episode_0231

After riding in the carriage led by Dietmayer for about half a day, they arrived at the Hwangdo.

“We have arrived, Lord Edan. Miss Lillis.”

True to the efficient butler leading the carriage, the Blackwood family’s carriage carrying Edan arrived at the Hwang Palace pavilion much earlier than scheduled.

The bustling noise outside the carriage was palpable. Peeking outside through the slightly dampened curtains, young ladies dressed in dresses meant to impress men caught my eye.

“Hmm, he’s not visible yet.”

“Who? That knight fellow?”

“No. Prince Machart. While the absence of the esteemed knight Geutmyeojoshegiwon might be a problem, the most important thing is that Prince Machart is attending.”

If my plan were to go awry at any point, things would become quite troublesome. Of course, considering the reticence of everyone, I didn’t think it would go awry.

“Once we’re inside, he should be there. Or maybe he’ll come in a bit later like last time.”

“…That’s true. If it’s that prince, he’s likely to come late.”

While agreeing with Edan’s words, my heart couldn’t seem to calm down. After all, I was here to stake my life in a showdown with Machart.

As I imagined whose blood my black and red dress would soon be stained with, my mind couldn’t help but feel uneasy. After all, my plan was to lure Machart, and I wouldn’t be certain of subduing him until I engaged in battle.

“Neither Gwonsonae nor Cerista are here. Agnes will come with the knight….”

Well, we did arrive earlier than expected. I should go in and secure a spot so I can easily observe Machart and the others as they come in.

With that thought in mind, I stopped peeking at the scenery outside through the curtains and, after receiving Dietmayer’s greeting, stepped out of the carriage with Edan.

“Have a pleasant time, Lord Edan. Miss Lillis.”

“Indeed.”

“Yes, Mr. Dietmayer.”

“Well, I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow morning.”

As we left the Blackwood carriage behind and entered the entrance of the pavilion’s banquet hall with Edan, I immediately felt the gaze of several nobles directed towards Edan by my side.

Indeed, the skill with which the Blackwood family’s heir attracted the attention of the young ladies was exceptional.

“Who’s that?”

“…Could it be, Lord Blackwood?”

The young ladies who had been loitering in front of the entrance to the banquet hall seemed quite excited at Edan’s appearance. It was surprising that a diligent person like Edan had participated in such a somewhat disreputable social gathering.

Perhaps those young ladies were waiting for Machart, not Edan, but honestly, Edan wasn’t the type to be easily swayed by others.

…No. In terms of appearance alone, Edan was more handsome than Machart. Add to that his personality and swordsmanship, and there was no question about it, yeah.

In that sense, perhaps some of the young ladies had changed their minds to pursue Edan instead of Machart upon seeing him. Of course, Edan wasn’t in a situation where he could easily accept the affections of other young ladies, and even if such a situation were to arise, I would surely handle it.

“The person next to him is….”

“Isn’t she Miss Rosewood…? The fiancée of Lord Blackwood….”

“Why would two people in an engagement relationship attend this social gathering?”

“Could it be that they’ve grown tired of each other and are planning to ‘swap partners’….”

They were whispering rude remarks to each other, but I wasn’t foolish enough to intervene by approaching them. I was well prepared to hear such conversations when I decided to attend this event in the first place.

Ironically, Ethan seemed more worried than I was. He was concerned that getting too excited or flustered by such vulgar conversations would lead to various complications.

Thanks to the conversation we had in the carriage, Ethan didn’t pay much attention to the chatter of others and walked with me into the banquet hall.

“Considering the gender ratio at the entrance is roughly 6:4 in favor of women, it’s almost certain that MacHeart will be attending this social gathering….”

Although the world of Yagem had a different perspective on sexuality, it was generally understood that the gender with a higher libido was not women but men.

Therefore, while it was common for men to dominate such scandalous social gatherings, the situation was quite different when it came to whether MacHeart would attend a noble social event.

For noble young ladies who enjoyed “one-night flings,” a night with MacHeart was like a dream come true.

He was handsome and had a noble background, which made him popular among many women, regardless of social status. Despite being far down the line of succession, his noble lineage attracted a lot of female attention.

It wasn’t that men disliked attending noble social gatherings where MacHeart was present. However, even if MacHeart attended with the intention of mingling with women, it was impossible for him to spend a night with a hundred women.

On the contrary, there were quite a few innocent noble young ladies who came to see MacHeart using the reversed gender ratio to their advantage, as well as cunning noble young men trying to seduce them.

“…Well, in medieval times, there were many more scandalous cases than this.”

At least there was no incest in this world. And except for one, all the women who would become heroines were virgins.

…The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became. MacHeart wasn’t even the main character, yet how many virgins had he deflowered? Just increasing the ratio of non-virgins in the game was really…

With such thoughts in mind, as I entered the main hall where the noble social gathering was taking place, the scene there was also chaotic.

About half of the men and women who had arrived early were already paired off and mingling, with some of them engaging in intimate activities.

-Whisper, whisper.

Even couples who discreetly shared a kiss to avoid public scrutiny, and those who openly engaged in passionate kissing without caring about others’ gazes, could be seen.

“Ah, hmm….”

There were even couples who had already started spending time alone in a corner of the banquet hall. It felt almost tear-jerking to witness the true nature of the noble youths who would lead the future of the empire.

“These are mostly the ones who will lead the academy through generational changes.”

Ignoring the couples who seemed likely to fall into ruin after a generation or two, I took a seat at a table with Ethan, opting for a table that could accommodate a moderate number of people. As the number of people increased, it meant that the one-night flings would become even more scandalous.

First of all, I had no intention of mingling with other nobles when I attended this gathering, and it was only natural that I ended up facing Ethan at a small round table, considering that my plan to take down MacHeart would have been a hindrance. Some of the men who were blatantly staring at me and Ethan, especially those who were practically drilling holes into my chest area, seemed visibly disappointed.

…I need to gouge out all of their eyes, damn it.

As if my slightly larger chest wasn’t already causing enough trouble, the dress I hastily altered to accommodate the increased volume was a bit more revealing. It was inevitable, as I had to wrap the same area around a larger size, but still.

“….”

-Ugh.

Ethan, who quietly held onto my hand as if he had roughly grasped the situation and realized the atmosphere wafting around us, was also starting to understand the kind of den he had entered.

While my comrades who were supposed to carry out the mission other than MacHeart were checking to see if they had properly attended, my attention was drawn to a lone figure with brown hair sitting at the largest round table.

Was it Evelyn, or was it Siveline? It seemed like a name like that, but I couldn’t remember exactly.

It was already tough enough to remember the names of the heroine and main characters, let alone wanting to remember the names of such insignificant supporting characters.

‘But still, I am the MacHeart Alarm Bell. Seeing that she is attending, MacHeart is probably attending as well.’

For your information, this large round table typically accommodated around 10 to 12 people, and it was usually reserved as MacHeart’s exclusive seat during such scandalous noble gatherings.

And the fact that she could confidently take a seat first at such a table was a testament to the fact that she had the guts, being the ‘hapless woman Evelyn’ or something like that, and she was MacHeart’s fiancée at the Luminor Academy.

The Pink Heart Duchess. The mastermind who tainted MacHeart with demon blood and a subordinate of the succubus queen.

As one of the few people who knew MacHeart’s secret and served as a contact linking him to demons, MacHeart could not treat the Pink Heart Duchess lightly. Moreover, the women who spent a night with MacHeart already considered it natural for her to be included in their bed, so she had every right to be so confident.

For your information, it was this woman who was the reason MacHeart was so promiscuous with women. Succubi could extract energy not only from men but also from women. She was what you would call a bisexual.

Just explaining it like this might make you think that the relationship was not exclusive to MacHeart, but there was a good reason for the title ‘hapless woman’ to be attached to her.

Just then, I discreetly observed a nobleman looking at that ragged woman and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Pink Heart Duchess, do you have time right now?”

“…Hmm? My lord will be here soon, so it won’t be long.”

“In that case, verbally… no, even with your hands is fine.”

“Is that so?”

“…Yes, please.”

“Then I’ll do it with my mouth, so come to the women’s restroom on the 3rd floor in 5 minutes. You can bring one more friend if you have one. I think we’ll have enough time.”

“Thank you, miss.”

Just listening to their conversation made me feel like I was going to vomit as a former unicorn, and my stomach was truly turning upside down.

Thank goodness she’s a demon. If by any chance she was the heroine of Lumiaca… Ugh, gross.