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"Lord Raymond. The preparations are complete."
"Yeah. Thank you, Irina."
A few months after turning twelve.
Until now, I had been getting away with various reasons, but I can no longer escape.
Yes, twelve years old means the social debut for royalty.
It's very depressing.
Because there's dancing, and I have to interact with young ladies to find a future marriage partner, and with young sons to find those who will be my subordinates in the future.
And I am, as you know, the seventh prince who is aiming for the seat of the Crown Prince, so 120 percent of those who are just interested in novelty will gather.
"Lord Raymond? Is something wrong?"
Irina, with a curious expression, peeked into my face, so I smiled softly to reassure her.
"It's okay. Thank you, Irina. Well then, shall we go soon?"
My face doesn't have as much glamour as Jean-niisama's or John-niisama's, and because there are many who complain about these eyes, the bangs that I had been growing out, I had no choice but to slick back with wax today.
"Hmm. I still can't beat Jean-niisama and John-niisama."
Those two, especially, inherit the blood of the elf Sophia-sama, so they boast inhuman beauty.
In particular, Jean-niisama has improved his eating habits, so unlike before, he is completely healthy.
His beauty has been refined.
"Lord Raymond is very beautiful too!"
Irina said that a little forcefully, but that doesn't change my appearance.
"Is that so? Thank you, Irina."
"N, no."
I look in the mirror again, but it's still somehow lackluster.
"Well, it can't be helped, can it? Well then, let's go, Irina."
"Yes, Lord Raymond."
"Ly! Happy twelfth birthday. This is a present from me."
As if he had been waiting for me to come out of the room, Jean-niisama ran to my side and put a purple Antares flower in my ear.
I can't see it myself, but the transparent purple Antares will be sparkling on my black hair.
"Ly, do you know the flower language of the purple Antares?"
"Flower language, is it?"
"Yeah. Apart from the flower language of Antares itself, there are different flower languages for each color."
Now that I think about it, when I was still a baby and Maria was holding me, Jean-niisama told me for the first time that the flower language of the red Antares was "I love you forever."
But I've never heard of the flower language of the purple Antares, so I shook my head from side to side.
"Fufu. The purple Antares is "perfect beauty". You look even cooler today!"
He raised his thumb with a flourish and winked with a "bachikōn!"
When did Jean-niisama become so frank?
But I like Jean-niisama like that too.
It's a little embarrassing to be praised from the front, and when I awkwardly avert my gaze, Jean-niisama, who noticed that, loosens his expression as if it's heartwarming, so I feel somehow awkward.
"Hey, Jean. Don't tease Ly any further."
John-niisama, who temporarily returned from the Notos United Kingdom for this day, wasn't rushing like Jean-niisama, but it seemed that he was also waiting for me outside the room.
"John! But, my brother is making his social debut, you know!? My! Brother!! So it's impossible to tell me not to get excited, right!?"
So Jean-niisama's tension was also rising.
"Jean....... Haa, I'm sorry, Ly. More than that, happy birthday. This is a present from me. I don't know if you'll like it, but."
He held out both hands, which he was gripping as if showing a treasure, in front of my eyes, and gently opened those hands.
"What is this...?"
It was an earring with a small silver basket swaying at the end of a thin silver chain.
Inside the charm that imitated the basket, there was something like a jewel that emitted a glittering light, which was reflected in the silver.
I gently received it from John-niisama's hand.
"I was thinking that you were making something, and it was a present for Ly."
"Eh!? D, did John-niisama make this!?"
It's an unexpected fact.
"I made it, but Jean came up with the design. I don't have the talent to think of designs, you know."
"Then, it's a present from Jean-niisama and John-niisama, isn't it? Thank you. I'll treasure it."
"Ah, ah."
John-niisama is blushing red, perhaps because he's shy about being thanked from the front. If John-niisama, who is shy while putting the back of one of his hands to his mouth and wandering his gaze, were a girl, he would definitely be very popular.
No, he's still very popular with the young ladies even in his male state.
"Jean, could you put it on Ly for me?"
"Hmm. I understand. Ly, which is better to put this on, the right or the left?"
"Um, then the left."
"Understood."
The earring passed from my hand to Jean-niisama's hand, and his hand was gently extended to my left ear.
"Shus."
When Jean-niisama muttered that, I felt the weight on my ear and realized that the earring was on my earlobe.
When I gently reach out and touch it, it doesn't seem like it's going to come off, and it's more like a piercing.
But there's no feeling that I've had a hole opened, so it's probably a non-hole piercing (magic formula).
"If you want to take it off, just touch it and say Eshu, and it'll come off, okay?"
"Yes. Thank you, Jean-niisama, John-niisama."
An Antares flower on my head. Sparkling earrings on my ears.
"Well then, shall we go soon? Otherwise, Father might get tired of waiting and come to pick us up."
"That's right. Ly, are you ready?"
"Yes. I'm okay."
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