Lorelei participated in a street dance.
If a magus who knew her saw this, they would certainly be astonished.
After all, this was the First Lord of the Clock Tower, Her Majesty the Shadow Queen of Britain. She should be sipping afternoon tea in a castle or discussing important matters with influential figures in a classical conference room. The last place she should be is at a common street event, engaging in something beneath her station.
Of course, Lorelei herself didn't think that much about it. She was fully focused on learning this new cultural experience, something she had never encountered before.
Lorelei's dance moves were quite clumsy—completely lacking the fluid grace she displayed when using magecraft. But it was precisely this awkwardness that Shinji wanted to see.
The powerful queen. The perfect queen. He had grown tired of hearing such praises. Everyone took her strength and perfection for granted, yet they all forgot that she was just a girl, not even twenty years old.
Ordinary girls at this age would be celebrating their youth, enjoying the best years of their lives. But she was already standing at the pinnacle of the magical world, leading the Mage's Association.
Yes, it was an extraordinary achievement. But it was also a heavy burden. Her aloofness, her cold image—part of it was due to Barthomeloi's education, but it was also a result of the immense pressure she shouldered.
She had to live up to the Barthomeloi name. She had to live up to her role as a lord. She had to live up to the title of nobility.
So, she had no choice but to be even more cautious, to push herself harder.
Shinji still remembered how he felt the first time he met Lorelei as a Lord.
Aloof?
Majestic?
A perfect queen?
None of those. He only felt a kind of coldness—a mechanical, emotionless coldness.
At that moment, she reminded him of Artoria, who suppressed her emotions to fulfill her duties as a king.
Lorelei wasn't as extreme as Artoria, but compared to how she used to be, she had changed. Back then, she would explode at him for using an incorrect "kiss on the hand" gesture and attack him with a Wind Strike. Now, she wouldn't do that. Even if she was displeased, she wouldn't express it so casually.
That's probably what Barthomeloi and many noble magus hoped for: a rational ruler of the Department of Policies, a lofty queen, an unparalleled magus.
But Shinji didn't want this.
At work, he didn't want his superior to be too inhuman.
In life, he didn't want his friend to drift further and further away from him.
After all, it wasn't easy to find someone who shared his interests. How could he just let that go?
So, whenever he had the chance, he would use various methods to reach out to Lorelei's humanity. Even if it meant making her angry, even if it meant getting beaten up by her, it was better than having her sit there with a cold expression.
Maybe one day, she would become the ideal queen that people envisioned. But at least during the best years of her life, he hoped she wouldn't be overwhelmed by magecraft, work, and aristocratic formalities.
Today's event was one such attempt. Thanks to the popularity of a famous Danish dancer, it turned out surprisingly well.
After sneaking out of the crowd, Shinji asked Lorelei:
"How does it feel?"
"Too crowded, a bit uncomfortable, but... not bad."
That was all he needed to hear. This was how a girl her age should feel.
Thinking this, Shinji didn't voice it out loud.
"Isn't it because your movements were too stiff?"
"Hmph, it's only because you insisted on dragging me into it. I told you I didn't want to go."
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't expect you to be so clumsy."
Hearing this, Lorelei's expression immediately turned cold. Given that they were in a busy shopping district and it wasn't convenient to act out, she chose a different way to vent.
"I'm going back. Coming out with you today was a mistake."
"Come on, I'm sorry, isn't that enough?"
Shinji instantly adopted a humble attitude, but Lorelei had already grown immune to this tactic.
"I'm tired of hearing such half-hearted apologies."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"I don't need you to do anything. I'll head back alone—what are you doing?!"
In the middle of her words, Shinji suddenly grabbed Lorelei's hand and pulled her into a shadowy corner.
"Don't say anything. We can't let them see us."
"Them? Huh, that's—"
It turned out that behind them, at some point, a man and a woman had appeared. The man was older, the woman younger. They were both familiar faces.
"—Professor Velvet and Miss Reines? Why are they here?"
"Because other than suits and shirts, Waver buys all his clothes here. He's someone who hates hassle. It's much easier to buy ready-made clothes than to have them custom-made. Reines is probably accompanying him since she always complains about Waver's lack of fashion sense."
"I see. But why are we hiding?"
"Do you think your current appearance is suitable for them to see?"
"..."
Only then did Lorelei realize that she wasn't wearing her lordly attire, but a very ordinary casual outfit. If they saw her like this, her carefully maintained image...
"This is all your fault."
"You just said it wasn't bad."
"Don't bring that up again!"
Lorelei was so frustrated that her magical energy began to surge, gathering at her fingertips, and forming the structure of a Wind spell.
Seeing this, Shinji quickly grabbed her other hand and whispered, "Calm down, my lady. If you use magecraft here, won't it be obvious that something's wrong? You know Waver sees through everything."
Lorelei froze for a moment, then quickly dispelled the spell and withdrew her magical energy.
"Then what should we do?"
"Let's go somewhere else."
"Where?"
"Riel Lane, right by the Rhine River. It's not far from here. I found it last time when Waver and I were apartment hunting. The view is quite nice. We'll pass through Hyde Park on the way, so we can take a walk, enjoy the scenery, and have a lakeside dinner. Since we're already out, why not make the most of it?"
In the end, Lorelei didn't refuse.
"Alright, but next time you have to accompany me on a vampire hunt. You can't bring that familiar of yours!"
"Deal. Waver and Reines are heading into the mall. Let's go, Lorelei."
Hearing this familiar name, Lorelei sighed softly.
"Lorelei... It's been so long since anyone called me that, ever since I became Barthomeloi."
"But today, you're not Barthomeloi. You're just Lorelei, an ordinary girl."
"Yeah."
"Don't like it?"
"No, why would I?"
...
"Lorelei."
"What?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to say your name."
"Lorelei."
"Mm."
"Lorelei."
"Stop, stop saying it."
The repeated calls made her a little embarrassed.
"Because I think it's a beautiful name. Let me keep calling you that, at least when no one else is around."
Lorelei lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Shinji squinted his eyes, a warm smile spreading across his face.
What a perfectly wonderful day, wasn't it?