Chapter 595

Debut Party (4)
I couldn’t stay nervous forever.
Steeling myself, I stepped out of my room, surrounded by everyone from Wildcat Claws and Dark Green Sprout as they escorted me toward the grand hall.
Once the doors opened—there it was. The debut venue.

“Are you nervous, Lady Lily?”

“… Well, of course I am, Alizée.”

“Eh, just wing it. Nothin’ big’s gonna change anyhow.”

“You’re awfully laid-back, Plum.”

“It’s okay, Big sis. You’ll always be you no matter what.”

“Amira…”

(And I’ll always be by your side too!)

“Talat! Thank you!”

Their words filled me with courage—time to go in.

A great, unsteady roar rose up—
Oooohhhhhh…
All eyes turned toward me, the lights shining down to illuminate Amira and me from head to toe, making sure no one missed our big moment.
Alright, the opening’s perfect. I should start with a greeting—

“You there! How dare you stand in such a place!!”

Ahh, there it is. The loud one’s already shouting.
No need to guess—it’s Lord Sharon.

Amira and I stood on the third floor of the hall.
To be precise, it was the stage built on the third floor.
There’s nothing else up here; it’s just for appearances.
Meanwhile, the guests—royalty from every nation included—were seated on the second floor.
That meant I was physically above them.
Of course, this stage was meant for greetings and dances; I’d planned to descend afterward.
But apparently His Former Highness just had to ruin that.
Typical.

“You insolent fool! As one of my subjects, you should come to my feet, bow your head, and beg forgiveness for your long-standing insolence toward me!!”

Wow. He’s really gone off the deep end.
Guess he couldn’t stand that I was moving up in the world.
Thing is, I was a citizen of McFarlane, yes—but not his subject.
And I’ve never once insulted him.
At most, I accepted a ransom payment during the Saint Galette affair for handing over the eldest son.
He’s still holding a grudge over that?
What a petty man.

“Unfortunately, Lady Lily is not a subject of McFarlane, Prince Sharon.”

“What!? Who are you!?”

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Priscilla, Guildmaster of the Vardmoi Trade Guild.
Regarding your earlier statement—Lady Lily, upon promotion to Platinum-rank Merchant, was released from national protection. In other words, she no longer belongs to any country.”

“Such absurdity cannot be allowed!”

“Whether you allow it or not is irrelevant. The procedures were recognized and finalized. It’s done.
And, Prince Sharon, I believe you are misunderstanding something?”

“What did you say?”

“Lady Lily was a Silver-rank Merchant until yesterday.
And Silver-ranks carry considerable authority. Equivalent to a count’s house—and in royal terms, comparable to upper heirs.
They can trade directly with royalty, so in some cases, their influence exceeds that of a future monarch.
Now, how was it in Lady Lily’s case?”

“That’s… guh—”

Exactly.
I’d been directly dealing with Princess Rodenlight herself.
Sharon’s position as Crown Prince was only due to being engaged to her.
And I, the one trading directly with his fiancée, technically had more say than he did.
Not that I ever took advantage of that—I’m not into tattling.
But if I’d ever said, “Because of Sharon, we’ll no longer sell to Rodenlight,” who knows what would’ve happened to him.
So yeah, I had influence.
And now he’s throwing a fit?
All I can think is—guess all that restraint was wasted.
Yep, in my head, Sharon’s standing had sunk pretty low.

“Also, Prince Sharon. Regarding your outstanding debts to the Trade Guild—how do you plan to handle those?”

“T-that has nothing to do with this!”

“Oh, I think it’s quite relevant. Currently, you owe the guild roughly three hundred million.
Of that, over two hundred million are past due.”

Ah, geez.
What the hell did this idiot spend all that on?
Guests around us were murmuring now—
Can a man with accounting this sloppy really rule a country?

“And furthermore—those gemstone necklaces and earrings you purchased from the guild… who exactly is using them?”

Ah, that’d be the ones he gave to some viscount’s daughter, no doubt.
Princess Rodenlight herself has no taste for gaudy jewelry, and she’s certainly not wearing them now.

This is gonna get ugly.

“I-I know nothing of that!”

“Very well. Then lastly—the territory entrusted to you by His Majesty.
After an audit, we discovered falsified accounts and embezzled funds taken under false pretenses from the Trade Guild.
Do you deny it?”

Oh boy. Actual crimes now.
I figured that’s what that request for a few Kiblinki Saltas was about earlier.
Those two are the best lie detectors around, after all.

“I know nothing of this! Lies, all of it!”

“Still playing innocent, I see. The evidence has already been delivered to His Majesty and Princess Rodenlight. I suggest you await judgment.”

“F-Father! Princess Rodenlight!”

“I am disappointed in you, my son.”

“I’ve warned you time and again to watch your words toward Lady Lily. You ignored me—and to think you even committed adultery. I can no longer defend you.”

“A-adultery!? I did no such thing!”

“Oh, but you did. You’ve grown very close with Viscount Kivito’s second daughter, have you not?
Did you truly think no one was watching?”

“T-that’s—”

“And alongside that, several noble houses have been found guilty of related misconduct.
They will all be dealt with accordingly. This is my decision, and it will not be overturned.”

… Welp.
My debut ceremony had officially turned into a public execution event.

At least my nerves were gone. But… what am I supposed to do now?

“P-please wait, Your Highness! My daughter could never—she would never—”

“Ah, Viscount Kivito. You’re here too, I see. And there’s your second daughter—how convenient.
For now, they’ll simply be detained. But know this—the crime of destabilizing the nation is grave indeed.”

“N-no, I— I—!”

Oh, there goes the lady running for the exit.
She’s… beautiful, but caked in makeup.
So that’s the one Sharon fancied.
And there she goes—caught by the Kiblinki Saltas.
Her father too.
And now, both of them are being fitted with chokers around their necks.
Ahh, so that’s why they’d asked me to mass-produce those recently.

(Rodenlight, shall we detain this man as well?)

“So you’re the Kiblinki Saltas? Yes, please do.”

(Understood. The chokers we’re applying now are imbued with Poison Immunity and Rapid Healing.
No matter if they bite their tongues, sever their heads, or drink poison strong enough to kill a giant—they won’t die, only suffer.
And the curse prevents them from removing it. When you no longer need it, tell us and we’ll take it off.)

“Poison Immunity and Rapid Healing… So she really was keeping anti-assassination tools under wraps, wasn’t she?”

(Of course. Once either enchantment is applied, the item fuses to the skin, darkens it, and makes it mold over. No way she’d sell something that defective.)

“I see. Then, when the perfected versions are ready—name your price. I’ll buy them.”

(Got it. We’ll pass it on.)

And so, one by one, as Rodenlight read out their names, the condemned nobles—including Prince Sharon—were collared with magic chokers and hauled off.

Honestly, so this is what it feels like to be an uninvolved bystander during one of those “engagement-annulment” dramas from my old world.
I can’t even lean on the railing—wouldn’t be ladylike.
I just hope this wraps up soon…
’Cause after this?
I fully intend to party.

What do you think about this chapter?