Gacha Kingdom Building

Because managing the vast Evretis territory was difficult, Isabella was always busy and could never accept invitations to parties, no matter how many she received.

However, after more than five months as the Duchess of Evretis, she had finally felt comfortable enough to take some time off to prepare and attend a party.

Back on Earth, I rarely attended such events, so I failed to consider just how much preparation was necessary for someone of Isabella's standing not to shame themselves.

Although I suspect her excitement for the party itself also contributed a lot.

Since this is a party held by the academy, for its students, the attendees are only heirs instead of landed nobles.

The only exception of course is Isabella herself.

But in any case, this meant she should be able to relax a little more without worrying about the political game and all the schemes and gossip that often happen at such parties.

And above all else, what made this event so much different than the ones she had rejected before was that...

She always wanted to attend it.

I can't relate to her due to the relationship I had with my school, but this academic life, even with all the struggles and hardships she's facing considered, was something she dreamt about for a long time.

Every ceremony, every lesson, and every event... They are things she always wanted to experience.

They were her chance to leave her house and find a different world to escape to. Even if temporarily.

Thus, it saddens me a little that her experience has been less than ideal.

However, for her, this is still a dream realized. It's no wonder she can endure all the problems and still enjoy it, even if reality is not how she might have idealized.

It does beg the question of whether or not this satisfies her. Is she sincerely happy about this? Or is she pretending to be satisfied with what she achieved simply because she has given up on the form her dreams had before?

I tend to believe the truth, sadly, lies in the middle.

As someone who spends most of my day watching and caring for her, I can say with certainty that her desires have changed a little.

It's not that she wishes for new things, but that she has achieved some of her desires in ways she couldn't have imagined.

One such is her desire for friendships.

She wished for true friends who knew, understood, and liked the person she was.

The academy was also perfect for fulfilling this dream, but whereas she might've imagined its students would fill the role of her friends, she has found the girls from the Kingdom to have taken the role instead.

They are supportive and present, always chatting, joking around, and being overall nice to her.

I'm sure that while this is not how she imagined things to go, it is still something meaningful and important for her.

I'm sure their relationship brings her joy.

And yet... I also know it is not enough.

The Event's conclusion is tied to her happiness, and as long as it has not ended, no matter how much happier and brighter...

No matter how much more often she smiles...

She is still not satisfied.

And I can't blame her for it.

She has worked so hard for so many things. She has achieved and changed so much.

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And yet, her life is still filled with tragedy.

People still refuse to look at her for who she truly is.

Her efforts are never recognized.

The girls and I might be an exception to all this, but how minuscule are we compared to the entire world surrounding her?

Outsiders as we are, this is the one thing we can't change... The feeling she might have that this world is against her.

Thus, knowing full well what this night represented for her, I brought her here, and the best I could do was wish her good luck.

Miwen: "I believe I said this before, but Beatrice and I enchanted your necklace with my mana. If anything happens, break the gem, and I'll come to your rescue."

Isabella: "Hmm... Are you trying to be promoted from my butler to my knight?"

She says knowing full well that I have already saved her life multiple times.

Albert: "As long as we are with her, no one will be dumb enough to try anything. You don't need to worry."

Lenard: "Sorry. He meant to say thanks for worrying about our sister. And that we'll do our best to protect her as well."

Although the party is meant only for the students, thanks to a sudden request by both Edmond and Sabrina, Isabella's brothers were officially invited as well.

The pressure on the academy was far too great thanks to their authority.

They also assumed that Isabella would support such a decision, and with the Crown Prince, the Saint, and the Duchess of the most powerful house all in favor of it, the academy relented this one exception.

The fact that they often come by and give special lectures might also have influenced their decision.

Lastly, I also have a strong feeling that the game's script is forcing this world to abide by its will.

This night marks one of the most important events, and all five... Or rather, all six characters, need to be present, one way or another, for this event to play like it is supposed to.

Miwen: "...You better. But in any case, I'll be here at the old gazebo until the party finishes. If you decide to go somewhere else with someone just inform me through the Kingdom's system. And you don't need to stay in the party until it ends. If you feel tired or want to leave, whatever the reason, just come to me and I'll prepare our ride back home."

Of course, this sixth character is a mere butler, having no excuse to participate in such a grandiose event.

My role is simply to wait outside for the heroine to come and spend some time with me, inevitably increasing my favorability towards them.

Like a stray puppy, as Mia put it when she saw the scene for herself.

Isabella: "I'm not going anywhere with anyone."

Miwen: "You never know~"

Isabella: "Hmph. I won't repeat myself. But as thanks for coming, I'll bring you a drink."

Miwen: "Then I'll be waiting."

My eyes were captivated by the dazzling image of Isabella leaving the gazebo with her brothers and walking towards the main building where the party would be held.

The three of them possessed an already incredible natural beauty, but when they dressed themselves for such a special occasion, they became even more charming.

Truly extraordinary... However, even among her brothers, I felt like Isabella was the one shining the brightest.

She chose a light blue dress, as recommended by Licia, who seemed to have loved the color, not only because it was her favorite due to the color of her own hair, but because of how it complemented Isabella's bright and charming pink hair.

It evoked such a harmonious and charming image... The colors, while not very flashy, were so unique that one couldn't help but have their eyes drawn to her, something Bea did her best to maximize with the design choice that seemed to perfectly draw Isabella's natural charm without being too provocative thanks to Claire's input.

I also did my best with her makeup and hair, but by the end of it, I was completely awestruck by the result.

She was like the sky on a sunny day.

I couldn't imagine how someone would ever refer to such a bright girl as the Umbral Duchess again after seeing her like this.

And yet...

Mia: "Miwen... I don't like this. Why didn't you expose the truth about Sabrina? It could prevent her from acting today."

Miwen: "I doubt it. To most students, I'm just Isabella's butler. They would easily dismiss any claims I make, even more so with dubious proof."

It sucks, but... Not all people are seen equally in this world.

Well, it's also true on mine to a certain extent, but... It's on a whole other level here.

The authority one has when speaking seems to count way more than what they have to say.

We don't have anyone who can put a fight against Sabrina on that front.

Except for Isabella. Disliked or not, she is the Duchess of Evretis. When she speaks, no one but Sabrina and Edmond have the right to interrupt.

They'll listen to her, whether they believe or not, and they can't openly dismiss her like they would do to me.

They fear her. Their families fear her.

Mia: "But... She'll be alone."

Miwen: "...I gave her what we had. How she fights is up to her. Not to mention, she will not be alone. Her brothers are there."

Mia: "Do you really trust them? I think it's pretty obvious that they have been charmed by Sabrina ever since the first semester."

Right. They did act a little strange when she was around.

They are also coming to the academy on days when they have events with Sabrina, some of them should only happen if they have a decent favorability towards her.

But even then...

Miwen: "Who's to say they haven't also been charmed by our cute villainess?"

The events that lead to the creation of the Umbral Duchess are, ironically, the most productive for Isabella when it comes to increasing her favorability with her brothers.

In the game, it's pretty much the only event that is guaranteed to happen and doesn't include Sabrina in it, which means Isabella has no competition.

Due to its nature, it also has the family united against a common enemy, which obviously results in them getting closer.

As far as I can tell, Isabella has managed to achieve results even better than what the game could offer.

Her brothers truly seem to believe in her now. Not only in her innocence but also that she's well-meaning.

They came to understand that she cared about them just as much as they cared about her, even if before, they were both too afraid to openly show it.

Miwen: "Those two can be quite weak, but... I trust that they aren't bad people."

Mia: "I guess... Hm? What's that?"

Miwen: "I was just thinking that there's no need for us to just sit and wait. Maybe we could enjoy ourselves a little as well."

I brought two speakers with me and connected them to Claire's phone.

It wasn't anything fancy, nor was it as good as a live performance, but I still felt like it would be fun to share a moment like this with Mia.

Mia: "...I don't think I can dance."

Miwen: "That makes two of us."

I've always preferred to be at my own home, so whenever I was forced to go to parties like this, I would often just sit down and enjoy the food and beverages.

Because of this, I might never have even tried a dance, be it modern or classical.

Mia: "...Just one, then."

Miwen: "Sure."

Although neither of us knew what we were doing, we spent quite some time there, just enjoying being close to each other.

And that made me confirm that the gazebo truly did affect me.

That place was truly special when you were with someone truly special.

And that night, I fell for my fiancée all over again.

In the end, even though she promised me a single dance, we probably ended up doing quite a few more without any of us being none the wiser.

Sadly, after a while, she regained her composure and we had to stop since she became a little too aware of herself.

But this ended up being for the better.

A little while after we had sent Isabella to the main building of the academy and had our little moment, Mia informed us that she felt Isabella approaching.

Even from a distance, I could see that the bright and excited look she had on her face gave way to a more somber expression.

Even the way she walked was completely different now.

What's more, her brothers were nowhere to be seen.

Miwen: "...Mia?"

Mia: "...I'll be around."

Before Isabella could step foot inside the gazebo, Mia was already gone.

Isabella didn't say a word to me. She simply got closer, her face hidden as she looked down.

I approached her, already aware of what might have happened.

That's when I saw she did bring me a drink.

Isabella: "I promised, right?"

Miwen: "In such a situation, you shouldn't have bothered."

This girl... I thought she had learned the best we had to offer.

But with this one act, she showed me she had also learned some of the worst.