Book 1 Chapter 903

903.

The day of the dance party.

There was still plenty of time until the party started.

But some students were already heading to the party venue a little early.

"Wow, wow. Are they partners?"

Clock Tower Dormitory Garden.

Students sitting in groups made surprised expressions as they watched couples heading to the party, smiling slightly shyly.

There were couples that other students already knew, and couples that were completely unexpected.

Iliana, who was sitting in the garden watching the students, discovered someone and waved her hand.

"Karl, hi!"

At Iliana's greeting, Karl plopped down in front of her and said.

"Are you still mad?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about instigating Ju-en and Millia."

At Karl's words, Iliana smiled sweetly.

"You knew?"

"I heard from those guys."

"Oh-ho! Who won?"

"Ju-en."

"Then are you going with Ju-en?"

"No."

"What?"

"I politely refused."

"……"

Iliana's eyes widened.

Then she asked seriously.

"Perhaps with Millia?"

"No. I'm not going with anyone."

"That's unexpected. You were grinning when the female students flocked to you, saying you were good-looking."

Karl sighed deeply, looking at Iliana who tilted her head.

Seeing Karl like that, Iliana's eyes grew wide.

"Oh! It's Senior Elena!"

At those words, Karl hurriedly prostrated himself on the lawn.

Looking at Karl like that, Iliana burst into laughter, "Bang!"

Realizing he had been tricked by that reaction, Karl scrunched up his face and stood up.

"I'll forgive you for this. The class president ended up going with Eliza after all."

Seeing Iliana laugh triumphantly, Karl plopped back down in his seat.

Just then.

"Hey! Hey! Did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"They say the student council president offered to buy Eliza a party dress?"

"Really? That's great!"

"Aren't those two really, you know, a thing?"

Iliana made a strange expression at the students' chattering.

"The class president himself? Wow, Eliza must be happy."

"……Aren't you bothered that Leo is going with Eliza?"

At Karl's question, Iliana burst out laughing, "Pfft!"

"The class president and Eliza? Wouldn't that be as unlikely as you and Eliza dating?"

Having said that, Iliana stood up from her seat.

'Do Eliza and I really not suit each other that much?'

"Well, I'm off first!"

Karl, who had been watching the sunset sky without realizing it, let out a deep sigh.

'……He's even helping with the dress coordination?'

Leo is definitely not the type of person to steal someone else's lover.

But there's no law saying Eliza can't fall for Leo.

'Well, Leo. That guy is cool.'

Of course, he was confident that the two would not develop into a romantic relationship.

But compared to Leo, would he really catch Eliza's eye?

Thinking that far, he became depressed.

"Should I just not go……"

Karl muttered softly, without realizing it.

"Oh my? Would the star of today's party say such a thing?"

Just then, Karl flinched and lifted his head at the voice from behind him.

And finding Mel standing there, he smiled awkwardly.

"You're here?"

"Yes. The tidying up just finished roughly."

The tidying up was the apology letter Leo had ordered him to write.

"By the way, Karl, do you not have a partner?"

"Haha. Yes. That's how it turned out."

Mel, who had tilted her head looking at Karl's embarrassed smile, smiled warmly.

"Then will you go with me?"

"Yes?"

"But your clothes are a little worn out."

Mel looked Karl up and down.

Karl's tuxedo was a used item bought in Lumeria City and meticulously maintained, so it was unavoidable that it was a little worn.

"Shall we go buy clothes first?"

"Yes?"

Mel smiled, grabbed Karl, and used warp magic right away.

***

Female Dormitory Lounge for the Summoning Department.

Ferena was clasping her hands, her eyes sparkling brightly.

'My sister became the Student Council President's dance party partner!'

Literally, it meant she had officially partnered with Lumerin's strongest student.

Furthermore, Leo's status was not simply Lumerin's strongest.

He was the king of the Heroic Kingdom of Arhi, and at the same time, the King of Wisdom, the successor to Lysinas, and the Beginning King who ascended to the position of King of the World.

Literally, it was no exaggeration to say he was the man who would lead this era.

'Student Council President and my sister! They look so good together!'

Ferena spread her wings of imagination in her mind.

The perfect next owner of the Helgin family, without a doubt.

She was not lacking as the Beginning King's partner.

'No! She's flawless as a spouse too!'

Before she knew it, Ferena imagined Leo and her sister getting married, having two children, and each becoming the owner of the Arhi Kingdom and Helgin.

An imagination that would have made Eliza horrified if she knew.

Just then.

Eliza came down to the lounge.

"Oh! Sister, you're he……!"

Ferena paused, looking at Eliza's attire.

Eliza was wearing a shabby dress.

It was to the extent that she wondered if Eliza even owned such clothes.

Moreover, she wore no makeup and no accessories.

Literally, she looked utterly shabby.

"Eliza. Are you planning to go in that state?"

Lil, who was passing by, also asked with wide eyes.

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

"That's not like Eliza. Today, Miss Eliza is the star, isn't she?"

"Senior Lil, you're also the star."

"But……"

"I was wondering if there was any need to dress up so splendidly."

Elena, making an annoyed face, tried to leave the dormitory.

"Oh, sister! I don't think this is right! You have so many prettier clothes."

"It's bothersome."

"Ahhh! Sister!"

As Ferena stamped her feet, not knowing what to do.

"Senior Elena. Senior Leo is waiting outsid……"

Shasha, the top student in the second-year Summoning Department, stopped in mid-sentence, her face aching, as she was about to relay Leo's message, when she saw Eliza.

"Are you going like that?"

"Yes."

Eliza answered curtly and walked out of the Summoning Department dormitory.

Ferena followed Eliza in a hurry, her face tearful.

Leo, who was sitting on a chair at the entrance of the Summoning Department dormitory, reading a newspaper, saw Eliza and burst out laughing, asking.

"Are you going like that?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

They were supposed to decide on a dress code yesterday, but Leo and Elena hadn't.

So Elena just put on any clothes casually and came out.

"Ahhh! Student Council President! Just a moment!"

Ferena panicked and tried to say she would change.

Leo, seeing Ferena, smiled warmly and folded the newspaper.

"Follow me."

"Yes?"

Leo opened a random door nearby.

"Let's go get you a dress fitted. Ferena. Go into the door with your sister."

"Oh! Yes!"

"J-just a moment. I'm dressed like this……"

Eliza tried to refuse in embarrassment, but Ferena forcibly pushed Eliza's back and entered the door.

A moment later.

The space changed.

A large dressing room.

It was a secret space somewhere in the Clock Tower Dormitory.

Enkinias, Melina's successor, was waiting there.

"Hello. How would you like to be styled?"

Leo chuckled at Enkinias's question and replied.

"As beautifully as possible."

"Yes."

Enkinias led Eliza and dragged her into the changing room.

"J-just a moment!"

"Sister! You're the star today, you have to be the most beautiful!"

"So it's bothersom……"

Eliza tried to resist but was stopped by Enkinias and Ferena.

Leo unfolded his newspaper again and silently waited for the preparations to finish.

***

Murmuring-

Not only Lumerin students but also professors had all gathered at the party venue.

A grand party to celebrate the subjugation of the Erebus fragment.

"Duran and Nella?"

"They do suit each other."

Students were enjoying the party, admiring other students.

Meanwhile.

Elena, sitting in one corner of the party venue, rested her chin on her hand, swirling her wine gently.

"Senior, you're here early."

Lil approached and sat down next to Elena.

Lil, dressed exquisitely unlike usual, exuded an extraordinary presence.

Elena scoffed, looking at Lil like that.

"You seem quite upset?"

"I shouldn't have believed Karl."

"For someone who believes that, you haven't been bothering Karl, have you?"

When Lil asked with a curious face, Elena clicked her tongue.

"How can I bother him when he looks like he's lost everything in the world?"

"Hmm… Indeed. I think I would have been shocked too if I were Karl. My brother is cool, after all."

Elena emptied her wine into her mouth with a bored expression.

Meanwhile.

Chloe looked at Chelsea, who was clinging to Abbad's side and looking very wary of her surroundings, with a curious expression.

"Why is Chelsea like that?"

"Hmm… Well. The heart of a younger sister who doesn't want her brother to be taken away?"

"Taken away? By whom?"

"There's something like that. Hehe."

Chen Sia giggled.

Meanwhile.

At the party entrance, Celia, with her arms crossed, saw Eliza coming with Leo and made an expression of disbelief.

"You're dressed so glamorously?"

"I didn't dress myself. Leo Flov did."

As Eliza twitched her eyes and said, Celia looked at Leo.

'Leo did?'

The cousin she knew was not the type to bother with such things.

Next to Eliza, Ferena was making a fuss, saying how pretty she was.

Celia, watching the scene, whispered to Leo.

"Leo. Do you really have feelings for Eliza?"

"No."

"Then why……"

"Just go in because there's something to it."

Leo pushed Celia's back.

Celia entered the party venue with a strange look.

Ferena also entered first.

When only the two of them remained at the entrance, Leo extended his hand.

"Shall we go in, my lady?"

"……"

Eliza stared at Leo's hand and asked.

"Why are you doing this?"

As Eliza asked the question and took Leo's hand, Leo said.

"Eliza."

"Yes."

"You never know how things will turn out."

"What do you me……"

"Instead of worrying about this and that. Shouldn't you be true to your feelings?"

"……"

Eliza's eyes widened.

"As I live, I find myself regretting things in one way or another."

"……"

"Being most faithful to the present seems to lead to fewer regrets."

"……You're talking like an old man."

Eliza sighed deeply.

And she thought of Karl.

The reason Karl was acting so passively.

It was, after all, because of her.

He probably couldn't even ask her to the dance party out of consideration for her.

"Karl is a great guy. If you overthink things, someone else will really snatch him up, you know?"

Upon hearing that, Eliza's expression became emotional.

"I'll never let him be snatched."

Leo smiled at that answer.

Just then.

Karl and Mel, splendidly dressed, appeared with a warp.

"Oh! I didn't need to dress up this mu… huh?!"

Karl, all dressed up.

Eliza stared blankly for a moment, seeing Karl so handsomely styled.

Karl also lost his senses when he saw Leo and Eliza.

Leo then handed Eliza's hand to Karl.

Karl hesitated, not knowing what to do, looking at her hand.

Seeing him like that, Eliza sighed and grabbed Karl's hand firmly.

"Isn't this the man's role?"

"S-sorry."

Karl looked intimidated, seeing Eliza's disgusted expression.

Eliza, who had been staring at Karl with a sulky face, chuckled.

"Well, since I'm the older sister. I guess it can't be helped."

As Eliza said that and walked forward, Karl stumbled after her.

"Eliza, are you okay?"

"What about?"

"There will be rumors."

"Hmph. It's just me, I guess."

"Huh?"

Karl looked bewildered.

Mel smiled brightly, watching their retreating figures.

"It's a good sight."

Leo nodded.

"Indeed."