Chương 16: Celebration — Part 1

I think I'm lost. I'm standing in the middle of what looks like a humongous garden, and I have absolutely no idea how I even ended up here. After arriving at the main house, I slip away from Cecilia's side because I want to explore this nonsensically and stupidly huge place, thinking that I can look around for a few minutes before returning to her. And that turns out to be a baaaad idea, because now I don't know where to go anymore.

I'm simply looking around and exploring for a few minutes, but somehow I end up wandering from one place to another for what feels like forever, and I still haven't managed to find my way back to Cecilia's room.

"This stupid place sucks." Although, I have to admit, the structure and architecture of this place look amazing, and the buildings remind me of the pictures I've seen in history books. Was it from the Renaissance? Hmm... I don't know. It could very well be from the Roman Empire, though, and now that I think about it, couldn't buildings from both periods look somewhat similar? They were from roughly the same... time and era, right? Weren't buildings like these called palazzi or something like that?

Yeah, I think that was the word. After walking around for a while longer, I finally arrive at a place that looks like a small mansion, and maybe I can find someone here who can tell me how to get back. So far, however, I haven't seen a single person. Where exactly are all the people in this place? Is this some kind of scenario where I'm supposed to meet some hidden bastard child or something? That would be so damn cliché.

If it is, I don't want to get involved in it; my hands are already full with the villainess and her problems. As I get closer to the mansion, I notice someone standing in the yard, and from the way they are moving, it looks like they are practicing martial arts. The closer I get, the clearer their features become, until I can finally make out that it's a girl who looks to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. She has black hair and a muscular body, and she's wearing a black sports bra with a loose white shirt.

I don't remember her face from any of the game characters, so she's probably an NPC. But then again, I don't remember Edwin either, which means I'm probably an NPC too. But I'm not really an NPC, and I'm calling that girl an NPC. Am I being racist? I shake my head.

"Whatever." By the time I look back at her, the girl has already stopped practicing and is staring directly at me, and judging by how close she is, I should have noticed her sooner. I'm only a few meters away from her. When did that happen?

"Who are you?" she asks, her voice surprisingly feminine despite the strong and intimidating vibe her build gives off. Should I say, I'm Lady Cecilia's butler. Nice to meet you? That would be the proper formal greeting, and I'm just about to introduce myself when— [Sovereign Composure activated.]"You look weak."

"..." Wait. What did I just say? I didn't want to say that. The expression on the girl's face changes almost immediately, and her previously calm expression is replaced by one of clear annoyance.

"What did you just say?" The cat is out of the bag anyway, so let's just continue the act.

"I say you look kinda weak, despite being a member of Rosenkreuz."

"First of all, who do you think you are to come uninvited into my house and say I'm weak? Looking at your appearance, you're clearly not a member of the family, nor are you one of the servants I recognize."

"My name is Edwin Mistborn. And you, miss?" If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. She seems to be contemplating whether to throw a shoe at my face or just attack me with a sword, but before she can do either, she opens her mouth and says,"Mira Rosenkreuz." Hm. I notice that she doesn't have a Von in her name, which means she's probably a member of a branch family, but what is she doing in the main house?

"Who do you serve?" she asks.

"I'm Lady Cecilia's butler." The moment she hears the name Cecilia, her expression immediately changes.

"Out." I tilt my head, not quite understanding the sudden change in her attitude.

"Get out of my house." Such animosity. Is there anyone who actually likes Cecilia? I think about it for a moment, but I honestly can't come up with anyone. Probably not.

"Anyway, I'm getting late, so I should probably head back." I turn around and start walking away, but I can still feel her watching my back, and she isn't exactly subtle about it. After walking a little farther, I stop and turn my head back toward her.

"Mira, do you happen to know where Lady Cecilia's place is?"

Tonight was the day of celebration, and the entire place was filled with activity. Yet the North Wing remained just like always, completely quiet, as if nothing was happening here at all. Everything that was going on was either in the West Wing or the East Wing. Currently, Cecilia was getting ready, and Bella was helping her with the styling. I was just sitting there, minding my own business on a simple chair. But there was one thing that was still occupying my mind, and that was my trait.

What happened yesterday with Mira made one thing clear to me, the traits I possess aren't normal after all. How could it make me say something that I didn't even want to say? I do have a theory about it, though. What if the trait doesn't actually make me do anything. What if it just makes me say what my core being truly wanted to say? Like a deep thought inside someone's mind.

A thought they might have had a hundred or even a thousand times before finally expressing it, but never actually realized they were thinking that way. Sovereign Composure is a skill that gives me the composure of a sovereign. Which means I act like a sovereign. And a sovereign doesn't have to think twice about talking to someone. So maybe the skill simply made me say what I was thinking, even though I didn't consciously know that I was thinking that way. It sounds absurd. Maybe that's how traits work.

Maybe they're supposed to be absurd. Maybe they're supposed to function in ways that don't make sense at first. But I still can't be sure. There's more to it, like how can it make me feel emotionally numb when I use it during a fight. I feel nothing. The harder I use it, the more emotionless I become. So are there any other effects of such a trait? Because I'm fighting a battle without feeling any pain, emotion, or anything of the sort, just a strange sense of calmness and concentration.

There has to be some kind of cost behind it. What if I'm already paying that cost, but I'm simply unable to understand what it is right now? There has to be something. I have to learn how to use these traits at will. I can't let something this dangerous activate on its own, especially on instinct or impulse. So while what happened with Mira may not lead to anything troublesome. But what if it happens with some important character? That's something I can't let happen.

But right now, I have no way of stopping it from activating or any way to master it. Then Cecilia and Bella came out of the dressing room. Cecilia was wearing a beautiful blue dress that reached the floor, with a fitted waist and a simple, elegant design. It made her look graceful and almost princess-like. Which was a weird thing to say, considering she was a princess. Bella had changed out of her usual maid outfit as well.

Since she would be accompanying Cecilia as her helper, she wore a neat black dress with a white blouse underneath. It suited her much better for the occasion and made her look more like an attendant than a maid. Compared to them, I looked like a monkey wearing a suit that I wear everyday. Noticing me staring at her, Bella's expression immediately became shy, and she avoided eye contact. Meanwhile, Cecilia just looked cold. She had been like this ever since she returned from her meeting with the senior steward.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Then Cecilia left the room, with Bella following closely behind. After a second, I followed them as well.

When we entered the ballroom, I was almost blinded by the brightness. The sheer amount of wealth on display nearly made my jaw drop. Huge chandeliers lit the room, gold decorations covered the walls, and expensive clothes and jewelry were everywhere. This is stupid. What the hell is this! This is really just a normal celebration for Cecilia's sibling?

"Look who's here." A strong, manly voice came from my right.

"Isn't that my dear little sister?" I turned and saw a tall young man dressed in an expensive black suit. He had a confident smile that was far too smug for my liking.

"Cecilia," he said, spreading his arms mockingly.

"You finally decided to show your face. I was beginning to wonder if you were too scared to attend." Cecilia's expression didn't change.

"Scared of what? If you're talking about being scared to look at your ugly face, then yes, I was scared, and rightfully so." His smile twitched.

"You haven't changed."

"I wish I could say the same for you, but somehow, you've become even uglier." And I wonder why no one likes her. She's calling a man like him ugly, so what was I back on Earth, Trash? Her brother's face tightened.

"Watch your tongue." Cecilia then moved closer to her brother and whispered, "Look around, brother. Do you want to embarrass yourself any further? Because I have no such thing to worry about." There were many people around us, including servants, family members, and even members from other branches of the family. He looked around, clearly embarrassed. Cecilia gave him one last cold glance.

"Now, if you're finished embarrassing yourself, go bother someone else." He stood there for a moment, unable to think of a response. His face reddened before he finally turned and walked away. Cecilia simply watched him leave, completely unfazed. I moved my face a little closer to Bella, earning another shy expression from her.

"Who was that?" She looked at me as if I had just asked her how to breathe.

"He was the 8th child of the Lord, Carl Von Rosenkreuz." Then, one by one, more members of the branch families started to appear. According to Bella, not everyone had been invited, only those who were in the good graces of the main family, along with those who had worked hard to stay on their good side. She was talking about them being a great ass-kisser. Then the main family members started to enter. I thought I would finally get to see all of them, but I was disappointed when only three appeared.

The first to enter was Freya Von Rosenkreuz, the lord's 5th child. Next came Leif Von Rosenkreuz, the lord's 7th child. Finally, walking closely behind them, came the lady of the hour, Roseline Von Rosenkreuz, the lord's 6th child. And shit, I could almost hear Cecilia grinding her teeth the moment Roseline entered. I was just praying to God to let this celebration end without any trouble. Did I just jinx myself?