5th Prince’s Birthday Banquet (2)

After returning from chatting with Agnes about recent events and Prince Antonio’s birthday banquet that evening.

After finishing dinner in the dormitory cafeteria and returning to his private room, Ethan suddenly asked me a question.

“Have you prepared for the banquet in two weeks, Lillith?”

“Huh?”

“Prince Antonio’s birthday banquet at the Imperial Palace in two weeks. Don’t tell me you forgot about it?”

“Ah, no… Of course I remember the contents of the letter…”

I was the one who delivered the letter that flew to the academy to Ethan-how could I forget?

I already had several outfit candidates prepared for Ethan to wear in two weeks. If needed, we could purchase something from the shopping district below the academy and make minor alterations.

After all, he was the one attending the banquet, so why was he suddenly asking for my opinion…?

‘…Huh? Wait, this pattern…’

For some reason, a premonition flashed through my mind that if I carelessly brushed off this conversation like before, I would undoubtedly face trouble later.

At this point, I decided to confirm the true intent behind Ethan’s question.

“By any chance… am I also attending that banquet?”

“…Huh? Of course you are.”

“……”

“…Don’t tell me you thought I was going alone until now?”

“…Yes.”

When I nodded cautiously, Ethan gave me a look as if he couldn’t believe it.

Isabelle, who had been watching our conversation, also looked at me with a strangely pitying expression.

Of course, I had my reasons for assuming Ethan wouldn’t take me.

In principle, external servants weren’t allowed inside the Imperial Palace banquet hall, so to bring me along, he would have to present me as a fiancée or betrothed.

Unlike when I first entered the academy and knew no one, now about half the students would recognize me if I attended an external event.

Unlike Princess Seraphine’s previous birthday banquet, this time there was a real risk of obstructing Ethan’s marriage prospects. And it wasn’t even a masquerade ball where I could hide my face like last time.

In short, it was just me knowing when to step forward and when to step back.

“Are you sure about this? This time, quite a few people will genuinely mistake me for your fiancée.”

“I don’t care. That’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? It’s much better than women only interested in political marriages clinging to Blackwood.”

“But what about Master Harold…?”

“Of course, I already got permission from Father. I asked if I could bring you as my fiancée, and he said I could do as I pleased.”

…Well, now that I think about it, Harold was always a doting father.

The moment Ethan expressed his intention to take me to the banquet as his fiancée, Harold’s opinion was effectively meaningless.

Lately, I’d only seen Harold beating Ethan senseless with a sword in the game, so I temporarily forgot about that.

“…Are you worried about yourself, Lillith?”

“Huh?”

“Our temporary lover relationship is only while we’re at the academy. Are you concerned that rumors about being my fiancée might circulate even after graduation?”

“Why would I care about that now? Given everything that’s happened at the academy so far, those rumors are already unstoppable.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“Besides, I’ve never even considered marrying anyone other than Young Master Ethan, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“…What.”

“…Huh.”

…Did I say something strange?

I was just honestly sharing my thoughts, but Ethan and Isabelle both reacted with surprise.

Now that I think about it, it’s a bit odd. The idea of marrying a man.

Even though I’m a woman now, with memories of being a man in my past life, I can’t easily picture a future where I live happily with a man. It’s like my brain outright rejects such a horrifying thought.

That said, since my body is female, I don’t feel any romantic attraction toward women either.

Ethan is the only man I’m somewhat comfortable with, having received his kindness a few times, but even then, it’s my absolute limit. The thought of holding hands with any other man, let alone marrying one, fills me with indescribable disgust.

“Did I say something odd?”

“Ah, no, Lillith. I was just a little surprised. I didn’t realize you felt that way too.”

“…Lillith, you sometimes seem so clueless, but then you say something incredibly bold. Like those sounds I sometimes hear through the wall at night.”

“Huh? What at night?”

“Uh?! Wh-what did I just say? I, I suddenly can’t remember…”

As Isabelle suddenly flustered and eyed me cautiously, Ethan looked at me and continued the earlier conversation.

“Anyway, if that’s how you feel, then it’s fine. Even if you attend as my fiancée.”

“Yes. It’s no problem for me, but…”

“Isabelle already prepared a dress for you, so you don’t need to worry about it. It’s the same one you wore to Princess Seraphine’s birthday last time.”

…That crimson dress?

Because of what happened with Liz, I can’t say it’s entirely a good memory, but I did like the design itself.

Moreover, its dark yet eye-catching color gave off a distinctly villainess-like vibe, which somehow suited standing next to Ethan.

Last time, I didn’t pay much attention to that, but since I’ll be playing the role of his fiancée again, it’s probably the best choice.

“If you think the color is too dark, I can prepare something brighter.”

“No, it’s fine. Darker colors will suit standing next to you better, so I’ll go with that.”

“…I, I see. If that’s what you think.”

…Come to think of it, if I’m playing the role of his fiancée, I should probably revert to the terms we used back then.

It’s been years since I last used that name, so it feels oddly embarrassing, but to hide that feeling, I deliberately tried saying it boldly.

“Since I’ll be attending as your fiancée, I’ll use the same terms as last time during the banquet in two weeks.”

“The same terms as last time…?”

“…It’s been a while since we last appeared together at a banquet, Ed. May I ask for your escort once more?”

“……”

“…Something like that, Young Master Ethan.”

“Ah… That, that’s what you meant…”

Ethan visibly flustered, his face turning red at hearing his nickname for the first time in years.

Then, recalling the memory from that time, he carefully uttered the name he had called me back then.

“Right. I-I’ll be counting on you again… Lily.”

“…Yes, Ed.”

…I don’t know why, but my face feels oddly hot.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Two weeks passed since I decided to attend the 5th Prince Antonio’s birthday banquet.

Coinciding with the end of midterms, the banquet began, and before I knew it, Ethan and I had entered the Imperial Palace.

‘The last time was Seraphine’s masquerade… so it’s been almost three years.’

The Imperial Palace, which I hadn’t visited in a long time, had changed quite a bit compared to before.

The most noticeable change was undoubtedly the security and defense facilities.

Likely due to the terrorist attack during Seraphine’s masquerade, there were now more than twice as many guards stationed, and the palace itself had been reinforced with layers of defensive magic circles during repairs to the damaged sections.

‘Practically speaking, once inside, magic is off the table.’

To be precise, the moment even a minor spell is cast, the Imperial Guard would be alerted immediately. No defensive magic circle can predict and block every type of magic.

Still, that alone is enough to detect disguise or stealth magic used by outsiders, making it sufficient for counterterrorism.

‘This time, I should avoid drawing unnecessary attention.’

As the first official event since the Dark Cult’s terrorist attack on the masquerade, security was undoubtedly heightened.

I needed to avoid any behavior that might seem suspicious to others.

…For example, confidently navigating the palace to the banquet hall as if I knew the layout perfectly on just my second visit.

“The banquet hall is the Noontide Sunflower Hall. Do you know how to get there, Lillith?”

“…I’m not sure what you mean, Ed.”

“Huh? But last time, at Princess Seraphine’s masquerade…”

“There are so many maids at the palace entrance-why bother finding our way alone? That one over there looks free. Let’s ask for directions.”

“……”

After being guided by a maid to the Noontide Sunflower Hall, we found noble heirs already mingling inside.

Perhaps taking my joke about escorting me seriously, Ethan began looking out for me.

“It’s still a bit quiet.”

“We left early to avoid traffic. There’s still time, so let’s wait comfortably, Ed.”

“Right, Lily. Want me to get you a drink? Anything you’d like?”

“Anything cold is fine.”

“Got it. Wait here a moment.”

Nodding, Ethan headed toward the self-serve bar set up for early arrivals.

As I quietly watched his retreating figure, I felt a gentle tug on the hem of my dress from behind.

Turning, I saw a red-haired mage barely reaching my chest, looking up at me.

“…Lillith?”

“How are you, Miss Agnes?”

“…What? You said you weren’t coming today.”

…Come to think of it, I forgot to correct that.