Chapter 2 (Part 1)

On the day of the masquerade ball, Amelia’s heart was pounding from the morning. It was incomparable to when she spoke to Edwin.

“I can do this, right?”

Unable to calm down, she paced the same spot several times.

“My lady, please calm down. If you’re this anxious, perhaps it’s better not to go.”

Seeing her so worried, Mary tried to dissuade her from attending the ball.

“No, I have to go. Today is a rare day when I don’t have to worry about my parents.”

Coincidentally, today was the day the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton were visiting the Birken family. So, if she attended the masquerade ball while they were out, the chances of getting caught were low.

However, sometimes her parents would check on her after returning home to see if she was asleep. To prepare for that, she planned to have Mary take her place in the bedroom.

Shaking her head, Amelia headed to the dressing room. She felt that choosing a dress would help calm her nerves.

She couldn’t just wear any dress. She had to wear one she had never worn to any previous banquet to reduce the risk of being recognized.

Since she would wear it only once and then discard it, it couldn’t be an expensive dress, nor could it be too eye-catching.

After considering various factors, there weren’t many dresses left. Amelia chose the simplest one among them.

“I’ll wear this.”

Mary, with a face full of dissatisfaction, helped Amelia put on the dress. She tied her dyed black hair into a neat ponytail. Then, she handed Amelia a mask she had prepared in advance.

The mask she chose had a white base with silver patterns. It was suitable for the masquerade ball, where everyone would be wearing similar masks, but just looking at it made her heart race.

“I might meet my destined partner tonight. So, cheer up.”

Seeing Mary’s continued sullen expression, Amelia tried to cheer her up.

“Don’t expect that. In the worst case, he could be an adulterer.”

But Mary, still looking displeased, dampened Amelia’s expectations with a sarcastic remark.

Mary had never spoken so cynically before, so instead of feeling offended, Amelia was taken aback.

“I know what you’re worried about, but I can avoid the worst kind of men.”

“I’m worried because you have no experience in love. You could easily become prey to lecherous men.”

“Even if that happens, it will end in one night. There won’t be any complications.”

“Some people can recognize others even with masks on.”

“I’ve changed my hair color with magic, and I’ll wear the mask while altering my voice, so it will be fine. I’ll be back soon.”

After stopping Mary’s nagging, Amelia cautiously stepped into the hallway. Although the Duke and Duchess were out, she couldn’t let her guard down and had to avoid being seen by the household staff.

The most critical person to avoid was the butler. While she could bribe other staff, he was different. If she avoided him, there was little chance of her parents finding out.

Having completed all preparations, Amelia boarded the carriage with a discreet knight and coachman she had arranged in advance. The carriage was a plain black one without the family crest.

‘I can do this, right?’

Although she had confidently told Mary that she could give her virginity to anyone, her heart pounded as soon as she boarded the carriage. She felt regret that she wouldn’t have to lose it this way if she weren’t a candidate for Crown Princess.

Between freedom and virginity, she chose freedom. So, she needed to steel herself to get what she wanted.

In the carriage, Amelia wore the mask she had prepared. Since it covered her entire face, there was little risk of being recognized, so she didn’t worry too much.

Still, just in case, she altered her voice, wrapped her chest to reduce its size, and padded her waist to change her figure.

Even if she ended up having intercourse, keeping the dress on and doing it from behind would reduce the risk of being recognized.

Upon arriving at the ballroom, Amelia was escorted inside by the knight.

Being a secretive event, the masquerade ball was different from typical banquets. Instead of a grand chandelier and luxurious decorations, the lighting was dim and subdued. Instead of people dancing elegantly, the atmosphere was filled with people closely mingling in a suggestive manner.

‘Oh!’

As Amelia surveyed the ballroom, she quickly averted her gaze.

It was evident that this was a place for indulging carnal desires, as people were engaged in lewd acts everywhere. Couples were making love, moaning, and some were even half-n*ked, tangled up in a chaotic threesome.

It was her first time encountering such a world, and it was a huge shock. She didn’t know where to look.

At that moment, Amelia realized why Mary had been so against her attending the masquerade ball.

‘Had I been too naive?’

Having never experienced such a lewd ball, Amelia found it impossible to adapt. She had thought it would be difficult to find a one-night partner here, but this was beyond her imagination.

Where were the dignified and elegant nobles? All she saw were people behaving disgracefully….

Feeling a growing sense of fear in the unfamiliar environment, Amelia was approached by a man.

“Hey there, beautiful lady. Looking for a partner? I’m already raring to go. How about a round with me tonight?”

“N-no.”

Drunk, with a disheveled appearance, lazy eyes, arrogant tone, and vulgar words…. Seeing his swaggering demeanor, Amelia instinctively took a step back in fear.

Fortunately, the man didn’t approach further, but as he moved away, another man came up to her. His behavior, lacking any sense of propriety, made her feel a strong sense of rejection.

‘This isn’t right. I don’t want to give my virginity to men like these!’

Her expectation of finding a suitable man vanished like dust in an instant.

The reality was so different from her imagination that she no longer wanted to spend the night with anyone here. Instead, she just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

‘What was I expecting?’

Feeling foolish for getting excited and making a fuss all by herself, Amelia couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Are you alright?”

Despite wearing a mask, her pale complexion was evident to the knight beside her, who looked at her with concern.

“I-I’m fine.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to return to the estate for today?”

Knowing full well why she had come here, the knight’s suggestion made it clear that he didn’t believe her when she said she was fine.

“Y-yes, I think I should.”

In the end, Amelia had no choice but to turn back to the estate just ten minutes after arriving at the ballroom.

Only then did the gazes that had been fixed on her since her arrival finally withdraw. Although Amelia hadn’t noticed, there had been someone watching her from the moment she arrived until she left.

Edwin, who was there to catch a criminal hiding at the masquerade ball, was surprised to see an unexpected figure.

‘Why is she here?’

At first, he thought he had seen wrong because it was such an absurd situation, but he quickly realized that wasn’t the case.

Edwin could attend the masquerade ball to catch the criminal because he could identify people by their presence, making it easy to find the culprit.

But Amelia was different. He could recognize her just by her silhouette. Changing her hair color and wearing a mask to completely cover her face was useless.

Having spent so much time together since childhood, it was impossible for Edwin not to recognize Amelia. That’s why he had been confused ever since he saw her, a woman who didn’t belong in such a place.

‘She has no idea how dangerous this place is and came on a whim….’

Worried, Edwin couldn’t take his eyes off Amelia until she left the ballroom.

Though she left quickly in a state of confusion, which was fortunate, Edwin couldn’t shake off his unpleasant feelings. But there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he could only hope she never visited this place again.