Episode 9
Helen quickly turned around. Since she had been walking a step ahead of Liandor, when she turned back, her forehead immediately met Liandor’s chest.
It was Carlisle Everett. His back was unmistakable as he passed the outer edge of the hall where the party was to be held. Helen grabbed Liandor’s clothes with trembling hands.
Liandor carefully pried away Helen’s hand as she caught her breath to calm her startled heart.
“You can’t start begging me to run away already.”
“…I understand.”
I suppose I must. The Count, who knows nothing but his family, would be looking for his daughter for a marriage tied directly to the family’s future. I couldn’t run away before showing that I had safely attended the party.
“But Liandor.”
“Hm?”
“Won’t your hair stand out too much?”
Someone with snow-white hair was exceedingly rare unless they were an old man. When Helen lifted her head and stared fixedly at Liandor’s hair, Liandor ran his fingers through his locks.
When she furtively glanced around, people were stealing glances this way. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. Helen stopped Liandor as he tried to subtly snap his fingers.
“Were you going to use magic?”
“There’s no other way.”
“Still, you can’t do it here. Let’s go inside first and find a place without people.”
While numerous nobles were staring at the man with snow-white hair, if they were to witness a spectacle where that snow-white hair transformed into a different color in an instant… It was dizzying just to imagine.
Helen turned her body back toward the hall where the party was being held and walked ahead. The white-haired man followed behind her.
* Sibello
Finding a place to briefly hide from people’s attention in the party hall was very easy. Every small terrace had curtains drawn, and there were many small rooms prepared for changing dresses or fixing makeup.
Liandor entered an empty small terrace and drew the curtains. His magic was completed accompanied by a small light, so drawing the curtains was essential.
When he drew back the curtains and came out of the terrace, his hair had turned black.
“How is it? At this rate, you’d think I’m an ordinary person, right?”
“…So what? Your eyes are still the same.”
“Ah….”
Liandor hesitated for a moment before soon trying to go back inside the terrace. He was probably trying to change his eye color with magic, just as he had changed his hair color.
“Liandor. That’s enough. You won’t stand out more than me with my red hair and green eyes.”
As Helen said, among the bustling nobles in the party hall, there was no one with red hair. Green eyes were common enough among nobles, but red hair was akin to a symbol of commoners, so it was bound to stand out.
There had been a time when she wanted to ask Liandor if he could change her red hair to black. A great mage could do that much easily.
She had ultimately not asked because she was afraid it would mean denying the fact that she was Helen Platini. Even though Violet no longer existed in this world, there were still people who couldn’t forget her, and she missed them.
It was before the party officially began. The doors closed, perhaps because all the nobles who had received the Imperial invitation had entered.
Soon, the sound of applause was heard. It was the entrance of Lucas Drifon, the Emperor.
Helen had been facing Liandor, who was standing right in front of the terrace, so she couldn’t see Lucas’s face. No, she couldn’t even bring herself to look.
He was Violet’s half-brother and her only family. He was also one of those who had rescued her, raised in darkness, into the world of light.
“You all must know well that the purpose of today’s gathering is to celebrate Duke Everett, who has returned after successfully completing the demonic beast subjugation expedition.”
While Lucas’s congratulatory speech continued, Helen listened closely to his voice.
“Thanks to this expedition, we will be able to spend this winter safely. I attribute this merit to Duke Everett and hope that everyone gathered here will celebrate the Duke.”
Would there be anyone who wouldn’t congratulate him? Even if the demonic beast subjugation expedition hadn’t been accomplished by Carlisle alone, among the high-ranking nobles, Carlisle Everett was the only one who had participated in the expedition.
Even those who saw Carlisle as a thorn in their side couldn’t deny that fact.
Lucas raised a glass filled with red wine high.
“Then by all means, enjoy the party.”
As Lucas wetted his lips with wine after finishing his speech, the party began. The nobles gathered in the party hall formed groups of three or five, drinking the prepared alcohol and deepening friendships with long-unmet companions.
Of course, among them were noble ladies desperate to find Carlisle Everett, the purpose of their attendance and the protagonist of the party. Yet none among them had even spotted a shadow of Carlisle Everett.
Now that even Lucas had temporarily left his seat, Helen was facing Count Platini. Count Platini was with Rozy, born to him and the Countess.
“You came.”
“I told you. I would do one thing for the family.”
Whether that would be marriage remained to be seen.
When she turned her gaze away from the Count’s face, Rozy entered her sight. She found anxiety in her younger sister’s eyes; Rozy was as pretty as when Helen had first seen her. Was she perhaps worried that Helen would fight with their father as she had yesterday?
“Should I go find the man I’m to marry now? Or will they come on their own if I stay still?”
Because she had stormed out of the dining room yesterday, she hadn’t heard which noble was being mentioned as a marriage prospect. She hadn’t wanted to know, but lacking information about them, she had no way of knowing which of the many noble men gathered in the party hall to look at first.
“Don’t worry. The Countess will guide you. My dear, I’m counting on you.”
“I’ll take care of it well, so don’t worry and go see to your business.”
Count Platini placed his hand on the Countess’s shoulder. Trusting that his wife would keep a good watch, he looked at Helen and then soon left his seat.
The Countess spoke to Helen after confirming that the Count had completely moved away. It was the first thing she had said to Helen since returning to the Count’s residence.
“I really didn’t think you would come back.”
“You speak as if you were hoping I wouldn’t.”
“Of course not. You couldn’t possibly know how much your father and Rozy were looking forward to it.”
A benevolent smile spread across the Countess’s face. Rozy, standing beside her, fidgeted with her fingers and gauged the uncomfortable undercurrent.
“Mother, Father told you to introduce potential husbands to Sister.”
To escape the uncomfortable situation, Rozy deliberately placed her hand on the Countess’s arm. Fortunately, the Countess dearly loved the daughter she had carried in her womb for ten months.
Rozy knew this fact well and occasionally took advantage of it. For instance, when she caused trouble and was caught by the Countess, or when she wanted something.
“That I must. But, Helen.”
“Yes.”
“The man standing behind you is the mage who saved you?”
“Ah… yes. This person saved me.”
Seeing how naturally she treated Liandor, whose appearance had changed, it seemed he had used magic after all. His hair, which had been pure white yesterday, had turned black, so it should have felt unnatural. Furthermore, the Countess made no particular mention of the fact that a lady soon to be married had brought a man to the mansion.
Come to think of it, during dinner yesterday, the Count hadn’t asked about Liandor’s identity. He had had ample opportunity to ask but hadn’t, so she suspected it was because Liandor’s magic had been used.
At Helen’s answer, the Countess looked Liandor up and down as if interested. A mage who had saved a person who hadn’t woken for a year.
“My apologies for the late greeting. I wonder how I should repay this grace.”
“What grace. Rather, I simply repaid what I had received from the young lady.”
“If that is so.”
The Countess didn’t pry into what Liandor had received from Helen. Judging by the mage’s outward appearance, his abilities didn’t seem particularly outstanding. A mage with exceptional mana usually belonged to the Magic Tower or was affiliated with the Imperial family, in which case he would have had no connection to Helen, who had been in Hexilov.
“Rozy. Go talk with the other young ladies.”
“But…!”
“Rozy Platini.”
“Understood.”
Knowing that the Countess did not think well of Helen, Rozy’s shoulders slumped; she had wanted to stick by Helen’s side. When the Countess called the name of the daughter she loved in a low voice, it was best to quietly do as told.
Rozy trudged off toward where the noble ladies were huddled together.
“Helen, wait here a moment. Let’s meet Baron Blend first.”
The Countess, in high spirits, grabbed the hem of her dress and left to find Baron Blend. Once she disappeared among the nobles, Helen immediately turned to face Liandor.
“What is it?”
“What?”
“The reason the Countess is being favorable to you.”
“Because I’m a great mage?”
Liandor shrugged. He had thought it was a concise and appropriate answer, but when Helen let out a deep sigh, he realized it had not been the right response.
“Magic. It’s magic. You’re asking when you already know everything, aren’t you?”
“That’s not what I asked. When I’m meeting the man I’ll marry, it wouldn’t be good to have another man present, yet she didn’t tell you to go.”
“Ah, that’s…”
Helen grew even more expectant of his answer when Liandor hesitated. However, the moment she heard what followed, her anticipation vanished, and she felt her heart drop heavily.
“The pretext is that your life would be in danger if I disappeared from your side.”