Her vision blurred with tears, but she imagined the world shimmering in rainbow hues. Fighting the urge to laugh triumphantly, she hurried to find solitude.
However, she was too distracted to notice someone approaching from around a corner and collided head-on.
“Ah!”
The impact knocked Alice to the floor, and her tears stopped abruptly in surprise.
“Are you alright?”
The familiar voice of the person offering her a hand was unmistakable—it was Lidio Mortade.
“I’m fine… My apologies, Lord Mortade. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Alice said, placing her hand in his.
Looking up, she noticed Lidio’s face seemed pained, yet even that expression struck her as noble and handsome. Her heart fluttered momentarily, but it quickly froze as a new vision filled her mind.
The party hall bathed in blood.
Lidio stood amidst the carnage, his face cold and unfeeling as he stared at the floor like one gazing at filth. Floating around him were countless blades of ice, while red droplets dripped from the dagger in his hand.
The image of a red-haired man, Lambert, lying in a pool of blood, his body covered in cuts, left Alice stunned.
(Um… what is this supposed to mean?)
Just as she celebrated the successful annulment of her engagement and her escape from the fiery fate she had dreaded, a new future emerged—one in which Lambert was brutally slain by Lidio.
Although the circumstances were unclear, one thing was certain: Lidio must not go to the party. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being punished for the crime of killing a prince.
“Ah! Ow, ow, ow…”
Thinking quickly, Alice clutched her right ankle, grimacing dramatically as if in pain.
“Did you twist your ankle?” Lidio asked, immediately kneeling before her with concern etched on his face.
“Ah… yes. It hurts terribly. I think I need to go to the infirmary; it’s too painful to walk. What should I do…?”
Kind-hearted as ever, Lidio wouldn’t abandon an injured person. She was certain he would escort her to the infirmary, giving her time to figure out how to prevent the impending disaster.
“I’ll take you to the infirmary right away. Here, use this,” Lidio said, offering her a handkerchief.
“Huh? Oh…”
Alice touched her damp cheek, realizing she had forgotten to wipe her tears.
(I forgot about the tears… How embarrassing.)
Blushing, she took the handkerchief and dabbed at her face. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“Excuse me,” Lidio said politely before placing one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her into his arms.
“Wha—!? Lord Mortade, just lending me your shoulder would be sufficient! What if someone sees us like this?”
“I don’t mind, but… you’re right. It might cause unnecessary rumors, which would trouble you.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be troubled. After all, my engagement was just annulled, so there’s no one left to worry about seeing me…”
“I see. Then there’s no issue,” Lidio replied, smiling faintly and walking forward without hesitation.
(What… what should I do? Oh, this is so wonderful… but what should I do? This feels like a dream…)
Completely overwhelmed by the unexpected princess carry, Alice’s mind was too scattered to think about preventing Lambert’s gruesome fate. Before she knew it, they had reached the infirmary.
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