*Author's Point of View*

As the chandeliers on the ceiling of the grand hall reduce illumination, the corners of the room darken as the music changes into a soft one.

Every one of the dancing pairs starts moving once again and gives the center of the hall a space. Even without saying it, they followed the code-of-men while reading the mood.

And in the center of that open space, is Key who is looking at Jane.

Key had stopped moving, not because he’s afraid, because he felt that he realized that he actually is attracted to Jane.

He rejected those feelings before due to his Earthly morals, but since Matilda made him realize many things, those feelings came all at once and now his heart can't stop beating so much for Jane.

Hypocrisy is what he describes his own feelings. Yet, while thinking about it, he can't stop himself from smiling.

Accepting the fact that he's a hypocrite made him, and Matilda who also knows about it smile in delight.

And so, he takes steps towards Jane while accepting those facts.

On the other hand, Jane who is standing in the corner of the hall couldn’t move at all. Everyone's eyes are on her, but the only one who she notices is the one that is coming from Key.

Matilda smiled as she looks at Jane who couldn't stop shaking from the tremendous nervousness. As a woman, she’s concerned of her.

So, she goes to her and pushes her back while whispering words in her ear.

“It's alright to show your real feelings. I won't get angry.”

After pushing Jane out into the light, even more nobles turns their attention to her.

She knew that she can escape if she runs, but for some reason, her knees refuses to move.

Her heart and mind are in conflict with each other. She fully knew that Key is his master, and she is just a lowly maid. In her mind, the idea of her getting noticed by her master is something impossible to happen. However, her heart knows her master well. It knows that if Jane says that she has feelings for him, he would answer wholeheartedly.

When Key arrived in front of her, he reaches out his hand while tilting his head with a smile on his face.

“Can I have the pleasure of dancing with a wonderful woman?”

She knew Key is playing with his words like usual, but for some reason, Key's voice contained a lot of affection. She couldn’t help but blush.

“B-but, I'm just a maid.”

Jane tried to reason her way out, but she gets to hear a giggle from Key out of the blue.

“Yes, you are a maid. But you're MY maid.”

When Key emphasized his point, Jane's chest tightened so much that she grabbed her chest.

“We have been together for a very long time. You’ve taken care of me many times, and I never thanked you for it. You're aware of the dangers in just being with me and even almost got yourself killed, but you didn't run away and stayed by my side. You saw the blood drip from my hands, but you ignored it.”

Since Jane didn't take his hand, he comes close to Jane and caresses her cheek and smiles warmly.

“… And if you really are in-love with me, I'll be the most blessed person in all worlds since a man like me doesn't deserve you.”

At that moment, Jane's eyes sparkles like Key had magically created stars in front of her.

“… Wouldn’t everyone here think badly of you if you accept me?”

“Does everyone here look like what you said?”

Jane looks around the hall that's full of people, and just like Key said, they aren’t looking at her in a bad way. In fact, they're watching her with warm smiles.

Seeing those supportive looks on every woman around, she couldn't help but feel light inside her heart.

When Key holds her hand, she responds and holds it back.

Being pulled into the dance floor, she leaves her worries behind and let Key lead her heart.

Arriving at the center, Key puts his right arm behind her waist and pulls her closer to him. Because of that, Jane's heart beats like crazy like she's running.

Then, she notices that her uniform is glowing in pink. Even though it was sudden, she didn't get scared and let it be. She knows that this glow is Key's magic.

While looking straight to his eyes, Jane smiles as she tries to hold in her tears.

As they dance to the tune, Jane's dress keeps getting brighter and brighter. It didn't hurt anyone's eyes, but in fact, it made them watch her even more.

“Thank you… Key.”

Jane said so to Key while turning around. In that moment, when Jane turned twirls her skirt, a flash of pink bright light occurs with her in the center.

When the light subsides slowly, everyone's eyes were in awe.

They were surprised to what they are currently seeing.

From a simple Victorian Era black and white maid outfit, it transformed into a glittering pink dress glowing with magic power. Her white pinkish shoulders were exposed along with her long slender back, her skirt changed from ground touching length to below the knee skirt. Her arms have pinkish long gloves that go above her elbow. And most eye-catching of all, her hair that has been braided and is tied up with beautifully arranged violet spikes made from pure magic power.

Everyone including herself was in awe of her appearance. This made Key feel proud of his work.

Ignoring Jane's bewilderment, he pulls her back to him and made her look into his eyes.

“Now that everyone's seen us like this, then you're officially are mine now.”

Key's sweet words tugged Jane's heart strings that she inadvertently grips Key's hand tighter.

“N-no fair...”

She couldn't do anything. She was so flustered that she decides to bury her face on Key's chest as they continue to dance. This made Key laugh.

After that, Jane unburies her face and pouts since she felt like she got made fun of.

“Well, the Dwarves said that I should be greedy. Maybe I should from now on?”

“…. What do you—”

Before Jane could finish her question, Key's face was already close to her and Key steals a kiss.

This action made almost every woman in the room gasp in envy.

Cherlaine wanted to stand, but Matilda grabs her shoulder stopping her from going wild.

When Key's lips parted from Jane's, he makes a very confident smile.

Key's father, Kenneth didn't know what to feel about it. His son has grown into a man before he knew it, but the way he acts is something he didn't anticipate.

On the other hand, Key's mother, Crystal looks at her son with a warm expression while leaning on Kenneth's shoulder. Kenneth wanted to retort, but he's afraid he might unnecessarily anger her so he remains quiet.

“You're mine and mine only from now on.”

“….Key….”

“And I like the way you call me with no honorifics. You should start calling me like that.”

Jane's face is full bright red. She's too embarrassed to say something back.

Key just keeps smiling happily as they dance to the tune.

***

When the music has ended, they return to their table. The mood has calmed down and everyone went back to normal.

The male crowd now has two different opinions of Key. The first one is that he's a man who isn't afraid to be judged when he openly showed them that he is willing to accept his maid's feelings fully knowing the fact that she's just a maid. Second is that he’s a next level kind of philanderer and isn't hiding it which is both a bad and a good thing for many different people.

On the women's side, they saw Key as a man who has become their Ideal lover. Some had their hearts stolen by Key, but they all fully understand that there's no place for them in his heart.

Key himself didn't show or notice that, but Cherlaine and Matilda made them feel that by showing their affection to Key and making him respond to it. Every girl that's looking at them is burning with envy.

On the royal family's side, only the King and Princess Thema witness the scene. The rest of the royal family had already gone back to their rooms due to tiredness.

While looking at the Chardelier table, the King leans his head to Thema.

“This is the first time I've seen such a man. Any woman that comes to him will surely be happy.”

“He's just another philanderer just like brother Frelisk. Collecting women and doesn't have any shame about it.”

The King expected for his daughter to say that. But when he looks at her, he got surprise to see that she's pouting while looking at the Chardelier table. He couldn't help but smile warmly about it.

“Oh, are you jealous of the maid?”

“What?!”

When the king teased her a bit, she responds violently by hitting the chair's armrest. This made the king laugh.

After realizing it was just a joke, Thema becomes annoyed then pouts and looks away.

“You know, I wanted to appoint him as your husband.”

“What?!”

“Oh, he rejected it. But can you guess what he told me when he denied the chance?”

As her father wears a grin on his face, it made her unsure if she wants to either hear it or not. She might not admit it, her heart is screaming to know what it was.

The king wanted her to answer it on her own, but since it would take her the whole night thinking about it, he decided to tell her anyway.

“Well he wanted me to let you decide it yourself. I felt like a failure of a father when he said that controlling your feelings is like turning you into a puppet. To be honest, I really want him to be your husband because he's a man with good character.”

Thema wanted to retort to her father's wish, but when she looked at his face that's looking at Key with a lonely look, she swallowed her words.

She knows why her father is making that kind of expression, but she has no idea to make him feel better.

“I wish Frelisk was a bit like him. They both have the same charisma towards women, Frelisk's hot-headedness makes him unfit to be a King. I am very worried about this kingdom’s future that will soon be on his hands.”

“Father…”

“So if I can convince Marquis Chardelier, I’d like him to…”

Listening to father's words, in her mind, she's already rejecting the thought of marrying Key.

However, she thought wrong.

“I'd like him to make Frelisk mellow a bit. Frelisk thinks he's peerless because he's the only one able to wield the sacred treasure Bottomless Scabbard. If its Marquis Chardelier, making him feel defeated is not impossible.”

The King knows his son more than anyone. Because the Prince has become too full of himself leading to overconfidence, the peace of the Fulsheri Alliance might disappear and war will happen if he will become King.

Making the prince experience defeat even with all his powers will make him realize that nothing can be won with only brute force. That's what the king had in mind for the good of his son and his kingdom.

On the other hand, Thema who misunderstood it wanted to hit herself from her immediate assumptions. She tried to look cool and compose, but her reddening face gave it away.

When the king noticed that, he looks at her with a teasing grin.

“Oh? What could be my dear daughter thinking about?”

“N-nothing!”

“I know you since you were little. You like him, don't you?”

“No I don't!”

Unable to bear it anymore, Thema stands up from her seat and walks down the hall, and for some reason, she's going towards the Chardelier Table.

Everyone is looking at her with puzzled expression. All of the nobles are wondering what she's going to do and what's her relationship with Marquis Chardelier? Even Key himself is tilting his head about the situation.

When she finally stood in front of the Chardelier Family, she inhales a lot of air before voicing her words out. And then—

“I HATE YOU SO MUCH!”

She screamed her heart out and then run away out of the hall and everyone's sight.

Everyone didn't know how to react to what happened and just stayed quiet. They were too baffled by the scene the princess made in front of them in which they didn't expect for a royalty to do.

Even for Key, he was rendered speechless by that.

Then, while looking at the door where the princess ran out from, he felt a tight grip on his hands.

Looking at Cherlaine and Matilda, he got surprised when he saw them looking at him with a menacing glare.

““What did you do?””

Key couldn't think of anything to say back. He was too baffled to say anything since his mind couldn't think of anything about what he did to the princess today.

“What just happened?”

***Key's Point of View***

Everything that happened today was crazy!

I got suddenly raised to Marquisate instead of Baron, made Jane into my mistress, and Thema creating a weird scene.

It was so weird that no one dared to speak about it that even the king himself was left baffled.

I got a lot of weird stares from everyone after that incident. To escape that, I leave the table to get some air with the pretext of going to the washroom.

They gave me a guide, but I bribed the guy to let him stay in one place until I get back from going outside.

And now, I’m sitting alone on a bench while looking at the moons in the night sky. I've been sitting here for twenty minutes now and somehow I calmed my heart down.

“I can't believe I confessed to Jane in public…”

Remembering that, I can't help but laugh at myself because what I did was so embarrassing.

“…the paperwork tomorrow…”

And then the thought of workload piling up my desk entered my head.

“… and what was her problem anyway?”

I haven’t even done anything to her today. Maybe she had a grudge on me after the kiss? But I know the princess. She's not the type to be doing that thing publicly. There must a different reason for it.

A lot of things came to me all at once and is stressing me out. All I can do is let out a sigh while looking at the star filled sky.

Then while I was trying to relax, all of a sudden, I felt a magic power from behind me. It entered my 10 meter magic detection zone so I was able to notice it.

“Dude, if I wasn’t able to recognize the magic, I would have accidentally killed you.”

“You sound pretty confident about that. You can try though.”

I look at the shadowed part of the tree. I can see a man walking out of it with his hands in his pockets. Just seeing those glowing blue eyes, I can tell that this guy is Sora.

“Long time no see.”

“Three months isn't that of a long time though. Congratulations on being inaugurated to Marquisate. That's going to be a lot of work starting tomorrow.”

“Please don't remind me.”

Sora decides to sit beside me and looks at the sky.

“You know Sora, I really didn't expect any of this to happen to me. I doubt that I'd even get the chance to experience this if I was still on earth. But somehow, this feeling doesn't feel new to me for some reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't know. I just feel like that.”

When I half-jokingly said that, he laughs a bit and hits my shoulder.

“Dude, are you talking like this because you're not drinking?”

I can't help but also laugh from that. Maybe he's right.

I notice that Sora puts his hand into his shadow. Then after that, he pulls out two cans of beer with letters from a language I'm familiar with. Looking closely, it's Chines—no, Japanese.

“Where'd you get something like that from here?”

“I have a mission back at north which led me to a huge pile of mana crystals. I took some and used it to create a gate to earth and had enough to come back. I stayed in Japan with two days with my family there thanks to it.”

“Seriously?”

“I was killing time since I managed to finish my mission faster than expected.”

“You're crazy!”

“Says the guy who summoned a moon.”

Both of us got a fill of laughter as we shared our stories in the last 3 months we were apart. Drinking with him feels a bit nostalgic. Or maybe it's just the can of beer.

I was surprised to know that Sora was unto the case of the frequent Magic Intoxication in the kingdom.

When he said that it was worse in the neighboring Kingdoms, I felt slightly alarmed by it. That's because the children in the orphanage flashed back into my mind.

“The war between Fulsheri Alliance against the other kingdoms is getting worse since the Fulsheri Alliance Army has weakened after Thulwerthera fell. Prince Frelisk has kept the enemy at bay in the far southeast, and the northeast army is being pushed back due to the lack of supplies of food and medicine. We of the 23rd Knight Order are keeping things in tabs up in north. If someone sends an army from the north, we can’t stop them even if we risk our lives.”

I'm so stupid for thinking that I have a lot of problems at the moment. Sora has it worse.

I'm glad he's letting it all out with the can of beer. Maybe he'll loosen up after this.

While we're drinking, all of a sudden, Sora makes a panicked expression while looking from behind.

“Oh no.”

Without saying anything, he jumps into my shadow like he's hiding.

After a few moments, a woman in a beautiful red dress shows up like she's looking for someone.

Damn, she's got some huge knockers too.

While I look at her, she notices my presence and then comes to me with half-running speed.

“Uhmm, excuse me sir. Have you seen a man with black hair in black uniform with magical eyes?”

That description is totally Sora no doubt.

But why is he hiding from such a beauty?

“I think the person you described just passed this area a few minutes ago.”

I answered with a lie of course. I don't know who this woman is so I can't sell out Sora who's hiding in my shadow.

But unexpectedly, she's looking at me with doubtful eyes. She doesn't look like she bought it.

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Y-yeah?”

After I answered her question, she looks at me from head to toe. But she stared more at my shadow.

Don't tell me, she can also detect magic power?

“This magic power…. Are you the one called Celestial Magus?!”

Oh, she really can! But why does she seem so shocked?

“Yes, yes I am.”

“Please forgive my rude behavior just know, dear Magus!”

D-dear magus she said…. What the hell?

While saying that, she kneels on one knee and lowers her head to me. This surprises me more that it should.

And the way she acts, it's Knight-like. Is she a Knight? This is the first time I've seen a female knight.

“Don't worry, I don't mind and please stand. What's your name by the way?”

“I am Gurduva Pheraiah of Pheraiah household. I am a Knight of the 23rd knight order and secretary of our Vice Commander Sora Dreier Flordist.”

What the--?! Sora never mentioned being a vice commander! What the hell man!

“And who is this man you are looking for?”

“Our Vice Commander, he suddenly escaped from my sight so I had to look for him.”

Suddenly escaped… typical Sora.

But for him to escape from a beauty, it makes me curious. I'll ask this woman.

“Why are you looking for him? And also, what's your relationship with him?”

When I asked her that, she makes a slightly embarrassed expression while hugging herself. Her boobs are like Cherry's! Damn…

“I-I'm actually his fiancée.”

“Wh—!”

“Were you about to say something?”

“N-no.”

Damn, I almost yelled ‘what the fuck' there. That totally surprised me beyond my expectations.

Sora's got a lot of explanation to do. But before that, I'll make this woman leave now.

“Well, if you're looking for your fiancée, you should start moving again.”

“HAH! That's right! Thank you for reminding me!”

After saying that, she goes away running to the direction I pointed.

When she finally disappeared, I put my hands on my waist while looking down on my shadow.

“Sora…”

“Long story.”

--End of Chapter—