Chapter 96

"It's... typical, I guess..."

Seeing Lucas's actions, the brown-skinned man laughed in exasperation. At his signal, five men emerged, all dressed in finery and wearing masks, making their faces unrecognizable.

—How did such a large group manage to infiltrate?

No matter what, the security of a duke's household shouldn't be so lax as to let such a large group pass through smoothly. Even at the reception, if an unexpected number of people like this came, a report would be sent to Tiara Roses or someone else.

...But that's not what I should be thinking about right now.

—I need to deal with this situation somehow.

Lucas crossed his arms and laughed through his nose. He then extended his hand to Filine and smiled.

"Come on, Filine. I don't want to resort to violence either. Let's go home together."

"…!"

Lucas's face clearly indicated that he was willing to use force if necessary. He was telling her that if she didn't want her dear friend to be hurt, she should come with him. Seeing this, Filine bit her lip.

"I never thought Lucas would be this foolish."

"Filine, you don't have to go with him."

"Ti... but—"

Tiara Roses spoke to Filine in a soothing tone, telling her not to worry. In fact, she couldn't forgive the man who had treated her beloved maid this way. Though she didn't show it in her expression or attitude, Tiara Roses was extremely angry.

The brown-skinned man seemed to be in the same state, his eyes glaring at the men under his mask.

"...It seems you don't want to hand Filine over. Well, if that's the case, I guess we'll have to make you see things my way!"

"—!!"

At Lucas's signal, the five men approached. The brown-skinned man immediately stepped forward to stop them, delivering a powerful kick.

"Ow!!"

"I won't let some guy who doesn't even know how to escort a lady get the better of me!"

"...Damn, a noble who's this strong... Are you a knight or something?"

"Let's see, then."

One of the men fell to the ground, and seeing this, Lucas clicked his tongue and took a step back. However, the brown-skinned man's momentum didn't stop. In no time, he had taken down the remaining four men.

Tiara Roses and Filine were amazed by his efficiency and strength.

"You're really strong... Thank you for helping us."

"I don't know who you are, but thank you."

The two of them thanked him, and then Tiara Roses thought about handing over the ringleader, Lucas, to the security. Just as she was thinking this, the brown-skinned man suddenly raised his voice in alarm.

"Danger, behind you—!"

"Eh?"

They had let their guard down, thinking it was safe now, and hadn't considered that Lucas's men might still be around. Two men suddenly emerged from behind Tiara Roses and Filine. The brown-skinned man tried to help, but the distance was too great.

"Danger!"

"Filine!!"

Filine instinctively stepped forward to protect Tiara Roses. She saw the knives the men were holding and closed her eyes tightly, but no impact came.

"Oh, thank goodness... Elliot...?"

"Yes. Are you all right, Filine?"

The men's knives had been deflected by Elliot's sword. He was sweating, indicating that he had rushed to get there. Sheathing his sword, he extended his hand to Filine, who had collapsed, and smiled reassuringly. "It's safe now," he said, helping her stand up.

—Thank goodness.

Seeing the two of them, Tiara Roses felt relieved. Then, a gentle voice reached her ears from behind. It was the deep, sweet voice of the person she loved.

"Aqua!"

"I'm glad you're safe, Tiara. I didn't expect things to turn out like this..."

"...Yes."

Aqua Steed looked at the fallen men and the captured Lucas, then quickly approached the brown-skinned man.

"You protected them. Thank you."

"Protecting women is a man's duty."

"I'll have the guards take this man away immediately."

It was fortunate that the commotion was contained before it escalated. The masked ball attendees hadn't noticed the disturbance yet. Tiara Roses was about to suggest moving to a different location with Filine but decided against it since Elliot was there.

—...Hmm? Is there a good atmosphere?

It felt that way.

Seeing Tiara Roses, Aqua Steed and the brown-skinned man also turned their gaze to Filine and Elliot. The atmosphere around the two of them was calm, a stark contrast to the chaos that had just occurred.

"Thank you for helping us. I'm glad Tiara Roses is unharmed..."

"Yes, but I'm also glad Filine is unharmed."

"Elliot saved me. ...I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Filine glanced at Lucas, who had a cloth over his mouth and couldn't speak. He was quickly taken away by the guards.

"Is that... someone you know, Filine?"

"...Yes. He apparently obtained permission from my parents to marry me and came here to take me back."

"! That's so presumptuous..."

Elliot, who had not known the details, was surprised by Filine's matter-of-fact explanation. He clenched his fists, regretting his inability to do anything. Seeing this, Filine smiled softly.

"You're so kind, Elliot. ...It couldn't be helped, I'm sure. To be honest, my family isn't very wealthy."

"So, that nobleman..."

"Yes. He seems to have offered financial assistance to my family."

Filine had many siblings, and she needed money for her younger sisters. It made sense, but being treated this way was very painful.

Seeing Filine's sad smile, Elliot swallowed hard.

"...Filine"

"Yes?"

Filine tilted her head, wondering what was troubling Elliot. Perhaps she had confused him by sharing a bit about her family. If so, she was sorry.

"Elliot, I'm fine, so don't worry about me."

"I do worry."

He answered immediately.

"Eh...?"

Filine's eyes widened as she looked at Elliot, who was staring at her intently. His eyes were so serious that her face turned red.

Elliot spoke in a soft voice.

"...I have no status, so I have no right to say anything to Filine."

"Eh...?"

Elliot was a commoner with no family name. As Aqua Steed's aide, he knew a lot about the noble society, but he wasn't directly involved in it. He had always thought, and still thought, that this was the case.

Elliot, who had a good master, had never felt disadvantaged by not being a noble. In fact, he even thought it was nice not to have to attend tedious balls.

"But now... I wish I were a noble. If I were, I could have helped Filine right away."

"! But, Elliot, you did help me. Like a prince in a fairy tale."

Filine told him that he had helped her and that there was no need to worry. However, Elliot didn't seem convinced and shook his head.

"Filine"

"Y-Yes"

"...If my wish could come true, would you wait for me until I earn a noble title...?"

"—!"

Filine's eyes widened in surprise at Elliot's unexpected words.

For a commoner to confess to a noble... It was almost unheard of. Even if it did happen, it rarely came to fruition. However, Elliot's case was a bit special. As Aqua Steed's aide, he was a trusted individual. If he achieved a significant feat, it was highly possible he could earn a noble title.

Filine's heart raced. She had never imagined that she would receive a genuine confession, not a political marriage. She looked at the ground, feeling confused, and took a deep breath before looking at Elliot. He was still staring at her with the same serious expression.

"Thank you, Elliot. Your feelings are very precious to me."

"Filine..."

"I'll wait. I'll wait for the day you reach out to me again."

"...Yes, I will!"

Seeing Filine and Elliot's relieved smiles, Tiara Roses sighed in relief. She hadn't expected things to resolve so smoothly.

"That's good."

"Elliot has a lot of work ahead of him."

"Yes."

Aqua Steed smiled beside Tiara Roses, as if supporting his aide. He wanted to help, but ultimately, it was up to Elliot to work hard.

With that, the matter was settled!

Let's go home—Tiara Roses thought, but then she felt an arm around her shoulder.

"Kyaa!"

"By the way, kitty... who's this guy?"

The brown-skinned man approached, looking unamused as he asked Tiara Roses. However, Aqua Steed wasn't about to let this slide.

"Don't touch my wife."

"Really? You're married, huh..."

Aqua Steed glared at the brown-skinned man and removed his hand from Tiara Roses's shoulder. As the two men glared at each other, Tiara Roses nervously told the brown-skinned man, "I'm married!"

Thank you for the feedback on the last update!

Indeed, the security was too lax... I hope to improve it if the book is published.

I don't usually get many comments, but I was happy to receive even critical feedback. (Laughs)

Thank you for always reading!

Just being bookmarked makes me feel that more people are reading, and I'll try to update every week.