Now I finally understand what those noble ladies were murmuring about earlier. Along with the source of those rumors.
'So they haven't given up on painting me as an undead.'
It would be an attempt to damage my image in their own way, and judging by the reactions of the banquet attendees, it seemed to have worked to some extent.
Not a bad attempt.
'But that's only effective under the premise that I'll be staying here permanently.'
I don't want to condemn her efforts themselves. She, too, is simply doing what she must to survive.
However, the fact that she tried to use Zenon for that purpose was quite irritating.
Zenon was the only guest sent from the Magic Tower. That meant Zenon's words carried considerable influence. Enough that he could easily be seen as representing the Tower itself.
'If he denied Lilia's words, it would mean acknowledging divine miracles as a mage. It would also create a situation where a Tower mage completely contradicts the views of the Imperial Palace mages.'
In many ways, it was an ambiguous situation. So Zenon would find it difficult to recklessly refute, and the best approach would be to remain silent...
"Excuse me, but do you perhaps have problems with your vision?"
"What?"
Not just me, but the others nearby who had been secretly eavesdropping on their conversation all turned wide-eyed to look at Zenon.
Zenon seemed unaware that his words had drawn the attention of so many people.
"Where exactly does that person look like an undead to you?"
"...What?"
Zenon, who had been glaring at Lilia with eyes that said she was pathetic as she stood there frozen in bewilderment, sighed and swept back his bangs. His neatly arranged red hair fell into disarray.
'Ah, there's the Zenon I know.'
Feeling inwardly pleased, I continued to listen with even more attentiveness.
"Of course, I did briefly suspect whether someone so abnormally beautiful was even human. But if that were the case, shouldn't you rather guess them to be a spirit or a fairy?"
What is he even saying right now? Everyone is listening.
I wasn't the only one who felt absurd, as Lilia immediately pushed back.
"N-no. What on earth are you talking about?"
For the first time, Lilia and I were in agreement. A historical moment that would never happen again, though I wasn't happy about it.
"I'm telling you just how much nonsense you're spouting right now."
Zenon, arms crossed, faced Lilia in a quite insolent posture.
"I don't know where you picked up a few words to come here and do this, but have you ever actually seen a real undead?"
"I-if I haven't seen one, that's why I'm scared and afraid."
"So you're saying you just blurted things out without knowing anything? This is why amateurs who pretend to know things are the biggest problem. Ah, you're not even an amateur, are you? Looking at you, you have nothing to do with magic at all."
"You're going too far!"
Flustered, Lilia retorted sharply.
"Or are you declaring that the knights and mages of this Imperial Palace are so incompetent they can't even distinguish a single undead?"
Wow, that's a proper hit right there.
While I inwardly sent applause of support, Zenon's scathing words continued.
"You said you're the Crown Prince's fiancée, right? For the Crown Prince's fiancée to spread rumors because she doesn't trust the Imperial Palace mages and Royal Guards—this really is a strange neighborhood."
Watching Lilia at a loss for words, I felt thoroughly satisfied. It was such a clean and perfect conclusion that it felt pointless to have thought about stepping in to help.
"Did he practice his rhetoric or something?"
I inadvertently murmured, and an answer came from beside me.
"He was always like that."
It was Samuel, who had been watching Zenon with me.
"You're the only one who sees him as naive."
Was I imagining things? Samuel's voice seemed to contain a sigh.
"Then again, you're the person who said even Dullahans are kind."
...Was it not my imagination?
I was about to ask about it, feeling like I was being treated as someone incredibly oblivious, when I heard Zenon let out an exclamation.
"Ah!"
Zenon, who had been surrounded layer by layer by people, somehow spotted me and came rushing over.
Gone was the one who had been cynically mocking Lilia moments ago, replaced by the Zenon I knew with a thoroughly pouting expression.
Just looking at him, one might misunderstand that he had been bullied by Lilia. With his voice greatly subdued, he quickly whispered.
"If you were done dancing, you should have called me! Do you have any idea what kind of huge crisis I was in among those terrifying people?"
I didn't know about any crisis, but I did see him land a hit.
I was about to retort that way but just closed my mouth instead. Zenon's expression as he stood there making a tearful face truly gave off the feeling of someone exhausted from hardship.
'Even if he acted boldly in front of Lilia, he might have been struggling inside.'
Recalling Zenon's usual timid nature, this kind of setting would indeed be quite stressful for him.
Come to think of it, even when he first met me, he had tried to pretend he didn't know my identity.
Also, given his brother's issue, it wouldn't be easy for him to have good feelings toward the Imperial family.
Thinking that way, Zenon before my eyes looked pitiable. Since it was his choice but he was essentially dragged to an unwanted place, I should take good care of him.
"How long do I have to stay here?"
"It won't be for too long. There's going to be a banquet tomorrow anyway."
"We're attending tomorrow too?"
Zenon looked at me with wide eyes.
"Didn't you hear from the attendants that it's scheduled for 3 days total?"
Actually, normally banquet periods are longer than this.
The current '3 days' was simply the result of not being able to remove previously scheduled Imperial engagements while rescheduling after two celebratory banquets had fallen through.
"I thought that was just a joke to tease me."
Muttering about inefficiency in a discontented voice, he puckered his lips and asked in a small voice.
"So are you entering with that Imperial Prince for all 3 days? While I have to wander alone like this among those scary people?"
"Well..."
I was about to answer that since I'd be leaving the Imperial Palace soon, shouldn't I give my support to Heinrich one last time, but someone suddenly interjected.
"My goodness, I wondered where you were rushing off to so urgently. Surely you weren't threatened before attending, were you, Sir Mage?"
Unlike the other attendees who were watching cautiously, Lilia approached us without hesitation and spoke.
The followers who had been trailing behind Lilia stopped in their tracks with faces turned pale blue when their eyes met mine.
'What kind of rumors did they spread about me to react like that?'
Do they think something terrible happens just from making eye contact with an undead?
'I've heard that flesh rots if bitten by an undead, but... surely they're not worried I might bite them?'
While I looked over the followers with a sour expression, Lilia approached right in front of me. Perhaps due to the earlier conversation, she was looking at Zenon with not-so-friendly eyes.
"Threatening not to cooperate with research if he talks to others at the banquet. Well, threats like that."
Unlike her sweetly upturned mouth, the voice coming from Lilia's lips was somewhat sharp.
"Little sister, I understand you want to monopolize the guest's attention, but shouldn't you give opportunities to others as well?"
Those who knew of the bad blood between Lilia and me lit up their eyes and focused on our conversation. Despite being too afraid to even speak to me thinking I was a monster, they apparently couldn't abandon their curiosity.
"Your personality that can't endure without receiving attention really hasn't changed. It reminds me of the old days, how nostalgic."
Lilia was confident. It was a good confidence for a Crown Prince's fiancée to have.
She needs to learn to take responsibility for the results that confidence brings too.
"Two things you said are wrong."
I let out a quiet sigh and looked at Lilia with indifferent eyes.
"First, this banquet is for me, so I have no reason to try to receive attention. Second, you wouldn't miss the old days."
At my assertion, Lilia parted her lips as if to refute. However, I continued speaking faster than her.
"No matter how foolish you are, you wouldn't miss the days when you had wine spilled over you, right?"
To remind you again, our conversation right now was receiving quite a lot of attention.
There were plenty of people who had directly witnessed the scene I was describing with their own eyes.
"Or have you already forgotten? Those days when you shamelessly paraded around as the partner of a man who had a fiancée?"
"Ha, what are you even...!"
"Did I say something wrong? Back then, you went around showing your face here and there as the partner of 'my fiancé.'"
Lilia desperately rolled her eyes and looked around. She was probably looking for Maxel. Whenever she was in trouble, Maxel had always stepped forward and used the Crown Prince's authority for her.
Maxel was not far away. Seeing Lilia and me facing off, he hurriedly approached. However, he couldn't interject.
As if they had made a promise, Zenon and Samuel simultaneously blocked his path and engaged him in conversation.
'Quite perceptive in subtle ways.'
A faint smile rose to my lips. Lilia seemed to interpret my smile as mockery, for she fiercely furrowed her brow.
"Little sister. Do you know how much turmoil has occurred since you came to the Imperial Palace? This lavish banquet is being held to clean that up, and everyone is working hard. Yet how can you mock their efforts?"
Lilia's way of speaking, dragging in provocative words without considering cause and effect to paint me as someone without blood or tears, was the same now as it ever was.
'She really hasn't developed in that respect.'
The morning god must like having his agent do only as told. Thinking that, I couldn't even laugh. I opened my mouth.
"I have no memory of causing turmoil, though I do have memories of stopping a raging Dullahan and a ferocious Wyvern. More importantly, shouldn't you be a bit more careful?"
Then I let out a long breath and glanced around the area. I needed to lower my voice a bit.
"Why else would your rumors reach all the way to the palace where I am?"
"...My rumors?"
A faint anxiety crossed Lilia's face.
Heinrich had reported 'Lilia's suspiciousness' to the Emperor in front of Maxel.
But seeing Lilia looking like she knew nothing, it seemed Maxel hadn't confronted or questioned her yet.
'I thought he decided to abandon Lilia because of all the nonsense she spouted, but I guess that wasn't it either.'
Well, Maxel had extremely trusted in Lilia's kind heart. So he might have chosen not to believe Heinrich's words instead.
If so, let them hold hands and fall together. Thinking that, a smile finally rose to my lips.