“But Countess Ruth and the others are preparing to leave in the morning. What about you, Liana? Shouldn’t you at least say something to her?” Mepeilu asked.

“If Liana wants to go out, there’s no need to worry. This sort of thing can be easily handled with just one word from Mepeilu.”

“No need to rush. Besides, I already mentioned it today. If she wants to wait for me, then let her wait,” Liana said carelessly.

“But when the time comes, I’ll be troubling you,” Liana added.  The journey back was still quite dangerous, and Liana didn’t feel secure leaving it to Loraviel alone.

“Did you forget?” Mepeilu extended her hand, placing her fingertip lightly on Liana’s lips. “I, Liliya, will protect your safety.”

Although her control over magic wasn’t particularly strong, she did possess tremendous raw strength—far stronger than she appeared at a glance.

“That’s true.” Liana had almost forgotten. These past few days whenever she saw Mepeilu, she had behaved so much like a robot—always repeating, "Protect Princess Mepeilu, protect Princess Mepeilu."

It was easy to forget that Mepeilu still had the duty of protecting her too.

At that moment, the crystal ball resting on the table flickered.

“Liana, why don’t you give it a try?” Mepeilu said.

“How do I do it?”

“Just inject magic into the crystal ball, like during training.”

Liana needed to get used to these things sooner or later. Mepeilu wanted her to start small—getting accustomed to handling little things first.

“All right, I’ll try.” Liana placed her hand atop the crystal ball. After injecting magic, a projection appeared: “Go... good evening, Lady Liana.”

After seeing clearly who it was standing in the projection, Vivian quickly corrected her wording. Even if it was only a projection, she had to maintain the elegance befitting a lady.

“What’s the matter?” Liana asked.

“The time is about right. Shall I bring dinner over for you and Her Highness the Princess?” Vivian had timed it perfectly.

Liana glanced at Mepeilu, and Mepeilu nodded.

“Vivian, please bring it over.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Vivian cut the communication. Barely a minute later, there was a knock at the door and Vivian’s voice came from outside:

“Your Highness, may I come in?”

“Come in,” Mepeilu said.

“Yes.”

Vivian opened the door, balancing a tray in one hand while keeping the other hand poised near her thigh—ready to respond instantly to any situation.

Even carrying a tray laden with several dishes, Vivian’s steps remained perfectly steady, her speed unimpeded.

She neatly set everything on the table, bowed politely to the three of them, and then silently withdrew.

Such a perfect example of a lady—and a perfect maid.

Though speaking of which, where had that troublemaker Minoja slipped off to again? Truly a headache.

After a simple dinner and washing up, Liana emerged from the bathroom.

Tonight, Mepeilu didn’t bathe together with Liana. Rather, Liana bathed alone first. After all, if they bathed together too often, wouldn’t it start to seem strange?

Since Liana was barefoot, she made almost no sound as she approached behind Mepeilu, placed her hands lightly on Mepeilu’s shoulders, and said,

“You’re busy every night, huh?”

She glanced down at Mepeilu’s left hand, which was still steadily scribbling something.

Mepeilu tilted her head slightly, pressing her cheek against Liana’s hand, feeling the warmth of her fingers.

“If you keep working like this, I won’t be able to give you a massage, you know,” Liana teased.

“Just being like this makes me happy already.”

Just thinking about going on a date with Liana tomorrow made Mepeilu so happy she could hardly sit still. But then she remembered that in the afternoon, Liana would be leaving... and she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

Liana, using her free hand, played with a lock of Mepeilu’s golden hair.

“Still a lot left to do?”

“Almost done. Today’s work went faster than yesterday’s,” Mepeilu replied.

“Tomorrow you’ll finally get a little rest. You probably haven’t had much sleep these past few days.”

“Even in a world with magic, while magic can strengthen the body’s endurance somewhat, pushing yourself too hard is still dangerous.”

“They call it a festival, but you haven’t had any real rest.”

“It’s a foreseeable outcome.” Mepeilu smiled bitterly.

“After all, festivals aren’t really meant for people like us. They’re for the citizens. Those who organize and enjoy them usually aren’t nobles.”

“Mostly commoners. Although this time was a little special—the first few days were monopolized by the nobility.”

“But starting tomorrow, commoners should begin pouring into the Lisat Royal Capital.”

“During the festival, everything sold will have a discount, and the profits lost by the merchants will be fully reimbursed by the Lisat Kingdom.”

“A win-win situation. The merchants can sell off their goods faster at lower prices, and the customers get good deals.”

“Tomorrow you should definitely sleep in a little,” Liana said.

“But tomorrow’s time is precious! We can't waste it sleeping!” Mepeilu protested.

“But I can’t wake up early...” Liana said lazily. “Besides, if we go out too early, there won’t be anything interesting anyway, right?”

“...You’re right.”

Mepeilu realized that Liana was lying—she was just trying to persuade her to rest properly.

It seemed she was too fixated on tomorrow. Maybe relaxing a little wouldn't be so bad after all.

“See? Tomorrow morning, let’s just sleep in. When we wake up naturally, we can take our time and go out together. How’s that sound?” Liana suggested.

“Mm.”

Once again, Liana was taking care of her. How did she do it? With just a few casual words, she could soothe her so effortlessly, making it easy to accept without resistance. She really did feel like an older sister sometimes.

“Mm...!” Mepeilu winced slightly, pressing a hand to her waist.

Because of the angle, Liana caught a glimpse of the soft pink hue at the edges of Mepeilu’s chest...

"And you’re the one telling me to be careful not to expose anything? Really now!"

“If you’re tired, just get into bed first. No need to wait for me,” Mepeilu said.

“I know, I know. I’ll go warm the bed for you, Your Highness~” Liana deliberately stretched out the title teasingly.

“Ahh... you’re making me blush.”

Liana had barely gotten into bed when Mepeilu slipped in beside her.

“So fast? Don’t mind me, really,” Liana said.

“It’s all settled already. Just some minor confirmations and the upcoming schedule over the next few days,” Mepeilu explained.

“Already planned out several days in advance? You really work hard.”

“I’m used to it. Besides, back when I first became an heir candidate, it was way worse.”

Thinking back to those early days, Mepeilu could only describe it as a series of endless disasters. No end to the paperwork, magical studies crammed into every spare moment... Maybe that’s why she ended up overworking herself into serious illness back then.

“Mm. You really went through a lot.” Liana scooted closer, sliding her hand behind Mepeilu’s head and pulling her gently into the soft curves of her chest.

“So tonight, just rest properly, okay? A little time won’t make any difference. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here.”

“Even if we miss tomorrow’s plans, once you’re done with your work, you can find me anytime. After all, I’m just a slacker with plenty of free time to accompany you.”

How could Mepeilu not be moved by those words? Liana really knew how to strike her heart.

“Then... just let me lean on you a little bit for now.”

Mepeilu nestled herself against Liana’s chest, feeling a warmth and comfort she had never experienced before.

“Of course. You can come to me anytime—just like how, when I needed you before, you always appeared for me,” Liana said softly.

“Mm.”

Mepeilu rubbed her cheek lightly against Liana’s /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ chest, feeling her gentle warmth— and soon fell sound asleep.

Mepeilu truly couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s date.