Volume 1 - CH 14

Count Cloud Reginbars, the assistant of the Prime Minister, had been enjoying a chat with his superior, Marquis Georac Lycrents, and subordinate, Count Hughes Luthorburg.

This was the first time Cloud had talked casually with his new subordinate, but Hughes had shown promise and potential for the future. More importantly, Cloud had felt a sort of kinship with him; as he basked in the strange relief of having connected with a new comrade, Cloud turned his gaze across the hall, over to Hughes’s daughter, Luciana.

She was laughing happily with friends… if he had found his daughter, would she have been a part of that circle? Cloud let out a hidden sigh as he wondered about the daughter he had yet to meet.

His father had refused to the very end to recognize Cloud’s relationship with Celena, and it had taken until Cloud inherited the title five years ago to finally begin searching for Celena. But by then, it was too late: when Cloud had tracked down his beloved Celena, she had already passed away.

Just remembering the despair he felt in that moment was enough to break his heart all over again.

His only hope now of overcoming the grief of losing his beloved was in finding and meeting his daughter.

(This world truly never goes the way you want… Will I ever be able to meet my daughter…)

Cloud looked toward the ceiling as he immersed himself in thought; perhaps his situation would be less oppressive if he could visit Celena’s grave, something his work load had kept him from doing.

(Ah, I feel so, so lonely… I’m so alone, Celena, I wish I could see you again…)

“Is something the matter?”

On hearing Georac’s question, Cloud immediately snaps out of his reverie, regaining his calm and changing the subject.

“…No, I was just wondering why Lectias has yet to arrive.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him either. Didn’t you directly order him to attend? To be your scapegoat, I mean.”

Cloud could only wryly smile as he watched Georac cackle like a child who had caught someone in his prank.

“‘Scapegoat’? That sounds rather dangerous. May I ask what you mean by ‘scapegoat’?”

Hughes had a confused look as he asked for clarification, and so Cloud explained the situation he had just been in.

“Oh, I see, you had been referring to Count Reginbars’s popularity. The ladies certainly had surrounded him earlier. So in this case, you mean to say that since Sir Lectias is also extremely popular, he could act as your buffer against unwanted advances.”

“In other words, he’s selling out his trusting subordinate to the ladies. Goodness, what a considerate superior you are.”

“…I am merely looking out for my loyal subordinate. It would be inconvenient for him to excuse himself from every social event, after all. For what it is worth, I also ordered him to bring a partner, if just to have a minor deterrent.”

“Are you implying it would be that easy to find someone that convenient? You are such a bully. Oh, would you look at that. It seems he has finally arrived.”

Cloud followed Georac’s line of sight to the smallest entry door.

And suddenly, silence fell all around them.

The first thing Cloud saw was the tall Lect’s red hair. Then a crowd had begun to form, curious of the latecoming arrivals. Cloud caught sight of Lect’s partner, and he immediately froze in place.

— An angel hath come.

No one needed the words to be said, for they all thought the same: an angel has descended upon the land.

Her translucent, amber-gold hair shimmered as though it were made of pure jewels; her eyes, red as fresh blood, made her seem unapproachable, yet they attracted unyielding attention like moths to a brilliant flame.

Her white dress was free of impurity, and the exquisite lace cape around her shoulders swayed as she walked, its silver threads fluttering along… Her outfit evoked the wings of an angle.

Her attractiveness was unlike the stimulating allure of a siren nor like the charming innocence of a fairy.

She was more akin to an ephemeral beauty, having come to life from a masterful painting; such a girl had descended upon this humble Spring Ball.

Georac and Hughes could only stare in speechless shock as the angel approached them one step at a time. Cloud, however, stared with rapt attention as a completely different thought entered his mind.

(…Celena?)

For one fleeting moment, it felt as though his beloved Celena had returned to his side once more.

But her hair, her eyes, they were not the same… Cloud found himself confused as to why he felt this way about a woman who looked completely different.

“Please accept my apologies for being late. I, Lectias Frodo, have arrived.”

Lect and the mysterious girl stepped forward and bowed to the noblemen.

Seeing the two bow, the three men quickly regained their senses.

“Uh, um…”

But Cloud was still bewildered and unable to formulate a coherent speech. Instead, it was Georac who pulled the conversation along.

“It seems like the delay was worth it, Lectias. So who is this very beautiful young lady of yours?”

“It would be my pleasure to introduce myself. My name is Me– Cecillia. I look forward to an enjoyable evening together.”

“…Ah.”

Cloud’s mind tumbles further into shambles. Cecilia… the girl’s name is Cecilia.

To Cloud, it seemed as though the heavens were toying with his life.

For this girl bore the name he buried in his heart, the same name he hoped to bestow upon the daughter he may yet meet.

— A little while earlier…

“All right! This will work!”

Still on the carriage headed for the royal castle, Melody checked over her now-amber hair and nodded in satisfaction.

(Just as I expected, changing my hair and eye colors makes me give off a different impression. I’m glad I could still use the same identity-changing trick like when I first left home. My lady won’t be expecting me to be at the event in the first place, so I’m sure nobody will recognize me!)

“Is this magic? I don’t know of any spells that could do something like this.”

Melody had performed her magic right in front of Lect, changing her hair to the gold of his eyes and her eyes to the red of his hair. Lect could only stare in amazement, having never seen such magic before.

In her current outfit, her prior black hair and black eyes created the look of an innocent angel of tranquility. But now, with her current gold hair and red eyes, Melody took on the appearance of a sacred angel of pure divinity… well either way, she looked perfectly angelic.

“This should be fine for the time being.”

“…If you’re able to change that much, I’m sure nobody would suspect your true identity. Even your young mistress shouldn’t be able to see through your current appearance.”

“Yes, however, this will be the only time I do this. You should have properly explained everything beforehand, at the very least!”

“…I’m really, very sorry.”

Lect bowed his head as he gave an honest apology. Seeing his earnestness, Melody chose to forgive him.

It was not long before the carriage finally arrived at the royal castle, and Lect carefully began escorting Melody to the hall.

Melody, on the other hand, tried to get into the mindset of a “chaperone” accompanying a young charge; her goal was to calm herself by roleplaying the position of a female servant.

But there was trouble right from the start: as Melody walked down from the carriage, the gatekeeper seemed to only stare at her.

(Oh no, did he already figure out I’m just a maid in disguise?! Is my maid aura leaking out? Was it because of my refined maid-ness?)

…And how, exactly, is this sweet and innocent angel of a girl, wearing the purest of white dresses, anything like a maid at all?

But despite Melody’s extreme nervousness, she and Lect get through the entrance with surprising ease.

The small door to the hall opened for them, and they step on in.

The ballroom they entered was a large and extravagant venue, with magic-powered lamps lighting the room and various ornaments decorating the hall. Everywhere they looked there were guests talking happily or dancing in merriment, and yet the smiles those guests wore were measured and tense.

This was a battleground of high society, the realm of bluebloods.

Fortunately, the two had entered through the smallest door, so they were able to minimize the attention they may have attracted; even so, there were still some that noticed their entrance, and these guests stopped to stare in surprised silence.

(…They all instantly fell for her charm.)

The girl Lect escorted was simply that beautiful. Even Lect recalled that he himself had reacted the same way when they first met. Now he could see how others reacted, and he could see others become captivated as though admiring a masterful piece of art.

As the pair walked through the hall, it was as though the crowds naturally parted for them. It seemed to onlookers that blocking this couple’s path was nothing short of blasphemy.

To Lect, it was as though they were recreating a scene from legends.

A certain other pair might have called this phenomena “narrative readjustment”, but… that certainly was not a term Lect would know or understand.

(I never realized people could look completely different simply by changing the color of their hair and eyes. I need to be wary of any spies able to do this now that I know this kind of magic exists. If they could freely change their hair color, like from white to gold or from silver to black… Wait… From silver–?)

“Sir Lect, are these the people you needed to greet?”

“– Huh? Oh, yes, they are.”

Just now, Lect had almost remembered something of utmost importance, but Melody’s voice broke his train of thought.

In front of them were three people: Lect’s superior, Count Cloud Reginbars; the Prime Minister, Marquis Georac Lycrents, and a blonde-haired man. Lect did not recognize this third man, but it was obvious to him that the three were fairly close with one another.

But what Lect did not know was that Melody recognized this man and had begun panicking and wondering, “Why is the master here with these people?!” in her mind.

“Please accept my apologies for being late. I, Lectias Frodo, have arrived.”

“Uh, um…”

Cloud’s awkward stammering confused Lect, but as he considered how Melody may have also charmed Cloud, Georac jumped in to keep the conversation moving.

“It seems like the delay was worth it, Lectias. So who is this very beautiful young lady of yours?”

“It would be my pleasure to introduce myself. My name is Me–“

As Melody began introducing herself, a sudden thought came into mind.

(I can’t call myself Melody here!)

“– Cecillia. I look forward to an enjoyable evening together.”

And so she introduced herself with a false name just in time. Once again, Melody added a new name to her growing list of pseudonyms…

“Quite the lovely name for a lovely lady such as yourself. I am Marquis Georac Lycrents.”

“I am Count Hughes Luthorburg.”

Hughes introduced himself with a cordial smile; he did not seem to recognize Melody, and she felt relieved.

Melody bowed to the two noblemen and waited for the last one, the man with the silver hair, to speak… but for some reason, he was standing still and frozen in place.

“…For how long do you plan on just standing there?”

“– Oh, m-my apologies. Pl-please excuse my rudeness. I’m… Count Cloud Reginbars.”

“No offense was taken, Count. It is an honor to meet you.”

“I-indeed.”

Cloud continued acting strangely; Georac and Lect both wondered if Cloud had simply become smitten with Melody’s beauty. Meanwhile, on Melody’s end, she felt a strange connection with the man in front of her.

(There’s… something about this man that seems familiar. Do I know him from somewhere?)

Melody should at least know of him: this man had introduced himself as Cloud Reginbars, the same “Cloud Reginbars” her mother Celena wrote about in the will.

But alas! Melody’s tunnel vision disregarded everything but maids, and even her extraordinary memory could not reliably recall any maid-unrelated recollections.

(…I remember now! That’s the name of master’s superior, his boss at work. He should be the assistant to the Prime Minister! I’m so glad I remembered!)

Melody correctly and incorrectly answered her own question… It seemed unlikely for a day when Melody remembers her own father’s name.to come.

Cloud was truly pitiable, and until he himself realized who Melody is, the healing and heartwarming father-daughter meeting he wished for will never come to pass.

As an aside, Hughes had not seen through Melody’s disguise.

The combination of Paula’s make-up skills with Melody’s hair and eye colors played no small part in successfully hiding “Melody” behind “Cecilia”, and Melody was able to relax in relief.

In the first place, Melody was the only person in this world who could change her hair and eye color on command.

Annemarie and other spellcasters in the kingdom would not be able to replicate the feat, because while the spell’s results might seem fairly simple, the mechanism was much more complicated.

Thus nobody could have detected an imposter noble blending in among the partygoers, let alone one able to change their appearance to such an extent.

— Except for one girl.

“Wow Luciana, did you see the girl that just entered? She’s so pretty, I think she’s attracting more attention than you were!”

“What is with the Spring Ball this year, anyway? Nobody is paying us any attention. It seems we are just like air to them.”

But while Beatrice and Miliaria were talking animatedly between themselves, Luciana was quietly staring at the girl in question… rather, she was glaring right at the girl. Luciana was, unsurprisingly, the only attendee who realized what was happening.

Although Melody had successfully fooled the other attendees, Luciana, believing Melody’s magic was capable of anything, could see right through the deception.

(How hasn’t father noticed already? That’s so obviously Melody in every way!)

The situation was so ridiculous that Luciana could not help but regret not having her harisen tonight.

Suddenly, the aura around Luciana changed. Coincidentally, Hughes would later describe a moment during the Spring Ball where he could feel an eerie chill blanket the room.

(Wait a minute, what exactly is going on?! Who is that man with her?! Is he her lover?! I have to investigate this!)

After having to deal with a thorough interrogation from Beatrice and Miliaria about her relationship with Maxwell, Luciana had finally found an outlet to vent her stress. Of course, though she was in a bit of a huff at the moment, she was still having fun.

Despite the trouble Melody went through to don her disguise, it had only taken five minutes from when she entered the hall for someone to have uncovered her.

That being said, where had the villainess and the first love interest gone? What had they been doing while the heroine was making her entrance and everything was happening?

( (I want to go and meet with Luciana-chaaan!) )

Unfortunately, this was the sad fate of the (tentative) future ruling couple: they had the responsibility of answering endless dance requests. It was no surprise that they would happen to miss the lowkey event happening in a corner of the hall while they were busy entertaining guests at the center of the floor.

Suffice to say, the window they had to encounter the heroine came at the worst possible timing.

…Or maybe they just completely forgot about the game?