Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 93

Chapter 93

“Your fiancé is quite a strategist, Sir Esteban.”

The Vice-Commander smiled, looking out the window. There was Isaac, holding onto yet another person to show them an invitation. Since Isaac was someone who rarely spoke to others and dedicated himself solely to training, the recipient of the invitation looked just as bewildered as he was. The Vice-Commander could not help but burst into laughter.

“He seems like a man who cherishes his fiancée to a frightening degree.”

It was a comment he could make because their romance was already famous. The Vice-Commander, Kelvin, began to seriously contemplate what he should wear that day.

While the Vice-Commander was lightheartedly worrying about his outfit, a strange atmosphere was blooming among the Royal Knights. It was only natural, as a man who usually barely responded to people was now going around in person handing things out.

“Y-you are giving this to me?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Is it really okay to give this to me?”

“You spoke to me last time, so I thought we were on relatively friendly terms.”

‘We have barely exchanged ten words until now,’ thought McKerwin, the third knight to receive an invitation. He was of a cheerful disposition and had proactively spoken to the intimidating Isaac a few times before. Of course, every time he did, he only received short, clipped answers like “Yes,” “No,” “That is so,” or “It is not,” so he had quickly given up.

“If you are giving it to me, of course I will go! You said it is your birthday, right?”

“Yes, that is correct. Thank you.”

“No, I mean—wow. I heard rumors that your fiancée is really beautiful. If I go, will your fiancée also be there?”

Isaac did not answer immediately. The moment his fiancée was mentioned, his white eyes glared at McKerwin chillingly. At that gaze, which clearly meant “do not dare speak of my fiancée so carelessly,” McKerwin stopped his banter and scratched his head.

“Uh, sorry.”

“It is fine. However, it is true that you will be able to see my fiancée if you come.”

“Right, right. I will definitely be there. Still, I thought you were ignoring me every time, so I am grateful you would invite me like this.”

To that, Isaac replied as if he had no idea what the knight meant.

“I have never once ignored you, Sir McKerwin.”

“What? You, until now? No, never mind. Right, so this is just the kind of guy you are. I get it. I have been gravely misunderstanding you all this time.”

Isaac tilted his head in confusion, but McKerwin nodded to himself. He then turned to the knights gathered nearby, who were huddled together watching to see what was happening.

“Hey, Baron! Come over here!”

If Isaac considered someone a friend after just a few words, then Baron was surely the next target. Baron had also put in quite an effort alongside McKerwin to get close to Isaac. Because Isaac came from a good family and possessed great skills, everyone had shown great interest in him initially. It was just that everyone had given up because of those trademark short answers.

“What? What is it?”

Baron, who had been paying close attention while pretending not to, approached them. He wore a brazen face as if he had no idea what was going on, but his cheeks were strangely flushed, suggesting he was expectant.

“Sir Esteban, could you perhaps give Baron an invitation too? He is a close friend of mine, so I would like to go with him.”

“Ah, of course. In fact, I was just about to go to Sir Baron next.”

“What? You were going to give one to me too?”

Unlike his appearance, Baron was a man of strangely deep sensibilities. He looked slightly moved as he accepted the invitation Isaac pulled from his vest with both hands. McKerwin cleared his throat to hold back a laugh and asked Isaac, “Could we perhaps help you? You do not have many close acquaintances yet.”

“That is true. I have handed out four so far, and I was contemplating what to do with the rest.”

“Take this chance to make some friends. Let us go. We will help you.”

Isaac’s eyes widened slightly, and then he nodded.

“Thank you. I will be sure to repay this favor.”

“Repay? Forget it. Just follow us. We will introduce you only to the good guys.”

Baron chimed in, thumping his chest. He was a good guy too, but the problem was that he was overly emotional and a bit tacky. McKerwin, Baron, and Isaac began to walk side by side.

“But why are you handing out the invitations personally?”

Baron asked the same question as the Vice-Commander. An aristocrat going around personally delivering invitations was not a common sight. Isaac, naturally, gave the same answer.

“It is a special order from my fiancée.”

“Ah. A special order.”

The number of people who realized just how much Isaac was under his fiancée’s thumb increased by two. They wore the same expression as the Vice-Commander and gazed at the distant sky for a moment.

The hall was bustling. The knights attending Isaac’s birthday party seemed to be trying to keep their composure, but they could not hide their excitement. The knights of the same rank, who were at least a year or two older than Isaac, held champagne glasses and chatted amongst themselves, their voices occasionally growing loud.

Fortunately, no one frowned at them. After all, were they not all members of the Royal Knights? That level of boisterousness could be overlooked to some extent.

Calliope watched Isaac, whom she had intentionally placed among them. Always serious, he was stuck in the middle, nodding along to their exaggerated self-boasting. She thought he was quite cute.

“Sister, your fiancé does not actually believe everything they are saying, does he?”

Caroline, who was not yet very old but already stood as tall as Calliope’s shoulder, was starting to look quite like a young lady. Though she was still a child at heart, as she still loved having her head patted.

“I bet he believes all of it. He is probably nodding and thinking that he still has a long way to go.”

“He is so naive. How is he going to handle married life?”

“As for that,” Calliope smiled radiantly. “I just have to teach him everything one by one. This and that.”

“Wow, sister, you looked really devious just now.”

“Oh, did I? No way.”

She let out a short laugh, asked Caroline for a moment of understanding, and approached Isaac.

“Is everyone enjoying the party?”

“Ah, the Marchioness’s daughter!”

“Hey, your fiancée is here.”

“Lady Anastas.”

Isaac quickly stood by Calliope’s side, but the knights looked puzzled at that moment.

“Sir, did you just call your fiancée Lady Anastas?”

“Did I hear that wrong?”

In a typical engagement, pet names were common, and at the very least, using each other’s first names was standard. But to call her Lady Anastas—neither a name nor a pet name—surprised them. They each wore bewildered expressions, lightly pulling him aside to whisper.

“What is that? To your fiancée!”

It was a bit too loud to be considered a whisper. It seemed they had drunk a lot of champagne. Isaac, who was perfectly sober because he could not drink, felt his ears ringing and took a step back. When he looked at Calliope as if he did not know what the problem was, she simply smiled back at him.

“My fiancé is very cautious and shy.”

“Lady, but even so.”

“Well, it is fine. We have about a year left anyway.”

“Pardon?”

“Is that not right? Given our age and everything.”

Isaac naturally leaned down a bit, led by the light pull she exerted on him. Calliope kissed his cheek. It was the image of a doting couple. Then, as she pulled her lips away, she opened her mouth and lightly bit his cheek.

Surprised, Isaac flinched for a moment but did not pull away. Calliope retreated gently with a smile in her eyes. Faint teeth marks remained on his fair cheek.

“It will change naturally eventually.”

The knights’ faces turned bright red. They were of an age where they knew a thing or two, but her actions had been strangely suggestive. She spoke as if she had not done anything.

“Then, I hope you all enjoy yourselves with your comrades. Isaac, you should return after playing for a reasonable amount of time as well.”

“I understand.”

He rubbed his cheek with a dazed face. The tips of his ears were red. She smiled and greeted the knights, and they unconsciously gave her a ninety-degree bow as she left.

After she departed, someone let out a scream, and the person next to him covered his mouth. Crude comments like “Lucky bastard!” and “Hey, you jerk!” followed a few times. Calliope simply walked gracefully, taking in the sounds coming from behind her. Caroline, who had been waiting, saw the commotion and asked, “What did you go over there and do?”

It looked like she just kissed his cheek, so why were they making such a fuss?

“There is something like that.”

She laughed softly. Just then, a man carrying a light glass approached them. Recognizing his face, Calliope put on a polite smile again.

“Ah, Vice-Commander of the Royal Knights.”

“I did not expect you to recognize me.”

“How could I not?”

Calliope easily accepted his request for a conversation. Caroline pouted when her sister would not play with her again and headed toward Kafir, who was playing with someone his own age in the distance. And she became grumpy there as well. Kafir was talking to a girl with blonde hair and lime-green eyes. His cheeks were flushed, and Caroline felt like giving him a kick.

“Hey.”

Caroline sneaked up behind Kafir and whispered. Startled by the voice, Kafir whipped around, looking as if he were breaking into a cold sweat as he surveyed his surroundings.

“Oh, is it not the Young Lady of the Marquis? Hello?”

“Yes, it is indeed the Young Lady. May I borrow Kafir for a moment?”

“Yes, of course!”

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