As a "Red Rose", Diana is serious about her duties, and whether she wants to be or not, the job of "Acting Queen" keeps coming to her. Whether it's accompanying the King to the Temple, or presiding over the Garden Party, or being the King's partner at the soiree.

Just like at the beginning of the season, at this "New Year's Eve Party", Diana, as the one standing next to the king, was naturally led to the back of the hall.

(...... Well, this time it just happened.)

The blessings of Amenos, which the king had personally bestowed upon her at the main temple of the Armenian religion, were to be shared with the nobles for the coming year. This seems to be the purpose of this evening party. If this is the case, it would be rather unnatural for me, who accompanied the king to the main temple, not to be next to him.

(This is too much trouble. .......) (It's just a countdown party anyway, so I don't think it's that difficult to figure out.

The party, which starts at sunset and ends at sunrise, is, to put it bluntly, just a big party to which the royal court invites the nobles to spend the turning point of the year together. It's still an elegant ball until the new year, but once the new year starts, the chaos will make you ask, "Is this really the royal palace? But once the New Year arrives, it turns into a chaotic space that makes you want to say, "Is this really the royal palace?
Fistfights are commonplace here and there, as if to relieve daily frustrations. On the balconies and in the gardens, young lovers - a large percentage of whom are no longer young - flirt, and in the corridors, unattached men woo maids and maidservants. There were others who got drunk and swung swords at statues, others who wandered into the stables and danced a waltz with horses, others who fell into the pond and instead of freezing, took off their clothes and posed, shouting, "This is the real naked waiting! The list goes on and on. Even if you're rude, you need to have some moderation, right?　That's what Deanna, who experienced the last year and the year before, thought.

Still, up until last year, it was fine to just laugh and watch the commotion from the sidelines. ...... This year...

(I guess I'll have to check around to see if any of the members of the fire party have joined in. ....... I can't take it anymore.

I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. My brain has already abandoned the word "lady" altogether.

"Um, Red Rose, ......

Oops, no. Before I knew it, I must have arrived in front of the waiting room.

Excuse me. I must have gotten a little distracted.
"No wonder. You must be exhausted from your long journey. You'll be able to rest after the show, so please be patient.

At the beginning of the season, the maidservant who had guided Diana to this place had also expressed her gratitude with words that were as clear as running water. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I've been chosen as Juke's lieutenant. He may be afraid of the Countess of Clester, but he seems to be the type of person who can separate that from his work.

"Thank you, sir. I'm fine.
"May I speak to Her Majesty?
"Yes, please.

The well-behaved attendant nodded, faced the door, and shouted.

"Your Majesty. The Red Rose is here.
Let him through.

Without pause, a voice comes back from inside. Diana bows and walks through the door that the attendant opens for her.
Unlike last time, the room was quiet. There was a hint of a knight in an inconspicuous place, but it was minimal.
Without looking for him, Juke was waiting for Deanna in a corner with a table and chairs a short distance from the door. Stepping in front of him, Deanna folded her knees without making a sound.

"Greetings to His Majesty the King. My lady, the Red Rose, has just arrived at your service.
"Ah, thank you for coming. I've already taken care of the people. Make yourself comfortable.

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web. It's a very unique job for a knight of the ...... guard.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
I'm not sure.　Oh, you're still curious?
It's not something I see very often.
Alford's been a bit of a worrier lately. Lately, Alford has been worrying too much, and he's insisted that the Kingsguard take care of anything they put in their mouths, just in case, until he can verify the identities of the attendants.

It was just like Alford to be loyal to his duties and take good care of people. The fact that one of the main culprits in the attack on the carriage heading to the Temple of the Mist was among the palace guards, and was almost killed, came as quite a shock to him.

The Commander must be very worried about you.
"I suppose so. I'm not used to being treated this way.

Juke chuckled, and took note of Diana's attire.

But you really do look bad in that attire.
Thank you very much for your kind words. Thank you very much for your kind words, but I'm not aiming at you.
Oh, no, you look beautiful.　It suits you very well.
Don't worry about it. You should only pay compliments like that to Master Shayla, you know.　I'm sure you've already figured out that the better you look, the worse you look.

In a way, the Cresta family is in their element.
A dress of dark pink lustrous fabric with beads scattered on it, earrings with pearls in gold, necklaces with shining jewels of various colors, ruby hair ornaments that shine on the golden hair, the maids of honor who were in charge of the house had carefully selected the items, and they were perfectly balanced to make Diana more beautiful than ever. And the result is that Diana is truly powerful. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
I'm not expecting any compliments on my beauty or cuteness.

I'm sure you'll agree. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.
"Oh ...... Oh. There's something I need to discuss with you.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

"Is there something wrong with Master Shayla?


...... Have you mastered the art of mind-reading?
"With all due respect, Your Majesty is easy to understand. ...... Are you still uncomfortable with me being your partner?
No?　No? No, you're rather pleased about that.

It seems that Shayla's "love for the Red Rose" phenomenon is still alive and well. The only thing I can't figure out is her thought process.
...... If it's not about love, it's about the series of events that began on the Lord's Day.

"...... What did Master Shayla say to you?
It's not that she said anything particularly positive. But she was clearly exhausted and had a gloomy expression.

When I heard that again, I felt my heart tighten with helplessness. No matter how much effort Mrs. Magnum and Chris put in, it was impossible to stop all the malice in such a large place with so many people living there, and the harassment of Shayla had continued until yesterday, changing hands, changing products.
In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. But malice can easily wear away the heart. The two maidservants who adore Shayla are currently very unstable.

The two maidservants who adore Shayla also seem to be very unstable at the moment, "If you are not feeling well, there is no need for you to strain yourself at this evening's soiree. Would you like me to advise Madame Magnum to excuse you now?
"I don't know. I told her in no uncertain terms to take the day off, but... I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's had it. ...... Really, what the hell happened?

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. I don't want you to be bothered by petty quarrels in the palace.
Shayla's words were not wrong. We should avoid involving the outer court in the disputes of the inner court as much as possible. --As long as they can resolve it on their own.

I won't let them get away with it.

All the arrangements are in place. We just have to wait for the party to start.
I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

"...... Yes. I don't know if that's relevant or not.
What can I do for you?
"I heard something a little strange in my conversation with Shayla last night. I think it may have been one of the reasons for Shayla's low spirits.
"Well, what kind of story?

Well, what was the story? I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to make of that.
I asked him the same thing, but he said he hadn't seen his favorite friend in a while. "...... Would you say that Master Shayla is close to Master Riddile and Master Nasha?
I asked her the same thing, but she denied it. I asked her the same thing, but she denied it, saying she had never seen them.
"What about ......?

I've never seen her before, but Shayla denied it. Juke, who had been gazing into space, took no notice of this, but continued gloomily.

Sheila's friend is apparently a very shy person. He doesn't want to be seen, he doesn't even use his real name, he only communicates with his voice. Shayla said she's only ever seen the back of his head.
That ......?

It may be that you are talking about ...... Dee.
In the event that you've got any questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at our own web site. According to yesterday's report, Shayla had indeed tried to see Dee once, but that was in the first half of the festival. That would have been before the harassment started.

Are you saying that not seeing your friend is the cause of Master Shayla's depression?
"No, I don't think that's the whole story. No, I don't think that's all. But when she talked about her friend, ...... Shayla seemed so lonely.

As well as feeling guilty, there was also a slight urge to blame whoever it was. It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web, as well as the information on the internet.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
But you don't even know ...... her name, do you?
Her real name is unknown, she's never been seen, but she's always there when Shayla wants to see her. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a fan of your work.

...... When told by a third party like this, it is completely suspicious. I'm not sure how Shayla can be friends with such a suspicious person.

"You have a fair amount of information about all the side rooms, don't you?
I won't deny it, but ...... identifying them with the information you've just given me is quite a difficult task, isn't it?
You know what?
I'm sure you'll be uncomfortable with the idea of such a suspicious person approaching you, Shayla, but we'd appreciate your patience. ......
Hmm?　Oh, no, no, no. I'm not accusing you of anything. It's just ...... I'm jealous of your friend.
"What about ......?

I'm sorry, but I couldn't get my expression right. Juke chuckles at Deanna's apparent pouting.

You said you've never been in love with anyone.
In a romantic sense, yes.
"Unrequited love is a very tricky thing. Your mind is swept away by your partner's every move. When you realize that Shayla's heart is for me, it's a heavenly feeling. ...... On the other hand, when you see that Shayla is deeply in love with someone, you can't help but be envious of the person ahead of you.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this topic in the coming weeks.


It doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman. It doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman. ...... No, it's a woman, so maybe I'm still just jealous.

I don't even want to imagine Shayla's heart going out to anyone but me.
--I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

(Is that how it is?)

If it's love that makes you jealous of even your closest friends of the same s*x, then it's a troublesome feeling. To be honest, I'm reminded that I'm still too heavy for this.

(At any rate, I'll have to talk to Shayla when I have a chance during the soiree.

If not being able to see Dee has been such a blow to Shayla, then it is a serious matter. I can't say that I'm too busy, because I can become Dee if I have this body, one step at a time.

"Your Majesty. It's time for you to go.

A tense voice comes from behind the curtain. With an unspoken agreement, the two of them ended their conversation and stood up.

"So, the Red Rose, Deanna Crester. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you following your visit to the temple.
"I'll do my best, though it's not much, but I'll do my best. --Let's let all the nobles know how well the King and Queen are getting along, and see if they react lightly.
"Right. I'm counting on you.

They looked at each other and nodded.
--The King and the Red Rose leaned in close to each other and were sucked into the light-filled curtain.