Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Long-Awaited Party (2)
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The time in the Hawson Kingdom had already reached 6 o'clock.
A party to celebrate the alliance between the two nations was scheduled to take place on the top floor of the building.
As if to prove it, the blue sky was tinged with red.
Countless carriages began arriving in front of the building.
The people stepping out from them were exceedingly splendid in appearance.
As if to demonstrate their status and power, the men were dressed in impeccable formal suits.
The women accompanying them wore colorful dresses to flaunt their beauty.
However, among them, there were two women who showed no interest in dresses.
People who prioritized their own abilities over adornment.
Those who would pack military manuals and magic tomes rather than dresses.
Coincidentally, both were people I knew very well.
"You're staring out the window like a pet fox, Veil."
Lea, who had woken from her nap.
She stared at me intently, dressed in a white dress shirt.
The shirt, wrapped tightly around her slender waist, stretched taut as it reached her wide hips.
"I was just thinking... the sun sets awfully late in the south."
Upon hearing my words, Lea approached my side.
She gazed at the red sky with her hands clasped behind her back and said,
"Indeed, the days are disappointingly long in the south."
Her words somehow carried a profound undertone.
In response, I turned my head to look at the princess.
However, by then, Lea had already moved toward the room door.
She called for a maid to prepare for the party.
"You should get ready soon too. The party starts in about two hours."
Lea wore an expressionless face, as if changing into a dress was a bother.
She exuded the cold aura of a soldier she usually showed when dealing with others.
'Is there a switch on her body or something...?'
Women were truly fascinating in such ways.
"Understood. I'll head back to my room then."
"See you later."
I leisurely pushed against the wall with the secret door, returning to my bedroom.
I then restored it to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
I took out a formal suit I had prepared in advance from the wardrobe.
Gazing out the window once more, I slowly began fastening the buttons.
"That carriage has an unusual number of escorts."
The reason I was paying such close attention to the window was something else.
The carriages entering the grand lodge.
Their atmosphere was different from those carrying the city lords I had met during the day.
As if trying to hide their identities, they bore no flags or crests.
Yet, they were suspiciously accompanied by a large number of kingdom knights.
From this, I immediately realized.
Someone higher than Duke Luke might have come here.
――――――
The suspicious carriage came to a stop.
Someone began stepping out from inside.
A boy who appeared to be in his teens and a man who looked middle-aged...?
Their faces weren't clearly visible.
"Masks...?"
They were all wearing masks that covered their eyes and noses.
As far as I knew, there was no masked ball on today's schedule.
Yet, for these two to show up wearing masks out of nowhere.
Finding it odd, I tilted my head while putting on my suit.
Afterward, I checked myself in the mirror, parted my bangs in half, and left the room.
"..."
Lea's door was firmly closed.
Women were said to take quite a while to get dressed, so I decided to scout the party venue first.
"Two hours should be plenty of time to look around."
Our future emperor had permitted Mago and me to roam freely.
Thanks to that, I was able to knock on Mago's door with a light heart.
――――――
The door slowly opened.
Mago, who wasn't even in a dress but her usual black dress, peeked out.
Her twintails tilted to one side like a balance scale as she cocked her head.
"Veil...? The party's still a ways off."
"I thought we'd check it out together early. But is that all your preparation...?"
As the door fully opened, Mago's plain appearance became even more apparent.
It was exactly the kind of outfit she'd wear in Cornel to avoid looking like a witch while shopping.
"Yeah, is there a problem?"
My childhood friend smoothed out the hem of her dress and looked down.
Thanks to that, the curves of her body, plump like fruit, came into view.
Plain and approachable—that was Mago's charm, but in this attire, she'd actually stand out more.
"No, not really..."
While pondering where to borrow clothes from, Mago slowly approached me.
As our bodies drew close, her perky nose twitched.
"Hm? Veil, did you spray perfume?"
At the question from my childhood friend, who knew me so well, I tilted my head.
"No, why?"
"You smell like fruit, something you don't usually have. Pomegranate...?"
Pomegranate.
That word brought to mind the woman I had been pressed against, sleeping with just moments ago.
Instinctively, my hand went to the nape of my neck.
As I carefully rubbed with my fingers, a faint pink lipstick mark transferred onto them.
"Must be the room's air freshener. These rooms often have them."
"Ahh, I see."
Mago glanced over my suit and nodded.
"You're used to places like this, huh?"
"The structure's similar to those in the Empire. I've been to plenty."
My childhood friend looked at the imperial crest on my black suit jacket.
Then, glancing at her own plain dress with no badges, her expression grew subtly complicated.
"Lucky you. This is my first time at a party like this."
Throughout handling the imperial schedule, Mago had gradually grown intimidated.
Lea was the same—women were truly mysterious.
Even Mago, the empire's top sorceress who had commanded countless mercenaries, was tense about a wholesome party like this.
"If I go out like this, it'll be too much of a nuisance..."
The great witch rubbed her soft cheek with her finger and forced a smile.
That bittersweet smile felt somehow wistful.
"Besides, I didn't prepare any party attire."
Certainly, someone unfamiliar with official events might not have thought of the party.
Understanding this, I chuckled and confidently said,
"If you don't have clothes, just buy some."
"Buy them? Can you shop here?"
Mago's golden eyes widened round like a black cat's as she asked.
I chuckled and extended my hand.
"Buildings with large party halls like this usually have tailors on staff."
My childhood friend from fond memories took my hands.
She followed me down the hallway.
"Dresses often tear or get damaged during dances, so they keep tailors around for that."
"R-Really...?"
Mago blankly stared at my back as I led the way.
Soon, she gripped my hand tightly and we headed to the lodge lobby together.
"..."
A maid emerging from Lea's room witnessed the scene.
Adjusting her glasses, she watched me head toward the tailoring room with Mago, then fixed her glasses.
She paid particular attention to Mago.
As if intending to report what she had seen to someone, she quietly returned to the room.
Even though she had clearly finished helping Lea get dressed.
――――――
Mago thought we were heading to the grand lodge's tailoring room.
However, she felt puzzled when I veered toward the lodge library where the sorcerers stayed.
"Veil, this isn't the tailoring room."
"Yeah, honestly, I don't know where the tailors are either."
At my brazen response, Mago's eyes widened like a startled black cat.
I smiled reassuringly, flashing a grin.
Then, I found Lize sprawled in the corner of the library, giggling over an erotic novel.
「Northern Archduchess and Slave Knight: Southern Translation Edition」
"Humans really excel at making stuff like this..."
The voluptuous half-elf, hidden in the shadows like a girl peeking at men, giggled.
Having lived over a century, she flinched when her hideout was discovered.
"W-What...!! What are you doing here!"
"Do you happen to know where the tailors are?"
Lize irritably averted her gaze from me.
She tried to focus back on her novel.
"Why are you barging in asking about tailors all of a sudden?"
I snatched the haughty elf's book right in front of her.
Then, with a serious look, I said,
"I urgently need party clothes. Since you're famous in the south, I figured they'd treat us better if you came along."
"What...? I'm not your friend—why should I help?"
Lize's long ears stood straight up as she eyed me warily.
However, she soon regretted her attitude.
"Isn't it better to get along as friends rather than as master and slave?"
I mentioned the obedience spell binding her.
It was an ancient spell strong enough for use among elves, one Lize still hadn't undone.
"Eek...!!"
Lize shuddered, covering her ample bosom with both hands.
"If you don't want anything harsh, cooperate."
"O-Okay...!! Just come along, right?"
The great sorceress over a century old rose her beautiful body at the threat from a young man.
She joined our group, arms dangling limply at her sides.
"Follow me—it's right nearby."
Sure enough, leading with Lize, we found the tailoring room, and the royal staff attended to Mago with utmost courtesy.
A master craftsman took her to the fitting room and began custom-making an outfit on the spot in just one hour.
In truth, it was altering an existing party dress to fit her body.
"The lady has such a lovely figure; it's a pleasure to tailor for you."
"Thank you. I'm sorry for the short notice and inconvenience."
Mago repeatedly expressed her gratitude to Lize and the tailor.
She winked at me to convey her thanks instead.
"Please come in. We'll help you try it on."
"Y-Yes...!!"
My childhood friend dashed into the fitting room, do-do-do.
Her twintails danced merrily like a cat's tail with each bounce.
"Yawn..."
Lize, standing beside me, watched indifferently.
She was plainly dressed in a simple white shirt.
It seemed the great sage had no intention of attending the party.
"You're not joining the party?"
"I failed the operation—what's the point of attending."
She stared at me with a sullen expression.
I smirked cynically and boasted.
"Still, I delivered the elixir of immortality perfectly. That's what matters—."
"The problem is that I got caught in the first place. People here have such high expectations of me."
Fair enough—half-elves were a mysterious race so rare one could go a lifetime without seeing one.
Expectations were bound to be high.
That seemed to be why she avoided public appearances.
"Is that girl your mate?"
"Don't talk about people like animals."
I gave Lize a cold look.
The elf cleared her throat and rephrased her question.
"So... is she your partner?"
To her properly worded question, I gave no immediate reply.
Then, I recalled the noble council's words about being approved by all three princesses' edicts at once.
"Yeah."
In other words, it meant I could marry multiple.
If I were ambitious for power, it might have been an issue, but since I had zero interest, it had been accepted.
"Strange. The scent of the First Imperial Princess is wafting strongly from you."
"Hm?"
Elves were elves, after all.
She immediately picked up on Lea's traces from our couple of hours in bed together.
"Elves have keen senses, huh. How'd you know?"
"With that smell pouring off you—probably even that girl noticed."
Mago knew too.
I laughed and waved it off.
"Nah, Mago doesn't care about that stuff. She knows I have deep ties with the other princesses anyway."
"Hmm... maybe."
Lize listened, then her sharp elven eyes glinted.
She looked at me with sudden seriousness and said,
"That girl's eyes earlier looked incredibly determined."
"Huh...?"
As I raised an eyebrow, the perceptive elf added,
"She went into the fitting room with a more resolute expression than when facing our southern army."
Hearing Lize, I fell silent for a moment.
Mago, who had been so bold and hearty as Cornel's leader.
Come to think of it, she'd been shy more often lately.
'Probably since she went to deal with the sorcerers alone...'
Lost in thought.
Finally, the fitting room door opened.
What appeared first were delicate ankles accentuated by beautiful white high heels.
Then, pretty legs and plump thighs, topped by a short pure-white dress.
"Veil, what do you think...?"
A beautiful, bold dress contrasting her usual drab black one.
It had a deeply plunging back and an off-shoulder, sophisticated design.
"It's my first time in something like this, so it feels a bit awkward..."
In the past, Mago had just seemed like a tough childhood friend.
But now, she was a full-fledged adult.
"Doesn't it look weird?"
Her hearty personality had faded, and the tight dress made her demure.
With her twintails undone into straight, flowing hair, she covered her lips with silk gloves.
"No, not weird at all."
I smiled broadly at her.
Even so, Mago busily hid her fruit-like, beautifully prominent bust with one hand.
"It suits you perfectly."
Only then did my childhood friend slowly lower her hand.
To encourage her, I added a playful tease.
"If you dressed like this all the time, it'd be great."
"Who'd walk around Cornel like this?"
Mago chuckled and waved it off.
I approached with hands behind my back and said,
"That's how pretty you are."
I chuckled, brushing the hair from her exposed, vulnerable off-shoulder.
At the touch of skin on skin, Mago froze solid.
"No, wait—correction. If you dressed like this in Cornel, the men would pester you till they all dropped dead. Can't have that."
"What...?"
The great witch giggled and glanced away.
Her fair skin seemed subtly flushed.
"Good grief—you two are really into it."
Lize clicked her tongue with a smirk.
Then, finding our sight quite pleasant, she soon wore a pleased smile.
"Well, humans are at their peak breeding urge at that age."
"L-Lize...!!"
Mago startled and cried out.
She wobbled on her unfamiliar high heels.
"Careful."
I steadied my childhood friend's deeply plunging back with my palm.
Mago gasped like a drenched cat, lips parted.
"Th-Thank you...!!"
And so, we finally had our party attire perfect.
We leisurely strolled the hallway together toward the top-floor party hall.
Ascending the grand staircase revealed the party hall lined with southern knights and holy knights in formation.
Dozens of massive chandeliers illuminated the ceiling.
The vast hall was like several sports fields combined.
Honored guests sipped champagne, greeting acquaintances.
They wore masks provided at the entrance or carried them while mingling.
"Masked ball...? I didn't hear about that today."
Mago voiced her puzzlement, as expected.
I replied flatly in agreement.
"Yeah, seems like a last-minute addition to hide a guest's identity who came incognito."
"Who could it be...?"
"No idea yet. Let's find Lea first."
We entered the party hall amid the mysterious atmosphere, searching for Lea.
She had always claimed no interest in dressing up.
Other royals started prepping six hours early, but Lea had only two.
'She'll probably be in a plain dress, might be hard to spot subtly.'
Thinking that, I stood on tiptoe.
But.
'...!!'
Surprisingly, finding Lea was effortless.
Contrary to expectations, she stood out more than any woman in the hall.
"No way, is that Her Highness...?"
Mago covered her lips with her gloved hand.
Gazing at Lea, who stood alone with a wine glass, she gasped in admiration.
Shoulders so fragile they'd be perfect to embrace.
Yet, contrasting that, skin ripened beautifully like the goddess of abundance.
Her hourglass figure was sensually wrapped in black silk.
"Oh my, Veil. You're late."
Lea spotted me from afar and smiled charmingly.
She, who never smiled at others, showed a feminine side before everyone.
'Didn't she say she had no interest in dressing up...?'
Lea approached, her forehead gracefully swept like a goddess.
She, who claimed to hate parties, subtly hid her alluring eyes behind a lion-shaped mask.