Silent Witch

After convincing Nero and Lynn to bring her to Lana's room, she met Lana with her eyes widened.

"…You don't seem to be okay. Hey, are you sure you're not feeling sick? Wanna rest for a bit?"

To keep up with the appearance she tried to keep her back straight, but looking prospectively, her pale face told otherwise. She didn't seem really fine.

She told Lana that it was her first time at the school festival and she's been having fun too much before asking her to dress her up.

The leaf-colored dress that Lana lent to Monica was originally designed for a child, but Lana's father had arranged a seamstress to alter the design and make some adjustments.

He might have simplified the design of the upper dress, but the large lace on the chest part made it looks classy and refined. On the lower part, a draped skirt flowed down with a big ribbon attached to the left waist, leaving an image of billowy waves with every step she took and it was beautiful.

All of these aspects had made the dress looks cute yet not childish. Showing its gorgeousness but not extravagant.

With every part of the design had been calculated to the minute details, it had produced the dress that even Monica, who's not familiar with this kind of thing, could honestly say it suited her very well.

To make it better, Lana also tied a ribbon in the same color as her dress and braided it together with Monica's hair. After braiding it to the side, she loosened some of it.

"…are you planning on something with that part?"

"Hehe. You can expect something on this."

Lana smiled complacently before twirling the loosened part and binding it with a hairpin. Once the whole thing was in place, the organized hair turned into the shape of a flower.

"It's beautiful! My hair looks like a flower!"

"This hairstyle is on the hit these days."

Even Lana's hairstyle which she proudly displayed had been arranged in the same style as Monica's. It made Monica grin unconsciously.

"…hehe, we've got the same hairstyle."

"I-I guess we might look like sisters."

"Yeah… ehehe."

The hairstyle Lana had arranged will look good even without the hairpin, if anything, it was her skillful hands that made it so gorgeous.

To finish it off, Lana applied makeup to Monica's face, which was more glamorous than during the chess tournament, then pinned a white rose ornament to her chest.

The simple design on the upper part of the dress made the white rose ornament look more distinct against the leaf-colored fabric.

"And Lord Cyril would be delighted too," added Lana as she closed the makeup kit as Monica wondered in puzzlement.

Why would Lord Cyril be delighted?

If she dressed up properly, she wouldn't embarrass the student council, and Lord Cyril will be delighted too.

While Monica convinced herself so, Lana looked at the white rose ornament and smirked.

"Do your best!"

"O-Okay…?"

＊ ＊ ＊

Eliane Hyatt had prepared a new dress just for today's ball. The fluffy pink dress, which was tailored by a renowned seamstress, brought out her dainty and delicate charm to the fullest.

With her downy, light brown hair beautifully groomed and a flower ornament was attached to it, making her beauty was comparable to a fairy queen, or so what the servants praised.

Naturally, once Eliane stepped into the venue, everyone will pay attention to Eliane…

"Still, the ball feels more delightful when Miss Graham comes…."

"Miss Ashley is so beautiful today, too… her presence alone makes the atmosphere around her like a different world."

Her hands quivered when she heard these comments.

Following people's gazes, what came first into her view was the secretary of the student council, Bridget Graham chatting amicably with the guests. She wore a maroon-colored dress interwoven with gold and silver threads, a dress which not many people can wear but it suited her perfectly. And the most eye-catching thing about her was her glamorous beauty and her beautiful golden curly hair, which matched her gorgeous dress. The fact that she didn't look vulgar even when wearing such a fancy dress was probably due to her refined and dignified behavior. Especially her ability to grasp the identity and background of the guest to tailor the conversation to their interest, it was not something anyone can imitate.

Following that, there's a girl with a listless look leaned back on the sofa for a rest. She was the daughter of Marquis Highon, Claudia Ashley. The royal blue dress she wore elegantly accentuated the lines of her slender body. Her lustrous black hair was beautifully tied up and held in a large hair ornament, with a single strand hanging down from the side. Even that strand of hair looked beautiful, perhaps because of her mysterious beauty. She sat there with a doll-like expressionless face, but when she's moving or blinked just a little, the young men around her looked at her passionately, as if they were expecting something.

Even at the glamorous evening party, both Bridget and Claudia's beauties stood out.

Eliane is one of the three most beautiful girls in the school, along with Bridget and Claudia. However, when comparing their beauty, people always place her beneath the two—she can't escape the frame of being an adorable young lady.

In the first place, the only reason she was selected as the three most beautiful young ladies in the academy was her background as the same family as Felix's which made her popularity rise.

…so what? Family background and characters also can become aspects to evaluate a young lady. I come from a nobler family than any of them and my behavior is also not inferior to theirs.

For example, when Eliane smiled, the young men around her immediately smitten over and came to gather around her.

She's just like a spring fairy in the book. How lovely she can be. Just looking at her charm almost made me have a heart attack—Feeling better at such words, Eliane took a side glance at Felix.

She easily spotted Felix's figure. As he has a more overwhelming presence than anyone else in the venue, it was not difficult to find him.

She would have liked to approach Felix and ask his thought on her dress, but he was still talking with the teachers. It would have been unbecoming of a young lady to interfere forcibly here. The right choice was to approach Felix discreetly and naturally, then wait for him to call to her first.

After all, Eliane is the most suitable partner for Felix and would never be ignored by him.

…what is that?

There's a group of young ladies gathered at the table in the back, surrounding a certain young man.

That young man was Glenn Dudley, who played the hero Ralph in today's play. His tall figure and copper hair could easily be spotted even when surrounded by a group of young ladies.

Apparently, his successful debut at the play had piqued the interest of numerous young ladies.

Oh my, my, my… what's so great about that crude and vulgar man? I feel pity for these young ladies who are not suited to be Felix's partner.

Even Eliane was inwardly making fun of the young ladies who were fawning over Glenn, she still paid attention to their conversation.

The ladies were full of praise for today's play, and in between, they were inquiring about Glenn. And one of those ladies asked Gleen shyly in the enraptured face.

"Lord Dudley, I heard that you are a disciple of the Seven Sages, the Barrier Magician, is that true?"

"That's right!"

W-W-W-W-What did he say!?

She has never heard any of it.

Glenn Dudley was a transfer student in the second year of high school, and his un-aristocratic behavior has made him stand out from the crowd. However, perhaps because of his friendly personality, he seems to have a certain amount of interaction with some of the students.

In Eliane's opinion, Glenn Dudley was a "delinquent" who does not belong at Serendia Academy.

And yet, for some reason, he was mingling with some of the student council members. Furthermore, Felix has taken an interest in him.

A disciple of Seven Sages!? From the rumor, Sir Barrier Magician is very popular and influential in noble circles. Becoming a Seven Sage means his status will be raised to a count rank and more importantly, he will become His Majesty King's counselor… and it's the highest authority a person could achieve. And will Glenn Dudley follow his step too, I wonder?

Ignoring half the praises of the young ladies, she turned her attention to the conversation Glenn had with the others.

"You look so good in that suit, Lord Dudley."

"Ehehe, just for your information, my master had specially arranged this suit for me!"

In fact, everyone could tell that the suit he wore was made by a first-class tailor. Even the slim jacket, which was trendy in terms of collar shape and silhouette, suited his long arms and legs very well.

His master, Louis Miller, was well-known for his fashion sense among ladies in noble circles. As a result, Glenn's formal wear was very sophisticated.

It's a shame his sticking-out copper hair hadn't been arranged neatly, but among these young men, Glenn Dudley had a presence that didn't lose to Felix's (though it's more because of his large figure and loud voice.)

And one of these young ladies asked Glenn timidly.

"Have you decided who you're going to dance with, Lord Dudley?"

"Hmm, I'm not that good at dancing. I guess I'll satisfy my stomach and eat many dishes for now."

"You're so funny, Lord Dudley."

The ladies seemed to be having fun, even after hearing Glenn's free-spirited response. This time, another lady asked jokingly.

"Could you tell us what type of girl do you like, Lord Dudley?"

"Well, I'd love to hear about it!"

"Please tell us!"

I'd like to hear it too. Eliane focused all her attention.

Glenn folded his arms and pondered seriously, letting his gaze wander through the air then opened his mouth.

"…a girl like Amelia, I guess."

Amelia, the wife of the Founder King Ralph—a role played by Eliane. His words were like saying that he adores Eliane who played Amelia.

Oh, my! if you had said that in front of me, I would have told you that I adore Felix more than Ralph!

While Eliane has these nasty thoughts, Glenn continued with his words.

"Ever since I read the story of the Founder King as a child, I've always liked a collected woman like Amelia. She's cool, good at her job, and while she will tell you directly when you did something wrong, she will also listen to your problems seriously… and when you're hurt, she might say ‘well, it can't be helped,' but she'll take care of you in the end. Preferably older than me."

Eliane unconsciously gaped her mouth open.

That's unexpected. All the aspects he had provided were the exact opposite of Eliane's in every way. As information, Eliane was in her first year in the advanced course, so she was younger than Glenn.

When Eliane hurriedly covered her almost retracted expression with a fan, the young men around her asked, "are you not feeling well?" But she quickly put on a lovely smile and looked up at them.

"I apologize for making all of you worried… It just, I felt so embarrassed to be praised so much," said Eliane with a smile, and everybody around her smitten over in delight.

This is how it should be. If anything, the one who didn't have a good eye was Glenn Dudley. Even when he had performed on the stage with a lovely lady like her, he haven't said hello to her, let alone complimented her.

How about giving her a greeting—and maybe with some praise. If so, she might praise him for having a good eye.

As if Eliane's thoughts had been transmitted over, Glenn turned his gaze and looked toward Eliane.

And of course, Eliane had never intended to approach him. Even he approached her, she won't call him out first.

While Eliane had these thoughts, Gleen approached her quickly with a large stride—but he briskly walked past her and called out to a small girl standing near the entrance.

"I knew it! It's you, Monica! Hey, Monica!"

"…oh, Dudley… Good evening…"

"Good evening! Your dress looks so lovely. It suits you perfectly!"

"T-Thank… you… ehehe"

Eliane unconsciously lifted down her fan, and the young men around her called out to her with concern, only to be ignored in vain.

While anger emitted within her blue-gray pupils, Eliane stared quietly at Glenn Dudley and Monica.

If it had come to this, she could care less with her etiquette as a young lady anymore.

So she walked over toward Felix with a rapid pace, and after confirming his chat with the teachers was over, she called out to him.

"Lord Felix, would you like to have a dance with me?"