“I thought you weren’t coming today, Lillis.”

Agnes, who had apparently arrived at the banquet hall earlier, tugged at my dress and spoke to me.

Seeing her expectant expression, as if she wanted an explanation, I quickly explained how I ended up participating.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to correct myself last time, Miss Agnes. I originally thought I wasn’t going to participate, but Ed insisted that I join him, so here I am.”

“…Is that really all? You’re not hiding something else from me?”

“Hiding something? Why would I have a reason to hide my participation from you, Miss Agnes?”

“…I don’t know. Maybe you didn’t want to acknowledge knowing me at the banquet.”

“Oh…”

…The way she said that made me feel like I’d done something really wrong.

Not wanting to create unnecessary misunderstandings with a friend I’d only recently made, I hurriedly cleared up what she was concerned about.

“There’s no way I’d do that. I really just forgot.”

“…Really?”

“Honestly, Miss Agnes, you’re the only person at the academy I could call a friend. Why would I lie to my only friend?”

“…I, I have plenty of friends! There’s Seraphine, and Natalie… Well, maybe not Natalie yet…”

“Yes, yes. But still, thank you for being my friend, Miss Agnes.”

“…I feel like you’re teasing me somehow.”

Although she gave me a strange look, her expression softened as soon as she realized I didn’t have any ulterior motives for not mentioning my participation.

I didn’t expect her to think so much about me mentioning it a bit late.

At least Agnes wasn’t like other noble ladies who scheme behind people’s backs. If it had been someone else, rumors might have already started spreading by now.

“I’m glad you’re straightforward, Miss Agnes. We could’ve had a pointless misunderstanding over something trivial.”

“…By the way, what’s with that tone? You don’t usually talk like that.”

“I’m adjusting my behavior and mindset according to the situation and role. Normally, as Young Master Ethan’s personal maid at the academy, I behave like a servant. But now, I’m here as Ed’s fiancée, so I need to act in a way that suits that position.”

“…Ed? You’re calling Ethan ‘Ed’?”

“Yes. There’s no better way to emphasize familiarity than using a pet name.”

Agnes frowned slightly when she heard me call Ethan by that name, but that was all.

After all, I was here as Ethan’s stand-in fiancée, and it wasn’t really Agnes’s concern.

“So what, you’re actually engaged now?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that having me by his side keeps the ladies who are only interested in his family from approaching him.”

“…Just for that? Sure, he’s a guy, so it doesn’t matter, but what about you? What will you do when it’s time for you to get married?”

“I’ve never considered marrying anyone other than Ed. I’ll just live alone if it comes to that.”

“….”

Agnes frowned, clearly displeased with my response.

She then glanced over at the self-service bar where Ethan was and muttered something.

“Shouldn’t you say something? Can you really stand by and let your marriage prospects be sacrificed for his political intentions?”

“What? I already told you I have no plans to get married. It’s not like this is blocking any prospects.”

“…Fine. Don’t come crying to me later when you’re used up and discarded.”

“I told you, it’s not like that.”

…Wait, on second thought, maybe it is? After all, posing as a fiancée and attending official events isn’t really part of a personal maid’s duties.

Just like at the masquerade ball, it does feel like I’m being pushed to do something more sensitive than what a maid typically handles.

But… since I’m also his temporary girlfriend right now, I guess it’s still within the range of what I can tolerate.

“I’m back, Lily.”

“Oh, thank you, Ed.”

As we continued our conversation, Ethan returned from the self-service bar, holding two glasses of cold cocktails.

He handed one of the glasses to me, then noticed Agnes and greeted her briefly.

“Lady Blaze? It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.”

“Were you talking with Lily while I was away?”

“…Yeah. We’re friends.”

“I’ve heard Lily mention you quite a few times. I hope you’ll continue to be good friends with her.”

“…..”

This was the first proper conversation between the two of them, who had only been vaguely aware of each other’s presence before.

Given that Ethan usually looked at the people around me with a less-than-pleasant gaze, this reaction was rather surprising.

While his eyes had a sharp edge when he looked at Lizzy or Seraphine, his gaze towards Agnes was noticeably softer.

…Though it didn’t seem like Agnes had a particularly good opinion of Ethan.

“Mind your own business.”

“…Hmm?”

“If you use her up and throw her away later, I won’t let it slide.”

“…I feel like there’s a misunderstanding here, but I promise you, what you’re worried about won’t happen.”

“…Hmph.”

Even after hearing something akin to a threat from the daughter of a Viscount, Ethan responded with a smile and calm composure.

Agnes, displeased by his demeanor, turned her head sharply and started walking away.

“Where are you going, Miss Agnes?”

“Just to say hello to Seraphine.”

“Oh, okay. See you later.”

I couldn’t imagine her having much to talk about with anyone other than Seraphine, so I could already picture her coming back to me after the banquet had been underway for a while.

“She’s a good friend, Lily.”

“Sorry? Agnes is?”

“She’s much better than Lady Auguste or the princess. At least she looks at you directly without any pretense or ulterior motives.”

“Well, if you say so, Ed. Personally, she’s the least burdensome friend I have at the academy.”

“…I’m not too thrilled about her joining that lecherous hero’s party, but that’s Lady Blaze’s personal matter.”

He muttered this while glancing at the hero, Bolt, and Celesta, who had arrived at the banquet and were talking with Seraphine.

It seems that Ethan’s wariness towards the hero had only intensified after the chaos caused by Natalie at the after-party.

I’d like to approach Bolt and at least have a conversation with him once, but with Ethan acting like this, it’s going to be tough.

Ethan had explicitly told me not to talk to the hero, so I couldn’t approach him first. If it weren’t for that incident at the after-party, I might have had a chance.

It’s already been over a year, and I haven’t been able to tell him to stop wasting time trying to recruit me and to find another character.

‘The candidates for the Demon King subjugation party will keep coming in until next year, so it’s not too late, but…’

Still, it’s better to convey such information early.

Since I don’t know what plans the hero has, he needs to prepare for the possibility that Lillis won’t join his party.

As I pondered this while sipping my cocktail with Ethan, I heard the excited voices of noble ladies from the entrance of the banquet hall.

At this level of noise and crowd, it could only be one person…

“Kyaaah! It’s Prince Mechart!”

“Prince Mechart! H-How have you been?!”

“Thank you, my lady. Would you care to dance with me later?”

“R-Really, Your Highness?!”

“I’m afraid I’m busy at the moment, but I could fit you in as the eleventh dance. I have many prior engagements today…”

“I’d be happy to wait, even if it’s not the eleventh, but the hundred and first!”

“Prince Mechart! H-Have you been well…? I met you at the academy…”

“I’m sorry. I’m not good with names, but I’m delighted to meet such a beautiful young lady anew. Will you forgive me?”

“Yes, yes! Of course!”

Ugh, gross.

Wow, disgusting… Seeing him in person after only encountering him in the game is genuinely nauseating…

The discomfort I felt from seeing the old Ethan, or rather the “Pig Prince” from the original game, was nothing compared to this.

When I played the game, his scenes were just cutscenes, so I didn’t feel much, but seeing that sickening face spouting such cringeworthy lines right in front of me made me feel like I was about to lose my lunch.

I quickly turned away from the entrance to avoid looking at his disgusting antics any longer.

Honestly, terms like “philanderer” or “lecher” should be pinned on that bastard, not the hero.

The number of noble ladies he’s bedded at the academy must be in the double digits. Not that I cared much, since they were all extras anyway.

A revolting bastard who relies solely on his looks to flirt with all the female characters.

The fact that he even flirts with heroines like Celesta and Agnes makes him even more irredeemable.

It’s a relief that he’s a villain. If there had been a route to recruit him as an ally in Luminor Academy, the genre would have definitely taken a darker turn.

“Let’s move to another spot, Ed.”

“…Yes, Lily. It’s best not to attract the Fourth Prince’s attention.”

As Ethan and I quietly agreed to move away, intending to distance ourselves from that guy, I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine as I heard his voice calling to me from behind.

“…Ah, excuse me. You, the lady in the deep crimson dress.”

‘…Oh, crap.’

I should have moved the moment the commotion started.

I ended up catching Mechart’s eye while trying to avoid the crowd too late.

With a royal calling out to me, I couldn’t just walk away, so I slowly turned my head toward that sickening voice.

“Even from behind, I could tell… such a beautiful… Oh, oh my… To think there’d be such a perfect lady here.”

“…….”

‘Are you going to stop staring at my chest?’

“Since fate has brought us together, how about we introduce ourselves, my beautiful lady?”

‘Introduce myself, you say, Prince Mechart?’

“…Get lost, you bastard.”

“…Pardon?”

Oh, I slipped up.