"To friendship!" Alex raised his silver cup toward Allen.

"Th-thank you..." Allen lifted her cup in response, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness. For a fleeting moment, she thought her cover was blown. That single sentence felt like being thrown into an icy cavern in the frozen wastes. All she wanted was to flee to the basement of her library and sleep soundly. She simply couldn't handle the crowded atmosphere.

She raised her silver cup high, assuming the standard etiquette posture. Raising the cup above her head was the proper way for a guest to reciprocate. Allen couldn't afford to be careless here; she bowed respectfully in return. She knew this well—after all, she had learned it before.

"Are you of noble birth, Your Grace?" Alex inquired.

"...Y-yes, yes. I come from a fallen minor noble family in the Delra Duchy. I have no relatives left. Recently, I fled as a refugee to the Bordeaux Duchy, thanks to the help of my butler and Ken..." Allen lied smoothly with the backstory she had prepared long ago.

The gesture of raising the cup above her head was precisely the noble etiquette of the Bordeaux Duchy.

"Oh, I see. I've touched on a sorrowful matter. Please accept my condolences," Alex said with a sorrowful expression.

She's lying, Alex thought to himself.

This cup-raising ritual had been reformed by his own father years ago. Originally, guests merely held their cups in thanks, but his father changed it so that guests should raise their cups slightly higher than the host's. Yet, she had performed it exactly according to Bordeaux's noble standards. Clearly, she was lying. Alex noted this silently without exposing her.

Allen had never attended a banquet before. This was her first time using the etiquette she had practiced thousands of times but never actually used. Having never seen the customs of other duchies, she naturally didn't know about the anomalies in foreign protocols.

Allen downed the drink in one gulp. The sweet juice somehow had a taste that only alcohol should have. She felt her face growing warm.

This drink was clearly juice, so why did it feel like alcohol on her tongue? Allen wondered inwardly. Could my sense of taste be malfunctioning?!

Alex drained his cup with a smile, not even breaking a sweat or flushing as he downed it all in one go. Calina watched them with a smile, completely unaware of Allen's discomfort.

Afraid of further conversation with Alex, Allen quickly sat back down. She propped her forehead on one hand, wishing only for the banquet to end.

Seeing her sit, Alex casually pulled out an empty stool and moved it next to Calina's seat. Without asking, he sat down.

He just sat down shamelessly... What a hassle, Allen thought to herself, though she'd never dare say it aloud.

She felt no familial affection for Alex at all. Though she had once died in his place, it was something she couldn't explain even to herself. She didn't even understand whether she disliked him or not; to this day, she hadn't figured out why.

"Little Cal, long time no see! Did you miss me? You should know I've been thinking of you every moment," Alex said with a smile. His court attire made him look even more upright, the satin decorations adding to his gallantry. His gold-and-white outfit made him appear as noble as the protagonists in aristocratic novels, yet unlike those fictional nobles, he seemed gentler and more approachable.

Normally, he was like a proud lion, exuding an enigmatic charisma that felt like an unbreakable command. This was the innate charisma of a leader.

"I didn't miss you~ You didn't even write a letter all this time~" Calina chided with slight displeasure, but this reproach only revealed her desire for him to stay by her side. Of course, she wanted that.

Allen covered her forehead, remaining silent.

This girl chatters about Alex all day—how could she not like him?! Why say you don't like him when you clearly do? Doesn't she fear being misunderstood? Allen thought drowsily. Her mind felt like a chaotic little party, messy and buzzing with noise.

"Don't be mad~ I've been swamped with too many things to handle. I barely finished the year's summaries in the imperial city, didn't even get to rest, then rushed back to the Grand Duke's mansion to deal with piles of documents from the past few days. Only after finally wrapping that up did I drive back with Father and the others. I went straight to find you as soon as I returned, but I couldn't find you for the life of me. I spotted you from afar just now. See, I'm here now~" Alex pleaded.

Even the fiercest lion has something that makes it shed its fierce shell—perhaps its offspring.

Alex, this golden-maned lion, was no exception. His younger brother Charlotte, his father Mana, and Calina were all people who could make him drop his fierce facade.

"Hmph, I forgive you. Tomorrow, take me and Sister Lotus out to play~" Calina said playfully to Alex.

"Huh, me?!" Allen asked nervously upon hearing her name.

She still didn't quite understand these things. If she knew what a "third wheel" meant, she'd probably sneak away like Charlotte did. This silly couple had completely ignored Allen, lost in their own little world.

"Lotus... Sister Lotus... your face is so red..."

For the first time, a rosy flush appeared on Allen's pale face. Calina had never seen it before. Allen's complexion was usually as pale as porcelain, rarely showing any warmth.

At that moment, Allen's head felt heavy and dizzy, making her uncomfortable. Alex and Calina in front of her seemed to double, their surprised gestures and words pointing at her, but she couldn't make out anything clearly through the haze.

Their lips flapped up and down, but she couldn't decipher what they were saying. They stared at her in shock, as if the world had lost all sound.

"Thud..." With a muffled sound, Allen's face slammed onto the table, hitting the steak instantly. Luckily, the steak cushioned the blow; had it been the stone table directly, she might have cracked her head open.

Alex lifted Allen up and gently stroked her cheek.

"Burning hot. She must be drunk," Alex said.

Calina picked up the silver cup Allen had drunk from, peered inside, and sniffed it. A fragrant aroma of plums wafted out.

"But this is clearly plum juice... She didn't drink any alcohol just now..." Calina looked at Alex in confusion.

"I don't know either... Let's take her back first..." Alex said.

They exchanged glances, stood up simultaneously, and Alex scooped Allen up in his arms.

The three slipped away quietly through the bustling crowd.

...

The Demonic Race's advance never ceased.

Unlike the so-called hundred-thousand-strong human army, the Demonic Race had only twenty thousand elite troops. Compared to the hundred thousand refugees clad in rags and wielding wooden clubs, the demons were uniformly armored in black iron mystic armor, armed with standardized yet high-quality spears, and every single one carried a hunting knife for close combat.

"They're here, Luna. You should go too," Lilith said, uncharacteristically showing a trace of reluctance in her eyes.

"Master! I won't go! Luna wants to stay with you! I've already reached the Holy Sage level. I don't care! Even if I die, I'll follow you!" Luna pleaded with a sob in her voice.

"Be good. After I win this battle, I'll treat you to grilled meat—I'll cook it myself~..." Lilith forced a smile, stroking Luna's fiery red hair.

She couldn't smile genuinely, so she faked it. But with her naturally expressionless face—a literal stone face—her attempt at a grin looked more like a grimace. It took all her effort; she had no idea how to fake a smile, something not from the heart. The only time she had truly smiled was during her brief yet fulfilling time with Allen.

"Be good, go wait for me. Don't be too sad. When I return, no matter where you are, I'll come to get you. Trust your master this once," Lilith said with a bitter smile.

She didn't want Luna to leave, but for Luna's safety, she had no choice. Honestly, she wasn't even sure she could hold the Demon Castle herself.

"Be good... wait for me... find Allen... protect her..." Luna deciphered these final words from Lilith's lip movements. Then a wave of dizziness washed over her brain, spreading gradually, and darkness claimed her consciousness.

...

Allen's head throbbed painfully as she woke up groggily to the sunlight streaming through the window.

"I was drinking plum juice, right? Did I drink fake plum juice?!" Allen muttered to herself.

She didn't know why, but it felt as if she had consumed a lot of alcohol and gotten drunk instantly. Logically, plum juice shouldn't cause intoxication.

Allen clutched her head, feeling utterly helpless.

Looking around the familiar room, she realized she was back in her bedroom in the library. Her dress from yesterday hung neatly on the rack.

She checked her attire and found herself in a nightgown. So Calina must have helped her back to her room yesterday. I'll thank her another day, Allen thought to herself.

Allen got out of bed and opened the wardrobe to look for a shirt.

"Huh?!" All the shirts and pants in the wardrobe had been replaced with dresses.

"Wh-what is this..." Allen muttered, flustered.

That little girl must have sneaked in while she was asleep and swapped all her clothes.

Calina had brought this up long ago. Though she had insisted repeatedly, Allen had been firm. This time, she had prepared everything perfectly.

With a sigh of resignation, Allen picked up a dress from the hanger. She couldn't very well go out in just her nightgown...

After dressing, Allen rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a note.

"Serves you right for not wearing dresses~ Now you don't have to wear them anyway. Just run around in your nightgown naked!" Allen said with a wry smile.