Volume 2 Chapter 14 The Great Villain Of The World, Attends The Royal Banquet Iii - In The Waiting Room -
──Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Seirei and Hakuyou are──
('Heaven-Earth Guidance Technique'──'Grace of the Swaying Willow (Willow trees that deflect and accept the wind)')
Seirei murmured without speaking out loud.
"──Seirei-sama!?"
In front of Hakuyou, Seirei's presence started to fade away.
Not believing what she was seeing, she rubbed her eyes.
Seirei was next to Hakuyou. But her presence was weak.
It was as if she were a tree placed against the wall.
The waiting room had large windows that allowed a view of the courtyard.
From there, the trees decorating the courtyard could be seen.
Seirei seemed to blend in with the scenery, as if she were part of those trees.
"Is this the power of Hou-sama and Seirei-sama...?"
Hakuyou also knew that Tenhou and Seirei were learning the guidance technique.
Because of that, Tenhou had gained 'ki' energy.
With Kairyou's help, he had achieved great feats, driving back foreign tribes.
But she never imagined that Seirei would have such power as well.
Of course, Seirei hadn't completely erased her presence. She had just made it weaker.
However, in such a crowded place, it was quite significant.
A weak presence could easily get lost in the noise of conversations and the crowd. The people around her would find it hard to notice her existence.
Seirei can quietly observe people.
(A-anyway, Hakuyou has to fulfill her duty.)
She remembers the conversation they had before entering the waiting room.
Seirei had told Hakuyou, "If anyone has anything to do with the Kou family, please let me know."
Hakuyou must follow her instructions.
Still, Seirei's growth is hard to believe.
Seirei is just standing by the wall.
Her posture is natural and, in a way, even elegant.
Just like that, Seirei blends into the scenery.
Like one of the trees placed against the wall in the waiting room.
Yet, Seirei's eyes are carefully observing her surroundings.
──The nobles who are chatting.
──The officials and military personnel who are patrolling.
──The elegantly dressed women.
Seirei's eyes quietly watch everyone in the waiting room and everything that is happening.
Most of the people in the waiting room are women.
They are likely relatives of those attending the meeting.
It seems that Gyokushi is not the only one who thinks of this as a social gathering.
"Seirei-sama. His Royal Highness the King's younger brother's daughter has arrived."
Suddenly, Hakuyou called out to Seirei.
She saw a new girl entering the room.
From the conversations around her, Hakuyou concluded that this was Ryougen-kun's daughter.
"...suu."
Seirei took a deep breath.
She bent her body like a tree and bowed.
Right after that, Ryougen-kun's daughter noticed Seirei and stopped in her tracks.
"Well, how cute!"
Ryougen-kun's daughter smiled at Seirei.
"I'm sorry. I didn't notice you there. You are..."
"I'm General Skybear Kou Eishin's adopted child, Ryuu Seirei."
"Seirei-sama! Oh, it's you!"
Ryougen-kun's daughter and her maids turned to face Seirei.
"I'm Ai Hakusho's youngest daughter, Yuuri. I've heard about you and your brother from my father."
"Thank you for your polite greeting."
Seirei bowed deeply.
"If Yuuri-sama remembers my name, my brother will be happy too."
"Seirei-sama."
"Yes, Yuuri-sama."
"If I said I know your situation, would you get angry?"
Yuuri looked apologetic, lowering her eyes.
"I'm sorry. When you and Kou Eishin-sama were at my father's place, I overheard the conversation. That's why I've been thinking about you ever since."
Hakuyou listened to their exchange while kneeling.
Yuuri is one of Ryougen-kun's daughters.
She is about the same age as Seirei.
Being the youngest daughter, she is said to be especially cherished.
It was surprising that Yuuri was concerned about Seirei.
Yuuri is the daughter of the king's brother, and Seirei is the adopted daughter of 'General Skybear.' Their statuses are different.
Still, the reason Yuuri spoke to Seirei was──
(...Did Hou-sama bring them together?)
When Tenhou learned that Seirei had been kidnapped, he was ready to face punishment and borrowed Ryougen-kun's power.
After that, he became a disciple of Ryougen-kun's subordinate.
With the martial arts he learned, he protected the northern lands and brought back a rare talent from Souma Country──Gen Shuuyoku.
It seems that Tenhou is a topic of conversation even in Ryougen-kun's household.
That's why Yuuri became interested in Seirei.
"I asked my father many times to let me meet you. But he told me to wait for the right time... I'm really happy to meet you here."
"I-I'm honored, Yuuri-sama."
"I hope we can have a calm conversation someday."
Yuuri's words made Seirei's eyes widen.
"Yes. If there's a chance, I would love that."
"Hehe. Well then, excuse me."
Saying that, Yuuri left Seirei's side.
When she noticed, all the people's gazes were focused on Seirei.
Of course.
Yuuri, being Ryougen-kun's daughter, holds the highest status in this place.
It's unusual for someone like her to speak to Seirei first.
Everyone must have looked at Seirei with respect.
After bowing to those people, Seirei moved to another spot.
And──
(...'Grace of the Swaying Willow')
──she once again faded into the background.
People looked puzzled... and then quickly lost interest, turning their gaze away from Seirei.
Then they began to gather around Yuuri.
(Seirei-sama, that's amazing. No, maybe it's Hou-sama who's amazing...)
It was probably Tenhou who taught Seirei how to lessen her presence.
Seirei faithfully follows that advice.
By doing so, she observes people and figures out who she should talk to.
"──Oh, it seems we have some beautiful ladies here."
Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the hall.
The speaker was a young man.
From his clothing, he seemed to be a noble, likely of high rank.
The man passed by Seirei without looking at her.
Seirei listened closely to the conversations around her.
She picked up information about the man and quietly repeated it to remember.
"...Chou Shoukatsu-sama. He is also the son of 'General of the Devoted Cavalry' Chou Sekimei-sama, who is related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... right?"
"I don't think you need to force yourself to talk to him."
Hakuyou replied in a low voice.
"Hou-sama said, 'Until I arrive, try not to show your beautiful appearance as much as possible.' I think Hou-sama was afraid that Seirei-sama's beauty would attract men."
"...I'm happy to be called beautiful by my brother."
Seirei's breathing became slightly uneven.
But she quickly steadied her breath,
"Is Chou Shoukatsu-sama someone we should be careful of?"
"Well, it seems like... he's talking to women all over the place."
Hakuyou was right.
Chou Shoukatsu was approaching the women in the waiting room and talking to them.
Moreover, he was standing really close.
The reason the women didn't reject him was probably because Chou Shoukatsu's father was a general and related to the Crown Prince.
The only one he didn't approach was Yuuri, Ryougen-kun's daughter.
It was as if he was gathering people in the hall, dividing them with Yuuri.
It seemed that Seirei was dealing with a difficult person.
"I guess I should stay away from that guy."
Seirei muttered quietly.
"I wanted to practice socializing for the Kou family."
"Socializing isn't just about talking. Observing the personalities of the attendees is also an important job, I think."
"I understand."
Seirei continued to observe the people in the hall while keeping a low profile.
Seeing Seirei like that, Hakuyou let out a breath as if she was moved.
(Seirei-sama has... become stronger.)
I decided to be Seirei-sama's shield── and with that resolve, Hakuyou steeled herself.
Before, Hakuyou couldn't protect Seirei.
Even though the opponent was a martial artist, she had let Seirei, who she should have protected, be taken away by her uncle──Ryuu Gen.
That left a deep scar in Hakuyou's heart.
So this time, no matter what happened, she was determined to protect Seirei.
By any means necessary.
To do that, she wouldn't mind being punished or even taking her own life──She's prepared for that much.
But, it wasn't necessary.
Seirei skillfully created and erased her presence repeatedly.
She talked to those who needed her and avoided those who were dangerous.
As Hakuyou was moved by Seirei's actions──
"...Oops."
Chou Shoukatsu bumped into someone and stumbled.
He was coming straight toward Seirei.
At this rate, he would collide with her.
Hakuyou instinctively stepped in.
However, their sizes were too different.
If this continued, Chou Shoukatsu's shoulder would touch Seirei. If that happened, he would notice her presence.
To prevent that, Hakuyou had no choice but to push Chou Shoukatsu aside.
Of course, it would be rude for Hakuyou, as a servant, to touch Chou Shoukatsu's body.
But, she was determined.
As she prepared for punishment, just as Hakuyou was about to push Chou Shoukatsu──
('Heaven-Earth Guidance Technique'──'Thicket of Dense Shrubs (A low-growing tree with branches reaching down to the ground)')
──In the next moment, Seirei further weakened her presence and knelt down.
Immediately after, a noble entered the hall.
No one had noticed the person's arrival yet, but Seirei was aware.
She was observing her surroundings that carefully.
Chou Shoukatsu, who bumped into Hakuyou, didn't notice or touch the kneeling Seirei.
He simply said "Ah" to Hakuyou.
Arriving late to Seirei by a few seconds, he noticed the nobles who had come to the hall.
Everyone in the hall, too.
They all knelt at once.
The noble who came to check on the waiting room──The brother of the king, Ryougen-kun.
"I'm sorry. It seems I've interrupted a fun gathering."
Ryougen chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head.
Then he looked at Chou Shoukatsu.
"But Shoukatsu, don't you think you've gone a bit overboard?"
"Th-this is... Your Royal Highness the King's younger brother."
"It looked like you were calling out to women randomly, didn't it?"
"...Well, that's..."
Shoukatsu, who was glared at, started to panic.
"I thought it was a good opportunity to expand my connections with many people."
"I understand that. But this is a place to enjoy socializing. You shouldn't trouble everyone."
"No, I'm just asking everyone for wishes for my father."
Chou Shoukatsu bowed and said,
"Please, with everyone's cooperation, let us defend the northern lands──"
"This is not a place to propose military matters, Shoukatsu."
"...Ugh."
"If you have an opinion, it would be better to present it through your father. If it's reasonable, I will lend my support to make it happen. How about that?"
"...Understood. Then, I will take my leave!"
With that, Shoukatsu exited the waiting room.
Ryougen looked around at everyone, clapped his hands, and said,
"I'm sorry for the disturbance. Please, continue your conversation."
With those words as a signal, women carrying tea sets began to approach.
"I'm glad I got some good tea, so I came to share it with everyone. Did I interrupt your conversation?"
"Thank you very much, Father."
Yuuri approaches Ryougen-kun.
"You really helped me. Shoukatsu-sama doesn't let everyone go easily. But... I wonder if it's okay for me to interrupt..."
"Well, if it's someone from the Chou family, there's not much we can do."
"More importantly, Father, there's someone I want to be friends with."
Yuuri says cheerfully,
"You mentioned them before, right? The Kou family... Oh? Where's Seirei-sama?"
"Is Kou Tenhou's younger sister here?"
"Yes. But I can't see her. Has she already gone home?"
"Look closely. Isn't there a servant from the Kou family over there?"
Kneeling, Hakuyou trembles slightly.
She never expected Ryougen-kun to know about her.
"Ryuu Seirei is right next to her. Didn't you notice?"
"Really~? I'm so glad~! I thought she had gone home..."
"I apologize. Your Royal Highness the King's younger brother. Yuuri-sama."
With her face down, Seirei replies.
She already has a strong presence.
Her ability to blend in with the surroundings didn't work on Ryougen-kun.
That's probably because Ryougen-kun is someone who is interested in people and observes them well.
To Ryougen-kun, Seirei says,
"I'm feeling a bit shy in front of the noble people... I was shrinking back."
"That's a smart response."
"...Especially in front of someone like Shoukatsu, it's a very wise decision," Ryougen-kun adds in a low voice.
Then, Ryougen-kun clears his throat and says,
"That's enough. Lift your head."
"Y-yes."
"That was a wonderful response. As expected of Kou Tenhou's sister. You seem to understand how to behave in such situations well."
"Thank you very much."
"I personally dislike these formal occasions, though."
Yuuri shrugs her shoulders.
Ryougen-kun smiles wryly and says,
"Learning manners in a setting like this is important. Yuuri, you should take after Ryuu Seirei."
"Then, may I invite Seirei-sama to our mansion?"
Yuuri has a mischievous expression and says,
"If I talk a lot, I can learn from Seirei-sama too, right? Plus, I want to be friends with Seirei-sama. Right, Father?"
"That's fine. I'll send an invitation later."
"Thank you, Father!"
Saying that, Yuuri took Seirei's hand.
"Please do come. I need... trustworthy friends."
"Y-yes, Yuuri-sama."
"I'm not as good as Father, but I believe I have a good eye for people."
Yuuri says seriously,
"Also, considering the achievements of the Kou family, it's necessary for me to be friends with you. First, let's talk a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the mansion, Seirei-sama."
"Well then, Ryuu Seirei. See you later."
Ryougen-kun and Yuuri started walking to meet the people.
(...That was impressive. Seirei-sama)
Hakuyou was trembling with emotion.
What Tenhou and Gyokushi suggested to Seirei was to observe people.
Talk to the necessary people and, on top of that, avoid danger.
Seirei handled it perfectly.
Moreover, she gained the favor of Ryougen-kun's youngest daughter.
Yuuri declared in front of everyone that she wanted to become close friends with Seirei.
Everyone in the hall was watching this scene. This was big.
Considering the influence of Ryougen-kun and Yuuri, those around them could no longer treat Seirei carelessly.
Even if that person was royalty.
Yuuri becoming friends with Seirei meant that she would gain a powerful supporter.
Furthermore, Seirei would learn social skills under Yuuri and be able to make good acquaintances.
Seirei would fulfill her social role more than enough.
(Eishin-sama, Kairyou-sama. While you were away... it seems that Hou-sama and Seirei-sama have been doing wonderful work...)
While following Seirei, Hakuyou murmured such thoughts.
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