Upon hearing Roselia’s confident words, Melda muttered with a puzzled expression.

“That… is more like a decoration than a mask…”

“That’s right. It’s not about hiding your face behind an iron mask, but adorning yourself with the most beautiful decoration that can make your own face stand out the most.”

Unlike the crude Rugvelzet-style masks that cover the entire face, the Rapelios-style masks only cover the eye area or one eye, with gorgeous peacock feathers decorating around them, adding splendor and elegance.

“Now is also the perfect time to hold a masked ball, when Rapelios-style masks are not yet in fashion. Imagine a beautiful young lady wearing a mask adorned with peacock feathers among crude masks.”

For a moment, Melda seemed lost in imagination, staring into space with a dreamy expression.

Closet looked at Roselia with renewed admiration, seeing Melda’s expression as if she was about to pluck peacock feathers, completely won over by Roselia’s eloquence.

Snapping back to reality, Melda excitedly stood up.

“I must tell Mr. Jeffrey right away! Let’s make the young lady’s debutante concept a masked ball! We need to hurry to custom order Rapelios-style masks!”

Closet smiled wryly as she watched Melda rush into the mansion with a happy face.

“Melda seems very excited.”

“I’m glad it was helpful.”

Closet narrowed her eyes at Roselia’s gruff reply.

“It’s really amazing… The updo trend incident too… How are you so knowledgeable about trends? And you’re a man at that.”

Though it was information she knew in advance from the novel, Roselia just smiled calmly.

“I was just lucky. I can’t guarantee that this masked ball will become a trend.”

In the original novel, masks became popular starting with the masked ball hosted by the Crown Princess, but it was uncertain if it would become trendy this time as well.

Closet, who had been staring intently at Roselia, soon smiled meaningfully.

“Alright, I’ve decided. You’ll participate in my debutante ball too.”

“Pardon…?”

Roselia asked again, wondering if she had misheard, seeing Closet’s too-calm smile.

“You mean as a servant to assist with the banquet…?”

“No. I mean you should attend my masked ball too.”

Roselia looked at Closet with a bewildered expression.

Of course, there were occasionally nobles who dressed up their il domestico like decorative accessories and brought them to parties. But those were mostly noble ladies who had some standing in social circles.

Closet was a young lady just debuting in society, and if she brought her il domestico to her debutante, who knows what rumors would spread.

“That doesn’t seem like a good idea…”

“What’s the problem if I say it’s fine? Besides, it’s a masked ball. With a mask on, not many people will recognize you, right?”

Well… that was true. If she didn’t take off the mask, it probably wouldn’t be much of an issue.

Moreover, it might be reassuring to keep an eye on the unpredictable Closet from nearby…

Roselia reluctantly nodded.

“Well, alright. But please keep it a secret from the Duke.”

“Great! That cold-blooded man probably won’t care about my debutante anyway.”

Though the siblings’ relationship seemed quite tangled, Roselia just smiled awkwardly, knowing from previous experience that meddling would only make things worse.

With about a month left until the debutante, Roselia decided to search for the next piece to sell to the Crown Princess in the meantime.

In the original work, the second piece that caught the Crown Princess’s eye was a background painting by an unknown female artist.

In the original story, the Crown Princess, while wandering the village in disguise, saves a woman being beaten by men. Unfortunately, the woman passes away soon after due to a chronic illness, but she gifts the protagonist a painting she had drawn as a token of gratitude.

That became the second painting cherished by the Crown Princess.

Timing-wise, there were still a good two months left before that female painter’s death. The problem was… the location of that female painter…

Roselia checked her attire and pulled down the slightly oversized fedora firmly on her head.

As Roselia approached what appeared to be the shop owner upon entering, the man who had been wiping glasses glanced her over.

“Is this your first time here?”

Trying not to be conscious of her stiffly rigid body, Roselia opened her mouth gruffly.

“Is there a woman named Nadia here?”

Hearing the youthful voice, the man stared at her intently for a moment.

Roselia’s forehead broke out in cold sweat, wondering if the man who must have seen countless naked women might have noticed.

But soon, the man spoke nonchalantly, as if used to seeing small men in such places.

“You’re asking for Nadia specifically?”

“Huh? Ah, yes…”

“That’s unusual, a customer asking for that sickly wench… Well, all sorts of men with different tastes come here.”

It seemed the man thought she had come as a night customer looking for Nadia.

Roselia, who was about to explain, changed her mind and quietly followed the man. She felt that if she just said she wanted to see her face and leave, that rough-looking man would kick her out on her behind.

In any case, as long as she could meet her, it didn’t matter how, Roselia thought.

Arriving at a shabby door, the man pointed at it with his chin and held out his hand.

Being a woman, she had never been to such a place and had no idea how much to give.

Hesitating, Roselia took out 1 verang and placed it on the man’s hand. It was part of the income she had earned from selling paintings and working as Closet’s il domestico.

The man’s eyes widened at the 1 verang in his palm, and he disappeared down the corridor with a grin.

Was it more than expected?

Roselia shrugged and then opened the door the man had guided her to.

Inside, a scantily clad woman was sitting dazedly on the edge of the bed.

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise, as if it was unexpected for someone to enter her room.

“It’s been a while since I had a customer…”

The woman’s smile as she said this lacked vitality.

Though she had a skinny body and dry-looking hair, she seemed to have been quite beautiful once, with a pretty face even under the sickly pale complexion.

However, her chronic illness seemed to have progressed significantly, judging by the dark circles under her sunken eyes and her bony arms and legs, which were pitiful to see.

“You’re Nadia, right?”

“What a polite customer.”

The woman smiled leisurely and approached Roselia slowly.

She wore silk undergarments beneath her robe, but rather than looking seductive, her protruding shoulders and ribs evoked pity.

Roselia had to take a step back, flustered by Nadia’s actions, who seemed to be under a serious misunderstanding.

“Um, Nadia, wait a moment. I didn’t come here with that intention.”

“Hm? If not for that, why did you come here?”

“Well… I came to meet you, Nadia.”

At Roselia’s words, Nadia stopped abruptly with a surprised expression.

“Nadia, you paint, don’t you?”

Nadia’s shoulders stiffened for a moment, and she looked at Roselia dryly, dropping even the formal smile she had been wearing.

“Painting? Where did you hear such nonsense?”

Strange. She should be the woman named Nadia…

Which meant there was a high probability that this woman was lying.

“Why are you hiding that you paint? I’m here to buy that painting.”

“You’re saying funny things, young master… A bar woman who can barely scrape by day to day, painting?”

Saying so, Nadia sat on the bed, crossing her legs.

“Are you going to do it or not?”

“Pardon?”

“That’s the only thing I sell here for money. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

Faced with that dry gaze that seemed to have given up on the world, Roselia was at a loss for words.

“Why… do you go to such lengths?”

At Roselia’s bitter question, Nadia smiled bitterly.

“This is how I’ve lived all this time, what can I do? If you’re just going to waste time like this, would you mind leaving? I need to receive other customers.”

Roselia had no choice but to leave the room.

She realized early on that further conversation would not persuade her. From the moment she entered as a customer, Nadia was smiling but drawing a line with her.

Entering that room as a man and a customer would obviously yield the same result.

But… if it were the same woman. Or a woman in the same profession, things might be different.

Roselia left the bar with a determined expression.

Roselia, with her blonde hair let down, stood confidently before the bar owner.

The bar owner, holding a money pouch, asked again as if he had misheard.

“So… you’re saying you’ll pretend to work here for a day in exchange for this money?”

The man looked perplexed.

If one works, they work, but what does it mean to pretend to work?

Usually, the women here work and receive hourly wages, but this woman was offering to pay money, so he was dumbfounded.

“Yes, I’ll just pretend to work here. Don’t assign me any customers at all. That’s why I’m giving you this money.”

The man’s gaze scanned Roselia’s entire body as she spoke.

A healthy and graceful figure, skin so white and transparent it seemed see-through, emerald green eyes like jewels, and a freshness and inexplicable boldness rarely found in women of this profession!

She was an incredibly tempting figure, overflowing with charm as a woman.

The man, unconsciously swallowing, grumbled.

“Instead of that, why don’t you work properly? I’ll pay you a high hourly rate…”

“Hey. What do you think the money I gave you is for?”

Intimidated by her somehow authoritative aura, the pot-bellied man quickly backed down.

He just assumed she must be the daughter of some rich merchant wanting to experience the bar.

“But, miss… If you’re going to work, or even pretend to work here, you’ll need to change your clothes first…”

At the man’s words, Roselia, glancing over her own attire, looked around curiously.

The women here, all clinging to customers, were uniformly dressed in tight-fitting outfits with their chests half-exposed.

Roselia’s face naturally scrunched up, but… she thought it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more perfect to approach Nadia.

She didn’t mind much since she would only wear it briefly and had no intention of entertaining customers here anyway.

Roselia changed into the thin dress the owner handed her and awkwardly came out into the corridor.

The overly tight waist and clearly visible chest curves made her feel strangely empty above her chest. The thin skirt that clung to her legs with every step revealed her hip and leg lines completely, making her feel extremely awkward.

Deciding to just go straight to Nadia’s room like this, she walked quickly down the corridor, but Roselia’s steps suddenly halted.

She saw a familiar man walking from the opposite corridor.

A man with a somewhat displeased, annoyed expression on his face.

Why is Duke Balthasar here!!