Chapter 79

After a moment of silence, I continued to stand there with a blank expression, organizing my thoughts in my head.

(Surprised! It wasn't a confession after all. Oh, I was being so self-conscious, how embarrassing.)

Once I understood that much, my heart began to calm down.

(And, um, Mother is coming, right? Well, it's not unusual for parents to come, so there shouldn't be any problem...)

At that point, my face turned pale.

Yes, the person in front of me is the First Prince of the Aldia Kingdom. That means his mother is, of course...

"Um, does that mean... the Queen Mother will be coming to the school festival?"

"Yep."

When I confirmed, the Prince gave me a slightly awkward smile.

"Queen Mother of Lord Reiforce?"

"That's right."

"Meaning, the Queen of the Aldia Kingdom will be visiting the school festival?"

"Exactly."

I felt a bit dizzy and took a step back, and the Prince hurriedly moved forward to support me. But I held my ground and told him I was fine.

"Why... why would she do that?"

"I accidentally told my parents about this school festival. They were very excited and interested because I'm leading it. So, they both decided to come on the day of the event."

"Both the King and Queen?"

"Yep. But, of course, I tried to persuade them that it wasn't a good idea, but they were quite stubborn. In the end, they agreed that one of them would come."

"So, it's the Queen?"

"My father can't say no to my mother. She always has the final say."

As I watched the Prince, who looked troubled and let out a dry laugh, I was stunned.

(Well, I always thought the King was a bit of a playboy, so it seemed strange that there were no rumors about him. Could it be that the King is actually a henpecked husband?)

While I was somewhat convinced, I put that thought aside and focused on the main issue.

(The Queen coming to the school festival would be exciting for any student, but the fact that she's telling me this now means she has something for me as the security officer, right?)

"Um... of course, the Queen's security detail will be coming, right?"

"Of course. The Knights of the Royal Guard, led by Lord Claus, will be here. But..."

"But?"

"My mother also wants us to assign additional security and an escort."

"Isn't that the teachers' job?"

The Prince shook his head with a wry smile.

"The headmaster said it's a student-led event, so he wants the students to handle everything."

(That perverted old man!)

The headmaster's words sounded like he was promoting student autonomy, but he was just passing the buck.

"So... um..."

The Prince looked very uncomfortable.

"Is there... something else?"

"Um... my mother has designated you for the role."

At those words, my weak mental state caused me to faint.

Who could refuse a direct order from the Queen? This was now a fait accompli.

When I regained consciousness, Tütte explained that I had been brought to the infirmary, and I apologized to the Prince, Safina, and Tütte for the trouble I caused.

(Ah, how I wish it had all been a dream. But now, I can't avoid this. Oh, what should I do? If something goes wrong, it will cause trouble for my family. No, the worst-case scenario is also possible. Ah, I can't do this alone, I can't, I can't, I CAN'T!)

I put on a cool face and told the three of them not to worry, but inside, I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Just then, a blonde girl with pigtails, who looked worried, entered the room. At that moment, an idea came to me as if it were a divine revelation, and I quickly got out of bed and hugged her.

"Magilkaaaa!"

"Mary-sama, you fell, what—ahhh!"

Magilka, who was surprised to be hugged as soon as she entered, froze on the spot. Even Zaha, who was behind her, was stunned. I grabbed her hands and brought them close to my face, pressing her.

"Magilka, let's fall into hell together!"

"W-What do you mean, 'together'? Hell?"

Confused and flustered, Magilka asked, and I explained the outrageous event the Prince had just told me about. Her face quickly turned pale.

"Please do your best. I'll support you from the shadows."

"Let's fall into hell together!"

I cut off Magilka's attempt to escape with a firm tone.

"What do you mean by 'hell'? No, I don't need to know, it's not a good place, is it?"

Magilka tried to turn away, but I put my hands around her waist and clung to her.

"Magilkaaaa! We're friends, right? Friends help each other when they're in trouble!"

I knew I was saying something that sounded like a bad friend, but I couldn't afford to be polite. I wanted her to come with me.

"That's a different matter. Since you've been designated by the Queen, you should do your duty to the Regalia Dukedom's name."

"Please, don't! I'm begging you, come with me, ah!"

I accidentally used too much force and pushed Magilka to the ground. She fell on her bottom with me on top of her, but I didn't care. I buried my face in her chest and looked up at her.

"M-Mary-sama, this is inappropriate!"

Magilka, with tears in her eyes, filled my vision.

"Please, Magilka."

I moved my face closer and pleaded.

"O-Okay, okay, I'll help, just let go of me!"

Magilka finally gave in to my intense actions.

"Really? You'll help?"

I clung to her and looked at her with teary eyes, and she blushed and nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you! I love you, Magilkaaaa!"

"――――!"

Overjoyed, I wrapped my arms around Magilka's neck, and she let out a soundless cry.

That night, as Tütte was preparing me for bed, I sat in a chair and reflected on the day's events.

"Today was exhausting."

"You've had a lot on your plate, Miss. You participated in the martial arts tournament, acted as a consultant for the Areyos performance, took on the role of security officer, and now you're also the Queen's escort."

Tütte's words made me realize something.

"Hold on. Am I doing too much? Wasn't I supposed to hide in the forest?"

"Well, you're becoming a standout tree in the forest."

Tütte's words made me look at the floor, my hands trembling.

"That's strange. How did it come to this?"

"It's because you lost sight of your original goal, Miss."

"..."

I glared at the maid who said something so matter-of-factly, and Tütte returned to her work.

"For now, you're still moving alone, so you can still hide, but if anything happens..."

I got up from the chair and pressed a cushion to Tütte's face before she could finish her ominous statement.

"Phew, that was close. You never know when the god of chaos is listening."

I pressed the cushion harder against Tütte's face, who was mumbling something.

"Phew! I couldn't breathe, Miss."

Tütte managed to escape from the cushion, caught her breath, and glared at me. I gave her a mischievous smile and sat back down.

"It's because you were about to set a bad flag."

"Miss..."

"What?"

Tütte, who had been giving me a stern look, suddenly broke into a wide smile, making me flinch.

"Let's hope nothing happens, shall we?"

"Don't say that!"

I threw the cushion at Tütte, and it hit her smiling face with a soft thud.

[Promotion] As I've reported in my activity updates, I received an award in the 5th Net Novel Grand Prize. Thank you to everyone who supported me. Currently, the book is being produced, and pre-orders are available. I would greatly appreciate your support.