Chapter 258 Contest (Part 1)

On the next morning, Adam woke up feeling tired, as if he hadn’t slept at all. “I thought I was used to such things, but without proper rest, I still feel on edge,” Adam thought, opening his eyes.

“Good morning,” he greeted the head maid, who was already standing next to the bed.

“Good morning, sir. Today is the day when you and Mr. Elrion need to visit Madam Clinton’s estate,” said the maid, bowing her head. “I have prepared ten outfit options for you. Please allow me to present them to you.”

Adam nodded, getting out of bed and allowing the head maid to start dressing him. One by one, he tried on various formal attire, eventually deciding on an official suit that looked quite decent on him.

“Now we need to choose a hairstyle… I understand that cutting your hair is strictly prohibited?” the head maid asked, holding Adam’s long and silky hair in her hands.

“You understood correctly.”

Adam smiled, but his response was stern. He was very attached to his hair and couldn’t allow anyone to cut it. Besides, Amaranta and other girls liked his long hair.

“All right. Then I’ll try to come up with something…”

In this world, residents didn’t have many ideas on how to style long hair for men, as it wasn’t a common practice in the Empire.

In the end, the head maid settled for a simple high ponytail. And now, in his official suit with tied-up hair, Adam stood before himself in the mirror.

“Not bad,” he thought, nodding to himself.

***

Descending the stairs, Adam met Elrion, who was surrounded by servants praising his appearance. Like Adam, Elrion was dressed in formal attire, but it was white, complementing his silver hair. His bright pink eyes sparkled with a smile, and it was evident he was eager for the day.

“Boss, you’re as attention-grabbing as always,” Adam said, approaching Elrion.

“You flatter me. But you, it seems, have become even more handsome. Tsk, tsk, tsk… listen, did you cast a beauty spell on yourself? Sprinkle some on me, okay?”

“Well, aren’t you a humorist?”

“Hehe.”

Both of them were tense in their way about the upcoming event, but each joked and smiled, trying to chase away the tension from their hearts, which worked, albeit partially.

“We wish you luck!”

“Mr. Elrion, Mr. Adam! We believe in you!”

“Show them all!”

The maids and other servants cheered them on with smiles. The two men smiled back.

Heading towards the exit, Adam and Elrion left the estate and then saw a carriage waiting in front of the gates.

“Oh? Sir Clinton is spoiling us too much,” whispered Adam, not wanting anyone besides Elrion to hear him.

“Well, what did you expect? Though I dare say, I didn’t manage to leave any special impression on her, we were acquainted, to say the least. She often used my connections in exchange for protection and financing,” Elrion replied, maintaining a bright smile. “Of course, after my departure, we stopped being so ‘close,’ but I wouldn’t say our relationship deteriorated significantly.”

“Understood…”

For some reason, Adam doubted Elrion’s last statement.

Lady Clinton was quite arrogant and proud, so refusing was difficult for her, but one could breathe a sigh of relief since she didn’t seem insane.

Entering the carriage, they sat down. The carriage was ordinary, so the space inside was somewhat small.

While they were on their way to the estate, the two men engaged in conversation.

“What do you think awaits us?” Adam asked with a smile, glancing out the window.

“A bunch of arrogant people, dangerous nobles and merchants, and a lot, a lot of frayed nerves. Unfortunately, such events are organized just to show off, so we need to try,” Elrion said, sighing sadly. He added, “Besides, don’t forget that since we entered the city, we’ve been under the care of the esteemed Clinton, which means we owe her.”

“Ah, as I suspected. In other words, we need to try and maintain her reputation. If we disgrace ourselves, our heads won’t stay on our shoulders,” Adam muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Well, you’re partly right, but it’s unlikely to come to execution. Most likely, it’ll be a bit challenging for us to live on her territory, that’s all,” Elrion replied carelessly.

“Easy for you to say. You have plenty of money, and with your reputation, it’s hard to find a city that wouldn’t accept you,” Adam thought, but didn’t voice it.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the estate. They were greeted by a cheerful atmosphere and, importantly, a large number of guests.

“Oh…”

Adam now understood why the Lower Realm wasn’t as cool. Here, the number of nobles and their traditions was much older and more developed.

By rough estimation, Adam counted more than a thousand guests. He had never seen such an incredible number of nobles and wealthy people.

“As expected, Sir Clinton knows how to attract allies,” Elrion’s voice sounded, ending his conversation with the coachman. He approached Adam and swallowed hard. “I’m starting to get nervous… I’ve never performed in such a big competition before.”

“Enough, boss. Because of your words, now I’m nervous too.”

The two men stood, looking at the enormous castle mistakenly referred to as an estate, but they could only sigh and enter inside.

Fortunately for them, no one was peculiar enough to cause them problems. There was no excessive cliché, although many aristocrats, particularly Adam, cast curious glances at them. He stood out in the crowd, with his long hair alone making many aristocrats gaze at him, regardless of gender.

“Are you Mr. Elrion and his model, Sir Adam, right?” a gentle female voice suddenly sounded behind them.

Turning his head, Adam saw a beautiful girl dressed in a red evening gown with a short slit on the side.

She had short black hair and bright, sparkling brown eyes illuminated by the vibrant chandeliers. She smiled at them and handed over a ticket.

“Here, this will help you skip the line at the main entrance, where the ball will take place. For now, gentlemen, please follow me. I’ll take you to the competition venue.”

“We’re counting on you,” Elrion said with a smile, suddenly discarding his pitiful behavior and becoming an elegant gentleman.

“Hehe… and you were trembling with fear just a minute ago. Did seeing a beauty reignite your enthusiasm?” Adam whispered with a smile.

“Well, you’re no slouch yourself. Who would’ve thought that a few minutes ago you were trying to turn back and run,” Elrion replied, also in a whisper, with a smirk.

“You’re lying, there was no such thing!”

“Well, well.”

Ignoring the banter and childish behavior of the two unusual contestants, the young girl led them into a large and spacious room where more than twenty people were already sitting, ten of whom were designers, and the rest were models.

Among the models, Adam didn’t see anyone with the same level of appearance as him, so he was at least confident in himself. But Elrion was nervous—cold sweat dripped down his temples as soon as he saw his competitors.

“U-uh, for some reason, I’m starting to think that going back home wouldn’t be such a bad idea…” Elrion muttered, sighing heavily and losing his proud demeanor.

“Hey, we’ve already made it halfway! Do you want to run away?” Adam whispered to him, patting the man on the back. “Come on, get up to your spot. I’ll introduce myself to the other models in the meantime.”

“Ugh… my poor soul, why did I stick my nose into this…”

Ignoring Elrion, who seemed to have lost his soul, as he walked towards his workstation, the young girl smiled at Adam and led him to the spectator seats, which were currently occupied by the models.

“Sir Adam, here are the models you’ll be competing against. I wish you good luck,” the girl said, smiling brightly. After bidding farewell, she left the room, leaving Adam to get acquainted with his colleagues. Although he wanted to engage in conversation with them, it seemed they were not particularly interested.

All the models were exclusively men, which puzzled Adam a bit. He expected a majority of male participants, but considering the number of influential men in this world…

“I guess it’s like an advertisement for them… but it’s a shame. I wanted to see a few designs to buy for Lina,” Adam thought with disappointment.

After twenty minutes, they were told to go to the utility room and wait until the outfits were brought to them. Then, each one had to take turns walking out.

Fortunately, there was a small window where they could observe the contest.

And now, bright spotlights descended onto the stage, illuminating the participants. Eleven people stood on the stage, including Elrion, who stood at the very end.

Crrr…

A strange creaking sound echoed, followed by a gentle female voice.

“Hello, gentlemen! My name is Alice, and I will take responsibility for conducting this fashion competition. Please enjoy!” A young lady of twenty-five stepped onto the stage, dressed in a beautiful, revealing white dress. Her curves were impressive, and her beauty was captivating. She had long, wavy wheat-

colored hair and clear blue eyes.

“Today’s competition is fully sponsored by the Honorable Knight Clinton. We wholeheartedly thank Honorable Clinton for her assistance and dare not delay any longer!” the young lady said with a bright smile, drawing attention to the participants. “We have a total of eleven participants, each known in their own right! And so… the first participant!”

The spotlight dimmed for a second only to illuminate the first participant. He was a man with a kind and bright smile, who politely bowed. He had short curly black hair and brown eyes.

“The first participant is Sir Dmitry, a renowned designer from the capital. As long as he exists, no one dares to call themselves the greatest designer!” announced the girl with a bright smile.

Behind the glass where Adam and others were observing, there was some noise. The gaze of almost all the models was concentrated on a nineteen-year-old youth with blondish hair styled to the side. He looked like a prince from storybooks.

“Hmph!”

Noticing the admiring glances of his colleagues, the youth smiled and proudly puffed out his chest, casting a sidelong glance at Adam, who seemed indifferent to everything happening.

“This guy…”

To be continued…

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