Chapter 1.6

With her keen powers of observation, Aness immediately sensed her sister’s concern. She didn’t even have to ask—she already knew what was on Imelda’s mind these days.

“Sis, are you still thinking about him?”

Henry, the eldest son of the Portland Earldom. Three years ago, when their parents borrowed money to host Imelda’s debutante ball, some noble families attended out of respect for friendships from their grandfather’s generation.

One of them was the Portland Earldom, and that day, the siblings from that house attended together. That was the first time Imelda met Henry.

Among their peers, who were all showy and vain, Henry was the calmest and most intellectual young man, and Imelda seemed to have fallen for him at first sight.

Henry also took a liking to Imelda. The two walked together in the garden and quickly clicked. But considering their families, their relationship was impossible.

The now-thriving Portland Earldom, which had even joined the Imperial Council, would never accept the daughter of a ruined family as a daughter-in-law.

Baron Klein, thinking his daughter might have a chance with Henry, hurriedly sent a proposal to the Earldom, only to be rejected at once.

After that, Henry stopped replying to Imelda’s letters, and soon news of his engagement came. Yet, although the engagement was announced, the formal wedding had yet to take place.

“No, I just wish he’d go ahead and get married already…”

Imelda picked up her now-cold teacup and sipped it weakly, her eyes cast down. Being born into such a powerless family, she’d never expected to marry for love.

Seeing her sister’s downcast expression, Aness felt heavy-hearted. As the family’s society informant, there was nothing she didn’t know. She was well aware of the Portland Earldom’s situation.

That house was not doing very well at the moment. They had already exchanged marriage proposals with the Marquisate of Schuwalt for a political marriage, but the parties involved were causing trouble.

They didn’t want this marriage. These days, young nobles no longer wanted their futures decided by arranged marriages like their parents’ generation.

Conflicts were breaking out everywhere. In the Portland Earldom, too, father and son were at odds over the issue.

Whether Henry still cared for Imelda, Aness couldn’t tell. But she couldn’t say anything to her sister—if she gave her false hope, Imelda might only end up hurt again.

Of course, it was already two years ago, and it was now in the past, but it might still be a wound for Imelda.

‘Sister, just wait a little longer. Once this is over, I’ll find out for sure—what Henry really thinks of you. If he’s not willing to choose you over his family, it’s better to give up on marriage.’

She already knew. The Empire’s marriage customs weren’t about a man and woman forming a household for love. It was about the union and mutual benefit of families; if you truly loved someone, it was better to pursue free romance.

But even free romance was lenient only to men, so the institution of marriage was even more restrictive for women.

‘If only I had power, could I help my sister marry someone she truly liked?’

As she munched on the crispy pie, Aness’s thoughts grew complicated.

***

That day, something happened at the Strauss Ducal family. While preparing to go out, Lady Abel suddenly collapsed. The cause was food poisoning. The already frail young noblewoman was bedridden with a high fever for two full days.

Aness only heard the news on the very morning of the day Lady Abel was to meet the Duke, and she was utterly dumbfounded. She had worked tirelessly for the past two weeks for this one day.  

If she could only make the marriage happen, it would be the wedding of the century, and she would gain a reputation worth more than anything.  

But at that historic moment, Abel collapsed. Aness had planned to wear the purple dress Abel had bought her and ride together in the carriage to the meeting place.  

She had reserved a high-end tavern in the shopping district, one with a spacious hall. On the second floor, with its wide balcony, dining tables, and comfortable chairs, the two were to have their first meeting, learning about each other in peace and quiet.  

How much effort had she put into that historic encounter? The finish line was right before her, but now Abel had collapsed from food poisoning, and everything went dark before her eyes. Would that arrogant Knight Commander really show any mercy to someone who broke a promise?  

‘What should I… do about this?’  

Aness sat blankly at the wide garden table of the Strauss Ducal family, stunned and at a loss. No solutions came to mind; her head was just empty.  

At that very moment, someone slowly approached her.  

“…Who are you?”  

She had been anxiously drinking her third cup of herbal tea, racking her brain for a solution. But the more she thought, the foggier her mind became. As she stared at the man who came close, she finally snapped back to her senses.  

“Joseph? What brings you all the way here?”  

Guildmaster Joseph stood tall before her, looking down with a sly smile. He had arranged the meeting as promised and even provided the exact date and location, so she owed him her gratitude.  

But now, before anything had even happened, disaster had struck, leaving her bewildered and in despair.  

“Miss, isn’t something going wrong right now?”  

“Ah, how did you…?”  

You knew? 

Aness looked at him with wide, startled eyes. Joseph, meeting her gaze, barely suppressed a smile. In truth, this entire situation was almost as if he had planned it himself.  

During the process of supplying ingredients to the ducal kitchen, he had arranged for spoiled meat to be put in the stew, causing the young lady’s food poisoning. Now it was time to draw out the results.  

“I just stopped by to check if things were going well, but then I heard that Miss Strauss had collapsed from food poisoning. So you must be in quite a bind right now, aren’t you?”  

A sly smile played at Joseph’s lips as he asked. In fact, as he looked at the masked Madame Boris—Aness, Baron Klein’s daughter—he fell into thought.  

To really get back at that insufferable Caron, it would be far more effective to use this young lady before him. Compared to the Strauss Ducal family, the lowly, insignificant Baron Klein’s family would be much easier to ridicule alongside the House of Perschtmann.  

Lately, the noble circles were already abuzz with mockery about Baron Klein begging for power—what a perfect picture this would make.  

“Ah, yes, that’s right. The young lady fell ill so suddenly, and now everything is in chaos. I was just trying to come up with a solution.”  

Aness admitted the situation and nodded, her expression deeply troubled. Why did she have to fall sick now, of all times? Would that arrogant Knight Commander even consider rescheduling? Or had she already lost her chance? The anxiety gnawed at her.  

“Sigh, that’s unfortunate. But if you think about it, it’s not like there’s no way out. Isn’t that so?”  

Joseph, famous for his silver tongue, winked suavely.  

“What? There’s a way? Could the Knight Commander perhaps reschedule the appointment?”  

If only this could be resolved, she was willing to spend all the money hidden under her bed. Aness, excited, asked in a loud voice, and Joseph nodded as if it were obvious.  

“Who am I? I’m Guildmaster Joseph, who makes even the impossible possible. But we can’t break an already-set appointment. You and I both work in fields where trust is everything—you know that, don’t you?”  

“Ah, yes, that’s true.”  

Disappointed that the appointment couldn’t be changed, Aness nodded and let out a low sigh.  

“But we can bend the rules a bit. Madame, you should go to the meeting place yourself. In place of Miss Strauss.”  

“…What?”  

Aness, as if she’d misheard, lifted her head and stared blankly at Joseph’s rather sly-looking face.  

“A promise must always be kept. So you’ll go in her place and pretend to be Miss Strauss. Then, as long as you arrange the next meeting, the real Miss Strauss can attend next time. What do you think of my plan?”  

“Ah!”  

Hearing his plan, Aness couldn’t help but exclaim. What a clever trick! She was thrilled that he had thought of a solution she never would have considered.  

“That’s it! That will work. Oh, thank you so much. You truly are a capable guildmaster. You’re the best!”  

Overjoyed, Aness bowed her head repeatedly in gratitude. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? But as her excitement settled, one thing began to weigh on her mind.  

“But Miss Strauss is beautiful, and I’m not as pretty. Will he really be fooled? If he meets the real Miss Strauss next time, won’t he realize I was an impostor?”  

“Madame, you need to see yourself more objectively. In my view, your build is similar and your looks are just as good. Only your hair and eye color are different. That can be changed with magic for up to twelve hours.”  

“You think… I’m similar to Miss Strauss? No way, that can’t be!”  

Flushed with joy at the compliment, Aness covered her reddened face. To be so flustered by a compliment—she really was still a girl at heart.  

‘He must be confused because I’m wearing a mask. To compare my looks to Miss Strauss’s—he must be crazy!’  

Though surprised inside, Aness couldn’t hide her delight. Joseph, too, barely contained his laughter. He already knew what Aness Klein looked like beneath the mask. As a skilled guildmaster, he even knew what the noble families’ maids looked like.  

‘Well, she’s not exactly ugly. Aness is actually rather cute. But her father is the problem. Because of his beggar’s ways, the three daughters probably won’t have any normal marriages.’  

Finishing this thought, Joseph delivered his final pitch.  

“So, what will you do? Disguising yourself as Miss Strauss and meeting the Duke would actually be to your advantage.”