I stared at the calendar, lost in thought.
On the day Leon mentioned—the day of the full moon—a red angry-looking face had been drawn.
‘Of all days, it had to be this one.’
As I kept staring holes into the calendar, Emily asked me in a voice full of concern.
“Are you worried about the ball?”
Yes. That day was the imperial ball, which happened only three times a year.
Moreover, this ball was quite special.
In the original story, there were exactly three times when Idette nearly died. The first incident was the one that happened at the lake. The second incident would take place at this ball.
On top of that, Peril would also be attending this ball. Though not in his true form…….
Anyway, since all three male leads made an appearance in this episode, it held considerable significance in the original.
So, I had to absolutely avoid getting swept up by them.
‘I might end up dying instead of Idette…….’
The male leads would fight tooth and nail to save Idette, but if I were in danger, I’d just die right then and there!
As my sigh grew longer, Emily gave me a thumbs-up, trying to reassure me.
“You even got your dress tailored by Lady Sally this time! And all the accessories are ready too…….”
“…….”
“I even planned the hairstyle I’ll do for you that day!”
I eventually let out a chuckle at Emily’s words.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“……More importantly, my lady.”
“Hmm?”
She stepped closer to me with a face full of determination.
“Have you found a partner?”
“……Ah.”
“The dress is lovely, the necklace is perfect, and your hairstyle is amazing! But the most important thing is your partner for the entrance.”
Emily tightly grasped both of my hands.
“……You did find one, right? Don’t tell me you forgot about your partner?”
I had completely forgotten…….
“Of—of course! I did find one!”
Only then did Emily let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew, thank goodness. Now I can finally sleep peacefully at night.”
Sorry, Emily.
Feeling a sting in my conscience, I avoided Emily’s steady gaze.
Ugh, this was really a big problem.
Currently, my official fiancé is Ricardo. So if he didn’t act as my partner, I would become a laughingstock again.
‘But I’m not even sure Ricardo will be my partner.’
The way he was acting now—it was just a whim.
Still, if I chose another partner, I’d be ridiculed all the same.
Showing up holding another man’s hand when I already had a fiancé!
In that case, it might be better to just call off the engagement and find a new partner altogether.
‘……Or maybe not going at all wouldn’t be so bad.’
Sorry, Emily.
I glanced at the calendar.
More importantly, how was I going to get into the Drimokan Forest on that day?
* * *
“Phew.”
How to get into the Drimokan Forest?
No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one answer.
“Teacher, are you here?”
I gently opened the door to the Sun’s Shop. I was nervous, worried I’d be greeted by Peril in yet another disguise.
“……Are you here?”
But there was no one inside.
Where had he gone?
Only then did my tension ease, and I let out a breath, glancing around the shop.
I had always been so tense whenever I came here that I never really got the chance to browse the items comfortably.
Then, I noticed a lion statue adorned with gems.
“……Grandpa would probably like this.”
“I’m not that old yet.”
It happened in an instant.
I heard Peril’s voice right by my ear. The sudden sound startled me so much I jumped away from him.
“Ah, come on!”
My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it might burst. I pressed down on my racing chest and glared at Peril.
“I told you not to show up out of nowhere.”
“You told me not to disguise myself, but you never said anything about this.”
Now that he mentioned it, I didn’t think I’d ever told him not to show up suddenly…….
Peril smirked and pointed at the lion statue with his chin.
“So you want that?”
“I was just looking. I thought my grandfather might like it.”
“Ah, I see. I thought you meant me.”
Unbelievable.
Where on earth had his conscience gone?
Speechless, I let out a dry laugh without realizing it.
“My grandfather is younger than you, Teacher.”
“I look young.”
“Looks aren’t everything.”
At my words, Peril narrowed his eyes. I calmly opened my mouth.
“I misspoke.”
“Peril, is something the matter?”
A gentle voice came from behind him. The tone, like jade beads rolling, was one I was quite familiar with.
“……!”
Idette’s eyes widened the moment she saw me. But only for a second—she soon broke into a bright smile and ran over to me.
“Lady Bianca!”
Idette shifted from foot to foot, her hands fidgeting, as if she wanted to grab mine but couldn’t decide what to do.
“Have you been well?”
“Of course. How about you, Lady Idette?”
“I’ve been well too!”
Idette grinned shyly, then lightly scolded Peril.
“You should’ve told me you knew Lady Bianca.”
“You never asked.”
Peril responded nonchalantly, arms crossed.
“By the way, how did you two come to know each other……?”
At her question, my eyes darted around.
How was I supposed to explain this?
Peril didn’t seem keen on explaining either and simply looked at me, clearly wanting me to answer.
“Oh dear, where are my manners! Lady Bianca, would you like some tea?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
I must have looked flustered. Idette quickly changed the subject and disappeared into the back of the shop.
“……Didn’t expect you two to be that close.”
Peril looked between me and Idette with a surprised expression.
“It’s thanks to you, Teacher.”
“……?”
“You asked me to watch over Idette, remember?”
“Oh.”
Peril finally remembered and rubbed his forehead with an awkward look.
How could he forget a favor he himself asked for?
I whispered to him.
“I’ve completed every task you asked of me, Teacher.”
“Well done.”
“That’s not the point!”
Worried Idette might overhear, I quickly lowered my voice.
“Now it’s your turn to grant my request.”
“Lady Bianca, is cake all right?”
Just then, Idette poked her head out from between the doors and asked.
“I’m fine with anything.”
“Wonderful. Come on in.”
I glanced at Peril.
……Why wasn’t he saying anything? It made me nervous.
“Let’s go in for now.”
Peril said this as he gave my back a push toward the room. I resisted as much as I could, but I was no match for his strength.
“Would you rather I move you with magic?”
At his words, I shut my mouth.
That… was fair enough.
* * *
“Oh, I’ve been learning magic from Peril lately!”
Idette spoke excitedly, flicking her fingers lightly. A fragrance spread, and pink flowers began falling gently over my head.
“What do you think? Isn’t it the perfect magic for you, Lady Bianca?”
The tea was soon covered with blossoms. Watching this silently from beside me, Peril clicked his tongue and took my teacup.
“Idette, haven’t I told you not to use your powers carelessly?”
“It’s okay in front of Lady Bianca!”
Idette looked at me with sparkling eyes.
……It seemed I’d won her favor during that incident at the lake.
Embarrassed, I just focused on eating the cake.
So Peril had accepted Idette as his student, just like in the original.
Well, she was the only surviving bloodline of the Eileens.
Known as a shabby baron’s daughter from the countryside, Idette Antoine.
But her hidden real name was Idette Eileen.
“Lady Bianca, try this too!”
Maybe because I was only eating cake, she found it endearing. Idette busily moved around and placed another slice in front of me.
“I thought you liked cake ever since that tea party we had together.”
Th—that was just because I didn’t have anything to say during the tea party, so I kept eating……
Still, I couldn’t ignore her kind gesture.
“Tsk, you’ll upset your stomach. Have some tea too.”
Peril placed the teacup in my hand.
Now I was holding a teacup in one hand and a fork in the other.
This look, how should I put it……
Didn’t I look like a total glutton right now?