The Rogue Variable and the Golden Buffoon

I didn’t exactly find my striking appearance a nuisance, as I figured the benefits usually outweighed the costs. However, seeing the endless stream of people flocking toward me simply because of my face began to grate on my nerves. A relatively composed Elliot rescued me once or twice, but even that had its limits.

“The life of a popular person is a weary one. Hang in there.”

“I can’t tell if you’re comforting me or mocking me.”

“Oh, I’m definitely mocking you.”

Infuriating. I glared at him, but Elliot didn’t so much as blink. If he was already this shameless at this age, I dreaded to see what he’d become when he grew up.

With the crowd so thick, I wondered if the Third Prince would even be able to approach. Fortunately, staying within his general orbit paid off—the distance between us was steadily shrinking. Catching a glimpse of that brilliant blond hair nearby, I figured it was finally time for a “natural” encounter.

No mistakes. Don’t think of him as just a kid. You can do this. It wasn’t that I needed him; it was that he needed me. As I performed this mental conditioning, I weighed the most effective way to approach. It was dangerous, certainly, but only those who risk greatly can gain greatly.

However, my resolve was snapped by a hand grabbing my sleeve. Damn it, again?

“Excuse me—huff—excuse me… Edwill.”

“Hello, Luxteel. We meet again.”

The person who had pushed through the crowd to grab me was Elizabeth Luxteel. Unlike her grip, which felt like it might tear my sleeve off, her eyes were darting around anxiously. Biting her lip, Elizabeth clung to me with a look on her face as if she were about to burst into tears.

“Could… could we talk for just a moment?”

“Is it urgent?”

When I tried to gently decline, Elizabeth began to fidget, practically stamping her feet in distress.

“It’s urgent. Very urgent. I’m sorry for stopping you when you’re busy. But it’s very, very important. Could you please give me just a moment of your time?”

“One second.”

Elliot, who knew I had been looking for a girl with purple hair, was already watching us with keen interest. There was no need to feed him more gossip than necessary.

“Elliot. Give me a moment…”

“Sure, sure. Romance is important, too. Don’t worry about it.”

His smirking face was suspicious, but I had no choice. Elliot seemed convinced that Elizabeth Luxteel was the girl I had been searching for. At this rate, the whole Empire was going to hear about it.

After confirming that Elliot and Lucia were moving toward the Third Prince, I headed to a quiet corner with Elizabeth. Slipping out to the terrace would have been safer, but I was uneasy about letting the Third Prince out of my sight. Still, the Elliot-Lucia duo was reliable. I didn’t doubt they could stall for time. But just in case, I had to be ready to jump back in at a moment’s notice.

“What’s the matter?”

Elizabeth squeezed and released the fabric of her skirt, clearly at a loss. She and Cici were relatives, after all; it seemed they shared the same nervous habits.

“Is it… true? That you… gave Cici… the necklace?”

“Uh… yes, that’s right.”

I wondered why she was asking. To my surprise, Elizabeth’s face turned deathly pale at my answer. She looked so shocked it was a miracle she was still standing.

“Are you… sincere… about her?”

Sincere? I couldn’t understand what she was getting at. Sincere? Did she mean to ask if my gift to Cici was some kind of prank to bully her? Come to think of it, I still hadn’t heard Cici’s real name. Elizabeth had denied it once, but the thought crossed my mind again that the girl might truly be an illegitimate child. I felt a bit sour, but if she was acting this way because she cherished and worried for Cici, I could understand.

“I don’t give gifts if I’m not sincere.”

“…….”

“I get that you’re, well, worried. But my intentions weren’t—I mean, I wasn’t trying to play a joke on Cici.”

“Sin… sincerely.”

“Yes.”

Elizabeth let out a sound like she was about to faint. I thought I heard her gasp “My God,” or perhaps it was a curse. She might have been calling out to the heavens. She looked ready to pull her own hair out, so I reached out and gently took her hands to lower them.

“Calm down. You’ll be upset if your hair gets ruined after all that work.”

“…Thank you.”

You’re… kind. Yes. Kind and gentle… I see. Muttering to herself, Elizabeth suddenly grabbed my hand tightly.

“The Cici you are sincere about—is it the Cici in a dress?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if it’s the Cici wearing a dress.”

What would she be wearing if not a dress? I thought she was joking, but her expression was deadly serious. When I nodded, she whispered, “Right… of course.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing.”

“It’s just… it’s all my fault.”

I should have listened to Luna. Speaking weakly, Elizabeth unfastened her own necklace and handed it to me. Fearful that I might refuse, she pressed it into my hand and folded my fingers over it, meeting my eyes with gravity.

“Listen carefully, Edwill. That child… Cici is certainly cute and lovely, but it’s not always like that.”

“What?”

“Listen well. This might be something you need to hear one day. Usually, that child seems a bit… spaced out, but that’s not the case at all. On the contrary, their mind is always full of thoughts.”

Elizabeth pressed her index finger to my lips, scanning our surroundings as she lowered her voice. Finally, she untied a nearby curtain cord, letting the fabric fall to shield us from view.

“There is ambition. A lot of it, actually. Once they decide to do something, they do it. It took only two weeks for someone who had never even touched a string instrument to receive praise from their aunt.”

I honestly couldn’t tell if this was a compliment or an insult. I was starting to wonder if the Cici she was talking about was the same Cici I knew.

“And…”

And?

“The attachment to what belongs to them is a bit… no, extremely intense.”

Elizabeth grabbed my hand—and the necklace within it—tightly once more, as if demanding a vow.

“When the time comes. If there ever comes a moment where you want to take back today’s choice. Tell them you want to make a trade using this.”

“A trade?”

“They won’t give up, but they will accept it. Because they have to.”

“I really… don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Just! Just remember it. I hope you never have to use it either. Ideally, everything will be resolved peacefully. But if… if you ever regret today, I bear responsibility for that too.”

All I had done was give a necklace as an apology. Her reaction was impossible to fathom, but for now, I tucked the necklace safely into the inner pocket of my jacket.

“Your dress is wrinkled.”

“Thanks for noticing.”

The moment we stepped out from the curtains, a fanfare announced the entry of the Second Prince. The timing was impeccable.

Elizabeth vanished quickly, acting as if nothing had happened. Something was definitely off. I’d have to consult with Erkel once the banquet was over.

Following the Third Prince, the Second Prince had arrived. With two members of the imperial family in the hall, the attention on me finally dissipated. Looking at him again, his hair color was truly striking.

Elliot had harshly appraised him as a “clueless moron,” and my own opinion of the Second Prince wasn’t much better. He didn’t hide his grin, clearly satisfied with being the center of attention. While he wasn’t exactly ugly, he had a face that didn’t inspire much liking. I reconfirmed that my judgment was correct. This one was “disposable.” It was hard to believe he was only a year apart from the Crown Prince.

“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Llewellyn Edwill.”

Smiling didn’t even require much effort anymore. As my lips curled naturally and my eyes crinkled, the Third Prince smiled back.

“I was actually looking for you. Since everyone was talking about Edwill, I couldn’t help but be curious.”

I listened quietly as he naturally flattered me. If he was opening his mouth to win my favor, I saw no reason to show unnecessary humility.

“I am flattered.”

“Above all, are you not my brother’s friend? I’ve heard many times that you are close with Erkel.”

“You seem to pay quite a bit of attention.”

“Of course. That child is my family. And the Edwill siblings are quite famous for being close-knit as well.”

Close-knit is an understatement; they’re obsessive.

With Elliot, Lucia, and the Third Prince gathered, the laughter never stopped, but it didn’t feel like a conversation between children. Elliot pushed the dialogue to a daringly political level, and Lucia skillfully reined it in to shift the mood. They hadn’t even rehearsed this, yet their chemistry was perfect. If those two set their minds to it, conquering high society would be trivial. In fact, Lucia was already the center of our peer group.

I suddenly thought of Aiden, who couldn’t decide between a custard puff or a chocolate puff, and Lewis, who agonized over his birthday present. They were annoying, but they had their cute sides. Children should be a bit like that.

“Then…”

“Well, well.”

I froze mid-sentence as a hand dropped onto my shoulder. What is this?

I didn’t need to turn my head to identify the owner of the hand. The sound of a smirk approached, followed by a greasy, smug face leaning into my view. A waft of wine from a recent drink and sky-blue hair. There was no mistaking that color. The cat abuser grinned wickedly.

“Brother.”

The Third Prince, failing to mask his expression, addressed him. It was a subtle rebuke that such behavior was rude even for a prince, but the Second Prince acted as if he hadn’t heard. He simply moved his hand to my other shoulder and wrapped his arm around me.

“Ah, so this is that Edwill boy.”