Masquerade Ball (2)

In a medieval fantasy world, what is the most important virtue an ‘ordinary person’ must possess to survive?

Let’s assume for now that it’s not overwhelming strength, magic, or status.

Being good at speaking, cooking, or having various technical skills would certainly help in living a better life.

But setting aside what’s needed for a ‘better life,’ what is the most essential requirement for mere ‘survival’?

Answers may vary, but at least in my personal opinion, it’s this:

The most crucial survival skill is the ‘ability to know one’s place.’

No matter how eloquent someone is, if they don’t know their place and flap their mouth in front of a tyrant, their head will roll.

No matter how skilled a cook is, opening a restaurant in the heart of the capital without backing will inevitably lead to bankruptcy due to debt.

And a commoner maid attending the Third Princess’s birthday banquet is clearly an act that goes beyond not knowing one’s place-it’s downright absurd.

So, it was only natural that my body instinctively headed toward Ethan’s room to stop this situation.

“W-wait, Lilith! Where are you going all of a sudden? You need to change clothes!”

“Miss Lilith…! That’s the young master’s bedroom…!”

As soon as I heard Isabelle’s explanation and bolted out of the room, the voices of Isabelle and Katarina chasing after me reached my ears. But my mind was already too agitated to make rational judgments.

Knocking on the door of the prime suspect behind all this, Ethan, was, in a way, an inevitable outcome.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Even as I stood in front of Ethan’s door, my mind was a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts.

Soon, the voice of the man responsible for this entire situation came from beyond the door.

“Maid? Come in.”

The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, the black-haired young nobleman stood before me.

He must have been preparing for the banquet as well, dressed in a much neater formal suit than usual.

Well, even with his true nature intact, the black suit suited him quite well. At 『Luminor Academy』, he only wore suits so tight the buttons looked ready to pop-wait, no, that’s not the point.

As soon as I snapped my wandering thoughts back, Ethan looked at me and gestured for Isabelle and Katarina, who had followed me, to step back.

“……”

“……”

*Creak.*

The two colleagues who had inadvertently followed me into Ethan’s private room quietly closed the door and disappeared.

As soon as they were gone, Ethan shamelessly posed his question to me.

“What’s the matter, maid? If you’re attending the evening banquet, you should start preparing now.”

“…Are you in your right mind?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you’re in your right mind, Young Master Ethan.”

“……”

What on earth are you thinking?

Bringing your maid as a partner to the princess’s birthday banquet-does that make any sense?

Even if you’re the young master of the Blackwood Ducal Family, this level of rudeness is unprecedented.

If it were just some count’s or viscount’s child’s birthday party, it wouldn’t matter. Your mere attendance would be an honor for them.

Whether you brought a maid or a local baker’s daughter as your partner, no one would bat an eye.

But this banquet’s host is the imperial family-the Third Princess’s birthday celebration.

Even if the Third Princess isn’t a frontrunner for the imperial succession, this is still the height of impropriety.

A ducal family like Blackwood bringing a commoner maid-not even a low-ranking noble-as a partner?

What do you think the Third Princess and other nobles will say when they see that?

“……”

“……”

Seeing Ethan’s blank expression as he repeated my question, my mind was still in turmoil.

My opinion of Ethan, which had recently improved, was plummeting in real time.

‘If you want to be rude, do it alone. Why drag me into this?’

Yet, despite my reaction, Ethan remained unfazed, as if this were no big deal.

Soon, his lips parted, and the answer to my question naturally followed.

“So, I asked you before, maid. Do you really understand what it means to attend the banquet together?”

“Of course, I took it to mean attending as your exclusive maid…!”

“I clearly asked you repeatedly. And you answered that you understood perfectly well.”

“……”

“You can’t back out now, maid. It’s already been decided.”

…Alright, when you put it that way, it’s partly my fault too.

I did misinterpret what Ethan meant by ‘attending the banquet together.’

But what maid in their right mind would ever imagine this?

That their master would ask them to attend as their partner-at the Third Princess’s birthday banquet, no less.

This is a situation where misunderstanding is inevitable, isn’t it?

If I had known the true meaning behind Ethan’s words, I would have refused without hesitation.

“But this doesn’t make sense.”

“What part doesn’t make sense, maid?”

“You are the young master of the Blackwood Family. And since the master has no other children, you are also the next head of the Blackwood Family.”

“Right. I know that.”

“And I am just a commoner maid. A lowly maid sold off due to debt at that. Even if I’ve somehow ended up as your exclusive maid despite my station, I’ve never once thought that elevated my status.”

“……”

“Moreover, this banquet is the Third Princess’s birthday celebration-a politically significant event. Have you considered the repercussions of bringing a commoner maid as your partner?”

If you understand, please cancel this now.

Don’t stake my life on your political performance-just take any ordinary noble lady as your partner.

“As expected, you think deeply, maid.”

“Huh?”

“…No, just talking to myself.”

After hearing my words, Ethan muttered something under his breath.

Then, with an expression suggesting he’d already considered my concerns, he continued.

“I understand your worries, maid, but you don’t need to be concerned about that.”

“How can I not worry…!”

“I’ve already sent a letter to the imperial family. It states that my partner will be you, my exclusive maid.”

“What…?”

“As you said, bringing a commoner maid to the banquet could invite misunderstandings. So, I made it clear in advance that there’s no ulterior motive.”

…That conversation only happened three days ago, and you already sent a letter?

I’ll admit, the preparedness is impressive, but that only raises another question in my mind.

Why are you so insistent on taking me as your official partner to the banquet?

“……”

“……”

My suspicious gaze didn’t fade even after Ethan’s explanation.

Perhaps sensing my doubt, he nodded and elaborated on his reasons for taking me as his partner.

“The reason I’m taking you as my partner is to avoid troublesome advances from other nobles.”

“…Troublesome advances?”

“As you know, I don’t have a fiancée yet. When I was younger, I was bedridden due to a curse, and lately, I’ve been too busy to interact with other noble families.”

“…Yes, I’m aware.”

“Given that, how many nobles do you think will try to latch onto the Blackwood Family’s prestige when I make a public appearance after so long?”

“…At the very least, it’ll cause quite a stir.”

Listening to Ethan, I could see how that might happen.

An empty fiancée seat in a powerful noble family like the Blackwoods is a golden opportunity for others to forge connections.

Even shortly after Ethan woke from his sickbed, some nobles had already started making moves, and letters about potential engagements had been pouring in.

If Ethan attended a formal event like this, it was highly likely that nobles would swarm him with engagement proposals.

‘Not to mention, his looks alone-even without the Blackwood name-would attract attention from young ladies.’

Though I inwardly tremble in fear whenever I see Harold, objectively speaking, he is quite handsome from a male perspective.

His wife, Tanathia, exudes a pure and noble beauty-though I’ve never actually seen her.

Given that, Ethan’s appearance needs no explanation.

In the game, his potential was buried under layers of fat, but now, thanks to rigorous training, he’s shed all that excess.

Someone with that kind of looks, who’s also the heir to the Blackwood Family… might even overshadow the banquet’s main guest in some ways.

“I don’t want to cause a scene, maid.”

“……”

“Since it’s the Third Princess’s birthday banquet, she should rightfully be the star of the event.”

“…I agree with that sentiment.”

“That’s why I’m asking you. If you attend as my partner wearing a matching ring, we can pretend to be engaged and ward off unwanted attention.”

“Pretend to be engaged…?”

“And among all the maids I know, my exclusive maid is the most trustworthy. Not to mention, objectively speaking, you’re also the prettiest. …And personally, I’d like you to be my partner.”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind, just talking to myself.”

After hearing everything, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

The strategy of pretending to have a fiancée to block unwanted suitors made sense.

But there was one fatal flaw in this plan.

Namely, I’m not an actual noble-just a commoner disguised as one.

If people simply saw Ethan and me wearing matching rings and assumed we were engaged, my status wouldn’t matter.

But if someone directly asked about my identity, I’d have no choice but to reveal my commoner status.

After all, I’m a commoner, and the person asking would almost certainly be a noble.

Refusing to answer a noble’s question as a commoner would undoubtedly cause problems later.

So, I naturally pressed Ethan on this point, but he had a prepared answer for that too.

“What about my identity? If someone asks for my name and status, I’ll have no choice but to admit I’m a commoner maid.”

“That’s fine. At this banquet, no one will ask you that. Even if they do, just ignore them.”

“…Huh?”

“Because the theme of the Third Princess’s birthday banquet is a masquerade ball.”

…Ah.

Right, I forgot about that for a moment-it was so long ago.

The personality of 『Luminor Academy』’s heroine-the Empire’s Third Princess-in the original story.