Chapter 38 - Forgot something important

Two days have passed since I thanked Fate for sponsoring me. This morning, when I woke up, Emilia suddenly came to my room and told me that the preparations were now complete. According to her, the invitations had been sent, the decorations for the venue had been done, and the musicians had arrived.

Hearing about all the completed tasks, I was overwhelmed with a heavy sense of guilt. Why? Well, it’s because, for the past two days, all I had been doing was lazing around in my room. From time to time, Fate, Liza, and a few others would visit me. We’d have tea parties and chat about various things. As a result, I felt obligated to attend the party.

It was now late afternoon, and while I was changing into my party attire, I was deep in thought.

“Hmm…”

“Is there something wrong, Lumina-sama?”

“I feel like I’m forgetting something really important right now…”

“?”

Because Emilia was very insistent on helping me change, I gave up resisting and allowed her to assist me.

“Hmmm…”

I continued to ponder while she dressed me, stretching my arms as she worked. It would have been easier if I dressed myself.

“It seems like almost all of the parents from the high-ranked noble families are coming to the party. As for the low-ranked nobles, some have said that their parents couldn’t make it. They mentioned that their homes are very far away. According to them, traveling from there to here would take at least a week. What’s more—”

“That’s it!”

“Eh?”

Emilia’s hands stopped moving when I interrupted her with a shout.

“I forgot to invite my parents!!!”

“Is that it?”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it!’? They’re my parents! How am I going to face them if they find out I threw a party? Even though I’m not using our money, still! What should I do?”

Despite my panic, Emilia remained calm and continued working.

“Don’t worry about that, Lumina-sama. They were included in the invitations.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good… haaa~”

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I then remembered another important thing.

“It’s not good at all!”

“What is it this time?”

Emilia’s tone had a tinge of irritation mixed in. It was because whenever I exclaimed, I would move my body and interrupt her work.

“How am I going to explain to my mother that I now have 200 servants!”

“…”

“What should I do? Maybe it’s better if I don’t go… but if I don’t, I’d be rude to Fate… however, I don’t know how to face my mother when she comes… argggh!”

“Please stay still, Lumina-sama.”

Emilia held both of my arms and tightened her grip. She then bound them with two chains made of mana.

“But… but…”

“You can’t avoid the party anymore. The preparations are already complete. While you’re changing here, Fate has already informed me that some of the guests have arrived.”

“Urk…”

“So please stop moving, Lumina-sama. If you don’t, I’ll even bind your feet and head to keep you still.”

Although Emilia was smiling sweetly, her words did not match her expression. As a result, I fell silent.

“And done…”

After Emilia placed a brooch on my chest, she examined me from head to toe. She nodded a few times before breaking into a satisfied smile.

“Here, take a look, Lumina-sama.”

She created a mirror of mana in front of me. I was quite surprised by what I saw. The fancy hair clips in my hair had dark blue gemstones and matched the black color of my hair perfectly. She even braided some parts to further highlight the clips.

The formal dress, which I had only worn upon arriving at school, had been improved. Blue lace was added in some areas, frills were added to the cuffs, the skirt was shortened to above my knees, and my dark stockings were replaced with white knee socks. Additionally, she placed a small top hat on the side of my head.

Just looking at my present figure, I was really… cute.

Emilia had truly done a great job with my appearance—

“Hmm… thanks, Emilia… it looks really good.”

“You’re welcome. Then, shall we go now?”

“Hmm… wait a minute… I think I just forgot something really important.”

“Nope, it’s just your imagination, Lumina-sama.”

Smiling, Emilia emitted a dangerously sharp aura. Because it felt so threatening, I stopped trying to remember what the important thing was.

* * * *

I walked out of the room and was surprised to see Liza, Mary, Victoria, and three other boys.

If I’m right, the one with red hair is Axe? The one with blue hair is Mark? And the one with white hair is Antoinette?

Hmm… I somehow feel that Antoinette is a dog's name…

“In case you forgot, the one with red hair is Achil, the one with blue hair is Frank, and the one with white hair is Anthony.”

As I tilted my head, looking at the three boys, Emilia whispered their names to me.

“Cough* It’s been a while, Achil, Frank, and Anthony. I haven’t seen you for about three days now.”

When I mentioned their names, the three boys sighed in relief.

I wonder why. Well, that’s not important, though.

“Why are the six of you here? And where’s Fate?”

Since we had been having tea parties together, seeing her next to Liza had become normal for me. It’s because Liza had twin tails styled into drills while Fate had straight twin tails.

“She’s already gone ahead, Lumina-sama.”

“Is that so? Then why are you here? Wouldn’t it be better if you went ahead?”

Liza bowed in front of me and said, “We’re going to act as your escort for the party, Lumina-sama.”

“Why would I need escorts? I’m only going to say hi to your parents, right?”

Emilia and the six of them simultaneously made wry smiles.

“Well, that is true…”

“Then let’s get going. I don’t want to arrive late.”

I wanted to get there quickly because the sweets might already be served. Since Fate’s father is rich, I expected there to be a variety of sweets I had never tried before.

“….”

Emilia furrowed her brows as she observed my face. It seemed she knew what I was thinking.

“Come on, let’s hurry.”

I spoke while covering my red face with a fan I was forced to carry. I surrounded my body with mana and began flying north.

“Ah, Lumina-sama, Fate’s castle is south of here.”

“….”

I changed direction and flew toward the south. Not wanting them to see my embarrassed face, I flew rather fast.

Also, what did Emilia mean by ‘castle’? No matter how rich Fate’s father was, I didn’t think they were wealthy enough to own a castle.

…Right?

* * * *

When we arrived in front of a mansion, I was awed by its size. Fate’s house was made of stone, surrounded by walls and ramparts. It had tall towers that I refused to call watchtowers. It was my first time seeing a mansion that resembled a castle.

Since Fate’s father was a merchant, he was able to make his mansion like this. It’s not like he was an Earl or something… right? Right?

Yeah, the place where Fate lives isn’t a castle. They’re just rich.

“Haa… sometimes, it’s really hard to convince myself of something…”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

Geh!

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Is that so?”

As Liza turned her gaze back to the gate, I patted my chest in relief.

By the way, while we were standing in front of Fate’s mansion, Emilia showed the guards our invitations. They were clad in full body armor and held spears in their right hands. They really looked like soldiers. It seemed they had dressed up for this occasion.

Because of their impressive appearance, I occasionally saw illusions of soldiers patrolling the ramparts. Yeah, those were just illusions.

“Un, we have certainly received your invitation… Lower the drawbridge!”

The guard shouted loudly. With that, the gate slowly opened. That drawbridge in front of me is only an illusion…

Who am I kidding?

With the real thing in front of me, I think it’s better if I stop forcing myself to deny reality.

Right now, in front of me, was a large castle with soldiers patrolling its ramparts. And now, we were walking over a drawbridge.

However, I still refused to accept Fate’s social status. Why? It’s because it’s basically impossible for me, a lower-ranked noble, to have a high-ranked noble serve me. The only reason they could rent this castle was because her father was rich. I don’t want to admit that this was where she lived.

“It’s quite huge, huh…”

“It’s as expected of an Earl.”

Lalala~ I didn’t hear anything.

“Lumina Chis Chem has arrived!”

As we walked along the path connected to the drawbridge, a soldier announced my name and blew his trumpet. Though it was my first time experiencing such a welcome, I couldn’t help but jump in surprise.

“…. That was quite sudden… Hmmm? You seem quite calm, Emilia. Weren’t you surprised?”

“Well, her father holds a rank in the royal court, so they’re bound to give this kind of welcome.”

…Erase…

Since I had now been officially welcomed, this meant the people inside the castle were aware of my arrival. I quickly straightened my back and narrowed my eyes. I watched my step and walked with dignity.

Because I was going to meet many parents, it was best to present my best self. First impressions last, so I better make a good one, an impression that doesn’t tarnish my family name.

We stopped in front of a large door with intricate designs.

Looking around, I started to wonder. There were other nobles mixed in with the general students. If Fate’s father, a wealthy merchant, could afford to rent out this castle, I wondered why he allowed her only daughter to be discriminated against at school.

Or was he aware?

Well, I’m not really good at reading people, so let’s stop thinking about that.

For now, let’s focus on maintaining my posture and walking with dignity. Let’s get this done. I want to enjoy some delicious high-class food.