“……Hello, madam.”

I barely managed to speak.

The beautiful devil young lady showed her respects to me, smiled, and slowly offered her right hand.

I gulped, took her hand and kissed the back of her hand.

I was as anxious as when I first entered the ballroom and felt as if my mind was going blank. ‘Now what do I do?

What else am I supposed to say? I’ve only been on one group date when I was in college!’

-♬♩♪!

My eyes were rolling around as I thought when, fortunately or unfortunately, elegant music started playing.

She used movements as slick as water to wrap one arm around my shoulder.

‘Y, you want to dance together?’

“Mm, please take good care of me.”

I cautiously commented and the woman quietly chuckled as if she found it to be entertaining.

Thanks to the intense training I had, I did not take any wrong steps or step on her feet despite being anxious.

I didn’t know where to look so my eyes had wandered around before I decided to look next to her ear.

The young lady chuckled once again. I was so embarrassed that my ears felt hot.

‘I’m not like this around my few friends or work buddies. I’m really not……’

– Rustle, ruuuuustle.

“Hahaha!”

Capes and dresses fluttered along with the music while the adrenaline-filled guests were laughing out loud.

The devil lady seemed to have no sense of rhythm at all but she was okay with my assistance.

I supported her hips while debating whether this could potentially be Christelle.

However……

– Riiiiiiiip!

‘Ah fuck.’

During my first meeting with Christelle, she ripped an expensive dress in the temple.

After that, she usually did not wear dresses.

She said that they were pretty but she had to give them up because they were not very practical.

I heard that she destroyed them a lot and tripped over her own dress as well, so I don’t think she would look this natural in a dress.

“Your highness.”

I heard Eva’s voice at that moment. I flinched and looked to my side.

The young Duchess, who was dancing with another young lady, was smiling mischievously while looking at me.

“Did you really turn into a black knight who has fallen for the devil’s seduction?”

The child whispered as if to make fun of me.

“……”

Those words brought me back to my senses. This was not the time for me to be doing this.

I looked at the young lady’s eyes that were faintly visible because of a veil and clenched my teeth.

Modeste Bacary, the young Captain of the Fleur-de-lis, said that he witnessed the shadow of death in this place.

It wasn’t something major like a terrorist attack or an assassination, but there was definitely a suspicious person in this ballroom.

I needed to inform my friends who are scattered around this place about it and find that person.

Because……

– You are in danger.

– There seems to be something that the Almighty God has planned for you.

The Ark of the Wind Deity’s voice echoed in my mind.

Of course, the danger he talked about might not be this situation.

This incident may have no connections to me at all and I might just be getting riled up for no reason.

However, if the little seer had foresight regarding content that is different from the original, it was hard to say that it was not related to me at all.

Either way, it wouldn’t be good to resolve the issue.

“Madam, if you……”

I whispered to the devil young lady.

She looked up at me and we were so close that the tips of our nose might touch with the slightest of movement.

I was about to say something more before closing my mouth.

I was about to tell her to let me know if you see any suspicious people, but I could not forget that she might be that person.

“If you see Dame Christelle de Sarnez or his Royal Highness, please let me know.”

I changed directions instead. She smiled brightly and nodded her head.

After that, I continued to dance with the devil young lady with a calm and clear mind.

Her fingers by my neck tapped completely off beat from the music and she sometimes moved differently from the proper steps.

I looked around for any suspicious people while I danced with her, but nobody stood out.

‘……Seriously, I don’t have enough clues.’ It wasn’t as if I could just grab anybody and interrogate them.

“Thank you very much.”

The dance came to an end. I respectfully bowed to her before quickly leaving the crowd.

Benjamin and Sir Johann were waiting for me at the table.

I could see the seer sleeping on the couch as well.

“How did it go?”

“I shared the revelation with Duchess Blanquer and her husband. Her husband was concerned and asked if we should stop the masquerade. However, Duchess Cecil did not agree. She said that nobody has left the main building until now so it might be better to close it off and catch any suspicious people here.”

Benjamin explained. It made sense.

The Lord’s Castle had a lot of guards and the strength of the people here was quite high.

The Duchess herself was a Grade 8 mage and we also had Christelle, the Crown prince, Vice Captain Élisabeth, and Marquis Duhem who arrived not too long ago.

“Did anybody seem suspicious?”

I asked Sir Johann. I smiled with an extremely awkward look on his face.

“There were a lot of people secretly chatting on the terraces or balconies. But to ask them what they are talking about…… The mood in the air was quite hot.”

‘That…… I see. Mm, that is understandable. There are rumors about Prince Jesse fooling around like that as well.’

I rubbed my cheek with my hand that was cold from being covered by armor.

“Both of you did great. Unfortunately, I did not have any gains. I couldn’t even find Dame Sarnez or his Royal Highness. I’m sorry.”

Benjamin let out a deep sigh before waving his hand to tell me not to worry.

“I found David-nim and informed him of the situation so his Royal Highness should have heard by now. Dame Sarnez should have heard as well because she is his dance partner.”

“That’s great. You worked very hard.”

As expected, Benjamin was our problem solver. I gave him a thumbs up and looked around the ballroom again.

I noticed Eva coming our way and quickly waved my hand.

I thought that I should feed her while telling her about the seer and at least come up with some sort of plan before we moved again.

Huh? I could see Vice Captain Élisabeth and Ganael as well!

*

“I’m sleepy.”

Eva sat down on a round couch and mumbled.

It was understandable because it was already past 11:30pm.

Vice Captain Élisabeth clicked her tongue and pulled off the child’s mask to brush her hair back.

It was extremely tricky to find any suspicious guests when we had no clues.

Even the attendants handing out champagne on silver plates were wearing masks.

In addition…

‘Unfortunately, I cannot remove this corsage. The Black. Flame. Dragon. inside of me will run wild.’

‘Ah…… I see.’

The nobles who were drunk on this costume concept would say some unfathomable things.

Eva had her arm around mine and dutifully participated in the Beau Monde for two hours, but she seemed quite fatigued now.

She seemed to want to give up as she said, ‘your highness, it is you. You are the most suspicious here.’ and pointed me out.

She wasn’t really wrong so I nodded my head as I responded.

“Close your eyes, Eva. I’ll wake you up when your parents come out.”

The young Countess gently soothed Eva and laid her down on her lap.

The stamina of a Grade 8 swordswoman was unbelievable and her fiance, Ganael, was still lively as well.

The two of them also thoroughly searched the ballroom without any results.

We didn’t receive any special messages from Duchess Blanquer either.

I peeked toward Bacary, who was sleeping without any movement.

“Should we wake him up and ask again, your highness?”

Ganael, who took off his lion mask and had it at his side, asked. I gently shook my head no.

Sir Johann already confirmed that the Captain was not sleeping. He was in ‘mana interphase,’ a special kind of rest for mages.

He would not be able to wake up until the flow of mana inside of him stabilized.

“I will go once more. Vice Captain Élisabeth, get some rest of Ganael.”

I pulled my veil down as I said that.

Sir Johann was working hard so I could still bear with it as well.

I made up my mind to do my best for my survival and return home so I planned on working hard even if it did not lead to any results.

It would be best if nothing ended up happening.

*

“Ah. I’m really sorry.”

“You will need to work harder to earn my loyalty, my esteemed Black Knight.”

I finally ended up stepping on my partner’s shoe and the person who was cosplaying the Phantom of the Pas de Trois respectfully criticized me.

My attention seemed to have fallen because I was a bit tired.

I smiled bitterly and bowed when the song and my partner changed.

I looked at the person in front of me with bewilderment.

“Hmm?”

“……”

-♪♬♩

It was the angel I met at the tower.

The silver-haired man tightly held me as if we were wrestling but started dancing the waltz while leading extremely well.

I was a bit embarrassed but it was nice because I could relax.

Step forward, backward, spin like the water in a lake.

I moved my feet mechanically and thoroughly looked around.

More nobles started chatting instead of dancing as the night grew deep.

There were a lot less people in the middle of the ballroom than a few hours ago.

“Umm, thank you for keeping my identity a secret.”

I remembered that I did not thank him earlier and did it now.

However, the angel just kept his mouth shut despite my whispering. ‘I guess he doesn’t talk much.’

The way his nose is proudly held up and the way he acts is exactly like some-

“Hold on.”

My eyes opened wide as I looked at him. I got chills on my arm.

I was spun out like a top for two steps before returning on beat.

“Are you perhaps who I think you are?”

“……”

The man was silent and unresponsive. It was scary because this made him seem even more like that person.

I felt as if his face was overlapping on top of this white mask.

It was my fault for thinking that there were two punks in the Empire with legs this long, but if this really is him…… If this really is the crown prince, then the devil young lady was Christelle.

‘Damn it! Let me go home!’

“Did the two of you not come to the table until now to make fun of me? What did you do about your snacks?”

“Did you properly plant the tulip roots?”

I heard a rough voice behind me at that moment.

An extremely ominous feeling struck me on the back of the head.

I turned my head to look but the dancers were hidden behind other nobles and I could not see.

‘Is it maybe that armored person from earlier? Is he going around asking that question to everybody?’

“Something is weird.”

I poked my head around and mumbled.

The man who will ask the same question until his voice went out and left without even saying bye after hearing the answer.

It seemed too much for just being a concept. The music was slowly getting cheerful.

I subconsciously frowned and my face tensed up.

The angel peeked toward where I was glaring and…

– ♩♪♬!

“Eek!”

Lifted me up by the waist on beat.

I couldn’t breathe for a moment, felt extremely embarrassed and shocked and flabbergasted that I let out a weird noise!

“Have you confirmed his location?”

The angel stoically asked. ‘I knew it, you are the damn crown prince!’

“Hey, you……”

Only the male lead would be able to let out such a voice.

My disbelief would not go away despite returning to the ground.

Everybody dancing had done it but I still could not get used to i……

No. ‘Don’t forget your goal, Jung Yeseo.’

“Hmm, ahem. I lost him, your Royal Highness. Let’s do it again.”

I fixed my voice, pulled back my veil, and answered in a solemn voice.

The crown prince spun in a circle as he nodded with his chin. And then…

-♬♩••••••!

“Ugh!”

He picked me up like a bag of rice on the next beat.

I held my breath, opened my eyes wide and scanned the ballroom.

Someone who was covered in armor and limping was urgently following someone to the balcony.

‘I got you now, you bastard!’

“Please take care of the rest!”

Tap! I landed on the ground, left the crown prince there, and ran.

I felt like I was the ball in pinball or a falling pinwheel as I tried to get through the nobles who were spinning around dancing.

But it did not take long to get to the balcony.

I caught my breath and looked back and forth at the two balconies.

‘Shit, is it because I’m dizzy? I can’t remember which one it is!’

– Chh!

“Please excuse me!”

I first pulled open the left curtain. ‘If this is wrong, I can open the right side,

“Ah……”

I was at a loss for words for a moment.

Marquis François Duhem, and a young girl who seemed to be his dance partner, were leaning against the ledge looking at me in shock.

This was clearly an unexpected development for both sides.

We were silent for a moment and did not even greet each other.

My fingertips were slightly shaking. My night air felt extremely cold, potentially because it was Fall.

‘Did I get the wrong one? I must have, right?”

“Prince Jesse.”

I Marquis finally spoke to me extremely respectfully. I flinched. After that…

“Ow, ugh……”

Someone painfully groaned on the first floor.

Crunch! I heard a branch break.

I could tell what was going on even without looking down.

The armored person had jumped off the balcony and ran.

—
Translator’s Comments

Dun dun duuuuuuun…

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