Chapter 17
The first day of the ball arrived.
The once-quiet mansion became noisy with guests who had come to attend the ball. Since the event lasted three days, many nobles were staying at the estate.
The maids were extremely busy guiding guests and preparing for the ball, but I—now Chris’s exclusive maid—was spending an unusually peaceful time.
‘I’m not going to attend the ball.’
Last night, Chris had suddenly said that. On the very day we borrowed piles of clothes to wear to the ball, he spoke firmly.
‘It’s boring, so I’m not going.’
It was strangely convincing. Because of his decisiveness, I had no choice but to return all the clothes I had struggled to carry back to Young Master Odin.
And so today, on the day of the ball, Chris was calmly enjoying a book.
It was nice not having to suffer like during the summer ball, but standing around doing nothing made me think I’d rather be working.
It was a painfully peaceful time.
“Ah.”
Just as drowsiness washed over me and I blinked slowly, a thought crossed my mind.
The ball had started, which meant Damian would arrive soon. I had forgotten to tell Chris in advance. I carefully checked his mood.
Is it okay to speak first?
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
Chris lifted his gaze from the book and looked at me. Luckily, he didn’t seem annoyed. Seeing the smile on his face, I felt relieved and continued.
“Would it be alright if I stepped out briefly tomorrow? A friend is coming to visit, so I planned to meet him at the carriage station.”
I had already sent Damian a letter saying I’d meet him there. He probably knew the way better than I did, but I planned to use it as an excuse to spend time with him at the market.
If it were Lou, he would’ve allowed it without question. But if Chris refused, Damian would surely wait at the station all day.
I waited nervously for his answer. Chris thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
“Sure!”
Thank goodness. Just as I was about to smile in relief, Chris added,
“But I want to go too!”
“…What?”
I stared at him in disbelief. Chris was smiling brightly at me.
“Why…?”
Normally, I wouldn’t dare ask a Prince such a question, but I was genuinely curious.
Why would a Prince join a stroll between commoners?
Chris answered cheerfully.
“Sounds fun!”
Everything about him really did revolve around fun.
I couldn’t disobey a Prince, so I nodded with an awkward smile.
In my heart, I apologized in advance to Damian, who would suddenly be meeting a Prince.
On the second day of the ball, I came to Chris’s room as usual—and let out a dry laugh at the sight before me.
“You’re really going, aren’t you…”
Chris had his face tightly covered with a hood. Most of his face was hidden, but the visible corner of his lips was lifted. He looked like he was enjoying this far too much.
“There’s one for you too, Lily. Here!”
He handed me a dark red hood. It was closer to a cloak than a hood, and gold embroidery decorated it here and there. It looked quite expensive.
“Why do I need this…?”
Chris was a Prince, so of course he needed to hide his face. But I was just a commoner—someone no one would care about even if I walked around openly.
“Your hair color stands out, Lily. If people stare too much, it’ll be annoying when we’re trying to have fun.”
…Is that so?
Thinking back, during the festival I had walked around openly and ended up getting involved with a strange person. Blonde hair wasn’t as rare as Chris’s pink hair, but it still wasn’t common.
Even inside the ducal estate, I sometimes felt people glancing at me. In a crowded market, it would only be worse.
In the end, I was convinced and put on the hood Chris gave me. I had always wondered how Lou and Chris walked so easily with hoods covering their eyes—but even with it on, I could see clearly.
It must be a special hood with magic on it.
“Ready? Let’s go!”
Chris said excitedly.
“Oh—then I’ll guide the way.”
“Hm? No.”
Chris handed me a magic stone. I stared between the stone and him.
Why this all of a sudden?
Seeing my confusion, Chris smiled.
“Let’s meet at the carriage station.”
With that, he vanished in an instant.
…What?
I stared blankly at the empty air. After coming to my senses, I looked around. The room was empty—only me left behind. I blinked, then looked down at the magic stone in my hand.
…Ah. Don’t tell me.
With a doubtful heart, I spoke,
“Carriage station.”
The moment the words left my mouth, my vision changed. The quiet room turned into a noisy carriage station.
“Ta-da! Instant teleportation!”
Chris appeared behind me, spreading his arms proudly. I let out a hollow laugh.
“…Isn’t using teleportation illegal?”
“So what? I’m a Prince!”
That was some incredibly bold abuse of power.
After casually tossing the used magic stone into a trash bin to destroy evidence, we went to find Damian. The station was crowded, but we spotted him easily.
Bright platinum-blonde hair, tall stature—and above all, striking looks. He had somehow become even more handsome.
Happy to see him, I called out loudly.
“Damian!”
“Lily?”
Damian looked up with a bright smile—then froze when he saw us. Two hooded figures approaching him was more than enough to scare anyone.
“Lily…? It is you, right…?”
He asked cautiously. I nodded and quickly explained.
“First of all, sorry for bringing another hooded person with me.”
“Lily…? Why are you using polite speech?”
At Damian’s innocent question, I placed a finger over my lips to signal him to stay quiet.
After we decided to be friends, we agreed not to care about status—but right now, there was another noble here. No, not just a noble—a royal. I couldn’t speak casually to Damian.
Thankfully, Damian—who had grown both taller and sharper—seemed to understand. He nodded quietly, and I continued.
“This person is… um… uh…”
I got stuck.
How should I explain this…? I couldn’t exactly say “Prince” with so many people around.
After the ducal family came the royal family. Even meeting an average noble was rare, yet Damian had ended up talking face-to-face with one.
His fate really was cursed when it came to high-ranking people.
“So your name is Damian~ Nice to meet you!”
Chris stepped in smoothly and held out his hand. Damian shook it, still dazed.
Wow. Standing together like this, they were both ridiculously tall. Damian had always been tall, but Chris was just as towering. My neck was starting to hurt from looking up.
Still smiling, Chris asked,
“Can we hang out together? Is that okay?”
“Uh, yes! The more people, the more fun!”
Despite the sudden situation, Damian accepted him with a bright smile. Seriously—whose friend is this kind-hearted guy? I looked at him warmly.
Since the carriage station was crowded, the three of us headed to a quieter street. As we walked and looked at the shops, Chris asked,
“So where are we going?”
I tilted my head.
Right… where are we going?
I looked at Damian. Damian looked at me. Then I looked at Chris. Chris was also looking at me.
Ah. Am I supposed to guide us?
They were nobles, so of course they wouldn’t be familiar with the market. But I rarely went out myself, so I didn’t know much either.
“…I don’t really know commoner culture.”
I bowed my head apologetically.
Sorry for not knowing how to have fun… I should’ve gone out with Deriksha when I had time off. I regretted my past self for giving up my vacation because it felt like a hassle.
Seeing me like that, Damian gave an awkward smile.
“I don’t really know the area around the ducal estate either…”
“If we’re going to hang out, it’d be nice if someone who knows the area guided us. Lily, don’t you have a friend we could bring?”
“I don’t have any friends…”
I answered in a small voice. There was no way I’d let Deriksha meet Chris, and aside from her, I had no friends.
As I spoke miserably, someone suddenly came to mind. Not a commoner—but someone familiar with the market and the area.
The thought slipped out of my mouth.
“Young Master Lou knows the area well, but…”
“Oh, really?”
“But he’s probably preparing for the ball right now…”
As I spoke, I turned to Chris—and stopped walking.
Chris, who had been beside me just moments ago, was gone. Damian also stared wide-eyed at the empty space.
Ah. No way.
“I brought him!”
With a cheerful voice, Chris reappeared using teleportation magic. In his hand was Lou, whose shoulder he was gripping tightly, wearing a completely confused expression.
“……”
“……”
“…What is this?”
“Alright, guide us, Lou.”
Damian and I quietly stared at them. Lou looked around, still dazed. Chris looked shameless as ever.
Feeling chaos in the air already, I pressed my hand to my forehead.
