"..."

"..."

'Can someone say something please...?'

Everyone was sitting in complete silence through the weaving and bumping of the carriage. Rygor, Bella, Howard, Helena, Alyson, and then Me.

It's not the kind of squad you see every day because George and Maya had taken another carriage ahead of us.

We were heading toward Duke's Heliard mansion in the capital by going through a teleportation gate.

Yes, there was a teleportation gate in here.

You might be wondering why in the hell I didn't take those when I was raiding Gragas's place. Well, the thing is, you couldn't use the gate without risking getting caught. I could hide myself and Renata, but the mana ripple caused by the gate was a different matter altogether.

Besides, it's always a plus to study the landscapes of this world. It was crucial, not to mention strategic information. In short, I missed nothing by flying across the kingdom when we busted Gragas.

Moving on...So we used the gate to travel.

And the way it felt was...bizarre, I have to say.

It's like you noticed an open door, but the moment you step inside, suddenly, the world flipped on you twice or thrice before everything returned to normal. And you actually get no time at all to fully grasp just what the heck happened since it was over in an instant.

While I was lost in my rambles, someone tugged me ever so carefully from the side, snapping me back to reality.

'What?' I mused inwardly.

It was Helena. She was hinting at me to do something about this stifling awkwardness.

I look at her, confused. 'Like, you're asking me? I'm as hopeless as you are, Princess.'

I was lost. I mean, my social skills were far too inadequate to handle a wordless nuance such as this properly. I was basically the worst one she could ask for help, simply speaking.

So, I turned to the one who could help me.

And that was none other than Howard. I had my hopes up, but the punk had been keeping his mouth shut ever since the start. My guess would be because of the two Dawson's elders. Anyway, Howard had deliberately ignored my silent plea at him.

'This punk...I need to teach him some lessons...'

And the last one I could hope to end this wordless game was, of course, Alyson.

High social skills, check. Good with the elderly couple, check.

Normally, she would act all cutesy and adorable whenever she met up with Rygor and Bella. But judging by the blatant pout painted on her face, it's going to be a long shot.

Yes, Alyson, for some reason, was angry.

If I could guess this correctly, she had been angry since a couple of days back, when it was decided that we'd go to this party, and I just couldn't figure out why, for the love of god.

'Ha...'

I took a peek at Rygor, who had his eyes glued on me ever since we took off. And then to Bella, who elegantly sat, watching the passing scenery beyond the window peacefully.

And I gave up. It was better than nothing.

So, I chose Alyson, fixing my posture, ready to call out to her.

"Don't even try, Alex."

And she shut me down instantly.

'Woah! What is she? A psychic?'

"Alexander," Bella called out to me all of a sudden.

"...Yes, Grandmother?"

"Ignore the adults and whoever that try to trouble you. Always keep in mind that you are Dawson's firstborn son."

'So, I don't have to worry about them schemes since you adults will handle them, is that it...?' Sometimes I was confused about whether she was treating me like a kid or an adult, to be honest...

"Okay, I will, Grandmother." Nevertheless, I answered her all the same.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Then, I just leaned in and enjoyed the rocking rhythm of the carriage. Ignoring the glaring and pleading looks coming from Helana about the ongoing awkwardness.

'You know I tried...'

----------------------------------------

"That fat brat is?"

"So the rumors are true...He does have white hair, unlike his parents. Don't tell me..."

"You think he is cursed like they said?"

"Pfft! Look at him. The buttons are going to pop off at this rate."

"Huhuhu."

"Wow, what a match. The blood princess and the cursed fatty."

And right from the get-go, we were welcomed by the hushing and silent whispers of nobles' kids making fun of me. Helena also got her share of ridicule since they'd heard us being engaged, but something like Blood Princess was obviously a nickname that had been stuck to her for quite some time.

Fortunately, only I could hear the full content of these whispers and mean jokes they made because they did not want Helena to hear it for obvious reasons. I could already picture what kind of mess she'd make if she heard them.

"That boy is Alexander Von Dawson? Are you sure? Fufu, then this will be easy. How do I look?"

"You look gorgeous as ever, lady Heliard! I bet the portly boy will fall head over heels for you and leave the blood princess just with a mere glance."

"Hush now. You can't say it like that. We need to remember our class at all times and shy away from such vulgar expressions."

"Certainly, not only beauty, the Holy Light has given my lady a wise and understanding heart too!"

'...Wow.'

And toward a certain direction where the heart of the crowd was, two young maidens were speaking in a hushed tone, covering their mouth with a fan in front of them. They were talking shit about me, and if I didn't have these enhanced ears of mine, I would think they were discussing the lovely weather or even the changing season or some shit.

Moreover, it seemed like this lady Heliard, who was around Alyson's age, was trying to seduce me...

It was hard to say. The conversation implicated that, and also, I could feel her gaze latching on to me from time to time, despite her meticulous attempt to hide it.

I guess I could know for sure instead of guessing because we were heading straight to her in the first place. It was her party, after all.

"Lights be with you, lady Heliard." Opened Alyson in a flawless manner.

"Lights be with you too, Rose of Dawson...Is this your brother?" Asked Lady Heliard, returning the greeting after folding her fan.

Her gleaming grey irises traced sideways and found me, the fat kid in a wheelchair. She leaned sideways slightly, tucking her bright autumn-colored wavy hair gently behind her ears while appearing to be surprised about something.

Needless to say, these brief gestures from this slender and tall beauty had invited a cacophony of reactions from the boys in our surroundings.

"Forgive my manner, but I can't stand and greet you, lady Heliard. My name is Alexander Von Dawson. This is my Fiance, Helena Demeria Boreas, and my friend, Howard Demeria Boreas."

"My, how cute of you, Alexander! I understand. You don't need to apologize for anything...As for the Fourth Prince and Fifth Princess, there's no need for you to introduce them since everyone here knows who they are..."

After taking a quick jab at the twins, she, with a very natural timing, took a step closer to where we were. It's not too close, yet it was definitely not far. The perfect range to invade someone's personal space without alerting the latter.

"Tch!" We all know where it came from.

"Oh, my! Where's my manner? My name is Giselle Green Heliard...I am so mesmerized by how beautiful your hair looks and how unique your eyes are I forgot to introduce myself."

Giselle brushed and played with her hair shyly. With one hand propping on her knee, she smiled and then bent forward, sneakily trying to slip her hand in towards my hair.

'Dude...the lass got games, and she is coming strong. What is she, twelve or thirteen? What are they teaching these kids!?'

Luckily, I have my own protector to deal with this kind of bullshit.

"What are you doing putting your ugly hands on my Fiance for, you fox-like woman?"

Helena rudely slapped Giselle's hands away and stood in front of me.

She was a head shorter than the latter, but everybody knew Helena ain't someone to be trifled with.

Howard, like a true brother, helped to pull me away from the two. He was, out of anyone here, the most experienced regarding everything that involved Helena. Whether this would turn to trouble or a false alarm, Howard would know better.

"Ah, Princess Helena. I believe the matter regarding your engagement has not been set in stone as of yet."

"I don't care. He is my fiancee, and that is that." Argued Helena back.

"Fufu, is it because you're still just a kid? That ignorance and stubbornness really do look cute on you. But pray tell, Fifth Princess, until when can you keep this up?"

"Stop trying to sound difficult when all you do is spit shit out of your mouth."

"Do I sound difficult? You should have told me sooner. Then let me give you some advice. It won't do you any good to get angry and swear at people whenever you don't understand them. You'll not only embarrass yourself. What will everyone think of your fiancee, who comes with a good heart?"

'Man, this girl's tongue is dangerous...'

"What the fu-"

"Helena." Cut Alyson.

The two shared an intense look for a brief second before Helena backed away, groaning in frustration.

Helena then took the handle of my wheelchair from Howard and resumed her position in silence.

"Do pardon me for such an unsightly sight, Rose of Dawson."

"Please, just Lady Dawson will be enough. Such a title is an exaggeration, and I don't share the same sentiments as those who call me that in the first place." Replied Alyson, amiably whilst putting up a wall at the same time.

"Most certainly, lady Dawson."

"Before I forget, happy birthday to you, lady Heliard."

"Happy birthday, lady Heliard."

Following Alyson's lead, Howard and I also joined in. Helena seemed to make up her mind not to open her mouth anymore.

Seeing that, the edge of Giselle's lips rose ever so faintly.

It happened in a blink of an eye, but what can I say...I just happened to see it.

'Ha...It's gonna be a long day...'