94 Part 2

“Of course, I’m a magician that’s why I’m doing this.”

“?”

‘What is he going on about?’ Philiane was starting to get irritated but Levy suddenly flipped open his cape. ‘What kind of act is this…?’ thought Philiane at that moment, before realizing that she’s now wearing a dress.

“…?”

She immediately checked her own body.

“Eh? This must be a lie, why…”

Cream-colored and light-green dress with champagne-gold laces, half of her hair was tied up with gentle curls.

She usually ties up her hair and put on an attendant’s clothing, so she grimaced at this unknown figure of herself.

It has been many years since she has last put on a dress.

“…What do you intend to do with this, Levy? Or rather, how did you change my outfit…?”

“I’m a magician so that was easy to me.”

“…”

You are probably not really a magician.

Philiane wanted to say that, but before she could, Levy told her ‘We are going now.’ He then took out something from his cape and handed it to Philiane.

“Ah, this”

“Eh? It’s the Tiararose flower that will be attached to the mask?”

“That’s right. Please put it on quickly. We will be heading to the venue now.”

“Eeeh!?”

After saying that, Levy started walking quickly with his hand wrapped around Philiane. No, it’s more like he’s running. He was that fast.

“Levy, please stop.”

“I want to return to Olivia’s side as soon as possible, so please cooperate.”

“!”

‘How one-sided’-that was what she wanted to say, but upon thinking about it, this guy did say that it was an order from Olivia and Tiararose.

In other words, if he was simply not instructed on the methods, it was probably Tiararose’s idea to make her put on a dress and attend the masquerade ball.

Indeed, while Philiane has been invited to night parties before, she has never attended as an esteemed lady guest. She also understood why Tiararose kept it a secret from her and had to resort to this method.

“Lady Tiararose has set up this situation because I was troubled…”

“Being part of the nobility is kind of troublesome, right?”

“…That’s right. I wonder if I have to find someone who’s a fit for me too.”

Levy gave an unexpected reply to Philiane mutterings

With a wry smile, she once again thought that she has to settle her issue once and for all. If something similar were to happen in the future, she might end up causing trouble to Tiararose.

If that’s the case, it might be a good idea to marry a noble descendent of Marineforest.

“I belong to Olivia, so don’t fall for me, alright?”

“I won’t fall for you. What are you talking about?”

“That’s good.”

Levy said it with such a serious look that it made Philiane smile.

***

Being swept away like this, Philiane arrived at the Ariadale mansion where the masquerade ball was held. She put on a mask and placed a Tiararose rose near her ear to indicate that she’s single.

“Wow… this is amazing.”

She entered the venue and found many ladies and gentlemen in masks chatting with each other. There was also a dance area in the middle, and some people were dancing.

In the food area, the sweets corner which Tiararose has excitedly talked about has become quite a hit. Chocolate was flowing from a huge fountain and it was fun just by looking at it. Next to it, a chef was making crepes and it seems like he was putting more effort into it than the main dishes.

Philiane giggled and decided that she has to try it later.

“Lady Tiararose and Sir Aquasteed have not arrived yet, it seems…”

The two of them will definitely stand out with their presences, so she will know if they were there or not.

‘It cannot be helped, let’s enjoy the masquerade ball while waiting for Tiararose to arrive’ Philiane resolved; right then someone called out to her from behind.

“Good evening, Miss.”

“! …Good evening.”

Turning back, there was a man with honey-colored hair.

It seemed like he wanted to engage in a conversation with Philiane and called out to her. When she did a maiden greeting, the man gently smiled.

“What a wonderful dress. …it’s a pity that I can’t ask you for your name.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Do you usually participate in night parties like this?”

She thought that the man probably approached her in a friendly manner because she was wearing mask. She would normally be strict in her manners because of her status, but since the opposite party does not know about her, she decided to let loose a little this time round.

Philiane was thrilled that she could relax.

“No. It has been a long time since I’ve attended a night party.”

“Is that so? …If you have any questions, do feel free to ask me.”

“Well, thank you very much; I was a little nervous so your words really helped me a lot.”

Philiane was relieved that she’s at least able to converse normally.

Looking at this interaction secretly from the shadow was Tiararose. ‘That’s peeping, you know?’ would be something one would say, but no one noticed her.

“Philiane is talking to a guy!”

Furthermore the atmosphere seemed good to Tiararose. Unfortunately, he was wearing a mask so she does not know his identity, but there was no way Philiane will interact with a weird guy.

As the attendant of Tiararose, she was extremely strict in terms of manner. She was probably more informed about manners, compared to the ladies and gentlemen who often attend night parties.

Therefore, Philiane will not engage in a conversation with someone who’s ill-mannered.

“All that’s left for me to do is to reunite with Sir Aqua…”

Akari and Olivia will probably come after they have completed their preparations.

Aquasteed was probably involved in the arrangement of getting Elliot to join. ‘This does not fit me!! And no one will look in my way’ Elliot said as he arrived in extremely plain clothing.

In other words, Aquasteed was in charge of supervision and lookout.

“Even so, the cream-colored dress is very cute. It’s worth making the effort to prepare it!”

“Yes, it’s extremely cute.”

“Eh…?”

While Tiararose was looking at Philiane’s dress with a satisfied look, an unknown guy’s voice called out to her from her back.

When she turned back in a fluster, there was a masked man with tanned skin.

-Who?

At the sudden intrusion of this guy, Tiararose frowned beneath her mask. There are no tanned Marineforest nobles and she has no recollection having invited any tanned person.

There’s a possibility that it was sunburn but it’s quite hard to imagine.

Tiararose stared at the guy and was greeted with a smile.

“Have you fallen into my charms? Cute kitty.”

“Eh…”

-What a frivolous playboy!!

Tiararose was convinced that the man has definitely winked beneath his mask, and was repelled by his action. At the same time, she thought that this was probably the type of people who loves parties like this masquerade ball.

He has golden-colored hair and tanned skin. Unfortunately she could not see his face, but she could not sense anything other than a playboy vibe from him.

Tiararose gave an extremely loud sigh and said ‘Stop it.’

“This is a place to deepen relationships through communication, and it’s not a place to pick up on girls. Go back home if you are going to fool around like this.”

“Wow, it’s the first time a lady said that to me! Well done, you!”

“…have you been listening to me?”

Tiararose realized that she was dealing with an extremely bothersome guy, who seemed to have no boundaries, and let out an extremely deep sigh.