“Piya! You overindulged!”

Quivering sounds!

I was genuinely worried.

Piya seemed unable to fly due to overeating.

As I worried, Piya went, “Qu-eat!” and banged the dessert plate with her left foot.

Of course, Piya’s foot was so small and light that it felt more like tapping with a cotton ball than banging.

“Eek! I-I will bring a new macaron, Prince Anselot’s sir!”

The servant, pale with anxiety from Piya’s actions, quickly moved.

‘Oh…’

I looked at Piya, who was enjoying delicious treats to her heart’s content, with eyes that admired her power.

“Luenheart seems to have a splendid lineage.”

Claus spoke with a pleasant voice, much like Piya. He, too, seemed to have received exceptional treatment.

“Why?”

“He said he wanted to watch the knights’ training, and they willingly showed him the practice grounds.”

In Azester, this was only possible with the emperor’s permission. Not only Azester, but many kingdoms on the continent didn’t easily disclose the training of their knights to outsiders.

“Knights are from a remarkably good country.”

“Ahaha.”

I exclaimed briefly, convinced.

‘It’s probably because we’re Salto’s group.’

Especially when Claus mentioned that, I could tell by the darkening expression of the prince’s palace knight that it was undoubtedly true.
“Well, Klaus… He’s not very perceptive because he’s naive…”

“But what about Anselot?”

After a morning walk, feeling a bit relieved, I asked about Anselot’s whereabouts with a generous heart.

“Prince Anselot went to meet with King Titarus with the soldiers this morning.”

“The king?”

“There seems to have been an unfortunate incident at the prince’s palace last night.”

“Ah…”

I recalled the assassin who had attacked Anselot last night. The palace servants had spread ominous rumors about Anselot, blaming him for the incident.

“But it’s not Anselot’s fault.”

At that moment, Klaus comforted me with a calm voice.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not Prince Anselot’s fault, so nothing serious should happen.”

I widened my eyes in surprise.

“How do you know that?”

“While Prince Anselot may be eccentric, he doesn’t go around killing people without reason.”

I felt warmth in my heart at Klaus’s renewed trust in Anselot.

“He may not really like Anselot, but he seems to trust him in his own way.”

Quivering sounds, quiver!

—That’s right, Lady Lulu! Let’s not bother with someone like Anselot and enjoy delicious food and have fun!

Piya flapped her wings and shouted, seemingly about to fly towards me.

But perhaps due to overeating, Piya only slightly lifted off and then fell back onto the plate.

Thunk!

Looking at the peculiar sound and Piya sprawled on the plate, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Anselot, who had left after breakfast, did not return until evening.

When I discreetly asked a servant, they said Anselot confidently left after finishing his official duties in front of the king.

“But why hasn’t he come back?”

“It seems he went outside the palace for a stroll.”

Seeing Anselot not returning, I prepared to go to the party venue.

In the palace hall, daily parties were being held to celebrate the festival preparation period.

After entrusting Illay to Klaus to obtain the necessary information for the scenario, I attended the party with Piya.

Piya, who had eaten too much and turned into a piglet, couldn’t fly and peacefully nestled in my pocket.

“Why can’t I see Prince Arno?”

I scanned over people’s heads, and perhaps found Prince Arno, whom I might encounter in the next quest.

So, that insignificant villain who harassed Maria and dueled with Hagen in the original work.

Thinking that someone like a prince, or at least someone playing the role of a villain harassing the heroine in the original work, could be found at this party.

But I couldn’t find Arno’s name anywhere.

Just in case, I left the party and gazed towards the terrace.

Plop!

Simultaneously with the system alert, Maria’s location appeared on the mini-map as a pink heart-shaped dot with a ‘boing’ sound.

“Huh? W-what is that?”

Quivering sounds.
―In strategy mode, the target is marked on the mini-map with a heart-shaped dot.

“…Such unnecessary effects.”

The vivid and lively effect of pink hearts blooming like footprints wherever Maria walked was quite dazzling.

I decided to turn off the mini-map.

Qu-eat!

―Lady Lulu, why are you turning off the mini-map? Let’s go find Maria quickly!

“No, the quest is a quest, but… for now, let’s gather more information about Arno.”

I made a feeble excuse and postponed the quest.

Beep!

―Oh, Maria is over there! Hurry, Lady Lulu!

However, this small bird with keen eyes quickly found Maria even without a mini-map and urged me on.

In the large, open terrace, Maria was surrounded by noble ladies, standing out among the gorgeously adorned young women with her pure beauty.

“Wait, Piya. I still need more mental preparation.”

Beep-beep!

―What are you talking about? You need to complete the quest quickly!

“And Maria is currently with her friends…”