9. the inside of the beast’s mouth is warmer than expected

Since morning, Lysith was overwhelmed by the maids’ insistence as preparations for the banquet were in full swing.

This was said to be a fragrance that improved skin, and that one was so wonderfully scented that it had to be used. After being massaged and bathed, she emerged from the bath exhausted, only to be asked to choose a dress. Annoyed, she picked one at random, only to be told it wouldn’t do, and the maids began their own debate once more.

“Let’s just wear anything…”

“Didn’t you say something similar last time? Our answer is the same this time.”

“That’s right!”

‘Can’t you just give in a little…’

Honestly, today was the much-anticipated day to target the Emperor. So whatever their reasons, it was true that there was no harm in dressing up nicely. But how many beautiful and pretty things must he have seen in his position?

No matter how beautifully she dressed, it would probably be the same.

Just as she thought, ‘Could it be because of Dietrich?’ Eve spoke to her with a determined face.

“It’s not because of anyone in particular, but you haven’t been dressing up much lately.”

“That’s because I don’t need to…”

“This is our joy.”

“I’m not enjoying it…”

Whether they saw Lysith’s dazed expression or not, the dress they finally decided on after much debate was placed before her.

“…It’s the first one I picked. What was all the fuss for…”

Whether she muttered with a displeased expression or not, the lady’s words, which were usually listened to, were always ignored at times like this. Lysith, having given up again, let them do as they pleased, and they eagerly displayed their skills.

After finishing the light makeup, Lysith stood up unsteadily, and the maids screamed for her to stand up straight. She agreed, straightened her back, and saw a woman polished to shine standing in the full-length mirror with a sullen face.

‘Is that me…?’ She couldn’t even see clearly, too tired to be moved.

Though the maids had done all the work, they were lively, while Lysith felt like a soaked sponge.

‘Why am I the only one exhausted? Something’s wrong.’

Glancing at the mirror, the dress they had chosen after much discussion was a lovely pink. At the top was a pale pink, almost white, and it gradually deepened into a gradient towards the bottom. Despite being midsummer, it wasn’t off-shoulder this time but rose to the neck, contrasting with the back, which was daringly low-cut.

Turning to look at the back, it felt precariously low, almost to the hips. Clearly, Madame hadn’t been in her right mind when she made it.

When the back is exposed, the hair must be styled up. The maids were faithful to tradition.

Her hair was braided, then skillfully twisted up, with small loose strands creating a natural look. It could easily have looked like a hairstyle done after lying in bed, yet they managed to make it look presentable. Their skill in beautifying was certainly commendable.

Feeling awkward with her bare back, Lysith watched as Eve brought a thin cape, seemingly anticipating this.

After putting on the cape and turning around once, Lysith laughed inwardly.

‘These fearsome girls…’

Even the length of the cape seemed calculated. Standing still, it covered the cutout area entirely, but its borderline length meant that with slight movement, the bare skin inside the cape peeked out tantalizingly.

As she slowly turned again, checking her reflection, she heard the maids whispering.

“Come to think of it, the Tower Master expressed his interest in attending.”

“Really? He usually doesn’t come.”

“Everyone was surprised.”

It was about time for Ashites to come. He said he would come for the Emperor’s birthday celebration before they parted.

Pretending not to hear, Lysith rolled her eyes and ignored the maids’ gazes. She heard things like ‘Because of the lady?’ and ‘Seems like he’s coming because of the lady,’ but she pretended not to hear again.

After placing the final ornament in her hair, Lysith moved and left the room.

Normally, it would be better to have a partner, but there wasn’t anyone suitable. Though Ashites had expressed his intention to attend, there had been no contact from him…

It was a problematic banquet where three out of the four male protagonists would gather. Of course, it had been the same last time, but the situation was entirely different now. The banquet was just an excuse; the main purpose lay elsewhere.

But this time, her goal was to meet the Emperor at the banquet, and both the Grand Duke, who was clearly concerned about her, and the Tower Master, who clearly liked her, would be in one place. She hoped there wouldn’t be a three-way or four-way confrontation…

‘Whenever I think like this, it always happens.’

Shaking her head, Lysith calmed her heart. The most straightforward way to approach the Emperor was to pay her respects, but that seemed too stereotyped, likely leading nowhere.

More importantly, she had to be mindful of prying eyes.

If it were just a visual novel game, she wouldn’t worry about such things. She’d just play, thinking it was a jealousy scene among the male leads, no matter what happened. But in the reality she faced, she had to be cautious about everything and consider the other male leads’ reactions.

The biggest problem was that she couldn’t see the affection meter. If, by any chance, the Emperor’s affection was negative, then she’d be crawling into the beast’s mouth for nothing.

Lysith almost sighed deeply but quickly closed her mouth. Lost in thought, she found herself already in the splendid main hall. In such a place, it was best not to attract any attention.

She debated whether to activate her passive but decided against it, fearing a backlash. The melancholy didn’t seem likely to work either.

Ashites hadn’t arrived yet, and the Grand Duke had just entered. As if searching for her, he discreetly moved his gaze, so she deliberately hid among the crowd as she moved.

She wondered if conversing with him might attract the Emperor’s attention, but she didn’t want to risk taking a dangerous path. She knew too little about the Emperor.

While walking sideways, lost in thought, Lysith overheard a peculiar conversation from behind.

“For a noble lady, she seems to enjoy herself regardless of a divorce or whatever.”

“……”

“Hey, don’t you think so?”

“Ah, haha. Yes, well.”

As Lysith subtly turned her head towards the source of the remark, the speaker pretended to be unaware, diverting the conversation to the taste of the wine and what would be presented to His Majesty.

She recognized the face. Isn’t that Viscount Minerva or something?

Debating whether to leave it alone, Lysith suddenly recalled a certain fact and smiled.

It would be much better for him to be rebuked by her words than to be torn apart by the Tower Master. With that thought, she checked Dietrich’s position and turned to approach the man.

“Viscount Minerva, it’s been a while.”

“Ah, who do we have here? Isn’t it Lady Gronevelt?”

“Yes. Ah, I happened to overhear your conversation just now, and I was deeply moved by your words.”

“Are you talking about the taste of the wine? Indeed, the champagne from the imperial palace is…”

“No. You mentioned divorce, didn’t you?”

As Lysith spoke openly about divorce with a bright smile, she could feel the curious gazes of those around her. The sound of fans fluttering was intermittently heard.

“My goodness, I never imagined that the Viscount would be such an old-fashioned person. I was truly surprised.”

“Old-fashioned, you say, Lady?”

“Isn’t it? Oh dear, come to think of it, your ex-wife recently remarried a young and handsome marquis, didn’t she? I must apologize for inadvertently bringing up a sensitive topic…”

She trailed off after emphasizing ‘young and handsome’, activating the ‘God of Acting’ passive, which created a face that looked genuinely sympathetic. Watching the man’s slender face turn red and then blue, Lysith concluded with a forced smile.

“Well, divorce may not be a major flaw, but for someone like the Count¹, it might be a wound. I was too thoughtless, wasn’t I? You were divorced for infidelity…”

“Ahem, ahem! Lady, I apologize for interrupting, but I seem to have urgent business to attend to.”

“Oh my, already? If it’s urgent, there’s nothing to be done. I hope we can have a deeper conversation about this next time.”

Not that we’ll meet again.

As she watched the Count hurriedly leave, Lysith unfolded her fan lightly with a smile.

Did he perhaps see his ex-wife in me? It was disgraceful. Especially since he was the one who cheated and got divorced.

“Didn’t they say the Lady and the Tower Master were involved?”

“Right. Is she in her right mind…?”

“Did you hear? The Viscount who was slandering the lady is almost bankrupt, I heard.”

Feigning ignorance while eavesdropping on the information, Lysith barely suppressed the urge to shout, “What did you say?” No wonder Ashites had mentioned rumors at the last tea party. Why did she think he would do nothing? Knowing his temperament, he must have done something out of irritation.

A foreboding thought crossed her mind—what if he really bought a street for her? As she struggled to shake off the thought, the large door that only the imperial family could enter opened, and the Emperor, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, entered.

While he spoke politically about being glad to have everyone gathered to celebrate and fostering camaraderie for the future of the empire, Lysith let it go in one ear and out the other, watching as the Emperor leisurely descended from the platform after his speech.

Just as she was about to gauge when to approach, a cheerful sound echoed in her ear.

Why is the system window popping up now? With that question, she glanced down, and what she saw was enough to leave her speechless.