Time passed, and the morning of the engagement ceremony arrived.
"Sigh…."
The weather was remarkably clear, even compared to past days.
However, having spent several nights in my office without sleep, I could only let out a heavy sigh, feeling gloomy.
'I'm screwed.'
The engagement ceremony approached far more quickly than I had anticipated, leaving me with very little time to prepare.
Of course, knowing the storyline of the original game, one might wonder what there was to worry about.
However, the prologue of 'Black Tail Fantasy 3' unfolds differently depending on the scenario and player character chosen.
For that reason, I had to at least secure Bergen, my informant, and, based on the information he uncovered, coordinate a detailed plan with Parsha.
Unlike Parsha, who seemed to take quite a liking to me—whether because of Alfred or the high salary—Bergen was not someone who could be recruited just because I knew his whereabouts.
His circumstances were quite complicated, making it impossible to take action with the little time left.
Thus, I had no choice but to plunge into a prologue riddled with unknowns and unpredictable variables without any solid information.
'Should I pretend to be sick and say I can't go?'
It wouldn't even be a complete lie—my head ached from lack of sleep, and my whole body felt stiff.
But the moment I said that, the engagement would be off, and just as Parsha had warned, my family would be in ruins.
—Bang, bang!
"Young Master, the carriage is ready… Hic!"
I was sitting at my desk, holding my head in my hands, lost in dilemma, when Sasha opened the door to my office.
Upon seeing my miserable state, she gasped and immediately shut the door again.
"…Come in."
Though I had shown her an embarrassing sight, I gave up on trying to salvage my dignity and calmly called her back inside.
"I-I didn't see anything…."
I had something important to tell her anyway.
"Sasha, have you gotten closer to Parsha?"
"Oh, yes!"
Upon hearing my question, Sasha's face lit up for the first time in a while.
"At first, I was worried because she seemed so smart, but fortunately, we get along really well. Hehe…"
Well, she was still quite young, so it made sense that she was happy to have found a friend her age.
"In that case, I have a personal favor to ask of you…."
"Gasp."
It seemed she would be perfect for this mission.
"Stay close to Parsha and maintain a good relationship with her from now on."
"Oh, if it's just that…!"
"And if you notice anything unusual, give me a little heads-up."
"Huh?"
At first, Sasha looked relieved, but her expression quickly stiffened again.
"Someone with her talents would be a great loss if she ever had second thoughts, right?"
"Ah…."
"If that happens, I'll have to take action myself."
I wasn't sure if someone as timid as Sasha could handle this task well, but I desperately needed her help to keep Parsha on my side.
For now, Parsha seemed satisfied with her job, but it was too soon to say she was completely loyal to me.
If she proved herself in the future, she might receive offers with better conditions elsewhere—even if it wasn't from Meredia.
If she ever showed signs of wanting to leave, I needed to be ready for immediate salary negotiations.
'Even if I have to tighten my belt, I must keep her under my command.'
In both my past and present lives, money always held power.
"F-Friend…."
"…?"
Something about Sasha's demeanor seemed off.
"She's the first friend I've ever made in my life…."
Watching her murmur to herself with teary eyes made me feel like I was forcing her to do something cruel.
It wasn't as if I was sending her to infiltrate an enemy nation as a spy—just asking her to keep an eye on a friend and let me know when it was time for contract negotiations.
"Do you not want to do it?"
Though I felt slightly uncomfortable, I was still a good superior who respected my subordinates' opinions, so I asked her in a low voice.
"…I-I'll do my best."
With her eyes tightly shut, Sasha finally gave her reluctant consent.
"As expected of my closest aide, Sasha."
"Eek…."
Despite saying it herself, she trembled with fear as she left the room, eyes still shut tight.
Seriously, she really was hopelessly timid.
'Well, I should get going now….'
I sat in my chair for a moment, smiling wryly.
Then, just as I was about to stand up, feeling the weight of the approaching royal engagement, it happened.
"U-Um."
"Hm?"
For some reason, Sasha, who had just left, opened the door again and spoke in a trembling voice.
"I-I found something suspicious…."
"What?"
I blinked in confusion at her words. Her face was even paler than before.
"Phew… Thank goodness…."
"Parsha?"
Peering past Sasha, I saw Parsha staggering into the room.
I couldn't help but widen my eyes in shock.
"I'm not… too late, am I?"
"What happened to you?"
Just a few days ago, she had been perfectly fine, yet now she looked utterly exhausted, her face gaunt as she forced a weak smile.
"I used too much mana because I didn't have enough reference materials…."
"What are you—"
"Ah, but that's not important right now."
I shot up from my seat in alarm. If Alfred saw her like this, he'd probably have a fit.
However, before I could say anything else, Parsha's eyes suddenly sparkled, and she handed me something.
"Take this."
"This is…"
I stared blankly at the shimmering object in her hand.
"You'll need it."
"Ack."
She left those words behind and collapsed backward with a satisfied smile.
I barely managed to catch her in time and turned to look at Sasha beside me.
"…Sasha, this is—"
"P-Parsha must have caught a cold! R-Right?"
"Haha…."
It felt like another strange rumor was about to spread in the mansion. However, with the engagement ceremony just around the corner, there was no time to handle the aftermath.
°°°°°°°°°
A few hours later.
"…It seems I misjudged someone."
The Lady of Meredia stepped out of the carriage bearing the crest of the Embergreen Duchy, muttering coldly as she made her way toward the ballroom where the prince's engagement ceremony was being held.
"Isn't that Lady Meredia?"
"Even on a day like this, she has no escort? She really is something else."
The young ladies walking beside her, arm in arm with their escorts, cast curious glances in her direction.
Though she had long abandoned such trivial formalities, today, of all days, she had planned to uphold them.
"Is it a lack of proper education, or simple rudeness?"
Whitney, who was supposed to be waiting for her at the entrance, was nowhere to be seen. At this point, she didn't care anymore.
"Milady…."
"Don't overstep your bounds. Just go find him."
"…Understood."
The elderly butler, whom she had brought merely for formality, hurriedly tried to take over as her escort. However, at Meredia's frigid command, he bowed his head and rushed into the crowd.
"Come to think of it, it's about time I replaced that butler…."
Muttering to herself in displeasure, Meredia continued walking toward the ballroom—until she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"This is astonishing! The sword prodigy has returned!"
"You flatter me."
"Huh?"
Her gaze fell upon a scene she had not expected.
Surrounded by people was Runiel, who, just a few days ago, had been nothing more than a maid standing beside Whitney.
"Flattery? I've already faced your swordsmanship firsthand. Excessive humility doesn't suit you."
"…Thank you."
As someone stripped of her noble title, Runiel had only one way to attend this event—by accompanying a noble who had received an invitation.
A mere maid could not step into a hall full of aristocrats without causing offense.
Of course, if she had been granted the official status of an attendant, that would be a different matter. But in that case, she wouldn't be wearing such an expensive-looking dress.
So then… could it be that Whitney had entered this place with Runiel instead of her?
But Meredia had no time to be angry about that.
"Haha, but Prince, your swordsmanship is just as impressive."
"Is that so? Hahaha!"
"Even though you only placed second in the last tournament, the way you and Sir Runiel clashed, sending sword energy flying, is still unforgettable."
"Well, that's just the basics. Ahem."
What truly caught her attention was not just Runiel's presence, but the people she was speaking with.
Among them stood the prince—the star of today's engagement—and Meredia's own brother, Mayer Embergreen.
Both of them were people she despised with every fiber of her being, the last people she ever wanted to see.
Meredia scowled and turned away.
"Well, well, look who it is."
Just then, a voice dripping with amusement stopped her in her tracks.
"I had my doubts, but isn't this Lady Meredia?"
Thanks to that, the attention that had been on Runiel now shifted entirely onto her.
"You used to claim you never wanted to see me, not even a single strand of my hair. What changed?"
"...."
"Haha, my sister has always been bad at expressing herself."
With the prince and Mayer grinning from ear to ear, Meredia's irritation steadily grew.
"If only you had set aside your pride and proposed to the prince sooner, you would have already secured the heir's position."
"Sir Mayer, you seem to be forgetting my opinion on the matter."
"Oh, my apologies. But then again, even as my sister, I doubt you'd be a good match for the prince."
The already tense atmosphere grew colder, yet the two of them continued their conversation as if rehearsed.
"In any case, I wonder if there's any man in this empire who would suit my sister."
Mayer sneered, adding in a low voice, "Just be grateful if your husband doesn't flee on the first day of marriage."
His smirk deepened as he cast a mocking glance at Meredia.
"Lady Meredia, given the circumstances, it's best for you to give up on me."
As if to pour salt on the wound, the prince's next words stabbed through her patience.
"I am, after all, a man who is already spoken for."
"You should at least watch what you say."
"Haha! Overreacting like that only makes you look more suspicious."
Meredia's patience had reached its breaking point, and her voice turned icy. Yet the prince merely chuckled, brushing it off.
"Such a sharp tongue."
"You're truly bringing disgrace to our family, sister."
Mayer stepped forward, lowering his voice as he spoke with frigid disdain.
Meredia clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"Soon, that family will be mine, so what does it matter?"
"Yes, of course. But that means you'll have to share both your body and power with someone you don't love."
Mayer, unfazed, exuded a chilling aura to match hers.
"Why not kneel before the prince right now and beg?
Honestly, I think you'd be much better suited as the prince's wife than as the head of the family."
"You—shut that—!"
The tension in the air thickened to a dangerous degree.
And then—
—Shaa…
A sudden wave of eerie energy swept through the ballroom entrance, washing over everyone present.
"Ugh."
"What the…?"
Unlike the killing intent Meredia had been radiating, this aura was something entirely different.
Both the prince and Mayer instinctively reached for their swords, despite them not being drawn.
"My apologies for interrupting such noble conversation, but I must ask for your pardon."
A young man, seemingly unaffected by the heavy atmosphere, walked toward them with a lighthearted smile.
"The lady I am to escort is standing among you."
"Who the hell do you think you are to—"
Mayer, eyes sharp with hostility, was just about to step in.
"Wh-Whitney?!"
But before he could, the prince, his face suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat, cut him off.
"You were supposed to be waiting in the ballroom. What are you doing here?"
The prince was infamous for his inability to remember the names of even high-ranking nobles.
So for him to recognize someone on sight—
Mayer, along with everyone else, fell into stunned silence.
"Haha. I just told you, Your Highness."
Yet the real shock came from Whitney himself, who had now closed the distance between them.
"I'm here to escort Lady Meredia."
"Whitney, you—"
Caught in the eye of the storm, Meredia, uncharacteristically frozen, could not hide her surprise as she turned toward her supposed partner.
"I'm quite late, aren't I, my lady?"
With an all-too-familiar smirk, Whitney waved at her.
'I just need to keep Lady Meredia from losing control here…!'
In truth, the most nervous person in the room was none other than Whitney himself.