Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Translator: XZY
Chapter 56: The Bloodstained Ball (3)
***
The schedule for a nobles’ ball was always centered around the night.
This was especially true for an occasion like this, one celebrating a debutante. It was because the protagonist of the event would only arrive at the mansion after the sun had completely set.
“This is your first time attending a ball like this, isn't it, Derek?”
Denise, having entered the assigned room, sat down on the edge of the bed, crossed her arms, and began to explain with a ‘hmm hmm’.
She, too, was in the position of having debuted in the social circle as a young lady of the Beltus family, so she had experience being the protagonist of a large event like this.
“The day of a noble young lady’s debutante is a law to be busy to an excessive degree.”
From early in the morning, they would dress up, put on a frilly dress decorated with daffodils and roses, and ride a pretty carriage all the way to the imperial capital to have an audience with the emperor.
They would meet the members of the imperial family, give their greetings, properly announce the name of Lady Diella of the Duplein family, and after receiving their blessing, they would make their faces known to the powers of the imperial capital.
And after having a cup of tea for the sake of exchange with relatives working in the imperial palace, they would once again ride a magnificent carriage back to the Duplein territory and attend the ball.
It would be impossible to relax, as they had to set a schedule of one day... or two, depending on the travel distance, and meet all the influential figures of the social circle.
Usually, it was common to take a nap in the carriage on the way to the ballroom, to the extent that maids would even board the carriage holding blankets.
“In short, it means Lady Diella will arrive at the ballroom after the sun has almost completely set. In the meantime, the distinguished guests who arrived in the afternoon would rest in their rooms, or the people who arrived first would have a friendly chat in the tea party hall, or take a walk around the mansion garden.”
“I have read about it in etiquette books. They call this rest period before the start of the ball the ‘middle time,’ and use it as an opportunity to build new connections or make their faces known.”
“Yes, that’s about right. But that’s a story for lower-ranking nobles who are desperate to build connections; for someone like me from one of the three great noble families, I’m usually too tired and don’t leave my room.”
“...”
“Derek. That looks like you want to say it’s just because I’m lazy. I can read your thoughts just by looking at your expression.”
Derek took off his coat and hung it on a chair.
In any case, although he had come in the position of accompanying Denise, it didn't seem like a very good thing to be in the same room where a lady was resting. So Derek was thinking of going to greet the people of the Duplein family.
However, Denise, with an attitude as if it didn't matter whether Derek was there or not, lay down on the bed, then rolled up the hem of her dress so that it wouldn't wrinkle and bent her body back with a ‘hwik’.
She was a girl who had researched for longer than anyone else how to lie down comfortably without damaging her clothes. The skillfulness that was apparent in that series of movements was extraordinary.
“Will you be resting in your room, Lady Denise?”
“That goes without saying. To put on a smiling mask on my face at the evening banquet, I have to store up my energy from now on.”
“Then I will go out and give my greetings. There are many people I know, so it’s a bit awkward for me to just stay still.”
“...”
Denise, who had been diligently lying down, once again raised her upper body with a ‘hwik’ and stared quietly at Derek.
“...Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?”
“I wonder... there are quite a few young ladies who would try to snatch you up, put you in their inner pocket, and run away while I’m not around.”
“...I am in a position officially contracted with the Beltus family. Would I forget that?”
“You never know. Forget it. I was getting hungry anyway, so let’s go to the tea party hall in the main hall together. Lady Elente will probably be there too. Since she’s a person overflowing with motivation, she’ll try to see as many people as possible.”
<><><>
As befitting a person who had come representing the Beltus family, Lady Denise had to accept the greetings of all sorts of nobles as soon as she went out to the tea party hall.
From the head of a merchant guild that sold herring in the continent’s outlying regions, to the parish head of the Olberon Cathedral, which was said to be the largest among the Ramic Church branches, to the leader of the northern Kremlin Mercenary Corps, Billak... they were a host of big-shot figures just by hearing their names.
“Oh my, thanks to the fur you sent from the north to our Beltus family, it was so helpful last winter. My father also told me to be sure to give my thanks to you, Head Merchant Aldon, if I saw you-.”
Leaving behind Denise, whose noble young lady mode was completely turned on, Derek picked up a glass of wine from the corner of the tea party hall and took a sip.
Watching the tea party hall from a step back, he could see a host of lower-ranking nobles with fire in their eyes, determined to have a conversation with the high-ranking figures even one more time.
As for Lady Denise, her surroundings were already forming a sea of people, and on the opposite side of the hall, Lady Elente was also having a friendly chat with so many people that it was impossible to even get a word in.
It was full of people who were earnestly trying to show their faces even one more time by squeezing into the gaps between them.
That sight was like wolves wandering in search of prey.
Occasionally, a few nobles’ eyes met with Derek’s, but after seeing the mercenary attire of the man who was not talking to anyone in the corner of the tea party hall, they would quickly avert their gaze.
Because time was limited, they would not want to spend this precious moment on a mere commoner.
‘Those folks live tiring lives too.’
Because Derek was from the slums, he had almost never felt the culture of the nobles with his skin.
He had gotten a little used to it while teaching the young ladies, but this disposition of trying to associate with others in such a calculated manner was something he found difficult to accept easily.
Of course, it wasn't as if Derek was the type to actively interact with others. He was merely observing the nobles gathered in the tea party hall as if he were observing strange animals.
“Ufufu, thank you, Parish Head. I will be sure to visit with the family elders on the next holy day.”
As he was spending some time with leisure like that, in the corner of his vision, he saw a girl having a conversation with several distinguished guests.
‘...Who is that person?’
Because Derek had been active in Ebelstein for quite a long time, he could roughly figure out who the figures that drew people’s attention were.
Especially for people in the social circle, he had accumulated enough knowledge to recognize their names and features.
However, that girl who was sitting at a round table in the corner of the tea party hall and quietly munching on a cake was a person he was seeing for the very first time.
The dress that fell snugly along the line of her legs was in the style of the empire’s east.
Her hair, the color of sapphire, was beautifully put up and braided to one side, looking as if it would take a lot of work. It meant that she had a lady’s maid dedicated to styling her hair.
Her posture was also modest, and seeing her smile skillfully at the person who threw a friendly chat, she was a person who had learned etiquette.
In any case, from the moment she attended this event, the fact that she was the daughter of some esteemed house was obvious. However, compared to Denise or Elente, who were from the families of this region, she did not look very busy.
‘An outsider?’
Every time she had a moment of leisure, she would gather up a bunch of Mont Blancs, financiers, apple pies, tarts, and croissants prepared on the banquet table and come back, then she would be munching on them by herself with a world-happy expression.
Occasionally, she would dip them in this cream and that cream alternately to taste, tear the bread with a fork and examine its grain, then put it in her mouth and savor the sweetness with sparkling eyes.
Every time she put a piece of dessert in her mouth, she would tremble her whole body and make a world-delighted face, a reaction to the extent that one would think the person who made it would feel truly rewarded.
That appearance looked more like a tourist who had come on a gourmet trip than a noble young lady, so Derek ended up stopping his gaze there for a moment.
As he did so, he ended up meeting the eyes of the girl who was far away. Derek wondered what to do, then bowed his head to give his greetings and quickly placed his cup on a nearby side table.
“Have you already recognized your fellow disciple?”
“Pardon?”
Denise, who had barely managed to fend off the rushing distinguished guests, came and sat next to Derek with a slightly tired face.
In any case, since Derek had come under the pretext of assisting Denise, it was not good for him to be far from her side.
“I’m talking about that elegant lady. She’s Lady Freya of the Elbester county house. The head merchant told me he had just gone to greet her.”
“You mean that person?”
“Yes. By the way... I don’t know if that person has come to attend the ball or to go on a gourmet tour...”
“I have heard that among the kitchen assistant maids of the Duplein mansion, there are three who used to work as patissiers in the imperial palace. I have often heard them proudly say that those who like desserts would be ecstatic.”
“...No matter what, at that point, I’m worried that her brain might be pickled in sugar. I should grab some sweets too...”
Denise let out deep sighs and held a sip of cold water in her mouth.
If she sat in her seat for just a little longer, numerous distinguished guests would gather again and throw friendly chats her way, so it seemed she intended to enjoy the current break time.
“Fortunately, you seem to have some leisure now.”
“Of course. A person who is no different from the protagonist of the event has just arrived at the mansion.”
“You mean Lady Diella?”
“I told you that little lioness would arrive at night. It’s her older sister. She said she was out helping with Diella’s debutante, and it seems she has roughly finished her work and arrived first.”
At the same time as those words, the door to the tea party hall opened, and a woman with an elegant appearance revealed herself, leading numerous people.
Her dark-colored hair could look gloomy at a glance, but combined with Aiseline’s well-managed and neat posture, it looked like a beautifully bloomed flower petal.
At the same time as her appearance, tension once again swirled in the tea party hall.
Who could deny it? Aiseline was a person who was currently reigning like a queen in the Ebelstein social circle.
There were a host of distinguished guests who wanted to run out and talk to her right away, but everyone was just watching the situation and could not step forward first. This was because there were countless people of higher status than them in this small tea party hall.
Who would be the first one to speak?
In the midst of that tension-filled moment, Aiseline scanned the hall once.
Before long, Lady Aiseline, leading her servants, strode across the hall and approached the side where Lady Denise was.
Indeed, it would be a wise course of action to treat the person she usually faced in the Rosea Salon first. The distinguished guests gathered in the hall all nodded their heads in understanding.
After Lady Denise would be Lady Elente, and aiming for the next opponent would be the most appropriate response. Among the distinguished guests, there were already many who were finishing up the friendly chats they were having among themselves and preparing to move to Lady Aiseline’s side.
Step, step—
Just as Lady Denise also let out a deep sigh and was about to clear her throat again.
“Mr. Derek. You must have had a hard time on your long journey. I’m also in a bit of a daze since I just arrived, but the servants haven’t committed any discourtesy, have they?”
However, the first person Aiseline spoke to was Derek, who was standing by the wall behind Denise.
For an instant, silence fell upon the tea party hall.
While Derek himself was flustered, he had to feel all sorts of distinguished guests turning their gazes towards him.
Aiseline was not a person who treated people by meticulously weighing all sorts of aristocratic authority.
She had simply been the happiest to see Derek among the people present, so she had strode over and greeted him. There was no other political judgment in that action at all.
Because the other distinguished guests gathered in the hall also knew well of such a disposition of Aiseline, they had to examine Derek’s face closely.
It was because he was a person they were seeing for the first time at a social event like this.
“...Ah.”
Only after examining Derek’s expression did Aiseline realize that her words and actions could be somewhat of a burden to Derek.
In any case, this was the Duplein mansion, and Aiseline was in a position to receive the attention of the distinguished guests all at once.
“It doesn’t seem appropriate to exchange greetings in this place. I am scheduled to have a friendly chat with the visitors and go to greet my father, would you like to accompany me then?”
To be a person she would personally escort when going to greet the Grand Duke Duplein meant that this family was treating him almost on par with a noble.
Derek, realizing that the expressions of the distinguished guests on the scene looking at him had completely changed, spoke with his head bowed.
“How could a mere commoner like me possibly accompany you? It is also a situation where I must assist Lady Denise, so if I have the chance and it becomes more leisurely, I will go to give my greetings separately.”
“Is that so? My father would be pleased too... in any case, thank you for coming to congratulate Diella today. Diella will also be happy to know that you have come.”
“Rather, the honor is all mine.”
Derek gave a short answer and greeted her politely. It was a polite expression that he had no intention of talking further.
From Aiseline’s perspective as well, it was not difficult to see that Derek was feeling burdened by any more attention being focused on him.
Aiseline, while wearing a disappointed expression, quietly nodded her head and blended into the crowd of distinguished guests.
No matter how happy she was to see him, she could not talk more than necessary in a place like this.
The gap in status was such a thing.
Derek was used to it and was fine, but Aiseline had to feel that strange gap.
It was a story that was now old news.
<><><>
‘The banquet preparations seem to be going well. I was very worried because the letters weren’t getting through and I couldn’t get in touch, but as expected, it was because everyone was too busy.’
Aiseline had rushed to the mansion as soon as she was finished looking after Diella in the imperial capital.
It was because she wanted to confirm with her own two eyes that the ball prepared for Diella was proceeding perfectly well.
She wanted the social debut of her one and only younger sister to be carried out perfectly. Cherishing only that thought, she was in the middle of a daze from handling various tasks all day.
‘The nobles from the east and north have all attended, and Derek, whom Diella was most concerned about, has also attended well... let’s just check the schedule again and receive a report on the progress.’
Aiseline, who had finished the perfunctory greetings at the tea party, walked along the corridor inside the mansion’s main hall.
The corridor was full of servants busily carrying dishes. From here on, the inside was an internal space where only the officials of the Duplein family could come and go.
Watching the numerous servants moving busily without a single bit of waste, Aiseline felt satisfaction, gratitude, and thankfulness at the same time.
Since they must have been in a daze with the overlapping joyous occasions, she was in the middle of resolving to speak to the Grand Duke to guarantee everyone a little vacation after this event was finished well.
“Lady Aiseline. The luggage has been placed in your room. Will you be going to the office where His Grace the Grand Duke is now?”
“Yes. I have to see my father’s face first. By the way, everyone really seems busy. I didn’t even see the faces of Orabeoni Valerian or Orabeoni Reigh until I crossed the main gate and entered the garden.”
“Yes. Everyone is busy receiving the distinguished guests. Still, His Grace the Grand Duke wishes to see Lady Aiseline’s face.”
“I also want to see my father after a long time. I was helping Diella in Ebelstein, so I almost never came to the main house.”
Aiseline spoke in a modest tone to the head maid, Katarina, while passing through the busy servants.
Katarina quietly bowed her head and followed Aiseline, assisting her. The lack of waste in her movements was certainly worthy of being called the most veteran among the maids of this mansion.
“By the way, Katarina, your skin has become even more beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you also change the incense you use? For some reason, you feel paler than before... I’m worried if there are any health problems. You’re not working too hard, are you?”
“Yes, thank you for your concern.”
Aiseline, who was heading to the Grand Duke’s office while having a friendly chat with Katarina, felt a strange sense of dissonance.
The head maid, Katarina, that she knew was a person who would respond even more happily if she praised her and had a friendly chat like this.
Feeling that the flow of the conversation was strangely cut off, Aiseline examined Katarina’s expression again. It was because she was worried that she might be worn out with fatigue from being too busy.
However, Katarina was just looking at Aiseline with the same expression as always.
That appearance was even more subtle.
‘Strange... why do I get the feeling that the servants of the mansion are so awkward?’
Their busy appearance was always the same, but today, she felt a greater sense of dissonance. Watching them perform their duties mechanically, with no superfluous movements, they looked more like a kind of device than people.
‘Is everyone nervous? Diella’s social debut is that important of an event...’
Just as she was climbing the stairs behind the main hall to head to the Grand Duke’s office.
Hwik— !
Pak— !
“Ugh!”
Katarina, who was quietly following behind Aiseline, suddenly took out a cloth from her bosom and covered Aiseline’s nose and mouth.
After that, she twisted one of her arms and forcibly suppressed her as she struggled.
“Ugh... heub! Eub!”
The moment Aiseline grasped the situation and tried to resist somehow, her eyes rolled back and her consciousness instantly flew away.
The sap of the ‘shade flower’ that Katarina had soaked the cloth in was imbued with a powerful hypnotic effect.
Before long, the strength left Aiseline’s body, and Katarina quietly supported her.
Servants were moving busily around them, but no one was paying attention to that scene.
A dark blue light flashed in Katarina’s eyes. Those eyes, as if possessed by something, were in a state where their focus was not fixed.
It was the same for the other servants as well.
<><><>
Flinch— !
When one made a living as a mercenary on the battlefield where life and death came and went, there were times when one was led by an intuition that could not be explained with words.
After the tiring tea party ended, around the time the sun was setting.
Derek, who was quietly reading a magic book at a table with Denise dozing on the bed beside him, narrowed his brow.
A subtle aura of mana was seeping in from the crack of the door.
“...”
Derek closed the book, placed it on the table with a ‘thud’, and then turned his gaze towards the door.
He felt a kind of unknowable sense of dissonance.
Screech— !
Derek stood up, pushing back his chair with a loud noise.
Hearing that sound, Denise stopped her soft breathing and her eyes flew open. She still felt half-asleep.
“Ugh... I-is it already time for the banquet? Hgaaak!”
As soon as she managed to sit up, stretching diligently, Denise tilted her head after seeing Derek’s expression.
“What’s wrong, Derek? Is something bothering you?”
Derek, without even answering, strode towards the door, then grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it.
However, the door did not open.
It didn't feel like the doorknob was locked. Wondering if it was the effect of magic, he focused his mind, and indeed, a bluish mana was flowing out from around the doorknob.
“The door won’t open.”
“Hmm? Really? Call a servant and have them check the situation.”
Derek, still without even answering, strode over to the window side again.
The start of the banquet was soon.
It was a time that should be busy with distinguished guests strolling in the garden, the servants assisting them, and the carriages arriving at the mansion, albeit late.
However, the scenery outside the window was strangely quiet.
The senses of a mercenary, who had been holding his breath for a long time while playing in the noble district, reared their head.
The sixth sense that detects an anomaly. It was a sense that Derek had trained and trained for countless hours.
Derek briefly put his ear to the door and tried to grasp the situation outside.
However, the outside was still quiet. Even though the outside should have been noisy with guiding the distinguished guests to their private rooms, there was no sign of anyone.
Derek quietly closed his eyes and spread out his Detection-type magic.
In the space beyond the door, he felt all sorts of magical energy in abundance.
“Lady Denise.”
“Hmm?”
Perhaps because Derek’s utterly serious voice was unfamiliar, Denise was sweating.
Derek spoke without changing his expression.
“I’m breaking the window.”
That judgment was as fast as a machine.
Derek was a person who had lived half his life on the battlefield.
On the battlefield, hesitation was death.