Chapter 65.

Arriving at the space set up for her at the rear of the banquet hall, Arelia took off her magic school uniform and changed into a showy dress. After fixing her makeup, she had to stand in front of people as Arelia, the Third Princess of the Empire, not a student of the magic school named Aria.

It was an all too familiar event. But why did it feel so uncomfortable?

The corset she wore under the dress suddenly felt tight today. Unlike the uniform, this dress with a lot of embellishments felt cumbersome. But she didn't think of it as a hindrance as she felt this should be natural. This was a duty for the rights she had enjoyed so far, so she would go out dignified to the banquet hall. But before that, she wanted to take a breather for a while.

When Arelia's makeup was fixed, she headed to the terrace connected to the space that was prepared for her.

"Your Imperial Highness, where are you going? asked the maid, who was busy selecting jewelry for the princess.

Arelia looked at the clock hanging on the wall and said, "I'm going to the terrace to get some air. We still have a lot of time left, right?"

The maid had served her the longest and was also her nanny. "I can't allow you to be away for too long because I have to fix your hair again," she said with an apologetic face.

Arelia smiled in response. "I know. I can't be a baby on a day like this."

The maids began to move busily again as Arelia went out to the terrace. The nanny understood Arelia, so she stopped a young maid from following after Arelia. Arelia was not even going far, so a small concession could be made.

A grateful Arelia breathed in the clear air. It was still late summer, but it felt a little chilly because it was night. Looking from the terrace railing, the sky was full of bright stars.

Come to think of it, the night sky was full of stars even before the summer began.

Arelia smiled, suddenly recalling the half-white masked gentleman. Arriving like an angel when she was depressed, he gave her some courage and abruptly disappeared. It seemed like that man, whose identity she still didnt know, might just reappear.

Yes, like that first time theyd met when hed suddenly appeared as if falling from the sky, and smiled like a villain...

Then, suddenly, a black object dropped from above and landed on the terrace railing. A man with a half-white mask, wearing a luxurious suit, holding a bloody long sword in one hand greeted Arelia while looking at her.

"Oh, it has been a long time, Miss Aria?"

Stunned by Lupins abrupt arrival, Arelia was stumped for words.

He came down from the railing, held her hand, and said, "Or shall I call you Arelia?"

How dare he call the imperial princess by name and not even by her full title? No disrespect like this should be allowed!

And yet, Arelia nodded unconsciously.

"All right, Arelia. Its a bit sudden, but would you like to go on a date with me?"

"Huh?"

Before Lupin heard her reply, he quickly grabbed her waist. "In a moment, youll feel like youre floating. Youll have to get used to it!"

At the same time, Arelia's body floated slightly. Then, he grabbed her and jumped up.

Sorry, nanny. I'm going to be late.

Arelia inwardly apologized since she couldn't shout out otherwise.

-o-

As I went back to the banquet hall, I pondered over what to do.

In a situation like this, there were a lot of options to choose from. But first, run away!

It was the wisest thing to do. What did it have to do with me whether or not an unknown force was after the princess? I was just a humble citizen. What advantages were there for a civil servant, receiving a proper salary, to go and rescue the princess?

No matter how much I thought about it, leaving the job of saving the princess to a heroic knight was beneficial to my physical self. However, I kept delaying the choice to run away kept being. It's simple to escape on my own, but I was thinking about Pushover and friends who were still at the banquet hall. So then, I should simply take my friends and run away. Realistically, this was the option I must choose.

However, it would take too long to get Alphonso and Flam, who were likely still touring the magic school, and persuade Yuria, Alice, and Lisbon, who would be at the banquet hall, to leave.

As per common sense, if the sound of the explosion was to distract the guards, it would soon be discovered, so the wicked ones would try to hurry to accomplish their objective. In that case, there was a strong possibility that things would happen before I was able to run away. Of course, contrary to my conjectures, there was a possibility that the princess was not the target and that there was a separate agenda in play. A different goal would be unlikely on a day like today when the princess