The New Year's Eve party is, after all, just a countdown party, but that doesn't mean it's a "let's count down the seconds together! There is no such event. At the start of the New Year, the bell is rung twelve times, and when you hear it, you realize that a new year has begun.
In short, as long as you show your face at the opening of the party, there is no blame on you no matter where or what you do afterwards. In extreme cases, you can even sneak home.

It would be embarrassing for a lady's wife to go back to her parents' house, but this is how it is done.

"Dee, are you at ......?

It was acceptable enough to wander away from the venue, almost in the outer court area, where there were no people at the moment during the night party.

As Kai led her through the hidden passageway, Deanna naturally didn't know where she was in the palace while she was moving. It's a good idea to keep your eyes peeled for the possibility that you'll find yourself in a situation where you'll need to take a break. ...... It seems that Shayla has come to this place in search of an unpopular place.

She's not here. ...... I have no appointment.
"Shayla?

As usual, she hid in a corner and let out a "Dee" voice. Sheila, who had been looking around, made a strange noise.

"Dee, Dee?
"I heard a voice, and I thought it might be... I thought it might be Shayla.
"Dee!

Shayla's voice jumped. Shayla's voice jumped. Deanna's heart ached dully at her happy expression.

"I'm sorry about .......
"What?　Why are you apologizing Dee?
"I also didn't do anything to help Shayla when she was in trouble.
No!

Shayla's voice turned to me. I could hear her shaking her head from around the corner.

Shayla's voice turned to me. "You've always been there when I wanted to see you, even when you didn't promise to. The other day you even took the trouble to leave a note telling me that you would be too busy to see me during the Descent Festival, but that you would see me during the Night Meeting. You've always been nice to me, I'm just too soft on you.
"Shayla ......
I've noticed. It's a good thing that you're not the only one. ...... You can't just have someone protect you, you have to protect your own place.
...... So that's why you asked Madame Magnum not to report the Peony Faction's activities to the outer court?

After a few moments of silence, a stuttering voice came back.

Dee is a real know-it-all.
"Information is a weapon. --It pains me to interrupt when I can't do anything, but what they're doing is going too far. I don't think it's indulgent to report it to the higher-ups and have them take the appropriate action.
"For Rei's sake and Marika's sake, maybe we should do that. I'm going to ask Mrs. Magnum to make it easier on both of them.

Shayla has a good relationship with the two new maidservants who have been assigned to Shayla's chambers since the ouster of the former head maidservant Maris. I know it's hard for you to see your maids suffer from harassment aimed at you, I understand that.

I know it's hard for you to see your maid suffer from harassment aimed at you, I understand that, but it's not just about her, Shayla, it's about you.
"......, what are you asking?　I don't know who it is, but I'm being harassed and I need your help?
What more do you need?
Do you want to appeal to the Outer Palace, which did nothing for you during the summer when things were so bad?

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it. Shayla's voice trembled, but she did not waver.

Sheila's voice was shaky, but she didn't waver, "It was worse then than it is now. When I walked down the corridor, I was cursed and shoved. The maids followed suit, and sometimes even meals were forgotten. They wouldn't clean the room properly, so I had no choice but to secretly snatch the cleaning supplies and clean the room myself. ...... Even though so much was being done openly, the outer palace didn't even give us a second thought.
...... Things are different now than they were then. The chief lady has been replaced and things are more open now. I'm sure the outer court will move if you just appeal.
I can't. --I can't sue.

Shayla was pretty stubborn, by the way. You can't sue her." Holding back the desire to see her expression, Deanna asked back.

"Why?
"You know that His Majesty has been very kind to me, don't you?
Well, ......
Yesterday, you came to visit me in the evening after you'd just returned. He told me that he had made peace with the Red Rose, that he had made a pact with her, and told me not to worry, that my behavior at the party today was all part of the plan. He told me not to worry. ............ He said he loved me.
Oh my.

It seems that Juke has kept his word and explained to Shayla exactly what happened. In fact, he's in a strong mode.

Isn't that a good ...... thing?　Shayla likes you, doesn't she?
My feelings are irrelevant at this point. If I were to complain like this, I'm sure it would provoke an outcry.
"Your Majesty's favor is on my ......?　I think that's more of an accusation, not a rebellion.
But still, yo. You are one of those who turned a blind eye to the summer palace, right?　In the event that you've got a lot of family members suffering in the summer, you're not going to be able to ignore it, but you're going to be able to come in and find out that I'm the only one who's suffering.



When Deanna saw the magnificent boomerang diagram here, she couldn't help but hold her forehead and moan.

(This is an example of how actions can lead directly to trust. ......)

Shayla knows what she's doing. Sheila knew that in the current palace, no appeal would go unheeded. She knows that Madame Magnum will be sincere and will fight against the Ministry of the Interior. If the king finds out about this, he'll order a full investigation.
--And the more public it becomes and the more it's blown out of proportion.

Why didn't you order that investigation in the summer? Why didn't you order an investigation into Xia, when so many more of her family members were affected?
"Is it because Shayla, the favored princess, is the one suffering this time that you're giving her special treatment?

The former is a legitimate accusation and the latter is not.
The first is a legitimate accusation, the second is a complete false accusation. The current Juke would certainly take action if he knew what was going on, even if it was someone other than Shayla who was being harassed.
But the fact that he had been treating the palace as if it were not there until the summer is a fact that cannot be excused. It is also true that the inner palace was a hellish place for lowly servants before Deanna became the Red Rose. The parents who could not resist the pressure and gave their daughters to the court in tears would naturally have felt that their daughters were being treated unfairly in the court and would not have been at peace. --It is highly likely that their frustration will erupt when Juke starts to resolve the 'harassment of the favored princess'.

Sheila ......, did you really ask that this matter not be brought up to the outer court in order to protect His Majesty?
If it wasn't for me being harassed, I don't think this would have been so complicated. ......

This is the only thing I can do in my position," Shayla muttered, seemingly lamenting her own powerlessness.
--It's not just about being protected, it's about being able to protect something. Is that the only thought that can make a person so strong? I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this in the future.

...... I'm really sorry I couldn't get to you sooner.
It's okay. To be honest, though, I've missed you, Dee.
I'm with you. I've been wondering what you've been up to while I've been away, Shayla.

I couldn't tell her the truth, so I just had to leave the words 'I won't see you'. It was impossible not to feel regret.

I found something that would suit Shayla at a busy relationship place, so I bought it for her as a gift.
"Hmm, we think alike. I also found something at a stall that I thought would suit Dee and bought it on impulse.
"What?

It seems that we were both thinking about our friend who was not here as we looked around the stalls. ......, and then...

Do you by any chance have any of these?
"Oh, Dee?　I'm ...... too, because the letter said I could see you today.
We're kindred spirits, aren't we?
Really.

The giggles echoed around the corner. She took out the package that she had hidden under the bulge of her dress, adjusted the twisted ribbon with her hands, and presented it across the corner.

"Okay, I'll start with you.
"Well, can I approach ......?
I'm rather sorry for always making you have to go to these shady secret meetings.

I'm sorry that I've always been so suspicious of your secret meetings," Deanna said, her voice filled with emotion as Juke reminded her of Shayla's generosity. Shayla smiled wryly.

Sheila smiled wryly and said, "Lately, I'm starting to think that maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Whenever you want, you can show up.
...... I'm hoping it won't be too long before I do.

I'm sure that with Juke on your side, you'll have more opportunities to meet Shayla as the Red Rose. I think it's most convenient to reveal your true identity naturally in the course of these interactions.

I'll be looking forward to it.

Then Shayla took the package and handed me a long, thin package as if in exchange.

"Thank you. --Can I open it?
Can I open it? Of course, open it. I'll open it.

I nod and open the package. The inside of the package is lined with cushioning material and carefully protected...

What's this?　The shape ...... of this is unlike anything I've ever seen, and the decorations are beautiful.

A long, silvery stick with a pointy end. The moon and snow are the motifs of the ornaments that sway on the other side. It's delicate and elaborate.

Isn't it beautiful?　Isn't it beautiful?" "That's a ...... hairpin.
"What, a hairpin is something you put in your hair?　Does it look like this?

The tip is sharp and the first impression is that it's a dark weapon used by a businessman. I think the needle Kai was throwing was about the size of this.

I was surprised, too. In the east, they have a hairpin that looks like this. That's what the shopkeeper told me.
"Oh, so it's an exotic shape!　It's amazing. I wonder if they use it differently. ...... I'll check it out later.

I'll check it out later." Hearing the word "exotic" and "east" made my mood soar. I wonder if this is the shape of the hairpin in Shoji's country. Kai might know something about it.



Thank you Shayla, that means a lot!
Me too. ...... Hey, Dee. What kind of animal is this?

Deanna bought Shayla a cute little animal figurine covered in fluffy white fur. The eyes were so cute.

The locals call them white squirrels. The locals call it a white squirrel, but it's pretty smart for a squirrel.
Yeah, but it's cute.
"When I saw her, I thought of Shayla. I thought it would look good on her. Like your bolero today. It looks great on you.

Today Shayla is wearing a dark sky blue dress with a white fluffy hair bolero, a wintery outfit. The dress looked so good on her that it caught the attention of the audience.

Thank you. I found this at a stall and my friend bought it for me. He said it was a gift.
"I think it's a good buy. I think it's a good buy. If Shayla doesn't wear it, who will?
Dee ...... is giving you too much credit.

The other side of the corner, Shayla seems to be embarrassed and her voice is faltering. In her mind, Deanna shouted to the covert boy who must have been observing this from somewhere, "The compliment of cute is only appropriate for this kind of girl.

--Gong, gong, gong.

The sound of bells echoed from far and near. All the temples were ringing their New Year's bells at once.
After listening twelve times, Diana looked at Shayla again.

I wish you a happy new year. May the blessings of Amenos be with you this year.
"Thank you. --Thank you. I wish you the best of luck.

Deanna laughed as she and Shayla were the first to greet each other at the beginning of the year.

I wonder if His Majesty will be jealous if he finds out that I started the New Year with Shayla.
"Your Majesty wouldn't be jealous of such a small thing. I'm happy to be the first to greet Dee.

I'm glad to be the first to greet Dee. ...... I can't tell you that a few hours ago she confessed to me that she was jealous of Dee.

I'm not sure what you're going to do now, Shayla?　I'm sure the palace is going to be rude now that the new year is here.
I've heard that from Lidil and Nasha too. It's ...... amazing, every year.
The young lady may find it ...... too stimulating.

Last year, by the way, there was a cold swimming contest in the garden fountain.

I heard that Mrs. Magnum has set up a shelter for us. ......
Oh, it's for the lady of the house. Yeah, you'll be safer there with your friends, that's for sure.
What about Dee?
I'd love to go with you, but ...... I'd scare the others away if I went. I'll be somewhere else.

--The year is over. The ringing of those bells signaled the start of the counterattack.

It's not safe out there. Stay in the shelter you've been told, especially not by men.
Of course. Be careful, Dee.
Yeah. ...... Shayla.
What is it?

Her presence so close. I probe gently, take her hand and squeeze it.

You've done well.
"Dee ......
"Because hard things don't last forever. ...... You're not alone. Don't forget that.

--You'll get it. You will pay for hurting my friend.
With an invisible smile on her face, Deanna slowly took her hand away and ran off to the battlefield.