“I suppose you don’t need to go to the trouble of preparing a gift. Your coming would be a gift in itself.”
“...Is it just me, or is that somehow more frightening than simply asking for a gift outright?”
“Haha.”
“And couldn’t you just have your servants take care of things like this?”
Why does he insist on coming in person every single time?!
Crown Prince Aseraian had shown up first thing in the morning and made himself comfortable at the dining table again. Her poor sibling had to go to the Academy that day with an upset stomach.
I can’t exactly skip the party.
An invitation had arrived not only from the Crown Prince, but from Emperor Devrica as well. It even bore the Imperial Seal.
“Ceres, I’ll come pick you up that day.”
“You will?”
Ceres’s eyes widened slightly at Duke Nora’s words. She had been thinking about the party, but it never occurred to her that she needed to decide who she would go with.
“I’m actually quite good at escorting.”
“What are you talking about? You’re supposed to go with your aunt to things like that.”
“What country’s rules are you pulling out this time?”
“Hmm... I’m still not feeling well. Ceres, if you could help me walk...”
“Beibei, if you’re not feeling well, just rest. Why bother with a party?”
“Ugh, that sly fox! Look at him pretending to be sick again.”
...An escort? Why would I need one...?
“Let’s play ladder draw! We can see who gets to go to the party with Ceres!”
“Hmm, that sounds like a good idea.”
“So we’re leaving it to luck?”
“I’m pretty lucky myself. Looks like my Ceres will be going with me.”
...Huh?
“I’ll draw the lines.”
“No. Who knows what kind of tricks you’d pull? Let the butler draw them.”
“Wow, do you really think I’m anything like you? But... you’re joining in too?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
...Kai, why are you joining in too?
“No, no, no! You’re supposed to go that way!”
“Why are you skipping right over the line?!”
“Who was it? Who just drew that line with a pen?”
“It was him!”
“Got any proof?”
“I took a picture right after I drew the first line! There wasn’t a line there before!”
“Ah! You can’t go that way!”
“Left! Go left!”
“You have to go right!”
“If you go that way, I’m tearing it up.”
“What game is that?! You guys are such cheaters!”
...So peaceful.
Ceres quietly looked away from the group, who were huddled together and fiercely competing over a single sheet of paper.
***
“Am I imagining things?”
“What is?”
“It feels like everyone’s glaring at me.”
As Princess Nilia entered the ballroom with Ceres, she couldn’t shake the feeling that certain people were giving her strange looks.
The three dukes, her older brother Cheion, and even Grand Duke Kainel.
Why?
They all looked like they had something to say. Puzzled by their strange looks, Princess Nilia tilted her head.
“Is there something wrong with my outfit today?”
“No.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go over there.”
Ceres smiled and steered Princess Nilia’s attention elsewhere.
“That doesn’t count.”
“There’s no way you didn’t cheat.”
“Oh, come on! You already called the ladder game invalid because someone cheated!”
“Let’s play something else!”
“No! Why does it always become invalid whenever I’m the one who gets picked?!”
“Then don’t get picked.”
“Wow! Seriously?!”
They had played all sorts of games, starting with the ladder game. But every time someone other than themselves was picked, they would immediately start yelling that the result didn’t count.
BANG!
“I’m done with this.”
After more than two hours of this, Ceres finally snapped and flipped the entire game board over. Honestly, there had to be a limit.
“Do you want to go to the party with me?”
“Sure.”
“Huh?”
“I said sure.”
So when Princess Nilia casually suggested at the Academy that they go to the party together, Ceres agreed without hesitation.
Seeing the princess and Ceres arrive together seemed to catch people off guard. Quite a few eyes turned their way.
So what?
Since when have I cared that much about what other people think?
“That fan looks unusual.”
Princess Nilia’s eyes fell on the red fan in Ceres’s hand. It was much smaller than the fans young ladies usually carried, but the design and craftsmanship were exquisite.
“Would you like it?”
[Hey! Why are you always trying to send me somewhere else? You’re hurting my feelings!]
The moment Ceres answered, she felt the fan tremble in her hand.
Think about everything you’ve done.
[Oh, come on! What did I do?]
You hit on Kai again, didn’t you?
[.....]
Ceres had told Elliet not to go near the people around her. She didn’t want them picking up Elliet’s bad habits. Maybe shoving her back into the subspace would finally teach her a lesson.
And why are you hitting on Zein?
Now she’s going after the kids, too?
Zein does have a promising future, though.
He was still young, but his features were already well-defined. He would grow up to be quite a looker. Still, that was no reason for Elliet to start making moves on him already.
[He’s complete now.]
Complete? What does that even mean?
Elliet had been saying things Ceres couldn’t make sense of lately. She used to go on and on about the gods behind their backs, and now she was saying this?
Is this some new way of being a nuisance?
Is this kind of conversation popular in that other world?
[There is such a thing, meow.]
...She always started talking like a cat whenever she didn’t want to answer.
Ceres clicked her tongue and glared at the fan. She had brought Elliet here for one reason: Marquis Merial.
[I have to see them myself to know, meow.]
She suspected Marquis Merial might be the one who had placed the curse on the Captain of the Imperial Guard. If he attended Crown Prince Aseraian’s birthday party, she would have a chance to find out.
The leader of the assassination guild. The fake saintess, Yuness.
And recently, the Captain of the Imperial Guard.
They all had one thing in common. Someone had placed a magical restriction on them, one that would kill them if they revealed certain information.
The first two were connected to Marquis Merial.
So it was only natural to suspect that the Captain of the Imperial Guard was connected to him as well. That was why she had brought Elliet along. Elliet had said she would know the moment she met the person who had placed the curse.
For now, Marquis Merial was the most likely culprit. Ceres planned to have Elliet meet him first.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t find out who was behind it.”
“Well, it happens.”
“Hmm.”
“.....?”
“What’s with that unfazed reaction? It’s like you never expected me to find anything in the first place. Somehow, that’s a little disappointing.“
....What was she supposed to do?
Crown Prince Aseraian himself had told her that the Captain was dead. He had uncovered a few things, but never managed to find out who was behind it.
The most shocking part was that the kidnapped children were used as materials for the giant chimera that had appeared in the Black Forests.
What the hell is wrong with these people?
Ceres couldn’t even begin to guess what they were after. They had created the Black Forests and killed people... What could possibly be the reason for all of this?
If Marquis Merial really was the one who placed the curse on the Captain of the Imperial Guard...
Then, the incident involving Saintess Yuness and the recent appearance of the chimera were all the work of the same person.
“......”
Ceres’s gaze naturally settled on one person again.
But...
...Something’s really off with him.
Ever since entering the ballroom, Ceres had kept an eye on Marquis Merial, watching closely for any reaction from Elliet.
But there was no mistaking it. Marquis Merial looked far from normal. His face was so pale and exhausted that he looked ready to collapse at the slightest touch.
He looks completely worn out.
He didn’t exactly look sick. Had he just not been sleeping well lately? He looked like someone who hadn’t slept properly in at least a month.
“Hmm.”
What was even stranger was that Marquis Merial flinched every time his eyes met Duke Schweiss’s.
Well, he always did that.
But today, it seemed worse than usual.
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