As expected, a few days later, Callix did not attend the ball.
Lellia dressed up well and headed to the banquet hall with Romeo.
Normally, one should escort a noblewoman, but it didn't matter if they didn't.
The banquet hall was located in a large tower's hall in the northern part of the imperial capital, which was somewhat far from where they were currently staying.
Because of that, Lellia boarded a carriage with Romeo.
Looking out the carriage window, she could see several carriages heading toward the same destination.
Lellia looked at Romeo sitting across from her with tension.
He was looking out the window with an unconcerned expression.
However, Lellia, who was watching him, had sweaty palms.
A few days ago.
With the help of 'the alchemist,' Lellia discovered that a tracking spell had been cast on the cufflinks she wore.
The person who cast the tracking spell on her?
It could only be Romeo.
After all, Romeo was the very person who had bought her the cufflinks she wore on her wrists.
Lellia only then realized anew that Romeo becomes a mage of tremendous skill even in the original work.
As soon as she learned that fact, sweat had poured down like rain.
She hadn't known at all until now, but it turned out Romeo was still suspecting her.
He had placed a tracking spell in case she might run away somewhere.
'He might still be misunderstanding that I killed Leo.'
Lellia wiped the sweat from her palms without letting it show.
'Then Callix is….'
Callix wouldn't be that way. Seeing that the second affection quest had opened….
After realizing about the tracking spell, Lellia's behavior and tone became awkward whenever she saw Romeo.
Because of that, Romeo might already know.
That she had discovered the tracking spell.
Yet the way he acted as if nothing had happened gave her chills.
'To grow up so fox-like. He's truly an old fox.'
Just then, Romeo, sitting across in the carriage, looked at Lellia and smiled brightly.
"Actually, I'm not really the ball type. I'll just watch from the corner."
"Yes, please do so."
"You said you have to play the role of a flirt today? You'll be dancing a lot then."
"…Yes."
Lellia swallowed hard.
Actually, from the day she realized the truth about the tracking spell, Lellia started having nightmares.
Just like the first day she reunited with her friends, it was a dream where they were trying to kill Lellia.
Especially Romeo in the dream pointed a sword at her with a beautifully smiling face like now.
And without a shred of hesitation, he stabbed deeply….
As the dream came to mind, Lellia squeezed her eyes shut.
Romeo in the dream smiled continuously while watching her die. Brightly, like a gorgeous rose hiding poison.
"Why are you like that?"
Just then, Romeo asked with a smile like in the dream.
"It's nothing."
Lellia answered calmly and looked out the window.
'Now that it's come to this, I need to obtain the sacred object, heal Callix, and get the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible.'
Everything before her eyes was bleak and uncertain.
After avoiding the original work's fate when she was young, she hadn't been this afraid of death.
The fear of dying at her friends' hands, that was what scared her the most.
But if she were to really die at her friends' hands, Lellia intended not to reveal the truth even at the moment of death.
Even if she revealed the truth at that moment, she would die anyway because of the oath spell.
'Because if they knew that fact, those guys would surely blame themselves and grieve….'
Just like Emperor Perseus in the original work who sorrowfully learned too late that Lellia was his own daughter.
So Lellia thought she would rather truly die as 'Leo's enemy.'
So that her friends could think they had completed Leo's revenge and live the rest of their days in peace.
Of course, to prevent such a thing from happening, she would definitely stop it no matter what.