82 – The Masquerade Ball (2)

“······So what do you mean by telling me?”

“Are you already wanting to break up with me? I’ve felt it since the other day, but Prince Albert is so ruthless.”

“····.”

My expression naturally frowned at Estelle’s pitiful acting, which seemed to not work at all.

I wonder if Rebecca felt like this when she was teased by me on a fictional day.

It would not be a mistake to think that after this ball she would have to be somewhat self-respecting in making fun of her fiancée.

“I’m kidding.”

Fortunately, Estelle’s performance did not last long.

Since he is wearing a mask, his expression will not be visible, so I must have guessed it roughly. Maybe my expression inside the mask will never be in good condition.

“There’s no way I would regard Prince Albert as unkind.”

“I guess you could consider it heartless.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No.”

“······That’s a very strong wall. Is it because of the princess?”

Estelle sticks out her tongue as if in admiration for the line drawing that doesn’t give any distance.

“Well, I guess.”

I didn’t really mean to point out Estelle’s words.

The reason I want to keep my distance from the saint is because of my fiancée.

Of course, if you go a little deeper here, there will be feelings of not wanting to steal the heroine from the poor prince, or a feeling of rejection towards Estelle, who is so different from the original.

The first step was to find her fiancée, who, at least for now, would be watching over me somewhere around here.

The shape of the saintess’s mouth, which was not completely covered by her mask, showed that she was surprised.

“It’s surprising. Clearly, when I first met Gongja, the two of you didn’t look like a good fiancée and fiancée.”

“Isn’t that what life is originally like?

“······Life is like that… Prince Albert is much narrower than he looks.”

“To be praised by that saintess. I’m so moved that I don’t know what to do.”

“Does this sound like a compliment?”

“Yes.”

“····.”

The shape of the mouth of a saintess made after the shape of the mouth of surprise.

I don’t know if I should be happy that I’ve brought out such an appearance from a saintess who is merciful to everyone and always virtuous.

“Why don’t you stop playing with words and tell me what you really want to say?”

“······I understand. “

Looking at Estelle trying to bring out the purpose that finally came to me, it was at least easy to see who the victor was in this fight.

“Then, follow me for a moment.”

“Is it so important that you have to move?”

“Yes. It’s not something you can easily say in a public place. Are you sure you don’t want to hear it?”

“······I don’t really want to hear a story that important.”

I didn’t really like it.

Until now, Estelle has shown me a different side from her usual image, but it was true that she held the title of a saint.

The representative of the church, the very image of the church that is admired by everyone.

And there was almost no possibility that such a person would move from one place to another and talk carefully.

“I am just the only son of a count family who was lucky enough to be betrothed to the best princess in the empire.”

“So, what Young master said means that you are not as special as you think, so there is no need to tell you important things?”

“To be honest, yes. I don’t know why I can hear the secret stories from the saintess.”

“Hmm… Young master has very little self-esteem than I thought.”

“As you said, I have very low self-esteem, so why don’t you just die?”

“I don’t like it. Why me?”

“·······Yes?”

“The crown prince also said that Prince Albert must listen to this story.”

“····.”

Anyway, it seemed that making my feelings of pity for Mikhail disappear from my head would help me live.

What do you mean the prince is pitiful? He makes his servant and friend, who has not yet had a coming-of-age ceremony, bear this burden.

From now on, the thought that I should treat Mikhail in a more nasty way than before was deeply rooted in my heart.

Estelle watched me shudder for a moment, then she put a small smile on her lips and said,

“Even the crown prince didn’t ask me to listen without thinking. This matter is also related to Prince Albert.”

“······Did you say it had something to do with me?”

“Yes. I can’t tell you the details here, but it’s true that it’s related to Prince Albert.”

To be honest, I did not easily understand.

The fact that the saintess said that I was related to her was suspicious.

From the outside world, I’m just a son of a count family engaged to Princess Rebecca.

What the hell happened to Estelle to say that it has something to do with me?

Perhaps I felt agitated, Estelle gave me a cause that I had no choice but to follow.

“I think if you follow me, you will have a better chance of winning Gongja-nim’s bet. What do you think?”

“······ How does the saintess know the bet between me and her princess?”

“Did the Crown Prince tell you yesterday?”

“····.”

“Anyway, it’s said that a woman knows her heart well, right? That’s why Young master following me will help me win the bet.”

This, too, was not easily understood.

It was strange that even if Mikhail told it in the first place, the saintess and her princess knew the contents of the bet, which only Mikhail, who proposed the bet, would know.

It wasn’t just one or two strange things.

“I understand.”

However, it was virtually impossible to come this far and refuse.

It was after I heard that it had to do with me already, and she said she would teach me how to win the bet with Rebecca as a reward for following her.

How could I refuse this offer, feeling helpless in finding her fiancée?

“Okay. As expected, when Prince Albert brought up the story of Princess Rebecca, he immediately changed his mind.”

“Certainly that’s what the Crown Prince said…”

“Yes. The Crown Prince told me to do this if Prince Albert refuses.”

“····.”

With the thought in my head that I had to somehow visit the prince’s office once more after this ball, I slowly followed Estelle’s lead.

***

“····.”

Her fiancé was following someone and heading somewhere.

– But is it really okay for a saintess to be here like this?

– Wouldn’t it be better to worry about Young master rather than worry about me?

– ···.

That someone’s true identity was none other than the saintess, Estelle.

“······· Ah.”

As she witnessed the scene, unknown and strange feelings began to emerge in her head one by one.

It’s been a while.

It’s not easy to notice, but if you keep trying to reveal your identity, you’ll see this helpless sense of defeat.

Isn’t this the first feeling she has felt since the last time her fiancé came down with a cold and the saintess came to cure him?

It was not difficult to recognize her fiancé among the crowd of people wearing masks.

Her fiancé had only one device to conceal herself, a mask with almost no pattern or pattern.

How could she not be recognized by anyone else?

He was the person next to me, whom I had been looking at even in the carriage earlier.

It was fun at first.

Because watching her fiancé looking for her while mingling among her people was more fun than I thought.

Her appearance, always looking at her leisurely with her sly face, is nowhere to be found, a little bit of her anxiously seeking only her one person.

The figure of her fiancé strangely satisfied her desire hidden somewhere in her heart.

Of course, it was right to assume that even if her fiancée tried hard, the chances of finding her out were slim to none.

It was never easy to find one person among those who hid themselves with magical tools and magic.

Besides, it’s true that there are only a few people in the Empire who can recognize her disguise magic.

This bet, as I said before, was almost impossible for her to lose, unlike before.

– Hello, excuse me, but would you like to dance with me?

Until the woman in the blue mask approaches her fiancé for the first time.

“····.”

The emotions at the time were not the emotions I normally feel.

That was natural. After confirming each other’s feelings, she was always attached to the events that we participated in.

Until now, no noble approached her fiancé by ignoring the name of the Duke of Valencia and the name Rebecca Valencia.

However, the place where she was standing was a masquerade ball.

A space where aristocrats can hide each other’s identities or pretend not to know each other and enjoy a ball they haven’t normally enjoyed.

It meant that even if an approaching noble found out the identity of her fiancé, it was a space where she could talk to her without knowing it.

– Sorry. Let your partner be away for a while.

– ······Well, I get it. I can’t help it.

Fortunately, her fiancé sent back the nobleman who approached her on the pretext that her partner was away, but even so, she couldn’t stop this unpleasant feeling from popping up in her head.

“····.”

The situation that followed was the current situation.

A situation where you can’t call your fiancé who is walking with another woman, tied to the rope of betting.

A situation where she has no choice but to watch her fiancé from afar in a different way from her usual self.

A situation where you think that the target of defeat is not your fiancé but a saint.

And in this unpleasantly unpleasant situation, she made a commitment instead of approaching her fiancé.

“If you can’t find it… Be prepared.”

If her fiancé can’t find her, then her future wishes will never be fulfilled.

Until now, that her fiancé would not care at all how she made her wishes.

······I will put a stamp on it so that no one else can touch it again.

She doesn’t like her accessories very much, so the only accessory she put on was slightly shiny.