Sigh... Lavenia does have a temper...
How unlucky I am, possessing the body of a villainess. And now I have to white-wash her name.
I was surprised when Arkanio suddenly slam the table.
"Oh! I remember now! She was fierce when we first met her. Even though it's true that I found it by coincidence."
"Aha... sorry for accusing you at that time..." I said awkwardly.
Arkanio crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Well... I, too, am sorry for breaking your favorite earring. I got emotional when Rey was hurt. By the way, how valuable are your earrings?"
...how would I know?! I'm not Lavenia just so you know!
Reymond cleared his throat and change the topic. "After telling you this story, I believe that marquess' memory aren't that bad and he understands the etiquette that everyone knows."
Alvanio chuckled. "That's interesting. Lady Alfaret always seems to have a temper whenever she meets someone."
Lavenia is! I'm not, okay?!
Alvanio also told them about our first meeting.
Sigh... So embarrassing...
Arkanio suddenly laughed, making me frown.
"I also met her once when she was lost. Lania, was your sense of dirrection that poor?"
...I want to shoot your redhead like a dot on a dart board...
"Arka, mind your ethics."
Look at him, his words and expressions of holding back laughter are so incongruous.
Alvanio, who also enjoyed making fun of me, suddenly stopped laughing.
"I didn't know that there were scout flies here... Excuse me, lady, could you stand up for a moment?"
I stood according to his instructions. Then Alvanio squatted down and reached under the sofa where I had been sitting with one hand.
He sat back in his place and placed a small, black, round object.
Ok, what the heck is that? And how do you know it's there?
"You can take a seat again, Lady Alfaret."
Reymond took the strange object and examined it. "There's no mistaking it, this is a voice recorder. How did you notice that, marquess?"
My question exactly.
Alvanio ate the pastries and answered casually. "I don't know, maybe because my instincts are as sharp as rumored."
...Seriously?
"Rey! Isn't this thing your unfinished creation?!"
"I lost one a few days ago, and it wasn't perfect like this."
"So you're saying someone stole and...
perfected your prototype?"
"That's a possibility..."
Uhm... Is that possible? Who can match Reymond's intelligence..?
I glanced at Alvanio who was still eating snacks at the table.
Hm... There's no way it's Alvanio. Why would he leak this if he was the perpetrator?
"I saw this being sold on the black market."
Alvanio's words made the three of us look at him.
"The shop that just opened sold a total of 3 of these items. At that time someone asked and bought them all."
"Did you see the faces of the seller and buyer?"
"Hm..." Alvanio put on a thoughtful expression and then glanced at us. "Guess who." He said while eating nuts.
Ugh, can you stop eating and be serious for a moment?
Nevermind... I forgot your character was made like this
Knock...knock...
Alvanio casually opened the door and received a box from a guard knight.
He closed the door and placed the box on my lap. "My compensation for your dress."
I opened the box and there was a lavender dress that matched my hair.
And so, I went to the bathroom.
Finished, I found the only person waiting in the room was a maid.
"Good evening, Miss Alfaret. Marquess Fabian sent me to help you with your make up. May I?"
Uh... Too formal...
"Yes, please take care of me."
"That is my duty."
***
Sigh... How many times do I have to get used to this kind of time-consuming grooming...
I walked back to the ballroom.
When I went down the stairs, people's gazes turned to me, making me a little uncomfortable.
Countess Zephyr approached me with an enchanted expression. "Oh my, Lady Alfaret. Who would have thought you would look more radiant? Marquess Fabian's eye is very good at choosing dresses and reliable maids."
I smiled awkwardly. "It is true."
"Oh right..." Countess Zephyr leaned closer to my ear. "When Lady Alfaret left, the crown prince made his presence here. You should perhaps greet him."
I looked at her confused.
Crown prince? Why is he here? Will he be okay?
I looked around and found Julianus talking with Marquess Fabian.
I stepped closer and gave my greeting.
"Lavenia Alfaret greets the future king of the empire, your Highness the crown prince."
Julianus stopped the conversation. "There's no need to be so formal, Lady Alfaret."
“I apologize, but I dare not lose my manners as a noble.”
"Okay then, I don't have a problem. Even though you have done many things that don't reflect nobility in front of me, such as holding heels."
My brain is compromised with Julianus and displays the memories that I want to throw away.
... I want to go home...
"Oh? That happened? Lady Alfaret is indeed different from other noble girls." Now Alvanio is the one mocking me.
I curse you both, you impudent handsome capture targets.
"Tch... By the way, crown prince. Are you okay? Why did you come here?" I asked, trying to change the topic.
"Oh? Look at that. I thought I heard Lady Alfaret clicked her tongue just now."
"I did not. Your ears must be mistaken, Marquess."
"My hearing always good. I'm sure that you did"
"Did not"
"You did."
"Did not."
Julianus laughed a bit. "I came because this mission is important for the future fate of the kingdom."
Alvanio narrows the distance between the three of us. "Bringing up the current topic, that organization disappeared in an instant while I was spying. Despite checking several times I couldn't find any trace of them."
"They may be using high-level magic or there's some trick behind this oddity. Let me check. Please lead the way."
They both went to the room earlier. But Alvanio turned around and looked at me in surprise. "What are you waiting for?"
...Huh? What? Who are you talking to?
I looked to my right and left. But there was no one.
Alvanio approached and took my hand. "What I meant was you, not anyone else."
"What? Why me? Aren't I just an identification card?"
Alvanio looked at me with a question mark. "What do you mean? You are not just an identification card, but my trump card today."
"Wha- you didn't say that yesterday!"
Alvanio showed a face pretending not to know. "Really? It seems like my words weren't clear enough."
You damn scammer...
"Ugh, whatever. Just get this over."
After arriving at the door, Julianus checked the door and then entered when he was sure there were no oddities.
Inside there is a long table with several chairs that are not neatly arranged.
"I saw them sitting down, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared. I couldn't figure out their trick no matter how much I thought about it."
Wow... Even Alvanio can't explain this incident.
Julianus took off the earplugs containing his magic, and suddenly his ears turned reddish.
Ah... I almost made a sound... Right now all I can do is stay quiet without making a sound.
After a few minutes, he put the device back on. "I didn't hear any strange movements nearby. That means they're using teleportation magic."
Alvanio smiled happily. "That's why I brought my trump card. It is for this situation." He patted my shoulder lightly
Huh? What? What can I do?