Chapter 40

While hesitating at the unexpected question, Rupert answered, “Yes.”

Then Leah walked closer to him.

Not me, but towards Rupert.

“Can’t I play too?”

He chuckled at Leah’s cuteness.

“Later. Now it’s an important match with your mother.”

“A match?”

The atmosphere of the two talking like that is much softer than before.

‘What happened while I was away?’

First of all, it was a little shocking that Leah went to Rupert before me……!’

Then, Leah asked with a worried face, “Mom and father, are you fighting again?”

“It’s not a fight, sweetheart. Well, this is, um……”

I can’t explain that I was angry at your father’s stubborn attitude and wanted to eat him.

Rupert said, “We’re trying to decide who’s going to hang out with you longer, Leah.”

“Father……with me?”

“From now on, I want to play with you too.”

He glanced at me and continued, “But Noel doesn’t like it because she likes you so much.”

Hey, what the hell?

“So the one who wins the tag game will play with you more.”

“I see……”

Leah agreed, and I was a little shocked.

‘Rupert explained it at the level of a child like that!?’

What the hell happened?

‘It’s not a bad thing that the two of them are close.’

But still, when Leah suddenly approached him, I felt a little alienated.

‘I am a narrower person than I thought……’

While I was reflecting, Leah pulled Rupert’s hem.

“Then, after playing with mom, play with me too!”

“Okay.”

Are you answering on the premise that you will definitely win against me?

“Rupert, isn’t it better not to make a promise you can’t keep?”

He laughed lightly.

It’s a look that literally provokes me.

“Hmm, well?”

“……”

In the end, I couldn’t figure out the exact reason for his change of heart.

And the day of the masquerade ball is approaching.

***

It sounded magnificent.

This is because the number of performers at the ball is almost orchestra-level.

All thanks to Mrs. Rizé’s determination and preparation.

“It’s bigger than I thought.”

I looked down at the central hall from the third floor and admired it blankly.

Seen from above, the view of the ball is spectacular.

It really is a masquerade ball. There are many clothes with all kinds of colorful patterns. The colorful hem of the skirt is so bright that it makes my eyes ache.

Even the mask that covered the face has jewels on it on the side, and there are many guests who put great effort into their makeup.

Starting with the winged fairy, the pirate, and the clown……

Of course, any attire is decorated with jewels and gold thread, so it is very splendid.

‘Oh, there’s a rabbit mask too.’

It’s interesting because I only saw all of this at the amusement park in my previous life.

There are also other animal masks. Leah will love it.

‘How will Rupert look?’

In the first place, the purpose is to catch me, and since he is someone who doesn’t like this kind of atmosphere, there is a high possibility that he is only wearing a mask that is comfortable for him.

If I know what he looks like, it is easy to avoid him, so I tried to find him, but I couldn’t.

‘Anyway, thanks to you, I might win easily.’

The guests are very active, so it is more crowded than expected.

For Rupert who has a more sensitive sense than the average person, this situation will be quite exhausting.

I left the venue to express my gratitude to the people of Yuren Kingdom who are serious about playing.

“Oh, hold on!”

While I was walking, a passerby grabbed me and handed me a tray of empty glasses.

“Hey, who are you? I don’t know because you’re wearing a mask. Anyway, if your hands are empty, take this to the kitchen.”

Without shame, I meekly accepted the tray.

“Okay.”

“Thanks.”

I looked at the back of the young servant who passed by immediately.

‘Looks like my disguise worked.’

Currently, I am wearing the maid outfit of the Ernst duchy.

That’s why the servant misunderstood and gave me a job.

‘It’s better than I thought.’

Holding the tray, I hummed.

At the masquerade, all employees of Ernst who attended are wearing plain white masks.

It is difficult to distinguish faces even among the employees because it is designed to cover everything except the mouth area.

From masks to formal maid clothes. Anyone can see that I am now a maid from the Ernst duchy.

‘To the aristocrats, the maids are like air: They are there but not visible.’

It is comfortable to walk around freely, as there is hardly any attention.

Of course, the operation does not end here.

With the help of Mrs. Rizé, women dressed similarly to me are currently walking around the Duke.

It would be a bonus if Rupert was tricked into spending time with him.

“Here, these are the empty glasses.”

I brought the glasses to the kitchen.

A middle-aged woman took the glasses and moved with a bustle.

“Great job! Umm, your black hair is familiar. Could it be you? Anyway, can you bring this to the Duke?”

I am also wearing a wig, so it looked like I was mistaken for another maid.

“Okay.”

She smirked and tapped me on my shoulder.

I accepted the bottle of wine and replied with a smile.

I naturally blend in among the maids.

In this situation, I also felt confident that I might be able to identify Rupert before he did.

Well, if you are a normal noblewoman, this would be a huge disgrace, but I don’t even care.

‘I remember working part-time in a restaurant when I was in college.’

Come to think of it, I was pretty good at washing dishes.

The last time when I argued with Rupert, I should have said that I’m good at washing dishes!

With that thought, I arrived at the venue again with wine in my hand.

The passage used by employees is in the first corner. It’s hard to see, and there are hardly any people nearby.

‘It’s good to have a rescue plan ahead of time to secure an escape route.’

Otherwise, you might get lost in the middle.

Then, someone swung my arm.

“……!”

For a moment, I thought Rupert had found me and I unconsciously stiffened my body.

“Hey……you, who are you? Oh, are you a maid? Stop!”

I was relieved after checking the person.

One of the simple guests.

He is a man with a strong smell of alcohol. And he is holding a wine glass in one hand.

‘Did you get drunk and come near this aisle?’

Looks like he didn’t notice that he was very drunk and that the mask he was wearing was crooked.

I didn’t want to be revealed by making a fuss, so I spoke in a friendly tone.

“This is not a place for guests to be because it is the aisle for employees. May I guide you to the place where the guests are?”

“Aha!”

Hearing my voice, the man smirked and grabbed my shoulder.

“Hey, you have a good voice. Why don’t you take off your mask?”

Are you a playboy? It’s become annoying.

“That’s not the rule.”

“Don’t be stiff! Then we can go over there and take it off, okay?”

Saying that, he openly tried to drag me to a dark place.

It was obvious what he was trying to do, so I strongly shook off his hand.

“Put your hands down!”

I even made up my mind to hit his head with the bottle of wine I was holding if he bothered me more.

“Damn it, the lowly arrogant!”

He was about to pour a glass of wine that he brought.

I closed my eyes tightly at the thought that I would be doused with alcohol.

“……?”

But I didn’t feel anything, and slowly opened my eyes.

At the same time, I was startled by the sight in front of me.

Pink body, round whitetail.

‘Rabbit?’

There is a back view of a rabbit right in front of me.

To be precise, he is a person who disguised himself as a rabbit doll.

I remember seeing him at the venue earlier.

‘Are you helping me?’

The person inside the costume seems to be quite tall. The doll’s clothes are so large that I have to lift my head to see the ears.

“You, who are you?”

The man was bewildered by the sudden appearance of a giant rabbit.

“……”

The rabbit said nothing and looked down at the man in a daunting way.

‘Are you mad?’

By that time, thinking that the crisis had passed, I slipped aside.

Then I can see the side face of the rabbit.

‘You got spilled wine instead of me……’

The mouth of the mask is stained with wine. It is a white and pink-colored mask, so it looks really good.

“I, I, thank you.”

The rabbit, who had been silently staring at the drunkard, turned away.

“……”

He looked at me for a moment, then turned his head away again.

‘Does it mean that it’s okay?’

“Hey, what are you doing, bastard?”

Perhaps he thought he was being ignored, the drunken man twisted his face.

“You bastard over there! Can’t you take off that mask right now? Judging by such a funny thing you’re wearing, you must be from an insignificant family!”

“……”

The rabbit still said nothing.

He just grabbed the man by the collar.

“Gasp!”

Perhaps due to the height difference, the man was quickly knocked down before his shiny shoes flew through the air.