Chapter 16: The Black Attacker

“Oh, Princess Tifania and Princess Lucariola. I hope you are enjoying yourselves today.”

His Majesty the Emperor was surrounded by several nobles. Among them was Marquess Ténor, the Chancellor, whom I had greeted earlier. Father was not there; he must have gone somewhere else. Elliott was also absent. The surroundings were all adults.

“Thank you for inviting us today. I extend my deepest gratitude on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen of the Minuet Queendom.” “The same is true for the Prélude Kingdom. I express my thanks on behalf of my father, Cassini Ze Prélude III.”

Both Princesses expressed their thanks to His Majesty the Emperor. Wow, they could both speak normally after all…

“Sakuraile, are you enjoying yourself as well? Hmm? That young lady there is, I believe…”

“R-R-R-Robert Klein Euphonium’s daughter, Estelle Klein Euphonium! I-I-I wished to pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor…!”

Estelle was extremely nervous. It couldn’t be helped, as she was surrounded by the Emperor and high-ranking noble officials.

“Ah, Baron Euphonium’s daughter. Hmm? And why are you with Sakuraile and the others?”

“Because we are friends. I was also privileged to spend time with Princess Tifania and Princess Lucariola. They both kindly joined our pastimes.”

I interrupted the conversation between Estelle and His Majesty the Emperor. Normally, this would be disrespectful, but we have not yet debuted in society, and I am the Emperor’s niece. It was not a strictly official occasion, and no one present at a casual party like this would raise an eyebrow.

“Hohou, friends. That is a very good thing. I wish Elliott could also join your circle.”

“Oh, Your Majesty. There are some things that only girls can talk about, you know? They are so embarrassing that we could never let His Highness the Crown Prince hear them.”

I smiled and refused His Majesty the Emperor’s attempt to promote his son. I certainly couldn’t let him hear the conversation where the two Princesses were disparaging Elliott. Judging that he was fighting a losing battle, His Majesty the Emperor only managed a wry smile and did not press the matter further.

“Your Majesty, Marquess Ragtime is approaching.”

The color of the Emperor’s face changed when a noble whispered those words to him. A clear expression of caution was evident. Could he be a noble from a rival faction? Since the “Imperial Faction” exists, it naturally follows that other factions do too. These are nobles who are dissatisfied with His Majesty the Emperor’s reign. I hear many of them are old noble families… Soon, a thin noble appeared before His Majesty the Emperor. His Kaiser mustache and the dark circles around his eyes were strikingly noticeable. Hmm, I don’t recall seeing him in the game. I couldn’t possibly forget such an impactful face.

“Your Majesty the Emperor. Congratulations on this occasion. Sinfonia is ever so secure, isn’t it? I doubt our neighbors would dare to interfere now.”

“Marquess Ragtime. These two ladies are Princess Tifania of the Minuet Queendom and Princess Lucariola of the Prélude Kingdom. I think your words are somewhat inappropriate in their presence.”

His Majesty the Emperor raised an eyebrow at the words of the self-proclaimed Marquess Ragtime.

“Oh, my deepest apologies. I meant to refer to the Empire… I beg you to not misunderstand me.”

“Is that so?”

The Empire is bordered by the ‘Empire,’ the ‘Kingdom,’ and the ‘Queendom.’ Of these, the ‘Empire’ is the only one with whom we do not have friendly relations. They were at war decades ago. It’s understandable that a person from the Empire would be cautious, but… But what is it about this noble, Marquess Ragtime? He has a theatrical laugh. His movements are overly exaggerated, like a stage actor. He noticed me staring at him.

“Your Majesty. Who is this young lady?”

“This is Sakuraile. Of the le Philharmonie Ducal House.”

“Hoh… So this is the rumored daughter of the Duke of le Philharmonie.”

Following His Majesty the Emperor’s introduction, I curtsied and greeted Marquess Ragtime. What rumors? That I was sickly and a recluse?

“I am Sakuraile le Philharmonie. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“I am Balboa Tam Ragtime. May our paths cross well.”

Marquess Ragtime lightly bowed his head in return, but his eyes looked at me as if sizing me up. Frankly, it was slightly unpleasant.

“Hmm… I heard that the young lady of the le Philharmonie House was sickly, but you look very well. His Grace the Duke must be relieved. …Are you perhaps one of the candidates for His Highness the Crown Prince’s fiancée?”

Marquess Ragtime’s face was smiling, but his eyes were not. His gaze suggested that he would be troubled if I were Elliott’s fiancée. In response, His Majesty the Emperor replied with a somewhat forced smile.

“No, that proposal was made, but Sakuraile refused. She prefers older men, apparently. Elliott is not within her scope.”

“Hohou! Is that so! Well, it’s true that even the Imperial Family cannot ignore the feelings of the individual. Nonetheless, Lady Sakuraile has great courage. My daughter would never be able to refuse a request from the Imperial Family.”

Upon hearing His Majesty the Emperor’s words, the pressure from Marquess Ragtime on me vanished. So, he just wanted his own daughter to be the Empress, and I was in the way. He didn’t have to bother me, then.

“You have a daughter, then?”

“Yes. Oh, look, she is happily talking with His Highness the Crown Prince over there.”

Where Marquess Ragtime was looking, Elliott was clearly being pressured by a girl and looked thoroughly exhausted. Happily talking…? Is that the daughter of Marquess Ragtime? Hmm? Red, long, wavy hair and a girl with freckles… I’ve seen that girl in the game… Ah!

I remember! She’s one of my hangers-on in “Starlight Symphony”! One of the two girls who always followed the villainess Sakuraile. She is Hanger-on A. She’s a complete mob, so I don’t even know her name. But she appears in several illustrations, so there is no mistake. She looks like a child, but the resemblance is there. She was Marquess Ragtime’s daughter? Looking closely, Hanger-on B, the slightly plump young lady, is also there. She isn’t engaging with Elliott, but she’s glaring at Hanger-on A. Looking closer, the other young ladies are also looking at Hanger-on A with expressions like they’ve bitten into a bitter bug. They probably don’t like Hanger-on A brazenly clinging to Elliott. She certainly looks like the type who is disliked by her own gender. I recall that when Sakuraile was cornered, Hanger-on A and B quickly ran away on their own, going abroad. That’s the end for them as nobles, but they stubbornly survived at Sakuraile’s expense. Ah, I’m starting to get angry.

“Kyaaaah!?”

Just as I was feeling that unreasonable irritation, a scream suddenly erupted in the party venue. I turned around and saw a pitch-black dog, like a Doberman, growling. Eh!? When did that dog get in here!?

GURURURURURU… GAAARRRGH!

The black dog charged straight toward Elliott. This is bad! Elliott is going to be attacked!?

“[Throwing Precision]”

The moment I thought that, Luca grabbed a fork from the table and threw it directly at the black dog. The fork pierced the black dog’s right eye precisely, and the dog, with one eye blinded, thrashed in agony. That was Luca’s [Gift], [Throwing Precision]. As the name suggests, [Throwing Precision] is a sniper-worthy [Gift] that ensures anything thrown within range hits the exact target, regardless of the throwing technique. In the game, she used this [Gift] to harass the protagonist Estelle quite a bit. Throwing eggs or bags of pepper. Of course, the one who gave her those wicked ideas was the exiled villainess, me.

“Well done, Luca. Then I will too. [Lightning Charge]!”

Just as a CRACK! sound occurred, Tifa instantly approached the black dog. The moment she touched the dog, a dazzling spark erupted.

GAAHH!?

The black dog fell to the ground, stopped moving, and was twitching. She had electrocuted it. Tifa’s [Gift] is [Lightning Charge]. A powerful [Gift] that allows her to turn herself into lightning, instantly move short distances, and inflict an electric shock upon contact. I only saw it once in the game, but it’s an incredible [Gift].

“Are you alright, Elliott!”

“Y-yes, Father. Thanks to these two ladies…”

His Majesty the Emperor rushed to Elliott. Elliott’s [Gravity Change] can’t be used unless the target is within range, and if his level was still low, he might not have had the power to immobilize that dog. Truly, it was a good thing these two were here.

“Tifa. And Luca. Thank you for saving Elliott.”

“It was nothing. I thought it would not be a bad thing for Minuet to earn a favor here.”

“I didn’t want things to become troublesome.”

Tifa and Luca answered as if it were nothing. No, I don’t think that’s something easily done. Soon, Elliott and His Majesty the Emperor came over and repeatedly thanked the two. Since Jean and the villainess Bianca, his childhood friend, also arrived, I quietly slipped away from the scene, taking Estelle with me. I’m done with meeting any more new characters.

However… where did that dog come from? It’s completely unnatural for a dog like that to suddenly appear in a party venue with so many people. It’s too suspicious. There’s a possibility that some [Gift] was used. For example, a [Gift] that allows invisibility could have brought the dog here, or a [Gift] that shrinks objects could have allowed someone to secretly carry it in a pocket. Teleportation magic could also do it. Ah, summoning could do it too. A [Gift] like [Beast Demon Summoning]… wait, could it be that someone else received the [Gift] that Sakuraile was supposed to have…? But what was the purpose, and who sent that dog? Did they want to ruin the party? Or were they targeting Crown Prince Elliott from the start? The motive is unclear.

But something is strange. I thought this venue was supposed to have a barrier to seal [Gifts].

I was discussing this with Estelle after returning to the balcony when a tired-looking Luca and Tifa approached us.

“You two are mean. Leaving us behind.”

“Indeed. Thanks to you, His Majesty the Emperor lectured us endlessly about the Crown Prince!”

Oh dear. My condolences. His Majesty the Emperor is desperate to promote his son.

“Hey, you two. Did you know that [Gifts] could be used in this venue?”

“No. I just used it on impulse. I threw it hoping it would at least be a warning, even if I couldn’t use it.”

“I saw that Luca used her [Gift]. I thought the security was awfully lax.”

That’s right. The fact that [Gifts] could be used in such a place means the Imperial Family was in danger. Even with the presence of bodyguards, this is highly unusual. It can only mean that someone intentionally broke the barrier meant to seal [Gifts]…

“Speaking of which, the daughter of that certain Marquess was glaring at us with a look of hatred.”

The daughter of a certain Marquess? Ah, Hanger-on A.

“She probably thought we snatched the Crown Prince’s attention from her. Perhaps she sees you two as rivals…”

“How troublesome. I’d happily give him to her with a noshi attached.”

Tifa waved her hand dismissively after hearing Estelle’s theory. Wait, so they have noshi (ritual paper wrapping) in this world too… Hmm, isn’t the treatment of our Crown Prince too harsh? He’s not a bad boy.

“Come on, enough of that! Let’s continue with the trump!”

“Sakuraile, don’t you have another game?”

“Eh? Um, there is one called ‘Great Mogul’ (Dai Fūgō) but…”

“G-Great Mogul…? That’s a game with an incredible name…”

It’s also called ‘Great Pauper’ (Dai Hinmin), but I’ll stick with ‘Great Mogul’ to avoid the bad image.

I explained the rules of ‘Great Mogul’ to everyone, and we started playing. After that, the four of us enjoyed ‘Great Mogul’ on the balcony until the party ended. Estelle was surprisingly strong in this game. That’s not protagonist plot armor, is it? There are many things to worry about, but I think I managed to get through it, didn’t I? I don’t think I made any crucial mistakes… I also feel like the plot is diverging quite significantly from the main game (which hasn’t even started yet). No, I would be in trouble if it went according to the game. So, is this good? …Is it?

◇　◇　◇

The party successfully concluded, and I parted ways with everyone, joining Father, Mother, and Arisa the maid to board the carriage. The fatigue hit all at once, and I slumped exhaustedly against the seat.

“Are you tired? Ah, it’s alright, you don’t have to answer; I can tell.”

Father smiled wryly as he looked at me. Not so much physically, but mentally… How many times was I surprised today? The rebound from being so vigilant is making me incredibly sleepy…

“Estelle was there too. Did you make any other friends?”

“I became friends with the Princesses of Prélude and Minuet…”

“What!?“

My brain, assaulted by drowsiness, was unable to process whatever the two surprised adults were saying. I’ll explain when I wake up, so please let me sleep now…