NOVEL WEB Chapter 87
Mulrand City Central Square.
The teahouse located in the district known as the “Noble Street” is the exclusive contract venue of Eclecia Salon.
It’s said that when Eclecia holds its gatherings, they use this place.
Thus, the area is typically rather quiet.
After all, there’s little reason for anyone who isn’t part of Eclecia to come near; if you wander around aimlessly, you might get picked up by someone, which could lead to big trouble.
But today was a bit different.
There was such a gathering of young ladies that it was almost unimaginable for this to be the teahouse in Mulrand City Central Square.
Naturally, Kalen, who had been standing there absently, was slightly startled and quickly closed the door again.
“Did I see something wrong?”
There were too many young ladies gathered in front of the entrance for it to have been a mistake.
Kalen cracked the door open once more to check, but the scenery outside hadn’t changed.
Feeling somewhat out of place, he stepped back outside, only to hear several young ladies let out admiring sighs.
Some of them even approached him timidly and tried to strike up conversation.
“Excuse me… Are you the young lord who accompanied the five great families’ young ladies at the Dranunus Ball?”
“…Yes, that’s me.”
“Ah…! Oh, hello… I’m not sure if you remember me, but…”
At that ball, Kalen had left quite an impression.
Not only was his appearance striking, but his impeccable attire and demeanor were enough to captivate many hearts. The fact that he had been seated alongside such notable and famous young ladies only added to the appeal.
Though Kalen could not remember all of them, they certainly remembered him, creating a rather unique connection.
“Uh… Hello. How do you do?”
“Ah…! Hello, sir!”
The young ladies themselves realized that it was only natural Kalen wouldn’t remember them, as there was nothing particularly memorable about their interactions. One couldn’t possibly remember every face they passed in life.
Still, Kalen did not ignore them and politely acknowledged their greetings—a gesture which was heartening in itself. For a young nobleman to acknowledge their introductions was an honor, especially given his connections to the most renowned young ladies.
Of course, Kalen probably didn’t think of it in those terms.
When one young lady managed to successfully exchange pleasantries, others who had been hesitating gradually began stepping forward to greet Kalen.
“Young lord, do you remember me?”
“Me, sir?”
“Young lord, I was also at the ball…”
“Hello, sir? Back then I—“
Kalen stood quietly outside the teahouse, receiving greetings from each young lady.
To him, young ladies were generally outwardly perfect, but often carried hidden flaws within. At least, that was Kalen’s opinion.
He thought of Eliana, Serasie, and Sina; they only confirmed this belief. Although Daphnis and Licheisa required further acquaintance, these were the general observations Kalen had made.
But something was different about these young ladies. They seemed more like innocent girls, not quite fitting the mold of the polished socialite.
Their smiles were genuine and shy; they giggled and covered their mouths as if genuinely embarrassed—nothing like the calculated, composed smiles one might expect from seasoned salon members.
Kalen found himself somewhat bewildered—not by any disagreeable smell, but quite the opposite. The faint scent of perfume and natural fragrance was rather pleasant.
However, the constant stimulation of his senses began to feel overwhelming. His mind started to feel hazy, a testament to the phrase about the allure of a woman’s proximity.
Inside the teahouse, one might find more illustrious company, but the young girls before him were undoubtedly beautiful, even by objective standards. The sight of numerous girls shyly approaching him to converse stirred emotions that were difficult to articulate.
Kalen normally wasn’t particularly outgoing, yet he politely responded to each girl, one by one. The ladies admired his efforts, giggling at his attempts to engage in conversation.
They were, after all, young girls in their prime. Even outside of their roles as socialites, engaging with a handsome young man was a delightful experience.
Moreover, this young man, unlike many noble sons, knew how to subtly engage in conversation. Most young nobles considered themselves untouchable, self-absorbed figures who relished showing off. Often, their inflated stories lacked any consideration for their listeners, and the young ladies were typically left dealing with their arrogance.
In contrast, Kalen listened attentively and adapted to the conversation, drawing the interest of the girls.
Even their brief exchanges revealed something important about Kalen.
“Why are you here, young lord?”
In the midst of all this, a curious young lady asked innocently.
Others, upon hearing this, realized they too were curious.
After all, this was the teahouse that had an exclusive contract with Eclecia, a sanctuary forbidden to men regardless of how well-connected they were. Even if this handsome youth was close to some of the prominent ladies inside, it didn’t change that fact.
Quietly listening, Kalen finally spoke.
“…I was waiting.”
“Waiting? For whom?”
Their curiosity was boundless.
“How far does it extend, this innocent curiosity?”
“For…Sina, I mean Sina from the Dranunus family.”
“Miss Sina?”
“Yes.”
“Ah!”
At that answer, a young lady at the back let out a small gasp and clapped her hands.
She was one of the girls who had claimed to have met Kalen at the Dranunus ball.
“Young lord, you were with her at the ball.”
Considering they had been seen together at the ball, it wasn’t unreasonable for them to form an assumption. The ladies who had attended that event readily accepted the connection.
While in truth, from Kalen’s perspective, his presence there was more about serving as protection than anything else. Further complicating things was the fact that the evening ball he had attended with Sina was a secret, unknown to the public.
It was better to leave them to their assumptions. Kalen nodded, and the young ladies began to spin their imaginations about the handsome young lord and the upper echelons of aristocratic young women surrounding him.
What could have drawn them all to this charming boy?
The scene stirred great excitement among the girls, eager for some sort of thrilling gossip.
The young ladies continued to pepper Kalen with countless questions and tales, and Kalen found himself answering their queries, though he had little else to do.
The usually quiet teahouse of Mulrand City Central Square was now teeming with conversation.
As Kalen began to tire from the endless questioning, a refined voice spoke from behind the gathered crowd.
“Excuse me, might I pass through?”
A murmur of surprise spread through the group, followed by the girls stepping aside to make way.
Kalen looked up to see a poised young lady, her expression unreadable. He recognized her immediately.
“So it’s been…a while. It’s a pleasure to see you again, young lord.”
“Miss Plache.”
“You remembered?”
Some time had passed since the Dranunus ball, but it was hardly a surprise that Kalen had remembered her. After all, she was one of the few young ladies from that evening who stood out.
Not only had they both attended the ball, but they had spent time together and even made some kind of ‘promise.’
Laris Plache, a young lady from one of the five great families, had appeared in front of the Eclecia teahouse.
“Have you… given it any thought?”
At the ball, Laris had asked Kalen to create an illusion for her, an almost impossible and highly dangerous request. Despite his refusal, Laris refused to let it go. When they parted ways, Kalen had promised to eventually give her an answer.
“Since I’ve waited for so long without a response—forgive me, young lord.”
“…I apologize.”
“I must say, sending a letter isn’t so difficult, is it?”
Kalen felt slightly wronged—he didn’t know how to send letters.
Had he truly been the kind of high-born nobleman people expected, he would’ve known, but Kalen was merely a knight in the employ of the Dranunus family.
He knew how to write, but not the etiquette of composing and sending letters.
Laris, perhaps catching on to this sentiment, opened her eyes slightly wider.
“Ah, forgive me. I didn’t realize…”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Hmm… Since there are so many listening ears here, perhaps we should continue this conversation later.”
Laris gave a small cough to ease her embarrassment, then quickly changed the subject.
“Are you aware of when the people inside will emerge?”
“I’m not sure. Do you have any business here?”
It was only then that Kalen began to notice something unusual.
While he routinely waited here for Sina, this was the first time so many young ladies had gathered this close.
Moreover, this teahouse was supposed to admit only members of Eclecia. Thus, their presence here waiting suggested…
“We all applied to join Eclecia. We’re waiting for their response.”
At that, Kalen looked around.
There were more young ladies than he could count on a single hand.
All of them had applied to join Eclecia.
From what Kalen understood, Laris was a member of the famous Valbarte Salon in Clamenia City, the southern social circuit’s leading salon, on par with Eclecia itself.
With a deep history, why would anyone leave Valbarte?
Sensing Kalen’s confusion, Laris couldn’t help but smile faintly at his unexpected naïveté.
Laris herself had left Valbarte and sought out Eclecia—all for the boy who could grant her deepest wish, one worth risking her life for.