episode_0061

The sudden disappearance of the disruptive August siblings, who caused all sorts of commotion, left behind a scene of chaos.

The crowd, naturally dispersed by the unexpected turn of events, soon began to converge around the Blackwood family’s heir, Edan Richard Blackwood.

“Ah, greetings, Edan Richard Blackwood! I am Raphael Henry Brighton, the youngest son of the Brighton Viscount family!”

“U-um, nice to meet you, Edan Sir. I-I am Leticia Seitaridis, the daughter of Viscount Cain Seitaridis. Oh, it is truly an honor to meet you in such a setting…”

“I am Elvis Preston, the commander of the Preston Knights….”

…Yes, it usually goes like this.

With the background of the Blackwood noble family, making their debut in high society after nearly 10 years, and objectively speaking, quite a handsome appearance.

Until now, due to Edan’s drastically changed appearance, they had not recognized him. However, the recent incident clearly revealed that this clean-cut man was indeed Edan Richard Blackwood.

There was no longer any reason for them to hesitate in approaching him.

Especially since the opportunity to interact with high-ranking families like the Blackwood nobles was limited, they wanted to establish connections in any way possible.

…Although the reason why Princess Seraphine hosted the masquerade ball might lose some of its significance.

Perhaps Seraphine envisioned a social gathering where lower and higher nobility could freely mingle without distinction.

Instead of the usual exchange of pleasantries at a social event, where everyone rushed to introduce themselves to a high-ranking noble like the Blackwood heir.

“Hello, miss! I am George Bell Edmond, the son of Gray Bell Edmond! It is an honor to meet you…”

“Ah, hello… I-I am Natalia Braceweight, the daughter of Nicholas Braceweight…”

…Furthermore, when people gathered like this, it was natural for attention to be drawn not only to Edan but also to me.

I, too, had to endure quite a bit of hardship dealing with people I had never thought of facing.

Why were they showing such impeccable manners in response to me, a mere maid below commoner status?

…Well, at least the August siblings had shown all the ‘what not to do’ examples, so it was not entirely incomprehensible why they were putting on a show of etiquette.

The problem was that, unlike the expectations of these people, I was not a high noble lady but a mere maid below commoner status.

I could only offer casual responses with a forced smile as I approached the nobles who were flocking to me.

Overwhelmed by the burdensome gazes and atmosphere directed at me, a mere commoner maid.

“It is an honor to meet you too, Miss Braceweight.”

‘Ah… I feel like I’m going to vomit from the pressure…’

With the status of being Edan Richard Blackwood’s fiancée, I was already feeling the heavy pressure of facing the nobles.

…In the first place, there was no connection between me and the Blackwood family.

I had explained to Edan that as long as I didn’t draw too much attention, there was no need to interact with so many nobles. However, we had inadvertently attracted attention and had to engage in greetings with each noble who approached us.

Occasionally, I had to respond brazenly to sensitive questions that were thrown my way.

“What is your relationship with Sir Edan?”

“Well, what do you think our relationship is?”

“T-that ring… are you perhaps his fiancée…?”

“Well, who knows? Maybe Ed and I both just happened to want to wear similar rings.”

“Excuse me, but is it related to your family…?”

“I don’t want to reveal my identity in this place. After all, this is a masquerade ball hosted by Princess Seraphine. You don’t have to disclose your status to socialize, right?”

“Y-Yes, you’re right!”

…As mentioned earlier, I had no intention of neglecting the ‘pretending to be Edan’s fiancée’ even though I felt burdened.

Regardless of the discomfort of wearing ill-fitting gloves inside out, I had to do it properly until the end.

Anyway, the most awkward moment would be when I, with mediocre acting skills, reveal myself as a commoner, which would undoubtedly put me in a difficult situation.

Above all, I didn’t want to make any unnecessary mistakes that could later be used against Edan.

“I’m already feeling uneasy because of the ruined dress, so there’s no need to create more trouble here.”

At least, I hoped that Edan wouldn’t make any strange demands like returning the ruined dress that I wore for his sake.

Nevertheless, contaminating this expensive fabric with cocktail stains still made me anxious.

Despite pretending to be a nobleman’s fiancée, my sense of money had always been frugal since my previous life.

I was already anxious and tried to be careful, but ended up in this situation.

In this scenario, I concluded that I had to pretend to be Edan’s fiancée properly, at least in my own mind.

After all, all I had to do was put on a thick facade and pretend to be someone important.

Even if it felt a bit awkward, there wouldn’t be anyone brave enough to point that out.

So, I was pretending to be Edan’s fiancée, but even so…

“Serafine wouldn’t be pleased to see such a gathering centered around just a few people.”

Seeing the masquerade ball, originally meant for free interaction regardless of status, turn into a gathering focused on the Blackwood family, I wondered what expression Serafine would have.

As this anxiety slowly crept into my mind, I felt Edan’s gaze from the right and instinctively turned my head to meet his eyes. He quietly nodded, signaling me to stop.

“…That’s enough. We’ve already exchanged greetings, so let’s end it here for today.”

The crowd gathered around Edan dispersed slightly, observing the atmosphere.

As I watched Edan, wondering how he would disperse the crowd, I suddenly felt his hand pulling me.

Before I knew it, my body was wrapped around his shoulder, led by Edan’s hand.

“I want to spend some private time with my partner now. Sorry, but let’s save the unfinished conversation for another time.”

…He’s quite good at handling situations these days.

In a situation where he openly insists on going on a date with his woman, the nobles who dare to interfere would probably be at most just a few.

As Edan announced the end of the event, some nobles retreated hesitantly, while others, with a hint of regret, turned away cautiously, worried about attracting unnecessary attention by interfering.

In a flash, the room emptied out, leaving only Edan and me behind.

“Sorry, Lillis. I made things unnecessarily tiring.”

“It’s okay, Ed. The reason for the disturbance was because I accidentally bumped into Miss Augusta. It’s fortunate that the commotion ended relatively peacefully.”

“That’s not a mistake in releasing. It’s the fault of that woman who shamelessly bumped into me first and made a scene.”

“But still, it wasn’t so bad for Ed, right? Thanks to that, we were able to clear the debt with the Auguste family.”

“….Huh?”

“The Auguste Blackback family holds considerable influence in the western part of the empire. It was a good decision to create a debt in such an opportunity. Lately, the owner…seems to be learning business following his father, and he definitely shows the qualities of a successor these days.”

“….”

Edan, who seemed to have something to say, pursed his lips as if in thought and quietly maintained his silence.

I wonder if he feels guilty for using me in the process of finding weaknesses in Auguste.

To reassure him that it’s not necessary to worry about that, I supplemented what he was about to say with a mention of what just happened.

“By the way, you don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think Ed used me.”

“U-Used…?”

“The situation just happened to work out well in many ways, right? The lady who bumped into me and started a fight happens to be from a decent family, and I was Ed’s partner, so we had every reason. Even though the lady and I from Auguste had already settled things, there was no need for him to get angry, right?”

“Oh, no, Relise. I didn’t get angry for that reason…”

“It’s okay. Regardless of the intention, Ed gave that woman a lesson, so I’m satisfied. It was quite enjoyable to watch him rush out of the hall at the end.”

“….”

“More importantly, how long are you going to hold on to me? People have already disappeared, so let me go.”

“S-Sorry…”

As Edan’s grip on my shoulder loosened, the pressure on my body was released, and the freedom of movement returned.

Edan’s expression towards me still seemed uncomfortable, as if he didn’t quite agree with something.

“…Was the dress more expensive than I thought?”

They say rich people are stingy with money. Maybe that’s really what’s bothering him.

I avoided revealing the family name and just asked for compensation in front of the Blackwood family.