The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Noble in a World with a Skewed Gender Ratio - 12-13

Chapter 12: Princess Tia’s Birthday Celebration ①

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I was really surprised yesterday. I didn’t expect Elleair, or to be precise, Tia, would be the princess of this kingdom. No wonder she was so mature for a 3 year old kid. 

After that, Princess Tia’s guards came and immediately..

“”WE DEEPLY APOLOGIZE!!”

“Princess, we’re glad you’re safe and sound.”

“It was all our fault for getting separated from you…”

“Due to our negligence…”

“As soon as we returned to the castle…”

“We will accept any punishment you deem fit for us…!!”

“It’s alright. I was at fault too for getting distracted… After all, today is my first time going out of the castle… Besides, I was fortunate enough to have a good encounter…”

No way. There’s no way a three year old can act like this?! I mean, this is unbelievable, right??! Well, I mean, there’s that Drag*n B*ll… Maybe this is my time to yell, “Which one has the power?!” No, I mean… Come on~ Let’s stop thinking about unnecessary stuff. 

But seriously… What was that perfect response? Sure, she might have been receiving the best education and etiquette since she was the princess of this nation, but being able to practice and put all that knowledge into action was another matter entirely! She must had worked so hard despite her young age. I should try to learn a thing or two from her. I also needed to work harder myself.

Now then, where was I and what was I doing now? I was at the royal castle, attending Princess Tia’s birthday celebration. Of course, Mother was with me too. 

The castle looked impressive from the outside, but the inside looked even more fabulous. The interior was lavishly decorated and the tables were filled with scrumptious dishes, fruits and various drinks. Everything was arranged beautifully.

The place was bustling with chatter and laughter from the attendees. Most probably, everyone here were all nobles. These kinds of events were usually attended by nobles after all. 

I entered the hall together with my mother and soon enough, a crowd of people started approaching my mother to greet her. 

…Wha-What a big crowd?! We-We’re completely surrounded…

“It’s been a while, Duchess Altair.”

“Maria-sama!”

“Maria-sama, it’s a pleasure to see you in good spirits!”

“Duchess Altair!”

“Oh! Duchess Altair!”

Amazing… I felt like I was going to become dizzy from all these people…

“Which reminds me…”

“Could it be…”

“This gentleman over there…”

“The one who was born…”

“The rumored…”

“Yes. This is my son that I’m proud of.”

Mother looked at me with a gentle smile on her face. She was dressed up in a beautiful gown, looking absolutely alluring. ‘Alluring’ might be an outdated term, I guess? Well, in any case, Mother usually looked more innocent and adorable, but today she looked more sexy, more mature… More amorous.

“I’m El von Altair. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Was that good enough? I sure hoped so.

“Oh my, Duchess Altairi has given birth to a wonderful son indeed…”

“Yeah, the future of Altair dukedom is in good hands indeed.”

“He’s more mature than the children I know.”

“As expected from Maria-sama’s son…”

“He has a promising future ahead. I can’t wait to see what he’s capable of.”

Nice. Things seemed to be progressing well for now. We exchanged greetings one after another until eventually, a graceful looking woman came with a child in tow to greet us. 

“It’s been a while, isn’t it, Maria?”

“It sure is, Teresa.”

“Good grief, Maria, you never come to visit me…”

“Well, neither do you, Teresa.”

“”Fufu~””

It seemed she was an acquaintance of my mother.

“So, Maria, is this your child?’

“Yes, this is my son, El! El, this is Duchess Teresa de Deneb. She’s my best friend.”

A duchess… She might be my mother’s best friend, but I still needed to be careful so I wouldn’t come off as discourteous.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m El von Altair.”

“…As expected from Maria’s child. Your greeting is impeccable… Oh, this won’t do. I must respond properly as well. I’m Teresa de Deneb. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Also, you can just call me Teresa.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you, Teresa-sama.”

“And this is my son, Lance. He’s the same age as El-kun. Come on, Lance, where’s your greeting?”

“I-I’m La-Lance de… Deneb…! Ni-Nice to meet you..!”

She introduced me to a boy around the same age as me. He had black hair and even though he looked slightly nervous, I could tell that he was very handsome indeed. Teresa-sama was a beautiful woman anyway, it wouldn’t be a surprise for her son to be this handsome. 

“Nice to meet you, Lance-kun.”

“Ye-Yeah.”

“Not only this is first time attending an event like this, but this is also his first time going outside. That’s why he’s a bit nervous… El-kun, I’d be happy if you could be friends with Lance.”

“It’d be my pleasure, Teresa-sama.”

And this was my first encounter with Lance.

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Chapter 13: Princess Tia’s Birthday Celebration ②

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After spending more time talking with Lance, we became close enough to the point we were comfortable to call each other with our first name without any honorifics. But then, suddenly the hall became quiet. It seemed the king had entered the venue. 

Or was it His Majesty? The noble society was quite complicated, with ranks and all that..

Anyway, so that person was His Majesty,huh…? His long white beard made him look strict. He looked like the typical king you’d see in picture books or animations. But more importantly, the king was truly a man, huh..

“Everyone, I truly appreciate you for gathering here today for my and mine only daughter Tia. Thank you very much. Allow me to express my gratitude-“

Hm? Did he say my and mine only? Why the extra emphasis on ‘mine’? Could it be, His Majesty was the doting parent type?

“—Well then, I shall end my speech here. Today, let me introduce the star of the day, my daughter Tia!”

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!

Amidst the grand applause, Princess Tia entered the venue. She was dressed in a glamorous gown unlike yesterday and her crimson red hair really complimented her whole appearance. Princess Tia looked like an enchanting rose blooming in the venue.

I might have sounded really cringe here, but she looked really, really beautiful.

Just to be clear, I’m not a lolicon or anything, okay?!?!

“…So beautiful..”

Look! Even Lance, who had been nervous all this time, said the same thing as me!

“El…. Were you mesmerized by Her Highness?”

“…It’s just your imagination, Mother.”

I wondered why she was staring at me so intently. Her gaze really bothered me, even though she was my mother. I couldn’t help but to wonder would she ever let me leave the nest and become independent one day? But, aside from that… Thank you for your piercing stare, Mother! It was really adorable to see my mother getting jealous over the strangest thing. 

Oh. It seemed Princess Tia was about to start her speech. 

“Thank you everyone for gathering to celebrate my birthday. I am Tia Rainrose.”

Being a royal sure came with its own difficulties. Even though she was only 3 years old, but Princess Tia was able to speak to the crowd so confidently like that.

After the speech from His Majesty and Her Highness was over, everyone immediately came crowding around Princess Tia. Lance and Teresa-san also came to greet her first. Lance looked super nervous though. He stuttered on his words, unable to speak clearly. 

Now that Lance and the others had finished their greeting, it was time for me and my mother to greet her as well.. Hm? Princess Tia looked so surprised when she caught the sight of me. Oh… Did I tell her that I was invited to her party today? I guess I didn’t.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Princess Tia. I’m Maria von Altair, the Duchess of Altair and this is my son.”

“My name is El von Altair. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

“Huh?! El?! Is it really you, El?!”

Princess Tia, do you really need to act that surprised… Look, His Majesty, who’s standing beside you, is glaring at me…

“That’s right, Princess Tia.”

“Tia, is this the boy you mentioned yesterday?”

“Ye-Yes, Your Majesty.”

Tia told His Majesty about me? I hoped she didn’t say anything weird. After all, the pressure from His Majesty was almost tangible. 

“Maria, it’s been a long time.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“But still, I didn’t expect Maria’s child would be a boy…”

“Oh? I thought Your Majesty already knew?”

“…I only just learned recently that you and Teresa have given birth to a son. I didn’t know two boys were born in the same year as Tia until recently. Information never seems to reach my ears accurately… Besides, you and Teresa wouldn’t come to visit unless there’s a grand event like this one.”

“Well, that is true.”

“I wish you wouldn’t just nod along. Shouldn’t you say that you would come to the capital a bit more often?? Ah, well. It can’t be helped I guess. I’m glad all the dukes are doing well…”

While His Majesty was talking with Mother, I…

“You should’ve told me yesterday!”

“Yesterday… Yeah, I guess I should. Yesterday was quite hectic, so I didn’t get the chance to tell you about this.”

“Well, I guess that’s true… But still…!”

Right. At times like this, I was supposed to give her compliments. I had seen scenes like this in comic  books before… Alright!

“In any case, Princess Tia, you look absolutely stunning today.”

“…Huh?!”

“You look like an angel.. No, you look like a goddess that has descended right before my eyes.”

“…Fueh?!?!”

I immediately averted my gaze. I couldn’t help it. I felt too embarrassed after saying that kind of thing to her. Hence why I didn’t notice how strange Princess Tia was behaving until later on. Her cheeks and even her neck were flushed red. In fact, her whole body seemed to be dyed in the same crimson shade as her hair. 

“Of course, your lustrous, beautiful red hair-“

“E-El?! I believe it’s better if you stop. Look, Her Highness is feeling flustered, you know?”

Upon my mother’s words, I snapped out of my trance and looked around. Indeed. It seemed I had gone too far. Princess Tia was looking down for some reason. I couldn’t see her expression clearly and His Majesty… He looked upset to say the least.

After that, Mother kept our greetings to the bare minimum and quietly moved away from the main scene in order to focus on eating the delicious meal in the party at our table with Lance. We spent the rest of our time in this party in that fashion and by the time we realized it, the party had come to an end. Princess Tia’s birthday celebration ended without a hitch. 

Now that the party had ended, it was time for me to part with everyone. Lance immediately started crying, showing his clear refusal to part with me. His reaction was understandable though. Just like me, this must be his first time meeting someone of the same age and same gender. 

We made a promise to meet again one day, but… I didn’t know when we would meet again to be honest. 

I hoped I could meet with Lance again…

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T/N: What is this, BL?? Why MC hoping to meet Lance again instead of Tia? Poor Tia.. Our MC is a smooth talker playboy… (´-ω-`)