Egret

“Christine, do you think I don't know? ”

“What?”

I wonder if she is the same bird that she used to be.

“You're not going to the party to celebrate Her Majesty's anniversary when you start working at the student council? When do you run away without a word? ”

“It's a ‘go out’. Runaway is a term used when children leave their homes without permission. ”

‘…… you finally got away! ’

Alsios, who barely swallowed up the rebuttal that soared to his throat, began to grow old with a serious expression.

“Anyway, if you don't even congratulate me, you won't be surprised. ”

Do you want to... do it? ’

Cristina's blue-eyed pupils didn't have much of an expectation. She lowers her gaze like a petal.

I used to touch the glass with an elegant touch, but I couldn't hide it until the purple tea water shook.

I had a smile on my face that I was not looking at.

‘Let's not imagine. ’

I already knew that everything was meaningless when I imagined it all by myself. The one she had in her heart was a really unpredictable man. In any way.

Meanwhile, when I saw my sister trembling so loudly that she tried not to make tea, Alcios opened her mouth in a vague tone, not knowing whether to smile or cry.

“Christine, remember the first time you went to school? ”

“Lubach? ”

“What did you say as soon as you saw the letter of recommendation not to go to the prestigious Lubach? ”

Lubach was only ten years old when he was officially admitted, and that was 10 years ago from now. Cristina recalls her time without difficulty.

"No."

Ever since she was a child, she has been unparalleled. I refused what I hated like a knife, and I had to do whatever was good. That was the way Cristina chose to survive among her younger brother Alcios, who was expected by her family with a busy parent and heir education.

Efficiently and unconditionally, you must show excellence to be praised. So she tried to be better.

For her, it was an obstacle to stay away from her family and a school full of unnecessary learning processes.

“If you've been to school, you'd be much quicker and more efficient to get personal tutoring at home. ”

“Brother! Back then. ”

“That's right. You didn't know that when you were young, did you? ”

Alcios raises his pout.

“The world never goes back the way we thought it would. ”

“ ……. ”

“Whether you expect it or frustrate it. At that time, there were countless unthinkable things like shells hiding in sand fields. ”

She was only a brother who was born a few years earlier, but as an adult in Alcios, she felt unable to afford it.

The smiling face of Orabi is depressed and Mann Cristina complains.

Alsios stood up first, leaving her sitting like a cat in the heart of Odokani.

“This party might be a good opportunity for you. ”

“Opportunity?”

It was a word I didn't even think would come from my brother, so Cristina's eyes narrowed.

‘What chance? The brother I knew was certainly not inclined to covet power. ’

In the meantime, she speculated that Alcios, unlike the other nobles, would not be interested in seating his relatives as royal mercy.

The Duke of Delphia, who already had great power, had no reason to be more involved with the Huang family.

Excessive greed has corresponding responsibilities. How Hayun Lee, the current emperor's first sincerity, died.

Swans floating on the lake are exquisite and beautiful, but if you look beneath the water, it is an imperial palace with real ammo as opposed to a luxurious exterior.

It was too risky to be a part of that loyalty to Huang Ga.

So Alcios was reluctant from the beginning to involve his sister, Cristina, with the Crown Prince. At least it wasn't enough for Cristina to feel herself.

Did you notice that? ’

It was a public secret for anyone to notice if they saw her in love with only one person many years ago, but the first party in a relationship was just a small one.

While receiving her sister's borderline young eyes, Alcios takes out a white paper from her arms.

“Here's the invitation. ”

“No, it's fine. He'll be more comfortable with me not going. ”

It was suspicious, but Cristina turned it down like a knife.

“No, not him. ”

A blameless name came out of Alcios' mouth.

“Recipient is Baikal B. Drake, this is an invitation from your best friend. ”

“Haah?”

Who's best friends with whom. She handed me the invitation in her hand without my knowledge of the madness. Cristina, hardened by the touch of a thick piece of paper in her hand, extended her invitation.

We invite you to a masked party.

I've been stuck since the first line.

Cristina, didn't you forget you promised to come? I'm going to go ahead and wait. I know you're home. New Year's Mask Ball Celebrating Adult Ceremony! I've been very concerned and prepared, so you must come.

I was just reading the typeface, but somehow it felt like I could even hear the voice.

After reading through the last line, Cristina finally unmasked and laughed as if she was controlling her face like a shield.

P.S. Wave-flavoured candy on arrival.

The wave-flavoured candy was a Delphian spiritual specialty on the sea. The taste is unique and intense, so I don't like it much unless I'm a local, but strangely, her relatives ate well without military noise.

Every time I went on a trip here, I felt it was polite to taste the specialties of the region. Judas, who was forcibly holding onto the group, was very influential.

Cristina folds the invitation loudly, at the request of one of her old friends, Baikal, who is not arrogant.

“I'll go. Mask party. ”

* * *

Several events were taking place in the capital for the New Year.

Then there was another party in the Imperial Palace that excited as many young men and women as possible. It was a masked party hosted by Chanam at Drake.

Unknown Participants. Unknown Participants. Invitation criteria are also uncertain!

A secret party open only to one organizer. This was the masked party that was prevalent among the nobles these days. This masquerade party was very popular in that it was not an exposure to identity, unlike other parties that had to be paired on an identity basis according to strict manners.

Of course, there was a primary rule that invitees were only invited by the author, but as much as detailed personal information, they remain strictly confidential.

Secrets create a sense of mystery, and mystery soon turns into expectation, creating a special situation that can be enjoyed excitedly and comfortably.

“Welcome. I will examine the seal of membership on the invitation. ”

When a masked guest arrives, the guards receive an invitation at the entrance to check if it is genuine and not fake.

Whether or not the invitation is genuine can be seen by the invitation member's seal on the invitation.

When you bring a magic stone that matches the ink you used to stamp the seal beforehand, the green light passes through, and if it is unresponsive, it is frustrating.

There are a lot of people who want to sneak in and create a fake invitation, so they can enjoy the party completely without further inspection at the entrance.

Hug! Hug!

The guards bowed their heads and greeted the guests as the fire announced the passage from the magic stone.

“Welcome, you. You can go inside. ”

A strange thing happened as soon as the aristocrat from the wagon stepped on the ground.

The color of a man's hair, which was originally close to orange, turned as black as a bird's eye. A man touches his forehead with a slight astonishment and enters the manor as much as possible.

All subsequently arriving guests went through the same process.

“...... but why are they black feet? ”

“Hey, what's wrong with you? He's the one with the darkest hair! ”

‘I can't help it, though. ’

Baikal, who swallowed honey cakes, laughed like a human.

“No, it's a mask party, but it's a party after all, isn't it? It's important that any outfit goes well at the party, but the black hair gets its feet. ”

“Is that so?”

Edan, who had no idea about costume design or color matching, was grave.

“Originally, black or white is the primary color that goes well with everything. ”

Even Judas' silver hair was coveted, but silver hair was the color of the imperial palace, so it should not be used for amusement. The red is too intense and the blue is too bright to match the atmosphere of this celebration.

Then I naturally won the black.

“But this, although I designated it, seems to have been defrosted because people's heads are all black. ”

Baikal murmurs awkwardly, scratching his black bitten hair.

One of the devices for concealing identity is this discoloration magic.

A state-of-the-art enchantment composed of a massive magic enchantment that instantly turns black with a predetermined hair color at the entrance to the mansion.

Thus, Baikal, who was originally a dark hair, became as black as he was here, and the party participants who arrived in the dark were wearing masks on their black hair, without having to cover their men and women.

I had the same hair and covered my face with a mask, so I couldn't recognize anyone at all.

“So, how are Lan and Baek Ho doing? ”

“Yes, he's doing well. ”

I didn't murmur in anticipation of the answer, but the answer came back unexpectedly. It was Gaya.

Like Edan, Gaya, who was originally black-haired, was mixed in the party hall in a completely unsightly colour.

He even picked up a glass of ice wine from the passing servant and let it in.

“I went to New Year's Eve as a greeting. ”

“In the meantime, have you been to thaw? ”

“Ugh. But when Meow tells him not to go when he leaves, when he comes and says..... ”

In the palm of Gaya's hand, a glass of wine was scattered with the sound of Woodstock.

“Fuck off!"

I bit his fist in the mouth and cried pitifully, but Baikal trembled and gave me a glance at the glass powder flowing out of his fist.

“Yes. Did you? Well, maybe it's time to get busy there. ”

Following the contractor, Gaya, who had lived in the Thaw for over a thousand years, missed her home all the time while adapting to the Lubarzan Empire.

Then finally, this New Year's Eve, I ate big hearts and fell beside the contractor and went to the thaw. However, Beak Ho said he had a lot of work to do, even though he welcomed them with open arms. He was running around busy with Ran.

He said it would take a long time to recover and stabilize a country damaged by the command. Gaya shrugged her shoulders as she told the story.

“I said get lost unless you want to help me. ”

You can't use a lot of power away from the contractor because it is the Holy Water Spirit.

Returning to the Empire was also a way to get help from Uni, so I had to return to Tulletale after killing only a few hours.

Reviews

* * Ballerina Top by Boutique

Did you have a good weekend? Heh.

Finally reached the last chapter (perhaps), Chapter 27: The Age of Man.

First child (?) is only a few days away from the hand! That feels awful. Heh.

Then we look forward to seeing you through the deadline!

Thank you all the time.