"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat!?"
The two voices rang out in unison.
Even amidst the clamor of the party, they were loud enough to be heard clearly by everyone in the vicinity.
"Princess Olivia! That’s—!"
"Hmm? But Ray and I have already promised our futures to each other, haven't we?"
Princess Olivia stared intently into my eyes.
At first glance, she might have seemed airheaded, but this was entirely calculated. As expected of royalty, Princess Olivia had already mastered the art of winning over the human heart at her young age. Furthermore, she possessed a natural charisma and an inherent grace.
The fact that she had gone out of her way to declare that so loudly in this setting meant exactly what I thought it did. By making this appeal here, she was attempting to create a fait accompli.
Naturally, the people around us began to buzz the moment they heard her words.
"Princess Olivia’s fiancé?"
"Someone like that already existed?"
"Who is he?"
"Who is that...?"
"Do you know him?"
"No, I don’t. He’s wearing an Arnold Magic Academy uniform... a student?"
"A student is Princess Olivia's fiancé? I’ve never seen him among the nobility..."
"Is he... a noble?"
"No, wait... could he be an Ordinary...?"
As the people nearby stared and whispered, I quickly grabbed Princess Olivia and led her toward a corner of the venue.
"...Princess Olivia."
"Hmm? What’s wrong? Did I do something?"
"You know exactly what you did..."
"Hehe. It’s because you keep ignoring me, Ray."
Her expression shifted, taking on a bewitching air. Smiling audaciously, she smirked as she gauged my reaction.
—This is why dealing with Princess Olivia is such an ordeal...
Even though I was exasperated, what had happened couldn't be undone. For the time being, I decided to give her a stern warning.
"...For the record, I would like you to keep the fact that I am the Ice Sword a secret."
"Yes, yes. I understand that."
"In that case, claiming to be my fiancée in front of everyone is problematic. A mere student being the fiancé of Princess Olivia is..."
"You’re right—that would be bad. I think so too. Yes, yes."
Princess Olivia continued to speak with a smirk, as if it were someone else's problem. It was as if she were playing with a favorite toy.
I had known she had this kind of personality since the day we met, but I hadn't expected her to go this far. I attempted to bring the situation under control.
"I will make sure to reply to your letters from now on, so please, refrain from saying such reckless things in public."
"Ehh? Really? You really won't ignore me anymore?"
"Yes. I promise to reply to your letters immediately."
"And you won't accept the engagement?"
Princess Olivia asked, looking up at me with an overtly coquettish gaze. But even so, there were lines that neither of us could cross. Our respective positions were far too delicate.
The Ice Sword, one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers, and the Second Princess of the royal family. If that became public, it would cause its own set of problems.
"That... is not just my concern. You have your own circumstances to consider as well."
"Well, that’s true, but... I really do like you, Ray. Besides, if it’s the Ice Sword, I don’t think anyone would complain. Well, even if someone did... I’d make sure they never spoke another word. Hehe."
The bewitching smile on her face revealed the "other side" of the princess. At a glance, one would be misled by her adorable appearance, but Princess Olivia was a clever woman. She undoubtedly knew exactly how to silence any opposition.
She is a person whose inner thoughts are truly unreadable... As I was thinking that, Princess Olivia continued.
"Well, whatever. I'm sorry, Ray. I just got carried away because it’s been so long since I've seen you. Will you forgive me...?"
"..."
Princess Olivia looked up at me, her eyes moist and shimmering. I understood that this was also calculated, but I couldn't simply brush her off, so I gave her a firm answer. She likely knew exactly what I was going to say.
"I understand. Please, ensure nothing like this happens again."
"Oka—y!"
Raising her right hand slightly, Princess Olivia accompanied me back to Amelia and Ariane.
"Ahaha! Were you surprised? It was a joke, just a joke! Ray and I are just acquaintances. I only said it because I wanted to startle you!"
"A... A joke?"
When Amelia spoke, Princess Olivia responded with a beaming smile.
"Yup! For now, anyway..."
"I... I see..."
Princess Olivia stared at Amelia with half-closed eyes. Amelia did not avert her gaze, either. In fact, the atmosphere between the two felt extraordinary. I wondered if something had happened between them.
"Well then! I'll be going now!"
"Th-then... I shall take my leave as well."
Turning on her heel, Princess Olivia dashed away. Ariane followed after her, looking bewildered.
—I always think this, but she really is like a storm...
Once I took my eyes off Princess Olivia, Amelia approached me and bumped her shoulder roughly against mine.
"What is it, Amelia? Why so aggressive?"
"Noth—ing. I don't care who Ray is engaged to, but... honestly!"
Amelia thumped my shoulder repeatedly. Her voice was laced with irritation.
"Your tone is... rather sharp. Did I do something to offend you?"
"Nothing! Hmph!"
Amelia’s mood was, quite frankly, at rock bottom. In all the time we had spent together—though it had only been a few months—Amelia had never shown such clear displeasure.
—What... what am I supposed to do in a situation like this...?
As I stood there flustered, a woman of elegant appearance approached us.
Our eyes met. The woman had crimson hair and eyes of the same shade. Though she appeared young, the aura she exuded was unmistakably that of someone who had accumulated years of experience.
And she looked... yes, she looked very much like Amelia.
"Are you Mr. Ray White?"
"Yes. I am Ray White."
"I see. Hehe, I am Eleonora Rose. Amelia’s mother."
"So you are Amelia’s mother. Thank you for everything you do for her."
I bowed respectfully. The surrounding gazes turned toward us, drawing even more attention, but it was far too late to worry about that now. After everything that had happened, it couldn't be helped.
It was mostly Princess Olivia’s fault, anyway...
"No, no. It is I who should thank you; it seems my daughter is truly in your debt. Right, Amelia?"
"M-Mother!"
I shook hands with Amelia’s mother. Unlike Amelia, she was a person of very soft manners, but their appearances were strikingly similar. It was clear at a glance that they were related by blood, though her sophisticated aura was something only an adult could project.
"And so, I see... so you are Amelia’s..."
"Yes. I am spending time with her at the academy as a friend."
"Your appearance and your behavior both pass. However, you are from an Ordinary background, are you not?"
"Yes. My family is not a sorcerous lineage; there is no mistake that I come from an Ordinary background."
"I see. No, I knew that from the beginning. And yet, I wondered why Amelia praised you so much. In terms of ability, it is obvious that my daughter is superior. Amelia has exceptional talent even among sorcerers. That is why... your existence felt somewhat incongruous. So, I apologize, Mr. Ray White, but I took the liberty of investigating you."
Amelia’s mother spoke calmly. There was no emotion in her voice; she seemed to be merely stating facts dispassionately.
"...I understand. It is important to know who is associating with your family."
"Yes. And through that, I found out... that you are the current..."
"..."
"Ice Sword, aren't you?"
Those words were spoken in a voice soft enough that only Amelia and I could hear them. Having said that, Eleonora Rose continued to smile with elegant poise.
"Mother, that’s—! I mean...!"
"It's alright, Amelia. I knew a time like this would come eventually."
Amelia tried to cover for me, but it was futile now. In any case, my identity as the current Ice Sword was bound to be discovered. It wasn't something I felt I had to keep hidden at all costs; I was only doing so to lead a peaceful academy life.
I had always known it was only a matter of time before the Three Great Noble Families found out. High-ranking sorcerers were already aware of my existence. In other words, anyone with a certain degree of influence in the world of sorcery could uncover the truth if they looked deep enough.
That was why I responded to Amelia’s mother with a firm attitude.
"Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Ray White, the current Ice Sword Sorcerer."
"Hehe, I see. Very good. I've taken quite a liking to you. As I've already told Amelia, I would very much like to hear more from you at our home... would that be acceptable?"
"Amelia has invited me before, so I would certainly like to accept your hospitality."
"...Hehe. I see. Then, let us meet again, Mr. Ray White."
"Yes. I look forward to it."
After I gave a deep bow, only Amelia and I were left. However, Amelia was looking down with a bright red face. I wondered if something was wrong.
"Amelia. You have a wonderful mother."
"Eh!? W-well, I suppose... but it's just so embarrassing. Mother was in such a good mood..."
"A good mood? She certainly didn't seem upset, but was she that happy?"
"...Yeah. It looks like she took a liking to you, Ray."
"That is certainly good news."
"Ugh... that’s exactly the problem..."
"? What do you mean?"
"...No, it’s nothing."
Amelia and I also went our separate ways for the time being. Since the date for my visit to the Rose household was already set, the next time I saw her would likely be then.
And so, I headed toward the last person I needed to greet at this party.