60.

“You’ve been making quite a racket for a while now. I didn’t even call you here, so why are you hanging around? Are you really this free? Do you plan on slacking off your duties forever?”

“It’s not about the gloves! Damn it, just take them off for now.”

“What do you mean, ‘not about the gloves’? Are you out of your mind?”

As Kano glared at the semi-transparent gloves as if they were the enemy and lunged as if to rip them from my hands, I pulled my hands back, looking stern.

“If you insist on going, then at least take me with you! It’s a masquerade ball, after all.”

“You fool!”

I finally snapped, shouting at him. Erika watched our bickering with a bored expression, plugging her ears.

The argument was a waste of time. Kano’s build was too noticeable. He had a physique that was rare even in the Empire, often recognized more for his body than his face.

His prominent muscles and tanned skin from the sea weren’t something a mask could conceal.

The person who should know this best is making a fuss. I threw the gloves at his face in frustration.

“Do you really think people won’t recognize your hulking frame?”

“Ah!”

Kano let out a short cry as the gloves hit his face. It wasn’t like the soft fabric could hurt him, but he still pretended it did.

“Stop throwing tantrums! You’re huge, and all you do is whine while I’m busy.”

Even as I berated him, he pocketed the gloves I had thrown at him.

…Unbelievable. Shaking my head at the ridiculous sight, I turned back to the boxes.

“Sir Dogman will stand out due to his age, so only the regular knights will be your escort. Unless you shave your head, Sir Kano, your red hair is too conspicuous.”

Erika, who had removed her hands from her ears, spoke calmly. Kano glared at her as if she was no help at all.

I warned him with a hiss.

“Watch your eyes.”

Kano feigned ignorance, looking away. The reason he was acting up here was—.

He had belatedly started following Sonnet, suspecting something amiss, which is why our paths had crossed.

Running into him on the way to Pensa was… infuriating. My first words upon seeing him there had been, “Don’t you have anything to do?”

Of course, he had plenty to do. I assumed he was going to the capital for some task and would give orders while he was there… but no.

Time is gold, and timing is crucial for merchants. For me, stopping by Pensa on my way to the capital was a side trip, but he was wasting a lot of time.

With my business with Sonnet done, I had no intention of letting Kano snoop around Pensa more. So I dragged him to the capital, arriving just a few days ago.

After parting with an awkward atmosphere at the garden’s back gate, I had worried about the awkwardness with Kano.

But contrary to my worries, he was the same as always. In Pensa, he had approached me as boldly and fiercely as ever.

It was the usual Kano. His unchanged behavior reassured me. Of course, I knew this was his way of being considerate.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Erika, who had been quiet, finally spoke up, sounding rather dissatisfied.

“This method is more impactful than anything the head or I could come up with. But it’s still not ideal for you to be the one to go. Kano isn’t wrong; the people you’re dealing with aren’t worth your time.”

“Even if Kano’s party lifestyle came up with something, there wouldn’t be a more effective way to cause a scandal.”

“…I haven’t partied like that recently.”

Kano’s unexpected denial was almost desperate, which made me chuckle. Teasing him, I asked,

“What kind of partying?”

“…Ha.”

His exasperation was palpable.

“This is payback for teasing me in the garden,” I said, shrugging my shoulders to drive home my point.

“A masquerade ball is probably too juvenile for you.”

Finally, Kano fell silent, seemingly subdued by the mention of his embarrassing past. Despite this, he still didn’t leave the room.

But Kano didn’t stay quiet for long. His persistence was relentless.

“We could enter separately. Even if people recognize me, who would ever imagine you attending a masquerade ball?”

“Just don’t come,” I hissed another warning at him. His face twisted in frustration at my unwavering stance.

“I have another important task for you, so don’t get any funny ideas.”

“You’re just trying to send me away again, aren’t you?”

“It’s something only you can do.”

Kano, who had been sneering with his thick eyebrows furrowed, perked up at the words ‘only you can do.’

“Merke Rodensi.”

“The second princess?”

“Yes, you remember well.”

“She already has people watching her since she left the palace. Why the sudden interest?”

Kano furrowed his brow, choosing his words carefully.

“That princess is… well, she’s known to be mad. Why look for her?”

He seemed to be trying to use the most polite term he could think of.

“Yes, that’s the common belief. That she’s mentally deficient, mad. But I think…”

I allowed a small smile to creep onto my face.

“She might not actually be as she seems.”

Kano, who had been leaning against the wall in a casual manner, straightened up, his eyes narrowing.

“You want to make a move?”

“That’s quite… interesting.”

A few years ago, the second princess had left the palace and traveled west, completely departing from the empire. Given Kano’s frequent travels between the west and the empire’s smaller kingdoms by sea, he could naturally reach her.

“First, check if she’s truly sane without drawing attention. She might be sane, but finding her won’t be easy. Be careful not to run into anyone sent by the Empress.”

Billinent emerged at the conference earlier than I had anticipated. A shift in power could happen within the next decade. Since the Emperor is in good health, he might slowly transfer power over several decades.

Regardless, it was the right time to monitor the movements of the troublesome Rodensi imperial family.

It had been eleven years since the first princess, Calliphe, took her own life. Seven years since the foolish prince, Billinent, was crowned crown prince at the young age of ten.

The second princess had left the palace and the empire seven years ago, around the same time Billinent became the crown prince.

While both princesses were the offspring of the first Empress, Billinent was the son of the second Empress, who the Emperor married after the first Empress’s death.

There’s no law in the empire preventing a woman from becoming the heir. For the second princess, who lacked a solid base, feigning madness and withdrawing was likely the best way to live peacefully.

Of course, the fact that Merke Rodensi was neither deficient nor mad was information from *Ophelia and the Night*.

And if she truly wasn’t mad…

“Better safe than sorry.”

The Rodensi imperial family was like a toothless tiger. Yet, the Emperor remained the pinnacle of this vast empire.

Even if Merke was content with merely surviving, those around her might not leave her alone. After all, Merke was still a Rodensi.

In times of upheaval, anything could happen.

* * *

The most popular masquerade ball in the capital recently was undoubtedly Lady Tibey’s ball.

Lady Tibey was a famous figure, having come from a great noble family in the east and marrying into the central noble Tibey family, becoming a widow around thirty.

If the McFoy head was at the center of outlandish gossip, Lady Tibey was at the center of all romantic scandals. She was a beautiful widow with a captivating way of speaking and high social acumen. Everyone was eager to converse with her.

As a result, her parties were always crowded.

Especially, every noble in the capital yearned for her ‘secret invitation’. Those who called her a flirt or a witch were willing to spend a fortune to receive her covert invitation.

Consequently, anything Lady Tibey took an interest in quickly became a trend among the capital’s nobles. One of her hobbies was hosting ‘masquerade balls’.

Her masquerade balls were renowned for their grand scale, extravagant stages, and varied events. It was perfect for nobles who roamed in search of new thrills.

The ‘invitation’ was now so famous that its price had skyrocketed, and even commoners could attend if they possessed one.

Initially, the concept of a masquerade ball wasn’t impure. It was originally a place for intellectual exchange, and the masks were meant to allow anyone to discuss knowledge without regard to social rank.

However, with alcohol, dim lighting, late hours, relaxing scents, and mixed company, the meaning quickly deteriorated.

‘Tibey’s Masquerade Ball’ had become a sensual party, the birthplace of all rumors despite its implicit rules.

‘Purple… purple…’

Philip Morfolk, wearing a white mask, kept glancing around nervously.

‘Why does it feel so crowded tonight? There should be a set number of invitations. Is it just my imagination?’

The room was filled with familiar faces. Though they wore masks, recognizing them wasn’t difficult for someone who attended every day.

Half the attendees, like Philip with Petra, were there with their ‘lovers’. It was easy to guess who was with whom by the matching colors of their outfits and accessories.

Philip, wearing the amethyst brooch Petra had chosen for him on his left chest, sipped his fruit wine nervously among the chattering guests. Yet, no matter how much he scanned the room, Petra was nowhere to be seen.

Despite attending almost every party, Philip lacked the charm and eloquence to blend in naturally without Petra. He found it hard to join conversations without her.

‘Strange. She’s not here yet? That’s unlikely…’

Petra usually arrived early to make her rounds, greeting the noblewomen she was friendly with. Just as Philip began to think she was unusually late, the doors burst open, and another group entered.

But there was no purple among them. Philip awkwardly sipped his wine, feeling more out of place by the minute.

‘Who would have thought I’d be so eager to find something purple?’

He chuckled bitterly at the irony of seeking the color that had recently caused him so much trouble.

Then, the doors opened again as another group arrived. Philip eagerly scanned the newcomers, hoping to spot Petra.

The hall was filled with people, the alcohol warming his veins. The elegant music of the ballroom seemed to crescendo with his rising anticipation.

And then, he saw her.

A woman in a purple dress walked in through the door. Her white mask covered her face up to her chin, and the dress was unmistakably the one Petra had shown him earlier that day.