“Take off the mask.”

Cassel said, observing the maid with black hair.

It was just curiosity. Cassel wanted to confirm the face of the maid out of a slight suspicion, and the guards immediately stepped forward.

As the men from the escort approached, the crouched maid fled as if on cue. Then, she screamed, blocking the guards’ hands as if she didn’t want her mask taken away.

‘Why is she so desperate?’

It was just a matter of taking off the mask.

As Cassel looked at her suspiciously, the pageboy next to him suddenly shouted.

“Don’t take off the mask!”

It was a petite voice that suited his delicate build.

The young pageboy tried to stop the guards as if protecting the maid. However, it was in vain.

“Ah!”

The guards pushed the slender boy without responding. Then, they quickly took off the mask of the crouched maid.

“Aah…”

The unmasked maid whimpered as if sobbing.

So, Cassel became more puzzled.

Naturally, as expected, the black-haired maid was not Ibi. She was a woman he had never seen before, seemingly from the lower continent.

The woman’s face was smeared with tears due to the recent turmoil. Apart from that, it was a very ordinary face, neither beautiful nor ugly.

So, Cassel became more curious about why this woman desperately held onto the mask.

“Why are you wearing masks?”

“By Lord Marquis’s order…”

When Cassel asked, the scared maid, instead of the sobbing one, answered.

“The mercenaries often take the ladies away. So, we wear masks.”

“What difference does it make if you wear a mask?”

“If we wear a mask, the ladies endure more.”

When Cassel asked incredulously, the boy weakly replied.

“If the mask is taken off, the ladies will be punished. So, even if something bad happens, they can’t say anything.”

“Hmm…”

Cassel only realized the meaning of the mask then and burst into a laughter mixed with irritation.

The situation was clear. There was no discipline or morality here, and men were savages with no future, while women received no protection.

As a result, it was common for mercenaries to recklessly take maids away. Furthermore, it was not uncommon for them to fight over a beautiful maid or relentlessly chase one until it resulted in harm.

With such relentless commotion, Lord Brick made everyone wear masks.

Although it didn’t make the mercenaries’ dirty deeds disappear, at least the problem could be covered up.

Firstly, the incidents of mercenaries causing trouble to a specific maid noticeably decreased. Even if the maids suffered, they remained silent. The responsibility of not keeping the mask was heavy, so there was no choice.

“Be quiet and take it.”

“So the upper-class people can be more comfortable.”

The boy replied cheekily to Cassel’s muttering.

Cassel, frowning, stared at the impertinent kid and then turned his gaze to the maid who didn’t know what to do after losing her mask.

“You, from today, serve me.”
This was Cassel Montra’s mercy. It was a whim thrown out of some sense of responsibility.

However, the scrawny maid, not understanding English, sniffled and blinked her eyes, and Cassel, rolling his tongue, spoke to his pageboy again.

“Maid, work in my room.”

Leaving those words behind, Cassel turned away.

‘Is he trying to help?’

In an unexpected situation, the boy glanced at Cassel’s back.

‘What did he eat wrong? Why doesn’t it suit him?’

The boy, Ibi, looked awkward, pretending to be a good servant of the trashy marquis. So, wearing a mask, he awkwardly nodded his head for a while.

A few hours ago, Ibi changed clothes with the maid he had rescued due to Lord Brick’s expulsion order.

Leaving the maid as his substitute, Ibi left with DS, staying alone in the arena.

But he immediately changed out of the maid’s clothes. Judging by the atmosphere, there was a high possibility of getting involved in all sorts of trouble if he roamed around like this.

‘This is the symbol of an easy human.’

Ibi mumbled bitterly, looking around the castle, and then changed into a servant’s clothes at a suitable place.

Wearing the clothes like tying a rope, and putting on a short wig, Ibi became an utterly inconspicuous boy.

‘Bringing an extra wig was a good idea.’

Satisfied with this disguise, Ibi found a safe place to hide until DS and Ubeya arrived.

While doing so, he heard a weak voice.

“Let go, please…”

Following the sound and going out into the corridor, a truly irritating scene was unfolding.

Mercenaries drunk in broad daylight and a drunken maid.

Seeing that sight, Ibi made up his mind. He decided to take a break in the mercenary’s room for a while. Of course, that man would become very pale before that. At least he would suffer for several days.

When Ibi was about to provoke that mercenary to be dragged away instead of the maid, Count Cassel suddenly appeared. It was a truly ironic coincidence.

“Put on your clothes properly and come to the Black Lord’s room. If anyone tries to give you different tasks or take you away, show this mark.”

Cassel handed the mark to the maid and turned away.