It was a gaudy but tacky dress that I had been pressured into buying when I had just arrived in the capital and naively entered a clothing shop.

A dress with large green satin ribbons on faded red fabric.

They had basically dumped unsold merchandise on naive and vulnerable me.

Of course, that shop later met its end closing down for tax evasion.

‘I really didn’t want to wear this……”

To think this dress I had tried to forget would prove functionally useful like this.

Today I looked like a nouveau riche businessman or his daughter to anyone.

With poor taste and only caring about looking expensive on the outside.

With my hair changed to blonde and heavy makeup too, it would be hard to guess we were that Prince Cassian and his assistant.

Though it made me sad to have to go out looking like this.

“You can’t even escort properly, when will you do it right!”

The setting of being a tyrannical nouveau riche miss was, well.

“I’m sorry, Miss! Please, please let me escort you!”

Not bad?

Thanks to Cassian’s exaggerated bow, it somewhat offset his characteristically overly proper posture.

“Really, you should be thankful for my generosity.”

“How could I not know Miss’s generous heart?”

He smiled pleasantly while smoothly trying to appease me.

‘…… You’re enjoying this, Your Highness.’

Having become his assistant for a year and a half now, I was starting to think this might be Cassian’s hobby and stress relief.

The evil young lady I created using all the big data from novels I’ve read so far didn’t seem bad either.

“Look at that, how uncouth. What family’s young lady makes such a scene in a place like this?”

“Look at those clothes, you can tell she’s someone without proper breeding who thinks expensive things are everything.”

Judging by the voices showing off their discerning eyes here and there.

“Tsk tsk, treating servants like that will lead to no good later. Even if they’re worthless, one should discipline them quietly with a beating inside the house.”

“Who doesn’t know that? She’ll surely forget the servant’s mistakes once she returns home. Look at that servant’s sly face, isn’t he the type to completely deceive an innocent young lady?”

Of course, there were also peculiar jealous remarks about the ‘refined’ way to handle servants.

The important part was here.

“Sigh, whoever said shopping in Ilium wasn’t bad was clearly spouting nonsense.”

“Indeed, Miss. You haven’t even spent a tenth of the pocket money Master gave you.”

“Who would disagree? Even the jewels are all low quality. This is truly unbearably boring.”

I deliberately started bragging about having lots of money.

Since I was the center of attention, I could feel several people perking up their ears even though I wasn’t speaking very loudly.

“Even the capital’s gambling house was utterly boring, why is there nothing fun to do?”

I struck Cassian’s shoulder with my fan.

“It’s all because you didn’t properly look into things, do you think Father’s words about not letting me get bored are a joke?”

“Th-that’s why I brought you here. I heard rumors that all sorts of rare things would be shown on this cruise ship today.”

“What? Will they show mermaids?”

“W-well, not that……”

Whoosh—!

I raised my fan and struck Cassian’s shoulder again, making only a loud noise.

Though the one who got hit briefly showed dissatisfaction in his eyes.

‘How could I slap my superior’s face no matter what!’

While I could say mean things and hit his shoulder, how could they ask me to strike his face!

Even though we’re in disguise, I know who he really is, how could they give me such a cruel trial!

At my protest, Cassian slightly raised the corner of his mouth crookedly but soon opened his mouth as if making excuses.

“B-but! Isn’t the cruise ship quite impressive? Since coming to Ilium, you haven’t enjoyed this local attraction even once.”

“Hmph! You want me to ride that old-fashioned, shabby thing?”

Wilma, I’m sorry.

After saying that, I sincerely apologized to my friend in my heart.

“And! Look at that, we need an invitation! What an incompetent servant.”

It should be time for them to take the bait.

This time, as I raised my fan high again, truly considering whether I should strike that cheek while holding back tears—

“Precious young lady, please don’t strain your voice unnecessarily.”

A man with a slippery impression approached us and gave a small bow with his hands clasped.

“Though it may look like that outside, I’m sure there will be things inside to please your eyes.”

The man quickly scanned my neck, arms, fingers, briefly exposed ankles, and shoes while looking at us.

It was a gaze examining how much my attire was worth and whether my previous boasting was mere bluff.

Pretending not to notice that gaze at all, I spoke to him in an irritated tone.

“Seems like it would be a waste of time. Are you the manager? Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”

“Of course, we provide truly fantastic sights inside the cruise ship today.”

Then in a low voice barely audible to Cassian.

“We have prepared shows by young men that the young lady would enjoy, and foods so delicious they make you see illusions.”

“Hmm……”

I maintained an expression of still being uninterested.

“Ahem, hem. And while not mermaids, you’ll be able to meet some very precious things. At the highlight auction.”

“Everything’s been boring so far despite all your talk.”

I turned my head away acting distracted.

“Please don’t be like that my lady, give us your time tonight.”

The man’s eyes gleamed with intense greed.

“We’re specially offering you, precious young lady, a cruise ship invitation normally only given to those of count rank or higher.”

What a blatant lie.

Nevertheless, I looked at the splendid invitation the other party held out with an utterly haughty face, trying to secure funding somehow.

“If it’s boring, you’ll regret it.”

I received it reluctantly while giving a kind warning.

I did warn them.

*

When I handed over the invitation for boarding, the employee standing at the ship’s entrance gave me a mask.

“The moment you board this cruise ship, everyone returns to their most primal moment without names.”

Then he revealed the worldview that was somehow established without anyone knowing when.

“Welcome to Delight, a space where you can set aside reason and morality.”

This crazy bastard.

The cruise ship’s name was given by the bedridden Grand Duchess herself because Wilma’s very existence was a delight, how dare he?

When I cursed with my eyes, the pudgy employee momentarily flinched.

“How obvious, whoever came up with this is really predictable, so predictable.”

Of course, not forgetting my evil young lady setting, I voiced complaints too.

As I said that and before I could snatch the mask from the employee, Cassian quickly grabbed it instead.

“Didn’t you say the honor of touching your precious hands was only for me?”

What an suddenly unplanned ad-lib.

“That’s because you’re so slow!”

After rolling as his assistant for a year and a half, playing along wasn’t difficult.

He even put the mask on me himself as if showing off to people.

The previously noisy surroundings fell into sudden silence at that subtle atmosphere.

The actual perpetrator, having a shameless nature, didn’t care about their gazes and just checked if the mask he put on me was crooked or uncomfortable.

“You’re truly the most beautiful, Miss.”

Coughs erupted here and there at his buttery smooth line.

Among them:

“Looks like he plans to deceive the young lady completely and make a profit, she shouldn’t fall for it.”

“It’s not our business though. Who knows, maybe he really has improper feelings and will entertain our eyes later with some love escapade.”

While some tried to find intent in Cassian’s words,

To my eyes though,

‘Seems like you’re starting to drop the act, Your Highness……”

He was just the usual Cassian Artez.

*

“My eyes hurt.”

Entering inside, I could tell that the visible parts from outside were at least somewhat maintained for appearances.

Even for an agent who commits embezzlement and falsifies accounts, they must have been scared of properly running into any ducal family visiting Ilium.

“Indeed, everything is too low quality for your eyes, Miss.”

It meant this environment was too harsh for Rose who likes pretty things.

Even after boarding, we were careful with our speech since people’s eyes and ears were everywhere.

We couldn’t get kicked out before catching decisive evidence.

I remember the official capacity was around 150 people but…..

“Seems like there are two or three hundred people?”

“Indeed Miss, and you don’t like crowded places.”

While saying that, Cassian was scanning various places with his eyes.

“What do you see?”

“…… Looks like you’ll achieve your goal, Miss.”

Cassian said that while showing a sinister smile.

“There will be some stimulation since there are things to enjoy.”

Since I was receiving his escort, I understood better what he meant.

In short, it meant a few mages remained here after falling for my bait.

‘The knights under Cassian will handle the train well.’

They would be treated quite properly as train terrorists or imperial family assassins.

‘And most people gathered here are those intoxicated by illegal drugs.’

In other words, they were good sources of money for bad criminals.