WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Unleashed a Gossip Gallery in Another World ◈
Chapter 20: Imperial Ball (2)
──────
The day of the Imperial Ball.
Inside the ballroom, already abuzz with noise, noble ladies who had, as always, exchanged only a few brief greetings before slipping away had gathered together to chat.
“It’s wonderful to see everyone again this year!”
“Hehe, we feel the same.”
“Lady Violetta, you only seem to grow more beautiful with every passing day!”
Of course, nobody would foolishly try to stop the small rebellion of the noble girls who were practically the stars of the ball.
Because that was, in fact, the Imperial Ball’s main event and true purpose.
“Oh? I don’t see Lady Evergreen this time.”
“My, you’re right.”
“How pitiful. Perhaps she didn’t receive an invitation this time...”
On the surface, the Imperial Ball was a place where nobles gathered in harmony, but its reality was a little different.
“It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think we can invite Lady Evergreen to the next tea party...”
It was a place where the joy and sorrow of invited and uninvited nobles crossed paths, and where the factions of influential houses were divided.
That was the sinister nature of the Imperial Ball, the greatest event in Imperial high society.
[Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery]
[✪(Breaking) The Violetta faction declares it’s kicking out Lady Evergreen lmao]
[✪Evergreen <<< She lasted pretty long for a baron’s daughter, upvote if you agree ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[✪But honestly, it was kind of annoying how she kept flirting with everyone; hehe]
[✪I liked her though ㅠㅠ They’re so ruthless just because they’re a rising faction ㅠㅠㅠ]
Especially now that the Gossip Gallery had appeared, it had become several times more sinister than before.
“Ahem.”
After the fall of Lady Yurian’s faction, the Violetta faction had risen as high society’s new power.
Lady Violetta, the leader of that faction, was also secretly browsing the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery, where her own words were being posted in real time.
‘I never imagined my faction would grow enough to stand alongside the Crown Princess’s faction as one of the two great powers...’
Of course, that was unavoidable for a faction leader.
Unlike in the past, when a faction’s power was gauged through word of mouth, the age of the Gossip Gallery allowed people to check a faction’s size and information in real time.
(Author: Lady Yurian)
[Noble Lady Gallery Eraser: Lady Violetta <<< Looks like she’s already forgotten her days as Lady Yurian’s lackey? lol]
(Author: Crown Princess)
[Anonymous: Sigh lol. If it were me, I’d treasure even a baron’s daughter, tsk tsk.]
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: So is Lady Evergreen a free agent now? I should snatch her for my faction right away, kyahaha.]
As a result, not only Lady Violetta, but most faction leaders who were terrified of falling behind the times naturally made frequent use of the Gossip Gallery.
“Cough, cough...”
Lady Violetta had been browsing the Gossip Gallery for some time when she choked, as though the posts had gone down the wrong way, then suddenly looked up.
“...”
Most of the ladies seated around the table wore vacant expressions, their eyes moving back and forth as they focused on something.
“Everyone, have you heard the news?”
Lady Violetta frowned at them before changing the topic with a smile.
“I hear the second son of House Durgel will be attending this ball as acting head of the house.”
At once, the ladies began raising their heads one by one and responding with surprised expressions.
“My, is that true?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“What brought that unicorn out all of a sudden?”
Of course, it was all little more than an act.
[✪So when the hell is Elrod <<< coming?]
[✪Upvote if you’re a lady who’ll storm House Durgel if he no-shows again lol]
[✪He obviously looks like some pathetic deadbeat little brother, but he’s playing hard to get until the end. Sigh, honestly lol]
[✪Your sisters have reached their limit. Move out already. Quit blaming your genes, other people, society, your environment... (Rest omitted)]
In the Gossip Gallery, which over ninety percent of the Empire’s noble ladies likely used, Elrod was the hottest topic of this ball.
“Come to think of it, House Durgel is one of the Empire’s most promising houses now, isn’t it?”
“The count is an inspector favored by the emperor, the eldest daughter is a war hero, and the third daughter is the Mage Tower’s Top Disciple. It makes sense.”
“Isn’t it perhaps the strongest count house after the Northern Margrave’s? I even heard rumors it may be elevated to a marquess house.”
Elrod’s superstar appeal, one of high society’s three great mysteries, was part of the reason, but House Durgel’s talented members were no exception.
“Since the eldest son passed away, the second son attending today as acting head of the house should be next in line to inherit...”
“Hmm, what sort of person could he be?”
“I don’t know much, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Whether they burned with a desire to rise in status or were curious about Elrod’s appearance, which was shrouded in mystery, the ladies had plenty of reasons to care.
‘Pitiful bitches.’
Of course, not every lady was merely curious.
‘I heard directly from Eirin that he’s ugly enough to ruin your eyesight.’
Lady Violetta, the leader of the rising faction, had heard something from Elrod’s younger sister Eirin, so she had been struggling not to laugh this whole time.
(Author: Vice Commander Howard)
[✪(Breaking) House Durgel’s carriage has arrived lolololol]
Just then, as all kinds of interest poured toward one young nobleman, a knight who wanted the noble ladies’ attention finally brought the news everyone had been waiting for to the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery.
Anonymous1: So what does he look like???
Anonymous2: Stop teasing us and share it already!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous3: How do you even know?
ㄴ(Vice Commander Howard): I’m an Imperial Knight, so I’m on escort duty for these noble bastards lol
At the same time, the knight began receiving the eager attention of every noble lady, and at first, seemed to enjoy it.
(Vice Commander Howard): Fuck.
(Vice Commander Howard): Hah, life lol
But about five minutes later, the knight’s reaction changed to lamentation.
(Vice Commander Howard): First time I’ve ever seen the commander make that face at a man lol...
ㄴSwordsman Gallery Eraser: I’ll kill you if you give away who I am.
The knight’s posts soon stopped at the urgent threat from Swordsman Gallery Eraser, but the ballroom had already taken on the air of calm before a storm.
-Creeeak...
Then, at last, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.
-Step, step...
The instant the doormen opened the ballroom doors, a boy slowly entered under everyone’s gaze.
“Uh, um.”
In the silent stillness, he spoke in a trembling voice, unable to hide his nervousness.
“H-hello.”
“...”
“I am Elrod Durgel, the second son of House Durgel.”
The ladies immediately began wearing blank expressions.
“It is an honor to meet you all as acting head of the house.”
Elrod continued while watching their reactions, then failed to suppress the cough rising in his throat and lowered his head.
“Cough, cough...”
After coughing dryly for some time, he resumed speaking with a pale face, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“I am not accustomed to formal occasions, so if I make any mistakes, I would be grateful if you could kindly let me know.”
After saying that, Elrod began walking into the ballroom with uncertain steps.
“...”
The noble ladies staring blankly at him all lowered their heads with flushed faces at once.
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[✪Gallery Star.jpg]
Author: Anonymous
(An image has been attached.)
[Upvotes: 103/Downvotes: -1]
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A single post, already soaring through the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery with overwhelming speed, quietly reflected in their eyes.
* * *
‘I knew this would happen.’
After gathering my courage to introduce myself and walking through the ballroom, I sighed inwardly and clenched my teeth.
“...”
From the instant I entered, the laughter of the ladies who had been chatting cheerfully had stopped.
Seeing them all lower their heads with vacant expressions, it was obvious what they were doing.
‘At least try not to make it so obvious, you crazy bitches.’
I was too scared to check, but posts about me were probably filling the Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery’s top posts in real time.
“Phew...”
Trying my best not to show it, I began going around greeting the elders of each house.
“Hello.”
Of course, I did not forget to greet the noble ladies who had already exchanged greetings and gathered among themselves.
Eirin had advised that there was no need to greet the noble ladies as well, but I did not want them to dislike me for my personality, too.
“Ah, hello...”
“N-nice to meet you.”
“W-would you like to sit and rest for a moment...?”
Of course, the ladies who received my greeting were only offering perfunctory courtesy in reluctant, trembling voices, making their displeasure obvious.
“It seems I interrupted you.”
“Ah...”
“Excuse me.”
I had enough sense to know the situation, so I politely declined their offer and hurried away.
‘I feel like I’m going to faint from the pressure.’
After repeating greetings and refusals for some time, I reached the area where the Empire’s highest-ranking nobles had gathered.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
“Y-yes. You are the second son of House Durgel?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
As the head mod of the back gallery, it felt rather strange to greet the head mod and deputy mods of the Noble Ladies front gallery.
“Take a seat.”
“Pardon?”
“You must be tired after such a long journey. You should rest.”
As always, I waved my hands and expressed my intention to refuse the invitation.
‘I got here in an hour by carriage. What hardship?’
Knowing the true nature of the Crown Princess’s faction very well through the Gossip Gallery, I had absolutely no intention of sitting here.
“My apologies. I have not yet finished greeting everyone.”
“I-is that so...”
“I will return a little later.”
Of course, the noble moderators of the front gallery probably had not intended to seat me in the first place.
“So, you are Elrod Durgel?”
“...Pfft.”
The next place I visited was the temporary throne where Emperor Rudric sat.
“Pfft... Cough, cough.”
The moment I saw him, I could not hold back my laughter and hastily hid it behind a coughing fit.
“What is wrong all of a sudden?”
“I... was born with a weak body... Cough.”
“Ah, yes. I heard that you were frail.”
Fortunately, the emperor did not seem to notice at all, but it was still a moment that sent a small chill down my spine.
‘He’s fucking hilarious in person.’
I had no idea how everyone managed not to laugh at that gleaming bald head.
Clearly, being a noble was not something just anyone could do.
“I should not keep you long, then.”
“Your benevolence is boundless... Cough.”
“Hoho, pay your respects briefly to the imperial family, then enjoy yourself to your heart’s content.”
After hastily finishing my greeting thanks to the emperor’s gracious consideration, I went down the line greeting the family members who had inherited his baldness genes.
‘The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and...’
As I was nearing the end of my greetings, I tilted my head at a question that suddenly occurred to me.
‘Where is she?’
The person I had wanted to see with my own eyes someday, if given the chance, was nowhere to be seen.
“...”
After looking around for a long time, I finally found her and headed over.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness the Princess.”
She was none other than Princess Ruabel, one of the Gossip Gallery’s superstars.
‘That fucking troll bitch.’
She sat alone at an empty table, and viewed like this, she was a beautiful young woman with striking looks.
But I knew the truth. She was one of the worst users, who spewed dozens or hundreds of twisted desires every day.
So what was she like in real life?
“It is a pleasure to meet you.”
At the elegant voice before me, I almost failed to suppress my laughter again.
“I am delighted to finally meet the much-rumored second son of House Durgel.”
“Haha...”
“I hope you will show your face often in the future. High society will always welcome you.”
Our Princess Ruabel, standing before me, smiled gently and spoke with the grace and etiquette befitting a princess.
‘She’s fucking good at pretending to be a normal person.’
To someone who knew her true nature, it was an unbelievably irritating sight.
“Heheh, ehehe...”
“...?”
“Hehe... Ahem.”
But then, what was this?
The princess, who had maintained such a dignified appearance, suddenly began grinning in a way perfectly suited to the image I had of her.
“Is something wrong?”
“I believe... I may have had too much to drink.”
When I asked what was happening, Princess Ruabel looked away and muttered.
‘The wineglass on the table is still full. What is she talking about?’
Contrary to her words, the wineglass on the table had barely gone down at all.
“Hehe. Hehehe...”
“Your Highness, I told you so many times not to touch the wine...”
“Honestly, Your Highness has such a low tolerance for alcohol.”
The nearby maids scolded Princess Ruabel with worried looks, but they could not fool me.
Princess Ruabel had once posted in the Gossip Gallery that she kept several bottles of strong whiskey hidden beneath her bed.
‘It’s not like anyone said she was crazy in real life, though?’
Then why was she acting like that now?
“So, which table will you sit at?”
“Pardon?”
Just as I wondered whether or not to open the Gossip Gallery, a marquess’s daughter passing nearby spoke to me with a smile in her eyes.
“You have finished greeting everyone, so shouldn’t you sit somewhere?”
“Uh...”
“Sit wherever you feel comfortable, Elrod.”
“Hmm...”
After hearing that, I looked around for a moment before breaking into a cold sweat and lowering my gaze.
“...”
Every noble lady in the ballroom was staring at me with a cold expression.
‘Fuck. I’m screwed.’
The situation felt like a memory of choosing seats during school, a school life I had never even had.
* * *
Meanwhile.
The Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery had been blazing with its greatest-ever rate of new posts since Elrod’s appearance.
[Real-Time Trending Galleries]
[1] Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery (5⬆)
[2] Other Races Gossip Gallery
[3] Grinning Empire Village Gossip Gallery
The space that had proudly claimed first place in the Real-Time Trending Galleries was filled with posts that were impossible to believe had been written by noble ladies.
[Noble Ladies Gossip Gallery]
[✪Upvote if you suddenly understand the philosophy of mystique lololololololol]
[✪Huffhuffhuffhuffhuffhuffhuff♡♡♡Pantpantpantpantpantpant♡♡♡♡♡♡♡]
[✪Second Prince <<< Legendary Water Arrow lololololololol]
[✪Upvote if you don’t know where my husband went and why he’s only getting here now ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[✪(Shock horror grotesque) There’s a crazy bastard with every trait of a frail, decadent, beautiful, long-haired secondary male lead!?!?]
[✪Crazy bitches lol. Look at them all malfunctioning together, lowering their heads to browse the back gallery lolololololol]
Look at those terrifying posts, closer to something beasts would write than human beings.
(Author: Lady Violetta)
[Anonymous: You crazy bitches, please act normally. We need to get that bastard to sit at our table;;;]
(Author: Crown Princess)
[Anonymous: He said he’d come back later. Surely he won’t go somewhere else instead of our table, right? lol]
The main topic among those beasts was which faction’s table Elrod, who had changed high society’s landscape just by appearing, would choose to sit at.
“Hehehe...”
Except for one person, Princess Ruabel.
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: Look at that fucking bitch lol. He’s releasing pheromones in every direction lololol]
For some reason, she was practically an outcast in high society, and as she looked at the man before her, she freely and shamelessly spewed out her twisted desires.
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: I want to knock that frail body down and just go at him, kyahahahahaha]
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: ❗❗❗Come at me, huffhuffhuffhuffhuff❗❗❗]
As a result, laughter she would normally never let out had begun to escape her lips, but that did not matter.
What Princess Ruabel was doing now was her only means of stress relief as the sole ruler of a deserted island.
“Your Highness.”
Anyway, the princess was still filling the Gossip Gallery with her ugly desires when something interrupted her.
“Gasp.”
The man before her suddenly spoke to her.
“Ahem, is something the matter...?”
Only then did Princess Ruabel hurriedly come to her senses. Wearing her usual frail expression, she asked in a deliberately timid voice.
“Haah...”
Elrod Durgel looked at Princess Ruabel and somehow kept letting out deep sighs.
“My apologies, but may I sit at this table?”
At his words, the princess blinked and pointed at herself.
“Uh...”
Then silence lingered for a moment.
“I-I do not mind, but...”
Her eyes darted around in the silence before she finally opened her mouth, trying her best to remain calm.
“You probably would not have much fun spending time with someone like me...”
“Ugh...”
Elrod quietly shuddered in disgust as he watched the princess’s mouth twitch wildly.
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: Mm-hm, yes, yes. You’re the one who seduced me first, okay?]
(Author: Princess Ruabel)
[Anonymous: I’ll wait for a chance later, pretend to be drunk, and secretly take him away ♡♡♡♡♡♡]
Her Gallery Log, filled with the posts Princess Ruabel was writing in real time, floated before his eyes.
Footnotes:
The “pathetic deadbeat little brother” post uses 제남충, a Korean insult for a useless younger brother who mooches off his family.
The “Your sisters have reached their limit” post parodies a Korean copypasta about parents finally kicking their useless adult child out of the house. Here, the noble ladies cast themselves as Elrod’s fed-up older sisters.
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