The Calm Before the Storm (1)

The scene left behind after the sudden appearance and subsequent disappearance of the August siblings, who had caused quite a commotion.

The crowd, naturally drawn by the unexpected duo, instead of dispersing back to their original state, immediately began to gather around the young noble of the Blackwood family at the center.

“Ah, greetings, Ethan Richard Blackwood-nim! I am Raphael Henry Brighton, second son of the Brighton Count family!”

“P-pleased to meet you, Prince Ethan. I-I am Letitia Seitaridis, eldest daughter of Marquis Kane Seitaridis. I-I am truly honored to meet you at such an occasion today…”

“I-I am Elvis Preston, captain of the Preston Knight Order…”

…Yes, this is how it would normally go.

The background of the Blackwood ducal family, making his debut in high society for the first time in nearly a decade, and objectively speaking, his quite handsome appearance.

Until now, it seemed people hadn’t recognized Ethan due to his drastically changed looks, but after the recent incident, it became unmistakably clear that this refined young man was Ethan Richard Blackwood.

For them, there was no longer any reason to hesitate in approaching him.

Especially since opportunities to interact with high-ranking families like the Blackwoods were limited, they would naturally want to establish connections however they could.

…Though it somewhat diminished the original intent behind Princess Seraphine’s masquerade ball.

Seraphine had likely envisioned a place for free interaction regardless of status-where lower and higher nobles could mingle freely.

Not this typical gathering where everyone rushes to introduce themselves to a single high-ranking noble.

“Greetings, my lady! I am George Bell Edmond, second son of Gray Bell Edmond! It’s an honor to meet you…”

“Ah, hello… I-I am Natia Bracewaite, eldest daughter of Viscount Nicholas Bracewaite…”

…And of course, with so many people gathering, it wasn’t just Ethan who drew attention-eyes naturally turned to me as well.

I found myself struggling to handle conversations with people I had never expected to meet.

Just what kind of family do they think I’m from to treat me with such deference?

…Well, given that the August siblings had just demonstrated “everything one should never do,” it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible why everyone was being so excessively polite.

The problem was that I was far from being a high-ranking noble lady-I was just a debt-ridden maid, lower than a commoner.

I forced an awkward smile and maintained a composed demeanor as I responded to the approaching nobles.

All while being overwhelmed by the heavy gazes and oppressive atmosphere directed at me, a mere commoner maid drowning in debt.

“The pleasure is mine, Miss Bracewaite.”

‘Ugh… The pressure is making me sick…’

Playing the role of Ethan Richard Blackwood’s fiancée while dealing with nobles had already left my mind crushed under intense stress.

…It’s not like impressing them would do me any good-I have no real connection to the Blackwood family anyway.

Ethan had explained beforehand that if we didn’t draw too much attention, we wouldn’t have to interact with many nobles. But once we did attract attention, we had no choice but to greet each noble one by one.

And we had to brazenly respond to the occasional sensitive questions.

“What is your relationship with Prince Ethan?”

“Hmm, I wonder? What do you think it is?”

“Th-that ring… Are you perhaps engaged…?”

“Who knows? Maybe Ed and I just happened to feel like wearing matching rings today.”

“If I may ask, which family do you belong to…?”

“I’d rather not say at an event like this. This is, after all, a masquerade ball hosted by Princess Seraphine. Must one reveal their status to socialize?”

“Y-you’re absolutely right!”

…As I mentioned earlier, despite feeling crushed by the pressure, I had no intention of slacking in my “fiancée act” for Ethan.

Putting on an ill-fitting act might make me sick to my stomach, but if I was going to do it, I had to see it through to the end.

If I slipped up and revealed my commoner status here, I’d be the one in trouble.

More importantly, I didn’t want to give Ethan any unnecessary reasons to criticize me later.

‘The dress is already ruined, which is making me uneasy. No need to give him more reasons to complain.’

At the very least, he wouldn’t demand compensation for the ruined dress after I helped him out.

Still, the thought of how much this piece of fabric might cost continued to unsettle me.

Despite my efforts to be careful, things had ended up like this.

In this situation, I resolved to do my best in playing Ethan’s fiancée.

After all, all I had to do was put on a thick face and act like I belonged.

Even if I was a little awkward, no one would dare point it out.

That aside…

‘Seraphine won’t be happy if she sees everyone gathered around just one or two people.’

Her masquerade ball, meant for free interaction regardless of status, had turned into a gathering centered around the Blackwood family.

I wondered what expression she would make.

Just as this unease began creeping into my mind, I felt Ethan’s gaze on me from the right.

When I instinctively turned to look, he met my eyes and gave a slight nod.

“…Let’s stop here. I think we’ve exchanged enough greetings for today.”

At Ethan’s words, the crowd hesitated before slowly dispersing.

As I watched to see how he would dismiss them, I suddenly felt his hand pulling me.

Before I knew it, I was wrapped in his embrace, leaning against his shoulder.

“From now on, I’d like to spend some private time with my partner. My apologies, but let’s save any unfinished conversations for another time.”

…He’s certainly quick-witted these days.

In a situation like this, where he outright declares he wants to spend time alone with his girl, only someone as shameless as Karaham would dare interfere.

Half the nobles reluctantly stepped back at Ethan’s dismissal.

The other half hesitated, not wanting to risk drawing disapproval by lingering, and eventually retreated as well.

In no time, the crowd had scattered across the ballroom, leaving only Ethan behind.

“Sorry, Lilith. I ended up tiring you out for no reason.”

“It’s fine, Ed. The commotion started because I bumped shoulders with the August girl anyway. Considering how it escalated, we got off lightly.”

“How is that your fault? That woman was the one who bumped into you first and then made a scene.”

“Still, it wasn’t all bad for you, right? You managed to put the August family in your debt. That was clever.”

“……Huh?”

“The August border count family holds considerable influence in the western Empire. Creating a debt with them in a situation like this was a smart move. You’ve been learning management from your fath-from the Duke lately, haven’t you? You’re really starting to show the qualities of a successor.”

“……”

Ethan’s lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.

Was he feeling guilty because I figured out he used me to create leverage over the Augusts?

To reassure him, I added to my earlier comment.

“For the record, you don’t need to worry about me. I don’t think you ‘used’ me or anything.”

“U-used you…?”

“Everything just happened to work out, didn’t it? The girl who bumped into me and picked a fight turned out to be from a fairly influential family, and I was your partner, so you had the perfect justification. Even though the situation was already resolved, you chose to get angry-clearly, you were thinking ahead, right?”

“N-no, Lilith. I wasn’t angry for that reason…”

“It’s fine. Whether you intended it or not, you put her in her place, and that’s good enough for me. Watching her scramble out of the hall in a hurry was pretty entertaining too.”

“……”

“More importantly, how long are you planning to hold me like this? The crowd’s gone-you can let go now.”

“S-sorry…”

At my words, Ethan released his grip, and my body regained its freedom.

His expression remained uneasy, as if something still bothered him.

‘…Was the dress more expensive than I thought?’

They say the rich are stingier when it comes to spending. Maybe that’s what’s bothering him.

I had avoided naming the family earlier, but perhaps I should have just told them to bill the Blackwoods.