"I-I... I apologize," started Alice, her voice trembling. "I was only defending myself from—"
"I am not interested in your justification," Isabelle interrupted her. "Moving mana is prohibited, but going as far as using magic during a banquet like you did is even more unacceptable. Do you have any idea how many lethal magic types there are nearby?"
"I-I do not..."
"That would be thirty-eight if we consider this entire estate. It goes without saying that, if I sense anyone casting magic, I throw them out."
Alice's face turned pale. "... Please, my Lady, t-this would impact Lady Rachel as well."
"Lower your defenses." the duke's daughter coldly suggested.
"E-eh?"
"I will give it some thought if you accept to go through what I did to Lord Horace."   
"Y-yes! Thank you ve— Ngh?!"

Before Alice could finish her sentence, a wave of mana surged toward her. While this much was to be expected, what followed clearly wasn't.
Instead of having the foreign mana trigger a rejection that would prevent it from entering Alice's body, this mana made its way through her mana veins anyway, without slowing down one bit. Even worse, Alice felt like Isabelle's mana was proliferating each time it met her own mana, erasing the latter in the process.
In less than a second, all Alice could feel was an indescribable terror. A sensation of complete wrongness was making her very soul scream in protest. 

Alice couldn't tell whether Isabelle de Lockmond was taking ownership over her mana or if she was only triggering a sort of alien limb syndrome, making her think her mana was no longer hers. Whichever the case, she feared that her mind might shut down forever from the sheer trauma if this went on for a minute. 

"P... Please..." Alice managed to let out in a weak and strained voice.
"Oh my! You look unwell, Lady Alice!" Isabelle de Lockmond exclaimed with almost theatrical movements, before offering a chair to her guest.
"M... Make it stop..."
"Now, this is the reaction that I was expecting," Lady Isabelle said in a lower tone as she got closer to Alice. "For some reason, this did not work as expected earlier. Why is that? By all means, enlighten me."
"..."
"... Fine," Isabelle said, followed by a sigh. "Brangett held up longer than you, for your information."

An instant later, this foreign mana disappeared from Alice's body as soon as it had arrived. It was only then that Alice's body remembered how to breathe.

(My mana... It's there...)

Although she despised Isabelle's attitude, she still sat up on the chair she had been offered since her legs were shaking so badly.

"Please try not to look at me with such clear disdain. I am merely taking care of troublemakers who were threatening the smooth running of this party." 
"What... did you do?" ultimately asked Alice between two pants.
"Take a piano masterpiece and its delicate, harmonious tapestry of notes. Now, add a single false note, and the harmony is disturbed: the piece is now flawed. I believe you are well aware of that, Alice de Ravendall."
"I am not..."
"Stop acting like you have no idea of what I am referring to. I know for a fact that you too can overwrite mana. I unmistakenly sensed that, whenever Lord Horace's mana was directed at you, it was added to your arsenal."

('Too'...? So, as I thought, she did make my mana hers, even though it was within my veins. How strong is that...?)

"Um... There seems to be a misunderstanding, my Lady..."

Chances were that the process was completely different. "Overwriting" couldn't exactly describe what Alice had been doing, after all. What she could do was make mana pop out of existence and then resurge an instant later as hers. In particular, she would be unable to change back the mana to its original signature.

(I can't just tell her that, can I?)

"I confirmed it myself with my mana. To think I would have my mana stolen..."
"I-I am sorry. I was not paying attention and—"
"You know, what you just said is what bugs me the most."
"E-eh?"
"What I did was a very specific use of my magic type and it was not covered by my spell. As such, I have to do it consciously and manually, one person at a time. Not very practical, is it?"

(I wouldn't say that... Unless her goal is to level an entire army in one go, incapacitating one person in a flash sounds more than good enough...)

"And yet, here you are, suggesting you were not even aware of my vain attempt to screw you, overwriting my own mana in the process."

(D-did she just say 'screw you'?)

"Truth be told, I was able to take away some of your mana in the outskirts of what you deployed earlier," Isabelle continued. "But I still could not move that mana, even though it was mine. Assuming you had no more control over it, there is only one explanation: that mana was anchored into place by a spell."

(Ugh... She independently arrived at the same conclusion that spells can survive a change of signature, so she inferred I used one. How did she manage to have such a clear view of everything that was happening...? This might be bad.)

"You are supposed to use Strengthening magic, which is an internal type. It sounds unbelievable that you would be able to affect external mana with your spell. Even if we ignore your ability to overwrite mana, this is unheard of. You must be lying about what your real magic type is."
"I—"
"Alice!" a familiar voice interrupted the cornered Alice. "Are you alright...? I am sorry for leaving you alone like this!"

(Rachel...! I've never been so glad to see you jump into a conversation!)

Isabelle cleared her throat, "Lady Rachel, it might unfortunately be my fault. Lady Alice started to feel dizzy after engaging in an extensive questioning from me."

(She's omitting the part where she intentionally caused this...)

"Do not take it personally, Lady Isabelle," Rachel said with an embarrassed smile. "This girl has trouble speaking to people she is unfamiliar with. It was not your fault. Thank you for taking care of her even though you are so busy."
"I at least had a great time. In the end, we managed to talk and, just like you told me before, we have a lot in common. An astonishing lot, even."
"I see. I am glad that you found conversing with Alice interesting."

Feeling like a kid forced to attend a parent-teacher meeting, Alice hunched slightly in her chair.

"'Fascinating' would describe better what I felt. Truly, she picked my interest," Isabelle started before turning to Alice. "Lady Alice. I now realize that asking about the specifics of your magic type was not acceptable for our very first meeting, especially as the host. I truly apologize."

(She sounds all solemn all of a sudden. What's the catch...?)

"This sort of discussion should be kept between friends. If you are fine with it, I would love to welcome you to this estate on a future occasion. What do you think?"
"Ah..."
"Alice is lost for words because your suggestion was unexpected, but she of course accepts!"

(Wha—?! Don't talk for me?!)

Alice sneakily shook her head to signify her intense opinion on the matter, but Rachel only smiled and patted her head.

"I am pleased to hear that. Expect an invitation soon, Lady Alice. Well then, you two, I hope you will enjoy the rest of this party."

Once the host was far enough, Rachel exclaimed in joy, "Great job, Alice! How did you do it?!"
"... There is nothing great about that."
"It might be daunting right now, but think about it! One of the most influential women in the Kingdom is personally inviting you to converse with her! This is a significant opportunity for you and your family."
"Gaah... My stomach hurts."

***

Drifting in her thoughts with a severe expression, Alice was contemplating how she could explain her abilities to Lady Isabelle in a way that would satisfy her curiosity without putting herself at risk.

(... Is there any means by which I can get away? I feel like I'd become her plaything in the best-case scenario.)

The sudden appearance of a cup of juice in her line of sight snapped her back to reality. It was Rachel, looking at her with concern.
"I thought this might help," she handed the cup. "You look like you could use it."
"... Thank you. I kind of wish it was that liquor from earlier, though."
"Absolutely not," Rachel firmly shook her head. "It was your first time drinking alcohol, right? It could be the reason why you are feeling like this."
"I am fairly certain it was not the alcohol..."
"No argument. I promised Isabelle that I would take care of you, remember? Kids get juice, and this is non-negotiable."
"Are you looking for a fight...?" Alice grumbled before she proved her friend's point by childishly bringing the cup to her mouth with both hands and then grimacing when she took a sip of the cold liquid. "... This is way too sweet, what the heck?"
"Well... I know you have a sweet tooth, so I thought you might need an extra dose of sugar..."

(Who are you, my mom...?)

Just as Alice was considering if she should drink out of pity, the distinct sound of clinking glass rang out and the guests started to gather toward the center of the hall.

"Is Isabelle raising a toast?"
"You should go over there, Rachel."
"Not happening! I am not leaving you anytime soon."

(I can't say I want to get close to that girl again but...)

Alice stood up cautiously, testing her legs. "Well, I think I have recovered. Shall we join the others?"
"Are you sure?"
"I am alright. I wasted enough of your time already.

As they approached the crowd, Alice found herself unable to see over the heads of the other guests. Sensing her internal struggle, Rachel effortlessly lifted her, offering her a better view.

"W-wait, Rachel, what about etiquette?!"
"No one will notice as long as you stay silent."
"You are not using Strengthening magic, are you? Otherwise, Lady Isabelle might notice it..."
"Who would risk using magic here...? I am not crazy enough to do that."

(Ugh...)

Peering over the crowd, Alice spotted a distinguished-looking man standing next to Isabelle. "Who is that with her?" she whispered.
"This is Prince Claude. Were you that out it when he arrived earlier? He made quite the commotion."
"A royal here? Why am I even at such an event...?" Alice murmured.

Oblivious to Alice's consternation, Rachel mused enthusiastically, "Since he is standing alongside Isabelle, the rumors about their upcoming engagement might be true!"
"W-wait, what...?"

(She might become a princess? Why did I get associated with a future member of the royal family?!)

"Can you please put me down before Lady Isabelle sees—"
"Oh, look, Isabelle is waving at us! Say hello in my stead!"

(Ah. Great...)

Alice weakly waved back at the star of the party who was grinning. Seeing several people looking back by following Lady Isabelle's stare, Rachel ultimately put down Alice on the ground.

Tyra

Hey there!
I was this close to finishing the first volume in 2023. There's only one three-chapter part left before volume 2. I've got a plethora of days off to take soon, so my release schedule might get a bit better.
All that said, I wish you a Happy New Year, and I thank you all for reading thus far.