Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Masked Ball (5)
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There was a saying that used to float around internet communities in my past life.
Modern people, compared to the past, rarely got hit at home or school, so they lost their manners in proportion.
Once you realize there's always a chance you might get smacked anywhere, anytime, you develop some sense. On the flip side, if you're never worried about getting hit, your personality turns rotten.
Looking back now, it was half right and half wrong.
I could partly agree that modern folks lacked manners because they never got hit.
But I no longer thought it was just a modern problem.
"You bumped into me! What are you going to do about this?!"
"……."
Whether modern or medieval, kids raised without fear of a beating just had no manners.
I was witnessing that timeless truth playing out right in front of me, live.
The shameless bitch who bumped into me and was now playing the victim had curses rising to the tip of my tongue.
But my inner good Lilith jumped out and calmed down the thug Lilith personality.
'Hold it in, hold it together. Making a scene here will just bring more trouble.'
From the moment we'd entered the imperial palace today, I'd already drawn Ethan's attention with some needless stunt.
If I lost my temper and clashed here, it'd feel good in the moment, but the fallout was obvious.
Swallowing it and moving on was the easiest way, rather than stirring up a fuss.
Especially if the other side revealed her status and hounded me relentlessly— as a commoner, I'd be at a huge disadvantage.
In a masked ball, you couldn't force someone to reveal their status, but if a noble really wanted to, digging it up was easier than eating cold soup.
'And if it came to that, Ethan's help... probably not something I could count on.'
If I were truly his fiancée and this happened, throwing down every card—even the ones I didn't have—using the Blackwood name to pressure her back wouldn't be impossible.
The problem was, I wasn't actually his fiancée; I was just playing the part.
And I'd already calculated that in stickier situations, Ethan wouldn't actively protect me.
So charging in like a rabid dog and fighting back would be incredibly dangerous for Lilith's position.
No matter that I was his exclusive maid, I was still just a commoner servant bound to the family.
He wouldn't want to spark a feud with another noble house just to defend one maid.
Especially without knowing her exact status.
Unless Ethan harbored some deep affection for me—which was unlikely, given I was the exclusive maid who'd tried to strangle him as a kid—expecting fondness was a stretch.
In that brief moment, I'd firmly assessed my position and status.
My eyes quickly gathered info on the shameless woman in front of me.
Just in case she was a key character from Luminor Academy or connected somehow.
'She has a noble air, but doesn't seem from a strict house. Judging by her hair color, probably not from a major family.'
The nobles called "major families" in Luminor Academy were easy to spot, each with distinct traits or hair colors.
For example, Blackwood bloodlines almost always had black hair and black eyes, true to their name.
A major noble house with sky-blue hair like hers would likely be Azeria or Augst.
But this girl didn't quite fit either.
Azeria nobles were from the Kingdom of Serendia, not the Argentia Empire, so no way she'd be at the Third Imperial Princess's birthday banquet.
Augst had few named characters, and as villains, I knew them all.
'She feels vaguely familiar, like I've seen her somewhere before.'
Of course, if she wasn't etched clearly in my 2,000 hours of playtime memory, she was probably a side character or extra at best.
In short, she wasn't high-ranking nobility.
Of course, high or low, her being noble alone was heavy pressure on Lilith, so it didn't matter much.
'Even the lowest noble outranks a commoner infinitely.'
The smoothest fix was to defuse it gently, without anyone revealing names or houses.
Who was more at fault or suffered more damage wasn't key in this world's judgments.
In a medieval fantasy setting, fault came first from power, then wealth or force.
I had none of those—just a debt-ridden commoner maid.
Among equals, you could argue right and wrong, but that wasn't an option here.
In that split second, I'd sized up the situation and began "persuading" the noble lady spouting nonsense, reining in my emotions as best I could.
"Mi…."
"……?"
…Oops, slip-up.
"…Mi…lady, sorry for startling you. My shoulder bumped your hand, ruining your pretty gloves with cocktail."
('You brought your hand to my shoulder, and now you're playing the victim like a pro.')
"You were just about to say some…."
"But your spilled cocktail stained my dress too, so instead of getting red in the face, how about we call it mutual fault and let it go?"
('My damage is worse, but let's not draw eyes and end it quietly.')
"No, more than that, you just…."
"Plus, a noble lady raising her voice carelessly outside could raise doubts about her breeding. In a fine event like the Third Princess's birthday, if a fight broke out, how sad would she be?"
('Don't screech like a country bumpkin without manners. Think the princess would love seeing guests brawl at her birthday?')
I packed my real thoughts deep inside and conveyed them as politely as possible.
She seemed to grasp it, having had basic noble education.
"…Fine. W-well, no helping it. I'll graciously forgive you this time out of mercy."
…Whew, somehow I'd quietly smothered the commotion.
Now I just needed to slip away like nothing happened.
The dress stain could be dabbed with a handkerchief. Luckily, the dark red hid it well.
I thought that, ready to wrap it up and step away naturally.
"…You there. What do you think you're doing right in front of me?"
…But my partner had no intention of letting it slide.
"Wh-what are you?"
"That's what I'd like to know. Not content with dirtying my partner's dress, you brazenly demand an apology from her?"
"M-my gloves got dirty too! Because your partner didn't watch where she was going…!"
"The one who didn't watch is you. In a shoulder-hand bump, isn't it the hand—freer to move—that's at fault? Especially holding a drink glass; you'd need to be extra careful."
"Th-that's…."
"Besides, your gloves just need changing, but my partner's one-and-only dress is ruined. Clearly, you're the one who should apologize—not her. I can't tolerate that attitude."
…Why was Ethan suddenly going off like that?
I'd almost smoothed it over on my own, and now he was drawing a crowd and reigniting the mess.
The ballroom's attention snapped to us with Ethan's sudden "protecting my partner" mode.
I wasn't the only one flustered by the stares.
"Wh-what…."
"……."
"What nonsense is this?! I just graciously accepted your partner's apology! What right do you have to say if you can tolerate me or not?!"
The sky-blue-haired lady startled by the spotlight but refusing to back down.
Her attitude confirmed she had no clue who Ethan was.
Being so bold without knowing his identity was oddly impressive.
…Weird. A noble lady with this personality should've popped up at least once or twice in the game.
I didn't recall any side villain or extra like her.
Her voice was unfamiliar too—no voice actor meant side character at best.
I could've checked closely if she removed her mask, but the situation made that impossible. Regrettable.
"D-do you know who I am?! What gives you the confidence to act so rude?!"
"If I knew who you were, would that change who was wrong?"
"At least enough to make you retract your insults. Even in a masked ball, don't think I'll let your actions slide."
…Personally, I thought it could slide.
Among the guests, only Seraphin the princess outranked Ethan at most.
And Blackwood was one of the stronger ducal houses.
No sky-blue-haired family more powerful than Blackwood came to mind.
Among sky-blue houses, at best Augst Margrave had some clout—but they were game villains.
Meaning no real future issues from clashing now.
As I pondered if she was just digging her own grave, the blue-haired lady pressed on more confidently than anyone.
Curious what she'd say, Ethan and I listened as she rambled.
"First off, you. Your hairstyle and voice aren't familiar, so you're no prominent noble."
"……."
"Let me enlighten you, thrilled to be at Seraphin Princess's masked ball. Hiding names and ranks doesn't make status meaningless…."
"…I may be seeing you for the first time tonight, but I never imagined a lady from a house that could insult a Blackwood partner and force an apology would be here."
"……Black……wood?"
The moment Ethan namedropped Blackwood, the blue-haired lady froze mid-sentence, murmuring it cautiously.
Her reaction showed she'd never dreamed my partner was Blackwood.
"…Blackwood?"
"Then that guy is…."
"He doesn't look like the rumors…."
No, most in the ballroom hadn't realized either.
Even I'd have missed it in their shoes.
Ethan's last public look was three years ago, right after waking from his sickbed.
To most, he was still the short, fat pig.
No way they'd instantly peg this lean, muscled man as Ethan Richard Blackwood.
"D-don't impersonate…! The Blackwoods have only one heir…."
"Yes, just me. Father never took a second wife or concubine after Mother's death."
"And that only son was supposedly quite plump…."
"A foolish youthful shame. A past I'd rather forget—mentioning it counts as an insult, right?"
"……."
"You seemed full of words before. Suddenly so quiet."
Cornered the instant Blackwood came up, she averted her eyes.
That scene made the argument's end predictable.
At least, that her "unforgivable" line was about to bite her.
Still, she really does feel like a character I've seen before.
Where did I see her….