The men and women who had been dancing to the Almande¹A/N: a dance that originated in 16th-century Europe, where couples hold each other’s forearms and turn left or right started screaming so loudly that the glass windows shattered.

Both of them turned their gazes towards the source of the screams. A large chandelier that had adorned the center of the hall fell on the dancing couple. They were crushed beyond recognition.

From that point on, screams could be heard from various places. People rushed to the corners as one chandelier after another fell.

As the last chandelier collapsed, the inside of the hall became so dark that people couldn’t even recognize each other’s faces.

“Are you alright?”

Emmett quickly drew his sword and shouted. But he couldn’t hear Rosé’s voice, only screams.

She disappeared into the darkness. Emmett stepped forward to find Rosé.

Save me! Please!

But then, a man’s cry for help could be heard. Sh*t. Emmett turned his steps and helped the man lying on the pillar.

The smell of blood, the damp humidity, the chilling coldness against the flesh, the changing terrain… The ballroom was turning into a chaotic mess, and Emmett quietly cursed.

It was a battlefield.

* * *

Emmett had run away from Rosé, who was searching for Ariel. No matter how much of a contract worker she was, she was Ariel’s exclusive attendant.

The center of the hall was messy with shattered chandelier fragments. Other people who had realized the situation were sticking to the walls, searching for their companions.

“Princess!”

As he shouted for her, Rosé felt the familiar warmth on her fingertips. Soon, a pale-looking Ariel jumped into her arms. As soon as he saw Rosé, he seemed relieved and clung to her persistently.

“Princess, are you injured?”

Rosé patted his trembling back gently and asked. But it was difficult to communicate with him in the darkness.

Ariel wrote words in his notebook that he always carried around to communicate with people. But now, the ballroom was in complete darkness due to the sudden disaster.

“Just a moment. Let me see.”

Rosé slowly released Ariel from her embrace and assessed his condition. Fortunately, she could make out his face in the faint light.

She saw a couple of vertical wounds on Ariel’s once-fair skin. They were injuries caused by the falling chandelier fragments.

Rosé wiped away a drop of blood from Ariel’s chin with her sleeve. He tightly held onto her arm, enduring his anxiety.

“Princess, it seems that we… …”

“That boundary again.”

Rosé’s eyes widened. The voice that came out of Ariel’s mouth was so low and deep that she could hardly believe it was his voice. He spoke with trembling lips.

“It’s just like back then, Rosé. When the chandelier fell, my mother…”

Tears streamed down Ariel’s wounded cheeks, and Rosé watched him in a daze.

I see. It’s not that he was unable to speak. He was just hiding it, not wanting to reveal that he was a man.

“Princess, it’s okay. I’m here.”

Rosé wiped his tear-stained cheeks and surveyed the surroundings. Ariel was right. The boundary was engulfing the ballroom.

The deepening darkness, crumbling pillars, and unevenly changing floor were evidence of that.

Many people attending the ball were injured or lost their lives under the chandeliers and pillars.

The survivors hid under the tables or clung to the walls, unsure of when they would be attacked by the monsters.

‘I have to survive somehow. And to do that…’

“What I’m doing now should only be known by Your Highness, the princess.”

“Rosé…?”

“If you don’t keep this secret, I’ll reveal to everyone that Your Highness is a man.”

Surprised by Rosé’s unexpected statement, Ariel stopped crying. It seemed that he hadn’t even considered the possibility of spreading rumors.

Ariel and Rosé’s clasped hands rose into the air. Fortunately, there were still some candles lit.

Otherwise, Rosé would be announcing to everyone that she was the Black Cloak.

“Ro-Rosé?”

A confused Ariel sniffled and looked at Rosé, drawing something in the air.

Rosé was calmly performing an action that only a mad person would do, even in this desperate moment.

Anxious, Ariel reached out to grab her arm. But in that moment…

“The B-B-Black Cloak.”

A black cloak appeared in the air. Rosé quickly caught it and flipped it inside out.

Just then, monsters began to appear inside the ballroom. They were giant snakes with two heads. They attacked the hiding people.

Rosé reached out to the only candlestick that was still lit. She gathered pieces of wood from the fallen objects and set them on fire.

Whoosh! As the flames rose, the previously invisible figures became clear.

Children were swallowed whole by the monsters, parents and siblings rushing to save them, nobles still hiding under the tables, and servants carrying drinks for such nobles.

Rosé searched earnestly for a suitable hiding place, her eyes scanning the piled-up chandeliers and pillars, which could be used as a line of defense.

“We have to run over there!”

When Ariel nodded his head, the two of them started running frantically, avoiding the debris. Thankfully, perhaps due to the effect of the black cloak, the monsters did not approach them for the time being. Instead, wailing voices followed her.

“Help us…!”

“Please, save me…”

“There are people here too!”

Cries for help echoed. But she couldn’t do anything. If it weren’t for the black cloak, she would have been helpless. The defensive line was right in front of her.

“Please save us!”

“Someone, please…!”

‘No, still!’

I can’t pretend not to know!

With a sigh, Rosé finally let go of Ariel’s hand. From here on, Ariel could reach the defensive line on her own.

Ariel, who had been running ahead, turned around with a surprised expression and looked at Rosé.

“What are you doing now?”

“Go ahead! I have to rescue the people.”

Rosé picked up a shard of the chandelier that was lying on the floor and spoke.

“I’ll be fine because of this cloak, so please go!”

Even though she waved her hand, Ariel stood still, not even flinching. It was when he opened his mouth as if he would not go unless they went together.

At that moment, the White Knights who had spotted the princess surrounded Ariel. It’s okay now. He was safe.

Rosé ran towards a courtier who was screaming in pain, his leg torn apart by the twin-headed snakes. It seemed like he had been carrying drinks for the hiding nobles when he got caught in the chaos.

“Please… please let me survive… Ugh.”

The man, despite his agony, held onto Rosé’s hand tightly. His trembling lips struggled to speak.

“It’s the… Black… Cloak….”

The Black Cloak is known as the hero of Bistiman. According to an interview in the Monchen newspaper with Sir Raiden from the Blue Knights. And the story was widely known even in the capital. The courtier was well aware of the rumors surrounding her.

Rosé nodded to reassure him, but deep down, she felt a pang of conscience. Most of the stories about the Black Cloak were exaggerated.

She was neither a hero nor a miracle. She was just an ordinary office worker struggling to survive in a possessed body in this world.

‘All I can do is…’

All she could do was to stop the bleeding in his leg. She clenched her teeth and tightly tied the cloth around it. She needed to ask for help.

“Please wait here. I will call for others…”

Slither…

That’s when she heard the sound of snake scales scraping against the floor. Rosé’s stiffened head slowly turned towards the source of the noise. Sure enough, the twin-headed snakes were approaching, flicking their tongues behind them.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Rosé stood in front of the servant, holding the shard she had brought. Her hand trembled like a bamboo in the wind.

Slither…

The giant twin-headed snakes charged forward. Its speed as it swept across the floor was faster than she could imagine.

Just a shard the size of a palm and those sharp fangs. It was obvious who had the advantage without even facing them.

Nevertheless, Rosé swung her arm. But it was not an attacking blow, only a sound of air whistling through.

The twin-headed snakes flicked their tongues, as if chuckling, and opened their mouths wider.

The mouth of the snake, filled with rows of sharp fangs, grew so large that it made Rosé’s head look like an apple. Darkness loomed near her forehead.

Wrong. This time, too, this life of possession was…

Kyaaaa!

She suddenly heard the scream of a demon. Followed by the sound of something huge crashing onto the floor. And then the clang of a sword being sheathed.

Rosé opened her eyes and saw a man standing amidst the scattered bodies of demons.

“So, this is how I repay my debt from back then. Are you alright?”

Rosé could only stare blankly and mumble incoherently.

The man was Sir Raiden, the knight in blue armor whom she had met at Kunalgi. He was also the one responsible for spreading the legend of the Black Cloak.