“Instead, since I promised to play with her later… Please don’t worry about Judy. I will make sure that I won’t let her distract me and cause any disruption to my work.”
“Yes, of course. Sir Sein has never been careless about his works or anything. I trust you completely.”
“…..”
It was a compliment filled with sincerity, but Sir Sein just nodded and took a step back.
‘He must have exhausted his social skills for the day.’
I smiled slightly at my own thoughts, I nodded in parting.
* * *
Nothing major happened after that. I guided citizens to prevent accidents from happening due to the crowds, and stepped in to mediate whenever disputes broke out, which was a common occurrence during festivals.
Other than that, it was surprisingly peaceful. If I were to write a report, the headline could be something like: “The Lunar New Year Festival Concludes Without Incident.”
‘… But the real event is still tonight.’
The only fortunate thing was that the impostor had scheduled their time for the attack to be 10 p.m., after the festival’s peak hours during the day and evening.
‘I really hope they don’t bring any demonic creatures.’
However, considering the connection to the previous Orthros intrusion incident and the phrase ‘I will break the Silver Magnolia Branch,’ that was an overly optimistic assumption.
We had already prepared an operation following the emergency protocol to deal with demonic creatures just in case. All we could do was use all our strength to prevent any loss of life. Our top priority was to ensure no casualties occurred.
However, on my way back to the central command, I unexpectedly ran into a guest nearby.
“Oh, Clara! Hello!”
“Lady… Serphenne?”
Elisa was dressed in a modest pink gown, which was relatively simple compared to a heavy gown for social gatherings, but she was still giving off a fresh, spring-like vibe.
While Alphonse, wearing the hood of his tunic pulled down low, perhaps to hide his face, gave off a more suspicious aura.
I quickly bowed to them both before standing upright again.
“Oh dear, this isn’t a formal event. Please just call me Elisa.”
“Right. Yes… Elisa. But… shouldn’t you both not be here?”
To mitigate the threat of a possible terrorist attack, the Royal Family was advised to stay away from the festival.
Naturally, it was expected that Prince Alphonse, the Second Prince, would remain at the Royal Palace.
Then, Alphonse, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
“We promised to attend the festival together this year, so I brought her along. Without any troublesome escort.”
“But…”
“It’s alright, Clara! His Highness Prince Alphonse is a Spirit Master, so he doesn’t really need an escort. And this year, thanks to the reduction in royal events, it actually became easier to sneak out.”
“…..”
Alphonse conveyed to me with a growl-like look in his eyes (it was truly amazing how a growl could be felt through just his gaze) with the meaning of ‘If you tell the truth, I’ll kill you.’
‘So… Alphonse deliberately hid the information about the potential terrorist threat during the festival from Elisa?’
He’s crazy….
Of course, the terrorist threat was scheduled for the night, and since there was no actual threat now, it was not a particularly dangerous situation.
But still, ignoring the danger and prioritizing a date with his crush over everything?
‘But maybe… this is part of the original story… Like how the two of them get involved in an incident during the festival….’
Although my knowledge of the original story is quite hazy, if that was highly likely to happen, then all I could do was support their date.
As long as the sacred artifact didn’t get damaged due to unforeseen variables, everything would be fine. That thought made me feel slightly better.
“Ah! If it’s okay, Clara, would you like to come with us to see the sights? There’s an event over there selling flower-shaped accessories.”
“Well… I’m currently in charge of security at the festival, so…”
“If you’re already patrolling the area, wouldn’t it be fine to accompany us while you’re at it?”
Is it possible for someone’s mind to be this much of a flower garden?
I casted a desperate look at Alphonse.
However, even if it meant interrupting their time alone together, it seemed that Elisa’s opinion took priority. Alphonse didn’t even glance at me and was too busy gazing at Elisa with a look full of affection.
‘Haa…’
Just as I was figuring out how to politely refuse, someone interrupted from behind.
“I’m sorry, but Captain Clara needs to come with me. I believe she was just summoned to Central Command.”
‘That voice is…’
A sweet baritone voice that I couldn’t possibly forget drifted to my ears. When I turned around, the face I saw was, as expected, Ludger Kassen.
The white uniform suited him so well that it was almost breathtaking.
On top of that, the red accessories and handkerchiefs as accents were flawless. Why is he dressed up so much like this for just a festival?
Well, to begin with… what complemented his dressing was his face. Ludger’s face seemed even more dazzling than the bright spring sunlight.
“Ah, Duke Kassen! How have you been?”
“Yes. Hello, Lady Serphenne. And His Highness, the Second Prince.”
Ludger greeted them politely, but Elisa, ever the social butterfly, puffed out her cheeks.
“I told you to call me Elisa, Young Duke.”
“I can’t be so informal. Nevertheless, since Captain Clara has urgent duties, would it be alright if I take her now?”
“That’s a shame… Would you, by any chance, consider joining us, Young Duke…?”
“Well, unfortunately, I can’t join you as I am also on duty. Rather…”
He naturally took his place beside me, as if escorting me, and turned towards Alphonse.
“Is it wise for His Highness the Prince to be here at all right now?”
“…If it’s about safety, there’s no need to worry. I just hope the Young Duke pretends he didn’t see me.”
“As a loyal servant of the Leuke Empire, it is my duty to be concerned about the safety of one of the pillars of the Royal Family.”
He spoke with a gentle smile, but the words spoken were clearly provocative. I could see Alphonse’s gaze growing colder.
“I am well aware of the Young Duke’s loyalty, so I hope you don’t worry. I plan to return by evening.”
“Understood. However, if we are questioned about your whereabouts, I won’t be able to stay silent about that, so I hope you understand.”
“…I understand.”
“We’re really fine, Young Duke! Thank you for your concern!”
Elisa, perhaps taking Ludger’s words as genuine concern, simply looked cheerful. She must have a really easy life.
“You’re welcome. I sincerely apologize for interrupting your outing. I’ll take my leave now with Captain Clara.”
“Did you two have some work planned together?”
Actually, I was curious about that too. Whether Ludger just happened to pass by, noticed me, and said something to help, or if there was an order from above to come find me.
Ludger answered Elisa’s question with a flicker of his eyes.
“Yes, I came to find Captain Clara for some work related matters.”
“I see! It’s a shame that I can’t be with you two today, but I hope to see you at the Book Club meeting.”
“…I suppose so.”
Ludger responded in a tone that clearly showed he wasn’t very enthusiastic.
‘It’s not just because of the silence, but it really felt like he was uncomfortable with them. Like how he warned me not to get too close to them.’
But meeting them today was really a coincidence, so I really hope he didn’t misunderstand and thought I met them because I wanted to…
Nevertheless, I was relieved, thinking that we would disperse like this.
But Elisa added some unnecessary words.
“Come to think of it, Young Duke, you always declined the Book Club invitations until Clara invited you, you immediately said you would join her!”
“……”
“It seems like you two are quite close. There were rumors before that you were dating! Although I heard from Clara that it isn’t true.”
‘Is she really saying something like that without hesitation?’
Does one need to have this kind of intuition to keep their fishes in their fishing pond without them knowing? Scary, the female leads in a romance fantasy….
I froze, expecting Ludger to brush off the claim. Instead, he gently placed his hand on my waist, as if intending to guide me. Eh?
“Yes, unfortunately, that rumor was not true.”
‘Unfortunately?’
“However, since I am in a position where I am courting Captain Clara… I hope the idea of us being close is not just something I believe alone.”
…What?
I really couldn’t believe the words I had just heard, I stared at Ludger, my mouth hanging open, unable to process his words.
“Oh my, oh my, oh my, how could this happen!”
Elisa exclaimed, practically ready to blow out a puff of air, as she clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Come on, Your Highness, let’s leave them to their work!”
“… Alright.”
“Have a great time, you two!”
Alphonse scanned us with a disapproving look, then focused back on Eliza, linking his arms with her.
Elisa chuckled softly and whispered something to him.
I stood there, blankly staring at their retreating figures with a dumbfounded expression, when Ludger tapped my shoulder.
“Now that they’re gone, it’s time to focus.”
“N-No… wait…. why…. why would you… say such a thing….”
Really enjoyed reading this