From the time when Joy had begun to grow more mature, she had steadily appeared in social circles.
It wasn’t because she found the atmosphere of the social circles enjoyable.
If she had to be honest, she found the typical vibe of high society quite burdensome.
The constant power struggles. The uncomfortable, yet unavoidable, gossip that couldn't be ignored. The overwhelming obsession with the influence of noble families that was almost bordering on obsession.
Despite the few positive aspects, like delicious food, good music, and the occasional conversation with famous people, Joy thought the social circles were ultimately more harmful than beneficial. This was precisely what drove her obsession with romance novels.
Nevertheless, the reason Joy still attended these events was to fulfill the responsibilities of being a noblewoman.
Thus, Joy did her best to gain something every time she attended a social gathering.
She’d feel truly resentful if she returned without gaining anything after all the hard work.
"I did my best to become the noblewoman I was supposed to be. Balancing the relationships between noblewomen and reigning over them wasn’t easy," Joy said, proudly recounting her efforts to be like the former duchess.
She had studied the relationships between families, kept up with both past and recent events, and intervened preemptively when it seemed someone might get offended.
She told these tales in the hope of receiving compliments, but the response she received was completely different from what she expected.
"Can a fool like you do that?"
"Joy, even bragging needs to be done appropriately for it to be believable."
"I’m telling the truth! Why would I lie about something like this? Do you think I’m someone who’s splitting the noble families into factions just for fun?!"
"Maybe you’re just a figurehead, and you’re fooling yourself into thinking you’re in control?"
"Someone who can’t even manage their own emotions, how would they manage all of this?"
"Argh! Enough! Anyway, let’s get back on track!"
It was no surprise that Joy, who had tried to grasp every detail of the situation, had seen the First Prince and Lucy having a conversation.
Despite Lucy’s reputation being at rock bottom at that time, she was the only daughter of the continent’s strongest warrior, Alrn, and the other person was the First Prince, whose talents were widely recognized.
"At first, it wasn’t smooth sailing. The First Prince was said to have gotten very angry, and that was quite the topic of discussion."
The news that the First Prince, who treated even the children of insignificant families with politeness, had raised his voice loudly enough to fill the ballroom, was certainly enough to become a hot topic.
"I remember not long after the uproar, Duke Alrn came running, looking completely flustered. It was tough for him, but I’m so glad to see things are better now," Joy said with a bright smile, remembering Benedict.
Lucy’s pupils trembled at Joy’s words.
Ah, I made a mistake! This wasn’t something to say casually! Seeing Arthur glare at her, Joy coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, after Duke Alrn took the two of them away, it seemed like they had worked things out. The First Prince later smiled and explained that it was just a misunderstanding."
Though many were curious about what had happened, the First Prince brushed off all the questions.
Not only that, but he even stopped any gossip about Lucy Alrn.
At the time, it was assumed that the First Prince was doing so out of respect for Duke Alrn’s honor, but perhaps something more had happened back then.
"A month later, when they met again at another social gathering, they seemed indifferent to each other, but later, I heard from a noblewoman whose family hosted the event that they had rented a private room to talk."
"Why were you asking about that? Fool? Do you have some interest in the gloomy prince?"
"No."
If she had even a small inkling of interest, she would have been embarrassed, but Joy responded with a dry voice.
Although Joy thought the First Prince was impressive in many ways, strangely, she didn’t feel any attraction. Maybe it was because her older brother had always told her to be friendly with him but not get too close.
"I didn’t ask about it. That noblewoman brought it up herself."
The words that come with saying something 'special' just for you are quite common in social circles, especially among noblewomen who prioritize their groups over anything else.
"Later, I heard from several other noblewomen that they continued to talk, but that meeting eventually stopped. I wondered if I was wrong, so I checked, but no, it wasn’t like that."
Something clearly happened, but no one knows exactly what.
The relationship between the two had never once spilled into the outside world.
"Can you guess when that might have happened?"
At Arthur’s question, Joy nodded readily.
"Do you remember when the First Prince entered an A-rank dungeon alone and achieved success? My guess is that’s when they became close."
"Oh, I remember that. There was quite an uproar then."
"That was the day the First Prince proved he was a genius."
"From the outside, it seemed that way?"
"Was it different inside the palace?"
"It was cold. That dungeon raid was something my brother did on his own, disobeying Queen 1st’s orders."
Arthur mumbled, wondering if that was the first and last time the Queen had gotten that serious. When he suddenly saw Joy stand up, he flinched.
"That’s it! The First Prince was definitely stopped by the Queen! Back then, Lucy was a troublemaker!"
"That makes sense. If it was back then, she might have been told to stay away. No, wait. That doesn’t make sense. Why would my brother feel betrayed?"
"Maybe Lucy, thinking she would ruin herself, intentionally pushed the First Prince away?"
"Well, even if she was a troublemaker, Lucy Alrn is Lucy Alrn. She might have cared for someone she liked."
The conversation, which was inappropriate to have in front of the actual troublemaker, continued as neither of the two realized the situation.
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Normally, Lucy would have chimed in with a comment, but today she remained silent.
After parting ways with the two, I ignored Benedict’s fuss about what had happened and collapsed onto my bed.
Still oblivious to the situation, the dazed fool fox who had come close to me, claiming it needed to erase the perverted smell, was tightly embraced by me. I pressed my chin against its head, letting the memories of the scene flash through my mind.
"Lu... Lucy, I like that you like me, but isn’t this a bit too close?"
Rene, who had been happily bragging about his achievements, and Lucy, who had been scowling as usual.
The rising voices at some point, the guilt that followed after parting.
As Joy had guessed, there was a time when Lucy and Rene were quite close.
Although I don’t know how they became friends, it was certainly a relationship that deserved to be called friendship.
And this relationship had been shattered by a single fight.
"Well, why don’t you just sit down like a cushion? Heh. Hehehe."
Even though I hadn’t gone anywhere, the emotions I felt were more vivid now than when I thought about Lucy’s mother.
Feeling the complicated emotions of something that is mine yet not mine, I let out a long sigh.
Ugh. Damn it. If my memories were going to return, they should have done so from the start. Why just one scene, making my head ache? At this rate, I’ll become the bad guy.
<Ruel, you knew that the artifact filled with divine power from Erginus was given to you, right?>
<He asked for it back then, so I gave it to him.>
<If a hero like you embraces the divine power, it’s likely to help me recover faster, right?>
<We’ll have to see, but the chances are high. Given how much you’ve trained with my mace, you’re bound to absorb some of my divine energy.>
So that’s how it is. Fine. Originally, I was planning to enjoy this quest alone, but given the circumstances, I’ll compromise.
<Wait a minute. Lucy, the reason you’re asking this is...>
<Yes. I’m going to meet Grandpa’s puppet.>
I can take my friends with me. I don’t need to explain the situation to anyone, and honestly, there’s no one more reliable than them.
<Puppet?>
<Shut up, Garad! Lucy, wait. Are you sure it’s a good idea to go with your friends to face that puppet?>
<I don’t have a choice. This is the best option.>
<Wouldn’t it be more fun to break it yourself? You’d feel a greater sense of accomplishment!>
<It’s fine. I enjoy torturing them in one-sided ways.>
<It’s not fun for me! It’s me, me!>
Not fully understanding what was going on, Garad’s laughter rang out as Grandpa’s voice filled with desperation tried to stop me. But that wasn’t going to change my decision.