“You praise me too much.”

Saena just smiled.

She wasn’t particularly interested in fashion. She thought this incident was more like a fortunate coincidence of various factors.

“There must be many people far more talented than me in fashion and trends. Today is probably just a coincidence.”

As much as she knew her areas of interest well, she also readily accepted areas she wasn’t good at. Thus she didn’t consider this trend her achievement.

“If it were Arlesian, I wouldn’t be so modest.”

To emphasize that she wasn’t being modest on purpose, Saena made a joke.

The Princess chuckled at her words.

“Yes, Arlesian.”

But the Princess stopped laughing and looked at Saena with a somewhat thoughtful expression.

“I hear you’re good at Arlesian.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you just say it wasn’t modesty?”

“Yes, I know it somewhat.”

After learning the core Arlesian structure anew, her ancient language skills had actually far surpassed professional scholars’ level.

Though she didn’t know why the Princess suddenly brought up Arlesian.

The Princess slightly lowered her head and voice.

“Could you perhaps come to my palace and look at something?”

Though she asked, her question was quite quiet as if she didn’t want it widely known.

“…What is it?”

“There’s something I’d like you to look at. I’ll explain the details then.”

Hmm, what could it be.

Looking at and checking something isn’t actually difficult. But the imperial palace was concerning.

“Is it… too much to ask?”

The Princess asked, seeming to read her hesitation.

“Looking at it isn’t difficult, but given the recent commotion around me, I’m not sure if I should enter the palace separately…”

“Ah.”

The Princess made an expression of understanding.

“I’ll send my messenger, so ride in that carriage together. Then you can enter quietly.”

The Princess had quite a considerate personality. Yet for her to make such a request, it must be quite important.

Saena thought briefly then gave a small nod.

‘With Yolly there, I should be able to avoid most dangers.’

The Princess smiled happily.

They changed topics and chatted about various things.

* * *

The banquet passed its midpoint.

Saena looked around the hall.

Constantine, who had left earlier with Darielle, hadn’t returned yet. The Crown Prince was also nowhere to be seen.

Was everything going well?

Actually, this was Saena’s first time staying in the banquet hall this long without even a break, so she felt quite tired.

Her anxiety seemed to grow deeper as time passed. She felt like going outside the hall briefly to check something.

‘No, let’s wait just a bit longer.’

If the timing went wrong, it could greatly ruin everything.

Saena took a deep breath and steadied her mind again.

A bit more time passed like that.

“Saya.”

“Ah, Constantine.”

He finally returned.

“Shall we dance?”

The music changed just then. Saena took Constantine’s offered hand and stepped onto the floor. He leaned down with a gentle expression and whispered in her ear.

“It’s about to begin.”

From far away, they would look like just an intimate couple sharing private words.

“It took quite long.”

“He had prepared quite meticulously. We had to work hard to set the stage.”

Here, ‘he’ naturally meant the Crown Prince.

“He’s on the second floor. It will start soon, so get ready.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

To think it changed from the originally planned location to the inner terrace on the second floor. There must have been quite a few variables.

Saena glanced up but couldn’t see even a shadow of people there. She met Constantine’s gaze again and deliberately smiled more.

From outside, it looked exactly like an affectionate couple’s dance.

“No!”

But then–

A voice rang out so loudly it cut through the music playing in the hall.

“…It’s starting.”

Constantine quietly signaled to Saena.

“I won’t go! Let me go!”

At the sudden shrill female voice, everyone looked around in confusion for its source.

On one side of the second floor of the long oval hall, there was a crescent-shaped inner terrace, a space exclusively for high nobles where nobles below the rank of count couldn’t even step foot.

People quickly turned their attention when they realized there was a sound coming from there. A woman was staggering at the end of the terrace railing, her back turned to them.

“Don’t touch me! I don’t care about being Hebeta or Crown Princess– mmph! mph!”

The woman twisted her body while strongly resisting. As her face became visible, someone blocked her scream-like shout.

A large hand had covered the woman’s mouth.

However, due to the angle, they couldn’t see who it was.

“…Who is that woman?”

“Oh my! Isn’t she the woman who came with Duke Kramer’s party?”

The situation was clearly not normal.

“Mmph!”

The woman flailed her arms toward the participants in the hall as if asking for help.

“Oh my, what should we do!”

“Mmph!”

Suddenly, she was dragged inside.

“Eek! Someone dragged her in!”

People were shocked, not knowing what was happening.

Though they didn’t know exactly what was going on, everyone had witnessed a woman being forcibly dragged away.

“Someone help!”

But even if they wanted to help, due to the nature of the place, not just anyone could step foot there.

A place where only high nobles could enter…

People looked around for high nobles and made eye contact with the Kramer couple.

“Your Grace! Duchess! Perhaps over there…”

But before they could finish asking for help,

Whoosh–!

The curtains that were beautifully tied to the pillars at regular intervals along the second-floor railing all came loose at once and fluttered outward.

It looked as if a great force had burst from inside, sweeping up the curtains.

“Let go– aah!”

Along with a loud scream, the hem of a dress floated in the air. The person who seemed to have been pushed outside the railing was probably that woman from earlier.

It appeared as though she had been caught up in the force when a Guardian Spirit’s power was strongly released.

“Ah, ah–!”

“Eek! What should we do!”

People screamed, anticipating the horrific scene that would follow.

The woman who had been floating in the air split into two as she fell. Perhaps hidden by the dress hem before, one of the separated forms was wearing men’s clothing.

“Aah! Oh my!”

The two people fell downward in an instant.

Just before the bodies could plummet onto the unforgivingly hard marble, a silver light burst forth from beneath the woman.

People instinctively closed their eyes at the intense light that filled the surroundings.

“……”

And when they opened their eyes again, an unexpected scene unfolded before them.

Instead of a horrific scene of blood spattering from the impact of the fall or bodies being twisted, it was a scene that drew gasps of admiration.

“That’s…!”

“A Guardian Spirit!”

It was a Guardian Spirit in a new form.

The Guardian Spirit, which appeared to be in the form of a wolf, had caught the falling woman between its two wings and was standing quietly.

However, the woman’s body hung limply with no response, seemingly unconscious from the psychological shock.

Something fell from the woman’s limp hand with a clatter. A shining metallic object rolled across the floor before coming to a stop.

“That woman must be an Oathkeeper.”

“It seems she unleashed her Guardian Spirit’s power just before losing consciousness.”

“Then what about the other man…”

When people turned their gaze, they saw another Guardian Spirit.

“Isn’t that Morev?”

“Oh my, it really is!”

Since there wasn’t a noble who hadn’t seen the four Guardian Spirits at the parade that happened once every four years, they immediately recognized that Duke Kramer had saved the man.

Morev had also caught the man between its wings and slowly touched down, then suddenly jerked its body to drop the man who had been on its back onto the floor. After dropping the man with a thud, it immediately disappeared.

“H-His Highness the P-Prince!”

The person sprawled ungracefully on the floor was a man with sky-blue hair wearing imperial ceremonial dress—was unmistakably the Prince.

“Someone! Quickly attend to the Prince! Call a physician!”

As Duke Kramer hurriedly called out, imperial attendants appeared from somewhere and urgently carried the Prince away on a stretcher.

“Gillian!”

The Empress, who had been staying unusually long today, seemed quite shocked by this commotion. She hurriedly descended from the dais calling the Prince’s name, then stopped to call the Princess.

“Princess! Take command of this incident. If someone has harmed the Prince, make sure they are captured! They will be severely punished!”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Empress, looking anxious with worry for the Prince, soon disappeared.

The Princess stood for a moment, surveying her surroundings. First, she looked up at the second-floor inner terrace as if measuring something, then scanned the floor.

“Duke Kramer.”

Then she called for Constantine.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“First, I express my gratitude. Thank you for saving the Prince.”

“You’re too kind.”

“Is this lady alright?”

“She seems to need immediate medical attention. May I take her?”

“Do you know anything about what happened?”

“Well, I merely reflexively caught someone who was falling, so I believe a detailed investigation will be necessary.”

Watching this, the party attendees began whispering among themselves.