Chapter 48

‘What is this…’

My lips parted in genuine astonishment.

I didn’t even want to think about how they knew where we lived.

Marcel and his cronies had placed people to watch us, so it wasn’t out of the question that other aristocrats in society had found out too.

But for them to invite Alec and me to a ball?

That was beyond my imagination.

I slowly looked over the invitation again.

The bonds of our Rilt Empire’s social circle aren’t so thin.

‘Ridiculous. These relationships are as fragile as gossamer.’

We genuinely miss you both.

‘They must be bored…’

Since your departure, the atmosphere in the social circle has unfortunately diminished.

‘Hmm.’

This was worth interpreting.

These were not the kind of people who would casually mention the decline in social ambiance unless it was something significant.

Society was supposed to be a place of constant peace and happiness.

So, why say this to me…

‘Could it be because of the incident with Julia and Marcel?’

Not long ago, I had exposed Julia’s lover to Marcel.

Knowing Marcel, he would have been furious, doing everything he could to find out who Julia’s lover was.

Julia, fearing Marcel, would have been distressed.

Julia’s lovers would have been anxious, afraid of being discovered by Marcel.

And the other ladies…

On the surface, they would pretend to be concerned about Julia, but inwardly, they would be relishing her plight.

Most of them had been wronged by Julia in some way.

Everyone tried their best to conceal it, but they all knew.

I had even tried to make Julia pay for Cathy’s death by filing a lawsuit, but that wasn’t easy either.

“Ha.”

I let out a cold laugh and walked back inside the mansion.

I could easily imagine the current atmosphere in society.

More than ever, they would be on guard against each other.

But to invite Alec and me to a ball during such a tense time…

‘They know it was me who exposed Julia’s secret?’

I could clearly see their intentions.

They wanted to gauge if I was worth using.

They weren’t confident enough to tarnish Julia’s reputation themselves, but they thought I might be able to do it.

My lips curled into a faint smile.

I had no intention of being used by them, but this ball seemed worth attending.

The fact that they were holding a masquerade ball meant they wanted to observe others while hiding their true intentions.

That aligned perfectly with my goal.

Now, it seemed like the right time to shake up this society that had tormented Alec and belittled him, and to pay back for Cathy’s death.

I folded the invitation in half again and looked at the two nuisances still in the drawing room.

My sister-in-law was bored to tears, and my mother-in-law was playing a different tune.

Would taking them along be of any help?

It didn’t seem like a good idea.

My sister-in-law moved in different circles, and my mother-in-law was almost retired from society.

Turning around, I went to find Alec.

He was outside chopping wood.

Given the weather, we burned through quite a bit of firewood each day.

But he wasn’t cold; he wore only a thin shirt, skillfully chopping wood in a rhythmic manner.

I was no longer surprised by his adeptness and watched in admiration for a while.

Finally regaining my senses, I approached him.

* * *

“A ball? Are you serious?”

Alec put down his axe and asked Louise.

Two nights ago, he had taken down the Grave Mercenary.

As soon as Carson came to his senses, he and his men had returned to their base.

Even after returning, Carson was in bad shape.

He seemed deeply shaken by the absurd events he had witnessed.

Thanks to this, Alec had gained a whopping 600 experience points.

Waiting for his depleted mana to recover, he was now thinking of boosting his affection points, and then a ball?

The word was so unexpected that Alec was inwardly astonished.

‘Ah, I am a duke after all.’

Although balls felt like something out of a movie to him, they were very familiar events for the nobles of this era.

Of course, Alec had never attended one.

Louise handed him a letter.

“Somehow, people found out where we live and sent an invitation. I think it might be good to attend for a change. What do you think?”

Alec took the invitation from Louise and opened it.

Skimming through it, the gist was that despite losing their noble status, the Duke and Duchess of Brent were being invited to the ball.

Could this be a quest?

However, no quest notification appeared yet.

Alec handed the invitation back to Louise and spoke lightly.

“Alright. If you wish to go, I’ll get ready.”

Louise’s face brightened at his acceptance.

“Thank you, Alec. Shall we have new clothes made for the occasion? We’ll need masks anyway.”

“…”

Alec nodded, as if it was no big deal.

For some reason, this ball seemed like an opportunity to level up.

* * *

The social circles of the Rilt Empire were broadly divided by generations.

At the top was the social circle of Louise’s mother-in-law and the nobles of her age group. Below that was the circle of their children’s generation—Louise and Alec—building their own networks.

Lastly, there was the world of young, unmarried nobles who had only recently debuted in society, like Eloise.

While these three groups occasionally mingled, they mostly held gatherings within their own age brackets.

Tonight’s masquerade ball, despite everyone’s faces being partially hidden, showed a mix of various age groups.

This indicated a larger-than-expected event.

Making a rare social appearance, I arrived dressed with unusual care.

The evening dress left my shoulders bare, and revealed a bit more of my upper chest.

This subtle exposure was more enticing than overly extravagant designs, as it would captivate attention.

Captivating them would make achieving my goals much easier.

In the chess game of this society, a pawn reaching the end of the board becomes a queen.

Bringing down Julia to repay my grievances and claiming the society queen’s position was just the beginning.

I lightly lifted the hem of my dress and ascended the stairs.

Contrasting my silver hair, the dark blue velvet dress was studded with transparent gems, more dazzling than the stars.

Though the color was elegant, the dress clung to my body up to my waist, accentuating the curves of my chest and waist provocatively.

This was a dress I wouldn’t normally wear, making it less likely I would be recognized.

I scanned the surroundings through my masked eyes.

The mask, adorned with expensive white feathers from the barbary ostrich, glittered with gold dust to reflect light dazzlingly.

The eye area was covered with fine, black silk, concealing the color of my eyes.

Though it slightly hindered my vision, it didn’t affect my ability to observe people.

Alec leaned in and whispered softly.

“Everyone seems to be looking at you.”

His voice was unfamiliar, as if noting something for the first time.

“…I see.”

I chuckled lightly, as if it were nothing significant.

It was not a surprising development.

A quick glance confirmed that many eyes were indeed on me.

Though they might not easily recognize me as Louise, they were clearly curious about who I was.

I looked up at Alec beside me.

His mask was elegantly adorned with black feathers.

The exposed parts revealed a well-styled forehead, firm lips, and a sharply handsome chin.

‘…Indeed.’

This man was the masterpiece of the Brent family, a handsome figure to be remembered in the history of the Rilt Empire.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories