Yunho stood awkwardly on the side of the event hall. He watched as people with twice his influence and established status socialized around the hall, conversing and gossiping among themselves.
This was apparently a networking soiree hosted by a Southern count named Winston to celebrate his discovery of a new ruby mine near the border. He had traveled up North to seek out and evaluate any potentially valuable lands. Since he only had roots in the South, he needed to make some connections in the region to make any future business collaborations easier. So, it was a gathering of mostly noble businesspeople, socialites, and their ladies.
Yunho, although he wanted to branch out and make some connections to make himself a harder target, only fit in at this party by name. He was still young and had no business experience of his own, unless you counted the volunteer work.
Plus, he did not want to make a fool of himself if he misinterpreted the social norms of this setting. As someone who was only a reader before transmigration, his only reference for manners was Irene in the novel before, and she was the main character, so certain things, of course, did not apply to her.
But even now, he'd hardly socialized outside the Evastine household's circle besides the villagers and now the Grand Duke.
It was an oddly mixed lot for what was basically baby's first social interactions.
His icy eyes glanced at a certain figure standing in a cluster near the center of the hall. The man responsible for his current predicament, who was currently preoccupied in conversation with what looked like a few other nobles, was the Northern Grand Duke.
Yunho secretly hoped that the Grand Duke could feel the stab of his stare, but it was also his fault for agreeing to come. But in his position, what sense would it have made for him to say no? He was still trying to get on the Duke's good side, and he couldn't exactly tell what terms they were on currently.
Yunho ran his tongue under his teeth.
How did he even get here again?
---
Three days ago—
Yunho absent-mindedly swirled his cup of tea in his hands. The porcelain felt cool in his grasp, and the tea had the fresh scent of lemons and something herbal yet sweet. However, Yunho wasn't really in a position to pay attention to either of these senses because his eyes were fixed on something far more important than tea varieties. A sight that had oddly become not too uncommon at the lodge these days.
He blinked and mentally jotted down:
"Note to Self: The Grand Duke WILL keep his word."
Because, surely enough, the Grand Duke wasn't joking when he said he'd drop by. And dropping by, he has. It'd been about two weeks since the Northern Grand Duke's initial meeting, and this was already the second time Yunho was welcoming him in. Yunho hadn't even been to a friend's birthday party in his original life, so these near-weekly (though it'd been less than half a month) visits from a man who could socially and physically smash him to smithereens were tiring.
Yunho sighed and took another sip of tea. He stole another glance at the imposing man sitting in the guest chair near him. The lukewarm liquid felt like a calming embrace for his tongue. Yunho still felt anxious, but the Duke's last visit was quite short and inconsequential. It was mostly just tea-drinking and basic information about the North that Yunho didn't know.
Yunho wanted to believe that the Grand Duke liked him somewhat, since if he didn't, he'd likely be faring far worse. But Yunho still wasn't completely sure.
Dorian was just a side character in the novel. An important side character, but still one nonetheless. The book mostly wrote him only in conjunction with someone else, so Yunho still did not have as good a sense of him as a character as he did with Irene or about him on a day-to-day level, like he knew about the servants.
"Is it true that you haven't had your official debut yet?"
Yunho perked up at the question. It took his brain a second to process before his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Had Iris?
Yunho remembered the book mentioning that Irene never had an official debut as a lady, even though she already reached 17, but he didn't remember if Iris had one.
Yunho tried hard to remember, but his head throbbed with one thought:
"Was it just not mentioned...or am I starting to forget the novel?"
It would be such a minuscule detail; even if he'd just finished the book, he still may not know. But Yunho hadn't even thought about that possibility. He was too caught up in fate, reputation, and survival, but what if he forgot what came next?
Now, his previous life and the novel storyline were still relatively fresh in his mind, but in a year, 5 years, or a decade, would he still know... But is he supposed to? The book plot doesn't last that long. What would happen when the last page is reached?
Yunho shook the thoughts away. This wasn't the time to overthink.
"Focus. It's more suspicious to stay silent. If he's asking like that, then the answer's probably no."
Yunho looked up and shook his head.
"No, I haven't. It was never gotten around to."
The Grand Duke nodded and lifted his eyebrows.
"Hm, I see. That makes sense now... "
Yunho cocked his head at this, silver strands brushing against his brow. He blew a soft puff of air towards them, sending them back to their place.
"What makes sense, Your Grace?"
"Well, I was recently visited by a count as an invitation to an upcoming event of his. It's a networking event for his own business reasons, so he seemed keen on inviting any nobles (and some merchants) in the area that'd attend." The Grand Duke started.
"Yet, when I brought you up in passing, the man didn't seem to be familiar with you besides the Evastine and some common gossip. Since he's also from the South, I found this interesting. Even if you've aged out of having a party, you're still a good age to independently socially debut. Especially if you mean to establish some foundations outside your familial connections."
Yunho nodded.
"Yes, I was hoping to use this time away from home to gain a new perspective and some connections. But it's a bit hard since I'm not really acquainted with anyone. So, invites are hard to come by."
Even though this was more Iris's fault than his. Yunho still felt embarrassed about admitting his lack of friends.
The Northern Grand Duke hummed in acknowledgement.
"Well, that's convenient. That event I mentioned before, plus ones are encouraged..."
He looked up and smiled.
"So will you accompany me?"
Yunho's eyes widened, and he subconsciously gestured towards himself in disbelief.
There's no way the Grand Duke didn't have any better options.
So why him?
But... an event that even the Grand Duke would be at must have some other important people...
Yunho had previously planned to meet some people at Irene's High Priestess debut party, but he had gotten too caught up in tracking down Irene to see her first meeting with the Crown Prince.
He didn't get to talk to anyone that night, except the Grand Duke, and that wasn't exactly a fated encounter.
So, this opportunity was coming at a perfect time with the perfect messenger (in theory).
Yunho took another sip of tea. The mixture was now cold, but Yunho didn't mind it.
He raised his head and answered, "Your Grace, I'd be happy to be your plus one."
A slight smile made itself known on Dorian's lips.
"Well, alright, it's in three days in the evening. I'll be dropping by when it's time. You don't have to bother yourself with the issue of transport."
Then, the man took another sip of tea.
"Is it good, sir?"
Yunho didn't know why he suddenly asked this, but the silence felt awkward.
The Grand Duke looked up, and a slightly complicated expression flashed in his ruby eyes, a telltale sign of the royal blood that ran through his veins.
"A western sweet blend. Classic. It's quite enjoyable. The Duke replied.
And that was that.
Yunho nodded in acknowledgement, and silence claimed the airwaves once again.
...
The Northern Grand Duke left soon after, leaving only a note in Yunho's care that detailed some information about the event.
Yunho felt the crinkled texture of the parchment between his fingers.
"Three days..."
---
Dorian sat at the desk in his office. A stack of paper sat patiently on the wooden surface, waiting to be waded through and thoroughly read.
But the Duke was preoccupied with a different thought besides his impending workload right now.
According to his sources, which had been previously credible, the young master of Evastine had had a debut. The year he turned 17 years of age.
It was just a small one since Iris apparently had gotten ill, but it was too late to reschedule.
Dorian had only asked to confirm out of an inexplicable curiosity...
But why would Iris say he hadn't?
Was he purposely lying, or was his informant misinformed? But they've mostly been accurate before.
Or did Iris truly not remember even two years ago?
He had heard that the Evastine young master had changed due to his recent illness, so it wasn't impossible. But to such an extent...
And why did he look so frightened when he asked?
Dorian tapped his finger on the desk.
Maybe the attraction he felt wasn't only due to his unpredictability...
Maybe there was something else at play.
The stack of papers grabbed his attention again as he reached out a gloved hand to grab the top ones.
Flipping through the pages, he muttered to himself:
"Three days..."
---
End of chapter 26