19 masks

"What do you think, Liv? Does it look good on me?"

Elena bragged about her dress, which would be worn at the birthday party tomorrow. Leabrick answered reluctantly.

"… It's too fancy."

"I asked the dressmaker to pay special attention, but it's so much prettier than I thought."

As Elena asked, the dressmaker Lusen brought with him a dress reminiscent of the Milky Way. The dress was packed with high-end jewelry, from the shoulders of the Milky Way to the tip of the tooth. As a result, you couldn't erase the colorful yet crude feeling.

"Princess, I think you'd better wear this dress for the next banquet."

"W-what's wrong with it, Liv?"

"The birthday party is a reverent celebration in honor of the first head of the Friedrich family. I'm afraid this dress is too fancy to wear for this banquet."

Elena was about to cry when Leabrick poured cold water on her.

"What can we do, Liv? I really want to wear this dress…"

"Do as I say."

Leabrick cut her off with determination, as if to stop bringing it up. Then she took out a simple but elegant dress from the wardrobe.

"It's an early dress made by Lusen, the dressmaker. It fits, so wear this."

"…"

"Princess, won't you answer?"

Leabrick's eyes changed.

"What? Yes. I like that dress, too. I'll wear it."

Elena nodded reluctantly, saying she would do so. As if it was regrettable, she did not forget the act of alternating between dresses.

'It's not even a dress that I wanted to wear in the first place.'

The purpose was to remove and dispose of the jewels decorated in the dress, which did not have to be worn at the banquet. If she had enough money to run away from Leabrick's eyes, that would be enough.

Anne and Lunarin, her maids, were brought into the room and changed her dress. They also changed her shoes and decorations to suit her elegant style.

"I think I've finally found a dress for the Princess. I bet the main character of tomorrow's banquet will be the Princess."

In a compliment that didn't sound sincere, Leabrick pointed out the things to keep in mind at tomorrow's banquet.

First, save your words as much as you can.

Second, do not act independently.

Third, never bump into Ren. Avoid encounters inevitably.

The first two things flowed. It wasn't the story for Elena of now.

Elena noted the last mention of Ren Bastasche. Even if Leabrick did not give advice, she was well aware of his dangers. Ren was an unpredictable man. A man like him who never got tamed. As soon as she was found to be fake, he would rush to take away even a piece of rotten meat.

'I don't know what else to do, but I have to be careful of that son of a bitch.'

He could be a stumbling block to Elena's revenge. That much should be avoided.

"Always keep it in your chest. A little mistake could make you lose everything you're enjoying now. Then rest early for tomorrow, princess."

Leabrick put the tension into the room until just before she left. Elena, who changed to everyday clothes, told the maids to serve refreshments. Sitting on the terrace, enjoying tea time, she saw carriages that were coming without break enter the house through the garden.

"It's already tomorrow."

It was the day Elena made her first debut in the role of Princess Veronica. She remembered the rest of her nervous mistakes.

"What does Sir Hurelbard think of when he sees those carriages?"

Although embarrassed by the sudden question, Hurelbard was good at facial expressions to match the prestige of being the knight of the ice.

"I thought there were a lot of aristocrats in the Empire."

"Yes, there are a lot of them."

Hurelbard stared at Elena without a word. Elena, who felt the gaze, looked back.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm sorry."

Hurelbard quickly apologized, taking it as a reprimand.

"If you're sorry, keep looking at me like that."

"What?"

"It's a punishment."

This uncontrollable whim of the lady left Hurelbard perplexed. Elena enjoyed the reaction while drinking black tea. Hurelbard, who watched her without saying a word, took out his sincere heart.

"… It is not possible to tell what the Princess is thinking."

Sometimes he felt like he was looking at a snobbish, vain, and senseless noblewoman of that age. However, sometimes she showed authority that could not be resisted and nobility that could be respected.

"Is that a compliment? Or is it a curse for insinuation?"

"Curse, that's absurd. I'm telling you because I think you're out of my depth."

Elena smiled as she watched Hurelbard, who was worried that she might misunderstand. It was a pure smile that she had never made before.

"Then I'll keep trying. A lady you can read the mind of is not attractive."

"…"

Again. Hurelbard tried to accept her rather than understand her. Elena suddenly threw someone's name at him.

"Ren Bastache, have you ever heard of this name?"

"I remember him as heir to the Bastache family, who became independent of the Grand Duchy."

Elena nodded.

"The perfect thug."

"What are you saying now…"

"He's a man who can't look for manners even after washing his eyes. A very rude and disgusting man."

Arrogant. Is there another expression that's more appropriate than that?

Hurelbard was speechless by the vulgar words that came from Elena's mouth, which showed her aristocratic nobility.

"He's coming to see me tomorrow. Without an appointment."

"… Your Highness the Princess?"

"Sir, keep in mind what I'm saying from now on. Don't stand up to him no matter what he does. Do you understand?"

Hurelbard, who did not understand the true meaning of the words, asked back.

"Is that an order?"

"Yes."

In response to Elena's short and decisive answer, Hurelbard wanted to ask why, but he was just a knight, so he shut up.

"I'll follow."

Elena's lips crept up when he answered that he would do so obediently.

'Please understand that I want to hide you more.'

She hated to admit it, but Ren was strong. He was recognized as one of the three swords that supported the empire. It was not necessary to create a quarrel with Ren and reveal the existence of Hurelbard.

"Sir, can I tell you a secret?"

Hurelbard lowered his chin and made eye contact. Elena's eyes bent like a crescent moon. It was an eye smile that was so fascinating that his heart sank.

"Sir is my only pride."

"…!"

Hurelbard's expression was strangely distorted by the compliment without a subject. He guessed it was because of his appearance, but he felt bitter because he seemed to be recognized only for his appearance, regardless of his duty as a knight. He didn't even know it was his misunderstanding.

***

The Friedrich family, with its long and proud history, had countless annual events. Among them, the anniversary of the birth of the Duke of Rosette, the first lord of the family and a contributor to the opening of the Vecilian Empire, was treated as the grandest event in the family. The goal was to praise the achievements of being a member of the hero who opened the door of the empire and the achievements of leading the family, and to have a heart of gratitude for generations to generations.

It was the largest event in the family, and this year, the scale was even bigger.

Princess Veronica. This was because rumors had spread throughout the capital that she had returned to the Grand Duchy, where rumors of bad news had been rampant for nearly two years.

At the heart of the imperial power and the head of the four great families, Grand Duke Friedrich, there was only one daughter, Princess Veronica. As women can also inherit the title, Princess Veronica was the heir to the Grand Duchy in both name and reality. It was only natural for the nobles to be nervous about her return to the social scene on the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of the first head of the family.

Despite the fact that an official banquet had been scheduled, the mansion was bustling with nobles who had arrived since yesterday without a footstep. Even now, a procession of carriages of noblemen waiting to enter the mansion after being identified continued along the streets of the capital.

In the parlor, there were piles of precious gifts that the nobles had presented as a sign of congratulations. They included rare works of art, jewels, the finest cars from across the sea from the Orient, and silks from the north. Even if they disposed of these gifts alone, they would still have more than enough money to buy an entire estate for a lump sum.

At that time, an aristocrat's son was strolling through the residence of a Grand Duke as if it were his own home. He was wearing a shirt that didn't feel like a formal dress, and because he didn't button it all the way up, his chest was clear. Her hair was unkempt, unrestrained and weak, and he even whistled as if he didn't care what people thought. He looked like an aristocrat, but his un-aristocratic appearance made him look rebellious and drew attention.

"Who is he? He's not supposed to be in here…"

"He's a noble, isn't he?"

"Don't you think so? Between us, he looks a bit delinquent for a nobleman."

"He's a little crooked."

It was the time when the maids made a lot of noise when they saw a man walking around freely in the main building instead of the annex that welcomed the nobles.

The man walking past the maids suddenly turned around. The maids shuddered as he approached them with power in his eyes and threatened them.

"Hey, if you want to know, you'll have to ask. What are you talking about so openly? I feel bad."

"I-I'm sorry."

The maids were embarrassed and tried to leave as if they had fled.

Slowly.

The man quietly stretched out his legs. The feet of the maidservants, who were hurriedly moving ahead, caught, and the maidservants fell one after another like dominoes.

"Who told you to go? I heard a bad word and got an indelible wound in my chest."

"I-I have committed a sin worthy of death. Please forgive me once."

The maids begged and begged, not knowing that their knees had been scraped. They had seen countless maids who had been kicked out of their homes because they were hated in the eyes of the nobility, or had suffered horribly, so they had no choice but to bow their heads and beg for mercy.