“So... does that mean you want me to carry you in my arms, Your Grace?”
Good grief...
A noble lady carrying a doll around...?
This would be the first banquet I'd attended since transmigrating into this world, so I was incredibly nervous.
After all, how were banquets usually portrayed in romance fantasy novels?
They were merciless places, even for the protagonists—a gathering where nobles loved nothing more than tearing each other apart.
Airel Blandiche was already the talk of high society.
If she walked around hugging a doll that looked exactly like the Grand Duke of Ephenterion, she would attract everyone's attention.
'And there's no guarantee Lisid will stay still.'
What if he suddenly moved?
More importantly, I wanted to keep a low profile and stay as unnoticed as possible.
I'd already steeled myself just by deciding to sneak the Grand Duke into the banquet hidden in my pocket.
'This is bad...'
As I imagined all the attention that would be focused on me, the Grand Duke spoke.
“No. I have no desire to be carried around in your arms either. But I can't see anything from inside a pocket. I need to observe people's faces.”
“Then...”
“If you're going onto a battlefield, you need a weapon.”
Tap. Tap.
“Your head.”
“Huh?!”
The Grand Duke smiled coolly as he tapped my head.
M-My head...?
I could feel my face draining of color.
“I'm counting on you, my lady.”
A playful smile spread across Lisid's lips.
'Oh... this is even worse than I expected.'
Much worse.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I stood there with my mouth hanging open.
The maids kept sneaking glances at me, their faces flushed as they struggled to hold back their laughter.
“I-I've never seen such a horrifying hat before. How can something completely lack any sense of beauty?”
“I know! We'd only just started saying the young lady had become kinder, but she must've hit her head. She lost not only her wicked personality but also every shred of aesthetic sense.”
“Shh! Quiet! She'll hear you!”
Yes.
I already heard everything.
My hearing is perfectly fine.
Pretending not to hear the maids whispering, I sighed and removed the hat.
It towered high above my head and was covered in enormous flowers.
It looked as though every color in existence had been thrown onto it.
A visual disaster.
'Why am I wearing something like this?'
Because the day we'd gone shopping for doll clothes, Lisid had insisted on this particular hat.
“That one.”
“...Your Grace, are you serious?”
“Would I joke about something like this?”
I'd desperately objected because it stood out far too much.
But after hearing his explanation, I had no choice but to agree.
The hat needed to be tall and wide enough for Lisid to stand or sit inside.
It also needed holes on every side so he could see outside...
While ensuring no one outside could see in.
'In other words, all these flowers are camouflage.'
Still...
Did he really have to choose this hat?
At this point, I was convinced Lisid had picked it just to torment me.
“...Just wearing a hat like this ought to be considered a crime.”
Sigh.
The moment I muttered those words under my breath, one of the maids let out an involuntary snort.
“Kuh—!”
I glared at them without thinking.
The maid who'd laughed immediately pretended to cough.
“C-Cough! Cough!”
She's trying awfully hard.
Pretending not to notice, I ignored the maid who was coughing so hard the veins in her neck bulged.
Through the mirror, I saw her let out a sigh of relief.
It had been two weeks since I'd transmigrated.
In that short time, I could already feel the maids becoming more comfortable around me.
'I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?'
They were still intimidated by me...
But they no longer trembled in fear whenever they spoke to me.
The change had started because I'd kept a respectful distance, stopped exploding in anger like Airel used to, and made a point of thanking them.
Janice asked,
“My lady... are you really going to wear that hat to the banquet?”
“Yes. I promised someone I would.”
“Who?”
I glanced toward the small table beside the mirror.
Beneath it, I caught a glimpse of shining crimson eyes.
Ever since we'd gone out together to the town square, Lisid had made a habit of hiding somewhere in the room whenever Janice or the maids entered.
He would quietly watch over me from his hiding place.
Then, whenever one of the maids came too close, he'd disappear in an instant and reappear somewhere else.
'He's like a mouse.'
Oh.
Then since His Grace lives in my pocket...
Barely suppressing a laugh, I turned back to Janice.
“A pocket mouse, maybe?”
“Huh?”
Janice tilted her head in confusion.
“Please, for once, don't cause any trouble today, Airel.”
The days passed in a blur as Lisid and I busied ourselves preparing our plans.
Soon, the day of the banquet arrived.
I attended alongside Duke Blandiche, the Duchess, and Edwin.
The moment we stepped down from the carriage, the Duchess immediately warned me.
“Yes, Mother.”
“I'll behave.”
Even so...
I doubted things would stay peaceful.
Whether I wanted it or not, everyone would soon be talking about my hideous hat.
For the Duchess's mental health, though...
It would probably be best if she found out as late as possible.
With a solemn expression, I silently prayed that she could enjoy this brief moment of peace.
“Well then, I'll excuse myself...”
The moment we entered the banquet hall, I bowed apologetically to the Duchess before carefully backing away.
Her voice, as she watched me leave, carried a trace of contempt.
“She grows stranger by the day...”
Pretending not to hear, I hurried toward the pillar where I'd arranged to meet Janice.
For today, Janice wasn't attending as my maid.
She was here as the daughter of a baron.
“Janice! I'm here!”
“My lady! Hurry!”
The moment she spotted me, Janice widened her eyes and beckoned frantically.
Normally she wouldn't have acted like that.
She was probably hiding the bizarre hat behind her back.
“Sorry for asking such a strange favor. Your father didn't scold you, did he?”
As I accepted the hat from her, I looked around.
Janice answered immediately, as though she'd been waiting to tell me.
“He was furious! He asked if I was really planning to let you wear that hat!”
“He said it would ruin my chances of ever getting married!”
“So what did you tell him?”
“I told him someone else's marriage prospects were the ones in danger!”
“I said he'd see for himself later!”
Janice raised her voice indignantly before suddenly covering her mouth.
“Oh!”
I smiled kindly and patted her shoulder as she nervously watched my reaction.
“Well done, Janice.”
Though from today onward... no more safe distance for you.
I waved to the visibly nervous Janice and headed toward the banquet hall's back entrance.
“This is a map of the Imperial Palace banquet hall.”
“Goodness! When did you draw all this?”
“While someone was committing noise pollution with her outrageous snoring.”
“You sleep without a care in the world. I doubt you'd even notice if the mansion collapsed.”
“Then again, perhaps no one else would notice because your snoring would drown it out.”
“...You're talking about me, aren't you?”
“Who else would I be talking about?”
Holding the map the Grand Duke had grumbled his way through making, I reached the back entrance.
“Your Grace, you can come out now.”
I opened the back door and stepped outside before carefully opening a slit in the waist of my dress, which was covered in layers of lace.
A head of black hair immediately popped out.
“I thought I was going to suffocate.”
“Have we finally reached the place I mentioned?”
His brilliant crimson eyes scanned the surroundings.
Smiling, I gently straightened his messy hair.
Next time I had a dress made...
I'd definitely have to ask the designer to add breathing holes above the hidden pocket.
“Yes.”
“Just as you said, there's no one here.”
“Because this entrance isn't used during banquets.”
As he spoke, Lisid slowly surveyed the area.
For some reason...
His eyes looked strangely distant.
'Come to think of it...'
Lisid had lived in the Imperial Palace until he was eight years old, back when he was still a prince.
The moment his uncle ascended the throne as Emperor, Lisid had been driven out to the Grand Duchy.
'The Emperor would never return the throne to him.'
Even at the end of the original novel...
Lisid remained nothing more than the Grand Duke.
Thinking about that made me feel a little sorry for him.
Trying to lighten the suddenly gloomy atmosphere, I hurriedly held out the hat.
“Come on, then.”
“Time to get inside, Pocket Mouse Grand Duke!”
“My lady, must you insist on calling me that...?”
The Grand Duke frowned and sighed.
Even so...
He obediently climbed into the hat.
'You should be grateful I'm not calling you something worse!'
Your Grace, have you never seen that movie about the rat who controls a chef?
