It's Annoying Because My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage

Is she not tired of doing this?

Frowning slightly, I sent an unpleasant look towards Lady Aronia.

You came to pick a fight with me when we were standing in the carriage queue earlier, and now you want a round two?

Not only that, she wasn't alone.

Behind her were the nobles who were invited to Lady Aronia's last tea party, Lady Dolce and Lady Beatrice, and another unknown noble lady.

I wonder if they were born with the habit of hunting in packs.

Needless to say, I couldn't bring myself to offer a friendly smile and greeting to the group led by Lady Aronia.

Because,

"Long time no see, Princess Skyla, and Lord Lancer."

"It is truly an honour to see you both here."

"I've heard that the Princess and the Lord are very close, so it's nice to see you together."

Everyone is speaking casually. It was a friendly atmosphere.

But I wasn't fooled.

'Ugh, Princess Skyla, why's she here? She's stuck with Lord Lancer too.'

'She hardly ever shows her face in gatherings, yet she's come all the way out here today? How impudent.'

'Hmph, you're not even close with other nobles, yet you wrapped Lancer around your finger? I guess you've been acting like a fox while we haven't seen each other.'

Their thoughts were the opposite of their words.

It was an incomprehensible situation. How could these young ladies hate me so much when we hardly ever met? I'm sure Lady Aronia has been talking to them behind my back.

No matter how much I thought about it, Lady Aronia should have been born an acorn-peeling squirrel, not a gossiping human being.

Squirrels are cute, but Lady Aronia is so annoying in everything she does, it makes me sick to my stomach. When on earth will she leave me alone? 

Doesn't she remember the last time I threw a cheque at her? I gave her a second chance with that money, but is that not enough? Don't tell me one cheque won't cut it.

Whatever the reason, all I can do now is just sigh at how pathetic Lady Aronia is.

"Let's go, Lancer."

I led Lancer away, ignoring Lady Aronia and her friends. 

But Lady Aronia stood in my way as if she had been waiting for this moment.

"Well, if you're not in a hurry, we'd love to have a word with you."

"I don't have anything to talk about with the lady, so please don't suddenly pretend to be close."

At that moment, Lady Aronia's face went as rigid as a plaster statue.

It only lasted briefly. Like the professional socialite she is, she cleared her throat and replied in a brisk voice.

"Ah, what do you mean by that when we met at a tea party the other day… Princess Skyla, you're so coldhearted!"

"Then get out of the way if you already knew that."

Not falling for Lady Aronia's tricks, I pushed her away as she tried to approach me bluntly once again.

There was no reason for me to stand here now and be held by Lady Aronia and her minion(?) friends.

I didn't need it to happen twice to know: Lady Aronia would be Lady Aronia again.

And she hadn't deviated from my expectations one bit.

"I was worried the Princess would be late since she'd lost her invitation to the ball."

Tsk.

Lady Aronia smirked as she folded her fan with one hand.

'I don't know how you managed to get in, but it must've been hard with the missing invitation, right?'

My eyes widened at her thoughts, and I could feel my eyes twitching.

So it was true. I knew you'd do it, Lady Aronia. You're so predictable.

"You've been worrying for nothing."

Letting go of Lancer's hand, I clenched my fists together.

If I could, I would flip over a table and jump on it, but unfortunately, there wasn't a table in this imperial ballroom that I could lift.

Practising my breathing techniques to control my anger, I flashed a wry smile at Lady Aronia.

"I'm the future Duke of Kaerun, so I don't need an invitation to come and go as I please in the palace."

Obviously, it was a lie. I had just been stopped by a gatekeeper at the entrance here. Even if I was threatened with death, I'm not going to tell Aronia the truth.

"Well, being from a marquis family, the lady may not be aware of such privileges," I added, looking down at Lady Aronia, who was shorter than me.

Her face began to flush at my words.

"Princess Skyla, what do you mean by that-"

It was then.

"Lady Aronia." A hushed voice came from behind me.

All eyes were turned towards the source of the voice, which was contrary to Lady Aronia's high-pitched voice.

It was Lancer, who had been standing silently behind me.

"Can't you see that you're making Skyla uncomfortable?"

"H-Huh? But..!"

"Now."

His voice, like a pebble dropped in cold spring water, struck down Lady Aronia's excuses once more.

"Get out of the way right now."

Lancer's eyes, which usually shone like a boy without a care in the world, had turned cold. They felt sharp enough to cut even a diamond at a moment's notice.

"...Excuse me."

After studying Lancer for a moment, Lady Aronia bowed her head and turned away. The other ladies stared at her retreating figure, then followed her in haste.

Now, it was just me and Lancer.

The sudden population shift made the air around us feel empty.

"..."

I turned my head toward Lancer wordlessly.

It was unfamiliar.

It didn't seem to be the same Lancer who had been watching a ladybug with a cute smile from a while ago.

It was the same feeling I had during the incident with Viscount Artisina.

I wasn't used to Lancer treating me with the care and attention of a precious treasure but treating others coldly to the point of indifference.

It was as if some nasty wizard appeared and made a Lancer look alike then fled.

I couldn't help but think something silly like that, because the Lancer I'm looking at was nothing like the Lancer I knew.

"Lancer, you..."

"Did I do well?"

The moment I opened my mouth, Lancer turned to me at once.

"Skyla, I thought you didn't like those ladies, so I kicked them out. I did something you might like, so I did a good job, didn't I?"

As he said that, Lancer slicked back my golden hair with one hand.

His shining eyes locked onto mine. He was smiling again.

It was as if the stern face I peeked at earlier had vanished like an illusion.

"If I did well, then praise me, please."

Lancer took one of my hands and slowly lifted it to his mouth. A moment later, his lips rested lightly on the back of my hand.

His eyes, still lively, were looking up at me.

"..."

I swallowed my silence and watched him, dumbfounded.

It was like everything that just happened was done by someone else.

"...You are so strange."

I drew my hand back with a shallow sigh.

But Lancer tilted his head as if he didn't understand.

"Strange? How?"  

I'm not used to seeing you so serious with others. I feel strange because I didn't see you smiling the way you always did to me.

In other words, I feel uneasy because of the way you present yourself to others…

But I didn't get to reply that to Lancer, because the next moment,

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is entering!"

The Crown Prince arrived at the ballroom, signalling the official start of the imperial ball.

As soon as the Crown Prince's entrance was announced, the ballroom began to stir. It was as noisy as a commoner's marketplace.

But it only lasted for a moment as the orchestra that flowed in the ballroom died down. As a result, the buzzing of the crowd also subsided.

All eyes in the ballroom were locked in one place.

Step, step.

The Crown Prince walked down the red carpet in the centre of the ballroom.

I hadn't noticed the last time I'd seen him because he'd been sitting on a chair the whole time, but now he was quite tall.

And just as I remember, he was a very handsome man.

With a face as flawless as a statue's, he would be praised for his handsomeness even if he had been dressed in rags that looked like sacks.

Now that he had arrived in full regalia for tonight's ball, it was only fitting that he should be particularly attractive.

He's good-looking.

My gaze was instantly drawn to him as I mingled with the crowd.

A shard of glass from the chandelier hanging above the ballroom ceiling was casting a subtle glow over the Crown Prince's face, and it suited him strangely well.

His hair finely swayed like silk as he strides, emitting a shimmering light. At the same time, his eyes sparkled like jewels.

The sound of a person falling to the ground was heard in the distance.

"Ah, ah! Someone has fallen!"

"Get a grip, young lady!"

It was a noblewoman from the outskirts who had just moved to the capital, who fainted as she couldn't handle the beauty of the Crown Prince she had never seen before and fainted.

This was a Crown Prince who had just been made an attempted murderer of his own people for being too handsome.

Though, I don't think the Crown Prince is that handsome.

I was worried about the lady who suddenly collapsed, but on the other hand, I was also amused.

My gaze naturally turned to Lancer beside me.

"What's wrong?"

Lancer tilted his head slightly, his smile as bright as a sunflower.

"...Nothing."

I jerked my head back towards the Crown Prince.

And our eyes locked.

For a very, very brief moment. Just long enough to wave your hands to chase away the flies at your table.

But at that moment, he smiled at me.