episode_0081

[Episode 81] – It’s different than I imagined (1)

What was Titania’s first feeling when she arrived at the ballroom wearing a mask?

It was a regret that made me sigh.

The reason why Titania attended the masquerade ball, even to the point of getting angry at Vivian, was simple. Because the masquerade ball from the romance novel I was reading with Viola looked really attractive.

For Titania, ‘hiding her identity’ was a very difficult task. Normally, she rarely even left the royal castle, where everyone knew her face, and even when she did, it was not easy to hide her identity as a princess.

Is it because such small complaints are accumulating and piling up? Titania admired only the slightest deviations from the novel. The main characters in the novel hide their identities and go out of hiding to enjoy the village festival of the common people, or they look forward to a romantic meeting while hiding their identities at a masquerade ball.

Like an adolescent girl, Titania dreamed of the freedom and freedom found in books. So, when I received an invitation to the ‘masquerade ball’ from Viola, I couldn’t hide my excitement. Because here is an opportunity to actually do something that you only see in books.

‘So even though my mother was against it, I was a little pushy…’

Titania frowned strongly in the middle of the ballroom, saying she regretted being unreasonable to her mother. Perhaps deciding that her frown would not be noticed thanks to her mask, Titania looked at the ballroom with a more uncomfortable expression than usual.

Before entering the ballroom, I thought there would be a wonderful masquerade ball like the world in a book. I thought everyone would wear a mask to hide their identity and enjoy freedom, but…

As soon as she entered the ballroom, Titania could not hide her embarrassment because of the crowd of people flocking around her.

“How are you, Princess Titania? “I wonder if your partner for this prom is…”

…Doesn’t this kid even know the rules of the masquerade ball?

“Go, princess! Would you like to dance with me at this ball…!”

…You’re a kid who just entered society, right?

“Princess Titania, do you remember me? “I met you at the last prom, and this partner is…”

If you ask me if I know you while wearing a mask, how can I know?!

Kugit.

Titania’s expression was crumpled to the point where it couldn’t be more crumpled. The iron rule of the masquerade ball was that the identity of the other party was not to be revealed out loud. If that was going to happen in the first place, there was no reason to wear a mask and make up.

This is the basic of the basics of the masquerade, but the spirits gathered around Titania did not seem to know even the basics. I just wanted to enjoy a masquerade ball like a novel. Was I hoping for too much?

Titania was extremely annoyed by the people around her who were babbling about becoming partners. In the first place, dressing up as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ was a secret among secrets that even Viola did not know. How on earth do you know…

‘Someone bribed the maids, or someone saw me at Count Serena’s mansion. ‘I guess it’s one of the two…’

…It wasn’t the time to search for the culprit, but Titania just hated the culprit for letting others know about her makeup. I don’t know who it is, but because of that person, the masquerade ball I was looking forward to was completely ruined. Titania screamed in her heart that this was not a masquerade ball.

Now I think I understand why my mother told me to take two masks or cover my face completely with a cape. In the first place, her mother already knew and gave her advice. Even if it is a masquerade ball, it is impossible to completely hide one’s identity.

Titania sighed in frustration, spread out the fan she had borrowed from her mother, and covered her mouth. First of all, it was a masquerade ball and I had to leave this place first.

“Would you mind getting out of the way now?”

“But dance partner… your father and mother asked you to dance with the princess…”

“ha…”

As Titania tried to pass by, Youngsik, who was shorter than Titania, crouched next to her and mumbled. The moment she heard that sound, Titania’s stomach was seething with familiar irritation.

Even in children’s social circles, there were many young people who tried to dance with themselves at least once. And most of them were young children who were pushed by their parents to force themselves to dance.

The ugly thoughts of adults trying to somehow establish a connection with the royal family through themselves.

Titania hated that kind of thing, and felt like she admired the masquerade ball that hides her identity even more. If you hide your status as a princess, you don’t have to feel a subtle sense of guilt towards your partner when you refuse to dance.

Titania quickly turned her head and looked at the young people around her who had sad expressions. Everyone was crying, saying that if things continued like this, their parents would scold them. It didn’t matter at all if I just ignored it…

“Ha… Viola. “Can we change the song for this dance to Mazurka?”

“Uh… Mazurka? It’s okay to change songs. But… Mazurka is a song that changes partners midway through. Tita… will you be okay, princess?”

Mazurka was a song where people gathered in a circle on the dance floor and changed partners at different times.

A song in which everyone stomps their feet to the same beat, once to the right, once to the left, and then turns half a circle, with men going to the left and women going to the right, and switching partners at each timing.

In other words, the dance was simple, but the timing of changing partners was important. Viola, who knew that Titania was a bitch, asked worriedly. In the first place, Titania never danced at the ball other than the mandatory first dance.

Titania sighed, rolled her eyes again, and looked at the spirits surrounding her.

Titania caught the eyes of young children who were hesitantly pointing their fingers. Children who come to the prom and are not expecting to dance, but are afraid that their parents will scold them if they return without being able to dance with them.

Mazurka is a song that changes partners quickly in a short period of time, so after dancing it a few times, I felt like I could dance with all the people around me. You don’t have to do this in the first place, but…

“Ha… Anyway, the song is Mazurka. I’ll decide the partner for you, so don’t cling to me until you start dancing. okay?!”

“”yes yes! Princess Titania!

Titania clicked her tongue as she watched the spirits scattering away as if running away. In this way, it was no different from my usual social circle. Where on earth has the masquerade of your dreams gone? Titania lowered her head, feeling like she was about to cry.

‘I also wanted to experience something like a fateful meeting, like the protagonist of a novel, where we meet while hiding our identities…’

*

Eventually, the time came for the first dance of the ball to begin. Many young people and young children gathered on the spacious dance floor and took their seats and waited for the song to start.

Titania’s first partner was…

“It is an honor to serve as Princess Titania’s partner. “I’m from the western region-”

It was Yeongsik 1, dressed as a pirate, who I caught while passing by. From now on, we’ll just call them pirates.

In the first place, women could not dance together at the ball, and only men and women had to be partners, so it was truly an inevitable choice. Titania just wanted to dance with Viola if she could.

Music rang out on the dance floor to start dancing, and Titania held out her hand to the pirate with a sullen expression. The pirate didn’t know if he was aware of Titania’s sullen expression, but the corners of his mouth tugged from ear to ear and a truly happy smile appeared.

‘Really, a mask is more convenient in times like this. ‘There’s no need to hide your expression except for the corners of your mouth.’

With that in mind, Titania listened to the pirate’s incessant chatter with one ear and let it go with the other. Most of them were stories about her family or muttering to herself about what kind of person she was.

Titania didn’t feel any need to be interested in pirates. The pirate, who was dancing and talking non-stop, was out of breath and tried to continue speaking, but-

“Ugh, huh..! So, our heo-eok…! “The family mine is…!”

“Okay. great job. Bye~”

When it was time to change partners, Dontitania spun around in place without any hesitation, letting go of the pirate’s hand and leaving to find her next partner.

The next partner was Yeongsik, dressed like a hunter.

Hunters were no different from pirates. Titania was on the verge of yawning as she continued to talk about boring things about their family~ ever since she was young.

The next partner and the next partner were all the same when they stood in front of Titania. If I had a memorable partner, it was a young boy dressed as a fairy.

A young boy who had just entered the social world and left after running out of time without even being able to say a proper word to Titania. Other than that, I didn’t really have any memorable partners.

As the song neared its end, Titania encountered her next partner. Youngsik is taller than himself and wears a wolf mask that covers his entire face. The outfit was all gray, like a wolf, with a gray fur cape.

Titania pondered whether there was such a person in the children’s social circle, but her face was completely covered by a mask, so she couldn’t tell who her partner Young-sik was. Moreover, unlike the other partners, he didn’t say anything, so there was no way to know who it was.

Well, I think it’s more comfortable without saying anything, so let’s just keep dancing –

“I’m still a sucker for dancing. When will the headbutts be fixed? “What if this simple dance still stings?”

“uh?”

Titania raised her head and looked at the wolf mask at the all-too-familiar voice heard through the mask.

Titania, staring intently into the hole, couldn’t help but purse her lips when she saw the familiar green light shining from the small hole. That’s right-

“uh? Uh, mother…?”

I never imagined that my mother would attend the masquerade ball dressed as a man.

The face was covered by a wolf mask, but Titania could tell. That my mother is smiling brightly right now. The evidence was the raised tone of voice as if making fun of oneself.

“so? How about a masquerade ball? It’s not as fun as you think, is it? “Do you want to go home right away?”

“mother…”