The surprise over the first snow had already spread through the courtyard, and those by the banquet hall windows had spread the news as well. People streamed out of the building or stood at the windows, marveling at the first snowfall of the year.
For the Princess's wedding, this was probably quite a wonderful gift.
Seeing how many people were watching the snow, Shade planned to find his cat and let the cat, who had never seen snow since birth, see what snowfall looked like.
But before he could turn around, the whisper in his ear reminded him:
Your dancing partner has arrived.
"Shade!"
Someone patted his right shoulder from behind. Shade turned from the right to look behind him, but saw no one. Only then did he look to the left, where Iluna stood amid the crowd with her hands behind her back, smiling at him.
Though she had appeared at this banquet, she was clearly not dressed to attend it. Her clothes clung closely to her body, the Whisper Element brought by various Relics was easy to detect, and her waist pouch was stuffed full of Spellcasting Materials.
"Shade, I knew it was you."
The seventeen-year-old girl smiled beneath the dim lights.
"Iluna? Why are you here?"
Shade asked in surprise, though a smile appeared on his face as well. He was also very happy to see Iluna here.
"Oh, it's still about Schluch Lake. I was originally planning to rest at home, but then the Church urgently notified me that something had come up. After I arrived here in a carriage with Captain Robinson and the others, everything was already over."
She lowered her voice and pointed toward Schluch Lake behind the manor. But everyone was watching the snow, and no one was paying attention to them.