“……what?”

They stopped dead in their tracks and looked around. The hall was busier than before they came out, and it was filled with a noisy, restless, and exuberant air. The atmosphere of an evening party was already heated, but the whispers of the people felt like the buzz of the passersby at a festival.

“What could it be…….”
“Oh, Lord Clavis, where have you been?”
“Went to the terrace to cool off. Do you know what is happening?”

Felix’s eyes suddenly took on a sharp look of caution befitting a knight, and the man who had called out to him shook his head in a panic.

“No, no, it’s not an intruder, brawl, or anything that bad.”
“Is that so?”
“Apparently, a person of very high status had come incognito.”

The gentleman’s eyes sparkled with joy, but Felix’s eyes, which had returned to a blank expression for a moment, before shining menacingly again.
–The people of the highest rank were, in short, royalty. Apart from dukes, who were treated as a branch of the royal family, the appearance of a member of the royal family at an evening party for nobles who were merely vassals was a special honour for the host, an event that would be passed down for generations.
From the perspective of the Loomis House, which supported the new royal family, the three royals who were likely to visit were the King, the First Queen, and the First Princess. However, if the King and the First Queen were to show up, even if it was incognito, careful planning and preparation were required beforehand. There was no way that information would not reach Felix, who is a member of the Imperial Knights.

Incidentally, the person who comes closest to the word ‘sneaking’ is the Crown Prince. He uses magic to disguise the colour of his hair and eyes, and the ‘street talk’ he developed as a student allows him to blend in with the commoners in the castle. He is an excellent magician and can even use short-distance teleportation techniques. Whenever the Crown Prince disappears on what he calls a secret visit, his guards, including the vice-captain of the Imperial Knights, who is his baby brother and personal bodyguard, are in a state of panic.
However, he is the son of the second queen and a member of the old royal family. It is hard to imagine him revealing his royal status and showing up at a party hosted by the Loomis House, who are said to be the leaders of the new royal family. He would likely be disguised as a viscount or baron somewhere and blend in without making a fuss.

“…..First Princess, perhaps?”
“As expected of a member of the Imperial Knights. We haven’t heard the details yet, but it seems that’s the case. It’s rare for Her Highness the Princess to visit the evening parties of her subjects. Since her injury, she has avoided all but the evening parties at the royal palace. I’m grateful for this wonderful opportunity.”

The man laughs heartily, raises his glass and leaves. He doesn’t seem to notice that we are from different factions, perhaps because he is drunk, or perhaps because he thinks that Felix alone is not a big threat, or perhaps he is just a nice person.

Felix’s brow furrowed deeply, and anxiety welled up within him. Aurora instinctively tugged gently on his sleeve.

“Her Highness the First Princess….., she is the previous heir to the crown, right? The leader of the new royal faction.”
“Yes”
“What kind of person is she?”
“Have you met her?”
“A few times during Her Highness’ social debut ceremony and on the castle evening parties.”

The Queen and the King host evening parties at the Royal Castle at the beginning and end of the social season, respectively. It is attended by the entire royal family and all the dukes, so one can see the faces of all the heirs to the throne. However, young debutants like Aurora can only catch a glimpse of their faces when they greet the guests.
In Aurora’s memory, the first princess had deep brunette hair and beautiful purple eyes, and looked very much like an imperial princess she was.
She was a woman of dignified presence. Her white dress, the formal attire of royalty, and her platinum tiara were all very beautiful, but only her young lioness-like atmosphere remains in her memory. (Tl: – Mereoleona Vermillion?)

It seemed that she was the very same person as her memories. Then, Aurora tilted her head.

“Is it a problem if Her Highness the First Princess comes to visit?”
“No, not that it would”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“As the unusual guests at this evening’s party, we cannot leave without greeting Her Highness.”

Felix muttered to himself, looking as if he had just chewed up a bitter herb. Aurora, too, put her hand on her forehead and looked up to the heavens.
It was time for all the guests to greet this mysterious guest, starting with the organisers, followed by a round of greetings from the important members of the new royalist faction. The greetings of the organisers and important members would not be over in a few minutes, and it would be a long time before Aurora and Felix would be able to greet her.

“…… In the meantime, let’s borrow the restroom and re-fit our outfits before we meet the royalty!”
“…That’s right.”

They looked at each other with eyes like dried fish and nodded drearily.

＊

(…..That’s strange.)

Aurora muttered to herself as she walked down the softly carpeted corridor. She had left the evening party for the time being, saying “I need to get my dress fixed”, and after parting ways with Felix, she had asked one of Loomis’ maids to guide her to the ladies’ waiting room, but something about her path seemed a bit suspicious.
There are several restrooms prepared at a soiree. First of all, there is a resting room for those who are tired, a medical room for those who are not feeling well, separate resting rooms for men and women to fix their dress, a waiting room exclusively for the host, and a small hall for the maids and chamberlains who have been brought along to wait. If it is a large-scale soiree, there will be at least ten rooms.
However, the restroom is not located far away from the soiree. And yet, the maid in front of me seemed to be moving deeper into the mansion. Before I knew it, the noise of the evening party had completely disappeared from the surroundings, and all I could see was the weak light of the moon shining thinly through the window.

Aurora wondered if this was like one of those common court tales where a jealous woman summons to harass.
Since she focuses on embroidery at home, she doesn’t read novels that much. But in her grandmother’s room at the estate mansion, there were some romance and epic novels for women that her grandmother, who was a resident of the capital when she was younger, probably brought with her when she married. Although the contents were a little old, most of the few novels that Aurora read were from her grandmother’s collection, as her mother, who was a female knight, did not show much interest in such books.
The stories, with their gorgeous covers that smelled of old ink, generally had plots like a noble’s daughter getting married after a great love affair, or finding happiness after a long separation. However, there were also some stories where romance was hardly the main focus, like “a princess from a small kingdom marries into an empire and struggles to unite the royal family” or “the daughter of a fallen noble family struggles as a lady-in-waiting in the royal castle.” Most of these stories of “reaching the top after suffering hardships” have scenes of harassment or bullying to spice up the hardships of life.
However, the protagonists of these stories are either beautiful women who are good at their jobs or delicate princesses who are cute and make you want to protect them. Their beauty, pure hearts, and talents are envied, and they are bullied. In the dark world of the glamorous court, those who stick out get hammered down.

(Ah, but maybe there was a story about a girl who wasn’t beautiful in face but had a kind heart, who was chosen by aristocrats, and then bullied by the women who didn’t like her……)

Walking gracefully behind her maid, Aurora was lost in deep thought. Who on earth was the one who had called her? She had let her guard down completely since Marquise Kirsten had come at her head-on, but she had been approached by one of the most attractive people in this faction, had been invited to dance, and even refused him, so it was only natural that she was perceived as an eyesore.
Aurora, alone and convinced, called out to the maid walking ahead of her.

“Um, are we really heading to the restroom?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t answer that.”
“My partner is waiting for me, so I’d like to go back if I can’t fix my dress.”
“My lord would like to invite you to a separate room. Please bear with me for a little while longer.”

Maybe it would be better to go back to the hall. As Aurora turned around, thinking that, she noticed that two maids were now following not only in front but also behind her, as if to say that they would not let her get away.

(Their dress is from the Loomis household. Oh, the embroidery at the hem is intricate, with vines in the same thread, and it’s quite oriental….. not that. This person is someone who can arrange three servants from the Loomis house, so does that mean the other person is a member of the Loomis house? A fiancée, perhaps? I don’t think he had a sister.)

It can’t be helped. I’ll accept a sarcasm or two. Just as Aurora had made up her mind, the maid bowed respectfully in front of the door at the end of the corridor.

“My master is waiting for you. Please come this way. –Excuse me, young master. I have a guest for you.”
(Young master–!?)

There is only one person who can be called the Young Master of the Loomis house.
The maid silently opened the double doors, and a man stood up from a single-seater sofa. There was amber liquid on the side table. A sweet, alcoholic drink floated softly in the small room.

Author’s Note:-

“It’s you,” she must have thought.
You can best imagine her grandmother’s book’s collection as old dramas or girls’ manga…….