“A masquerade ball?”

Celiya unfolded the invitation handed to her by Dietrich.

As he said, the invitation was written in neat handwriting, inviting Celiya to a masquerade ball tomorrow night.

“Why me?”

“They thought if they invited you, I would surely follow.”

Dietrich shook his head and answered Celiya’s question.

“If we don’t go, they’ll try to harm us somehow on charges of refusing the Emperor’s invitation. This invitation is a trap with no way out. It’s not good to go, and not good not to go.”

Celiya looked at the invitation with a sinking feeling.

She had wondered why it was so quiet, considering that the cruel Ileon had become Emperor, but it seems he was planning this kind of mischief behind the scenes.

“I won’t let you go alone into the snake pit. So don’t worry too much.”

Celiya didn’t know what expression to make when Dietrich said things like this.

“…Thank you. It must be troublesome for you too.”

Dietrich shook his head in response to Celiya’s words.

“Not at all troublesome.”

There was truly an enormous difference between saying such things and not saying them.

Celiya felt genuinely grateful to Dietrich.

Despite keeping their distance from each other for the past few days, they had returned to square one once again.

The more forcefully she tried to push him away, the more he came rushing in.

Celiya realized what she had come to Dietrich’s room to ask.

Unable to forget her duty, Celiya asked Dietrich.

“About what you said, that the three dukes are enemies. I’d like to hear a detailed explanation.”

Perhaps because he was leaning back on the sofa, Dietrich looked like a languid beast resting under a sunlit tree.

Celiya lowered herself near Dietrich and said,

“I’d like you to explain as specifically as possible.”

“As much as you want.”

Dietrich answered without a hint of hesitation, and added:

“If that’s what you desire.”

It was the night of the masquerade ball.

The spacious banquet hall, crafted from golden stone, was dazzlingly splendid.

The domed ceiling was adorned with several magnificent chandeliers decorated with crystal, and in the center was a marble staircase covered with a red carpet.

On one side, the sound of an orchestra playing could be heard.

Those who received invitations and attended all appeared with their faces hidden behind masks.

The women wore the most expensive and elaborate dresses they owned, their waists tightly cinched with corsets to emphasize their slender figures.

The men, too, showed signs of desperate effort to make a good impression on the new Emperor.

Many wore crisp white formal uniforms without a single wrinkle, or appeared with their disheveled hair neatly fixed upwards and wearing gleaming formal attire.

It was difficult to recognize who was who because of the masks.

However, the faces of the people were filled with excitement at the thought of meeting the new Emperor.

“When will His Majesty the Emperor arrive?”

“I wonder. As the main character, don’t you think he’ll make his entrance last?”

The noble ladies wearing white half-masks chatted, fanning themselves with fans made of peacock feathers.

“I’m curious to see which young lady His Majesty will ask for the first dance. There are so many beautiful young ladies here, even with their faces hidden behind masks.”

“At least, I hope it’s not the Angel of Brillione. That woman is a man-eating witch.”

The noble ladies all nodded in unison.

A young nobleman who had been eavesdropping on their conversation casually joined in.

“I’ve heard rumors that the Angel of Brillione is the lover of Duke Calypso…”

One of the ladies, a fervent supporter of Dietrich, strongly denied the well-dressed young nobleman’s words.

“Duke Calypso would never do such a thing. He’s famous for never even glancing at women.”

“…”

The young nobleman’s light purple eyes, visible through the silver half-mask, narrowed.

“…Hmm, I hope it’s just an unfounded rumor.”

The young nobleman exchanged a few more meaningless words with the ladies before returning to his seat.

“Father, it seems Celiya is here. From what I hear, she seems to be living quite well?”

The eyes of the man called father glinted ominously.

“To think she’s doing well without us. It’s a little, no, very vexing.”

“I know, right? If I had known this would happen, I should have pounced on Celiya while she was sleeping.”

“Ahem, Vincent. There are many ears listening, so keep quiet.”

The man called Vincent clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“But Father, you also broke into Celiya’s room, didn’t you?”

“That was… in the past.”

“Why are you acting like this now after we had such a good time together at the tavern? Don’t I know you, Father? You only went for women with silver hair.”

Vincent smirked.

“You really have no filter when it comes to me, do you?”

“Don’t act so proper. Father, I am your son. I know you better than anyone.”

Vincent licked his lips as if quenching his thirst.

“If only Mother and Gabriel hadn’t sent Celiya to the Imperial Palace when we were having fun at the southern resort, she would have been by my side now instead of being called a witch.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right, Father?”

Viscount Brillione swallowed hard.

The first time he saw Celiya was ten years ago, when he stumbled into a narrow alley, drunk and off his usual path.

Under the faint moonlight, he locked eyes with a young girl whose face was covered in dirt and dust.

Despite her shabby appearance, even the grime couldn’t hide the child’s beauty.

Viscount Brillione brought the child, who had been wandering the streets, home and gave her a bath.

The Viscount’s wife and children shook their heads at the Viscount’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“What’s this about bringing home a street beggar? Have you finally gone mad?”

They looked at the Viscount with contempt, clicking their tongues.

It was right after that when the maid reported, with a flushed face, that the bath was finished.

“M-Master.”

The maid’s uncharacteristic stammering was strange. The Viscount and his family, who had been arguing, turned their heads towards the child who had just finished bathing.

Ethereal silver hair and skin so pale it was almost transparent, long eyelashes and emerald green eyes that looked as if they had been directly embedded.

The girl smiled sweetly at the Brillione family members who were staring at her blankly.

As she smiled, her upturned eyes creased gently, and dimples formed in her snow-white cheeks.

Immediately after, the Viscount registered Celiya into the family.

Vincent, the Viscount’s eldest son, made no attempt to hide his lust for Celiya.

Outwardly, he acted like a caring older brother to his non-blood-related sister, but a closer look revealed him to be completely trash.

“But Father, why did you bring that guy along?”

Vincent jerked his chin towards a man in a black mask, tucked away in a corner of the banquet hall.

Although he was wearing a suit of decent quality, his skinny body and turtle-like hunched neck made him look quite unsightly.

He was Cain, the second son of the Brillione family.

“When else would Cain get a chance to come to the Imperial Palace banquet hall? It’s an invitation directly sent by His Majesty the Emperor, no less.”

“…Hmph, I just hope that gloomy guy doesn’t cause any trouble.”

Instead of tightening a corset, Celiya wore a flowy dress that didn’t emphasize her figure.

Every time Celiya moved, her sky-blue dress fluttered like flower petals in the wind.

Dietrich looked disapprovingly at Celiya, who was wearing a white half-mask.

Red eyes beneath the black half-mask showed signs of discomfort.

“What? Do I look strange?”

“Anyone who sees you will know it’s you.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s as if the Angel of Brillione has grown wings. The pack of dogs will swarm around you.”

“How would they know when my face isn’t visible?”

“There’s no one who won’t recognize that you’re Celiya.”

At those words, Celiya narrowed her eyes and carefully examined Dietrich’s attire.

Although he was wearing a black uniform, his toned physique was impossible to hide.

With each breath Dietrich took, his pectoral muscles beneath the uniform buttons swelled and subsided repeatedly.

“You’re not in a position to criticize me.”

“I’m fine, though.”

“How is that fair? You’re fine, but I’m not?”

As Celiya flared up, Dietrich turned his gaze to the window and muttered in a low voice.

“Too… eye-catching… that is.”

“?”

Dietrich’s voice was so quiet that only a few words reached Celiya’s ears intermittently.

When Celiya didn’t understand, Dietrich changed the subject instead of repeating himself.

“I heard your non-blood related family members are coming to the ball today.”

“It’s fine. They’re not my family anyway.”

“That’s good, then.”

Dietrich extended one hand to Celiya.

“Shall we go?”

Celiya entered the ballroom, escorted by Dietrich.

The knights at the entrance, who had been meticulously checking invitations, recognized Dietrich at a glance despite his mask.

The perfectly squared shoulders, the rock-solid muscles that couldn’t be hidden even in a black uniform.

And the blood-red eyes visible through the black mask.

The knights were so stunned that they just stared at each other’s faces blankly.

Dietrich did not have an invitation to attend the ball.

More precisely, the new Emperor, Ileon, had not sent him an invitation.

While Ileon had distributed invitations to all the imperial ministers, he had not sent one to Dietrich, who was both the Captain of the Imperial Knights and a Duke.

According to protocol, it would be correct not to let him into the ballroom in accordance with the new Emperor’s wishes.

However, this was Dietrich.

To the knights who valued strength, Dietrich, a Swordmaster, was a figure worthy of worship.

The knights hesitated, then belatedly turned their attention to the woman he was escorting.

The woman’s green eyes, visible through the white half-mask, were breathtakingly beautiful.

Her long silver hair, reaching down to her waist, shone brightly, reflecting the moon in the sky.

Her red, soft lips looked as if they would burst with sweet juice if bitten.

“…”

The knights realized that the person Dietrich was escorting was Celiya.

“If, if you don’t have an invitation…”

Before the knight could finish speaking, Celiya took out an invitation from her bosom and handed it over.

As they exchanged the invitation, their fingertips brushed ever so slightly.

The knight’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down repeatedly.

Indeed, as the rumors of her being a witch suggested, it felt as if she could completely captivate one’s mind.

“A knight should not forget his duty.”

At Dietrich’s low voice, the knight snapped back to his senses.

There was only one invitation, but there were two people.

As the knights were at a loss for what to do, Ileon’s languid voice was heard from behind them.

“Just let them in.”