Chapter 94

"Philine, could I have a moment, please?"

"Yes."

"It's about our future plans..."

In the afternoon, in Tiara Rose's private room, she brought up the topic of the masquerade ball during a leisurely time.

"Oh, a masquerade ball?"

"I think we'll have many busy days ahead."

The ball would be held at Olivia's mansion, with the aim of getting to know each other as individuals and becoming friends. All participants were informed of this when they received their invitations. On the day of the event, one could not reveal their identity or name, but it was acceptable to meet afterward. Married individuals and singles were distinguished by a tiara rose flower on the masks of the singles, both male and female.

"Your frequent tea parties with Lady Olivia were actually meetings, weren't they?"

"Yes. I would like you to accompany me on the day of the event..."

"Of course, I will go with you!"

"Thank you."

Philine smiled, saying, "As Tiara Rose's maid, of course."

—As a participant, not a maid...

This was still a secret from Philine. If she were to receive an invitation, she would undoubtedly refuse and insist on accompanying Tiara Rose as her maid.

"In that case, we need to choose a dress. ...But for a masquerade ball, why not try a different dress from usual? That way, no one will recognize you as Tiara Rose."

"That's a good idea."

Philine's suggestion made Tiara Rose feel excited, and she immediately agreed. Since she usually wore light blue dresses, it would be nice to try a different style. Philine began suggesting various dress styles, and Tiara Rose smiled at her enthusiasm.

—I should get Philine a beautiful dress as a gift.

Then, she suddenly asked a question she had been wondering about.

"Do you have someone you like, Philine?"

"Eh? Me?"

When Tiara Rose asked, Philine looked surprised, as if she hadn't thought much about herself. She tilted her head in thought and smiled wryly, saying, "Not really..."

"I enjoy my work, so I don't have a strong desire to get married..."

"Indeed, Philine is a hard worker. I often want to tell you to take a break."

In fact, Tiara Rose wondered if Philine ever took proper breaks. Of course, she was given time off, but she often spent it studying.

—I hope this will be an opportunity for Philine to have some fun.

With this thought, Tiara Rose and Philine spent the afternoon discussing dresses.

***

The enjoyable preparation period passed quickly, and the day of the masquerade ball arrived. Tiara Rose wore a dark blue dress, which she usually didn't, and a long white lace bolero. Her hair was up, giving her a more mature and alluring look.

"You look lovely, but this adult vibe is also very charming! With this mask, no one will recognize you as Tiara Rose."

"Thank you, Philine."

As Tiara Rose and Philine smiled warmly, Aquasteed, who had been watching the preparations, chuckled.

"Indeed, you look like a different person."

"If you say so, you look like a different person too, Lord Aquasteed?"

"Really?"

Aquasteed was wearing a silver and white suit. Since he usually wore darker colors, it looked quite fresh. His hair was slightly slicked back, and Tiara Rose thought he might be nervous when he put on his mask.

—My heart is pounding so hard, I'm afraid it might stop.

"...You look very handsome."

Tiara Rose walked to the sofa where Aquasteed was sitting and hugged him tightly while standing. Her face was red, and it was clear she was blushing. Aquasteed smiled and called her name in a slightly lower tone, "Tiara." He took her hand and intertwined their fingers, feeling a strong desire to keep this alluring Tiara Rose to himself.

"Don't let any strange men get to you, okay?"

"I won't, I promise."

—With Lord Aquasteed here.

"Besides, married women don't wear flowers. I don't think any man would try to flirt with a married woman."

"...That just means you're very attractive, Tiara."

"Then, you must be too. Don't look at anyone else but me, okay?"

"Of course."

Seeing the sweet atmosphere between the two, Philine quietly left the room.

"Seeing Lady Tiara Rose happy makes me happy too."

Feeling elated, Philine walked down the hallway, deciding to check the carriage now. The arrangements had been made, so it should be ready by now.

"We can't be late for the masquerade ball, so I need to hurry..."

Philine quickened her pace slightly and, as she passed a certain door, she was suddenly grabbed by the arm and dragged inside.

"Ah! What's going on!?"

She tried to regain her composure, but the other person's grip was too strong. Philine, being frail, couldn't break free. Cold sweat trickled down her back, and she wanted to call for help, but she wasn't good at using magic, and the sea fairy who usually blessed her wasn't there.

—This is a dire situation...

Philine thought, but the voice she heard made her eyes widen.

"I'm not going to eat you or anything."

"Eh...? Ah, it's you!"

"Time is short, so please be quiet."

Philine, who had been so scared she almost cried, tried to steady her trembling body and spoke up.

"How can you do this, Levi!!"

"...Of course, I have permission."

"Wh-What!?"

When Philine scolded him, Levi, the one who had dragged her in, answered coolly. Philine's mind was in panic, wondering what was going on. Whose permission did he get? Levi's master was Olivia, but Philine's master was Tiara Rose.

But she couldn't imagine Tiara Rose giving such permission.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm going back to Lady Tiara Rose."

"That's not possible. This is an order from Olivia and Lady Tiara Rose."

"Wh-What kind of lie is that? Do you think I would believe it!?"

Philine showed her anger, thinking he should stop this nonsense.

Her master would never allow such a kidnapping-like act.

"Well, the method was left to my discretion... so I had to be a bit forceful."

"..."

Philine's cheeks twitched, knowing this was definitely Levi's fault.

"...? What's with that outfit? What happened to your usual butler's uniform?"

"No, no! I'm not Olivia's butler right now; I'm her magician."

"Magician...?"

Levi was wearing a magician's robe.

—What is this butler talking about?

Philine looked at him with a cold eye, not wanting to get involved. However, she understood that the magician's part was related to the orders from Tiara Rose and Olivia.

Philine sighed and asked Levi what he was going to do.

"Of course, as a magician, I'll do this."

"?"

As Philine wondered what he was going to do, Levi suddenly swirled his robe. For a moment, she thought it was some kind of performance, but then she realized she was wearing a dress.

"...?"

She instinctively checked her entire body.

"Eh? No way, why...?"

She was wearing a cream and light green dress with champagne gold lace. Her hair was half-up, and even had gentle waves.

Usually, she wore her hair up and dressed as a maid, so she frowned at this unfamiliar look.

The last time she wore a dress was years ago.

"...What are you trying to do, Levi? And how did you change my clothes...?"

"As a magician, it's easy for me to do that."

"..."

—He's not a magician.

Philine wanted to say, but before she could, Levi said, "Let's go," and handed her something from his robe.

"Here, this."

"Eh? A mask with a Tiara Rose flower?"

"Yes. Please put it on quickly; we need to head to the venue."

"Eeeh!?"

Levi then carried Philine in his arms and started walking quickly. It was more like a power walk. It was that fast.

"Levi, stop it!"

"I want to get back to Olivia quickly, so please be quiet."

"!"

—How selfish...

Philine thought, but then she remembered that Levi had said this was an order from Olivia and Tiara Rose.

In other words, while the method wasn't specified, the intention was for her to dress up and attend the masquerade ball, as per Tiara Rose's wishes.

Indeed, Philine had never attended a ball as a young lady, even when invited. Tiara Rose's decision to keep it a secret and take such drastic measures was understandable.

"Lady Tiara Rose must have set up this event because I was struggling..."

"Nobles can be quite troublesome."

"...Yes. Maybe I should try to find someone nice."

Philine muttered, and to her surprise, Levi responded.

She smiled wryly, thinking she needed to settle down soon. If something similar happened again, she might inconvenience Tiara Rose.

Perhaps marrying a noble from Marinfrost would be a good future.

"I belong to Olivia, so don't fall for me."

"I won't, what are you talking about?"

"That's a relief."

Levi said this with a serious face, making Philine laugh.

***

Philine was brought to the Ariadelle mansion, where the masquerade ball was being held. She put on her mask and the Tiara Rose flower to indicate she was unmarried.

"Wow... this is amazing."

Inside, many young ladies and gentlemen were chatting, wearing masks. There was a dance floor in the center, and some people were already dancing. The dessert corner, which Tiara Rose had talked about enthusiastically, was a hit. A large fountain was flowing with chocolate, and it was fun just to look at. Next to it, a chef was making crepes, which seemed to be getting more attention than the main dishes.

Philine smiled and decided to try some later.

"Lady Tiara Rose and Prince Aquasteed... they haven't arrived yet."

They would stand out as soon as they arrived, so she would know immediately.

There was nothing to do but enjoy the ball until Tiara Rose arrived. As Philine made this decision, someone called out to her from behind.

"Good evening, miss."

"! ...Good evening."

She turned around to see a man with honey-colored hair. He seemed to be trying to strike up a conversation with her. She curtsied, and he smiled warmly.

"You look lovely in that dress. ...It's a shame I can't know your name."

"Thank you."

"Do you often attend balls?"

His friendly approach was probably due to the masks. Usually, people were strict about etiquette because of their status, but now, since no one knew who they were, it was more relaxed.

Philine found it refreshing and was happy about it.

"No, it's been a long time since I attended a ball."

"Is that so... If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Oh, thank you. I was a bit nervous, so it's reassuring to hear that."

Being able to have a normal conversation made Philine feel relieved.

Watching this from a hidden spot was Tiara Rose. She wanted to point out that this was more like spying, but no one noticed her.

"Philine is talking to a man!"

Moreover, the atmosphere seemed good, Tiara Rose thought. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell who the man was because of the mask, but she doubted the serious Philine would talk to a strange man.

As Tiara Rose's maid, Philine was very strict about etiquette and probably understood manners better than the regular attendees.

So, anyone who acted improperly in front of her would be ignored.

"All I need to do now is meet up with Aquasteed."

Akaru and Olivia would arrive as soon as they finished their preparations.

Aquasteed was with Elliot, who was also attending, to make sure he didn't show up in something terribly plain.

In other words, Aquasteed was there to supervise and keep an eye on him.

"Still, the cream dress is so cute. It was worth all the effort to make it!"

"Yep, it's really cute."

"Eh...?"

As she admired Philine's dress, a voice from behind startled her. She turned around to see a man with a tan complexion standing there, wearing a mask.

—Who is he?

Tiara Rose frowned under her mask at the sudden appearance of this man. There were no tanned nobles in Marinfrost, and she didn't remember inviting anyone like him.

It was possible he was sunburned, but that seemed unlikely.

As Tiara Rose stared at the man, he smiled softly.

"Maybe you're feeling a little flutter, kitty cat?"

"Eh...?"

—He's a flirt!

Tiara Rose thought he must have winked under his mask and was put off by his behavior. She also thought he was the type who loved masquerade balls.

He had golden hair and a tan complexion. Unfortunately, his face was hidden, but his aura was nothing but flirtatious.

Tiara Rose wanted to sigh loudly but held back and told him to stop.

"This is a place to socialize and build relationships, not to flirt. If you're going to be a nuisance, please leave."

"Wow, I've never been told that by a woman! You're great, you know!"

"...Are you even listening to me?"

Seeing that the man wasn't taking her seriously, Tiara Rose inwardly sighed deeply, feeling she had gotten herself into a troublesome situation.

Yesterday, the latest chapter of the manga was released in the digital magazine on the 5th!

Thank you for your support.

Additionally, the first limited edition of the new book, "Overwhelmed by the Love of the Demon King and the Hero!" (Beaumarchais Bunko), which will be released on the 13th, includes a short story paper of the villainess.

(I will provide more details in a future activity report.)