Despite arriving early at the engagement ceremony to gather information, it was all for nothing.
I ended up spending a dull time trapped by the prince, who suddenly acted overly familiar and welcomed me inside the ballroom.
Then, just when he stepped out for some fresh air, giving me a brief moment to catch my breath, I never expected something like this to happen.
If it weren't for the elderly butler from Meredia, who somehow resembled Alfred, I might have had to face Meredia as a prologue boss.
"Sir Whitney, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Just as I was trying to steady my breath after narrowly preventing a ticking time bomb from going off before my eyes, I heard the prince's flustered voice in my ear.
"Wasn't your partner Runiel?"
Somehow, despite my protests, he had his maids dress Runiel in an extra gown, claiming it was a gift.
Judging by the situation, he didn't seem to have caught on to my secret dealings with Meredia, so why has he been showing me such an overwhelming amount of interest for the past few days?
"Your Highness must be misunderstanding something."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Miss Runiel is not my partner. She's accompanying me as an attendant."
Though I had my own questions, the more urgent matter was to clarify things quickly, especially for Meredia, who had darkened her expression again.
"But if that's the case, then why are you and Runiel's mana resonating with each other?"
"Ahaha… That's because Miss Runiel swore a knight's oath to me."
"I-Is that so?"
For a moment, the prince looked blank, but then he gave a sheepish smile and let out a hearty laugh.
"I thought the two of you had become lovers. Haha!"
Does he think I'm as much of a philanderer as he is?
Of all the things to misunderstand, his lack of perception is absolutely catastrophic.
"Well, someone as popular as Your Highness could naturally make such an assumption."
"Hahaha… Wait, what?"
I had been mindlessly flattering the prince while inwardly mocking him, but then I saw his smile momentarily falter and quickly shut my mouth.
Now that I think about it, what I said was quite disrespectful, especially to someone who was about to have their engagement ceremony—let alone a prince.
'Come to think of it, this situation itself is pretty dangerous.'
Although I had prevented Lady Meredia from turning into a ticking time bomb, I was now standing before two high-ranking nobles—the prince and the duke's eldest son—without any fear.
As the eldest son of a declining count family, I had no place intervening in this matter.
Even if Meredia's presence had made things tense, these two could easily dispose of someone like me if I simply became an inconvenience to them.
"You have a truly insolent way of speaking."
Sure enough, Mayer, who had been glaring at me with clear disapproval, began to criticize me in a cold voice.
"They say people flock to their own kind. My sister really has no eye for people."
At that moment, the only way to escape this situation unscathed was to bow my head and beg for forgiveness until my hands and feet were worn out.
"Are you so desperate to become the family head that you'd even give yourself to some nobody who came out of nowhere?"
However, the moment Mayer cast a look of pure disdain at Lady Meredia and spat out such an outrageous remark, my mouth moved before I could even think.
"Still, at least the lady doesn't have a divorce record."
Of course, the only person here with a history of divorce was Mayer himself, so I regretted my words the moment they left my mouth.
But for some reason, I felt oddly refreshed.
"What did you just say…?"
"Hmm."
Now, with Mayer shifting all his murderous intent toward me instead of Meredia, and the prince still looking displeased, I had to figure out how to survive this situation.
Advertisement"Come now, why is everyone acting like this in such a wonderful setting?"
Before I could worry further, the prince suddenly raised his voice, clapped me on the shoulder, and smiled warmly, quickly diffusing the situation.
"It seems Sir Whitney simply misspoke due to nerves."
Then, as if to emphasize his words, he even winked at me, making it seem like we were incredibly close to any onlookers.
"I'll let it slide this time. But please be mindful of your words in the future."
"…Thank you?"
Is this really the same prince who once dragged a noble lady into his bedchamber as if she were some common prostitute, making headlines in the newspapers?
At this point, even I, who just wanted to escape this situation with Meredia, was starting to get curious about his real intentions.
"Now then, Sir Mayer, shall we return to the ballroom? Some exquisite wine is waiting for us."
"…Tch."
Without giving me any time to resolve my doubts, the prince pushed Mayer, who was still radiating hostility, back toward the ballroom.
"Could you help me untie this?"
"Huh?"
As I stood there blankly watching them leave, I suddenly heard a quiet voice from the middle of the crowd, which had begun to disperse cautiously.
Runiel, who had remained silent until now, was watching me carefully as she spoke.
"The dress gets in the way when wielding a sword, so I don't like wearing them."
"Wait, you're not planning to take it off right here, are you?"
"Just the strings in the back. I'll change and return. Ah, but if it's an order, I'll keep wearing it."
Although she said that, the stiff look on her face made it clear how much she disliked it.
Sighing, I stepped behind her to help untie the dress.
—Riiip!
"Ah."
At that moment, a sudden ripping sound echoed in the air.
"Oh dear, my mistake."
"Lady Meredia?"
Before I could even react, Lady Meredia had already grabbed the strings of Runiel's dress and torn them apart with a swift motion.
Brushing off her hands as if nothing had happened, she spoke nonchalantly.
°°°°°°°°°
"Oh my, how indecent."
Whitney, who had been staring in shock at the astronomically expensive dress now reduced to tatters, suddenly widened his eyes at the sight of Runiel's exposed back.
Hurriedly, he took off his coat and draped it over her.
"I'm fine. It's quite common for my clothes to get completely torn during training…"
"That applies to fellow female knights, but there are many eyes watching here, aren't there?"
"Is that so?"
"…Tch."
Meredia, who had been observing the scene with a sidelong glance, suddenly frowned and spoke.
"Aren't you the least bit resentful?"
"Huh?"
"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to your oath-bound knight. How can you, as a knight, maintain such a calm expression after being humiliated with such a ridiculous outfit?"
At those words, Runiel, who had been glancing around nervously at the watching crowd, turned her gaze toward Meredia and responded in a composed voice.
"A mere piece of clothing does not change the essence of my identity as Sir Whitney's knight."
"Hah."
"And besides, I don't particularly concern myself with rudeness from those weaker than me."
If the prince had still been present, she surely wouldn't have avoided being charged with lese-majesty for that statement.
Meredia, who had been glaring at Runiel with disapproval, let out a hollow laugh and lowered her head.
"I see, I must be quite narrow-minded."
"..."
"No, perhaps I should just call myself foolish for letting such insignificant people's words affect me."
She stood in silence for a long while before muttering in a voice far weaker than usual.
Then, as she lifted her head slightly to ask Whitney a question—
"You think the same, don't y—"
—She realized that he and Runiel had already vanished from the spot.
"…Right, there's no need to ask."
Finding herself momentarily stunned, she glanced around blankly before letting out a hollow laugh and turning to leave.
"I knew I shouldn't have come to a place like this…"
"Oh my, why would you think that?"
"…!"
Before she could take a step, Whitney suddenly leaned in from behind her, speaking in his usual playful tone.
"Weren't you going to help your knight?"
"If I followed her into the ladies' dressing room, I'd be thrown out immediately. Besides, I wouldn't just leave you here alone, would I?"
Meredia glanced at him with a sidelong glare as he answered with his usual shameless smile, then turned her head sharply and began walking toward the ballroom entrance.
"If you had that kind of sense, you should have escorted me properly from the start."
"Well, if only His Highness hadn't been clinging to me, acting all familiar."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"You might not believe it, but you saw it with your own eyes just now, didn't you?"
She stopped for a moment, scrutinizing him with doubtful eyes, but Whitney only shrugged nonchalantly in response.
"What exactly is your relationship with the prince?"
"Don't misunderstand. I like women—especially you, Lady Meredia."
"…I should just stop talking."
Normally, she would have scolded him for his shameless remark, but Meredia simply muttered in a weary voice and started walking again.
Seeing that, Whitney, who had been following behind her with a puzzled expression, suddenly spoke.
"Could it be that you didn't like me touching Runiel's back, Lady Meredia?"
He smirked playfully, attempting to lighten the mood, but—
"..."
Meredia slowly turned her head and simply stared at him, instead of throwing her usual sharp glare.
"Uh… You know I was joking, right?"
Whitney, sensing the change in her demeanor, grew nervous and quickly checked her expression.
But Meredia remained silent, lost in thought.
'Jealousy, huh.'
Given her personality, it wouldn't be strange for her to react this way, but she wasn't acting out of mere pettiness.
In truth, even she wasn't entirely sure why she had behaved that way just moments ago.
'Did I even know I was capable of feeling something like that?'
It was true that she had been angered by the prince and Mayer's insults, but what irritated her more was the sudden surge of frustration within her.
It obviously wasn't because Whitney had touched Runiel's back—that was too simple.
But the fact that her irritation had directed itself toward him was undeniable.
"So, the Lady has finally come to understand my true feelings?"
"..."
"Ah, I suppose stepping in at great risk was worth it aft—"
"You have a real talent for getting on people's nerves."
Having pondered over the situation for a moment, Meredia narrowed her eyes in irritation as Whitney, who had been peeking at her from behind, started blurting out nonsense again.
"I was joking. Perhaps you simply dislike the prince that much?"
"If you understand that, then at least escort me properly."
It wasn't the first time she had acted on impulse due to emotions, so she concluded that it was just another minor annoyance caused by her irritating business partner.
"Of course. Shall we head inside the ballroom as well?"
As if reading her thoughts, Whitney hesitated for a moment, then suddenly grabbed her hand and flashed a bright smile.
"I didn't tell you to hold my hand."
"Oww, then how else am I supposed to escort you?"
Meredia's eyebrow twitched, and she immediately pinched his hand in response, making Whitney groan in protest.
"Well, since we're engaged, this much should be fine, right?"
"Don't delude yourself. I still don't fully trust you."
"That's a little hurtful."
"If that's the case, can you explain why that fool suddenly started showing you an unfamiliar kindness?"
"That's a mystery to me as well."
"I'm sure it is."
Meredia's sharp question made Whitney scratch his head in thought before he eventually lowered his hand with a slightly dejected expression.
"…Forget it."
"Huh?"
Just then, Meredia, who had been watching him intently, reached out and lightly grasped his hand, moving forward.
"Thanks for what you did earlier."
As Meredia said that while keeping her gaze fixed forward, the usual suspicious smile reappeared on Whitney's face.
"You should fix that smile before I twist your mouth."
"Haha…"
Meredia muttered with a slight hint of menace, displeased by his shameless demeanor, but this time, it wasn't entirely out of annoyance.
At the very least, the smile he had worn earlier while standing in front of the prince and Mayer hadn't particularly bothered her.
No, to be more precise—rather…
"Oh, right. That aside, I have a question."
"…?"
As they entered the ballroom and were immediately met with numerous gazes, she had been lost in thought.
But as soon as she heard Whitney's suddenly serious tone, she turned her head toward him.
"Have you seen any of the promising candidates?"
"Who?"
"The top-ranked participants from the Imperial Rookie Selection Tournament were supposed to be invited today. I wanted to at least see their faces, but I haven't spotted them anywhere."
"I don't know where you picked up that information, but you should give up."
When she answered indifferently, Whitney's smile strangely began to falter.
"…Why?"
"The Imperial Rookie Selection Tournament has been scheduled for a rematch in a week."
Meredia, still unfazed by the gazes directed at them, responded while countering them with her own piercing stare.
"I heard there was foul play discovered during the judging stage. It's classified information, so it hasn't been officially announced yet. But why do you ask…"
"Oh."
Meredia, sensing something off in Whitney's reaction, turned to look at him and was momentarily startled.
"That's not supposed to happen."
Under the dim ballroom lights, Whitney muttered to himself, his face devoid of the usual smile for the first time since they had met.
°°°°°°°°°
Hours had passed since I entered the ballroom with Meredia, and now, the prince's fiancée was about to make her entrance.
"Sigh…"
Naturally, the engagement ceremony's atmosphere had reached its peak, and people were preparing to dance in high spirits.
'What do I do now?'
But unlike the others, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the festivities—because I was the only one who knew what was about to happen here.
'The playable character isn't here?'
I had only just realized that the ones meant to prevent the impending tragedy—the so-called playable characters, the promising rookies—were nowhere to be found.
'Everything I know is falling apart.'
Thinking back, the scenario had already been altered ever since I survived—the event that originally led Meredia down the path of becoming a true villainess.
But for the engagement ceremony to be moved forward, and for the rookie selection tournament to be embroiled in a cheating scandal…
There was no way those events were caused by the butterfly effect of me alone surviving.
'…No way.'
That left only one possibility.
The situation I'm in now must be connected to the DLC I never got to complete in my previous life.
But then, what am I supposed to do?
If the original story's events—my only advantage—keep changing unpredictably, can I even survive in this world?
"You were annoying enough with your unsettling smirk, and now you're grating on my nerves with your sighs."
" ...."
As I chewed on my lips, deep in thought, Meredia's blunt voice reached my ears.
"What on earth is going on…"
"Lady Meredia."
Her voice was still cold and wary, but compared to before, it felt slightly less harsh.
I stared at her for a moment, then—
"The wish I was granted before—can I use it now?"
—I steadied my breath and made a proposal that, just days ago, I wouldn't have even considered.
"All of a sudden?"
"Oh, well, it's nothing major…"
Honestly, I had no desire to take such a gamble.
But at the same time, I couldn't just stand by and let innocent people—Meredia included—fall into danger.
"I just need you to stir up a bit of commotion in the ballroom in a little while."
"Are you insane?"
It seems that, at least for tonight, I will have to become the player.