“Do you think… we’re beautiful?”
To Elias, a question like that was easily one of the most dangerous things that could come out of a woman’s mouth.
From everything he knew through novels and anime, once a woman started asking for an opinion on her looks, nobody had any business winging the answer.
Sure, most women would light up at being called pretty or cute in a new outfit, but that didn’t mean a question like this couldn’t be a trap in disguise.
Especially when the ones asking were Evelyn and Elysia.
There was a real chance they were doing this on purpose, just to dig up one more excuse to have his head on a platter.
Honestly, Elias didn’t want to answer at all, but ignoring the question outright wasn’t really an option either.
‘If I say they’re pretty and one of them doesn’t like my answer, that’s the end of my life right there.
But if I don’t answer, isn’t that basically disrespecting the question too?
Either way I’m dead!’
Caught in the middle of that dilemma, Elias forced himself to keep a calm expression so neither Evelyn nor Elysia standing in front of him would grow suspicious.
But the longer he stayed quiet, the worse the whole situation felt.
With no other options left, Elias finally decided to gamble on himself.
“I don’t dare answer that.”
The moment Elias said it, the blush that had colored Evelyn and Elysia’s cheeks slowly faded, and the restless little fidgets they’d been making settled into something calmer.
Elias had no clue what was going on, but he could read a flicker of disappointment on both their faces.
“Why?…”
“Are we… not pretty? Or is there some other woman who caught your attention more than us?”
“Elysia. Stay here and keep an eye on him. I’m going to go hack that woman to pieces if she’s really here. No! I’m positive she’s here somewhere.”
“Wait, Lady Evelyn. That’s not what I meant, I hadn’t even finished talking!”
Elias jumped in immediately to stop Evelyn, who’d already started walking off with a smile on her face while saying something absolutely bone-chilling.
He was low-key grateful neither of them had brought their swords tonight.
If they had, there was no telling what they’d have done, but Elias was pretty sure it wouldn’t have been pretty.
“Hmm~ Is that so?”
“Y-yes, that’s right. So please, just calm down.”
‘I’m terrified that smile’s going to haunt my dreams!’
Elias took a breath before finally meeting both their eyes.
“I don’t dare answer because I genuinely don’t have enough words to describe just how beautiful you both are.”
That line alone was enough to leave Evelyn and Elysia speechless.
Sensing he’d finally hooked their attention, Elias dug up every last scrap of knowledge he had on sweet-talking women, even though his actual dating experience sat at a solid Zero.
“The outfits you’re both wearing tonight suit you perfectly. Lady Evelyn looks so elegant in white, while Lady Elysia looks absolutely striking in black.”
Elias let his gaze drift over both of them, head to toe.
“The gowns showing off your legs make the whole look even more stunning too. Somehow that detail just fits perfectly with everything else you’re wearing.”
He paused for a beat before picking back up.
“Your hair, your eyes, even your eyelashes… each one has its own kind of beauty. Weirdly enough, when it all comes together like this, none of it feels like too much.”
Evelyn and Elysia could only stand there in stunned silence.
Neither had expected Elias to actually say something like that, and even after hearing it, they still needed a second to fully process every word.
“Honestly, it’s like looking at two flowers growing side by side, each one beautiful in a completely different way.”
Watching them, Elias figured his words still weren’t quite enough.
So he dropped to one knee right in front of both of them, drawing a few curious glances from the people nearby.
“My Ladies, you’re overthinking this. There’s no way I’d be interested in any other woman. I’m the Caretaker of Evelyn Nocturne and Elysia Nocturne. I don’t have time to think about other women while I’m busy keeping the two of you safe.”
The chatter around them slowly quieted down, a few Ladies and young Lords who’d been mid-conversation trailing off to quietly watch Elias instead.
Meanwhile, Evelyn and Elysia still hadn’t quite managed to process everything they’d just heard. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Both their faces kept getting redder by the second.
Evelyn ducked her head, half-covering her cheeks with one hand, while Elysia looked flustered out of her mind, twirling the end of her hair over and over.
“E-Elias…”
Evelyn’s voice came out soft, faintly stumbling over the words.
“What are you even saying!”
Elysia raised her voice, but with her face burning red the whole time, it came out a lot less convincing than she probably intended.
‘Damn it!
Is that not enough?
They look mad, their faces are getting even redder.
Guess I’ve got no choice, gotta up the dosage while staring them dead in the eye!’
“So honestly, just calling you two pretty feels way too simple a word for it. You’re not beautiful tonight just because of what you’re wearing. That outfit’s only making what you already had even more obvious.”
Hearing that, Evelyn and Elysia went quiet again, offering absolutely nothing in response.
From the way they were fidgeting, there was a decent chance they wanted to fire something back, but neither seemed to know what kind of response would even work here.
In the end, all they could do was stand there in silence, fiddling with something nearby just to distract themselves from the nervous, embarrassed mess they’d become.
Meanwhile, a few of the people who’d been watching the whole exchange started whispering among themselves.
“Who is that guy, exactly?”
“No idea. Never seen him before.”
“He’s got some nerve, talking to Lady Evelyn and Lady Elysia like that.”
“Nerve? I’d say he just doesn’t know his place.”
“How does some random nobody just drop to his knee in front of both Nocturne Ladies and say something like that?”
“Could he be nobility from some other family?”
Small whispers kept popping up around different corners of the hall, some sounding genuinely curious, others sounding like they were gossiping about something they considered downright improper.
Elias himself had no clue any of that was happening.
His full attention was still locked on Evelyn and Elysia standing in front of him, faces flushed, fidgeting nonstop.
‘They’re still mad, that much’s obvious from how red their faces still are.
So why do they keep squirming like that?
Do they need to use the bathroom?
Jeez, even in a moment like this they’re still holding it in.’
Then the sound of footsteps mixed with clapping started drawing closer toward Elias and the twins.
It might’ve felt normal enough if the whole room had joined in, but from what Elias could hear, there was only one person doing the clapping.
“Incredible. Amazing… Truly amazing. I’m impressed by your courage and your way with words.”
‘What now?’
Curious, Elias finally stood up and turned around to find the source of the voice.
When he turned, he found a handsome young man dressed in noble clothing that looked incredibly expensive.
Still, the outfit came off a little excessive, weighed down with far too many ornaments hanging off every inch of it.
Elias looked him over from head to toe.
There was no denying the guy was handsome, but the arrogant smirk plastered across his face was more than enough to turn Elias’s stomach a little.
The young man kept walking closer, smile never dropping.
“I’m genuinely impressed. Not many people would dare say something like that to Lady Evelyn and Lady Elysia.”
He stopped a few steps in front of Elias.
Elias just stood there, watching him with a flat expression.
Lucien tilted his chin up slightly, looking Elias over from head to toe.
“Mind telling me who this young man is and which family you hail from?”
Elias had no idea what this guy actually wanted, but for some reason he could already feel an Event brewing right here.
“Elias Veyron.”
“Veyron?”
At the name, Lucien’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he were digging through his memory for any noble family called Veyron.
“Veyron… I’ve never heard of that family. Which house are you from?”
“I’m from Nocturne, and I’m not nobility. I’m the Caretaker of Lady Evelyn and Elysia.”
“What? A mere commoner, showing up at a noble coming-of-age ball?!”
Elias scratched the back of his head, letting out a small sigh before answering Lucien.
“Like I just said, I’m the Caretaker of Lady Evelyn and Elysia. I’m only here doing my job, keeping the two of them safe. That’s why I’m carrying a sword.”
“Tch! A mere Caretaker, daring to talk back at me?! Considering you’re a commoner, just showing your face at a place like this is disrespectful enough on its own!”
His voice came out loud enough that every head in the room swung toward Elias and Lucien, whispers already spreading about the fact that some commoner had wandered into a gathering of high-ranking nobles.
Meanwhile, Elias just stood there quietly, mulling over the possibility that he’d somehow stumbled into that classic Event where a commoner gets bullied by nobility, right before the protagonist or Heroine swoops in and puts a stop to it.
‘So, should I just keep standing here doing nothing and wait for the protagonist to come save me?’
Seeing Elias stay silent only made Lucien angrier, his voice climbing even louder.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?!”
“You just said a Caretaker like me shouldn’t be talking back to you.”
“T-that… That’s not what I meant! I meant stop standing there like an idiot and get out of here! Before I—”
“Goodness. It’s quite loud over here.”
Before Lucien could finish, a woman’s voice suddenly cut him off mid-sentence.
She descended the staircase with practiced grace, both hands resting in front of her stomach as she made her way through the crowd.
“Hello, Lady Seraphina!”
“Congratulations on your coming of age, Lady Seraphina.”
“So happy for you on this occasion, my Lady!”
“Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate with me tonight, but… I won’t tolerate any fighting here.”
The woman turned out to be none other than the Marquis Aurelle’s daughter, Seraphina Aurelle, the host and the very reason everyone had gathered here tonight.
When Seraphina’s gaze landed on Elias, she gave a small bow, one hand pressed to her chest as a show of respect.
“Young Master Lucien, that’s enough.”
“B-but, my Lady! He’s—”
“I’ve given him permission to be here.”
Judging by the look on Lucien’s face, it was obvious he wasn’t thrilled about Elias’s presence at the party.
Still, at the end of the day, Elias was a guest, and the host herself clearly had no problem with him being there.
In the end, Lucien chose to back down and walked off in another direction.
Before he left, he clicked his tongue and shot Elias a sharp glare.
“Just you wait!”
Elias let out a breath of relief, one hand pressed to his chest.
If Seraphina hadn’t shown up when she did, he honestly had no idea what Evelyn and Elysia might’ve done to Lucien.
‘Lucien, you owe Lady Seraphina a serious thank you.’