My Daughters Are Regressors

Chapter 176: High Society Debuts Are Difficult! (6)

"Come on! Move the luggage! Move the luggage!"

"The elephants are coming in! Clear some space in the royal garden!"While the sky was showing a romantic atmosphere with the red sunset fading, the Ordor Royal Palace was as bright and busy as midday.The carriages of the endless influx of delegations, guests, and visitors stretched from the palace garden to the city gates.

"Look at that! A white tiger!"

"Those people must have come from the desert!"

The princess's birthday was a big festival even within the Kingdom of Ordor.People came out to the streets, mouths agape, to see the rare and precious things loaded on the carriages of delegations from various countries.As foreign minstrels and jesters began to pluck strange instruments, and fireworks shot by magicians and pyrotechnicians exploded loudly in the sky,Children who had gathered from all over the world began to appear one by one in the spacious and splendid banquet hall of the annex palace.

"Entering is the young prince Wikeare from the Principality of Lazador─."

"Ahem, hello everyone."

"Arriving is Lady Soso of the Tang family from the Palcheon region in the east of the continent."

"It's been a while, everyone."

"Excuse me for a moment."

The maids and servants raised their voices as if boasting and showing off to each other.Their voices were full of pride for the families they served and their young masters, sounding loud and spirited.The children invited to the Ordor Princess's annex palace banquet were all precious darlings who had grown up receiving boundless adoration.

Although the average age was around 12, the scheming and mind games going on felt even more blatant than those of adults.That's right.The children here were all prodigies of royal studies who had been taught from a young age to reign and rule over others.The hundred or so children gathered in this place were indeed the future protagonists who would govern the social circles and global affairs 20 and 40 years from now.

"Lady Soso, today's banquet is not just a simple celebration. It's like a mock battle carrying the name of your family on your back...! Good luck...!"

"I know. But well, this year's level is so-so. At this rate, I might be able to achieve a high rank in the voting without much effort, don't you think?"

Lady Soso from the eastern region, wearing a black cheongsam dress, giggled while shaking her brown hair tied up like dumplings.That's when it happened.

Swish—Someone grabbed Soso's hair.How dare they carelessly grab a lady's hair?Soso glared sharply at this rude act.Then she saw a strange girl with black hair.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Naru!"

"...Naru?"

Although Lady Soso had been invited to this banquet for two years now, it was the first time she had heard the name 'Naru'. Could she be a child participating for the first time?Well, that didn't matter.

"Would you please not touch my hair carelessly?"

"I thought you had dumplings on your head!"

"......"

Soso closed her mouth, not wanting to continue the conversation, but inwardly thought, 'What kind of child is this?'It was common for children participating in this gathering of young masters for the first time to do foolish things and be embarrassed.It often happened with children from newly ennobled families who had recently received noble titles.

'Judging by the black hair, she looks like a Barbaroi. But was there a family among the Barbaroi that recently received a title and became nobility?'

Lady Soso from the Palcheon region was quite an intelligent girl.The list of families from various parts of the continent that she had memorized since childhood spread out in her mind, but she knew nothing about this girl called Naru.In such cases, it was best to ask honestly.

"You said your name was Naru? What is your father's title? For your reference, my father, Soso's father, is a general of the Do Empire. My grandfather is the prime minister."

Soso said this while subtly showing off.It was a common fun to boast about how great a family one was born into to people participating in the banquet for the first time.Now this Barbaroi kid who seemed to come from some rural area would surely praise Soso with shining eyes or want to become friends with her.Then Soso would hand over a small gift and encourage her to vote for her, and surely a friendship would develop between their families.

That's right.This might have looked like a children's banquet, but it was undoubtedly a miniature version of the world.However, Naru didn't care about such things.Naru just thought this dumpling hair was interesting.But she had to answer the question asked.

"Naru's dad plays at home! Naru's grandpa also plays at home!"

"......"

"Instead, my great-grandfather is a congressman! But they say he's about to be caught for corruption, so it's not sure how long that will last! But if he endures this time, they say he'll even challenge something called a presidential election!"

What could a congressman be?Soso thought she had heard an unfamiliar word.Could it be something like a member of the council of elders in some republic?Soso was good at gauging people's living standards.She decided to ask a few more questions to dig a little deeper into this peculiar child.

"You said your name was Naru? What's your hobby?"

"Naru is catching dragonflies these days! They say dragonfly ared called dragons in another language. So dragonflies are dragons! Isn't that amazing! Dragonflies catch mosquitoes really well!"

It was a very strange story.Soso soon came to a conclusion about Naru.

'...She seems a bit slow. I should take care of her by keeping her around.'

Although Soso was a girl raised to be arrogant, she was also a girl who knew how to have a broad mind towards the weak. Most of the children at this banquet were like that.After all, a lion wouldn't genuinely get angry at an ant for biting it.Of course, there were some kids who were selfish and arrogant enough to immediately crush the ant to death, but the important thing is that Soso felt some pity towards Naru.

'If I show that I'm taking good care of this child... Prince Elric might praise me!'

It wasn't purely out of goodwill either.Soso had a fiancé chosen by her family as soon as she was born, and he was a prince from a neighboring country.

Prince Elric.He was 15 years old.His figure, mixing with other men over there, looked quite handsome.

Pat—Perhaps because their eyes met, Prince Elric, with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and high nose bridge, approached Soso. Although Soso was only 7 years old, her cheeks turned red at the sight of his handsome face!

"He-Hello, Prince."

"It's my fiancée Soso. This is the first time we've met since your birthday 3 months ago, right?"

"To be precise, it's been 3 months, 22 days, and 3 hours."

"Haha, I see. Soso is smart."

Rub rub—

As the prince was patting Soso's head, Naru, who had been watching this scene, raised both hands high. And then she shouted."Wow, holy shh...! The age gap between them is huge!"

The 15-year-old Prince Elric had not yet shed his boyish traits, but he still seemed somewhat adult-like.The fair-skinned people with blonde hair and blue eyes generally matured faster.Elric had broad shoulders and was quite tall at about 177cm.

However, the 7-year-old Soso still had not lost her baby fat, making her face round. Her body was straight and flat, and she was quite short.In many ways, it was an ill-matched combination.Soso was also conscious of this age difference, which made her frown involuntarily.

'Naru, you...! You naughty kid!'

She wanted to get angry, but she couldn't because it was in front of her fiancé.Of course, Elric was a natural prince with high princely power, having been kidnapped by thieves three times in his life, so he smiled kindly and rubbed Soso's hair.

"It's okay. In 10 years, you'll surely become a wonderful woman. By then, all men will be lining up to talk to you. I'll be in that line too."

Soso was very pleased.But she also felt a bit disappointed.

'He says I'll become a wonderful woman in 10 years.... Does that mean I'm not now?'

"Hey! Elric! That's enough, come over here! I'll introduce you to my younger sister! She's a student at Demian Academy and turned 16 this year─."

"Hello, Prince Elric. I've heard a lot about you from my brother. Hohoho."

Prince Elric went off to the world of adults (or at least people who looked infinitely adult-like to 6 or 7-year-olds) at the call of people.Watching this, Soso trembled.

"I want to become an adult soon too! But, I'm already a wonderful woman now. To prove that... I have no choice but to win this year's vote!"

Being chosen as this year's princess.That was Soso's goal.But this year, it was nearly impossible.

Because that 'Neva de Voluntari' was participating in the banquet this year.It had already been decided that 'Neva' would be chosen as this year's princess.The protagonists of today's birthday party were also Princess Ordor and Neva.That's the kind of event it was.

'Is there really no way...'

"Naru, have you made friends with people?"

Cecily, who had been wandering around the banquet hall, asked.Cecily, very unfortunately, hadn't made a single friend.The same was true for Hina.

"We're... being kept at a distance..."

Hina and Cecily were being subtly ostracized.When boys and girls, attracted by Cecily and Hina's noble and beautiful appearances, tried to approach them, someone would come and whisper something in their ears, making them keep their distance.

"It's probably Neva's doing..."

Hina was a smart girl.So she could understand that this was Princess Neva's strategy to isolate them.If things continued like this, Hina and Cecily's debut in high society would be ruined.Of course, Naru didn't care about such things.

"When is dinner coming out?"

Naru was waiting for dinner time.Because she was hungry.But everyone was just walking around talking about boring things like "The territory of our mansion is how many acres..." or "The level of the new knights we brought in..."

"Soso, when do we eat dinner!"

Naru asked Soso.Soso, who had been quiet, was startled and asked Naru back.

"Are you friends with these children?"

To Soso, Hina and Cecily looked like cute girls. They were pretty enough to be the protagonists of the banquet, and they seemed close to Naru.Naru shook her head.

"No! Cecily and Hina are not friends, they're Naru's sisters!"

"Biological sisters?"

"That's right!"

'Why are these three sisters so different? Are they really sisters?'

As Soso was wondering, Hina spoke.

"We have... three... moms!"

Saying this, Hina snorted as if she had great pride.Having many mothers.That was proof that their father was a great person, so it was certainly something to boast about.Soso knew this too, so she had to ask for sure.

"Who is your father? Naru, what is your father's name?"

"Our dad's name is Judas! I'm Naru Barjudas!"

Judas!Soso also knew well about the formidability of that name. Although it didn't quite hit home, she at least knew that he was a great person.It was the same for the people who were listening to the conversation of these strange children.

"Judas's daughter?"

"My goodness, the rumors must have been true!"

Rumble rumble—Before they knew it, people had gathered around the three children.As a result, Soso was pushed away from Naru's group and fell on her bottom.

"Ouch─! Ow, that hurts... What's with everyone, I was friends with Naru first... Huh?"

As she was patting the dust off her knees with her palms and standing up, it happened.Soso saw a blue-haired girl clutching her blue dress and trembling.It was Princess Neva.

"...I'm supposed to be this year's protagonist!"