After listening to Helena’s explanation, Emily raised an eyebrow. “We can’t talk to other guests without a mask. Isn’t that suspicious?”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged at Sally’s question.
“It’s a rule that prevents guests from identifying one another. That’s why there have been disappearances, yet no one knows who the missing people are.”
“Emily, you can’t break the rules.”
Emily nodded in response to Helena’s reminder. “It’s a shame we can’t question the guests, but it can’t be helped. Besides…”
Her eyes turned to the notice in Helena’s hand.
“This isn’t the only thing suspicious, is it?”
Sally also agreed.
A pond where after 10 P.M., no one could go to it.
Wine that can only be drunk during the ball.
What sort of secrets are there? Sally Melbourne was going to be their maid today… It was a superficial role, but there was a good reason for it.
“Sally, get as close as you can to the servants here. You’re not allowed to talk to guests, but the servants are another story, right?”
Being able to behave relatively freely compared to the other two, she had the role of investigating the mansion’s interior and observing the employees. Sally’s heart pounded with anticipation at the mission truly meant for a detective assistant.
“Now then…”
Emily and Helena put on their masks. With the masks covering only the area around their eyes, they began to walk slowly. Sally followed after them.
Soon the three were led to a huge banquet hall. There was a gilded arched ceiling with columns and stained-glass windows.
Reminded of a Gothic cathedral, Sally was amazed. “Wow…”
The evening glow of the sunset poured through the colored glass and turned the room a blood red. There was a spacious dance floor and several, colorful long tables.
…It was a magnificent, spectacular sight.
“Welcome everyone, to the Brichester Masquerade.”
A servant dressed up in medieval clothing stepped forward to guide the guests to their designated seats. Each seat had a name card, such as “Queen Elizabeth” and “The Lady of India.”
“I’ll go eat in the next room.”
“Yes, come back here as soon as you finish.”
After exiting the banquet hall, Sally entered the room next to it. It was a place where meals were prepared for those not considered official guests. The meals given to the servants were also surprising.
Potato pottage was the appetizer along with grilled fish and Paris herbs as the main dish. There was also salad with duck meat. For dessert, there was mousse chocolate cake with brie cheese and fruit.
Sally ate everything and patted her stomach. It was a perfect dinner.
After the pleasant meal, she decided to revise her assessment of Mr. Bridel. No matter how much wealth he had, it wasn’t easy to have such a large budget for the servants’ meals. He was unexpectedly a generous person.
“I guess I’ll try the wine.”
In fact, most of the servants were preoccupied with the wine. They say the Brichester wine is only produced in this mansion and is made with ingredients unknown to the public.
“Hurry up and drink!”
“Hm, the scent is a bit… weird.”
“It’s a special wine only the greatest of aristocrats drink!”
There was already a rowdy group over there. Looking furtively at the soon-to-be drunkards, Sally looked at the wine glass in front of her.
“…Ugh.”
She frowned without realizing it. What’s with this fishy scent?
But others drank it just fine. Sally sipped it again.
“Blech…” She put down her glass because she felt like she would throw up if she drank anymore.
No matter how good a drink was, there’s no point if I don’t like it. She immediately returned to the banquet hall where the ball was.
***
The banquet hall was bustling with conversation and music. With the sun setting on the horizon, the colorful chandelier glimmered inside the banquet hall. To one side, musicians in medieval clothing were playing magnificent Baroque music.
It’s nice but a bit noisy. The whole place was full of masked men. It was common to dress as a jester, a maid of honor, or a medieval royal. Some dressed as satyrs or hideous-looking dwarves. There were even more blasphemous figures reminiscent of demons or vampires.
Sally looked everywhere for her employer.
“Ma’am!”
Was it because her beauty couldn’t be hidden with a mask? Despite the crowded area, “Queen Elizabeth” and “The Lady of India” stood out. Sally approached Emily while feeling a sense of accomplishment.
“How was your meal?”
“Oh, Sally.”
Emily’s appearance as the greatest monarch in the British Empire was to be expected. Numerous men wanted to request a dance, but they seemed to be unable to approach her because of her unique charisma.
“It wasn’t bad, but it was more frugal than I thought.”
…It was?
For a moment, Sally was perplexed but soon found out why Emily said that.
“Isn’t it the exact same for other servants?”
“Really? I didn’t know.”
Helena added, “I agree. The food is what would come from any social event except for this Brichester wine you can’t find anywhere else.”
Emily shrugged and sighed. “Wasn’t this the height of pleasure? I thought I’d see naked dancers and sensual dances.”
“…Emily.”
“Am I the only one who thought that? It sounded like… they were going to summon the devil. That kind of party.”
Helena looked around before speaking in a low voice. “You can’t be talking about that as a lady.”
“What do you mean?”
“…What you mentioned is the kind of party that happens at Whitechapel in London.”
Whitechapel was London’s most notorious slum and brothel. Sally gritted her teeth at the sensitive subject as she listened to Emily’s words.
“I saw it in a video.”
“…What’s a video? You say weird things sometimes.”
“You know, Helen. What I told you before.”
Then a tall man dressed as Louis XIV approached Helena.
“Beautiful lady from another land.”
Helena sighed as she saw the man greet her with exaggerated manners.
“I’ll be right back.”
After accepting his request to dance with her, she headed to the dance floor. After the two disappeared, several men approached Emily.
“Sally, I have a headache. I’m going to the balcony to get some fresh air.”
“…Huh? Are you sick?”
Sally thought Emily pretended to be ill because she didn’t want to dance.
“Yes, I think… that wine isn’t good to drink.”
Yet it seemed to be genuine because her face was pale as she grimaced.
“No wonder it tasted and smelled weird. I only had a sip. May I help you, ma’am?”
As Sally approached, Emily shook her head and whispered, “No, you have something else to do… Try and find the servants of this mansion.”
When Sally nodded, Emily immediately turned around. She waved her hand behind her back without the men around her noticing.
“Hurry up and go.”
Once Emily disappeared to the balcony, Sally was about to begin her task. Then, she felt the mod in the banquet hall change.
“…Huh?”
Sally felt goosebumps on her arms. Standing next to her, a man dressed as Henry VIII suddenly muttered to himself
“Haha, this is my majesty…”
Based on the way he spoke, he seemed to think he was a real king. Thinking a few glasses made him drunk, Sally thought nothing of it.
And then there were more of them.
What the hell?
Someone dressed as a servant kneeled down and mumbled nonsense as if they met a king. A woman wearing a luxurious dress began to shout and sing as if she was on stage, like she had become a prima donna. A man wearing a uniform danced and jumped. Others seemed to be frustrated that they took off their clothes, happy to tear them apart.
“What is…” Sally was very embarrassed, but she was the only one to have such a reaction.
“Hahahaha…”
“I command you, it must be…”
“Hahaha, Your Highness, how could you say that…”
“For heaven’s sake…”
“Father in heaven, kneeling before your great power…”
Some laughed like they had gone mad, others cried. Others made jokes, speeches, or started praying. They were trapped in their own world without recognizing the people around them.
In the midst of this absurd sight, Sally realized they had one thing in common: everyone was hallucinating and talking nonsense.
“Oh, my.”
At that moment, Emily’s words came to mind.
“Do you think they used hallucinogens?”
Emily’s words made her mind race. Sally turned her attention to the balcony.
“M-Ma’am!”
…She saw someone go to the balcony. Sally pushed aside the madmen and headed in that direction.
