“Come in.”

As the emperor’s words fell, the closed door opened.

“Did you call for me, Fa… ther.”

The person who entered while bowing stumbled over their words upon discovering Serpina.

Why are you here?

Serpina, who also made eye contact, felt similarly.

Why are you here, too?

“Come here and sit, Joshua.”

Regardless of their reactions, the emperor invited Joshua to sit next to Serpina with a pleased face.

What on earth is this situation?

Yeah. What the hell is this situation?

“Then, I will take my leave now.”

“I will take my leave, Father.”

Joshua and I politely bowed and left the audience chamber.

And at the same time, we let out a silent scream of astonishment.

Fortunately, we didn’t scream in front of the emperor.

〈As it happens, Joshua also doesn’t have a partner, and the seat next to the duchess is empty. How about you two accompany each other during the banquet period?〉

When I heard those words, I really…

wanted to grab his collar and ask if he was in his right mind.

But surprisingly, the emperor was serious.

Even when he tried to laugh it off, the conclusion always ended up being, ‘Hoho. Well, what. Just be each other’s partner.’

What power does a mere commoner have?

If the emperor says to do it, I have to do it.

In the end, only after Joshua and I answered, ‘Yes. We will do that,’ could we escape from the hellish roundabout.

No. We can’t even say we’ve escaped yet.

〈Then, Joshua. For three days, you are the duchess’s partner, so please escort her to the room where she will be staying. Now, go on.〉

The reason we are walking side by side right now is also due to the emperor’s suggestion… which resembles an order.

Walking side by side with lifeless steps, the two of us finally spoke after confirming there was no one around.

“By the way, there’s something I’m curious about.”

Joshua turned his head this way at my question.

I didn’t bother to look back at him and continued my question while looking straight ahead.

“Is having a partner that important at a ball? Enough to cause trouble if you don’t have one? Important enough to pair up a married woman and an unmarried man based on whether they have a partner or not?”

“Well.”

“Well?”

I asked seriously, but the answer is ‘well’?

“The importance of a partner varies from party to party. Well, usually people do attend with a partner. And it’s mostly when there’s a close relationship between families or a large age gap that unmarried and married people become partners, but…”

“We’re not like that. We’re not relatives, and there’s not much of an age difference between us.”

Joshua nodded his head without denying my point.

“…Yeah. That’s right.”

Sigh. This is driving me crazy.

I have no idea what the emperor is thinking.

Not just anyone, but pairing up the Richter duchess, who is always the talk of the town, with the prince who is the protagonist of this grand ball.

Does this make sense?

Did you think before speaking?

Honestly, I really wanted to ask Joshua straight up, ‘What is your father thinking?’

…But I held back because it felt like I was being too unfilial.

Perhaps noticing me silently boiling beside him, Joshua gave an awkward smile.

“I also find this situation strange when I think about it. But I’m not in a position to refuse my father’s orders, so I can’t help you.”

It didn’t seem like Joshua was lying.

Because while he says this outside the audience chamber, the entire time he was talking with the emperor, Joshua just kept repeating ‘Yes.’

With a picturesque smile, as if he was a person who obeyed without any doubts.

So, it meant that for Joshua too, it was a bolt from the blue situation where he suddenly had to partner with a married woman.

Sigh, okay. What fault would you have?

“…You must be having a hard time too.”

Joshua widened his eyes at the heartfelt consolation, then soon let out a chuckle.

“As I thought, I’m glad I became friends with you. You’re the first person I can talk to so comfortably.”

“By any chance, are you indirectly saying that I’m treating you too casually…? It’s not that, right?”

“What are you talking about? It’s not like that.”

Phew. Is that really true?

I sighed in relief while stroking my chest.

Actually, I had a lingering feeling that I might be treating the prince too much like a neighborhood friend.

I’m glad it’s not the case.

But just in case, I drove the point home once more.

“You haven’t forgotten the promise we made back then, right? Don’t suddenly catch me off guard later, saying you’re offended and charge me with insulting the imperial family.”

“Well, I said there’s no way that would happen.”

Joshua, who answered like that, laughed while bending his waist.

Seriously. I don’t know what’s so funny that he’s laughing like that.

Anyway, I’m relieved to have a definite answer.

If I had to attend to him like a master for three days, there would have been a separate penalty.

Well. I already feel like I’m being punished, though.

“It’s truly magnificent.”

“I know, right? I didn’t expect the 2nd Prince’s birthday to be celebrated so grandly.”

“Could it be that His Majesty’s heart has moved regarding the succession?”

“Oh, come on. At this point?”

“True. With the 1st Prince and 1st Princess…”

Upon entering the splendidly decorated grand ballroom, the nobles were busy whispering among themselves until the protagonist appeared.

The main topic of conversation was ‘Why was the 2nd Prince’s birthday ball being held so extravagantly?’

However, amidst the rampant speculations, they couldn’t come up with a plausible answer, and the subject naturally shifted to the ‘Demon Beasts’.

“Someone spotted a Demon Beast at the Langton Strait.”

“Ah. So that’s why the imperial carriage left in a hurry earlier?”

“Yes. I heard that Duke Richter went out to handle it.”

“…Then, there won’t be a problem.”

Ironically, as much as people feared and called Duke Richter a monster, their faith in him was also strong.

The belief that even if Demon Beasts appeared, if Duke Richter took action, it would be resolved safely.

“It’s truly contradictory.”

Chelsea, who had been eavesdropping on this silently from the balcony above, clicked her tongue and turned around.

Gazing at the people gathered in their finery, Chelsea sipped her wine.

Hopefully, those cheap mouths will work hard.

So that the interesting events occurring at this mysterious banquet of unknown identity can reach the entire empire.

Chelsea, who was sipping her wine again, muttered with wide eyes.

“Oh my. The most contradictory one might be me?”

But what can be done?

This is how she has lived her life so far.

Chelsea shrugged her shoulders and disappeared into the darkness.

Majestic music began to reverberate throughout the hall where people were gathered and engaging in lively conversations.

It was a signal announcing the entrance of the ball’s protagonist.

The nobles, who had been moving their mouths busily, closed them and held glasses of toast in their hands, looking up at the balcony where the prince would appear.

Before long, Joshua, the protagonist of the ball, revealed himself.

With a gentle smile on his face as always, he was a handsome man who seemed as warm as sunshine.

“Oh my goodness.”

“He’s so handsome.”

Exclamations flowed from here and there.

Amidst the focused gazes, Joshua raised his glass high.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have gathered here today to celebrate my birthday. I hope everyone has a pleasant time. Then.”

Cheers.

It was a toast that clearly reflected his gentle personality.

People thought with smiling faces as they raised their glasses.

As expected, he’s not someone the emperor would choose as his successor.

But that’s precisely why he garnered even more attention.

“Your Highness. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, this is my daughter. Jien, come here and greet him.”

“Hello, Your Highness. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Jien Salton, the daughter of Count Salton.”

Most of the attention was like this.

The unmarried third prince was a desirable marriage prospect in many ways.

He was of marriageable age, had a kind and affectionate personality, and was also exceptionally handsome.

Above all, the most attractive aspect was that his sister, Chelsea, was a strong candidate for the crown prince.

However, the competition was fierce.

“Haha, who is this, Count Salton? You were already greeting His Highness first. Ah. Your Highness, this is my daughter…”

“Hey. Are you trying to monopolize His Highness? We also want to greet…!”

Nobles holding the hands of their daughters of marriageable age lined up in front of Joshua.

Seeing the chaotic and vulgar scene, Joshua smiled with a troubled expression.

And he thought.

‘I really hate this.’

But what he hated most was that he had to just smile in this situation.

“Oh my, how delightful. My younger brother is really popular, isn’t he?”

The one who neatly resolved the situation that had become noisy was Chelsea, who approached while fanning herself.

At her appearance, those who had been raising their voices shut their mouths tightly.

Chelsea looked at the nobles surrounding Joshua and their daughters, drooping her eyebrows as if she felt sorry.

“But what should we do? My younger brother has a partner he needs to escort today.”