Roland stared at Alex walking to the banquet table with Evelyn in his arms.
'There... is no way. Even he wouldn't- No. He would. He absolutely would.'
Marisa let out a helpless laugh. "Well. I suppose... he HAS been in the habit of being audacious recently..."
"Audacious?" Roland let out a helpless laugh as well. "There is audacious and then there is declaring yourself the enemy of the entire Eternal Empire among all its ruling elites."
A death wish- No, more than a death wish.
So far, the nobles had ignored Alex wooing Evelyn because they saw it as the princess humoring a slightly talented commoner.
As the Imperial Princess, and as one who was favored to claim the throne, they had allowed Evelyn to fool around a bit. She was young, after all, and a woman. Thus, the nobles, misogynistic as they were, would allow her to play around and get it out of the way.
So long as the line wasn't crossed, they would just treat Alex as a nuisance.
But this...
Walking in with Evelyn wearing his colors. Walking in wearing Evelyn's colors. Carrying her like a blushing bride...
It wasn't playing around anymore.
This was a proper claim.
This was Alex saying that Evelyn was his, and that he would lay his life down before anyone took her from him.
...And heavens above, there would be people who would be trying to make him lay his life down.
Chief among them, Crown Prince Maximilian... who looked livid enough to draw his blade and duel Alex then and there.
As much as the man wanted the throne, getting it because his younger sister threw her reputation away in a scandal with a commoner...
He would never live it down.
So what in the world was Alex thinking-?
'Ah.'
Roland's eyes narrowed, focusing on Alex.
A daring and brash grin, as if relishing any challengers... but calm and analytical eyes, quickly and swiftly marking future enemies.
Marisa clicked her tongue and whispered, "How reckless. He's being audacious to gather information."
"Well." Roland sipped a glass of punch he had picked up earlier. "...Our dear friend IS a fan of betting his life..."
Since the first day they had met, Roland had noticed Alex had that habit of throwing his life on the line. And it seemed to have only gotten worse since he became involved with Evelyn.
Marisa sighed. "...Well. There's no point trying to read HIS mind. For now." Marisa focused and said, "Take a look around."
"Right." Roland nodded and glanced around the room.
Unlike Alex and Evelyn, Roland and Marisa were in the drawing room connected to the main hall, along with the other guests.
They had also taken the far corner to observe the other guests while having a clear line of sight to the banquet table in the main hall across the room.
The use of magic would be absolutely noticed in a situation like this, so they unfortunately didn't have a silencing ward to cover their conversation.
But in a chaotic din like this where you already could barely hear the person next to you, Roland wasn't concerned.
More than that, it cut both ways.
Roland and Marisa couldn't hide their words. But neither could anyone else who wanted to have a private conversation. They just had to hope that no one else overheard them.
Unfortunately for them, Marisa was the sort of person who could have a simultaneous conversation with a hundred different people, and Roland had taken inspiration from his reckless friend Alex there and risked frying his senses to refine them.
All of that to say...
"What do we do now? The Prince didn't account for this!"
"Shut up, you idiot! We stay the course!"
"Is this a part of the Sovereign's designs?"
"It doesn't matter. Chaos of any sort lends to our plans."
"Did you see the look on the young Frostblade's face? He looked ready to charge up there!"
"He wouldn't though. His family has too much to lose by acting so brashly."
...He could hear everything people were trying to hide.
'Three parties at play.'
Roland casually sipped his glass of fruit punch and swept his gaze across the room towards the speakers, confirming them.
Plain-clothed imperial knights, nondescript men and women who were a bit 'too' normal, and then the typical chatty nobility.
As expected, Prince Maximilian had a plan afoot, and likely backup plans.
The mysterious group that had sent spies into Starlight Academy appeared to be here too, considering they mentioned the 'sovereign.'
And as for the Frostblades...
'Issac will likely be the first to challenge Alex.'
Considering that guy was vying for Evelyn's hand in marriage, he absolutely would not let Alex's action past him.
But regardless of what everyone wanted or intended, right now...
"Enough." A soft but firm female voice cut through the din. Headmistress Lux waved her hand, releasing her full might for a split second before retracting it. "Tonight is a night of celebration, not chaos. And while an... exciting opening, the agenda has not changed."
Maximilian idly cleaned his hand up, brushing aside the shattered glass that once was his cup. After that, he smiled and said, "Indeed, Headmistress. What is the saying... Children will be children? Hormones do run awry at these sorts of events." After saying that, he let out a casual laugh... that did nothing to hide the deadly calm barely suppressed in his gaze.
Elio poured a glass of wine underhanded and then handed the glass to Maximilian. "That's right, dear nephew. Lighten up a little. It's not as if the fate of the Empire depends upon this night."
His words were light, but his eyes were searching. Intense.
Watching all of that unfold in the main hall, Roland moved closer to Marisa and whispered, "...I rarely attend court. Tell me, Mari. Is this level of backhanded toxicity... normal?"
"If it's anything like the politics in the Mage Tower... yes." Marisa sighed. "...But since they've said that, it should be fine... for now."
True to Marisa's words, after Maximilian and Elio spoke, the room calmed down.
The issue hadn't been forgotten. But it had been pushed off for now.
...Or it should have been.
Except Alex deliberately walked towards the seat where Evelyn was supposed to be and sat down in her chair.
With her on his lap.
Roland covered his face with his hands. "Alex, my friend. I know you love our princess dearly, but at this rate we will all die in the crossfire before the night is over..."