The thunderous applause refused to die down, while Russell and Mary moved like two partners who'd worked together for years.
After finishing their acknowledgements, the two of them withdrew in perfect tacit understanding, returning the center of the floor to the guests still dazed by what they'd just witnessed.
Charlotte set down the violin as well, handed it back to the poor man who was still in a stupor, and stepped off the stage.
Her face showed no particular expression—only, when she looked at Russell, her lips formed a silent word:
"Boring."
Russell understood. He could only answer with a helpless smile.
Just as he was about to find somewhere to sit, catch his breath, and refill some energy, a voice steeped in tightly leashed rage sounded behind him—utterly out of place.
"You've certainly stolen the spotlight tonight, Mr. Watson."
Russell halted and turned.
Timmy Roy stood behind him, the smile that usually lived on his face completely gone.
Those eyes that were always brimming with arrogance were now fixed on Russell as if they might spit fire.
"It was just a dance," Russell said, calmly popping a cookie into his mouth. "Hardly what I'd call a 'big' moment."
"As the host of the party, surely Mr. Roy is the true star tonight, isn't he?"
"Yes. The host." Timmy Roy laughed—sharp, humorless.
He stepped closer, deliberately lowering his voice to a level only the two of them could hear.
"A country bumpkin without even an invitation dares to steal the limelight at a party I'm hosting."
"Should I praise your courage… or call you suicidal?"
[Timmy Roy is furious at your appearance and your attention-grabbing behavior. Malice +50]
Russell unhurriedly swallowed the last bite, brushed the crumbs from his hands, and kept that harmless smile on his face.
"Come now. I'm an Imperial College student too, aren't I?"
"This is a freshman mixer. If others can attend—why can't I?"
He posed it as a simple question.
Timmy Roy's expression darkened further.
Two days ago, this guy had swallowed every provocation without resistance. Now he was acting like an entirely different person.
"Don't tell me you think that because you danced with Mary Morstan, she's your backing—so I can't touch you."
His tone dripped with mockery.
"You really believe Duke Morstan—Mary's father—would ever look twice at some nobody with no background?"
"But I danced with Mary Morstan." Russell lifted a glass of lemon water and took two slow sips.
"So what? It was just a dance. A bit of pity. Charity, that's all."
"I held her hand," Russell continued evenly. "Her hand was soft. And a little cold."
"I already told you—it was charity. She felt sorry for you, that's all you are: someone nobody cares about!"
"Oh. And I put my arm around her waist." Russell's tone stayed mild, almost conversational. "Her waist is very slim, you know?"
"You… You can only use garbage like that to brag. Do you have anything else worth mentioning at all?"
"She was waiting for me."
"You—!"
[Timmy Roy has panicked. Malice +70]
He finally snapped.
Timmy Roy surged forward and grabbed Russell by the collar.
In an instant, every eye turned toward them.
But Timmy Roy no longer cared. His fist clenched in Russell's clothing, his stare hungry enough to tear flesh.
"I'd say it's not a great idea to get physical in public, Mr. Roy," Russell said, still smiling.
"Can't we talk like civilized people?"
"Talk your—!"
[Timmy Roy is preparing to beat you severely. Malice +20]
The words hadn't even finished falling when Timmy Roy drove a punch straight at Russell's face.
Russell merely tilted his head and let the blow sail past.
That was all?
To him, it didn't even qualify as a street brawl.
As the fist missed, Russell caught Timmy Roy's extended arm in one hand, stepped in, and flowed behind him.
Then he seized the back of Timmy Roy's head and slammed it down into a glass bowl brimming with red wine.
"Pfft—!"
Dark crimson flooded over Timmy Roy's hair and face, making it look as though his head had been split open.
Wine streamed down in rivulets, soaking and staining the bespoke suit he'd had made specifically for tonight.
The onlookers stared, eyes blown wide.
In the corner, Charlotte—who'd been watching like it was theater—finally looked genuinely interested, her eyes brightening as if something entertaining had at last begun.
"RUSSELL WATSON!"
Timmy Roy roared, then lunged like an animal.
Against that wild, shapeless attack, Russell didn't even bother to look at him properly.
He simply kept retreating.
Step after step—always retreating—never striking back.
Using Timmy Roy's forward rush as cover, Russell backed deliberately toward a few specific figures in the crowd.
And then—very casually—
he let the love letters hidden in his pocket slip free and flutter down.
The entire sequence was smooth and seamless, without the slightest whiff of performance—carefully arranged, perfectly comprehensive.
Every girl Timmy Roy had been flirting with got one.
Nobody came for nothing.
By the time the last letter had been "delivered," Russell decided it was enough. He stepped into the center of the hall.
Like a matador, he crooked a finger at Timmy Roy.
Timmy Roy's eyes were bloodshot. Whatever reason he had left had already been burned to ash by rage.
He roared like an enraged bull—and charged again.
The guests let out a stifled gasp and hurriedly backed away, leaving a wider arena at the center of the hall.
[Timmy Roy's fury has reached its peak. Malice +80]
Russell's face still wore that calm, unhurried smile.
At the exact moment Timmy Roy's massive fist was about to crash into his face—
Russell moved.
He caught Timmy Roy's arm, stopping him dead—refusing to let him advance even half a step.
Still, Russell didn't strike back.
He simply restrained him, no matter how Timmy Roy struggled.
And then—
"Timmy? What does this letter mean? What exactly are you and Isabella?"
A female voice—confused and furious—cut through the air.
In the crowd, Annie Brown clutched a sheet of stationery she'd just picked up from the floor, her face drained of color.
That voice was a signal flare.
Immediately, a second voice, then a third, rose in succession.
Annie Brown. Isabella White. Joey Carter…
They lifted the letters in their hands—each line intimate, each stroke apparently filled with the writer's devotion.
A sincere love letter like this should have been enough to make any girl who received it cry with emotion—
provided the name in it was hers.
And not another woman's.
Annie Brown ripped the letter in her hands into shreds, her face dark, and stepped forward.
Under Timmy Roy's stunned stare, the girl raised her hand.
"Slap!"
The crack rang out—loud, sharp—like the drumbeat that announced the second act had begun.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (123 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (110 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (780Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (165 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (115 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (125 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (120 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (54Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (76 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (63 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (83 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (70 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (70 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (80 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (75 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (60 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (80 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it