The Day Before
Siana’s Side
On the day before she was set to go out into the city with Lux, just the two of them, Siana spoke to Violet in a flustered tone inside her own room.
“Violet! Violet! Tomorrow is a date with Lux-kun!”
“Yes, it is.”
“Ah…! I’m already getting nervous… Of course, I’ve never gone out alone with a boy before, and I have no intention of ever doing so with anyone but Lux-kun in the future, but still, doing something for the first time is always nerve-wracking, isn’t it?”
Though she had accompanied Lux before in her role as a maid, Siana had never gone out with him privately, just the two of them.
Because of that, as soon as she voiced her nerves, Siana began pacing restlessly around the room.
Then, partway through, she suddenly seemed to recall something and spoke up.
“Come to think of it, with everything going on, I never got the chance to ask, but what happened with that task I gave you? The one about finding out Lux-kun’s preferences in clothing?”
“If I may relay Lux-sama’s words directly, ‘I don’t really mind what kind of clothes someone wears, but dresses and such do look beautiful, I think.’ That is what he said.”
“I’m going on a date with Lux-kun as Siana, the maid, you know? Even in a formal setting, it feels odd for a maid to wear a dress, and it would be even stranger to wear one on a casual day out with just the two of us… Didn’t he say anything about everyday clothing?”
“He did, yes.”
“As expected of you, Violet. So? What did Lux-kun say?”
Just as Siana’s heart began to flutter with anticipation, finally on the verge of hearing the answer she wanted, Violet replied.
“When I asked Rodwell-sama about his preferences in everyday clothing, to make things clearer I asked what kind of clothes he would like or dislike seeing on me, since I was standing right in front of him… And then Rodwell-sama told me I looked beautiful, and because of that, he said it doesn’t matter to him what kind of clothes I wear…”
Watching Violet speak, her tone tinged with a hint of embarrassment, Siana responded with a voice that carried the edge of irritation.
“I didn’t ask how Lux-kun views you or how he complimented you. I asked about Lux-kun’s taste in clothing.”
“I sincerely apologize. That was where the conversation about clothing came to an end… I truly regret my failure.”
After receiving Violet’s apology, Siana let out a sigh before speaking again.
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped… That was the first time you spoke with Lux-kun directly, so you were probably a little overwhelmed. I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Then, after chatting for a while about the upcoming outing between Lux and Siana, Violet brought up another matter.
“Ojou-sama, regarding those three male students… Coincidentally, the first day they may be punished falls on tomorrow. What would you like to do?”
The punishment date… The three male students, including Zolma Zordan, who had tried to harm Lux, had been sentenced by the nation’s system to expulsion from the noble academy and the stripping of their titles. However, for Siana and Violet, it had not been wise to act independently or move against them before a certain period had passed since the decision was made. To do so prematurely could be seen as rash, and it might provoke the students into further aggression against Lux. Thus, they had been watching carefully until now.
But starting tomorrow, that tentative period following the decision would be over, and any action taken from then on would be simpler to manage in its aftermath.
That was the reasoning behind Violet’s question about whether to move forward tomorrow, but Siana replied.
“Honestly, I would like to carry out the punishment tomorrow… But since I have a date with Lux-kun, naturally I’ll prioritize that. The punishment will be the day after. Even if those three idiots try something tomorrow, with the two of us there, we can handle it, can’t we?”
“Yes, understood.”
Floria’s Side
That night, Floria sat alone in her room, lost in thought.
“…If the Third Princess intends to take the lives of those three male students, then it would probably be after tomorrow.”
What occupied her thoughts was the same matter as Siana’s, the three male students.
“Considering the personality of the Third Princess, I’m sure that once the punishment date begins, meaning tomorrow, she’ll come at once to claim their lives… But for Lux-sama’s sake, I will absolutely not allow such cruelty to occur.”
With thoughts of the Third Princess Felisiana, whom she would likely confront tomorrow, and finally, of her beloved Lux, Floria quietly drifted off to sleep.