Duren tilted his head curiously.
"Who do I like more?"
"Yeah!"
Of course it would be me!
Everyone seemed convinced they were the one who would be chosen.
"Dudu likes…"
The children swallowed nervously.
And then—
"I like Mommy the best!"
Just thinking of his mother made Duren's eyes sparkle with happiness.
"When I grow up, I'm going to marry Mommy!"
"What? You can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"My mom said you can't marry your mom. I want to marry my mom too, but she said it's not allowed!"
"But Dudu wants to."
"I told you, my mom said it's not allowed!"
"Dudu's mom will say it's okay."
"But, but…"
Though they were technically older than Duren, the age difference was barely two or three years.
They still weren't mature enough to argue logically.
The child, unable to come up with a rebuttal, just rolled their eyes when—
Clap, clap, clap!
The dance music ended, and a wave of applause broke out.
The applause was louder than anything they had ever heard before, and the surprised children turned their heads.
Under the glittering chandelier, they spotted the Winterlen couple, standing close together like tender lovers.
It looked just like a scene from a fairy tale.
The children gasped in admiration.
"So pretty. She's like a fairy!"
"No, she's a princess!"
"What are you talking about! Anyone can see she's Queen Berry!"
The children, who had been bickering, couldn't help but nod at the mention of "Queen Berry" from the Minimu show.
Because truly, no one was prettier than Queen Berry.
"Does Duren's mom have a boyfriend?"
The child who had said Duren couldn't marry his mom now asked a question.
"Huh? What's a boyfriend?"
"A guy friend!"
"She doesn't have one!"
"Then instead of marriage, she can just be your girlfriend! My mom said a dad and a boyfriend aren't the same thing!"
"Duren even defeated the Black Man! It's possible!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The children cheered Duren on.
***
After the dance that etched into everyone's memory the fact that the two of them were a married couple—
Estellelele and Lennox…
"…."
Became awkward.
An uncomfortable air hung between them, as if they had never been close at all. Even a space just wide enough for Duren had opened up between them.
Was I too much?
Lennox wondered.
In his previous life, he had attended banquets with his wife at the time, but they had never danced together.
The very thought of brushing sleeves with another had repulsed him—so there was no way he would have been the one to ask someone else for a dance.
Am I crazy?
He knew his invitation to dance had been half-impulsive.
He had told himself it was because he didn't want to arouse the princess's suspicion, but in truth, that was just an excuse.
There hadn't been any problems in my past life. There's no reason it should suddenly be an issue now.
He had to admit it.
The simple truth was that he had just wanted to dance with her.
…No, I really am crazy.
Lennox absentmindedly fiddled with his ear. For some reason, it felt oddly hot.
"Your Grace."
"Huh? Uh, what is it?"
Was it that obvious his behavior was unnatural?
Or had she just now realized she'd been tricked?
"Here."
In front of the tense Lennox, a white handkerchief was offered.
Wait—handkerchief?
"Wipe with this."
"…?"
"Just now, you were uncomfortable because we touched, weren't you? With so many eyes watching, you couldn't make it obvious—so I thought this would help."
Estellelele lowered her voice.
For a moment, Lennox was at a loss for words.
It was true that he disliked people.
But his aversion to physical contact wasn't because of hygiene.
It was because he feared that even a trace of the demonic energy clinging to him might pass on to someone else.
It's true I feel less repulsed by her than by others, but… a handkerchief?
He froze in surprise, and Estellelele seemed to take his silence another way.
"Just in case, I brought this too."
What she pulled out was a pair of sealed gloves.
Large, white gloves that were unmistakably Lennox's.
"They're clean! I had them washed and sealed immediately. So don't worry."
Lennox felt unsettled, weighed down by a tangle of emotions.
He couldn't even understand why he was feeling this way—but he was.
"Are you angry?"
"Do I… look angry?"
"Yes. If you think I crossed a line, you can be honest. I'll be more careful from now on."
"No. That's not it."
"Then…?"
Normally, every one of Lennox's actions had a clear cause and reason.
But right now, the only explanation he could come up with was I've lost my mind.
The moment his eyes met Estellelele's clear, waiting gaze, all the stray thoughts scattered away.
"No. Thank you for bringing these. I'll make good use of them."
With that, Lennox gathered up the handkerchief and gloves. He began wiping his hands with the gloves and tried to slip the handkerchief over his hand.
"Your Grace."
"What is it?"
Estellelele called to him, but it seemed Lennox had no idea what he was actually doing.
Just as Estellelele was about to point it out—
Ding! Ding!
The clear peal of bells drew the hall's attention.
"To celebrate the Princess's birthday, I am pleased that so many have come."
The Emperor stood on the platform with Princess Alice at his side.
Placing his hand on Alice's shoulder, he openly displayed his deep affection for his daughter.
"My daughter, the most beautiful in the world. Is there any gift you wish for?"
Because of the public setting, the Emperor's tone was far more restrained than usual.
"Anything you give me will be fine, Father."
Alice replied indifferently.
They had already discussed in advance what she would receive.
The question was purely ceremonial.
"As beautiful in heart as she is in face. How many daughters like this exist in the world, do you not agree?"
"Yes, indeed.
There is no one with such character as the Princess."
Everyone chimed in their agreement.
The Emperor, wearing a satisfied smile, brought out a gift.
"I prepared a tiara. But seeing the kindness in my daughter's heart, I cannot give her just one thing."
He placed a necklace around Alice's neck as well.
"He truly dotes on Lady Alice these days."
"That's right, in the past he didn't even bother celebrating her birthday separately."
Such whispers circulated, though no one raised their voices.
It was an open secret that, after losing his son, the Emperor had come to dote excessively on his only remaining daughter.
"And the Temple has also come to bestow their blessing upon you."
"Wow! Really?"
Though she already knew, Alice feigned surprise and delight.
"Let them enter."
At the Emperor's command, the doors opened, and a priest dressed in black entered the banquet hall.
"…!"
He stood taller than most grown men by nearly a head.
Golden hair gleamed brightly under the chandelier, paired with gentle, handsome features.
Everyone admired his outward appearance—but Estellelele felt her blood run cold.
Helios.
He was entering the banquet hall.
"Estellelele."
Her vision was suddenly blocked.
Lennox had stepped in front of her, as if to shield her.
"If you want to leave, you can go now."
"I'm fine."
Estellelele did not hide.
Standing side by side with him, she looked at Helios, whose priestly robes seemed to suit him as though he had been born in them.
"May the grace of the gods ever dwell with the Princess."
Ascending the platform, Helios blessed Alice with a glow of golden divinity.
Though the amount of divine power wasn't overwhelming, the people could not hold back their awe.
"I can see a halo—he must be a high priest."
"Y-yes… it seems so."
In truth, no halo existed.
It was merely that Helios's appearance alone was enough to make the entire hall share in a collective illusion.
"I do feel lighter, that's for sure."
But Alice, the one receiving the blessing, remained indifferent.
Even when the gift-giving ceremony continued—nobles lining up to present rare treasures—she didn't so much as blink.
Lennox was the same.
"We've seen all there is to see. Let's take Duren and head back."
His eyes, far more watchful of Helios standing near Alice than even Estellelele's, shifted coldly as he spoke.
"But you haven't given the Princess a gift yet."
"I slay monsters every day. That's a gift in itself."
There was no penalty for not presenting a gift.
And besides, everyone here already knew Alice liked Lennox.
Better to slip away quietly than give a gift and stir up needless rumors.
They had already reinforced the impression of being an "ordinary" married couple.
More than anything, however, Lennox was worried about Estellelele.
She coughed up blood again.
She probably thought she'd covered it up perfectly, hiding the bloodied handkerchief like a perfect crime—but Lennox's eyes had not missed it.
"Sit here for a moment. I'll fetch Duren right away."
"I'll come with you."
"No. You're sic—"
"Sick?"
"Oh—slipped out wrong. I meant you're tired."
But Estellelele wasn't particularly tired.
She blinked in confusion, and just as Lennox was about to leave her side—
The Princess, in the middle of receiving gifts, suddenly raised her voice.
"Father! In truth, I don't need this tiara or this necklace. Nor do I want the gifts others are offering me!"
"What are you saying?"
"What I really want is something else. I want to use the sacred relic, the Scales of Libra."
"The sacred relic? Why?"
The Scales of Libra—the holy artifact that revealed truth from lies.
The Emperor was caught off guard by the utterly unexpected request.
But Alice pressed on without hesitation.
"Because the marriage of the Winterlen couple is a lie."
Her eyes fixed squarely on the Winterlen couple as she spoke.
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