Chapter 38: A Maid Behind the Scenes — Outcome

Just before Tiona — now beautifully dressed once more — was getting ready to leave, Keithwood handed her a small note.

"Terribly sorry to trouble you with this, Miss Rudolvon, but would you mind giving this to milord, Prince Sion?"

"Huh? Uh, I certainly will," she answered with a nod before heading off to the ballroom.

Tiona arrived late, but no one paid her any mind. The reason being that she had appeared just as Mia and Sion were finishing their dance. Everyone in the room was mesmerized by their performance, allowing Tiona to walk in without attracting any attention.

Once the dance concluded, Sion was immediately mobbed by a bunch of girls. Tiona was intimidated at the thought of wading into a group like that, but she took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and strode in.

"Um, excuse me..."

"Hm? Ah, I believe we've met before. Your name is..."

"Tiona Rudolvon. I'm sorry to bother you, Prince Sion, but um, Keithwood told me to give you this..."

"Did he? Hm, excuse me."

After putting some distance between himself and his encircling group of girls, Sion quickly read through the note. It summarized the incident and the likely culprits. Furthermore, it also mentioned that it would be prudent to consider the possibility of Mia's involvement, if only out of an abundance of caution.

Hah, abundance of caution indeed. You're too careful for your own good sometimes, Keithwood.

Sion smiled and shook his head. It was Keithwood's job to broaden his perspective by pointing out possibilities that he hadn't considered. Therefore, anyone for whom he harbored affection had to be scrutinized with the utmost rigor. It was likely that, on a personal level, Keithwood didn't actually suspect Mia of being involved.

Heck, I'm pretty sure she's the kind of person that even he couldn't help but be fond of.

Nevertheless, Keithwood remained objective, choosing to commit himself to the continued presentation of facts for Sion's consideration. Through his steadfast attitude, one could glimpse a man whose competence stemmed not from natural genius but dogged diligence — a true workhorse of a man.

With that said...

Sion thought back to the way Mia had declined his offer for a second dance. She'd almost certainly spotted Tiona during their dance. A single look was probably all she needed to more or less figure out what had happened. Then, in an attempt to have the poor girl at least enjoy the party now that she was here, she'd entrusted Tiona to him. Normally, Mia might have gone to look after Tiona herself, but at a ball, the simplest solution was for a male partner to take the lead.

A more suitable partner for me, huh... In other words, there's someone here who needs my help.

Though the wording was a tad roundabout, the meaning was clear, and it was a request that Sion couldn't refuse.

Still, my dear princess... Phrasing. Next time, you might wish to consider the nuances of the word, "suitable."

Feeling like he'd just found a chink in the armor of perfection that was Mia, Sion couldn't help but break into a grin.

"Um, Prince Sion?"

"Hm? Ah, ahem, my apologies. Miss Rudolvon, may I have the honor of joining you for the next number?"

And so ensued a night of music and dancing.

The next morning, Mia woke up feeling terrific. Last night, after working up a good sweat from all the dancing, she'd enjoyed a long, luxurious soak in the bath. Then, with the comfortable fatigue of a good workout permeating her from head to toe, she'd crawled into her fluffy bed and slept like a rock until daybreak. It was, without a doubt, the ideal kind of sleep. Upon waking, she found herself fully energized and in great spirits. Humming happily to herself, she strolled into the cafeteria wondering what was on the menu for today. When she took a seat and sent Anne off to order her meal, however, she frowned.

Hm?

A young man approached Anne. He had rugged features and a sharp gaze. Dressed exquisitely in all black, he looked to be an attendant to one of the academy's students. There was an elegance to the way he conducted himself, and Mia considered him rather charming. Had he been just some regular good-looking fellow, Mia wouldn't have given him a second thought. The most she'd have done was to give Anne a knowing wink and a pat on the back. However, he happened to be the attendant of her archnemesis, Prince Sion, and that changed things.

Worse yet was the fact that he was accompanied by another girl. Her unique features were undeniably those of an ethnic minority within the Empire, and Mia knew her to be Tiona Rudolvon's attendant, Liora.

To this day, Mia could still remember the hate in the girl's eyes as she pointed an arrow at her face. It was a scene from the previous timeline that was burned into her memory.

Wh-Why in the moons is Anne talking with them like they're friends?!

Mia asked Anne about it when she returned.

"I was going to tell you about it later, but..." said Anne as she hesitantly began to recount the events of the past day. When she had finished...

"..."

Mia didn't make a sound. Anne kept waiting and waiting, but Mia remained eerily still. Then, little by little, her small body began to tilt.

"Princess Mia!"

Mia toppled over sideways like a log, her face pale as the moon.