By the time noon came around, Kaena was still settling in her new room.

Both of us were sitting on the couch, thinking about the events that transpired.

"It seems that we have successfully fooled Lady Albarance into thinking that we are the other," she said. "Of course, it is impossible to keep up this acting forever, so we have to disclose to her the truth of the situation in due time. The question is, how do we do that?"

"How indeed..."

We were in the middle of roleplaying, and a visitor came in.

To save my reputation, we acted on each other's roles, and Kaena bought it.

How in the world do we tell her the truth?

And what will happen if we do so?

For all we know, she might leave in disgust and might spread rumors around the town.

My social life will be over by then.

"Hmm... I can't think of anything..."

"How about we postpone this situation until after we have dined on lunch?" Nola asked. "A full stomach will enable us to think of a clearer solution."

Nola went over to the pantry.

"Ah. It seems that we are out of food."

"I used up the remaining canned beans for breakfast earlier."

"And what a disaster that turned out to be... Perhaps we could order a delivery service?"

"But that means I'll have to go outside." I stood up and tied my hair into a ponytail using my scrunchie. "All right. I guess we have no choice but to buy outside instead. I still have the list of groceries that you wrote with me, so I'll be stopping by the marketplace as well."

"H-Huh?" Nola seemed surprised by my statement. "But are you fine with that, Lady Hisami?"

"No worries! I think I'm getting the hang of this maid act, so going shopping like this is no problem for the great witch!"

I grab the basket on top of the table and my purse. I didn't want a repeat of what happened last time, so I shook it a bit. The coins made a jingling sound.

"I'll be back real quick, Nola. Please watch the house while I'm gone!"

"Ahh, Lady Hisami, wait - !" I heard before closing the door.

Hmm? Did Nola say something?

Nah, it was probably nothing.

Plus, the sun was about to reach its zenith, so I made my way to the town with haste.

The atmosphere was warm, and the wind was blowing a gentle breeze. My hair carelessly flowed, making me once again aware of my situation.

It was another beautiful sunny day.

I entered Sirvaelin City, skipping on the way.

"Good morning!" I greeted the construction workers who were building the walls of the city.

Hmm?

They were waving at me, but their faces were red.

The weather isn't even that hot.

Weird.

Oddly, Sirvaelin seemed to have more people than usual. Wagons were gathering in the streets which resembled a traffic jam back on Earth, and lots of adventurers and merchants could be seen wandering the road. Sounds of wheels turning and voices filled up the air as I made my way through the crowd.

Even when I reached the marketplace, loads of people continued to stare at me.

...?

Is something on my face?

I placed both of my hands on my cheeks, but there was nothing there.

Although I don't necessarily mind the attention, having multiple gazes directed towards my body seemed a bit too creepy for me.

I'm a narcissist and I'm calling people who stare at my beauty creepy. That's how bad it was.

What is with this city today?

---

Luckily, I managed to finish my shopping earlier than expected, so I was now on my way home.

My basket was filled to the brim with all sorts of food. Nola's going to have a feast with this many ingredients.

The path that I took earlier is still full of people. Hoping to avoid the crowd, I took a detour. It would take a longer walk, but hopefully, I can reach the mansion as early as possible.

However, my luck ran out.

Almost every street in the city is filled with people.

Seriously, what is going on?

I think the lunch can wait for a bit. I need to know what's going on in this city today.

By chance, I happened to pass by the city center, where there was an even bigger commotion of sorts.

There were a lot of men loitering around, setting up tables, putting up fences, and carrying boxes. In the middle, a few carpenters were constructing what seemed to be a stage. The air was filled with the sounds of hammers hitting nails and the smell of freshly cut wood.

One man was in the center of it all, giving orders to everyone working. I recognized him instantly.

"Lohre!" I called out, waving my hand. "Lohre! Good day!"

"I recognize that voice. If it isn't Miss Witch - !" He turned toward my direction but immediately gasped. "U-Umm... Good day to you, I guess?"

I made my way over to him, intent on striking a quick conversation. He turned his face away.

"You certainly seem busy. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important...?"

"Don't sweat it, Miss Witch. I was about to start my lunch break when you called out to me."

"Oh, I see. In that case..."

"You want to know what's going on?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. You've been pretty occupied by your job requests lately, so I guess it's understandable. You even hired a maid, although I'm not sure how that's going for you..."

He pointed at the dress that I was wearing.

...

Ah!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!

I just noticed!

I was still wearing Nola's maid outfit!

I was trying my hardest not to get caught by Kaena earlier, only for me to obliviously wander around the city like an airhead!

In front of many people too!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I'm such an idiot!

Idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot!

I collapsed to the ground, both hands and knees touching the dirt.

"My social life... It is ruined..." I muttered under my breath. "People will be remembering me as that girl who dressed up as a maid for fun... The entire legacy that I'll leave behind would be tainted by this one slip-up... Maybe I need to change my identity and move to a different place...? No, but I don't want to leave Langle Field!"

How did I mess up this bad?

WHat's worse is that I can't do anything about it now.

The milk has been spilled, and the die has been cast.

The only thing I can do is by minimizing the damage, but I don't know how to do that since I'm standing in the center of Srivaelin.

Sigh.

"Umm... Hisami?"

Lohre was staring at me, dumbfounded.

"Forgive me." I got off the ground and dusted off the dirt. Leaving aside the fact that I couldn't dust off the stain in my reputation, I cleared my throat. "Anyway... Please continue."

"Sure... We're setting up for the upcoming Technology fair," Lohre explained. "Every year, the King himself sponsors this event, whose goal is to promote the advancements in science and technology. Various scientists, mechanics, and inventors gather in a convention-like setup and promote their works, and if they're lucky, their product could be patented and mass-produced. This year, Sirvaelin is the host city, and I have to bear the brunt of organizing it."

"I see."

So it's like one of those science fairs back in grade school.

Are they also going to make a baking soda-powered volcano?

Wait.

Now that I think about it, didn't Kaena mention something earlier related to this?

Sorry for not introducing myself so sooner. My name is Kaena Albarance, an aspiring inventor!

Oh, so that's why.

She must've moved in because of this Technology Fair.

I guess that makes sense.

But more importantly...

"Promote the advancements in technology, you say?"

"Yeah. It seems that people are getting tired of how the way of living hasn't changed, so His Majesty himself is leading the initiative. He's hoping for some kind of technology boom, I assume."

"They have a point. I've been alive for 700 years now, and it still astonishes me at how almost nothing has changed over the years."

I mean, people here are still using carts and wagons, for goodness sake.

Someone must've at least thought of making a bicycle.

"So that's what it is. I understand now."

"Oh yeah, speaking of," Lohre pulled out a note from his pocket and handed it to me. "I was supposed to send you a convoy to your mansion for this, but since you're here already, here."

"What's this?"

"An invitation to the event. You're one of this city's most famous people, after all, so think of it as free tickets to a VIP seat of the event."

You get to sit next to some of the most prominent people in this Empire, so there's that too, he added.

"I heard some members of the Royal Palace will also be visiting as well."

"Is that so? Then, I thank you for inviting me. It would be a pleasure." I curtsied.

Curtsieding is a polite way of either greeting someone or thanking someone. Normally I would do it in luxurious events, but I just did it because I wanted to try it out in a maid outfit.

The disadvantage is that I won't get to see myself do it.

I wish I had a mirror in front of me.

"You look good in that dress, unironically."

"I know right?" I did some twists and turns, making the skirt float around. "I wish I had a mirror in front of me all the time, so I can stare at myself 24/7."

"How will you be able to walk then?"

"Backwards maybe?"

"Assuming you don't trip, how will you place the mirror in front of you then?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone would invent it in this Technology Fair of yours."

"...A solid point. But what if someone doesn't come up with that idea then?"

"Then I'll just build it myself."

"Good luck on that."

We stood there bantering for a few minutes until something unexpected happened.

In the corner of my eye, a hand swiftly reached into the basket I was holding and took something from it.

"...?!"

Before any of us could react, the culprit took off.

We only saw the back of their hood before disappearing into the crowd.

"Ahh! Hey! Thief!" Lohre shouted.

He was about to inform the nearest guards, but it was too late. They didn't react in time.

"Oi! That's my food!" I screamed.

Without a second thought, I sprinted into the crowd, chasing after them.