Chapter 362

Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! Chapter 362

She and the Masquerade Ball 3

The day of the masquerade ball.

I put on the dress by myself and applied makeup.

Sure enough, I couldn’t ask Clara. It was impossible to have her cooperate with going to a masquerade ball.

Despite struggling, I somehow succeeded in putting on the dress in the bedroom.

The dress I prepared was the same I’d worn when I met Freed at a masquerade ball. After marrying, I brought all the dresses from my parents’ home with me. Recalling that one was among them, I took it out. Be that as it may, if I wore it normally, the Royal Flower would be perfectly visible. Then, regardless of the mask, my identity would be obvious, so I decided to wear thin innerwear that reached to the neck. It was made of white lace, but the fabric had two layers, so my skin didn’t show through. , I nodded after confirming that the Royal Flower was hidden.

“Er, next is… Oh.”

I recalled my hair and makeup from that day as much as I could and tried to recreate it.

Let me say it clearly. It’s a dig at the fake Apollo. This appearance demonstrates my strong determination to not forgive the existence of the sham.

“Okay, it’s perfect.”

The mirror reflected me from half a year ago.

If I put on the mask, it’ll be complete. Freed will prepare it, so all that’s left is to wait.

By the way, as for what Freed is doing now, he’s busy with government affairs as usual.

I’m free until he comes back, so I began preparing ahead.

“… Marianne.”

While looking at the mirror, I muttered my friend’s name.

The masquerade ball Marianne will attend is in a week. Before that, the only masquerade ball is today. If that man doesn’t attend the masquerade ball tonight, I’ll have no choice but to go to the one Marianne is going to.

I want to avoid approaching that man in front of Marianne, so if possible, I hope to settle it at today’s evening party.

“Haa… I’m nervous.”

“Princess, are you done?”

“Ah, yup.”

I answered Cain’s voice I heard from the main room. While I was changing clothes in the bedroom, I had him stay in the main room. When I went out, Cain made a surprised face upon seeing me.

“… Princess, you’ve really transformed.”

“Nn? What do you mean by transformed?”

“You usually don’t really seem like the Crown Princess, and yet after properly dressing up, your atmosphere completely changes… Aah, but like this you’ll probably catch that man.”

“Will I? I need him to talk to me so it would be great if things went that well.”

The venues of evening parties are dark. It will be hard to distinguish him if we aren’t close, so if possible, I want to get close enough to talk one-on-one. For that, I need him to talk to me.

For now I sat on the sofa and waited for Freed to come back. I wondered if he’d be a little late, but he came back a little earlier than usual.

Seeing my appearance, he opened his eyes wide.

“Lidi… That dress…”

“… You noticed?”

As expected, Freed could tell.

Feeling a little embarrassed, I went to Freed’s side. His gaze felt like it would pierce a hole through my body.

“Of course I could tell. Lidi, it’s the dress you were wearing when we first met… How nostalgic.”

“I did this thinking that the fake Freed would never know.”

“Lidi, I remember you from that day like it was yesterday. When I arrived, you were eating alone with a happy smile. I could tell from the expression on your face that what you were eating was delicious. Fascinated by that lovely figure I became charmed and thought that I needed to obtain you no matter what.”

“Eh…”

Eating, was that perhaps about me eating in the sweets corner without paying attention to my surroundings?

My first masquerade ball. I felt completely out of place, so I escaped to eat out of awkwardness.

At first it was an escape, but since I liked sweets to begin with, I lost track of time and enjoyed myself. In the meanwhile I recalled my purpose, and when I was on the way back to the dance hall, I met eyes with Freed.

“Lidi, you were cute back then, but you’re even cuter now. I can see the difference well because you’re wearing the same dress. Your skin, your hair, the radiance of your eyes are by far more attractive than back in those days. Lidi, if I saw your current self at that time, I’m sure I’d have forgotten that I was at a masquerade ball and silently took you away.”

“… Hey, that would be nothing more than a kidnapping.”

Normally, it would be a big problem. But, Freed was serious.

“After all, I couldn’t have left such a cute Lidi at a masquerade ball. I’d have immediately taken you to the Royal Castle and locked you in the bedroom. I would have embraced you until you fell unconscious, granted you the Royal Flower, and declared to Esteemed Father that I’d marry you since you had the Royal Flower.”

“… Freed, you really were one step from committing a crime. Somehow, I feel like I always just barely avoid it.”

“Lidi, when it comes to you, I can’t keep my self-control. I can’t help it. You’re my only mate. It’s natural that I’d use any method to catch you.”

“Even if you say that it’s natural…”

What of my will?

However, I already know that’s how Wilhelm royals who have discovered their mate are, so there’s no choice but to give up after being locked on.

Well, I love Freed, so there’s no problem.

Even though what he’s saying is fairly intense, I’m happy about it, so it’s really too late. I’m aware that I’m beyond help.

While spellbound, Freed said.

“That’s why, you could say I was like a moth flying into the flame at the time of that ball. I was fortunate that the person I fell in love with and who obediently let herself be embraced by me was a virgin. I decided in an instant that I had to grant you the Royal Flower and mark you as mine.”

“Yup… There was something like that.”

I was a real fool to have gone back to the mansion while gloating that things went well, completely unaware of Freed’s plan.

“… Well, it’s only a nostalgic memory now.”

Without that meeting, there would be no us now, so it was necessary.

While I was thinking that, Freed again looked over me and said with a complicated face.

“Say, Lidi. Won’t you leave it to a female soldier after all? Seeing the real thing, I can only dislike Lidi that’s cuter than before going to a masquerade ball. I can’t stand such a cute Lidi being exposed to the eyes of men other than me! Lidi is mine only, and yet…”

“We’re done with that talk. I’m definitely going.”

I negotiated with all my might and obtained the right to participate. There’s no way I’d simply say, “Never mind”. When I turned away sulkily, Freed said bitterly.

“After all, you finally wore this dress, and yet the Royal Flower can’t be seen. My Royal Flower shows that you’re mine, Lidi. Why must you hide my mark? It makes me want to tell you not to go.”

“I’ll be exposed if I don’t hide it.”

Fundamentally, Freed’s mood turns bad whenever I wear clothes that hide the Royal Flower. Naturally, I wear clothes that hide the Royal Flower when going to town, but he doesn’t seem too pleased about that. He likes that they can be easily stripped though.

“Just in case, I’ll also remove the ring.”

“Eh?”

Freed’s eyes opened wide. While pulling the ring off my finger, I said.

“I’d be troubled if that man suspected something, so I have to remove anything risky. Hey Freed, I’ll entrust it to you. Return it after I come back.”

“… Understood.”

While reluctant, Freed accepted the ring. Then he breathed a big sigh.

“The Royal Flower can’t be seen, you took off the ring… I’m really worried.”

“It’s alright. Nothing will happen.”

Although I said that, the spot where I’d been wearing the ring felt a little lonely.

I’ve hardly taken it off since I received it on the date with Freed, and since it became the two-part matching accessory, I haven’t taken it off even once. In a way, it became completely natural.

―― It’s lonely without it.

Be that as it may, if I said that, Freed would obviously tell me, “Then, let’s not go,” so I absolutely won’t say it.

Freed, totally upset now, began grumbling, “Masquerade ball… If a man as much as lays his finger on Lidi, I’ll never forgive him.”

As he did, I clearly declared.

“… I don’t want to be touched either. Freed, only you can touch me. Isn’t that obvious?”

As if I’d want to be touched by anybody except my beloved. Just imagining it, I felt nauseous and got goosebumps all over my body. Absolutely no.

When I told Freed that, he strongly nodded and said, “If something happens, I’ll immediately save you, so you can feel at ease,” with his most serious face.