"The one I brought is Princess Meldenique." "We have come together."
Their sharp words left a strong impression on Hildegard and the other nobles. Everyone seemed curious about how someone like me had managed to charm these two children.
I stood on the platform and silently picked up my clutch bag. The clutch had a spatial expansion spell, making it larger on the inside. From within it, I retrieved a large transparent box. Inside the box, there was cotton candy resembling pink and blue feather clouds, with sticks inserted into each one.
"Wow, a big square came out of a small bag!"
I handed Mirissa twenty cotton candies that looked as if they had been plucked from the blue clouds in the sky. To Axion, I gave a special pink cloud-like cotton candy, reminiscent of a sunset sky. The two children grabbed the cotton candy sticks I gave them and began running around the hall.
"We prepared this, so please taste it!" "Mel and I worked hard to make it, so hurry up and eat it."
Mirissa and Axion, as if carrying a torch, distributed the cotton candy sticks I had given them one by one. If it had been a product I developed alone, they might not have tasted it. However, it was different when it came from Mirissa, the princess of the powerful Prince Hesman's family, and Axion, the Emperor's enemy prince. Everyone, both children and adults, quickly forgot their objections and accepted the cotton candy.
After a moment of commotion, Viscount Telln approached me. He had clearly been sent by Hildegard, who was seated next to the Rector. With a mean smile on his lips, he came close to the podium, stood beside me, and whispered, "I just thought of bringing something like that. Isn't that too crude?"
"It is crude. But be careful with your words. It's a gift for children." I looked him straight in the eye and replied sharply.
"Wh-what are you saying now...?" He looked quite confused. Even though I was a Duchess, my attitude of always using respectful words towards him had completely changed.
"All of this may not seem like a big deal to you, who have invested so much money in this debutante ball."
When I obediently agreed, Viscount Telln narrowed his eyes, as if trying to gauge my true intentions. But I had nothing more to say.
"Check it out."
As soon as I spoke, a secret shadow moved very quickly at my feet. It was a brief movement that no one noticed. Viscount Telln, who was wheezing beside me, began to move something he couldn't see. At the table in the center where the welcome seats were placed, a flash of light appeared for a moment and then disappeared instantly.
'It's complete.'
I took a deep breath, as if to unravel the mana loop in my heart. At the same time, my mana quickly released into the surrounding area. One second, two seconds, three seconds. The children's mouths dropped open when they tasted the cotton candy I made.
Of course, the secret weapon I prepared wasn't just cotton candy. In a way, cotton candy was merely a medium. Its soft and fluffy texture made us reminisce about our memories.
A strange voice, like a mischievous child or an old woman, rang in my ears. "I did it."
I nodded my head in agreement. Madame Hildegard had given me a splendid PR stage, and I had managed to gather enough Mana just in time. The people who ate the candy sticks smiled happily, while Hildegard frowned.
Viscount Telln, who was looking at her with an anxious face, roughly squeezed my arm. "What is it, Meldenique?"
I graciously pulled my arm away and chuckled. "If you're curious, would you like to eat it too?" I took out the remaining cotton candy from the transparent box and handed it to him.
"What! What do you know you did?"
'No, you do all the cowardly things, so why do you do it to me?'
Instead, the president of the academy, who was nearby, approached the podium. "What's going on? What on earth is this? It looks like a cloud!"
"It's called cotton candy. Try it." He had thick white hair and took a bite with his cotton candy-stained fingers. The general, who was munching on a sweet lump of sugar, opened his eyes wide. Then his gaze became unfocused.
"Oh my God..."
"What's wrong?" Despite Hildegard's shrill shout from right behind the podium, the Rector did not speak.
I turned to him and asked in a soft voice, "What do you think?"
"I can see a beautiful meadow and a flock of sheep in front of me. I've always wanted something like this." His grand dream was to further revive the Academy. However, what he truly longed for seemed to be a peaceful retirement.
"I feel like I have stars in my mouth. What is this?"
"It's a little star candy named 'Shooting Star.' Every time you pop it in your mouth, it temporarily boosts the amount of mana."
"What, what...?" Hildegard stiffened. Viscount Telln also looked surprised.
'They would never have dreamed that I, who had no money and no mana, would invent something like this.'
I slowly waved the cotton candy in my hands. "It was made with beginner alchemy. Unlike the phantom stone, it is an object that makes you dream good dreams."
"You, you?" Hildegard struggled to finish her sentence. Perhaps she was thinking, 'Do you dare to stand in my way? Or, you thought you were cursed and had no mana or power, but what happened?' A confused voice echoed in my ears.
If so, it was natural to answer. "Yes, that's right." I sat at the back of the podium and smiled brightly at her as she screamed, then looked away.
Viscount Telln staggered to Hildegard's seat. He seemed to need time to gather his thoughts. The sweet cotton candy melted softly and sweetly in their mouths. Shooting stars embedded in the star-shaped cotton candy also began to pop in people's mouths. Everyone began to have joyful dreams.
I craned my neck from the platform and looked ahead. The children who were alone, the children who were having fun with their friends, and the adults were all smiling happily.
Young-ae, a member of the Academy's intermediate class and an art major, had no friends. So, throughout the Petit Debutante Ball, she was occupying a table alone in an unfamiliar place. She was killing time by twisting her hair.
'…I'm bored.'
No matter how great the "welcome stone" was, she didn't pay much attention to it. In the first place, there was no significant connection between art and mana amplification. Moreover, there was nothing more horrible than having nightmares. She sighed heavily when she saw my small postcard drawing disappear from the center of attention without much repercussion.
'There are so many wonderful things.'
Aria was an alienated child with low self-esteem and no friends. For her, whether it was a debut or a petit debutante ball, it was just a troublesome event.
'Should I just sleep?'
Similarly, when the little princess and the prince thrust cotton candy at her, Aria didn't think much of it. However, the pink cotton candy she ate without expectation was truly strange. The cotton candy melted softly in her mouth, and she enjoyed the bright blue star-shaped candy. As she took another bite, memories of her happy past began to appear in front of her.
"Your name is Aria Minefault?" "Yes." "Your picture is really cool. It's not the style of painting that works now, but someday someone will recognize your value."
At that moment, she heard the voice of a classmate who had recognized her. Now they were separated into different classes, so it was awkward, but they definitely had a close relationship. Aria swallowed another handful of cotton candy. One by one, she remembered why she decided to major in art. The nervousness and excitement when she first picked up the brush filled Aria's heart.
Three minutes later, Aria woke up with a cheerful face. The other friends sitting at the table across from her also had satisfied smiles and closed their eyes.
'I think I'm glad I came.'
Aria still had no friends. The magic of the fantasy that cotton candy showed had long since been released. However, instead of negative emotions, a positive mindset was created.
'I want to paint a wonderful picture that gives me hope.'
Aria was a pessimistic child, but she was encouraged by the good memories she had. Aria mustered up the courage to stand up. Then she walked over to her friend who had made the wonderful thing she had seen earlier.
"Hi." "Hmm?" "I wanted to tell you that the jewelry box you showed me earlier is really beautiful."
That day, Aria approached her classmate for the first time.
"Uh, really? Thanks! But what's your name?" "Aria. Aria Minefold."
Fortunately, the result was successful. She had a new friend. Aria smiled broadly at her friend in front of her, thinking about the magic of cotton candy.
'It's so magical.'