Cesare quickly imprisoned my staggering body in his arms. Thanks to him, I didn’t fall, but my entire body trembled from the massive shockwave that reached even the ground.
“Lionel! Are you okay?”
“You… You! How did you know it was me?”
Before I could quickly assess the situation, people on the upper terrace were noisily murmuring in confusion.
– Rustle!
When I turned my head at the sound of someone swiftly running away from the bushes beside us, I saw the back of a person wearing something like a deep purple cloak.
‘Who is that?’
Just as I was about to look more closely, I heard people screaming from above again.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Close the windows! Everyone get inside!”
“Help! His Highness the Crown Prince…!”
His Highness the Crown Prince? Cedric?
It was an ominous scream. In a situation where I was still dumbfounded, Cesare gripped my shoulders tightly and muttered.
“This is strange. I have a bad feeling.”
He quickly spread a barrier of mana to envelop me, then pushed me outward and shouted.
“Don’t even look back and run straight to the dorm! You’ll be fine, so hurry!”
“Huh?”
“You’re under disciplinary action! You can’t get caught! Quickly, run!”
“Oh, okay! You be careful too, Cesare!”
“Who’s worrying about whom? Just go!”
At Cesare’s urging, I quickly began running toward the dorm.
* * *
I rushed to the dorm as Cesare said, but my startled heart wouldn’t calm down easily. With most students attending the ball, the dorm was as quiet as a mouse, and it seemed like I was the only one in our dorm building.
‘What is this! What on earth happened!’
I frantically searched through my mind, but in the original work, there was never such a terrifying incident at Homecoming. I was certain of that. I had read the early part of the original fairly diligently because there was a lot of romance.
‘They definitely said His Highness the Crown Prince. Did something happen to Cedric?’
It wasn’t just anyone, but something that happened to the male protagonist of the original work. It couldn’t be an ordinary matter. After crouching on the floor for a while, I suddenly screamed at a person who came to mind.
“My aunt!”
Aunt would be spending time alone at the ball in the Grand Hall without knowing anyone. At the thought that I’d left Aunt in a dangerous place, I stood up abruptly again, not even realizing that I was in a ruined dress.
As I frantically opened the door to rush out, someone blocked my way.
“Rye!”
It was Cain, dressed in deep violet formal wear. He too had apparently run frantically, as his pink hair was disheveled.
“Cain! My aunt…! I left my aunt there…! I have to go. Quickly!”
Aunt threw herself into flames to save me when I was young. And I only thought of myself and ran away! Stupid Lionel!
But Cain blocked me like that. I recklessly pounded on Cain’s chest thump thump while sobbing.
“I have to go save my aunt! Let go!”
“Calm down! I got a message from Cesare and came right away! Countess Cicero is safe!”
“Really? Really? *sob*”
At the words that Aunt was safe, strength left my legs and I slid down. Then I grabbed onto Cain’s legs and sniffled.
“Yes! Ugh, don’t take off my pants!”
“*sob* I thought something terrible happened…!”
Cain calmed me down while removing the hair ornament barely clinging to my hair and dangling, and lifting my torn hem.
“Before going to the ball, I was at the cafeteria stealing fruit punch and watching the fireworks when suddenly there was a loud noise! Cesare sent a message asking me to go to your dorm room, so I came right away.”
“What, *sniff*, happened….”
“Just, something happened. Wipe your nose first!”
At my question, Cain suspiciously avoided eye contact. Since he’s someone who can’t lie to me well, I grabbed him tightly.
“Tell me. What happened.”
“Well… you know. Right after the fireworks went off, Senior Cedric was attacked by an assassin. Oh, fortunately he wasn’t hurt! But he was very shocked. Anyway, since he’s the Crown Prince, the people around him are making an even bigger fuss. So… that’s what happened.”
“That’s terrible!”
Cedric was attacked by an assailant? My head was spinning.
“Who on earth did such a bold thing! Was the culprit caught?”
“Wow. Rye. You’re really shocked! Uh, let’s lie down and rest quickly. Good boy.”
At my question, Cain rolled his eyes even more anxiously and acted suspiciously. I smacked Cain’s back once with a ‘whack’ and asked again.
“Tell me.”
“……”
Whack, whack. Even after a few more smacks on the back, Cain said nothing. If he’s going to be like this, I have my ways too.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell everyone about the firecrackers you hid in the dorm common room.”
“……!”
Still, Cain didn’t open his mouth.
“I’ll also tell about how you pay the stable boy extra during riding lessons to pick out good horses.”
“You started that first!”
“I’ll tell where you skip class. And I won’t eat breakfast with you anymore. I’ll only eat with Samuel.”
“Rye…!”
At the quite serious threat, Cain broke out in a cold sweat and hemmed and hawed, then finally said in a small voice.
“Cesare.”
“What?”
“That assassin escaped so they couldn’t catch him… but according to witnesses, he looked like Cesare. So he’s being investigated right now. Don’t say I told you! Cesare told me not to say anything to you!”
Huh.
Cain’s words were so absurd my jaw dropped. Why? I’d rather believe Cesare kissed Cedric. That would make more sense. Right? Huh!
“Him being an assassin makes no sense! When the fireworks went off, he was alone with me!”
Coming to my senses with a start, I tore off the dress that wouldn’t come off and stood up.
“I have to go. If I don’t go, no one can prove Cesare’s alibi.”
“Are you crazy? You were under disciplinary action. You were supposed to be in your dorm room all night! Are you going to go and broadcast to everyone that you cross-dressed and danced with Cesare?”
“……!”
At Cain’s realistic outcry, I saw my future hazily.
In the distant future.
Either a label saying ‘—Lionel Mellans (3N years old, Grand Merchant whose hobby is cross-dressing and dancing with men)—’ would be attached below my thumbs-up portrait under an economics magazine headline saying ‘Effort is everything in business!’
Or.
I would live carrying the guilt of seeing Cesare’s corpse with his head cleanly cut off under the false charge of attempted regicide that he didn’t even commit, haunted for life.
One of the two.
* * *
The Grand Hall was a mess after the assassin appeared.
Around Cedric, who was sitting down in great anger, various people had gathered to tend to him. While everyone was out on the terrace watching the fireworks, an assassin had thrown a dagger at Cedric and fled.
The dagger had narrowly missed Cedric, but because of the blade that grazed his cheek, red lines were drawn on his face.
Everyone who had been enjoying the ball with laughter and chatter had turned pale and was staring at the angry Cedric. Strictly speaking, Cedric wasn’t angry because he was injured by the assassin.
The reason was Cesare, who despite being bound with ropes, stood upright and acted arrogantly toward the imperial guards.
“So?”
“Since the Young Duke of Yanox is suspected of regicide, as a suspect caught in the act…”
“How many times do I have to say it? I’m not the culprit. If I had been the culprit, do you think I would have stupidly shown my face as it is?”
“Until the suspicion is cleared, you’re just a suspect, so if you would accompany us for now…”
When the guard tried to escort Cesare like a criminal, he cut off mid-sentence and interjected.
“I am the Young Duke of Yanox. Who are you and where are you from?”
At the tone that threatened ‘Let’s see your background,’ the guard hesitated for a moment and stepped back. Cedric, angrier at that behavior, said.
“Yanox. Cooperate sincerely with the investigation.”
Then Cesare also stared directly at Cedric and said.
“I tell you ‘sincerely,’ Senior, but if I had been the culprit, I probably wouldn’t have finished with a measly dagger, and even if I had used a dagger, I would have coated it with deadly poison. So much so that you wouldn’t even have the strength to speak right now.”
At the venomous tone, all the watching people held their breath. Cesare looked around at such people and said.
“This is a conspiracy. It’s someone’s scheme to trap me. While we’re doing this, the real culprit is probably running away happily.”
“If you could at least tell us who you were with, the Young Duke could clear his suspicion.”
When the guard tried to pressure Cesare again, Cesare roughly pushed him away with his shoulder and said.
“I said repeatedly that I was with my partner.”
“So who exactly is that partner…”
The guard caught between the imperial family and Cesare was equally troubled. If he got on the bad side of the Yanox ducal family, rumored to be a prestigious family of magicians, he would surely have restless dreams.
“It’s a matter of a lady’s honor, so I can’t say. I can’t speak without her permission.”
However, when asked to prove his alibi, Cesare flatly refused. Cedric, unable to bear watching such behavior any longer, stood up directly and warned.
“Chivalry is important, but this is also a matter of the Yanox ducal family’s honor. If you want to clear your suspicion, speak now.”
“Ah, but Senior knows very well. That we’re a family crazy about love.”
“I’m not joking, Yanox!”
As Cedric raised his voice and shouted at Cesare who spoke mockingly, in the ice-cold crowd, one small arm popped up.
“Cesare was with meee!”
Both Cesare and Cedric looked at where the sound came from with startled eyes. But the owner of that hand, despite shouting vigorously, was pushed here and there among the crowd and couldn’t easily come out.
“Oh my. Just a moment. Eek. Did I step on you? Bill me for medical expenses later! Wait. Let me through! Oof.”
It seemed they couldn’t get out because they were caught on the puffy dress hems.
Because of that, the atmosphere of the Grand Hall, which had been ice-cold due to the conflict between the two people, began to gradually loosen and buzz. Finally, the owner of the voice that had been squirming from the back for a while peeked their head out from the front row.
“I’m a junior, Lionel Mellans! I can prove Cesare’s alibi! Heek.”
With honey-blonde hair that had become a bird’s nest and a wrinkled shirt. A face covered in strange soot-like stuff. Not only that, but panting from being out of breath—Lionel looked exactly like an exhausted Pomeranian.
“Lionel, that idiot.”
Cesare let out a groan at the oncoming headache and hung his head low. But he couldn’t help the corners of his mouth rising at that foolish appearance.
