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The Initial Tea Party

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*****

「ーーーSilence.」

The low, composed voice cut through the clamor of the hall, yet its resonance carried to every corner.

(His Majesty the King is speaking.)

With just that single word, everyone present naturally moved to pay their respects, bowing their heads in unison.

Wellmy offered the same formal bow.

(He was quite amiable when we met before, but...)

Seeing him now, radiating such dignity, Wellmy felt the reality of his position deep in her bones: this was the King.

「Magus Lord Eides. You swear there is no falsehood in your words?」

「I do. I so swear.」

Eides, who had been bowing beside her, raised his head.

To speak a lie to the King was unforgivable. By swearing this oath, any further untruth in this place would be an act of lèse-majesté and treason.

「All of you, raise your heads. ...Is it the truth, then, that there is one among us who aimed to bring about Leonir’s downfall?」

「It is.」

Eides cast a fleeting glance down at Wellmy before nodding.

Dalistia’s face had gone pale. She was surely terrified that she would be pressed for an answer to Eides’s earlier question.

「Your Majesty. Wellmy volunteered to act as a decoy to ensure the Crown Prince’s actual fiancée would not be placed in danger before the official announcement.」

This explanation was likely intended for the benefit of the surrounding nobles rather than the King himself.

After all, His Majesty had been present when the decision to use a decoy was made. Naturally understanding the intent, the King threw out a question to further reinforce the narrative.

「Was that the objective from the very beginning?」

「No. We sensed the scent of high treason while Wellmy was carrying out her role as decoy. ---Therefore, until this day, I saw to it that she remained exclusively by the Crown Prince’s side, more strictly than originally planned.」

「Eh...?」

The small sound of a leaked voice came from Dalistia, seemingly despite herself.

Yes. Wellmy had merely been pretending to be the fiancée of that annoying Leo so that her sister—the true fiancée—wouldn't encounter any danger before her debut and entrance into the Royal Palace.

(Though that story somehow turned into quite the ordeal.)

「The other young noblemen stayed by her side as a protective wall precisely because they were aware of these circumstances.」

Because the King had commanded silence, the nobles didn't speak to one another, but the sound of indrawn breaths made it clear they were hanging on every word.

Wellmy thought back. The trigger for this whole situation had been a tea party hosted by the Queen.

***

「...I am against this.」

In the courtyard of the Queen’s palace, after Wellmy had finished explaining the plan she’d discussed with Eides.

The one showing reluctance was her sister. When Eides and Wellmy exchanged looks, he gave a light shrug of his shoulders.

「Why must Wellmy act as a decoy in my stead?」

It was Leo who answered Iola's question.

「She’s the right fit, isn't she? Wellmy is skilled in navigating social circles. Until now, she’s only used those skills to drive people away, but she’s equally capable of ingratiating herself. Her eye for people is unerring, and she’s sensitive to the malice of others.」

For this moment alone, Iola glared coldly at the man she had promised her future to.

「To push this onto Wellmy knowing she will be exposed to such malice is unthinkable. Besides, I do not care what sort of slander or libel I might receive.」

Despite becoming Countess Ernest, her sister had practically no backing. To show that she was a person of value to the Royal Family, her worth had not yet been made known to the public. And even though it couldn't be helped given the circumstances of the preparation phase, her reputation was already "damaged goods"—having essentially had two engagements, with Irvine and Eides, annulled.

She was a perfect target for malice.

While Wellmy was happy to hear such sentiment from her sister, she realized that the true problem lay elsewhere.

「Simple gossip is one thing, but there are those who will stop at nothing to become the Crown Princess, Sister. Besides, evening parties and tea parties would steal away your precious time.」

「Then all the more reason I cannot leave it to you, Wellmy.」

(She certainly is stubborn.)

Wellmy loved that about her sister, but she pressed on nonetheless.

「I have plenty of free time right now. Besides, Eides will protect me, and naturally, your "dear" Crown Prince Leonir will be keeping a watchful eye as well.」

Iola’s face flushed slightly when Wellmy emphasized "dear," but Leo turned a flat, cold look toward Wellmy.

「You’ve got quite a thorn in your voice. Are you trying to implicitly state you have absolutely no trust or expectations of me?」

「Oh, my. That’s simply a delusion of grandeur, Crown Prince.」

Wellmy brought a hand to her mouth with a "ho-ho-ho," but she made sure her eyes conveyed the truth: 『That’s exactly right.』

(Who would ever rely on the man who snatched my sister away?)

His Majesty, who had been watching the exchange with some amusement, and Prince Tygrim—Leo’s younger brother and a member of Iola’s "salon" at the Academy—interjected.

「To think Leo would make a friend he’s on such casual terms with.」

「Indeed, Father.」

「「Who is friends with whom?」」

Since their voices synchronized, they went back to glaring at each other. After the King finished laughing, his expression suddenly tightened.

「However, Lady Iola. I must ask you to accept this. If we allow someone unaware of the circumstances to attend to Leo, it will invite misunderstanding. Furthermore, as your King, I wish for you to devote yourself to your research rather than spending time on social duties.」

「That is...」

「The success of your research is also for the sake of your future social standing.」

The results of the "research" the King mentioned would undoubtedly become her sister's greatest backing. If successful, she would obtain a High-Ranking International Mage Certification. In terms of status, that was equivalent to a Magus Lord—someone who had achieved the highest intellectual and practical feats in the field of magic in this country.

「...And personally, I hope for the research to succeed as quickly as possible.」

The look of distress the King showed then was one that carried a sense of guilt.

Wellmy looked toward the Queen. She had remained silent, and since appearing here, she had not removed her thin veil.

The reason lay in the Queen’s skin. About three years ago, she had developed a rare and difficult disease called Mana Overload Reaction Syndrome, which sometimes afflicts those with high magical power, causing the skin to become inflamed and raw.

The research on magic-drain reduction that her sister had written about in her graduation thesis was actually a byproduct of her true research: "Mana Suppression."

---After hearing about the Queen’s condition from Leo, her sister had been developing medicines and magic items to treat the disease.

Even the magic she used to make herself look plain had a dual purpose: she wanted to see if she could find a way to "hide" the state of the Queen’s skin, if only while she was in public.

The reason the engagement between Leo and Iola had proceeded so smoothly behind the scenes was that Leo had informed the King and others of Iola’s research.

Just as her sister’s momentum began to wilt, the Queen let out a soft chuckle.

「It is quite alright, Lady Iola. There is no need to rush the research, and acting as a stand-in is not a true danger as Lady Wellmy fears. It is simply that by drawing the eyes of the nobles toward Lady Wellmy, it becomes easier for us to deal with those attempting to move in the shadows... that is all.」

"I will not let a single finger be laid upon Iola or Wellmy," she seemed to say. At the words of the Queen—who apparently held more sway in this setting than the King—her sister reluctantly nodded.

At that point, Eides, who had been silent until then, took a sip of tea and let the corner of his mouth quirk upward.

「In the first place, if there is any wretch who tries to lay a hand on my beloved Wellmy, I am already prepared to crush them without needing to borrow the strength of the Royal Family.」

「っ!」

(H-How can you say such a thing in front of the King and Queen!?)

Seeing Wellmy turn bright red from a mix of embarrassment and terror, the Queen’s shoulders shook with mirth, while the King and Prince Tygrim—who likely knew the old Eides—stared at him with gaping mouths.

「My, my, how passionate.」

「...To think the day would come when I would hear such words from Eides’s mouth.」

「I truly was taken by surprise...」

Unable to bear the three’s reactions, Wellmy hunched her shoulders... and then, after a short interval, she headed toward her first evening party.

---And it was there that she encountered that Baron’s daughter.

Until then, she had truly intended it to be a simple stand-in role—a lighthearted way to buy time until the formal engagement.

*****

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