After stepping out of the private box, Adelina and Dorothy walked side by side.
Because one of the rooms belonged to the princess, the area was under strict surveillance. Felyn was stopped by the guards and couldn't follow.
After bidding him goodbye, Dorothy turned to Adelina with a smile.
“Miss Adelina, are you free later tonight?”
“Is something the matter, Your Highness?”
The two of them maintained a polite distance—not too close, not too far.
“I was thinking of hosting a small party this evening. Would you happen to have time to join?”
Dorothy stopped walking and leaned lightly against the railing outside the box.
On stage, Zervanie was still brimming with energy, just like she had been an hour ago.
Being a popular songstress wasn’t easy. Singing and dancing for over an hour would’ve left an average person breathless, but Zervanie’s voice remained steady.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. We’ll be leaving the capital early tomorrow morning, so I’ll need tonight to pack.”
Adelina wasn’t making excuses. She really did have to get ready.
In the Siveshus Empire, any party that didn’t come with a few days’ notice was usually considered a private affair. Attending was optional, and Adelina’s response was entirely within etiquette.
“I see… That’s a shame. I was looking forward to chatting with you, Miss Adelina.”
Dorothy smiled at her regretfully.
To any onlookers, she still appeared to be the gentle and lovable princess.
But on the inside, her thoughts were far less kind.
What a pity. Now you won’t get to see the scene of Felyn holding me in his arms as the victor.
“But I wonder… will Mr. Felyn attend?” she murmured under her breath, hoping to gauge Adelina’s reaction.
“Felyn…?”
Adelina’s voice nearly gave away her excitement, but she managed to hold it in.
Stay calm. If she changed her mind the moment Felyn was mentioned, it would be far too obvious. She had to play it cool.
Besides, hadn’t Felyn just said he liked her? Letting him attend alone should be fine. It’s just the princess, after all—Felyn wouldn’t waver.
But why was Her Highness so interested in him? Was it because she had once praised Felyn’s bravery in vivid detail beneath the palace?
Did I accidentally raise his risk of being stolen away?
Adelina realized something important then: no matter how reserved a man might be, she could never praise Felyn in front of other girls again.
“I could ask him for you,” she said. “I’m not sure if he’s free tonight.”
“But, Your Highness, who else will be attending this party?”
She was worried that some of Felyn’s former noble acquaintances might show up. Given Felyn’s current identity, it would be awkward if he encountered any of his old peers from House Solst.
“Oh, not many. Miss Viloti, Miss Zervanie, Miss Daiyi, and a few other friends I’ve exchanged letters with…”
The moment Adelina heard the first two names, the rest of Dorothy’s list blurred into meaningless lip movements.
Viloti and Zervanie are coming too?
Your Highness, do you even realize those two are head over heels for Felyn?!
What the hell are you trying to pull here?!
This was bad. Extremely bad.
A single princess wasn’t too much of a threat. But add Zervanie and Viloti into the mix?
If she didn’t attend, she might as well hand Felyn over the next morning.
“Well? Will you come, Miss Adelina?” Dorothy asked gently, seemingly sensing her hesitation and giving her a way out.
“It’ll be over quickly. It won’t delay your trip tomorrow.”
“…Since Your Highness has gone through the trouble of inviting me, I’ll be there tonight.”
“Really? I’m so glad!”
Dorothy, of course, had no idea what sort of chaos she was about to walk into.
After parting ways with the princess, Adelina didn’t return to her private room.
She headed straight out of the venue and got into the Claude family’s private car without wasting a single second.
“Young Miss, where to?”
“Home.”
There was no way she could attend tonight’s party looking like this. And since she hadn’t known whether Felyn would be there, her makeup had been too simple.
Now, Adelina was rushing back to redo everything.
The Claude car sped off, vanishing into the night.
She didn’t notice that the vehicle passed right by Felyn—or she would’ve pulled him inside on the spot.
Felyn sat quietly on the venue steps, holding a bottle of water he had just bought from a nearby shop.
He had been lucky and won a free second bottle.
After saying goodbye to both girls, he hadn’t stayed inside.
Too dangerous.
Who knew what else might happen? For all he knew, fate might decide to gather every one of his clients and throw them at him at once.
So he ran.
If Daiyi’s father showed up later, he could just slip back in and handle the check-in.
By now, the sky had gone fully dark.
But the lights from Zervanie’s stage were dazzling, lighting up the area around Felyn like it was daytime.
The ground beneath him shimmered a sky-blue hue, painted by her overwhelming glow.
Felyn sat alone on a quiet step outside the venue.
He could still hear Zervanie’s voice clearly, and honestly, her singing was really good.
Even Felyn couldn’t help humming along.
Over an hour had passed since the concert started, but every now and then, stragglers hurried by, rushing to catch the show.
After all, traffic in the capital had been insane tonight. Anyone who didn’t leave half a day early was bound to be late.
Just then, a man with a Zervanie fan badge pinned to his jacket hurried past.
Felyn glanced at him out of curiosity.
He looked to be in his early thirties and was fairly handsome.
For a teenage boy like Felyn to mentally compliment someone’s looks, that man must’ve been quite striking.
The guy was clearly a diehard fan, and ten minutes after vanishing inside, he came back—stopping in front of Felyn.
“Hey, bro, do you know how to get into the venue?”
Apparently, he was lost. And since Felyn was the only soul around, he became the go-to guide.
Felyn thought it was funny that someone like him was being asked for directions but still gave the man clear instructions.
He noticed the guy was sweating heavily, so he held out the extra bottle.
“I won this just now. Can’t finish both by myself—here, take it.”
This guy was clearly a devoted Zervanie fan.
Without people like him, Zervanie wouldn’t be so popular.
And if she weren’t this popular, the value of Felyn’s autographed merch would drop.
So being nice to her fans was also being nice to his wallet.
“Thanks, man.”
The guy didn’t hesitate and downed half the bottle in one go. He looked absolutely parched.
“Hey, why aren’t you inside? Fight with your girlfriend?”
“Nope. Just zoning out.”
“Really? But you’ve got lipstick marks on both cheeks. I figured you argued with your girlfriends.”
…Lipstick?
Felyn instinctively wiped his cheeks with a handkerchief.
But Dorothy hadn’t kissed him, had she?
There was nothing on the cloth.
“So it was a fight with your two girlfriends, huh?” the man said with a knowing smile.
That’s when it hit Felyn.
The guy had baited him.
His first reaction wasn’t to deny it, but to check his face—confirming he had, indeed, just met with two girls.
What the hell… He’s just like Daiyi. Why do people like this exist?!
Just as the man was about to say something else, a vibration came from his pocket.
“Sorry, gotta take this.”
From Felyn’s angle, he couldn’t see the magic communication seal light up.
But if he had… he would’ve seen the name of the sender clearly written:
—Daiyi.
[Father, if you don’t come soon, the concert’s going to end.]
(End of Chapter)