The Duchess of the Attic

"Claude, not now. Be patient."

"Yes, you'd better be more patient. You're too spoiled."

"Claude is not spoiled. Hey...... he's just sweet"

"- I knew you should have had your name changed."

Opal laughed when he deliberately saw Claude holding his head and moaning.

Claude, the dog who jumped out of the room feeling the signs of Opal, has been seized by his butler, Joseph.

Without being jumped by the dog claude thanks to Joseph, neither the opal nor the human claude dressed to attend the ball had just gotten anything.

His youngest son, the caretaker of the dog Claude, arrives in a hurry, but the human Claude takes Opal outside with only brief caution.

Joseph's clothes dropping me off were disturbed by hair all over the place, and Opal uttered an apology before boarding the carriage.

Opal, who returned from the royal castle yesterday, was not doing it over a dog clade because he had been busy.

Once again, he was asking Claude and Joseph about social relationships and tapping them into his head.

Even though the men's factions know it, the women also have different factions.

Contrary to the glamour of rumors, the social world has a lot of leg pulling under the water, and if you make a mistake, you fall quickly.

Opal glimpsed Claude's mother - the Baroness - sitting next to him from Claude sitting across the street.

Apparently, the Baroness had a glorious social life as Count Roussell's Lady, but since she was duped by her predecessors for having a rundown marriage with the Baron, her friend's contact seems to have been cut off.

These days, they started exchanging letters with their former friends again.

And even though I haven't actually seen him in decades, he doesn't look nervous about the Baroness and stares calmly at the baron sitting across the street.

(You're still a good couple, aren't you? You must have had a lot of trouble......)

The Earl of Holloway and the neighboring Baroness cannot be described as small and rich, but they have lived carefully without imposing burdens on their inhabitants.

Besides, Opal just knows, he's survived two major murders.

(You've always been my ideal couple statue...)

I know Opal's deceased mother had affection for her father, but my father never looked after his family.

Of course I can't say I didn't have any love for my father, but it wouldn't make sense if I didn't pass it on.

For Opal, who could not feel any affection or anything from Hubert's words or deeds, as that proposal was a blue-hearted thunderbolt.

"Ah..."

"What's up, Opal?

"Huh? Oh, no... it's nothing"

Surprised by Opal, who suddenly raised his voice, he was noted not only by Claude but also by the barons, to whom Opal replied with a reddish face.

The couple went into the world of the two again convinced, but Claude kept his surprise gaze to Opal.

Still, when Opal grinned, he gave up and moved his gaze out the window.

I guess it's time to arrive at the royal castle.

I didn't do anything wrong, but Opal had done it from time to time.

I completely forgot that Hubert had sent me a letter.

Hi. I feel like my head has been spinning slowly lately.

(I wonder if this is the kind of thing that goes up...)

It's very comforting to have someone to rely on for Opal, who has been working so hard on his own ever since.

Besides, that's who I love, so I guess it's harder not to float.

That's why it doesn't suit Opal's sexuality to be sweet as it is.

I want to help Claude.

"We've arrived. Opal, Dad, Mom, you ready?

"Yeah, it's okay."

"It's been a long time since I've been nervous..."

"Oh, I'm fine."

When the Opals answered Claude's inquiry, the carriage stopped and the door opened after the signal came from the outside.

Claude comes down a little first and gives Opal a hand.

Then the baron went down, and while the lady went down, Opal felt a lot of gaze, but stretched his spine to grandeur.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, thanks"

Again with his hands on the arm offered by Claude, Opal proceeded to the venue with a grin.

It wasn't long after that.

They are surrounded, introduced and observed by many people as they enter the venue.

But Opal was also observing the people around him.

You should be thorough about not letting yourself out tonight and figuring out your relationships in the social community in this country.

Of course not overnight, but it's a great opportunity to know Claude's exact standing and Opal's placement.

For that reason, Opal left most of the conversation to Claude, just smiling silently.

And as I pretend to be listening, I listen to conversations that are exchanged a little further away.

"I wondered how many beautiful women would show up, but it's no big deal."

"But look, take a look. You're all stretched out under your noses, aren't you?

"We don't know, do we have a secret or something?"

"Then I'd love to, Professor. That's enough to drop the Marquis Roussel."

"And the Duke of McCloud of the Kingdom of Socieux."

"Oh, the Duke dumped you, didn't he?

"But I heard you received quite an asset - a valuable piece of land - as a compensation. Could it have been a man-test?

"Yes, yes! Instead of a tree with money, it's a land with money. And now she's one of the best bourgeoisie women in the world."

"As much as I envy you. Then I guess you can close your eyes to other flaws."

Opal was just as surprised by this content.

It is not known that the investment in man-testing was made in Opal's own property.

Perhaps at the time of the divorce, such rumors spread because of the transfer of property from Hubert as a price for the Duke's territory.

It is not normal for a woman to invest herself.

Women's independence was not likely to be accepted in this country either, and Opal swallowed a sigh.

That's when the dull laugh that lasted for a little while subsided and I heard one woman's pleasant voice.

"Well, it's like the Marquis Roussel is after the money."

"You might not be wrong, though, right? In the first place, the Marquis was the third son of the Baron family of the Kingdom of Société. That multiplied the turmoil in this country and successfully entered His Majesty's place, didn't it? Next time, the Duke will duke you..."

When the topic moved from Opal to Claude and Opal was irritated, the king was told of his admission.

Everyone breaks their knees, bows their heads and welcomes King Alessandro.

Then Alessandro said words celebrating the opening of a new railway and the engagement of the Marquis Roussel, and the opening of the ball was declared.

At the beginning, Alessandro starts dancing with a young woman - perhaps a princess, her niece - on the floor, followed by Opal and Claude along the way.

Opal was led by Claude to dance for the first time in a long time.

Besides, this is my first time dancing in a formal setting with Claude.

"Sounds like a lot of fun, huh?

"Yeah, very"

"Looks like you were angry about something earlier?

"You were aware?

"Well, sort of. Because Opal gets a deeper smile when he gets angry. So, what were you angry about?

"... rumors about the women. Words to Claude are terrible."

"Oh, that or. I wish I didn't mind."

"It may be so..."

Claude laughed and shook his head small as Opal replied wondering what it meant to smile deeper.

Hopefully even being angry like Claude can make me laugh and flow, but I already know I can't do it to Opal.

Claude laughed again when he saw Opal squeaking in dissatisfaction.

If you become Claude, who knows Opal's character well, you can safely keep your future.

So I could calmly drop Claude off when he left the side to dance a second song with Her Royal Highness.

And now Opal was smiling, even as she was subtly separated from the Baroness and surrounded by the ladies.