Chapter Sixty-One: Then Let’s Extend the Invitation
“Invite him to the celebration…?”
Evelia blinked, seeming not to understand what Anna meant by her words.
“Yes, yes! Think about it, celebrations are a great opportunity. Two people can eat pastries, chat, and dance together. It’s practically a date!”
“…A date…”
Upon hearing those two words, Evelia fell into thought.
Evelia didn’t quite grasp the conventional meaning of a date. After all, she really couldn’t associate the concept of dating with herself.
But from the perspective of that romance novel—
“—Isn’t it only couples who go on dates?”
“Oh come on, Miss Evelia, don’t take it so seriously! What I mean by ‘date’ can be understood as ‘meeting up for the celebration dance,’ it’s just a shortened form! In any case, it’s a two-person outing that doesn’t require you to be a couple!”
“Ah… I see.”
Evelia listened to Anna’s words and even noted them down as a piece of knowledge. Unbeknownst to Anna, Evelia took the joke seriously, and in her mind, the term “date” had now become “meeting up for the celebration dance.”
“So, to strengthen your relationship, let’s go to the celebration! There’s a rumor going around that those girls who came to make custom outfits said this time the celebration will be divided into a noble hall and a knight hall to reward the knights returning victorious. If your gentleman is a genuine knight, he will definitely participate in the dance! Moreover, he won’t have to mingle with those chattering noblewomen.”
“He’s not from my family.”
“Stop worrying about that! In any case, the dance will definitely bring the two of you closer! Just think about it; during the dance, there will certainly be close contact between men and women. At the very least, you’ll hold hands. Take the opportunity to secretly scratch his palm, lean gently against his chest while dancing, and when it’s time for interactive actions, hook your leg around his waist. As long as he’s not a complete jerk, Miss Evelia, with your beauty, he will surely be moved!”
“Mm…” Evelia let out a soft hum, imagining that scene. Although she didn’t quite understand its special significance, she did lean toward trusting Anna’s suggestion.
“But I can’t dance.”
Just as capable as Alman, they both seriously expressed their inability to dance when faced with the strategist’s suggestion.
One was a warrior who hated parties, and the other was an assassin who only knew how to kill, so there really wasn’t a reason for either to dance.
“That’s okay! Dancing is easy; you can learn it!”
“Learn? I suppose that’s possible…”
It seemed she would have to buy more books, though she wasn’t sure if there would be any dedicated to teaching dance.
“So, Miss Evelia, let’s have a custom dress made for the dance!”
—In the end, Anna’s little scheme was still to make a dress for Evelia, turning her into the perfect model.
“But…”
“There’s no need to hesitate, Miss Evelia! Let me make you a dress—!”
Anna enthusiastically grabbed Evelia’s hand, looking extremely eager to fulfill her wish of making Evelia’s dress.
“Then—”
“In any case—! Miss Evelia! I heard that knight is a handsome guy! I can design outfits for both of you! One for each! Free of charge! A gift!”
“…”
“Just think about it! You two will wear matching outfits to make your debut. How wonderful that scene will be! You’ll definitely get closer because of that!”
“…Alright.” Thinking about prioritizing her mission, Evelia nodded. “I understand, so should we measure sizes now?”
“No, not now.” When Anna heard Evelia agree, she confidently placed her hands on her hips. “Measuring sizes should be done in front of that knight. You have to showcase your perfect figure properly. Even if he’s a jerk, you should still impress him!”
“Ah, okay.”
Evelia didn’t quite understand Anna’s intentions for doing it this way; she just knew that it didn’t matter when the measurements were taken. Since Anna wanted to wait, she decided to wait until she could invite Alman out to discuss it.
“By the way, Anna.”
Thinking of this, Evelia reminded Anna again.
“Mm? What is it?”
“Absolutely don’t let it slip.”
Although Evelia spoke with a seemingly expressionless and somewhat dazed face, for some reason, Anna felt an immense pressure from Evelia’s words and gaze—as if if she didn’t do well, Evelia would eliminate her.
“Mm, okay! You can count on me!”
But Anna didn’t think much of it. Looking at the beautiful pink-haired Evelia, how could she be the kind of person who would harm others? So, she had no doubts, merely treating it as Evelia having her own considerations.
“Alright, I’ll head back first. If I manage to bring him out, I will let you know.”
“Okay~~ Miss Evelia, I look forward to your next visit!”
Evelia didn’t respond further, nodded, and walked out of the tailor shop, gently closing the wooden door behind her.
Click.
On the other side, Alman turned the gold-trimmed doorknob of the First Prince’s office and placed the documents that Carly spent the whole morning organizing onto the First Prince’s desk.
“Finished?”
As the acting emperor now, he had to work intensely, so the First Prince currently wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses that matched his short golden hair. He lifted his head, the lenses reflecting light slightly, making his crimson eyes appear less fierce.
“Can’t say it’s finished, but I can say I’ve gotten a rough idea; the Second Prince didn’t pass the blueprints to me.”
“Did you meet Erik?”
“Indeed, very difficult to deal with.”
“He hides things in his hands; we can’t force it from him. His methods are quite something.”
Although the First Prince thought to himself that to obtain the throne he’d need to eliminate his brother’s life, he still had a smile on his face when occasionally mentioning him.
“Carly sketched a simplified map, but the places marked are limited to what we can see. We have no opportunity to access those hidden underground passages.”
“Got it. Are your personnel arranged?”
“Yes, the list has been drafted. Once you finalize and approve it, they can head to Saint Flurs. I’ve already handled the church connections; our knights won’t run into problems there.”
“Mm…”
Listening to Alman, the First Prince responded with a sound, but from his tone, it seemed like he wanted to hear more. The intentionally prolonged ending indicated that he wanted Alman to continue.
“…The informants are arranged. They are all my people, reliable.”
“That’s good.”
Hearing this, the First Prince nodded in satisfaction.
“Once everything is arranged on my end, I will send people to mingle in. Be sure to take care of your men over there.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, right—”
After nodding to acknowledge the Second Prince’s arrangements, Alman turned to leave, but the First Prince called him back, beckoning for him to return to the desk.
“Alman, there’s something I need you to handle.”
“…”
Taking the document bag handed over by the First Prince, Alman could tell from its unique texture that he had an inkling of what was inside.
Though deep down he didn’t want to accept it, given that it was the First Prince’s arrangement, he couldn’t refuse.
“…Alright, I understand.”
