Masquerade - Chapter 4

The Chancellor surely knows a lot. And he maintains balance very well. While not losing the trust of Crensen I, he has sent appropriate professors to her through some kind of cooperative relationship.

What Elia found strange was why these important figures who had been helping her hadn’t made any contact until the Didante Ball approached. Because she was outwardly sickly? Or because her wishes weren’t important? It’s hard to say.

Usually, royalty formed their inner circle based on connections made from a young age. Unless they were the heir to the throne, a royal’s influence wasn’t much — it was just enough to foster friendships and help each other out of difficulties.

That’s exactly what Elia wanted. She didn’t have any grand ambitions. She wanted to avoid an international marriage, find a consort, and spend her life staying in Shilom.

But the person who had been supporting Elia for years seemed to have no intention of meeting or talking with her.

“What’s their hidden agenda?”

With not much time left and no one seeming willing to tell her, she needed to get as much information as possible from the Chancellor’s office.

Would it be better to talk directly with the Chancellor? Or would it be better to break into the office when the Chancellor wasn’t there? With the royal seal, there was no place in this land Elia couldn’t go. The problem was how to get the Chancellor to open up.

The longer she thought, the slower her steps became. The shadows of the colonnade pillars passed regularly over Elia’s head. She habitually had a negative premonition. Even when she tried to think positively, the time she had spent alone was too long to easily change the flow of her thoughts.

“If you’re going to leave me alone like this, why did you support me? What’s it all about?”

As she was muttering like that, suddenly the sound of bells rang out from the clock tower. Startled birds flew up with a flutter, and Elia looked up. She stopped at the end of the colonnade, then stepped into the central garden. It seemed to be the bell signaling classes, as the students crossing the garden disappeared one by one, leaving only Elia and the sound of the fountain.

Stopping in front of the fountain, Elia tried to grasp her endlessly sinking feelings. Her trembling hand moved on its own, touching the handkerchief she had put in her cloak pocket. She could feel the dense embroidery. It was a habit she always did when feeling anxious.

The sound of the fountain also helped to calm her. Elia closed her eyes for a long moment, focusing on the full auditory sensation, then opened them.

And her eyes met with a man’s.

Through the falling streams of water.

The man was on the opposite side of the garden, but they were clearly looking at each other. Neither Elia nor he averted their gaze.

The man walked in a circle, following the shape of the round fountain. Water droplets spraying into the air finely reflected the sunlight, settling like silver hair.

‘Silver hair?’

It was as if a halo was emanating from the man’s head.

It was that man she had glimpsed earlier.

Thanks to his neatly combed silver hair, his features were clearly visible. Elia wasn’t mistaken, nor was she seeing an illusion. It was definitely that man she had met at the masquerade ball. The uncommon height and build, and even the cold impression that seemed unapproachable. Though the hair color was different, that could be achieved with disposable hair dye.

He wore a dark top, making his light hair stand out even more.

He’s more handsome than she thought.

Elia unconsciously swallowed.

The man stopped at a point where the water droplets didn’t interfere between them. She, coming to her senses with a start, stepped back little by little, moving away from the man. The water streams once again performed acrobatics between them.

Come to think of it, it looked like she was running away. The man hesitated for a moment, then approached without hesitation. Elia walked sideways along the fountain just as quickly.

After this strange game of tag, Elia suddenly came to her senses. There was no way the man could recognize her perfectly. How could he recognize someone he had only met briefly while wearing a hat and mask? The platinum blonde hair characteristic of royalty was tightly hidden under a scarf and tucked into her hat both that day and today. Moreover, that day, Elia had her back to the moon on the balcony.

Having changed her mind, Elia walked towards him, deliberately lifting her chin and standing straight. She hadn’t noticed, but there was also a middle-aged man standing next to him. Judging by his attire, he looked like a professor or the Chancellor of the Academia, but she couldn’t show that she was flustered.

“Wait.”

As she tried to pass by, the man finally called out to stop her. She turned her head towards the man who had been staring at her intently. Hoping that the brim of her hat and the strangely thick and large glasses would hide her well enough.

She lifted her chin just enough to avoid eye contact. Anyway, the other person was so tall that only his cravat was visible under the brim of her hat.

“You are…”

He took a step forward, trying to block her way.

‘No way, it can’t be. No matter how similar the appearance, he couldn’t be completely certain, right? If so…’

In that moment, Elia hunched her shoulders, seemingly displeased by an unwanted advance. The man was surprised by this reaction, but the person next to him seemed even more surprised.

The middle-aged man looked back and forth between him and Elia with eyes that seemed about to pop out.

“Ah, ah, ah no? Rejun? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

She perked up her ears while keeping her head down. His name is Rejun?

“The, the lady seems displeased…”

“……”

Since the man, Rejun, didn’t say anything, the atmosphere became even stranger. With one person bewildered, Elia saw her chance and quickly brushed past him.

“I apologize…”

She heard the man belatedly apologizing. Her back felt hot, as if he was still staring. Elia walked not too quickly until she reached the colonnade, then leaned against a pillar when she was sufficiently out of his sight.

She let out a long-held breath.

She looked around unnecessarily, even though there was no one around.

“I almost spoke out loud. No, how can his eyesight be so good?”

Her hand automatically went to her chest. Her heart was pounding even though she hadn’t been running. It wasn’t just because of the man’s handsome face.

“…Too close.”

It was because the man and the person who looked like a professor or Chancellor seemed too close. To call a mature nobleman by name without any title. It was a scene only possible if they had grown up seeing each other as close relatives since childhood.

Elia took off her heavy glasses and put them in her pocket. The close relationship between the man she met yesterday and the person who might be the Chancellor.

She needed to change her plans immediately…

“Your High–! I mean, Bree!”

Turning her eyes towards the sound, she saw Bobbin jumping up and down across the colonnade. Elia quickly looked behind the pillar. They were still in the garden.

“Sh, shh!”

She signaled by putting her index finger to her lips, but Bobbin wasn’t very perceptive. She was running so vigorously that even the glasses perched on her nose were precariously bouncing.

“Breeeeee!”

Hurriedly, Elia crossed her arms over her chest and desperately pressed her index finger to her lips, but Bobbin was completely unaffected and remained noisy. In the end, Elia had no choice but to run towards Bobbin.

“Bree! You can’t! You shouldn’t run, huh?”

She grabbed Bobbin’s arm, which was waving frantically, and ran with her. From the corner of her eye, she could still see the two people standing in the garden.

Bobbin, unaware of Elia’s feelings, still shouted in a loud voice.

“What are you doing here? Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly disappeared?”

Elia quickly replied with her index finger still on her lips.

“I had something to check.”

“I’m going to have a heart attack at this rate. It’s really scary!”

“Don’t worry. What could happen in the middle of Academia? You’ve been making a fuss since earlier.”

That was true. Bobbin was silent for a moment, then followed Elia’s gaze.

“Where are you looking so intently…”

“That man. Do you know who he is?”

When Elia nodded towards the man, Bobbin answered as if it were obvious.

“That’s Prime Minister Disiel.”

The answer came so anticlimactically, making all of her day-long worries seem futile. Elia repeated the already familiar name.

“Disiel?”

“Yes. Does that name need any explanation?”

“Is it really Disiel?”

“Yes, really… His appearance is breathtaking every time I see him…”

“Get a grip.”

Bobbin cleared her throat with a fake cough.

“He comes occasionally, but his path happened to cross with Your Highness today.”

“Why ‘happened to’? Even if we met, he wouldn’t recognize me anyway.”

She turned to Elia in surprise.

“You don’t know each other?”

“Of course not. When would I have had the chance to meet Disiel face to face?”

There was a moment of silence. Neither Bobbin nor Elia spoke aloud about Elia’s circumstances.

“Ah, I see.”