Chapter 11
A little later, after we arrived at the reception room on the first floor, Ivan spoke quietly.
“So, if you’ve come all the way here, you two must be quite close. Did you know each other before?”
“No. We only met yesterday in the library. He looked sick, so I was worried and came to see him.”
“I’d rather you didn’t meet Ate alone from now on.”
…Huh?
He suddenly told me not to meet his younger brother?
Why did this feel so familiar?
It strangely reminded me of Rion.
Don’t tell me… is this that thing called brother complex or whatever? No wonder he looked unhappy.
Is he about to say something like, ‘My little brother is mine, so stay away’?
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but no.”
Seeing my expression, Ivan immediately denied it in a firm voice.
What a shame.
“So… then why?”
“Ate doesn’t have much time left to live.”
“Don’t become attached to a child who’s going to die soon.”
…Huh?
Ivan knew about Ate’s condition too?
Was it because he was a demon?
Could he sense the presence of death?
“Then shouldn’t you treat him even better?”
“Perhaps.”
“But the stronger someone’s desire to live becomes…”
“The more painful death is.”
He meant that since Ate would die soon anyway…
I shouldn’t give him hope or become attached to him.
I understood what he meant.
But…
I’m not a demon.
I couldn’t be that cold.
“Isn’t there any way Your Highness can save him?”
“The only thing I can give is death.”
“Hmm…”
“Even so, I can’t just ignore him.”
“Ate is still so young.”
“And he must be very lonely.”
“I see.”
“I understand.”
You absolutely do not.
His eyes clearly said,
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Maybe it would’ve been better if it really had been a brother complex…
“Then why are you here?”
“I don’t think you came because of Ate.”
“Because you’re here.”
Ivan answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He’s been finding me a little too easily lately…
He really didn’t put anyone on me, did he?
“Ivan…”
“Are you sure you didn’t assign anyone to watch me?”
“I didn’t assign any people.”
…He just said people, didn’t he?
As I stared at him suspiciously…
A servant knocked on the reception room door.
“Your Highness, Prince Ate has finished getting ready.”
Soon afterward, the three of us headed to Diamond Palace.
Thanks to the carriage Ivan had already prepared…
We arrived on time.
Everything was fine…
Until then.
Wait…
Surely not…
The place Ivan led me to was the problem.
I looked around before slowly stopping.
“Ivan.”
When I quietly called him, he turned toward me.
My pale face was reflected in his calm green eyes.
“What is it?”
“This isn’t the entrance to the banquet hall.”
“Of course not.”
“We’re not ordinary guests.”
Right now…
We weren’t on the first floor where everyone entered.
We were standing in the passage leading directly onto the stage on the second floor.
In other words…
The place where every noble gathered below would be able to see us perfectly.
I instinctively closed my eyes.
You never said we’d be entering from the stage!
There was something I had never told him.
I was much worse with crowds than anyone could imagine.
The parties I’d attended before were fine because everyone treated me like I wasn’t even there.
The largest crowd I’d ever faced was during my debutante on my seventeenth birthday.
Including my family…
The Marquis and Marchioness Dayard…
And several minor nobles they had invited…
Almost thirty people had gathered together.
For someone who had spent her entire life quietly alone inside a laboratory…
That was enough to make me hyperventilate.
“Rine! Get a hold of yourself! Don’t close your eyes!”
“Mother, this won’t do. Let’s throw everyone out.”
“B-But, Rion… They all came from far away to celebrate Rine becoming an adult…”
“At this rate, our princess is going to die!”
Ugh.
I even remembered things I didn’t need to.
Thankfully…
I didn’t collapse just because there were a lot of people.
As long as they weren’t all looking at me…
I was fine.
That’s why I had been able to attend parties with Ivan before.
But thinking all those eyes are about to look only at me…
I feel like I’m going to faint already.
I’m confident I’d be the first one to collapse.
Ivan quietly watched my face growing paler.
Then he seemed to think of something.
He gently took my hand.
“You’re shyer than you look.”
“Don’t worry.”
“I’ll make sure no one can see you.”
“Wow… that’s possible?”
“…Wait.”
“If that’s possible, shouldn’t that be impossible?”
“Just trust me.”
“My brother can do anything.”
“But he’s a demon— I mean, Ivan! Who knows what he’ll do…!”
Even Ate, who had been quietly listening, joined in.
Then he grabbed my other hand.
Before I could even answer…
The two of them led me toward the brightly lit stage.
Just as the knight finished announcing our arrival…
Ivan spoke a sentence in a strange language I couldn’t understand.
At that moment…
Something appeared over everyone’s faces.
“Oh my!”
“Where did this mask come from?”
“How beautiful!”
“Is this magic?”
“How romantic…”
Domino masks suddenly covered everyone’s eyes.
Each mask had a different design.
Together, they made the entire banquet hall sparkle with color.
No way.
That’s actually possible?
Do you know how many people are here?!
Casting magic on one or two people was one thing.
Casting it on this many people at once…
Was incredibly difficult.
Even as a high-ranking magician…
I could only manage around ten people at most.
He’s definitely not an ordinary demon.
But I still can’t figure out what he really is.
Normally…
The higher a demon’s rank was…
The less they were affected by holy objects.
When his skin burned the moment it touched holy water…
I naturally assumed he was a low-ranking demon.
But now…
He was casually using advanced magic as if breathing.
What kind of demon is he?
That didn’t look like an act…
Is he hiding something?
No matter how gentle he acted…
He was still a demon.
I shouldn’t trust him too much.
“Brother!”
“The mask is amazing!”
Ate looked at Ivan with shining eyes.
He had received a silver mask decorated with diamonds.
Mine was decorated with amethysts.
Ivan’s had rubies.
Like a true demon who understood people’s desires…
The masks seemed to take the form each person wanted most.
Because of that…
Happy voices gradually filled the hall.
“Are you feeling better?”
Ivan lowered himself slightly, trying to check my expression.
A thoughtful demon…
Really was the most dangerous kind.
No wonder humans fell for them so easily.
“Yes.”
“I think I can breathe now.”
Now that everyone was wearing masks…
I couldn’t tell whether they were looking at me or not.
It took away much of the pressure.
I had been worried…
But this was actually a much better solution than I expected.
“It suits you.”
“Although you look better without it.”
“…Ivan.”
“If someone hears that, they’ll misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand?”
Startled, I quickly raised a finger to my lips.
Ivan simply tilted his head with a teasing smile.
“Aren’t we close enough for that?”
Then he reached out.
He gently straightened the mask that had become crooked on my face.
His shamelessness left me speechless.
I opened my mouth…
Then quietly closed it again.
I-I almost nodded…
Behind his ruby-red mask…
His unreadable green eyes slowly curved into a smile.
Only then did I come back to my senses.
“Stay by my side.”
“I’ll hide you as much as I can.”
The calm and restrained atmosphere around Ivan was dangerously attractive.
His face hasn’t changed at all…
So how could my feelings change?
Getting over my favorite character?
…What’s that?
How do you even do that?
