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Chapter 94

The attendant announced the arrival of the Algenprina family and opened the ballroom doors. The sheer size of the hall was already overwhelming.

It seemed to rival the Imperial Palace's ballroom in scale.

As soon as Father and Sier appeared, imperial faction nobles rushed to greet them. I walked gracefully under the gaze of the murmuring crowd.

I fanned myself lightly and scanned the room. Even without knowing the political landscape in detail, it was obvious who was grouped with whom.

Among them, I felt one intense stare—Shimota.

"Still alive, I see. A zombie."

"Shimota?"

"Even after draining her dry... who helped her?"

The people around Shimota had changed—none of the nobles from the hunting grounds were there.

Hmm, did the Grand Ducal house give her CPR?

"Princess Hariella!"

Someone called me with a cheerful voice. Lewena, her dark blue hair flowing long, smiled brightly at me.

"Oh."

Her shimmering silver dress, accentuating her figure, suited her perfectly.

"Lewena! Have you been well?"

Delighted, I approached her. After some rest, Lewena's face showed no signs of hardship.

"Yes. And you? Oh! I've become a knight—just a regular one, though."

"Huh? A knight?"

"Father encouraged me. Honestly, the mercenary life suited me better... but if I want to do what I want, this path is easier."

Lewena's expression sharpened—no, it became fiercer. I guessed what she wanted to do involved dark mages.

Sir Silteng returned to the imperial knights, and now Lewena was a knight too. Was she merging back into the original storyline? In two years, I'd be nineteen—the start of the original plot.

Even so, I only remembered major events, not the smaller ones. Lewena would do fine without my help...

"Good luck, Lewena!"

"Thank you, Princess. It's all thanks to you."

"Huh?"

"If you hadn't saved me, I wouldn't be here right now."

Well, somehow... she would have managed? She is the protagonist, after all.

Just then, Kali quietly tugged my arm.

"How long are you going to cling to her?"

When I was with Lewena, the distance between us seemed to disappear. Of course, I was the one subtly clinging—I wanted to be friends with her!

"...You."

Sure enough, sparks flew between them the moment they met. Ah! I get it! You two are destined rivals, so stop fighting!

"If you're done greeting, shall we go?"

Kali struck first.

"Are you saying you want to monopolize your partner at the ball?"

Your manners are so rude.

Lewena didn't say it, but it translated naturally. Monopolizing a partner at a ball is bad etiquette, isn't it?

"Excuse me...!"

Before Kali and Lewena could start flinging magic in the middle of the ballroom, someone intervened.

"Oh! Pudding!"

"It's Fudiche, Princess!"

"Oh, sorry, Fudiche."

"Not at all! I'm honored you remembered!"

I introduced the excited Fudiche and Eliza to Lewena, and soon four young ladies—talkative enough to shatter glasses—gathered. Sipping champagne and chatting, the conversation never stopped: high-society gossip, front-page scoops, unique magic, and recent political developments.

With more people, opinions diverged. It was refreshing to discuss things I usually only talked about with Kali.

So what was our Kali doing?

He was actually engaging in conversation quite well—surprising Fudiche and Eliza. He even chimed in on Eliza's love-life troubles, which was astonishing.

"So... your partner declined the day before, so you came alone?"

"He, he might have had reasons. Maybe he suddenly fell ill..."

"Have you considered that the bastard who didn't give a damn about his partner coming alone might be that guy?"

Kali pointed lazily at some man. He was laughing heartily while half-hugging a young lady—a pathetic sight.

"Crazy."

I covered my mouth with my fan to hide my muttered curse. Fudiche patted Eliza's shoulder, whose expression was grim, then excused herself briefly.

"How did you know that's the guy who was supposed to be Eliza's partner?"

"That lady mentioned his name earlier."

"Just from the name?"

"I roughly memorize names and faces."

Ah. I'd received that info too—I'd only memorized the important nobles. Did he really memorize all of them?

"The Grand Duke has arrived."

With the announcement, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess entered the ballroom.

The Grand Duchess, as the guest of honor, was stunning. If Lewena was a sun-like passionate beauty, the Grand Duchess was a thorny, magnificent rose.

Her beauty caused an immediate stir—but it was short-lived, as murmurs reached my ears.

What? Did I hear that right?

"Lewena, do you know about the rumor?"

"Ah, about the Grand Duchess?"

I instinctively lowered my voice.

"About how she's been mentally unstable since a serious illness?"

"I've heard it—there's a gossip-loving colleague in the knights."

"She changed after the illness—no, she's been unstable?"

"Most dismiss it as false. There's a big gap between the illness and when she started acting strange. Her odd behavior is relatively recent."

"Odd behavior?"

"Frequent falls, stammering. The Grand Ducal house calls it aftereffects, but I'm not sure which is true."

That could happen. It could...! But my head was full of romance fantasy novels, so my mind naturally went there.

Could it be regression or possession?

"Hariella, that's her."

"Huh?"

"The woman we met in the garden during the Founding Festival."

The red-haired young lady I'd met in the garden at the Founding Festival—the one who'd sent chills down my spine. Come to think of it, she'd fallen then, and I'd approached to help her...

And the necklace—she'd tried to take Kali's. I'd suspected she was Isaac's agent, but she turned out to be the Grand Duchess.

She stood beside the Grand Duke, wearing a painted smile. Knowing her true nature, even that smile seemed unnatural.

"Hm?"

"What?"

"I think she made eye contact with me."

Maybe it was just a glance. She was a peculiar person in many ways.

"Hariella."

Someone called my name from behind. There shouldn't be anyone else here who'd call me...

Sadly, the only people I could call friends were the two who'd just left and Lewena beside me.

"Eh...?"

Turning toward the voice, I saw a man a full span taller than Kali.

"Teo—no, Philip?"

It was the Crown Prince. Specifically, the Crown Prince in Philip's form!

"What's with that look?!"

He had brown hair and brown eyes—a plain-looking nobleman. I'd heard he was attending, but I didn't expect him in Philip's guise.

"No need to draw attention as the Crown Prince."

"And you won't get caught?"

"A mild perception-dulling spell. Unless you look closely, you won't recognize me."

Philip shrugged and smiled. His voice was slightly different, and with different eye color, he looked like a completely different person.

"You're still the same."

Philip gave Kali a disapproving look.

"Your interest is unwelcome."

Kali reached out and suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Philip raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I thought you'd spend your whole life clinging to Hariella as her little brother... but looks like you've changed your mind?"

"I said your interest is unwelcome. Need me to drill those ears of yours?"

Why does everyone pick a fight with Kali?!

"Father had his eye on this tomboy as Crown Princess, but it seems that ship has sailed."

"What? No way!"

At the word "Crown Princess," I didn't hesitate for even a second before scowling.

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