CHAPTER 012
I glanced at Bella and the Duke of Croft. They seemed too busy to talk.
Then...
As I was searching for a suitable target, Philip caught my eye.
Philip was whispering something to the knight commander, holding out his hand. The knight commander seemed to be trying to dissuade him.
From the looks of it, Philip was insisting on being handed a sword, while the knight commander was trying to stop him.
They couldn't put the crown prince on the front lines when there were people to fight.
Alright. I calculated who I should align with and moved.
"Stay here and don't move."
I instructed Charlotte and then moved stealthily towards Philip. Just as I reached him, he had succeeded in obtaining the sword.
"I caused this, so I must handle it. You're making me look like a very irresponsible person."
"Your Highness."
Philip was startled to see me when I whispered to him.
"Lady Elsner."
"I have something to tell you..."
A moment later, Philip, holding a sword, moved towards Lewis.
Despite all the chaos, Lewis was leisurely watching the battle with the beasts.
Michael already looked exhausted, but Lewis seemed physically strong.
"Marquis Bloomberg!"
Philip called out to Lewis.
"This is the palace. Stop this immediately!"
"Why should I?"
Lewis's response was curt.
Still, Philip was not fazed.
"If this continues, the banquet hall will be destroyed. I won't blame you, as it's partly my fault!"
"...."
Philip took a defensive stance with his sword, preparing for any eventuality.
While Lewis's attention was distracted, I moved behind him.
Lewis asked nonchalantly as if he didn't understand the problem.
"What's wrong with letting my wolf have some fun?"
It's destroying everything, and that's fun?
The beasts' battle had just caused the railing of the stairs leading to the upper floor to collapse.
"If you want to let your wolf play, do it later. Now is not the appropriate time."
"Is that so?"
This is my chance!
While Lewis was responding to Philip, I hugged him from behind.
"Please calm down, Marquis!"
Lewis's body stiffened in surprise, and he looked down at me.
"Who are you...?"
Scary. I flinched at his words and gave an awkward smile.
"We're friends, aren't we? Marquis."
Lewis didn't respond. He just stared at me for a long time.
His golden eyes widened in surprise, and my heart raced with anxiety.
This was far from a reassuring situation.
Lewis's behavior was even more unpredictable due to the noise. If it was really the noise affecting him, he should calm down now.
But if he was just rampaging because he was drunk and unaffected by the noise...
It was a good life! I might die.
Haha, it's so realistic that it makes me laugh.
As I cautiously released my grip on Lewis, he turned towards me.
Even the small action of him furrowing his brow had me on high alert.
Please let it be the noise...
As I silently prayed, Lewis spoke.
"Oh, right. You are my friend."
"...?"
He spoke in a casual tone that didn't match the situation.
"You begged me to be your friend."
No, I didn't beg...
Lewis continued to speak as if following his own train of thought.
"I remember. Selina Elsner."
He pronounced my name clearly and smiled brightly.
It was an innocent smile, like that of a boy.
Despite everything, his smile was so dazzling that my heart skipped a beat.
'Why, why are you smiling like that?'
I knew he could smile while dealing with people, but smiling even in this situation left me unsure of how to react.
I felt my heart pounding from the sudden rush of emotions.
Meanwhile, Lewis remained unperturbed.
"You want me to calm down?"
"Yes..."
"You want me to stop?"
Feeling embarrassed by the continuous questioning, I looked around.
Bella and Michael, Charlotte and Philip, everyone in the banquet hall was looking at me. They all nodded at me.
What is this? It's too much pressure!
Although my heart felt overwhelmed, at least he was listening.
Since he didn't seem to be in a bad mood, I had to stop him.
I spoke firmly to Lewis.
"Yes. It's time for you to go inside and rest. Please take care of the Cerberus."
"Alright."
The golden wolf that seemed never to disappear before Cerberus vanished instantly.
"Ha..."
Michael, who had turned pale, exhaled deeply.
How exhausting it must have been to deal with Lewis...
"I'm tired, so I should go to sleep."
Lewis, who had readily complied with my request, walked towards the exit blocked by the wolf.
His steps were slow but steady, without any hint of stumbling.
'Ah, it's over!'
I collapsed to the floor. My legs had given out from all the tension.
"Selina, are you okay?"
"Selina!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine!"
I smiled and reassured the Croft family and others who rushed to me.
The next morning at the palace.
"Lewis, you're a disgrace to the family. Don't ever speak to me again."
"You're the one who spoke to me first."
Thanks to being provided with a room in the palace, I got to witness Bella and Lewis bickering from early in the morning.
"Do you even know what you did yesterday?"
Bella, who was getting heated up right from their meeting, was met with a cold response from Lewis.
"What? I don't remember anything."
You don't remember, huh. Sigh...
Forgetting specific memories might be a blessing. How convenient is it?
Thinking back to the incident yesterday still made me feel uneasy.
However, there was one surprising thing.
Lewis remembered my name! I always thought he didn't care to remember it since he always called me 'friend' or 'you.'
I recalled Lewis calling my name for the first time.
His image easily came to mind.
Even when everyone tried to stop him without batting an eye... Why did he smile like that while calling my name?
Once recalled, that image wouldn't easily fade away.
'I remember. Selina Elsner.'
It wouldn't leave my mind...
Thinking of him like that made me feel strange as well.
Ah, he really has a terrifying presence. I shook my head vigorously to shake off the thoughts.
"Stop talking. I don't know what happened yesterday."
Lewis turned his body, indicating he wouldn't listen to any more nagging.
While I stood like an invisible person in the hallway, Lewis's eyes met mine.
The cold expression on Lewis's face cracked at that moment.
Lewis's expression seemed odd.
He frowned and looked at me with dissatisfaction. He ended up looking extremely disgruntled.
Why? I didn't do anything and just stood still!
"G-good morning, Marquis."
I greeted awkwardly, and Lewis nodded slightly before crossing the hallway without another word.
What was that...?
I haven't seen Lewis since that day. He used to visit the Duke's residence so frequently.
"Has the Marquis stopped hearing the noise?"
"No way. He has to live like that forever."
Bella answered nonchalantly when I asked.
"But why are you suddenly asking about Lewis?"
Bella, aware of my awkwardness around Lewis, struck a sharp note.
"Weren't you reluctant to see him?"
"No, but we've been seeing each other frequently..."
Though my relationship with Lewis was ambiguous for sure, I was still curious.
It's natural to be curious about someone you used to see often suddenly not being around.
"He'll come. He was so happy to be rid of the noise."
"Will he?"
"Of course. He'll show up in a day or two."
Bella confidently assured me.
But that day and the next day, Lewis did not come to the Duke's residence.
That's strange...
Instead, someone else visited the residence.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has sent a letter."
A servant from the crown prince's palace visited the Duke's residence.
I thought Philip had already discussed everything with the Croft family regarding the incident at the banquet.
He had already explained that it was partly his fault Lewis summoned the beasts and apologized.
Did he have more to say?
While I was contemplating in front of the servant at the entrance, he turned to me.
"The letter is addressed to Lady Elsner."
"What? To me?"
After the servant left, I opened the letter and found an invitation to a luncheon.
"What's in the letter?"
"It says he wants to invite me to a meal."
Surprised, I responded to Bella's question.
The letter indeed read:
[I'd like to express my gratitude for your help the other day.]
What did I do? It was surprising enough to be invited, but even more surprising was that Lewis was also invited.
What kind of combination is this?
Bella complained about not being invited, but I had no idea why either.
On the day of the luncheon, I visited the crown prince's palace for the first time.
After getting off the carriage, I followed the servant who guided me inside.
The table was enormous despite being set for only three people, and since I arrived first, I stared blankly at the neatly set table.
This kind of meeting was a first for me, so I was nervous...
Philip arrived shortly after.
"Long time no see, Lady Elsner."
"Your Highness!"
Philip looked the same as when he drank until everyone was drunk. Neat attire, a tidy face, and a calm smile that contrasted with my nervousness!
Back then, he seemed a bit troubled, but today, he even exuded a sense of leisure.
"I hope you won't be too nervous."
"Ah..."
"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to stop him, would we?"
Of course, Philip didn't know the whole truth.
Only the Croft family knew that I had been helping Lewis.
Philip thought I had persuaded Lewis with words.
He spoke with a gentle smile.
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