Chapter 61: Then Go Invite Him
“Invite him to the festival…?”
Evelia blinked, as if she didn’t really understand what Anna meant.
“Yes, yes! Just think about it, a festival is a great chance to do many things! You can eat some cake together, chat, dance… it’s basically a date!”
“A date…”
Hearing that word, Evelia started thinking.
Evelia didn’t really know what a normal “date” meant. After all, she never thought something like a date would have anything to do with her.
But based on the romance novel she read...
“Don’t only couples go on dates?”
“Aww, Evelia, don’t take it so seriously! What I mean by ‘date’ is more like ‘going to the festival together’, we just call it a date! It’s just two people going together, even if they aren’t a couple!”
“Ah… I see.”
Evelia listened to Anna’s words and even took it as something to remember, like a piece of useful knowledge. Anna didn’t notice that Evelia had taken her joke seriously. In Evelia’s mind now, the word “date” meant “going to the festival together.”
“So, to get closer to him, you should go to the festival! There’s a rumor, just something the girls who came for fittings said, that this year’s festival is to reward the knights who returned from battle. They’re going to have two ballrooms, one for nobles, and one for knights. If your man is a real knight, he’ll definitely be there! And the best part, you don’t have to mix with all those chatty noble ladies.”
“He’s not ‘my man.’”
“Oh, come on! Don’t worry about that little detail! The festival will totally help bring you two closer! Think about it, when you dance, you have to get close. At the very least, you’ll hold hands. And then you can secretly tickle his palm, lean gently on his chest while dancing, or even hook your leg around his waist during a couple’s move! Unless he’s totally cold, Evelia, you’re so beautiful, he’s bound to feel something!”
“Hmm…” Evelia gave a soft hum, imagining the scene. She didn’t fully understand why it was special, but right now, she trusted Anna’s advice.
“But I don’t know how to dance.”
This made her and Armand quite similar. When facing their “strategist’s” suggestion, both had seriously said they couldn’t dance.
One was a warrior who hated parties. The other was an assassin only trained to kill. It made sense they had no reason to learn dancing.
“No problem! Dancing is easy, you can learn!”
“Learn? I guess that’s okay…”
Looks like she needed to buy even more books. She wondered if there were books that taught dancing too.
“So, Evelia! Let’s make you a custom dress for the festival!”
In the end, Anna’s real plan was to design a dress for Evelia and make her the perfect model.
“But…”
“No need to hesitate, Evelia! Just let me make you a dress, please!”
Anna excitedly grabbed Evelia’s hands. She really wanted to make Evelia a beautiful dress.
“Then—”
“Anyway—! Evelia! I heard that knight of yours is really handsome too! I can design matching outfits for both of you! One for each! Totally free! My gift!”
“……”
“Just imagine it! You both show up in matching outfits, how amazing would that look? You’ll definitely grow closer because of it!”
“…Alright.” Evelia nodded, keeping her mission in mind. “Got it. So, do we take the measurements now?”
“No, not now.” Anna grinned confidently and put her hands on her hips. “You need to take the measurements in front of that knight! You have to show off your perfect figure! Even if he’s as straight as a board, we’ll make him notice you!”
“Ah, okay.”
Evelia didn’t really understand why Anna insisted on doing it that way. To her, it didn’t matter when they measured. If Anna wanted to wait, then she’d just wait until she invited Armand out.
“Oh, right—Anna.”
As she thought about it, Evelia remembered to remind Anna.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Don’t tell anyone about this.”
Even though Evelia said this with her usual blank and quiet face, for some reason, Anna suddenly felt a strong pressure from her words and her gaze. It was like if she messed this up… Evelia might actually silence her.
“Mm-hmm, don’t worry! I’ll keep it a secret!”
Still, Anna didn’t think too much about it. Looking at the beautiful pink-haired girl in front of her, she couldn’t imagine Evelia being the type to hurt someone. She just figured Evelia had her own reasons.
“Okay then, I’ll head back now. When I get him to come out, I’ll let you know.”
“Alright~~ Miss Evelia, I’ll be waiting for you to come again!”
Evelia didn’t answer, just nodded quietly, turned, and walked out of the clothing shop. She gently closed the wooden door behind her.
Click.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Armand turned the golden-trimmed handle of the Crown Prince’s office door and walked in. He placed the folder, something Carle had spent all morning organizing, on the prince’s desk.
“All done?”
As the acting emperor, the Crown Prince was always busy. Right now, he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which actually matched his short blond hair. When he looked up, the lenses reflected the light a little, making his red eyes look less intimidating than usual.
“Not really done. Let’s just say I’ve done a rough check. The Second Prince never gave us the actual blueprints.”
“Ran into Eric?”
“Yeah, and he was being difficult.”
“If he won’t hand over the documents, we can’t force him. That’s just how he is.”
Even though the Crown Prince had thoughts in his heart about how he’d need to get rid of his younger brother to fully gain power, he still smiled when talking about him sometimes.
“Carle drew a simple map, but it only covers what we saw. We didn’t get access to the hidden underground paths.”
“Got it. What about the team?”
“All ready. The list is done. Once you approve it, they can head to Saint Fleurs. I’ve already smoothed things over with the church. Our knights won’t have any trouble there.”
“Mmm…”
The Crown Prince gave a long “mm” sound. From the way he said it, it sounded like he was waiting for Armand to say more.
“…I’ve also arranged spies. They’re my people. Trustworthy.”
“Good.”
Hearing that, the Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction.
“Once I finalize things on my end, I’ll also send a few of my own people to blend in. Make sure your men look after them.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and—”
Armand had just nodded and was about to leave when the Crown Prince called him back, motioning with a finger for him to return to the desk.
“Armand, there’s something else I need you to take care of.”
“……”
Armand took the folder the prince handed him. Just from the special texture on the cover, he already had a feeling about what kind of task this was.
Deep down, he didn’t want to take it. But since it was an order from the Crown Prince, he couldn’t say no.
“…Alright. I understand.”