fill the salon with smoke?! Please just stay still. Lady Palette!” Lady Paint shouted.

“Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce! Marchioness Jayce!” Lady Brush shouted.

‘Hey, Brush, calm down, will you?’

Still, her reaction was understandable, as this situation was bound to cause an uproar. Even a simple visit would have everyone whispering, but what really set the young ladies off was the time of his visit.

Though noble scandals sometimes made the rounds, nobles fundamentally valued propriety. No matter what they did behind closed doors, maintaining appearances and upholding social norms was considered basic etiquette.

Those antiquated norms stated that men and women ought to avoid sitting together after the age of seven. In other words, men and women could not be left alone together.

Today, the young ladies were gathered in a salon without anyone else present, but under normal circumstances, even a date would include attendants, maids, relatives, or usually one’s parents.

In the extreme, if Marquis Jayce and I were caught alone in a watermill playing chess, there’d be no excuse, as marriage would certainly become inevitable. That was simply how things worked during this era.

Otherwise, Lady Peneloti’s honor would be stained.

If the marquis were to refuse, the Peneloti Family would likely challenge him to a duel to defend their pride. In the worst-case scenario, a territorial conflict could break out.

Though perhaps they wouldn’t apply such strict standards to the “cursed third daughter." The point was that his request to meet me at eleven o'clock late into the night was, in itself, a massive scandal.

‘They're definitely more old-fashioned than the Empire.’

For young ladies and gentlemen bound by strict curfews, the very idea of meeting someone of the opposite sex in the evening outside of official events was simply unthinkable. Given that kind of social backdrop, it was no wonder the young ladies’ hearts were set ablaze. After all, someone appeared like a comet and threw out a line that could only be described as "half-flirting."

Inside the salon, preparations were already underway to greet First Life Commander Jin. Even though Lady Paint had already perfected Aina Peneloti’s look before they entered the ballroom, she was still rushing about, trying to make her shine even brighter.

“Ladies, if you brought any accessories, take them all out,” Lady Paint instructed.

“Ah... I left mine with the maid,” Lady Brush said.

“Then bring them all here,” Lady Paint said.

“But Lady Paint... do we really need to change dresses?” Lady Brush asked.

“Of course we do! The ballroom and the salon are completely different settings! Your outfit depends on the time, the place, and the situation! Unless Lady Peneloti plans on publicly announcing that she’s fallen out of favor with her family, she needs to change her dress and reset all her accessories.

"Whether or not she becomes Marchioness of Jayce depends on this!” Lady Paint answered.

‘But... I don’t even plan on becoming the Marchioness of Jayce...’

“Do we have anything simpler? Call the attendants. We’ll redo her hair, too. Lady Brush, take charge of the salon,” Lady Paint instructed.

“Okay! Leave it to me! I’ll make sure this meeting succeeds!” Lady Brush answered.

“Lady Palette—wheeew, go have a smoke. Be quick,” Lady Paint said.

“Th-thank you,” Lady Palette said.

“What about me? What should I do?” Lady Pastel asked.

“Ah! Lady Pastel! Go bring the attendants, now!” Lady Paint replied.

“Ah—uh, okay!”

In an instant, the attendants assigned to the salon came rushing in. The maids began bombarding Lady Paint, who had somehow become the salon’s head coordinator, with questions.

“What should we do about the table...?”

“Set it with strawberry fondue and chocolate, please. Also, prepare a light wine that’s easy to drink,” Lady Paint answered.

“Yes, Lady Paint.”

“We’ll need to clean the salon again. Dim the lights a bit more. No, not like that—yes, just a little darker, softly, gently. No, no, that’s not it! Ah, just come here—I’ll handle it myself!” Lady Paint yelled out in frustration.

‘Aren’t they overdoing it? Is Marquis Jayce planning to sleep here or something? Why are they like this? It’s just a brief meeting—a simple conversation.’

“Lady Brush!”

“Yes! I’ll take care of it! I’ll make it look revolutionary!” Lady Brush answered.

“Lady Palette, please help! We need to change the flowers! Replace everything with black roses!” Lady Paint instructed.

“Yes! Right away!” Lady Palette answered.

“What about us? Shouldn’t we change clothes too?!” Lady Brush asked.

“Of course we should!” Lady Paint answered.

‘Huh. These girls are really something.’

Even from the perspective of someone who had hosted plenty of parties before, Lady Paint was pretty impressive. The once plain salon was transforming right before my eyes. Black roses were arranged everywhere, and the attention to detail was remarkable.

The tables and sofas were positioned for a comfortable conversation, and even the balconies attached to each salon were carefully decorated. In the midst of it all, the young ladies reappeared in their changed outfits.

Gone were the dazzling gowns in the ballroom; they were replaced by dresses so simple that they almost looked plain. They hadn’t even bothered with jewelry. It was clear they understood that the true protagonist tonight was Aina Peneloti.

‘Guys... damn... I’m actually touched...’

Of course, Aina Peneloti herself looked a bit more modest compared to them when she had entered the ballroom earlier, but standing next to the four young ladies, she still appeared pretty glamorous.

“Let’s go with a loose side-up twin-tail. We should pay a little more attention to the hair accessories. How about adding a single black rose?” Lady Brush suggested.

“That’s great! That’s such a revolutionary style!” Lady Paint shouted.

“Peneloti... you look beautiful. As expected, you and I...”

And then—

“Marquis Jayce has just left.”

We heard that he finally left and was coming here.

“But... what could Marquis Jayce be thinking?” Lady Brush asked.

‘What do you think? He’s not thinking at all. The guy’s just obsessed with chess. He probably doesn’t care about time or propriety right now.’

“Still, his boldness is admirable. Though I can’t help wondering what kind of gift he’ll bring,” Lady Brush added.

"Since it's the House of Jayce, it’s bound to be something extravagant. He has decided to come here personally at such a late hour, and he’s definitely aware of how improper that is, which means...” Lady Brush trailed off..

‘That means the gift’s got to be a good one.’

He wasn’t exactly stylish, but his pride ruled him completely. The gift he would bring had to reflect his family’s prestige, wealth, and his own sense of honor. There was no doubt that it would be something impressive. Even if he was moving under a false identity, the core of First Life Commander Jin’s personality remained.

Sure enough...

‘Wow. Damn.’

From the balcony, Lady Palette exclaimed, “The attendants are bringing in the gifts! T-the attendants...”

The attendants were indeed carrying presents. By the looks of it, there were gifts not just for Aina Peneloti but for all the young ladies of the Black Rose Salon as well.

Before long, someone knocked on the salon's door.

“P-please come in, Marquis Jayce.”

“Welcome to the Black Rose Salon.”

The young ladies rose gracefully to greet him.

“My apologies for disturbing you at such a late hour,” Marquis Jayce said.

First Life Commander Jin bowed slightly in return, showing his courtesy.

“Would it be all right to let my attendants inside for a moment?” he asked.

“Yes, of course, Marquis Jayce.”

The attendants began stacking gifts neatly in one corner.

“A small token of appreciation for the ladies of the Black Rose Salon,” he said.

Naturally, there was no refusal. Pretending to decline a gift in such a setting would actually be rude.

“Thank you very much. We’ll gladly accept it,” Lady Paint said.

“And... I’ve prepared a separate gift for Lady Peneloti,” he said.

“Ah? Oh! T-thank you...” I stuttered.

“...”

“...”

It was a diamond necklace, and it was a massive one at that.

‘Wow...’

It was so damned big. It was big enough to make even my eyes widen.

“Would you accept it?” he asked.

‘This bastard... no way...’

'Seriously... this piece of trash—don’t tell me... Is he actually trying to seduce an innocent young lady?'

Was he trying to turn me over... to the Republic or something?

‘Has he lost his mind...?’