12. Things Get Going

12. Things Get Going

After that, time passed, and before I realized it was quite late at night.

Unusually, I’d been with Mr. Fisalis the entire night. At every evening party we’d gone to up until this, we’d been separated most of the time we were there.

Since Mr. Fisalis was refusing every request for me, I hadn’t had to dance with anyone but him, so I was a lot less physically tired than usual. The two of us just chatted a bit and took things easy. If only every evening party could be like this~

“It’s pretty peaceful, huh?”

“I hope it stays that way.”

And so our conversation went as we got some sweets to snack on and drinks, taking a little break. The sweets were all delicious, just as you’d expect from the palace chefs’ hard work! Ah, and yes—I had taken my usual medicine.

Glancing over to the dance floor, both of the Aurantian royal siblings had partners, while the crown prince had changed from Miss Iris to someone else.

Smiling with absolute confidence, Princess Orangé was in another classic, super frilly dress today too. It seemed that no one had given her any fashion advice yet. She had a massive sparkling necklace hanging on her wide-open cleavage, with a huge teardrop-shaped emerald on the top. It was probably really expensive.

I’d mentioned a couple of times that the crown prince was an awful dancer, but this was the first time I’d seen the princess dance. And you can guess how good she was from her brother’s skills...

“...I’m nowhere near good enough to lead that.”

“Mr. Fisalis~!” Hold the sass! I mean yes, like her brother, she’s a bit...very far away from the skill level needed to dance in front of others, but...

My husband sighed in disgust.

But ignoring all that, the two foreign royals both seemed to be having fun dancing and chatting with everyone, marriage candidate or not. I wonder if they’ll hit it off with anyone. There’s no accounting for taste, after all!

While I was thinking all that and taking a break...

“Vice Captain Fisalis, a moment...” said one of the waiters as they approached. What did a servant need from Mr. Fisalis? Ah, looking closer, it was one of his subordinate knights that I’d met before. Oh my. When did he switch jobs? Oh, he probably hasn’t switched jobs at all... He’s probably here on duty!

Minding his surroundings, Mr. Subordinate whispered in Mr. Fisalis’s ear while my husband nodded quietly.

Had something happened? Mr. Fisalis’s job was full of secrets, though. I probably shouldn’t have been watching, so I averted my eyes and looked around the room.

“Vi. Something urgent has come up, so I’ll have to leave for a bit,” Mr. Fisalis whispered in my ear this time. This had to be something to do with his job!

“All right.” I gave him a small nod back.

“Listen carefully. Stay here until I come back,” he insisted with a serious look. I’ve never been shown around the palace, so I wouldn’t be wandering around alone anyway, you know!

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah. I get it.”

After seeing me nod, Mr. Fisalis and his subordinate casually left the hall. Must be hard, being in the Royal Guard.

And so, I was left all alone. What to do? Normally I’d move to the wall, but it was already at full capacity (wait...does a wall even have a capacity?). The ladies who were trying not to be noticed had all taken up positions there, so there was no room for me. Boo hoo.

Next, I tried searching for my parents, who would probably save me. But of course they hadn’t shown up. Neither my brother, Thistle (age ten) nor my sister, Freesia (age eight) were of comparable age to the Aurantian siblings. Much to my great relief, of course!

Then I thought of my in-laws and started searching. Luckily, I found them easily. They were in their usual special seats near the throne, so it was hard to miss them.

Father Fisalis was chatting with the king, while Mother Fisalis was with the queen. Her Majesty had apparently given up on dealing with the Aurantians! That was a good thing, though. They should be putting their efforts into meeting people today. It’s like she was leaving everything to us young’uns. I definitely didn’t have the courage to mix with the royals over there.

My next targets were the usual party four. Miss Iris had been dancing with the crown prince a while before, but she was freed immediately after. She’d probably reunited with the rest of the girls right about now. I looked for them with that in mind, only to see them all dancing with some young men.

Wow, they move fast! They’re already back on the husband hunt! And since everyone here was of high rank, high office, and just the right age, I guess it was the perfect chance to get one. If they find someone before they get chosen as one of the royal siblings’ partners, they’re home free! Two birds with one stone☆ ...Or not.

Anyway, I shouldn’t go bothering them. I’m married, after all. I know how to read the room.

I wandered in search of a place for myself. I was really feeling how few friends I had right about now. It wouldn’t matter if I had stayed a shut-in, but alas! If I kept waiting in here, someone would probably invite me to dance, so I needed to find somewhere to belong fast. Once you fall into the dance loop, you’re dancing forever out of force of habit, after all.

It wasn’t as if I was opposed to dancing, exactly, but Mr. Fisalis had really seemed to not want me dancing with anyone else today. I thought it would probably be best to keep it that way.

As I wondered to myself what to do in the meantime, I found myself at the edge of the hall by the windows to the terrace, where you could see the gardens. Between the big glass windows was a door, so that you could easily go outside if you liked.

The only light outside was from the braziers throughout the gardens, so it was nice and dimly lit. I wouldn’t draw attention there, and I didn’t really want to talk or dance with anyone, anyway.

I’d been to the palace a few times, but I’d never had a chance to admire the gardens. I was always busy doing my job socializing, so I’d never had the chance.

Let’s go get some fresh air! The terrace probably counts as “here” to Mr. Fisalis, right? There’s only a single glass door separating it, so it’s kinda like an extension to the hall.

Normally, I’d never even think of leaving the immediate area. I’d usually get through boring parties by using my special skill: Wallflower☆ But today, the walls were at full capacity, and there was nowhere for me to squeeze in. But if I kept loitering around, someone would end up asking me to dance. Mr. Fisalis really didn’t seem to want to let me dance with anyone else, so I thought I should probably avoid it.

“Stay with me.” “Stay inside the hall.”

Mr. Fisalis had been sure to remind me of these things, but I ended up feeling arbitrarily safe in the garden because there was only a single glass window separating the area from the main hall. Though he wasn’t currently with me, Mr. Fisalis was here, and his subordinate was here too, disguised as a servant. That must have been what made me lower my guard.

I casually stepped through the glass door and outside.

The curtain of night had fallen outside, covering the world in pitch darkness. The moon wasn’t out, so the only light in the area were the braziers scattered around.

Just coming outside alone had freed me from the stiff emotions I’d still been feeling. I took a deep breath for a change of pace, and the cold but slightly floral scented air sure was refreshing! Oka~y, I’m all ready to fight to the finish! It was just as I took a few more and decided to go back inside that I overheard something...

“...It seems we successfully lured the Duke...away.”

I could hear someone talking quietly a bit away from where I was.

...Who was it? Since they were keeping their voices down, I could only hear bits and pieces. I quieted my breathing and listened carefully.

Next, a different voice spoke up. “My! Things are going great! Just what I’d expect from my brother.”

“Of course.”

It was a woman’s voice, and I could hear it loud and clear since she wasn’t lowering it much.

...That’s Princess Orangé, isn’t it?! Then the other person should be the crown prince, right? I heard her say “brother.”

Realizing who the speakers were gave me quite a start. Looking surreptitiously over to try and get a glimpse of their faces, I saw them a short distance away on the same terrace, with one big burly body and one small chunky one faintly illuminated by the lights from inside—and their deeply chiseled features. It was definitely the Aurantian royal siblings.

I quickly hid in the shadows behind a nearby pillar that was holding up the terrace above us. Whew, never thought my keen wallflower skill would come in handy like this! I probably shouldn’t make any movements. I should just watch and go back inside after they do. I quieted my breathing even more as I looked on, and,

“All that’s left is the kidnapping part, right? No oversights in our plan?”

“Of course not.”

They kept having their very interesting conversation without noticing I was there.

Who was the “duke” that they’d lured away...? I hadn’t heard a name, but could they mean Mr. Fisalis?! He had gone off somewhere after his subordinate whispered something in his ear.

Could the subordinate have been working for the Aurantians...? No, no way. Nothing I’d heard about Aurantia so far would suggest they could offer anything worth deserting over.

Anyway, after he left the hall, what had happened to Mr. Fisalis? And they were gonna kidnap someone?! Lure him out and kidnap him?! I felt the blood drain from my body at the dangerous words. Oh no...am I anemic? Wait...no.

Wait just one second. I’m getting upset. Calm down, Viola. I quietly took a few deep breaths.

...Okay, I’m a bit calmer now. But no matter how I look at it, Mr. Fisalis is in trouble, isn’t he?!