Chapter 217 - The Debutante Ball

"They're still asleep, we'll leave them in a bed somewhere inside of the mansion, I'll think of a way to keep them hidden. Besides, we had no choice, we can't just leave them at an inn. Staying with us is the best thing we could offer them at this moment." Said John as he glanced at them 

"I agree, I'm also happy that you made that choice." 

"Good, anyways, why don't we take a break from everything that's happened today and enjoy ourselves?" John asked as they stood in front of the Mansion 

Lydia who heard this, started looking left and right and seemed like she really wanted to get something off her c.h.e.s.t. 

"A-Are you sure they won't notice...?" Lydia asked 

John was surprised by how cute and childish her question was, and quickly replied. 

"Depends. If you're asking whether the nobles will notice your beauty or if they'll notice that you're a commoner." 

"You know what..." 

"I'm joking, don't worry, they won't notice the latter, and even if they do." 

John stretched out his hand towards Lydia and she hesitantly grabbed it before he pulled them closer and closer inside. 

"They won't do anything, you're here as part of my invitation after all. Judging from what I've seen, S-Ranks have a special authority." 

"But Is it really okay to keep lying about it?" 

"Even if we do, it's mainly because everyone else is saying it. I'm just going with the rumours." Said John with an amused look 

"You're enjoying this, aren't you..." She asked 

"Maybe a little." 

As they opened the door and walked inside, John was impressed. A large hall on the first floor with many nobles around, drinking and talking amongst one another. 

All of this one the first floor, made it seem as if the mansion itself was made solely for balls and celebrations. 

The tables, food, sweets, they were all set in tables that could be seen near the walls and around the hall. But the Hall was big enough to fit all of them so it was fine. 

The sounds of chattering reached John's ears as they stepped inside. John was in a tailored black suit with a black bowtie, while Lydia wore her pink dress. 

After entering, the two attracted quite a bit of attention, a few nobles had their eyes on them. It was probably because they heard the rumours or because they weren't doing something they were supposed to. 

There were other kids around, so age wasn't a problem. 

As they walked towards one of the tables near the east, John wondered if there was some sort of tradition or something he had to do, but before he had even realised, most of the people had taken their attention off of him and went back to do what they wanted. 

"Did we do something wrong?" John asked 

"No, nobles tend to assess the value of a certain noble to see if they should make connections with them. In this case, they quickly lost interest." 

[Hm... Do most commoners know this?] 

"Is that so..." john muttered slightly confused 

He looked over at Lydia and she had a gentle smile put on her face, as she walked around. But for some reason she looked like she didn't like it. 

[Is it because her brother and sister in law are floating right next to us...? And shouldn't secuirty be better?] 

John wanted to find his party before leaving the kids in their room, he just didn't know how. 

As they reached one of the tables with food, The two stopped and John managed to get a good look around. 

[First let's pry into some conversations] 

Lydia watched John trying to understand what he was planning or doing but had no luck. Before she even realised it, her stomach let out a small growl 

*Grooowl* 

She quickly turned to John before letting out a sigh as she realised that he didn't notice, but suddenly he mentioned it. 

"Why don't we grab a bite?" He asked before turning to the table 

For a moment, just a single moment, Lydia screamed of embarrassment in her head, before doing the same. Fortunately for her, her smile didn't let out or disappear. 

John looked at the table and checked it's contents while listening in on the nearby conversations. 

"For both the duke and the earl to create a party... This is an interesting turn." 

"The earl's 2nd daughter has yet to make an appearance..." 

"And that boy over there... I've never heard or seen him before; what rank is he?" 

Before john could hear anything else, he realised Lydia was waiting for him, so he quickly got what he wanted. 

There was cake, cupcakes, biscuits, and all sort of other simple meals. To john's surprise, there was a croissant which he ended up getting along with a bit of chocolate. 

[Whoever brought these ideas, sure knew what they were doing. That's if they were brought by a single person. I wonder just how many people have been reincarnated to this world...] 

"Lydia, aren't you going to get anything?" John asked 

"B-but, I'm just a maid..." 

"So you've decided to go with it? I thought you wouldn't want to since you never gave me the answer back then..." John muttered as he took a bite of his croissant 

It was nice and crusty, or rather, it was really good. So good that John was taken back for a moment 

"Of course, it's a great offer..." Lydia muttered with an embarrassed expression 

"Don't worry, you may be my maid but that's only for the future and when we get back, so for now, enjoy yourself and worry about that later." Said John as he took another bite 

"Is that really fine?" She asked 

"Of course, you have the consent of your future master or employee after all." 

"Is that you, John?" Asked a familiar voice 

John turned to see who it was and when he did, his face was filled with surprise. 

It was Zakaragi and Tiana