SLDS 13

The office door opened, and one more attendant came in. In his arms was a pile of parchments tied with string. Cecil expected them to naturally go to Alexis’s desk, but to his surprise, the attendant’s steps were directed toward him.

“What’s this?”

As the pile of parchments came tumbling onto his desk, a blunt word immediately popped out of Cecil’s mouth. The attendant stammered as he delivered the message.

“Well… it’s about the preparations for the upcoming debutante ball. It seems you will have to take charge of it, Mr. Cecil.”

“The debutante ball? I thought that was under the jurisdiction of the Empress’s palace.”

“Her Majesty the Empress is bedridden, so she says it will be difficult for her to prepare for the ball. She has entrusted everything to His Highness Alexis, but as you know, His Highness is already in charge of so much work… His Highness said it would be best for you to do it, Mr. Cecil…”

The attendant, painstakingly relaying the words he had heard, was sweating profusely, looking pitiful. His shoulders were naturally slumped from having to be mindful of everyone’s moods.

“Are you sure he ordered me to do it?”

“Yes. How could I tell a lie?”

Cecil quickly grasped the situation.

His mother had used her poor health as an excuse to pass the event onto the busy Alexis, and Alexis, in turn, passed it on to him. It was probably because he had prepared a banquet before.

There was no way Alexis trusted him. This was a kind of test.

If he prepared this debutante ball without a hitch, it would reveal that he possessed outstanding abilities, and Alexis would become even more wary of him.

Even if he were to mess it up, Alexis would suffer no loss. It would only prove that Cecil’s abilities were still lacking and that he was far from ready to be entrusted with major tasks.

Losing the Emperor’s trust didn’t matter, but the problem was that he would also lose Alexis’s trust. If he messed up the debutante ball, he would never rely on him in the future.

“…Whatever happens, there’s nothing in it for me.”

Cecil crossed his arms and glared at the innocent pile of parchments. He had to constantly rack his brain and weigh the outcomes of his choices.

Then, he abruptly sat up straight and picked up a parchment. He untied the leather string and began to unfurl the scroll paper that was wrapped around a wooden roller.

The debutante ball had traditionally been hosted by the Empress, so Cecil knew nothing about it. Since he was taking over in the middle of it, he thought he could just add a little to what had already been prepared…

As Cecil read through the contents, the corners of his eyes twitched violently. His expression became much grimmer than before.

Cecil unrolled another parchment. It was no different. All that was written was a formal framework; the content was almost nonexistent.

“Did you bring these correctly?”

“…These are all the materials we received from the Empress’s palace. It’s true.”

The attendant replied, thoroughly intimidated. As he sent a sorrowful gaze, pleading for Cecil to understand his innocence, Cecil pressed his forehead and collapsed back into his chair.

“She’s really determined.”

At this point, it was clear that the materials had been intentionally omitted. It was obvious she intended to put Alexis in a difficult position. Did she know that the scheme had missed its target and been passed on entirely to her own son?

Cecil gently rubbed the space between his furrowed brows. From surveying the number of participants to calculating the budget and sending out invitations. Since nothing was prepared, his vision already grew dark.

A sigh automatically escaped his open mouth.

“How many days are left until the debutante ball?”

“Ten days from now.”

“Wow, this is crazy.”

Hearing the attendant’s words, his listless body shot up. There was no time to hesitate or even to sigh.

Cecil took out a smooth sheet of paper from a drawer and dipped a quill pen deep into a black inkwell. Then, he began to write in one go.

“Go to the archives immediately and get everything written here.”

The attendant was aghast. The list written on the paper was endless.

“All of this?”

“Don’t miss anything, bring it all. And contact the Royal Chief Treasurer and tell him to clear his schedule for tomorrow morning. Tell him to postpone any prior appointments as this is urgent.”

The attendant nodded his head quickly. As the previously idle man suddenly changed his attitude, he too felt a sense of urgency.

After the attendant left the office with quick steps, Cecil ordered all of his own attendants to be summoned. The command was so sharp that the Crown Prince’s attendants had no choice but to obey it promptly.

It was about an hour later when Alexis came out of the reception room.

The discussion about the knight order had taken longer than expected, causing a considerable delay. Though his steps were somewhat hurried, his expression was quite bright.

He was inwardly curious as to how his dear younger brother was handling the crisis, and an undeniable amusement was spreading across his lips.

The doorman saw the approaching Crown Prince, saluted, and promptly opened the office door. Alexis, who had naturally taken a step inside, froze, stopping short at the unexpected sight.

Inside the office, attendants he hadn’t seen before were scurrying about. Someone was constantly delivering letters, and someone else was making a fuss moving heavy books.

Cecil, standing by the window, would flip through the pages of a book and recite a name, and an attendant sitting at the desk in his master’s stead would write it down. Next to him, another attendant was pressing the densely written paper with blotting paper to dry the w** ink.

“Magnus Severin, second son of the House of Count Severin. James Locke, third son of the House of Marquis Locke. Yelena Ansga, eldest daughter of the House of Marquis Ansga. Cornelia Havel, eldest daughter of the House of Duke Havel.”

“Hah! Mr. Cecil. Just a little slower, please…”

“Where did you write up to?”

“I’ve written up to the third son of the House of Marquis Locke.”

“What’s taking you so long? Are we going to be here all night?”

“I really am… writing as fast as I can.”

The chamberlain, Leo, pleaded in a dejected voice, the corners of his eyebrows drooping. Cecil suppressed a surge of anger and let out a deep sigh. His strong exhale made his dark brown bangs flutter.

“Want to switch with me?”

“Ah, no.”

Leo was horrified and shook his head. He wasn’t illiterate, but he wasn’t confident he could scan the peerage directory as quickly as Cecil. If they switched, he would surely get an even bigger scolding.

“I told you we don’t have time. Just write the titles as abbreviations and use numbers for the order of birth. For the gender, just use a check mark and move on.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll call them out again. Don’t miss any. James Locke, third son of the House of Marquis Locke. Yelena Ansga, eldest daughter of the House of Marquis Ansga. Cornelia Havel, eldest daughter of the House of Duke Havel. Victor Aizic, eldest son of the House of Viscount Aizic.”

Still, considering Leo’s situation, the speed at which he spoke became slower than before. With Cecil’s advice added, Leo was able to write down the names much more easily.

On the surface, it seemed he was in charge of the easiest task, but in truth, Cecil was the busiest of them all.

He was checking birth dates in a peerage directory as thick as an adult’s palm and picking out only those who were coming of age. In addition, he was combining their family’s title, order of birth, and name to call them out, so his eyes and mind were working nonstop.

If it were up to him, Cecil would have wanted to write the list himself, but there was no time.

In order to prepare for the event, the first thing to do was to identify the attendees. They had to send invitations to all of them and receive confirmation of their attendance and the names of their companions before they could proceed to the next steps.

The plan was to send out the invitations today, and it would take at least three days to receive the replies. In the meantime, Cecil’s plan was to calculate the budget and finish negotiations with the treasurer.

After that, well. There was no choice but to gather all the talented people in the imperial palace and diligently crack the whip.

Cecil was so busy reading the directory and formulating a plan at the same time that he didn’t even realize the Crown Prince had entered the office. Alexis, who had been quietly observing the frantically busy Cecil, turned his gaze to his own attendants, who were gathered together.

They were huddled together, diligently writing letters. Alexis picked up one of the invitations that had just been completed.

“Did you all write this letter?”

“No, Your Highness. Mr. Cecil wrote a sample draft. We merely added the names from the list and copied it.”

“He did it himself? Without anyone’s help?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

Looking at it again, the content was flawless.

The short letter contained a concise yet elegant and polite greeting, and the message was conveyed in a clear and organized manner.

At the end, there was a threat that if a reply was not sent within three days, it would be considered a refusal to attend the debutante ball, but even that was wrapped in words that faithfully followed etiquette so as not to offend the reader’s feelings.

An unexpected talent brought forth an involuntary scoff.

Just as he tossed the letter he was holding back onto the table, his eyes met Cecil’s. As if only now noticing Alexis’s arrival, his face, which had been frowning the whole time, was momentarily colored with surprise.

Cecil clutched the thick book to his chest, holding it tight. His back, which had been leaning loosely against the windowsill, also straightened up.

“You’re back?”

“Are the preparations going well?”

“Yes. So-so.”

Cecil’s eyes darted around busily. It was only now that he noticed his office, which had turned into a chaotic mess while Alexis was briefly away.

“Your Highness. This must be a disturbance for you, shall I move somewhere else?”

“No. Don’t mind it and just continue here. Besides, don’t you need the help of my attendants as well?”

“That is true, but…”

While Cecil was hesitating, Alexis went behind his own desk. With a flick of his finger, the chamberlain tactfully put up a partition. As the person with a distinct presence disappeared from view, Cecil could finally let out the breath he had been holding.

Feeling that the time that had passed was a waste, he collected himself again and opened the book in his arms. Right now, he didn’t have the luxury to be swayed by such trivial matters.

“Leo, we’re almost done. Let’s just finish this and take a short break.”

“Yes!”

The sound of a voice quickly reciting names and the sound of a busily moving pen nib spread far and wide throughout the office.

Beyond the partition, Alexis, leaning back in his chair, listened intently to this sound and sank quietly into thought.