Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 75: Cold (10)

Exiting the main hall without much trouble, I hastily scanned the outside corridor.

Thankfully, because he had just left a minute before me, I easily caught up with the emperor, turning a corner to catch the back of his magnificent robe.

"Your Majesty."

Stopping a few metres behind him, I called out. Pausing his feet, he turned to face me. I watched his old eyes examine me up-and-down for a few moments, slowly nodding as if in realisation of something, upon which he opened his mouth.

"I see. You are the princess' attendant, is that correct?"

Meeting his strong gaze, I peered up at him just a little nervously and nodded.

"I am. I've come to ask something regarding My Lady's engagement. May I?"

"Oh...?"

Moving my arms before his watchful eye, I steadily slid the black glove off of my right hand, stretching it forward as if to implicitly ask for a handshake.

Then, steeling myself internally, I spoke.

"It involves the will of the Winter Mother."

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Staring in raw disbelief at the back of Enki who hurriedly exited the hall, Lucretia's shaky gaze lingered on the doors through which his back could last be seen.

'How could you... at this time...'

Turning her attention then to the other nobles populating the hall, her eyes naturally fell upon the crown prince, seemingly swarmed by nobles passing on their congratulations.

On the other hand, nobody dared approach the imposing young lady; sitting unattended with a half-empty wine glass in her hand at one side of the hall, her thorny aura appeared more daunting to the wary nobles than even that of the emperor himself.

Rather, to all save one person.

"E-excuse me..."

A dolled-up Ayla Tichá approached, her cherry pink hair done up in a pair of eye-catching drill twintails. Clutching the sides of her similarly pastel-coloured dress, the sheepish Protagonist tentatively addressed the so-called Winter Flower, the Antagonist and future Empress of Christina-Drakon-Rasa.

"...Lady Tichá."

Lucretia's flat, dispassionate voice acknowledged the other with a tone so cold it made her flinch. Nevertheless, gulping down her nervousness, Ayla mustered all of her courage.

"Um... I-I don't see Sir Enki around anywhere... Is he...?"

When those words hit her ears, it was as if Lucretia froze. For a reason that she herself could not understand, the blood in her veins lost its warmth, and all senses blanked. Even she, the Princess of Christina-Rasa, someone attuned from birth to the eternal winter of the north――had never felt so terrifyingly cold before.

And the timing was surely awful.

"Ayla! There you-- ack!? Lucretia... you're not picking on her again, are you?"

"..."

"Honestly, how many times must I tell you--"

"Sir Chris! Please, not now..."

Interrupted by Ayla's cry, the riled-up prince faced her, and as he lowered his gaze, he saw the timid girl lightly tugging at the hem of his clothes.

"Gh... fine. This woman... isn't worth my time anyway. Hmph. Shall we dance?"

"Eh? But--"

"Come, no need to hesitate. Allow me to show you how it's done. It's actually easy, you know?"

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"W-wait...!"

Just like that, the truculent "Little Prince" took Ayla's hand and tactlessly led her to the open centre of the hall which, with the introduction of physical instruments―playing the same thematic music Enki had been listening to the entire time―had already transformed into a ballroom floor following the emperor's departure.

And as the overwhelmed Protagonist was dragged along like a precious little lamb to the slaughter, she repeatedly turned her head to either side as if searching desperately for someone to help.

A very specific someone, at that.

All the while, in the corner of this refreshing, high-class exhibition, the Antagonist sat isolated from it all.

Nevertheless, she was not afraid.

Not afraid, not overly perturbed, nor was she too disheartened.

"He..."

Repeating to herself one certain truth, she kept all such concerns at bay.

After all, hadn't she been incessantly reminded until now?

Certainly, before the night was over...

'He promised...'

The empire――would undoubtedly be saved.

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Following my brief departure outside the hall, I soon slipped back inside and returned to Lucretia's side, countless conflicting thoughts brewing in my mind.

"Sorry. I had to do something quickly. It was really important, but it's over now."

I whispered such an apology to her ear, but she didn't even send a glance my way.

Only, a stone cold voice was returned.

"Deserting the lady you serve in the middle of her ceremony is utterly irredeemable."

My lips pressed tight at her admonishment, barely suppressing an expression I didn't know wanted to be a grimace or a smile. Even if she treated me dispassionately like that, it still didn't work to disguise the evident relief contained within her subtle tone.

I would be surprised if someone had the gall to approach her with the 'untouchable' atmosphere she was giving off, so she probably waited all by herself for me to come back.

Was she feeling lonely? That really did make me feel bad.

"I'm sorry."

"...From tomorrow onwards, you will no longer be my attendant."

"Well, I'll be a runaway criminal. Or, are you saying you'll fire me?"

"Once I become empress, I shall exonerate you."

"Haha. I appreciate it, but you don't need to. It'll be tough to do that considering my crime, anyway."

"Don't underestimate me. Do you think I cannot accomplish something as simple as that?"

"Mmm, no, it's not that..."

"Then what?"

Following that quickfire exchange, finally, she turned to face me; meeting that gaze head on, I said bluntly.

"How will you absolve someone of a crime if they don't exist?"

"..."

"It's gotta be tiring to hear me say the same thing over and over again, so I won't, and I know you're well aware of it already. Just, don't forget it. And don't act like it's not going to happen."

As I finished what I had to say, my attention rolled over towards the numerous noble couples dancing together in the centre of the hall. It seemed the current song was just ending, so those who were dancing began to step down as new pairs approached the stage to supersede them.

Just then, I caught someone intently looking my way, meeting their eyes coincidentally.

'Ah. Don't tell me...'

"Sir Enki...!"

Ditching the crown prince who appeared to be trying to get her attention, the Protagonist scurried over to us in but a moment's notice, her face flushed and breathing quite winded.

Although I managed to curb the use of titles like 'sir' or 'miss' when we were alone to foster a greater sense of intimacy in our relationship, one that established a camaraderie of two people hailing from a shared 'commoner background', it seemed to have become a pattern that we maintained the usage of such honorifics in public settings.

"Miss Ayla. Were you dancing?"

She seemed to cast a wary glance at Lucretia beside me, but since I told the latter previously not to interfere with my conversations today, she wouldn't be acting as the villainess any longer.

After all, with today being the pre-established finale, there really was no need for something like that.

"Y-yes... oh, actually, I was wondering if you wanted to, um... with me..."

"...?"

It took me a second to realise what she was asking for, what with her low, nonsensical mumbles and constant fidgeting, but then I realised.

This was a ball――She probably wanted to dance with me.

'...I guess I should've expected this to happen, huh...'

Honestly, I really didn't want to, but considering that we were still in the middle of a 「scene」, I thought I should just put up with it.

Such a final hurdle was something that could only be overcome, after all, not evaded.

'At least this is the only time...'

"W-what I mean to say is... um... Sir Enki, would you... d-dance with me...?"

"S--"

"How horrendously crass."

Abruptly interrupting both mine and the Protagonist's words, Lucretia spat that out.