I was waiting for Eliya in the mansion hall.
Only some cleaning servants and the mansion guards were around.
There were no other people.
Maybe the other nobles had their own schedules.
Feeling bored waiting, I decided to try using the necklace.
I was curious about the armor-summoning feature.
“When I signal Eliya… what should I do differently this time?”
Not sure, but I gave it a shot.
When I wanted Eliya, I thought of her.
Now, I needed armor, so I should think about armor, right?
“Oh?”
Suddenly, with a clatter, the front plate of the chest piece fell right in front of me.
“Is this really working?”
I checked the chest piece because I was fascinated.
It was indeed my armor.
There were unfamiliar patterns drawn on the inside.
Clearly, it was a complex magic circle.
“Oh, this is what they enchanted last time.”
Honestly, I still had no idea what it meant.
When I was about to return it, I noticed readable text at the edge of the magic circle.
It was a person’s name.
“Eliyah?”
So, Eliya participated in the enchanting process.
Did she leave this as evidence of her work?
“It’s her own work; there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Just as I sent the armor back, the main door swung open.
A number of noble ladies poured in.
They seemed to have just returned from some tea time.
Eliya, however, had no interest in such social gatherings.
Still, I wondered if that was okay…
“She’s a smart one; she’ll handle it.”
One of the nobles going up the stairs glanced over at me.
“Oh my! You aren’t a mansion guard?”
“…?”
“Huh? Oh, you’re Eliya’s escort knight, right?”
“That’s correct…”
“Lily is something else. Where can you find such a handsome guard?”
“Since you were so still, I mistook you for one. Your name is Judas, right?”
Lately, I’ve noticed that many people seem to know my name.
Is Eliya so famous that I’ve become famous just by association?
“What are you doing here all alone?”
“I’m waiting for my master.”
“Why would you leave such an important person alone? What if someone just picks her up?”
“……”
“It seems you haven’t gotten a handkerchief yet, right? Did you plan to receive it later? Or do you have someone specific in mind?”
“Not particularly…”
“Then how about me?”
“Hey, Catherine. Is it really okay to just butt in like that?”
“Still, Eliya is here…”
“Just because of that, it doesn’t mean you can’t give it.”
…This is exhausting.
I felt dizzy.
I wanted to run away, but I couldn’t do that.
The back was a wall, and the front was surrounded by a curve.
They’re nobles, after all; I couldn’t just shove them aside.
I didn’t know where they were from, though.
“Elijah… save me…”
They weren’t saying anything bad to me, so I couldn’t scold them.
In fact, I didn’t even get a chance to say anything.
They asked the questions, provided the answers, and laughed among themselves.
As they chatted, before I knew it, the topic shifted to something only they understood.
“I’m really going insane.”
I was stuck, unable to do anything.
“By the way, is that story true?”
“What story are you talking about?”
“About Lady Eliya…”
“Is it about me?”
A voice froze the room.
It didn’t belong to any of those who were just talking.
It was slightly low, calm.
It pierced through the atmosphere sharply.
Without even realizing when she arrived, Eliya stood behind the noblewomen.
“Lady Eliya, and then?”
She asked without a rise or fall in her tone.
It felt as if she had a knife to the listener’s throat.
It was scary and, honestly, a relief to see her.
The moment Eliya arrived, all the women fell silent.
Clip-clop. Eliya took a step forward.
The ladies, looking a bit apologetic for being nobles, scurried aside like bugs.
Only the girl who had just mentioned Eliya stood frozen in place.
“Catherine, the third daughter of the Count Kurturi.”
As Eliya identified her, she approached her.
“Lady Eliya, why don’t you tell us what comes next?”
“A-ah, ahaha, well, that is…”
Eliya stepped even closer, intimidating her.
The wild fire in her eyes pierced through the woman.
She tilted her head slightly.
As if asking why she wasn’t speaking.
Looking displeased, she crossed her arms.
I threw away my irreverent gaze.
“U-uh, Lady Eliya is, um, very beautiful! Of course… right?”
She looked around, as if seeking affirmation.
Every time her gaze met someone, the women pretended not to notice and looked away.
Eliya sighed and shook her head.
Ignoring the lady, she walked over to stand in front of me.
She looked at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
“Um, have you finished your business?”
“…Yes.”
Eliya muttered as she rubbed her eyes.
“What should I do with you…”
“Excuse me? What was that?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
Eliya unconsciously grabbed my hand and led me away.
I followed her obediently.
She looked uncomfortable, so I cautiously asked.
“Was your conversation with the emperor unsatisfactory?”
“……”
Eliya didn’t answer.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked up at me.
Her large eyes stared intensely.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
She was observing and analyzing me.
Then Eliya tilted her head and walked ahead.
“Not particularly. Not satisfied nor dissatisfied. But the important point is, I found something out.”
She uttered those words nonchalantly.
“The emperor was researching dark magic through the royal wizard order. Balak collaborated with Molsin Church and intended to kill me. Plus, I’ve confirmed most of my deductions.”
Eliya’s enemy had been identified.
Facing an immensely powerful enemy, Eliya had no sense of crisis on her face.
Was it confidence? Or perhaps she was just used to having many enemies.
Maybe it was both.
When I fell silent for a moment, she asked, “Are you scared now?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, that’s a relief. But it’s too late to back out. You’re mine now.”
“……”
Well, that was something.
She speaks in such a calm voice that one could easily misunderstand her hundreds of times!
If it were someone else, they would have a fit of confusion!
Of course, Eliya, unaware of such sentiments, carried on as if nothing happened.
First, she headed to the building assigned to the royal guards.
The guards straightened up and rushed out as soon as Eliya arrived.
Eliya gave a brief order.
“Rest until further notice.”
“Yes!”
“If it’s not rude, can we go see the festival?”
Richard asked cautiously, and Eliya nodded happily.
“Go ahead. Just don’t cause any trouble.”
“Thank you!”
Afterward, Dillon led the way for everyone to split into groups of three.
With 11 people, two were left, so Richard and Dillon decided to stick together.
Naturally, I followed Eliya.
Eliya busily went to find various nobles.
Or nobles approached Eliya.
The surface conversations were ordinary.
Simple greetings.
Business talks. Current affairs, and so on.
However, I sifted through the commonality among them.
“Anti-Empire forces.”
They weren’t particularly friendly towards the empire.
And they were people wanting to invest in Eliya rather than the Bevel family.
The emperor or Balak might have their eyes on them.
Nevertheless, Eliya was undeterred.
From her demeanor, I easily inferred.
A big storm was brewing.
After a day passed without incident, we headed back to the mansion.
It was dark, but the streets were bright due to the festival.
People were bustling about.
Eliya suddenly asked, “Do you want to enjoy it too?”
“The festival?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmmm…”
Honestly, I was curious.
But more importantly, Eliya came first.
“I’m fine.”
“‘Fine’ means you want to enjoy it but are holding back, right?”
“……”
I couldn’t find anything to say.
She picks up on everything I say.
“Hmmm.”
Eliya seemed to contemplate something but kept quiet.
As if nothing happened, she returned to the mansion.
Then suddenly, she questioned, “Did you enjoy it?”
“…What?”
“Earlier, when you were surrounded by those women.”
Out of nowhere?
She’s asking about something from a few hours ago?
She must have known how sudden that was because Eliya added,
“Just curious for no reason. Because, generally speaking, people like receiving positive attention from multiple members of the opposite sex. Especially men can have multiple wives.”
Did she suddenly become interested in polygamy?
Anyway, it sounded quite academic and anthropological.
I decided to be honest.
After all, I couldn’t give a nutritious answer.
“It was annoying.”
“…Really?”
“Well, it could be generally so. But for me… I wouldn’t want unwanted attention at an inopportune time; isn’t it bothersome?”
“Unwanted attention… Is that so…”
Eliya’s voice seemed to sink for some reason.
Was she deep in thought?
“Yes. Anyway, it wasn’t a very good experience. I was so relieved when you came back then…”
Eliya, who had been walking ahead, suddenly halted.
She took a big step towards me.
“Really? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes? What about…?”
“Are you saying I’m better than those many?”
“‘Better’ is a pretty broad term.
It can imply special feelings for a person, or it could be used to express preferences for food.
We could also use ‘better’ when discussing which choice is superior in specific situations.
So, it’s my fault for attributing too much meaning to Eliya’s words.
“Anyways, while there sure is a lot that’s left unsaid in that sentence… simply put, it’s not incorrect.”
I felt awkward and flustered, and avoided eye contact as I replied.
“Um, I could say that…”
“Hmmm.”
Seemingly satisfied, Eliya chuckled.
“What is this? Did you just confirm my loyalty? Well, she’s cute, so it’s fine.”
Eliya’s steps seemed lighter than before as we returned.
And when we got there, an unexpected guest was waiting for us.
To be precise, a guest had come to see Eliya.
A man was sitting on the terrace of the first floor of the mansion allotted to Eliya.
With curly blond hair and warmly smiling red eyes.
But both Eliya and I couldn’t warmly welcome him knowing who he was.
He was tall but slim, giving him a sickly appearance.
He was actually a sickly person.
Maybe that’s why the guard beside him was so big.
The second son of the Bevel family.
Levi de Bevel approached us.
“You look busy.”
“Just get to the point.”
While Levi was trying to engage in some small talk, Eliya coldly shot him down.
Levi shrugged and chuckled.
“Well, if you’re going to be so heartless… Fine, I won’t bother with niceties.”
“Make it brief.”
Despite Eliya’s rudeness, Levi appeared to be quite relaxed.
“I want to pit my royal guard against your royal guard during the upcoming founding festival. In Judeca.”
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