episode_0058

Among the sayings that circulated on the internet community in my past life, there was a popular one that went something like this:

“When comparing modern people to those of the past, they hardly face any physical punishment at home or at school, which has led to a proportional decrease in their backbone.”

The idea behind it was that once you realize there’s a possibility of getting physically punished anytime, anywhere, it tends to build character; conversely, if you have no fear of being punished, your personality may become lackluster.

Looking back now, I can say that it was partly true and partly false.

While I did agree that modern individuals have lost some backbone due to the decrease in physical punishment,

I didn’t necessarily think it was solely a problem of modern society.

“You came from that side and bumped into me! What are you going to do about this?!”

“….”

Those who grew up without the fear of being physically punished, be it in modern or medieval times, simply lacked backbone.

I found myself witnessing this timeless truth firsthand in real-time.

Seeing a crazy woman who shamelessly collided with me and then proceeded to cosplay as the victim, a stream of curses rose to the tip of my tongue, but

my inner good release promptly emerged, calming down the reckless release within me.

“Endure, hold back. If you draw unnecessary attention here, it will only get more troublesome.”

Since the moment I entered Hwang Sung today, I had been attracting attention by engaging in pointless actions.

While it might feel momentarily satisfying to confront and express anger, the inevitable consequences made it easier to just endure and move on.

If I were to escalate things and the other party revealed their status and relentlessly pursued me, as a commoner, I risked being put at a disadvantage.

It might be impossible to force the other party to reveal their status at the masquerade ball, but if a noble decided to investigate, it would be easier than drinking cold soup.

“In such a scenario, Edan’s help… is probably not something I can count on.”

If I were truly Edan’s fiancée and engaged in pointless arguments after such an incident, exposing all sorts of truths and lies, leveraging the Blackwood family’s status to pressure the other party wasn’t entirely out of the question.

The issue lay in the fact that I wasn’t actually his fiancée; I was merely playing the role.

Moreover, I had already calculated that Edan might not actively protect me when faced with a slightly more troublesome situation. Therefore, confronting and arguing recklessly at this point would be a risky move for Release.

Even if I was a full-time maid, ultimately, I was just a commoner maid bound to the family.

It wouldn’t be wise to incite discord with other noble families just to protect one maid, especially if I couldn’t be certain of the other party’s exact status.

If Edan did harbor deep affection for me, perhaps there was a chance, but it was hard to expect that a full-time maid who had once tried to kill him in his youth would feel any internal closeness towards me.

After quickly assessing my position and status in my mind, I gathered as much information as possible about the brazen woman in front of me.

Just in case she happened to be a key figure in the “Luminor Academy” or had any relevant connections.

“While she may come from a noble background, she doesn’t seem to have grown up in a particularly strict household. Judging by her hair color, she doesn’t appear to be from a major noble family.”

In the “Luminor Academy,” the noble families referred to as major houses were usually distinguishable by distinct characteristics or hair colors.

For instance, the Blackwood lineage typically had dark hair and black eyes, fitting their name.

And if she belonged to a prominent noble family with sky-blue hair like that woman, she might be from the Azeria or Auguste family.

It was a bit difficult to speculate that the woman in front of me was from those two families.

Firstly, Azeria nobles were from the Sarendia Kingdom, not the Argentia Empire, so it was unlikely that they attended the Third Princess’s birthday celebration.

The members of the Auguste family were few, and being in the role of antagonists, I knew each of their facets one by one.

“It feels oddly familiar, like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

Of course, considering my clear memory from playing for 2000 hours, she was probably just a minor character or an extra.

In conclusion, this woman herself was not of a very high noble rank.

Of course, whether the rank of the other nobles was high or low, being a noble itself was a strong pressure on Reilis, so it didn’t matter much.

“Even if her status among the nobles is low, she is infinitely higher than a commoner.”

It would probably be the most peaceful solution to quietly end the disturbance without revealing the family and name.

Who was more at fault and who suffered more significant damage was not a crucial factor in the judgment of this world.

In the medieval fantasy world, when judging right from wrong, power was the most important factor, followed by wealth or force.

I had none of these and was just a debt maid, utterly insignificant.

If there were people of similar status, they could quibble over who was more at fault, but at least for now, it wasn’t a method available to me in the current situation.

Understanding the situation in a fleeting moment, I started “persuading” the noble lady who spoke with a brazen expression while restraining my emotions as much as possible.

“Miss…”

“…?”

…Oh no, a mistake.

“…Miss… I’m sorry for startling you. Your beautiful gloves got ruined because my shoulder bumped into your hand while passing by.”

“You’re quite audacious, pulling my hand to your shoulder like that.”

“Just now, you seemed to want to say something…”

“But thanks to the cocktail spilled from your hand, my dress got stained, so how about we consider this our mutual fault and move on without blushing faces?”

“My losses are greater, but let’s not draw attention crudely and just quietly end this.”

“And, a noble lady raising her voice outside might be suspected of lacking manners. If a fight were to break out at a good event like the Third Princess’s birthday party, how sad would the princess be?”

“Don’t shout outside like a country bumpkin. Would the princess be delighted to see guests fighting at her birthday party, huh?”

I conveyed the story as best as I could, tightly holding back what I wanted to say in my mind.

She seemed to understand to some extent what I said, perhaps due to her obligatory noble education.

“…I understand. Well, I guess I have no choice but to graciously forgive you this time.”

…For now, it seems like I managed to quietly calm down the commotion.

Now, I just need to leave as if nothing happened, moving away from the scene.

I can wipe off the stain on my dress with a handkerchief. Fortunately, it was a dark red dress, so any marks wouldn’t show prominently.

Thinking this way, I was about to finish the conversation and naturally move away, but then…

“…What mischief are you up to in front of me?”

…It seemed my partner wasn’t planning to overlook the current situation.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“I have a question. Your audacity in not only dirtying my partner’s clothes but also shamelessly demanding an apology from her is what I want to address.”

“M-My gloves got dirty too! It’s because your partner didn’t look around properly…!”

“It seems like the lack of proper observation was on your end. In a situation where shoulders and hands collide, isn’t it the fault of the hand that collided more freely? Especially if holding a glass of beverage, one should have been more careful.”

“T-That’s…”

“Furthermore, while your gloves may have gotten dirty, my partner’s only dress was dirtied. Clearly, the one who should be apologizing seems to be you, not my partner. I simply cannot tolerate such audacious behavior.”

…Why is he suddenly acting this way again?

Just when things were about to smoothly transition back under my control, why is he suddenly gathering people and causing a commotion again?

Edan’s sudden ‘partner defense’ immediately drew attention our way, and the atmosphere in the hall shifted towards us.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one taken aback by the gathering stares.

“W-What…?”

“….”

“What audacity are you displaying?! I merely accepted the apology your partner offered first! By what right do you think you can forgive me or whatever you’re saying?!”

Despite appearing startled by the sudden attention, the sky-blue-haired Yeong-ae didn’t bend her pride.

Judging by her attitude, it seemed clear she didn’t know Edan’s true identity.

It was quite remarkable to see someone speak so confidently without knowing the other party’s identity.

…Strange, if there were a noble like this with such a personality, they would have appeared at least once in the game.

I don’t recall ever seeing a character like this, neither as a supporting role nor as an antagonist.

Considering her unfamiliar voice, it also meant she didn’t have a voice actor, making her at best a supporting character.

While I could probably figure out her true identity if she removed her mask, the current situation didn’t allow for such attempts, which was truly regrettable.

“D-Do you even know who I am?! How dare you come out so rudely with such confidence?!”

“If you knew who I was, would the guilty party change?”

“At the very least, you should be able to take in the insults you’ve thrown at me. Even if this is a masquerade ball, it would be awkward for you to overlook your actions.”

…Well, in my opinion, it seems like it could be overlooked.

Among the guests attending this ball, the highest-ranking individual besides Edan would probably be Princess Seraphine.

Even within the aristocratic Blackwood family, they held considerable power.

I can’t recall any families with sky-blue hair among those with significant influence.

Perhaps the Augustus Baelung family, known for their sky-blue hair, might have some meaningful power, but even then, they were portrayed as antagonists in the game.

In other words, even if they put on airs now, it wouldn’t matter much later.

As I pondered whether they were just blowing smoke, the sky-blue-haired Yeong-ae confidently continued speaking more than anyone else.

Curious about what she would say next, Edan and I listened to her words unfold.

“For starters, you. Judging by your hairstyle and voice being unfamiliar to me, you’re probably not a prominent noble.”

“….”

“At the masked ball of Princess Seraphine, I must inform you, who is excited to participate, with certainty that just because it is a masked ball where names and identities are hidden, it does not mean that social status holds no significance…”

“…Although today marks the first time I lay eyes on you, I never expected that a noble lady capable of insulting the partner of the Blackwood family and still managing to seek forgiveness would be present here.”

“…Black… wood?”

As the name of the family escaped Ethan’s lips, the sky-blue-haired lady cautiously uttered the name of the Blackwood family, halting her previous words.

Judging by her reaction, it was clear that my partner being from the Blackwood family was something she had never imagined.

“Blackwood?”

“Could that man possibly be…?”

“He doesn’t quite match the rumors…?”

Well, most people in this ballroom seemed unaware of it, but even if I were in their noble positions, I probably wouldn’t have considered it either.

Since Ethan’s appearance had last been publicly known as it was right after he had risen from his sickbed about three years ago.

Most people here would only be familiar with the image of Ethan, who was short and chubby.

It would be hard for them to immediately associate the now slimmed-down man with muscles, looking neat, as Ethan Richard Blackwood.

“P-Please don’t impersonate…! There was definitely only one child in the Blackwood family…”

“Yes, just me. After my father separated from my mother, he did not take any concubines or mistresses.”

“And the other son clearly had a rather robust physique…”

“A flaw from foolish youth. It’s a story of the past I’d rather forget, so why bring up that part as an insult to me?”

“….”

“It seemed like there was much more to say, but suddenly you’ve fallen silent.”

As soon as Ethan mentioned Blackwood, the lady avoided eye contact, feeling cornered.

From the situation at hand, it was easy to anticipate how this verbal spar would unfold.

At least, it seemed that the ‘unavoidable matter’ she mentioned earlier was about to unfold.

Leaving that aside, she did seem like a character I might have seen somewhere before.

Where could it have been…?