Chapter 94.1

94 Part 1

<b>The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 94</b>

“Philiane, are you free right now?”

“Yes.”

“It’s about the upcoming event…”

In the afternoon, when it’s comparatively less busy, Tiararose talked about the masquerade ball in her own room.

“Wow, masquerade ball?”

“I think you might be getting busy soon.”

The masquerade ball will be held in Olivia’s mansion. Tiararose instructed her to send invitations to individuals with the message that the aim of it is for everyone to establish good relationships.

On that day, everyone is not allowed to reveal their social status or name, but they are allowed to meet again.

To differentiate between people who are married and those who are not, both single males and ladies will have Tiararose flowers attached to their masks.

“You have a lot of tea parties with Lady Olivia these days; I guess those are meetings for this, huh.”

“Yes, that’s right. I hope Philiane will accompany me on that day though…”

“Of course, I’ll accompany you!”

“Thank you.”

Philiane smiled and said ‘I’m Lady Tiararose’s attendant after all.’

-Not as an attendant, but as a participant…

Of course, that’s still kept as a secret from Philiane. If she were to pass Philiane an invitation card directly, the latter will undoubtedly refuse. Therefore, for now the idea is that she is going to accompany Tiararose as an attendant.

“In that case, we have to choose a dress too. …However, since it’s a masquerade ball, what about putting on a dress that’s different from usual? By doing so, people will not recognize that you are Lady Tiararose.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Tiararose found Philiane’s suggestion interesting, and immediately agreed to it.

You usually put on light-blue dresses, so it might be good to choose a different type of dress. Philiane immediately gave her suggestions about the dress type and commented ‘What about that? Isn’t this good?’

Tiararose smiled wryly at how excited Philiane looked.

-I have to give Philiane a fine dress as a present.

Right then, Tiararose suddenly asked about a question she had in mind.

“Philiane, do you have someone you like?”

“Eh? Are you referring to me?”

Philiane was surprised at Tiararose’s question. It seems like she has not thought about it herself much. Tilting her head with confusion, she replied with a wry smile ‘Not really…’

“I really enjoy working so I do not really have a strong desire to marry…”

“Indeed, Philiane is a hardworking person. To the point that I want to tell you that you should take a rest”

‘Rather, has Philiane been getting proper rest?’ thought Tiararose. Of course she does take breaks, but she has been studying majority of the time.

-It’d be good if Philiane will be able to enjoy herself in this event.

With such thoughts, Tiararose and Philiane spent the rest of the afternoon discussing about the dress.

***

The fun preparation period has ended in a blink of an eye, and it’s finally the day of the masquerade ball.

Tiararose wore a dark blue dress, which she normally does not wear, with a white long-sleeved laced bolero. Her hair was tied up, which made her look more alluring than usual.

“Tiararose’s usual lovely demeanor is wonderful, but this mature vibe is wonderful too! With a mask, no one will be able to recognize you, Lady Tiararose.”

“Thank you, Philiane.”

Tiararose and Philiane smiled warmly, and Aquasteed, who was watching their preparations, giggled.

“Indeed, you look like a different person from usual.”

“Well if you put it that way, Sir Aqua also looks like a different person, you know?”

”Really?”

Aquasteed wore a silver and white suit. He usually put on dark-colored clothes, so it was kind of a refreshing image. Furthermore, his hair was slightly slicked back, if his face was to be hidden by the mask, the sight of him will make someone’s heart race… or so that was what went on in Tiararose’s mind.

-She was so excited that she could not contain it.

“…You look extremely cool.”

Tiararose went in front of the sofa Aquasteed was sitting on, and hugged him while standing. One can immediately infer that she’s shy from her blushed face.

Aquasteed drew an arch with the ends of his lips, and called her name ‘Tiara’ in a slightly low voice. He then took her hand and linked fingers with her. Tiararose looked somewhat sexy, and it made him want to trap her like this.

“Don’t fall prey to a weird guy, alright?”

“I won’t fall prey to anyone, tsk.”

-How could I do that when there is Sir Aqua?

“Also, people who are married will not be putting on the flower. I don’t think there will be any guy who will try to seduce a married person?”

“…Well, Tiara is that alluring after all.”

“In that case, the same goes for Sir Aqua. Don’t look at other people, alright?”

“Of course.”

Mindful of the sweet atmosphere between the two, Philiane quietly left the room.

“Lady Tiararose’s happiness makes me happy.”

With a buoyant feeling, Philiane walked down the hallway, and thought that she’d check the horse carriage. She made arrangements, so the preparations should be done soon.

“It’d bad to be late for the masquerade ball so I have to hurry…”

Philiane walked in a slightly quicker pace, and right when she passed by a certain door, someone firmly grabbed her hand and dragged her into the room.

“Gya!? W-What?”

Being so taken aback, she tried to readjust her posture but the other party’s grip was so strong that it was ineffective. Philiane, being weaker, could not brush the person off.

Perspiration beads trickled down her back, and she thought of asking for help. However, she’s not good in using her magical power, and the Sea Fairy who blessed Philiane was not around too.

It’s a desperate situation- or so thought Philiane, till she heard someone’s voice which made her widen her eyes.

“I’m not going to eat you.”

“Eh…!? Y-You.”

“I don’t have much time so please keep quiet.”

‘You made me so scared that I was on the brink of crying’ thought Philiane as she tried to stop trembling and spoke.

“Did you think that it’d be a good idea to do something like this? Levy!!”

“…Of course, I received permission after all.”

“!?”

At Philiane’s rebuke, Levy, who pulled her in, replied with a refreshing sound. In contrast, Philiane was panicking, trying to figure out what’s going on.

Whose permission did he receive? Levy’s master is Olivia, but Philiane’s master is Tiararose.

However, it’s impossible for Tiararose to give permission to something like this.

“Please do not fool around. I will return to Lady Tiararose’s side.”

“I’ll not allow you to do that; this is an order from both Olivia and Lady Tiararose.”

“!? Did you expect me to believe this lie?”

Philiane asked him to back off in an angry manner.

There’s no way her master will permit this kidnapping.

“Well, the method was left to me… I guess it did end up being a little too forceful.”

“…”

‘That’s definitely Levy’s fault’ Philiane thought with a frown.

“…? What’s with this outfit? What happened to your usual butler outfit?”

“No no! I’m not Olivia’s butler now, I’m Olivia’s magician.”

“Magician…?”

Levy had a magician cape on.

‘What is this butler talking about?’ Philiane looked at him with cold eyes, and thought from the depths of her heart that she does not want to be involved with someone like him. However, she also understood that this magician part could be related to Tiararose and Olivia’s order.

Philiane sighed and asked Levy for an explanation of what’s going on.