Masquerade Ball (3)

Seraphine Rosalind Baltoria.

The Third Princess of the Argentia Empire and one of the main heroines of Luminor Academy.

And also, a figure quite famous among Luminor Academy players.

…Though most of that fame wasn’t for good reasons.

After hearing Ethan’s explanation that today’s palace banquet would be a masquerade ball, I belatedly recalled who the Third Princess was.

And Ethan’s comment about her choosing the masquerade ball as the banquet theme made perfect sense.

‘Because the Third Princess is a bit of an airhead.’

All people, regardless of status, are equal and possess the same right to be respected.

The words of commoners carry the same weight whether they come from nobles or peasants.

This was the kind of pure, simple-minded personality that Seraphine Rosalind Baltoria, the princess heroine of Luminor Academy, had.

Anyone who had played Luminor Academy would obviously know this character.

Because not only was she a “mandatory character” who had to be recruited for the story,

but she was also a kind of “cancerous character” who triggered nearly half of the game’s episodes with the trouble she caused.

Getting pickpocketed by a street urchin, only for it to turn out to be an essential item for game progression.

Disappearing during a temporary separation episode, only to suddenly be found captured by a disguised high-ranking demon.

Using most of the materials obtained from a dragon-slaying episode for village reconstruction without consulting anyone.

There were more than a few rage-inducing episodes in Luminor Academy that players had to endure at least once.

So in a different way from Ethan, she was one of the game’s most disliked characters.

「Title: “What’s the big deal if we sell dragon materials to fund village reconstruction?”

Content: (Seraphine character image)

“But I’m pretty!”」

To the point where memes like this circulated in Luminor Academy communities, which pretty much sums up the princess’s character.

As a mandatory character, she couldn’t be dismissed mid-story, and she even had an invincible body that didn’t succumb to the Corrosion Curse that could wipe out main characters in one hit.

She was the only heroine I had ever tried to inflict the Corrosion Curse on.

In multiple playthroughs, there was no one as annoying and disruptive to the story as her.

…Still, she was ridiculously pretty, enough to spawn the “But I’m pretty!” meme.

If popularity were based purely on looks, she would definitely rank in the top three alongside Lilith…

‘But in reality, her in-game antics kept her ranking middling at best.’

Anyway, the reason I brought up this airhead princess was simple.

It was to explain why the Third Princess’s birthday banquet had become a “masquerade ball” and her psychology behind hosting such an event.

As mentioned earlier, she was the type who believed commoners and royalty were all equal.

Choosing a masquerade ball for her birthday banquet was a kind of performance to emphasize her stance against discrimination based on status.

‘Though in reality, it probably won’t work.’

Most masquerade balls like this only involved wearing flimsy masks that barely covered the eyes.

Nobles weren’t face-blind, so they could still recognize each other even with that level of disguise.

There were plenty of other social gatherings besides masquerade balls, and most nobles already knew each other’s faces from other meetings or social clubs.

Hair, voice, clothing, and body type were enough to identify someone without much difficulty.

In reality, Seraphine’s masquerade ball was more about the princess’s self-satisfaction than any practical purpose.

And the only useful aspect of such a masquerade ball was what Ethan had just mentioned.

“Princess Seraphine’s masquerade ball allows even commoner maids to attend. Asking about someone’s name or status at the banquet is strictly forbidden.”

“…I see.”

“I wouldn’t take a maid anywhere dangerous without thinking. If this weren’t the Third Princess’s birthday banquet, I wouldn’t have made this proposal in the first place.”

“……”

“If there’s still a reason you shouldn’t attend, tell me now.”

…As if there could be.

Ethan had already refuted every reason I had for not attending.

At this point, there was no way to find someone else to replace me, and Ethan had already sent word that I would be attending.

So now, there was no decent excuse left to escape.

…I had no choice but to accept attending as Ethan’s partner.

“Very well. If that is your wish, young master, I shall attend the princess’s birthday banquet.”

“Good thinking, maid.”

“…I shall return to my quarters to prepare. Until this evening, young master.”

“Yeah. See you tonight, maid.”

The door creaked open.

With my mind still full of complicated thoughts, I carefully stepped into the hallway.

Isabelle and Katarina, who had been waiting outside Ethan’s room, immediately asked me quietly.

“L-Lilith…?”

“…Yeah.”

“Wh-what happened…? Are you going to the banquet…? Or was it canceled…?”

“Wh-what happened, Miss Lilith…?”

Unaware of the conversation I’d had with Ethan, Isabelle and Katarina asked cautiously, as if gauging my emotions.

Since escaping the banquet was no longer an option, I responded as calmly as possible, pretending nothing was wrong.

“It seems there was a misunderstanding. I was worried that my attending a noble banquet might be considered disrespectful, but fortunately, the young master had already taken care of everything.”

“R-really, Lilith?”

“Sorry for causing unnecessary worry, Isabelle. And to you too, Senior Katarina.”

“No! As long as you’re okay, it’s fine!”

“I-I’m fine too… P-please don’t apologize, Miss Lilith…”

“Can you help me into my dress for the banquet, Isabelle?”

“Sure!”

“I-I’ll help too, miss!”

Isabelle immediately brightened upon hearing that I was fine.

With Katarina still under the strange misconception that I was a noble lady, I transformed into a crimson-dressed noblewoman with their help.

The masquerade ball hosted by the Third Princess and the imperial family.

To attend that banquet as Ethan’s partner.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Inside the Blackwood family carriage bearing the family crest.

A crimson dress, high-heeled shoes, and a token mask covering the eyes.

Adorned with a few accessories, including a ring, I sat in the carriage, silently watching the scenery change outside the window.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence filled the carriage where Ethan and I sat alone, save for Dietmeyer in the coachman’s seat.

It was inevitable. Though I was attending the banquet as Ethan’s fake partner, in reality, we still weren’t close.

The days of loathing him like the in-game “Disgusting Dan” were long gone, but human emotions aren’t simply divided into like and dislike.

Lately, what I felt toward Ethan was closer to indifference than anything positive or negative.

To be precise, once I became certain he wouldn’t do anything strange to me, I stopped paying much attention to him altogether.

‘It’s not like we can suddenly become friends at this point.’

Our first meeting had been uncomfortable, and there was still a clear gap in our statuses.

Not to mention the conflicts that had arisen because of it.

This was a chasm that could never be bridged-at least not unless Lilith somehow rose in status.

So the day I could understand this nobleman would likely never come, and the same went for him.

Rather than forcing an awkward relationship, it was better to maintain some distance.

In a year, Ethan would disappear to the academy, and two years after that, my debt maid life would be over.

It was absurd for a maid like me to try building a friendship with him in the first place.

As I said before, I believed in knowing my place.

Just because my eccentric noble master had been acting a bit kinder lately didn’t mean I should let my guard down-that would be shameless.

As the awkwardly dressed, awkwardly made-up pair rode in the carriage toward the imperial capital,

Ethan called out to me quietly from the left.

“Maid.”

“…Yes, young master.”

“We’ll arrive at the imperial palace in an hour. You know what to do, right?”

“Yes. Stay by your side, make it clear that I’m your partner, keep my words to a minimum, and occasionally show the ring on my left ring finger while making a meaningful expression. Correct?”

“…Good. I’m glad you remember.”

“I have it all memorized, so you needn’t worry.”

…Since I’d agreed to this, I might as well do it properly.

I had no intention of half-hearted acting just to get back at him.

That wouldn’t benefit me in any way and would only cause unnecessary trouble.

And strictly speaking, attending an imperial masquerade ball wasn’t such a bad thing.

It was a rare chance to see other characters from Luminor Academy besides the Blackwoods.

‘I’ll get to see the Third Princess Seraphine in person. Maybe Agnes, daughter of Margrave Elizabeth, will be there too…’

As I mentally listed the characters from Luminor Academy, Ethan called out to me again from the seat beside me.

“Maid.”

“Yes, young master.”

“…Stop calling me ‘young master’ from now on. From this point on, you’ll be acting as my fiancée.”

“…Ah.”

Right. Calling me “maid” or him “young master” while dressed as a noblewoman would instantly give us away.

As I nodded and prepared to call him by name, a sudden question crossed my mind.

‘Wouldn’t just calling each other by name be too casual for an engaged couple?’

Calling each other by name, like I did with Isabelle and Katarina, was something even friends could do.

That wouldn’t change just because it was a man and woman instead of same-sex friends.

It would work fine for expressing familiarity and hiding identities, but if we were going to do this, we might as well commit.

Though calling each other “honey” or “dear” would be nauseating.

After considering a few options, I quietly gave Ethan a different name.

“Understood… Ed.”

“…Ghk, koff?!”

…I thought I’d come up with a decent nickname, but was it really that bad?

Seeing Ethan fluster over just removing one syllable from his name made me inexplicably irritated.

Here I was, attending a banquet as his fake fiancée to help his political maneuvering,

and he had the nerve to react like that to a simple nickname?

…Somehow, his reaction made me want to call him that even more out of spite.

Pretending not to notice, I brazenly settled on the nickname I’d just thought up.

“If we want to convincingly act like an engaged or romantic couple, this will be much more effective than just using names.”

“R-right…”

“So I’ll use this form of address until we return to the mansion, Ed.”

“I-if that’s what you prefer…”

Ethan turned away, his face bright red.

Seeing him avoid eye contact out of embarrassment made me think this masquerade might be fun after all.

I made it my second goal for the banquet to call him “Ed” as much as possible.

Let’s see how awkward you can get.

With the atmosphere now even more awkward after the name change, the Blackwood carriage passed through the imperial capital’s walls.

The imperial palace, where tonight’s ball would be held, was drawing closer.