BELLA, ARE YOU LYING TO ME?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? ME, LYING?
YOU'VE SUPPOSEDLY BEEN STAYING AT THE RURAL ESTATE ALL THIS TIME...
SO I FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM HOW YOU COULD HAVE ARRIVED IN THE CAPITAL IN JUST A SINGLE DAY.
IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE, THEN WITHIN ONE DAY, MY LETTER WOULD HAVE HAD TO TRAVEL TO UNCLE'S VILLA,
COLCOS VILLA
DUKE IRENBER'S RESIDENCE
COLCOS VILLA
AND THEN ALL THE WAY TO THE ESTATE WHERE YOU WERE STAYING.
OH RIGHT! FATHER TOLD ME TO KEEP MY STAY IN THE CAPITAL A SECRET, SO I PRETENDED TO BE AT THE ESTATE...
IF I HAD KNOWN THIS WOULD HAPPEN, I WOULD HAVE TAKEN MY TIME GETTING HERE!
Make sure Diana never finds out you're staying in the capital.
...ACTUALLY, I ONLY CAME UP TO THE CAPITAL BRIEFLY A LITTLE WHILE AGO TO SEE FATHER.
I ONLY MADE UP AN EXCUSE BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO WORRY YOU. I NEVER MEANT TO LIE TO YOU...
I WAS ONLY THINKING OF YOU...
I'M SORRY FOR CAUSING SUCH A MISUNDERSTANDING, DIANA...!
SO THAT IS A LIE, THEN.
BEFORE MY REGRESSION, I BELIEVED EVERYTHING BELLA SAID AND WAS COMPLETELY DRAGGED AROUND BY HER.
I'm sorry, Diana... Are you very angry?
LOOKING AT HER NOW, HER CHILDISH INTENTIONS ARE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT.
IS THAT SO? THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE SIMPLY BEEN HONEST FROM THE START.
EITHER WAY, THANK YOU FOR COMING ALL THIS WAY, BELLA.
COME, LET ME SHOW YOU TO YOUR ROOM.
...WH-WHERE IS THIS...?
WHERE ELSE? IT IS THE GUEST ROOM WHERE YOU WILL BE STAYING.
I AM NO FOOL. DID SHE REALLY THINK I WOULD LET HER STAY ON THE MASTER FLOOR AGAIN?
IT IS THE LARGEST ROOM ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
KEEPING YOU IN MIND, I COMMISSIONED ALL THE FURNISHINGS TO BE HANDMADE BY MASTER ARTISANS FROM THE KINGDOM OF BRUK.
WELL? DO YOU LIKE IT?
BUT I WANTED TO STAY IN A LOVELY ROOM LIKE DIANA'S...
THIS ROOM IS SO DRAB AND UNSIGHTLY!
AH, WELL...
NORMALLY, WHENEVER SHE PUTS ON A CRYING FACE, MY PARENTS WOULD STEP IN AND RESOLVE EVERYTHING FOR HER.
BUT WHAT CAN BE DONE? THERE ARE NO ADULTS HERE TO INDULGE HER ANYMORE.
BESIDES... THIS IS STILL A LUXURIOUS GUEST ROOM.
IT SIMPLY ISN'T TO HER TASTE.
...THANK YOU, DIANA.
STILL... I THINK IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I WENT BACK TO THE VILLA AFTER ALL...
REALLY? WHAT A PITY...
AND HERE I WAS HOPING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOMEONE.
AN INTRODUCTION? TO WHOM?
YOU KNOW HIM AS WELL, DON'T YOU, BELLA? FIRST PRINCE DAYSON.
THE... THE FIRST PRINCE?
YES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE UPCOMING MAGIC FESTIVAL?
I HEARD PRINCE DAYSON WILL ALSO BE ATTENDING THAT DAY.
PRINCE DAYSON... THE FOREMOST CONTENDER FOR THE THRONE!
I'D LOVE TO! EVEN IF I DON'T STAY AT THE RESIDENCE...
LET'S GO TO THE FESTIVAL TOGETHER! I REALLY WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU, DIANA!
IT IS PRINCE DAYSON SHE WANTS TO SPEND TIME WITH, NOT ME.
BUT THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT I HOPED FOR. I TRULY HOPE THE TWO OF THEM FALL MADLY IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER.
ONLY THEN CAN I BRING THEM BOTH CRASHING DOWN AT ONCE.
WE HAVE RECEIVED INTELLIGENCE THAT THE KINGDOM OF BRUK HAS BEEN BUYING UP TIMBER FROM NEIGHBORING NATIONS.
...DO YOU BELIEVE THE REASON BEHIND THIS INTELLIGENCE MATCHES MY SUSPICIONS?
YES. IT APPEARS THE BROOKE KINGDOM IS PREPARING FOR NAVAL WARFARE.
GEOGRAPHICALLY, THEIR TARGET COULD NOT BE OUR KINGDOM.
IN THAT CASE, THERE IS NO NEED TO ENTANGLE OURSELVES DEEPLY IN THEIR WAR.
MANAGE THE SEA ROUTES TO ENSURE WE ARE NOT CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, SEE TO IT THAT TOMORROW'S MAGELAKE BIRTHDAY FESTIVAL IS STRICTLY MONITORED.
THOSE SELF-RIGHTEOUS MAGES WILL FINALLY BE GATHERING IN ONE PLACE AFTER SO LONG.
PREPARE THOROUGHLY IN ADVANCE SO THAT NOTHING GOES AWRY.
UNDERSTOOD.
AND ONE MORE THING. LOOK FURTHER INTO THE YOUNG LADY OF HOUSE IRENBER.
DO YOU MEAN THE LADY WHO HAS BEEN DELAYING THE APPOINTMENT OF HER GUARDIAN?
YES. I MUST FIND OUT...
WHAT IS GOING ON INSIDE THAT LITTLE HEAD OF HERS.
WOW, A MAGIC FESTIVAL...! I'M SO EXCITED!
SHE IS EXCITED TO SEE PRINCE DAYSON, NOT THE FESTIVAL.
AS EXPECTED OF A MAGIC FESTIVAL, THE SECURITY IS REMARKABLY TIGHT.
THERE IS A BARRIER CAST OVER THE AREA THAT EXPELS ANYONE OUTSIDE THE DOME WHO LACKS THE MAGICAL CREST STAMPED ON THE BACK OF THEIR HAND.
MY REASON FOR ATTENDING THIS FESTIVAL TODAY,
ASIDE FROM HAVING BELLA MEET DAYSON, SERVES ANOTHER PURPOSE.
IN MY PAST LIFE, THE ADULT CASION WAS HEALTHY AND WIELDED FORMIDABLE MAGIC.
IF AN ILLNESS DEEMED INCURABLE BY DOCTORS WAS HEALED AND HE BECAME AN EXCEPTIONAL MAGE,
THEN THE KEY TO CURING HIS CONDITION MIGHT ALSO LIE IN MAGIC.
HOWEVER, EVEN WITH NOBLE STATUS, MEETING A MAGE IS NO SIMPLE MATTER.
MAGES ARE UNBOUND TO ANY SINGLE NATION AND BELONG TO AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE MAGIC ASSOCIATION.
AND THE ONLY OCCASION THAT BRINGS THOSE MAGES TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE IS THIS VERY MAGELAKE BIRTHDAY FESTIVAL.
BECAUSE THE POSITION OF BRANCH HEAD OF THE MAGIC ASSOCIATION IN THE PETROLA KINGDOM UNEXPECTEDLY BECAME VACANT,
THE ELDER MAGES HAVE CONVENED AN EMERGENCY ASSEMBLY TO DETERMINE THE SUCCESSOR.
IN OTHER WORDS, MY OBJECTIVE IS TO SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONTACT AN ELDER MAGE AND DISCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND CASION'S ILLNESS.
DIANA, HOW DO I LOOK TODAY? DO I LOOK STRANGE?
STRANGE? NOT AT ALL. YOU LOOK LOVELY.
HER ATTIRE IS UTTERLY OVERDONE, BUT DAYSON WILL LIKELY FANCY IT JUST THE SAME.
SHE LOOKS LIKE AN ENORMOUS GIFT PARCEL.
WHAT A RELIEF! STILL, I WONDER WHEN THE PRINCES WILL ARRIVE.
INDEED.
Come to think of it...
I HAVEN’T SEEN CASION IN A WHILE BECAUSE I WAS BUSY TRADING TIMBER AND PPRICA LEAVES.
HIS LETTERS MENTIONED HIS HEALTH WAS STEADILY IMPROVING AND THAT HE HAD BEGUN ETIQUETTE LESSONS.
HAS HE GOTTEN MUCH BETTER SINCE THEN?
HE MUST BE HEALTHIER THAN BEFORE, WITH MORE VITALITY.
ON TOP OF THAT, I SENT HIM CUSTOM-TAILORED GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES,
SO CASION WILL SURELY BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AT TODAY'S FESTIVAL.
HUH...? THOSE AREN'T THE CLOTHES I GIFTED HIM.
FADED, WORN-OUT GARMENTS ENTIRELY UNFITTING FOR A FESTIVAL...
JUST WHAT HAPPENED TO CASION?
Diana corners Bella over her lie about staying at the country manor, saying the letter could not have arrived in a single day via her uncle's villa and Colcos Villa. Bella makes the excuse that her father had her hide his stay in the capital. Diana settles her into the guest room on the second floor, which Bella dislikes. Diana persuades Bella to stay by offering to take her to the Magic Festival with First Prince Dayson. Then, while the Bruk Kingdom's timber gathering and festival security are discussed, Diana's real goal is to meet an elderly mage and learn the secret of Casion's illness. At the festival, she is shocked to see Casion in faded clothes instead of the outfits she sent him.
