“Kyaaaaa—!!”

A scream and the sound of silk tearing.

The fearful scream is soon followed by another scream, and so on.

In the venue of a ball, which is lit dazzlingly, an uproar erupts.

A lone witch steps into the marble hall of the castle, followed by the thumping of her high heels.

With each step, the witch drags her robe behind her.

Every step of the way, crowds of people are frightened and flee to the edge of the wide hall.

“P, please stop right there, O Mighty Witch!”

One courageous guard calls out to the witch wearing such a thick robe.

The witch’s fine robe flutters as she turns around.

No one can conceal their confusion, which was caused by the witch’s sudden appearance.

“For you to come all the way here… under what purpose is your visit…?”

He seems to think that the uninvited Witch of the Lake comes harboring the malicious intent to spread a curse.

With a stiff face, the gatekeeper asks humbly. His face is crumbling due to fear.

Although the witches of today have completely lost their power, the witches of ancient times attending balls must have been a disastrous sign.

To either cover the castle with thorns, to put the beautiful princess into an eternal slumber, or turning a prince into a frog—indeed, in the ancient times, witches usually spread disasters.

Of course, Roze doesn’t have that kind of power.

Roze tries to reply and opens her mouth—

—however, doing just that earns her the guard’s ire. The guard is already trying to unsheathe his sword, standing as if he’s a hero in the presence of the Demon King.

Roze, despite her amazement, replies anyway.

“…actually, I have a proper invitation with me here—”

“—Roze!”

From behind the guard, Harij rushes towards her. The guard who sees Harij’s figure gives his salute despite his fear.

After briefly staring at the guard, Harij’s gaze easily lands on Roze.

“I told you to wait, didn’t I?”

“By ‘wait’, I thought you were telling me to wait in this venue…”

“I heard a scream and thought that something happened to you, my heart almost stopped beating. Stop making me worry so much.”

Harij reaches within Roze’s hood to gently tuck a lock of her hair behind an ear—at that moment,

“Kyaaaaa—!!!”

The screams of women—a scream is much louder, and also more desperate—resound in the venue.

---

“Wait, don’t go there yet.”

“B, but, there’s only one left…”

“Just wait. Those will be replenished.”

“But, I’ve looked at other tables… only that one table has it…”

Roze, who is glued to the desserts on the table, eyes Harij with the look of an abandoned kitten.

Her face seen through the gap of the hood remains expressionless, but it seems that Roze’s desperate plea reaches Harij.

Harij raises his eyebrows—the man could easily comprehend her words.

—the night sky, full of stars, envelops the castle with light. Within the castle, a ball is held.

The chandelier above is so bright, it almost fills the ceiling with light. The intricately cut-glass sways, reflecting the gleam of the candlelight.

The fabric hung on the wall is embroidered with golden thread and doesn’t have a single speck of dust.

The gorgeous ball of the royal palace, which displays the extravagantness of the entire kingdom continues without a care, as if forgetting the previous commotion.

In the hall where the alluring performance of an orchestra reverberates, men and women dance in pairs. But those men and women can’t concentrate on the music.

Everyone’s attention gathers on a certain couple with an extraordinary presence in that venue.

“Harij-san, please take care of me.”

Saying such a wish whole-heartedly, Roze asks Harij.

From within the robe, Roze’s slender arms extend.

Even at the ball, Roze isn’t wearing a dress, but a witch’s robe.

This is because Yashm, the host of the ball, has allowed her to participate as a witch.

Nonetheless, Roze has reluctantly groomed herself. Especially after hearing Tara say something along the lines of, “Courtesy should be valued, for Lord Harij will be meeting those that have taken care of him on a daily basis.”

Her hair was pulled up into a bun, it’s as if her scalp is ready to fall due to the weight. She also put on a layer of white powder on her face, blush on her cheeks, and lipstick on her lips.

Roze asked Mona for help in applying the make-up. Due to Roze’s lack of experience, when she applied the make-up herself, she became the splitting image of a terrifying witch from a children’s storybook.

The brand-new robe Roze is currently wearing was made using her dowry money.

Tien probably tailored that robe in preparation for Roze to attend formal occasions with Harij.

As such, the design isn’t as simple as the robe she usually wears in her dwelling.

Daring, large-patterned embroidery is in full-bloom on the thick robe.

Each time the chandelier illuminates the robe, the fabric gives off a bright sheen, making the witch appears even more mysterious.

As per her witch’s habit, Roze doesn’t forget to wear her hood.

When she wears it, every time the crystal on the edge of the hood sways, it shimmers, hiding Roze’s facial expression.

“…please.”

She says with such a serious expression, however, in reality, she is just yearning to savor those delicious sweets…

Harij frowns and looks around once.

After confirming the one he wants to greet is still talking to others, Harij turns to Roze and slowly nods his head.

“…Just for a short moment, okay?”

“I’ll do my best to eat as fast as I can.”

“You needn’t go to such an extent.”

When everyone sees how lenient Harij is with Roze, the venue again starts buzzing—

“—Lies.”

“I can’t believe it…”

“Lord Azm is so generous…”

The women’s whispers go from one ear to another.

Roze quickly moves to the table and takes a plate for the prey she’s aiming for.

Needless to say, Roze is the only woman in the venue who is so engrossed with food.

A red, transparent, and glossy jelly layered around a marshmallow is what Roze has been eyeing.

The top of the confectionary is adorned with mint leaves—in short, it’s like a jeweled, petite, apple.

The marshmallow wobbles when she put it on a plate. She gently cuts it with a fork and places it on her tongue.

The cold gummy hits her lips. The elastic gummy wrapping the marshmallow guides Roze’s taste bud to heaven.

After a bit of happiness, Roze returns to Harij.

“Harij-san—”

—when she talks with food still in her mouth, she receives a silent treatment. Roze swallows with a tense look and asks again.

“Do you attend these kinds of occasions often?”

“Not often. When I attend, I usually come as an escort. As I’ve said before, after becoming a knight, I’ve distanced myself from social circles.”

It’s extremely rare for Harij, who hates participating in the gathering of aristocrats, to be invited as a knight—and not an escort. Not to mention, the one he’s currently escorting is a woman.

It’s completely unusual, therefore, those who have long known Harij find it unbelievable.

“It’s been awhile since I dressed up like this.”

Harij seems proud to show Roze his attire.

Meanwhile, Roze herself is unable to completely stare at Harij in formal attire.

This guy has a good face.

This guy has a really, really good face.

Now, combining those good looks of his with a nice and proper attire, an insurmountable enemy has appeared in front of Roze.

Formal clothing in Marjan is quite simple in general.

The men’s attire isn’t an exception. However, the design is also refined.

For the weaving and embroidery of the fabrics, the pattern of each house and territory are considered, the design the wearer is most comfortable with is also taken into consideration.

Harij’s present attire has a large cloak on its back—perhaps to emphasize the path he has taken, which is knighthood. It suits him very well.

Roze can feel her heart tightening at the sight of a well-dressed Harij.

He is as dazzling as sunlight itself, Roze finds it impossible to look at him for more than three seconds. However, it’s also possible to counter the flickering of the Sun God by blinking several times.

His hair, which is usually down, has been nicely combed today.

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Roze is on the brink of salivating.

Unbearable.

Harij in formal wear—

—if she could witness that appearance of his, then perhaps attending a ball isn’t so bad after all.

Roze tries to stop her saliva by stuffing her mouth with sweets.

---

***T/n: As a Thot preventation method, I shall scan the venue and protect Roze!!!! ///brandish her Thot Slayer Blade and Anti-Thot Shield///

She says with such a serious expression, however, in reality, she is just yearning to savor those delicious sweets…

Harij frowns and looks around once.

After confirming the one he wants to greet is still talking to others, Harij turns to Roze and slowly nods his head.

“…Just for a short moment, okay?”

///sympathetically pats Harij on his back/// This isn’t just the kind of battle you can win, my man.

Yashm formally invited her? The crowds reaction said the otherwise… if you want to make a show out of our dear Witch get ready to meet my fist!!!!!!

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