“What is important for a ‘debutante’, that is, a lady about to enter the world of high society?”
A gentle question from a beautiful, well-dressed woman.
The woman was a teacher at the academy's elementary division, teaching the young, very young cadets.
She was the one who taught mainly etiquette, language, and the social culture of the kingdom. The young cadets also smiled brightly and did not hesitate to raise their hands vigorously, as they liked their kind yet elegant teacher.
“What a pretty dress!”
“This is my dog!”
“Uh, uh, uh, so…. a handkerchief?”
The children each gave the best answers they could, and the woman just laughed at those answers.
Because it was an answer that was pure and untainted.
“Yes, they are not all wrong. The dress is important. It would definitely be cute if there was a puppy. The embroidery on the handkerchief is also important as it is one of the qualities of a lady.”
The children laughed happily at the teacher's affirming remarks, and the teacher continued speaking with a kind smile on her face.
“But before you pack your dress, your puppy, your handkerchief, there’s something important.”
“?”
“It’s none other than a chaperone.”
“??”
“In simple terms, it means ‘guardian.’”
"iced coffee."
The reaction was lukewarm.
It's as if you don't quite understand what's important about that.
“It’s really important. A chaperone is, simply put, a person who vouch for one’s credit. It’s a way of implicitly indicating that there is no problem with a woman’s chastity.”
“……?”
“Haha, it’s hard to understand now, right? When you grow up, you’ll understand. What the role of a chaperone is, and why it’s important. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll be the chaperone for one of you.”
“Me, me! Please do it! I like you, teacher!”
"me too!"
“Me…!!”
“Ohhoho.”
The woman hoped that the children's innocence would remain forever.
Even if I do my debutante dance later.
“-A chaperone is, simply put, a matchmaker. A matchmaker. They’re like a watchdog assigned by your parents to help you find a good man.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it’s not a very positive system. It’s not even a law, but there are things like that, right? It’s like a hardened custom, like an unwritten rule. It’s a bad habit.”
“To that extent?”
“Of course. Most noble ladies who chaperone me are noble chauvinists who discriminate against people based on their social status. And they are so picky that they find fault with things like the color of my eyes or the length of my hair, the angle at which I hold my teacup, and even my smiling or eating behavior.”
“Ugh….”
“Besides, they say that ladies should never exercise. They say that it is not dignified….”
“That is a very senseless bad habit.”
“That’s right!”
The knight, who had finished his eye-level education, nodded his head sharply, and the girl, whose innocence from her childhood had long since disappeared, chuckled.
It was the transience of time.
* * *
'Well, to sum it up, it's like a control device that suppresses the blood of youth.'
Even though it seemed like he was completely agreeing with his disciple's question, Lee Han had already heard what he needed to hear and filtered out what he needed to filter out.
That's why I knew that, as Chick 12 said, being a chaperone wasn't necessarily a bad habit.
'Because kids that age are naturally hot-blooded.'
An age ruled by hormones, not the head.
It was an age when one could easily cause trouble, and it was a time of tempestuous energy when running away from home or running away in the middle of the night was common.
Do you think that's an exaggeration?
'I heard at the last faculty meeting that there were 50 pairs of students who were involved in accidents and speeding last year, right?'
A situation where people do not study as they are told and instead focus on strengthening national power.
Well, there's no need to worry since they're married because they're both rich nobles.
The problem is that although they say it's love, they often break up after only two or three years.
As the saying goes, fiery love, fire can flare up at any moment and then suddenly go out at any moment.
In fact, it is said that as many as 80% of young noble couples in the entire kingdom get divorced each year, and it was not for nothing that Lee Han was prejudiced against nobles.
'Because there are so many things that just play around with the body.'
Can you believe that you can see all those flesh-colored scenes based on the lives of medieval European aristocrats that you saw in your past life just by throwing a party?
The height of promiscuity.
To be honest, the aristocrats had so many beastly sides that you could tell that the promiscuity shown in the movie was nothing.
That's why the kingdom's lawyers are always busy.
Divorce is divorce, and I'm also out of my mind due to 'paternity testing' caused by an affair.
So, it cannot be said that chaperoning is entirely a bad habit.
What kind of parents would ignore the fact that so many young people are causing accidents and squandering the family fortune through divorce and infidelity?
You have to attach a watcher or something.
… but.
“Why are you asking me to do that?”
Lee Han simply could not understand why his disciple had asked him for such a favor.
Even more so because I understand the role of a chaperone.
It would make sense if a woman were to stand as guarantor, but wouldn't it be a complete waste if a man puts himself as guarantor?
It was a natural question for Lee Han.
To such questions.
“Oh, that’s okay. To be honest, Britain and the Empire are very strict about such customs, but Pendragon isn’t that strict about customs.”
"okay?"
“Of course, it is true that there are usually more female chaperones, but there are also male chaperones. Sometimes they ask a knight or old knight known for his honor, or even a distant cousin of the family.”
“…Um, it’s a bit weird to say this myself, but didn’t you say there are ways to prove purity? Isn’t it a bit weird for a man to do that?”
“Of course that could be the case, but in some ways it’s not like that.”
"huh?"
“The instructor may hate it, but the ‘language of the nobility’ is not direct. It expresses ‘language’ not only through words, but also through actions, objects, and decorations. In that sense, if you bring a man as a guardian, it means something like, ‘I can prove my chastity to the point of selecting a man as a guardian.’”
“…Is that okay?”
“Okay. Even if there are people who don’t believe me and try to turn me around, it’s not a problem. We can just duel.”
“?”
“That’s why there are so many men who become chaperones. If they are insulted, they are ready to fight on the spot.”
“Hey, isn’t it suddenly too violent?”
It sounds like proof, but isn't it just a matter of forcing someone to surrender by force?
They said it was the language of the nobles, but seeing it suddenly change into the language of gangsters, Lee Han felt that the noble society was definitely closer to fists than the law.
“But that’s the instructor’s style, right?”
“…I won’t deny it.”
I like it because it's intuitive, meaning that if you curse at your child, you can just fight them with your fists without wasting energy.
“But I’m not asking you this simply because you’re strong. I only ask this from adults I trust. As far as I know, the most trustworthy adult is you.”
“…You’re flattering a chick that hasn’t even grown feathers properly.”
“Then why are you giving me beef jerky?”
“It’s true that I spoke nicely.”
“Ahahaha!”
Lirina was laughing out loud, and Lee Han was touching the tip of his nose.
In his 30s, it was a time when his emotions were becoming more abundant, and Lee Han was quite a disciple, no…
'Those young kids are now trying to become government officials.'
I was feeling quite proud of the fact that I had given faith to my 'disciples'.
“Lirina, you’re going to get stabbed!”
“You really have no morals.”
“No, without any agreement…!”
“Huh, the quick one wins, I guess.”
“!!?”
It was the rest of the chicks who suddenly joined their conversation.
I was furious when I heard their conversation a little too late.
That means those chicks also wanted to ask Lee Han to act as their chaperone.
For Lee Han, it was a little satisfying to see that he had become an adult that others could rely on.
But I also had some doubts inside.
“But, a debutante now?”
Lee Han tilted his head, wondering if he had definitely done a debutante last year.
It happened in the second semester, so it doesn’t seem like that long ago… .
“It’s like a rehearsal for entering the social world, Master.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re talking with your expression, haha.”
“Ahem.”
A girl who looked like a flower from the 108 Arhats, who had seen through my doubts just by looking at my expression, smiled brightly and approached him.
Levy, who knew little about aristocratic culture, gave a brief explanation to Han, who was not familiar with aristocratic culture.
“The debutante, or the process of young noble ladies and gentlemen entering the social world, may seem unusual to you, but it requires countless procedures and processes. In that sense, the ball held last year was a training session before the full debutante.”
“Then what about this year?”
“The real debutante is coming up soon, because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s first birthday is just around the corner.”
“…?”
“To explain in detail, it means that countless nobles are finally coming to the capital.”
“More details.”
“Just as you have to go to the river or the sea to catch fish, and if you want to see snow-covered fields, you have to go north, there is a saying that if you want to enter the social world, you have to gather at the royal road. No matter what anyone says, the center of the social world has to be the royal road.”
“Is it for connections?”
“That’s right. As expected, you understood it right away.”
As expected from someone with a talent for explanation, Lee Han found it easy to understand.
“In addition, traditionally, debutantes often take place on the occasion of a royal family member’s birthday or a princess’s coming-of-age ceremony. However, recently, the royal family of Pendragon…….”
“Everything was wiped out.”
“Master….”
“It’s okay. No one is listening.”
Lee Han realized in an instant why the chicks were so excited.
Yes, after that older sister was confirmed as the successor to the throne, all other blood relatives were either dead or imprisoned.
There were also children, but they were sent far away as if in exile.
In this situation… .
'I guess that means it's been years since such a full-scale banquet was held in the royal capital.'
It's no wonder the chicks get excited.
No, not just the chicks here, but the young men too.
All young people over the age of 19 will be filled with anticipation.
“…People will flock to the royal road.”
“Yes, it will be huge. It will be huge since it has been quiet for so long. Of course, the rulers of each region will be there, but some of the great nobles will also show up. The one and only crown prince will be making his first official appearance. … I wonder who he will be.”
Levy rarely showed curiosity towards others.
That's because he is a royal born between the Prince of Britain and the Princess of Pendragon.
He is the being that will connect the two countries, so his extraordinary ability is truly…!
“It’s a little small. It seems like it doesn’t eat well, so it’s thinner than the other babies. Its name is a little ominous, what’s Arthur? Arthur….”
"…yes?"
“Still, she’s cute in her own way. I guess you can’t ignore genes. She really takes after her mother.”
“?”
“Hmm, maybe you’ve grown up a bit now?”
“???”
Why do you say it as if you actually saw it?
… … so that it doesn’t sound like a joke.
