Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Mid-Boss vs XX XX (1)
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The eldest daughter of the August Margrave Family, Ridge Lynn August.
She was the epitome of a diligent noble lady who had immersed herself in high society from a young age, steadily building an extensive network of connections.
Until now, she had easily amassed those connections by being selective about people and leveraging her position in the prestigious August Margrave Family.
But at this masked ball, she was desperately realizing in her mind that something had gone terribly wrong.
'That man... is he really the only son of the Blackwood Family...?'
At first, she had simply assumed he was some obscure young lord from a barony or viscounty she didn't know.
Slightly tousled black hair, solidly built muscles, and even in a venue like this, dressed in drab black attire.
He was a type she'd never seen before, so naturally, she figured he was from some insignificant frontier noble house.
She herself had participated in countless social events since the tender age of eight, so it was hard to imagine there being a high noble she didn't know.
Especially since her counterpart was Ethan Richard Blackwood, who was making his very first appearance at an external event—an utterly unprecedented case that was impossible to even consider.
Yet, judging purely by the results, Ridge hadn't recognized him as Ethan Richard Blackwood until he was on the verge of revealing himself.
And the blunder she had committed because of that had long since passed the point where she could handle it on her own.
Having been involved in high society since childhood, Ridge had a keen eye for reading people's psychology.
In particular, guessing the emotions her counterpart was feeling in any given situation and drawing out the reaction she wanted was one of her specialties.
In fact, she had often used this skill in many situations to make others feel indebted to her or to smoothly gloss over her own mistakes.
Running into someone else's shoulder while holding a cocktail, searching for the Third Imperial Princess Seraphin amid the crowd, was undoubtedly a 'mistake' on her part.
But instead of admitting fault, snapping at the other party was a calculated move based on assessing the situation and weighing the gains.
Since both the man and his partner were complete strangers she'd never seen in society, it was natural to assume they weren't higher-status than the August Margrave Family.
And in an accident where her fault was clearly greater, the damage had fallen more heavily on the other side.
If she admitted fault first, depending on the circumstances, it could make it look like the August Family owed their house a debt.
To prevent that, she had brazenly lashed out instead.
If she could provoke the other's anger and draw out insulting remarks, at least it wouldn't end as a stain solely on the August Family.
Of course, what came back from the other side was a calm response entirely unlike what she'd anticipated.
'How about we call it even as mutual fault this time, without anyone losing face?'
'......?'
She had expected the lady—who had been the victim—to naturally get angry at her impudent words despite being the one at fault.
But the lady neatly summarized the incident as 'mutual fault' and ended it right there.
When she came to her senses, Ridge found herself nodding in dazed acceptance of the apology.
Though it left a strange feeling of having lost the psychological battle, the situation itself had turned out better than expected.
From Ridge's perspective, erasing her mistake entirely was the smoothest resolution possible.
And for some reason, her radar—honed from over ten years in high society—instinctively detected danger.
It was the ominous gut feeling that refusing the offer outright might put her life in peril, depending on the circumstances.
'No choice then. This time, I'll graciously forgive you with mercy.'
Thus, Ridge had tried to wrap things up quickly and hurry away, but right after the exchange, the lady's partner—who had gotten cocktail on his clothes—called her back.
Her temper flaring at his words, they got into another argument, which turned out to be her gravest mistake of the night.
She could never have predicted that the lady's partner was the eldest son of the Blackwood Family.
Now that she too might have to reveal her family name, she was plunged into considerable anguish.
'...What do I do?'
If she'd known he was a Blackwood scion, she would have dropped to the floor and begged forgiveness the moment she made her initial blunder.
Even if it wasn't a direct affront to the Blackwood heir himself, the damage to his partner was tantamount to insulting him.
However, since neither the man nor the woman were familiar faces from society, Ridge had mistakenly assumed both were beneath her in status.
That fatal error had cornered her completely.
'If I kneel and apologize now... could I be forgiven...?'
If forgiveness was possible, she'd prostrate herself on the spot, but her blunder had grown too massive by now.
The Blackwood scion was emanating a sinister aura that felt unmistakably like killing intent toward her.
Ridge was certain she'd long since lost any chance of pardon.
The best-case scenario for slipping away unscathed was if the man was some lesser noble impersonating a Blackwood...
'......Ah.'
That's when she spotted it on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
The Blackwood Family crest—the emblem only one house in the empire could bear. The black double-headed eagle etched on the sword hilt.
'...I have to run.'
With apology and forgiveness impossible, and now certain he was a Blackwood scion.
The best course for the daughter of the August Margrave was simply to flee the scene posthaste.
Missing her original goal of meeting Princess Seraphin was a bone-deep regret, but souring relations with the Blackwood Family would be an even greater loss.
She had no choice but to escape the ballroom quickly before more people gathered and someone recognized her.
'First, I need to find Karaham inside this venue fast. If he's still here, my identity will eventually leak. Then, the moment I get home, I have to change my hairstyle. And avoid society events for a while...'
If she could grab her younger brother, who'd come to the masked ball with her, and slip away, those two probably wouldn't pursue her to the end.
After all, their main goal was likely building ties with the imperial family, so they'd prioritize that over chasing an unidentified noble.
"You seemed to have quite a lot to say earlier, but now you've gone awfully quiet."
"......"
"I've revealed my family first, so now I'd like to hear which house you hail from."
"......"
Feeling the pressure as Ethan advanced step by step, Ridge desperately rolled her eyes behind her mask, searching for her younger brother Karaham.
Fortunately, she soon spotted a man with the same striking sky-blue hair entering her view.
All she had to do was grab him and bolt from the ballroom as fast as possible.
Regrettably, however, Ridge Lynn August had overlooked one fatal flaw.
"S-Sis! Get away from that creepy bastard!"
That her younger brother, Karaham Jeremiah August, was a musclehead with zero sense or tact.
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"You seemed to have quite a lot to say earlier, but now you've gone awfully quiet."
"......"
"I've revealed my family first, so now I'd like to hear which house you hail from."
The sky-blue-haired lady fell instantly silent the moment Ethan revealed his family.
Her hesitant demeanor made it clear at a glance that her house was nowhere near powerful enough to overwhelm the Blackwood Family.
Not that there were many houses in the empire capable of that to begin with, but still.
He had fully expected this reaction the instant he named the Blackwood Family.
Naturally, he could cautiously guess what judgment she would make in her cornered state.
'She'll probably run. Without revealing her family to the end.'
Ethan had already created a menacing atmosphere toward her, and with the magnitude of her misdeeds, apology and forgiveness were off the table now.
Her only card—brazenly relying on her family name—had been completely blocked, leaving her no better than a cornered rat.
In this situation, the only remotely viable option she might attempt was flight.
...Well, I should probably give Ed a heads-up at least. About her preparing to bolt.
Observing the lady rapidly darting her eyes behind her mask, I quietly whispered to him beside me what I'd seen and sensed.
"Ed."
"Li, Lilith...?"
"That woman seems like she's planning to run."
"Huh...?"
"...Just something to keep in mind."
It was literally just info to keep in mind.
I wasn't telling him to stop her from fleeing or to stay on high alert in case she did—nothing like that.
I'd thought that Ed suddenly escalating things aggressively might be part of his political maneuvering.
Though I wasn't actually his fiancée but merely his exclusive maid, right now, only I, Ed (and Princess Seraphin) knew that.
The recent insult to his partner could be leveraged into a not-insignificant political opportunity for him.
'Her family doesn't seem like a small fry, so he must have calculated he could saddle them with a solid debt.'
In truth, it was my commoner clothes that got splashed with her cocktail, but if he wanted, it was plenty to inflate into an inter-family incident.
Especially a one-sided insult like this—it could become a major bargaining chip in future noble dealings.
Considering potential future entanglements with that noble house, locking in the debt was advantageous in every way.
'He's definitely gotten sharper lately, now that he's involved in territory management.'
Like how he'd pressured Emilia with the guard last year—he clearly knew what benefited him and his family, and what didn't.
Even though I'd been used twice in the process, it didn't particularly bother me.
To me, that woman was an eyesore anyway, and watching her get her comeuppance was entertaining enough.
...I'd realized too late that my hope he'd stepped in to defend me was just wishful thinking, which was a bit embarrassing.
'Still, results-wise, he chewed out the woman who wronged me, so call it payback.'
From here on, Ed was free to do as he pleased.
Chase off the fleeing woman after watching her go.
Or block her escape and press greater charges.
Guessing he'd pick the latter, I watched from the sidelines like it was a fire across the river.
Then Ed, hearing my advice, quietly muttered something back at me.
"Got it. If that's what Lilith wants."
"...Pardon?"
Wants what, exactly?
As I puzzled over his sudden mutter, still watching the scene, the cornered lady finally showed signs of trying to flee.
Both Ed and I were hyper-focused on the sky-blue-haired woman's movements, tension high.
That's when...
"...S-Sis! Get away from that creepy bastard!"
"......!!"
"......"
"......?"
All three of us—the woman included—snapped our attention toward the male voice coming from outside our view.
"D-Don't touch Sis Ridge! You creepy-looking jerk!!"
'......Huh?'
This voice—I definitely recognize it.
Not just the voice, either.
Even with part of his eyes hidden by the mask, I could clearly identify the character.
Sky-blue hair, familiar build, voice I've heard before, and that distinctive sword design.
...Plus, he just called that woman 'Sis Ridge.'
Putting all the clues together, only one character fit every criterion.
'...Karaham Jeremiah August.'
Alias: Sword Ghost Karaham.
Yeah, impossible to forget.
Because he was the mid-boss character in Episode 3 of Luminor Academy, the "Seraphin Kidnapping" incident.