Chapter 21: Encounter Rate

I want to catch a cold. Though I was being serious, there is no way it could go so well. More than anything, I’m pretty durable. As long as there isn’t some sort of epidemic going about I can run around with full energy.
I thought about pretending to be sick for an instant, but before a doctor……I need to be able to get past Oresseine-san first. It is easy to tell from my face, and Oresseine-san is surprisingly sharp.

While thinking about what to do, time went on, and before I noticed the party was on the next day.
Right now I am with mother in the middle of a final check of the dress and accessories which my mother chose.

「Maria-chan, are you alright?」

「Eh..…..?」

「You seem to not be very well these days, did you get into a fight with Keito-kun?」

「No, that’s not the case」

Rather than fights, I give complaints one-sidely.
I do not want to go, I do not want to see him, I cried out「I don’t want to go but I have to go」then came back, even though I was able to voice my opinions I still couldn’t avoid it.
If there weren’t any difficulties, I would do it!

「If so, that’s fine…….If you feel sick, tell me right away」

「Understood」

It is not a physical condition but I feel absolutely horrible!
If I actually mention this, I will not have to go tomorrow. Mothers will definitely allow it if I do not like it, and I understand that.
But I cannot say that. I know what I should and should not say, because I am a n.o.ble after all.
As an upper aristocracy, and as a daughter of the Duke Tempest, I cannot help but to attend the commemorative birthday party of the royal family. Moreover, because this time I also received a direct invitation with my name, it is even harder to avoid.
I am not happy about celebrating about people I have never even met before……royalty and n.o.bles are definitely troublesome.

「……Un, it looks nice. Is it not too tight?」

「It’s fine」

A gray dress close to white that complements the color of the hair. The thick ribbon wrapped around the waist is pretty, but just the design itself I feel is probably the most mature dress I have worn thus far. There are few frills and laces, but there is no volume on the long skirt.
Un, this seems easy to move in.

「Let’s tie your hair higher on the day. Because there will be a lot of people, it should be cooler」

My hair is easily brought together and tied to the top of the head. Suddenly having nothing obstruct the back of my neck, a cool air brushed against it.
The temperature itself is not hot yet, but if it is the royal birthday party it can easily be predicted that a large number of people will come. Moreover, this time is the 10th anniversary, it will be bigger than an ordinary birthday party, alongside me other n.o.ble children being invited  is highly likely.

…………Hmm?
It seems like I just noticed something extremely critical that I did not want to notice──

「Ah……!!!」

「Ah, did it hurt?」

「N-no it’s fine」

「Well, this should work for tomorrow. Good job, Maria-chan」

「Y-,Yes. Well then, mother, I will go take a bath」

Alright……well then the dress for Anne」
「Excuse me!!」

I held the hem of my dress aside and jumped out of my room without listening to my mother’s words.
The other side is not the bath …… but my room.

「Ojosama, are you going to take a bath?」

「Later!」

Anne who was pursuing my suspicious behavior, because right now I am not in the bathroom.
I entered the bedroom and pulled out the side table drawer next to the bed and start rifling through it. The objective is my precious information notebook.
Flipping through the notebook to the name and information written on the pages, I lose strength in my legs and collapse to my feet.
What I wrote was two people’s names and information.

Tuvalu Miranda, the son of the Marquis
Niel Juliano, son of the Count

「I knew it……」

All remains of hope collapse. The name and the family’s social standing are the basic information that I wrote down before, there is no mistake.
Why did I not notice sooner?
If I had noticed sooner I would have tried to get sick with all my might.

The Royal family, a party to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the birth of the prince.
If the party is at the scale where the Duke’s daughter is invited by name, then there are no reasons why the other capture targets would not be invited.