chapter 20

As the ball progressed, the atmosphere in the Crystal Hall grew increasingly lively.

True to its name, the white rock crystal that paved the floor constantly emitted light. The guests' extravagant attire, surrounded by reflected light, appeared even more luxurious.

Among them, Count Keitel and his party truly captivated everyone's attention.

In the lounge right next to the hall, a group of ladies gathered around the refreshment table, whispering all sorts of critiques.

"Madam, do you know anything about Count Keitel? At your age, you must have heard something, surely?"

"No. I've met his father, but I had no idea he had a child out of wedlock in the North."

"To put it nicely, it's a child out of wedlock. He's basically a bastard. No matter how unfortunate his younger brother is, I think adopting him is going too far."

"Still, with those looks... Honestly, right?"

"Some ladies secretly admired His Majesty's charms, but with him, some might even turn away..."

"Goodness, such blasphemy! How dare you compare anyone to His Majesty! The Count isn't an actor either!"

However, no one could deny how eye-catching he was.

Count Ruslan Keitel possessed a legitimate title, administrative accomplishments, and considerable wealth. His physique was lean but well-built, preventing any impression of weakness. Furthermore, his complex features were truly aristocratic.

Compared to that, his somewhat unclear origins were a minor flaw. It was even a huge advantage for a lady from a less prestigious family. After all, it's easier to approach someone with a few flaws than someone too perfect.

The ladies in the lounge shifted their focus.

"But it's a pity that he's not completely single, isn't it?"

"Of course. How could such a handsome man possibly have no one?"

Countless eyes simultaneously turned toward the hall beyond.

In the center, a beautiful blonde girl was dancing with various men.

The woman who had stirred up as much buzz as Count Keitel at today's ball, the Count's lover.

"Her name is Juju, I hear. Is that a nickname? What's her real name?"

"What would a commoner know of such things? It's unexpected that she's even made it to the Imperial Palace thanks to the Count's influence, but what can you do? There were even swineherds among those who made great contributions to the country."

"Well, in a world where a forest person can rise to the rank of Army Marshal just for being able to use a sword a little..."

"Compared to that, this is nothing. If she's that pretty, any man, not just the Count..."

The ladies simultaneously unfolded their fans to hide their cheeks. Their attention was entirely focused on Juju.

Someone sighed.

"It seems handsome men are only satisfied with equally beautiful women."

At those words, everyone nodded in unison, as if it had been pre-arranged.

In the face of such overwhelming beauty, they didn't even have the energy to be jealous. They hesitated to put her down, using her status as an excuse.

A commoner coming as someone's lover was predictable. In high society, it was similar to showing off a cute dog or a newly purchased necklace.

But the girl was radiant even in the ballroom. She suited the Count too well to simply be a decorative accessory.

Even her dancing and behavior were natural in this setting. She could have easily passed for a noble lady from a remote region.

"Count Keitel must have given her thorough etiquette training for today. Well, it's for the safety of His Majesty and the Empress."

"The Empress seems to like her too."

Whether the chatter in the lounge flowed on or not, the two were in private conversation.

Because it was a mixed dance with rotating partners, they were quite far apart. However, whispers amplified by magic continued to echo in their ears.

-The Emperor isn't participating in the dancing.

Ruslan pointed that out first. Juju glanced at the head table and moved her lips.

-He never really joins in after the first dance anyway. He's probably staying in place under the pretense of listening to his ministers' advice.

Charlotte had once said that it was difficult to keep up because she danced too well.

She had worried about what to do because she couldn't intentionally slow down her steps, but now it wasn't even a memory to cherish.

Just like back then, Albert was listening to some story from an old nobleman. His gaze, with his head tilted at an angle, was aimlessly wandering around the ballroom.

Ruslan was dealing with a young lady who had taken advantage of the gap to approach him. He chatted with the girl, but the whispers continued.

-Where are the Four Heroes?

-First, the tall woman standing near the door. The current Army Marshal, Pascalina.

The woman with her black hair loosely tied back came into Ruslan's view as well. She was standing rigidly in her army uniform. Judging by her posture, she seemed to be here for security rather than to attend the ball.

She had a small pattern on her forehead, which seemed to be tattooed rather than drawn. Leaf-shaped ears were barely visible beneath her hair.

-As you can see, she's from the forest people. I hear she was a princess or something, but I don't know the details other than that she ran away on her own. She married a nobleman's son about two years ago. Over there.

As she said, a man with drooping eyes was laughing loudly on one side. They were far apart and had different attitudes towards attending, so they didn't seem like a couple. He didn't seem to care what his wife was doing.

Juju subtly turned toward the head table while taking her dance steps.

-And the man receiving the white wine over there is the Minister of the Imperial Household, Dietrich.

-I saw him when I entered the palace. I heard he's from a court noble family.

-Yes, he probably had the strongest ambition among us. He came down from Moden to the capital just to try to hitch his wagon to Albert.

He had been dancing until recently and was now taking a short break. He was fiddling with his wine glass while scanning the room through his glasses.

As the dance came to an end, Ruslan thanked the young lady he had been dancing with.

-If he's a typical nobleman, it'll be easier to deal with him. Next is...

"Count Keitel! If you don't mind, how about I be your next partner?"

A woman approached Ruslan directly.

Juju immediately turned her head, having lost the whisper.

Unlike other noblewomen, her short hair immediately caught the eye. Her face and figure, which looked much younger than her age, were very familiar to Juju.

-...Merchant Guild Leader Irene. Her personality is as you see it.

Ruslan chuckled inwardly at those words and greeted Irene.

The music changed. Ruslan turned slightly towards Juju while circling the wide hall.

Juju was dancing with Count Lahr, who had asked her for a dance. Noticing his gaze, Irene spoke.

"What? Are you worried about your lover dancing with an old man? Count Lahr's lechery isn't anything new."

-Ah, that guy, he used to be a commoner, but now he's a marquis.

"Does His Grace appear that way to you?"

"I have a knack for men. Hmm, a man faithful to one woman, is it? What treasure did he dig up? She's even wearing silk that I coveted."

-Does this woman always talk so much nonsense?

After relaying those words to Juju, Ruslan put on a mysterious smile.

"His Majesty even called it pure love."

-That's right, I forgot about that. He's not dating anyone, but he's obsessed with other people's relationships.

The current song ended fairly quickly. Juju nodded along with Count Lahr's loud laughter and whispered a little more.

-One is missing. Archbishop Jonathan. He's easygoing, so it wouldn't be strange if he skipped this event on a whim.

-Thanks for the thorough explanation. Thanks to you, I definitely memorized the faces and names of those three.

Juju, after thanking the Count, took a breath and turned around. Since her apparent status was that of a commoner, she should have been somewhat hesitant, but requests kept coming in and she hadn't been able to rest for even one song. The last song had complicated and fast steps, so her feet hurt.

I wondered if I was too good and would raise suspicion, but that was a pointless worry.

As soon as the dancing started, she had danced with countless men. Among them, there were quite a few people she knew, including Count Lahr.

Because of that, she thought that someone might be reminded of Charlotte by her outstanding skills, but no one was.

To be exact, there was no mention of it at all.

Five years after being purged by the Emperor, there was no trace of Charlotte in the capital's high society anymore.

Since even the villainess herself was now dead, it was all over for others. They wouldn't feel the need to try to remember it.

Charlotte had truly become a complete stranger and infiltrated this place again. She should be happy that she was achieving her goal, but for some reason, Juju's mouth tasted bitter.

She glanced at what Ruslan was doing, and saw that he was busy as soon as the dance ended. A flock of ladies had swarmed around him during the brief respite.

His expression as he put on a mysterious smile, as if he was used to dealing with women, was ridiculous.

They're all being fooled. He's the type who can't even look straight at a petticoat.

She felt a little better laughing to herself. Juju moved closer to the wall. She wanted to have Nadia bring her something to drink.

And she planned to take advantage of the current lull in the atmosphere to observe her targets. She had been so focused on blending into this place that she hadn't been able to follow the movements of the Emperor and the Four Heroes.

She took a sip of the carbonated drink she received. Amidst the bustling crowd, she searched for her former colleagues with her own eyes.

The faces she had met after five years were unchanged. That part made her angry.

Charlotte had returned as a completely different girl, but they were maintaining their old lives as is, with only small changes such as aging and getting married.

The same went for this ball. The only thing that had changed was the repertoire of dance tunes, and even then, the songs that had been popular for a long time were still the same. Even the feeling of her heels clicking against the crystal floor of the Crystal Hall was exactly the same as in her memory.

It was when she gripped the glass tightly.

Albert, who had seemed uninterested in the head table's throne, stood up. Instead of ordering a servant, he asked the concertmaster directly.

"What's next?"

"The latest song from Kolchak, a three-quarter time military dance tune. The one from the other day..."

"I remember, that's enough."

Someone smiled next to Albert.

"Are you planning to dance?"

"No, never mind. If it's that song, I might as well leave."

"Are you thinking of leaving on your own like this?"

Dietrich, who had heard their conversation, intervened.

Albert turned to look at him. He quickly understood the intention.

If he, the person who had organized the ball, left halfway through, what were they supposed to do with the rest of the guests? Was he planning to leave the Empress alone?

Dietrich's gaze was filled with such protests behind his glasses.

Albert, feeling inwardly tired, made a perfunctory excuse.

"It's getting hot in the hall, so I'm just going for a walk in the garden. Concertmaster, when is the waltz? ...I see. I'll be back by then. Is that enough for you?"

Dietrich also readily stepped aside at those words. Albert pulled the cape hanging on the throne and slipped out the back.

Leaving behind the floating social interactions and the darkly gathering gossip, he found himself in a palace passage filled with lyrical moonlight.

With the exception of the servant following him like a shadow, no one disturbed his thoughts. His vision cleared, and he felt much more refreshed.

While listening to the old man's drivel instead of dancing earlier, Albert's gaze had been constantly following one person.

He was referring to the girl whom Count Keitel had brought as his partner.

He had never seen such blonde hair. It was blonde hair that stood out brightly no matter where it was in the ballroom.

Albert unconsciously touched his own hair, which was a muddy color mixed with brown.

...Completely different.

The girl didn't resemble anyone Albert knew at all. Even their ages were different.

He had clearly seen the last appearance of the face that came to mind during the funeral. He had personally realized the tragedy of politics while closing the coffin.

So there was no way his memories had been distorted.

It was clear that the girl was an unrelated girl with no point of contact with his past.

Why.

Why did he unconsciously think of Charlotte the moment he saw her?