Chapter 366

Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! Chapter 366

His Escort

“… I’m irritated.”

“Yup, please calm down.”

I silently nodded to Cain’s words.

After seeing Lidi enter the masquerade ball venue, we sneaked into the same venue with Cain at the lead.

I changed into the prepared clothes and moved above the ceiling of the venue. It was my first time going to such a place, but thanks to Cain’s guidance it wasn’t particularly difficult, and we settled down in the planned location.

“… Look, you can see below from here.”

“Ooh….”

I peeked at the masquerade ball from the hole Cain opened in the ceiling.

Men and women wearing masks of various colors were enjoying conversations.

Half a year ago the figures hiding their desirous faces with masks were a common sight for me, but after such a long time seeing them makes me feel nauseous.

And after all, I can’t approve of my wife, whom I treasure more than anyone, being among them.

“… Lidi.”

I muttered quietly. I could immediately find her figure among the crowd.

She became even more beautiful since marrying me, even despite the mask didn’t spoil her beauty. Just about as expected, men were sending looks her way.

Seeing that, I wanted to scatter everyone and loudly shout that she’s mine.

“…”

“… Listen. I can feel your angry aura, and it hurts. Can’t you tone it down?”

“Impossible.”

I immediately replied to Cain’s tired voice and observed the scene below.

Just thinking that my cute Lidi is evaluated by men whose only aim is to unleash their desires on her makes me unable to calm down

Cain, who was similarly looking below through an opening, sighed.

“… Whoa, Princess stands out after all… I had a hunch she would though.”

“It’s natural.”

Even half a year ago she gathered attention. Since then she’s lived in the Royal Castle, has been polished by court ladies, and gradually gained awareness as my consort. Even wearing the mask, she won’t disappear among the masses.

But, she doesn’t seem to notice that.

Even so, Lidi was skillfully avoiding meeting eyes with men, but perhaps she eventually got tired of that, as she began moving.

I took that opportunity to check the venue. It seemed the pretender hadn’t come yet.

“Aah.”

“Nn?”

When I checked on Lidi cued by Cain’s astonished voice, she had moved by herself to the location with food and drink. She delightfully put a nearby chocolate in her mouth.

“… Lidi.”

Seeing the exact scene from half a year ago, I inadvertently pressed my fingers to my temple.

“Princess sure is easygoing…”

“It’s also proof that she isn’t nervous… Aah! Lidi. Don’t make such a cute face!”

Perhaps it suited her taste very much, as Lidi showed an enchanting smile. Her smile was lovely despite the mask, and men couldn’t take their eyes off her, unable to completely give up.

“… Try lying even a finger on Lidi. I’ll never forgive you.”

“Scary…”

Despite answering so to my words said through teeth grit to suppress my anger, Cain looked at me with a face saying he didn’t want to be involved.

I ignored him. That’s not important now. Lidi’s safety is a top priority.

The men, who went unnoticed because she was absorbed in sweets, eventually gave up on her and went to talk with other women.

As I felt relieved and continued observing Lidi, Cain said with a frown.

“Say, is it fine that Princess went there without any disguise? After all, she stands out incredibly, right? Won’t some people notice her identity…? I think you should’ve at least changed her hair color. Princess didn’t seem to notice the need for it at all, and I’ve only noticed just now, so I’m not one to talk, but seeing her down there, I’m getting slightly worried.”

What Cain pointed out was very reasonable, but I’d already taken countermeasures. The corners of my mouth lifted.

“It’s an unnecessary worry. There’s no way I would let Lidi go as is without doing anything. I didn’t tell Lidi, but I used magic that affected this whole venue. For everybody here, Lidi’s hair color should be different from the natural color.”

“… Ha?”

Cain looked at me with a face like he didn’t understand what I said.

“I’m saying I used magic. I didn’t leave traces behind, so it’s hard to notice, but now only me and you can see Lidi’s natural light brown hair color.”

“Eh… Why did you do such a troublesome thing? Wouldn’t it be fine to change her hair color normally?”

I got offended by those words.

“I don’t want to change Lidi’s beautiful hair color even through magic. And changing her eye color is out of the question. I didn’t want to change Lidi, so I changed her surroundings. It’s natural, right?”

Light brown hair and violet eyes. I don’t want to distort elements that make up Lidi, even temporarily. I judged that it was preferable to change the perception of the surroundings using magic.

For me, it was as natural as breathing.

Cain said with a complicated face.

“… It’s not really dyeing it, besides don’t you often turn your hair black? Wouldn’t it be fine?”

“I don’t really care about mine. I’m not fixated on it. But, I can’t allow that for Lidi. I’m not saying it wouldn’t suit her, and I’d do it if it was unavoidable, but if possible, I don’t want to.”

I wasn’t so particular before, but perhaps my desire to monopolize Lidi increased after her Royal Flower changed and she officially became my wife. I can’t allow anything that makes her, even the colors, to be changed.

It would be different if she wished for it, but after all, I want Lidi to be clad in her natural colors. That’s Lidi’s most beautiful appearance. I know that.

As I once again reached that conclusion, Cain breathed a sigh.

“You won’t say that it wouldn’t suit her.”

“There are no colors that wouldn’t suit Lidi. Of course, her natural colors are the best, but my wife is beautiful no matter the colors she’s clad in. What the hell are you talking about?”

“What are talking about… Er, then, let me confirm. Princess hasn’t noticed her hair color changed?”

Cain confirmed it with me, looking tired from the bottom of his heart. I nodded to that.

“Yeah, I didn’t use any magic on Lidi. The people around her are simply under the impression that the color is different.”

“I see… I understand it’s necessary for the sake of hiding her identity, and I expected you to take proper countermeasures unlike the slightly careless Princess, but… somehow you really are a complete fool when it comes to Princess.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“… I wasn’t praising you. Well, whatever.”

Cain dejectedly hung his head and complained. Then he turned his eyes to the evening party venue and exclaimed “Ah.”

“… Hey, it looks like that guy came.”

“He’s finally appeared… I see, it’s him…”

I followed Cain’s gaze. Seeing the man who appeared, my eyes opened wide.

When I heard from Lidi that there was a man pretending to be me who wanted to sink his poisonous fangs into her friend, I didn’t consider it so important, but I might need to rethink that.

The man must’ve never seen me directly and copied me from hearsay.

Considering he doesn’t know the real thing, I’d say he’s gotten quite close.

But, that wasn’t the problem.

“… He’s quite able.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded to Cain’s words.

The man’s bearing was obviously not of an amateur.

He didn’t have knightly training like me or Glenn. If I had to say, he had muscles and gait of a person working behind the scenes, like Cain or Apostate whom I’d met before.

“… Assassin?”

“No, I don’t think so. He doesn’t feel like someone who would kill people.”

“… You’re right.”

I agreed with Cain’s observation. Certainly, the man didn’t seem like an ordinary person, but he didn’t feel completely stained by the underworld either.

“… Who is he?”

“I don’t know, but… I can see why Princess’s friend couldn’t stop talking.”

“… Yeah. I was thinking the same thing.”

An unknown man who’s clearly not an amateur pretending to be a man who had disappeared from high society half a year ago approaches noble young ladies. Lidi’s guess that he assumes that identity to obtain information is not necessarily incorrect… No, it’s quite likely.

“Lidi unconsciously struck gold…”

Just recently the turmoil with the Japanese café ended, and now this. Of course, it doesn’t mean Lidi is at fault, but how should I say it, she finds herself in the middle of a turmoil before she notices.

This time too, it was unrelated to Lidi at first. She heard gossip from her friends and, unable to stay silent, took action.

I’m really glad she checked with me. I shiver at the thought of her going silently, and I’d have no choice but to lock her up in the castle to never let it happen again.

Lidi is strangely sensitive regarding such things, or perhaps I should say, her ability to evade them is high and she just barely obtains results she desires.

This time too she talked from the start. Knowing that I’m trusted, I could afford to compromise, so eventually things turned out like this, but well, it couldn’t be helped. I nodded, so I don’t intend to blame her.

Cain folded his shoulders and said in admiration.

“… Really. Princess is amazing. What will this lead to? I feel like no matter what happens, I won’t be surprised.”

“Don’t say ominous things.”

Despite saying that, deep down I strongly agreed with him. I don’t know what this man is thinking to pretend to be me and talk to young ladies, but it can’t be good.

“… Ah! He focused on Princess.”

“Tch…!”

Cain’s voice made me come back to my senses. I looked at Lidi, and certainly, the man was talking to her. It’s the plan, but I can’t be happy in the slightest. I don’t want him close to Lidi precisely because I’m convinced that he has some plan.

Lidi must want to grasp his identity, but in this situation, I’ll be putting a stop to it.

He’s unmistakably not a Wilhelm noble. I must quickly recover Lidi.

I can’t let her stay at such a man’s side.

In an instant I made the decision.

“… Cain. I’ll be now going to Lidi. If I go, everybody in the venue will understand that that man is a sham. I have no doubt that he’ll run away. I leave the rest to you.”

I looked down to see the man talking to Lidi and her answering with a smile.

I understood it was to learn his identity, and that this smile was different from her natural lovely one. I understood that, but I felt terribly sick.

―― Lidi, it’s enough, let’s go home.

There was no reason for Lidi to flirt with such a man. I couldn’t stand looking at Lidi listening to the man’s flattery without being able to do anything.

She’s mine alone.

I touched the ring in my pocket that Lidi entrusted to me. It’s the proof that me and Lidi are a married couple. Of course there’s the Royal Flower, but I love when Lidi wears the ring matching mine with a smile.

It was awfully irritating that it wasn’t on her finger right now.

While having such thoughts, I took off my ring.

When I started getting up, Cain confirmed.

“… Should I capture him?”

“If possible. Don’t kill him.”

I considered the possibility just in case, but Cain scoffed at it.

“Who are you telling that? I’m a pro… Then, can I leave Princess to you?”

“Yeah, I’ll retrieve Lidi and go back to the castle. We’ll exchange information tomorrow. Is that fine?”

“Yes, yes.”

Hearing Cain’s reply, I changed my hair color with magic and began moving.

I considered various possibilities, and I was right to change into the evening wear. Now all that was left was to put on the mask I’d prepared just in case and boldly enter.

―― I’ll pick you up right away.

Lidi is mine.

Having moved to a deserted place from the ceiling, I headed for the evening party venue with a nonchalant look.