VDBO 44

Chapter 44

Two years had passed since then.

“Please let me off here.” “That’ll be 50 Dera.”

I handed the coachman 1 Leaf and got down with my large luggage.

I could hear the coachman calling me back to give me the change for 50 Dera, but I hurried along because I wanted to get inside and rest.

Since summer was approaching, I quickly felt the heat as I carried my bags.

“……”

I had returned to the capital I had fled from two years ago. Now that I thought about it, it seemed like I had always left the capital in a hurry.

And it was all because of my mother.

During those two years, my hair had returned to its silver color.

No longer red, I had cut the messy ends several times, yet my hair still reached my hips.

And finally, the reverse imprint ability my mother wanted had manifested. I didn’t hide this fact.

I couldn’t have hidden it for two years anyway, and hiding it would only have raised suspicion. Instead, I had been exchanging information with Shale to prepare my own countermeasures.

Neither my mother nor Mr. Shvalt had come. Normally, Mr. Shvalt would have brought me personally, but this time I had insisted on coming myself.

It was entirely for my mother’s sake.

Mr. Shvalt had become more cautious than before and preferred to wait and see. But hearing that a masquerade ball would soon take place, I wanted to gauge the situation first and came to the capital ahead.

Even if I came alone, Mr. Shvalt would be behind me. Besides, his subordinates were everywhere in the capital, so it would be fine.

I checked the paper with the address again.

It’s somewhere around here…

After confirming the address, I lifted my luggage again and set off.

I hadn’t decided whose life I would take next to continue living. I didn’t know whether I would return as Blake Ariandel or become someone else entirely.

For the promise I made to Blake, returning as Blake Ariandel was the best way. But no matter what, I wouldn’t use the name Ludwig.

After walking a bit from where I got off the carriage, I found the place I would stay. It was a slightly smaller two-story house than the one I had used before, long empty but well-maintained.

It would do to stay here until Mr. Shvalt contacted me. Or maybe I’d return to the Blake Ariandel mansion.

I opened the door with the key I had brought, and the light spilling in reflected the floating dust inside.

I waved my hand to clear it roughly, brought my luggage in, and closed the door.

I would temporarily live again as Blake Ariandel. Three candidate identities had come up, and as expected, Blake Ariandel was among them.

She was still staying inside the capital, claiming illness. Mr. Shvalt had advised using another name, but I chose this one.

At that time, I had left together with her to prepare for any possible incidents, so I hadn’t encountered any danger. Thus, using this name again carried no risk.

Anyway.

“Ah… it stings…”

To become Blake again, I dyed my hair red. The red dye was relatively easy to apply, which was one reason I had chosen this name.

One candidate had deep green hair, another had jet-black hair. I had wanted the black hair, but black, like Ludwig’s, was too risky.

I had once been told that if my hair were black, I might resemble my mother.

As for the deep green…

Skipping the details, it would have taken three long steps to achieve that color, so I gave up.

Life itself was already painful—I didn’t want to torment my scalp too.

Since Mr. Shvalt had been with my mother, it wasn’t until about a week after I arrived in the capital that we met again.

“You’ve covered up the pretty color.”

He said this regretfully, since I had just restored my natural color only to cover it again.

I could understand his feelings a hundredfold.

Until the day of the masquerade, I lived a quasi-reclusive life. I didn’t step outside even once, having people fetch anything I needed.

In fact, I had plenty to organize and manage inside, so I never felt bored. Being indoors was still busy enough that I didn’t have a moment to rest.

Unlike before, the number of servants had been reduced to five—the minimum needed for cleaning, management, and errands.

Lisa and Nina were slightly delayed due to the reduced staff. In the meantime, I handled important tasks myself, or Ian would move to do them.

The day before the masquerade, I sat in the living room, staring at about ten masks on the table, lost in thought.

They ranged from handheld masks with straps to heavy, jewel-encrusted ornate ones.

After careful consideration, I picked a jet-black mask reminiscent of a cat, covering the bridge of the nose slightly.

It was intricately designed with black opals and lace, almost forming a butterfly shape. Among the masks, it was one of the widest, with thin mesh over the eyes.

This would make it difficult for others to identify me, though it was a bit tight on the inside. Luckily, my vision wasn’t obstructed.

Behind me, Ian watched silently as I chose.

“This one’s fine, right?” “Yes, it’s fine.”

If I didn’t initiate conversation, Ian rarely spoke more than five sentences a day, aside from relaying messages.

Sometimes he even forgot I was right next to him. Always, whether I turned or glanced sideways, Ian was there.

It hadn’t changed for nearly two years, so it wasn’t strange.

“Don’t stick too close to me at the ball. Even if you do, we’ll stand out.” “Yes.”

I fiddled with the mask again. I couldn’t understand why memories of that day two years ago kept coming back.

Occasionally, I dreamed of that day. In the dream, I would shout at Mr. Shvalt to let me down, just like before, until I woke up.

Why… I didn’t know.

Even this morning, I had that dream and woke up. Well, no princes would be at this ball anyway.

“Put the others away.” “Yes.”

I set aside the mask I had chosen and stood up.

The masquerade began at twilight.

I planned to enter only after it had started, when the moon was high.

I boarded the carriage close to midnight.

“Let’s go.”

The banquet was already in full swing.

Compared to usual banquets, the room was dimmed by half, and everyone wore extravagant formal attire and masks.

I checked my mask once more and entered the hall. As I passed through the crowd, unknown nobles greeted me.

To blend in, I raised my hand in time with the music’s flow, facing Ian.

He quickly wrapped his hand around my waist and assumed a stance. Slightly sensual music began.

“Dancing like this, don’t we look normal?” “Yes, it seems so.”

As always, Ian replied stiffly, without emotion.

I danced, observing the faces of surrounding nobles—cat, crow, deer, tiger… masks evoking all kinds of animals.

“…Wait, who’s the crow again?” “Marquis Laduke.” “Is that so? Hmm.”

I continued watching them, using my mask to my advantage.

Before coming, I had a list of who wore which mask. So even from a distance, I could roughly identify them without speaking.

“They say Marquis Laduke and Countess Bavera aren’t on good terms, but that doesn’t seem right.”

I muttered, noticing them from afar.

They weren’t dancing. Instead, they were talking separately from the others.

Countess Bavera was one of the people Mr. Shvalt was planning to recruit, along with some of her associates.

Rumor had it that, like Marquis Laduke, she was somewhat at odds with the royal family. Yet she was secretly exchanging something with key royal officials. I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t something quarrelsome people would do.

Those who were generally at odds with the court were making the most of this masquerade’s unique situation.

Since Marquis Laduke and Countess Bavera weren’t on good terms, I had been somewhat skeptical of the plan to recruit her.