Chapter 107
“What is going on…?”
“Lady!”
Bell interrupted Rubyche as she pressed Sahana.
Rubyche frowned and turned her head in the direction Bell was pointing.
The protagonist always makes their entrance last.
As the door opened, Alisa, the noblewoman from the Polisia family, entered with a tall man by her side, leading her group.
Unlike Rubyche, who was entering without much fanfare, Alisa was fidgeting with a small mask that barely covered her eyes.
Seeming pleased with the reactions, she smoothly smiled as she interacted with the other noblewomen.
Such contrasting images.
Rubyche glared at Alisa’s group.
She believed that spot was meant for her.
As a princess, she always thought she was the center of attention at gatherings.
But now that spot was completely taken, and Rubyche had become an afterthought.
“…”
While Rubyche was distracted, Sahana quietly slipped away.
Rubyche turned around, completely unaware that Sahana had left.
Alisa spotted Rubyche and raised an eyebrow.
Then, leading her group, she strode confidently over to Rubyche.
To not be overshadowed, Rubyche straightened her back and lifted her chin.
But still, Rubyche was shorter than the fully grown Alisa, who looked down at her.
Alisa scanned the surroundings with a smirk, then turned her gaze back to Rubyche.
“I heard you were sick, but it seems you’ve recovered. I’m glad, Lady Rubyche. I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it.”
“I informed Bell and Rodella. Didn’t you hear?”
“I did.”
Rubyche narrowed her eyes at Alisa’s admission, unlike Sahana’s evasiveness.
“Of course, I forgot.”
At her next words, Rubyche momentarily lost her response.
Is she serious? How can she be so bold? It was almost absurd; she couldn’t even muster a laugh.
Rubyche stared at Alisa in disbelief, then shifted her gaze.
Her eyes caught a tall, handsome man.
Alisa, perhaps sensing Rubyche’s gaze, intentionally drew close and grabbed his arm.
“I invited some men this time since it’s a masquerade. This is my fiancé, Gred.”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Rubyche. I’m Gred, the eldest son of Count Theodirok.”
With his tall stature and gentle demeanor, many noblewomen and ladies looked on with envy, knowing he was taken.
His family background was impressive, his voice was pleasant, and his looks were outstanding.
The mask didn’t hide his appearance at all.
Alisa gazed lovingly at her fiancé before shifting her attention back to Rubyche.
Noticing the emptiness behind Rubyche, Alisa chuckled softly.
“Didn’t you bring anyone, Lady? Oh, maybe you’re still too young to have a fiancé?”
“I organized this masquerade for women only…”
“It’s true that you prepared a ball just for women, but isn’t it nice to mix things up a bit sometimes? It seems everyone is having more fun.”
The attendees nodded slowly, seemingly agreeing with Alisa.
The atmosphere had completely shifted.
Rubyche felt that the protagonist of this masquerade was Alisa.
Having absorbed all the internal opinions, Alisa was an opponent Rubyche couldn’t beat in her current state.
Rubyche sarcastically thought about how Alisa was playing queen without any real power, but that game was more effective than anything else.
“Oh dear, why do you look like that? While you were away, I organized the masquerade myself, and everyone is enjoying it. Ah, maybe….”
Alisa narrowed her eyes and grinned.
“Are you feeling sad that you can’t be the star of the show?”
“What…?”
“If that’s the case, I’m sorry. But what can I do? You weren’t here, and I had to prepare the ball. Everyone is looking at me, so I had to step up. It’s my party, right?”
Rubyche had to watch as the party she had worked so hard for quickly became Alisa’s.
Bell and Rodella looked on with worried expressions, unable to say anything as Rubyche was being pushed aside.
Alisa quietly watched Rubyche, a smirk forming on her lips.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re better. Well then, enjoy the party without getting sick again, Lady Rubyche. It’d be a problem if you fainted again.”
With a playful laugh, Alisa turned away with her fiancé, leaving Rubyche wide-eyed.
Rubyche, with her fiery personality mirroring Winston’s, felt her anger boiling over and finally opened her clenched lips.
“Stop right there!”
As Rubyche moved to catch Alisa, the latter halted her steps.
Rubyche approached Alisa and reached out to place her hand on her shoulder.
“…?”
But before she could, she noticed three figures entering through the massive door.
Their impressive height and flashy dresses immediately commanded attention.
Just their entrance alone overshadowed the room.
Alisa was frozen in shock at having her spotlight stolen, and Rubyche stared in disbelief at the newcomers.
Then suddenly, Rubyche’s eyes caught familiar hair color and lips.
‘That’s…’
The three people who attracted attention slowly approached Rubyche.
Even though there were just three of them, Alisa stepped back, surprised.
She looked like she realized her mistake, but the initiative had already shifted.
“Am I too late?”
“That voice is….”
The woman stepped in, flanked by two men.
With a tall stature and beauty that couldn’t be hidden by her mask.
As Rubyche narrowed her eyes and prepared to speak, the woman lightly waved the fan she was holding.
The woman, leading the two men, smiled brightly at the frozen Rubyche.
“I heard Rubyche is holding a masquerade, so I came to join. I hope I’m not too late.”
Seeing Rubyche’s stunned expression made her smile involuntarily.
Should I have given her a heads-up? Swallowing a grin at Rubyche’s surprised face, she spoke up.
“But you invited me, didn’t you? Personally.”
“…Me?”
“You said you were personally hosting the masquerade, right? The one you planned with such care.”
She rolled her eyes briefly at the daughter of the Marquis Polisia standing beside her.
The girl stiffened, flinching as their eyes met.
Rubyche smiled gently, and Alisa’s expression twisted.
“Thank you for inviting me to such a lovely place.”
Reaching out, she took Rubyche’s hand and slowly let it go.
Rubyche, still shocked, seemed to have understood the situation, as her tense body relaxed.
Taking a step back, Rubyche performed an elegant greeting before speaking.
“Thank you for coming to my masquerade. I hope you have fun while you’re here.”
She exchanged a brief smile as a greeting.
Ignoring the stares still directed at her, she approached a nearby table.
Lifting a glass from it, she handed it to Aden and Kestian, who were following her like a backdrop.
“Wine? Or apple juice?”
Kestian shrugged and lifted the glass on the right.
Handing the remaining wine to Aden, he raised his glass as well, saying nothing.
As Kestian took a sip from his glass, he scanned the atmosphere around them.
“Rubyche’s skills are pretty good. I always heard you were busy at every party.”
“With this much, being busy is understandable. This is all a masquerade Rubyche arranged herself.”
Sipping his wine, Kestian slowly looked around the party venue.
It was hard to believe such a splendid event had been organized by Rubyche, considering her young age.
The atmosphere of these parties was half the charm.
Chandeliers, jewels, candles, fabrics, pottery, and paintings.
Even the size and shape of the tables, the chairs placed around, and the food served.
All of these preparations were quite challenging.
Some banquet halls were vast and lavish but appeared empty, while others felt cramped due to excessive decoration.
Because of these issues, there were places that specialized in organizing parties, but most noble families preferred to handle it themselves.
It seemed ridiculous to leave parties they had hosted hundreds of times to someone else, and such gatherings were usually the domain of the noblewomen and hostesses.
Leaving it in someone else’s hands was simply unthinkable.
“When Kestian said Rubyche had a bright social nature, I thought he meant she just enjoyed gatherings, but it seems that’s not all.”
“This is my first time actually attending one. I thought Rubyche was young, so it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it seems otherwise.”
Just as Kestian said, the grand masquerade was truly eye-catching.
Rubyche was reminded of her Pallieva status.
That brilliant mind of hers hadn’t gone anywhere.
“By the way, I was surprised to see Sierra attending.”
“That’s not my doing; it’s Aden’s.”
Kestian turned his head to glance at Aden.
“I still think it’s better to help from the sidelines without attending, but Aden doesn’t think that way.”
The subtle differences in viewpoints were fascinating.
While Rubyche viewed attending such events as meaningful, Aden did not.
To Aden, a masquerade was just a masquerade; he didn’t see a problem in attending since it was just a casual gathering, not a grand affair hosted by the Emperor or the Bozbourne.
“Sure, the pressure and rivalry Rubyche faces, as well as the Bozbourne’s investigation, might intensify, but that hasn’t happened yet, so there’s no need to worry about it. Like Aden said, it’s just a masquerade.”
Sometimes vague assumptions were helpful.
There was no need to overcomplicate things in that way.
In that sense, yesterday’s conversation with Aden had been quite beneficial.
“By the way, it seems like all eyes are on us.”
While that was intentional, the effect was more significant than expected.
Maybe it was because there were many young noblewomen around?
The attention directed at Aden and Kestian was pretty blatant, even from those who had partners.
People were focusing intensely on them, glancing over occasionally.
Was it because they didn’t know Aden’s true identity?
Those who would have been intimidated by Rippleton were now looking at Aden with interest.
Then again, it was just a result of preconceptions; Aden was indeed handsome enough.
Sometimes she forgot that.
“So, how does it feel, Aden? Being the center of attention among the noblewomen?”
😒