"Lady, try on a mask."
Anit handed over a mask with a white gold pattern on it.
The mask which covered her eyes, was not true to its function. She wondered if people would be able to recognize her just because she wore this mask.
"I think everyone can tell that it was me even if I wore this mask…."
"That is the goal! If no one knows that you are the daughter of the Marquis, the young lady Eleanor, who would come to you and ask for the exchange of masks, right?"
(TN: If anyone is confused by this contradicting next sentence, I will give an explanation. If Eun-woo won't wear that mask, she wouldn't get a man whom she could exchange a mask with, which is why Anit said that it's the goal; to let everyone know that she is Eleanor.)
Anit was right. This event is a masquerade ball that was especially created for those unmarried noble men and women.
Each person was busy advertising themselves with patterns that symbolized each their family, as if revealing who they are. The beauty of this masquerade ball is to seduce the other person by imagining the face behind the mask and guessing what expression they had on their faces.
"Of course, there are those people who are really determined to hide their identity. But, my lady, don't mix up with those bastards. It's clear that the people who are persistent on hiding their identity would have been better off not attending this ball in the first place."
Anit bitterly criticized them and warned her.
However, her thoughts were already flowing beyond the masquerade exchange ceremony to Selena, the heroine of the novel.
She recalled what color mask Selena was wearing. Obviously, it was a mask as red as her hair. Of course, she exchanges masks with Ikshid. Selena, who was from a poor baron family, must have not been able to get a room in the Imperial Palace and was preparing for the masquerade ball inside a shabby private carriage she brought.
"…!"
Eun-woo glowed at the wonderful thought which suddenly came to her mind and held Anit's hand, who was eagerly touching the hem of her clothes.
"Anit!"
"Oh, my. What's up, My lady?"
"I have a favor to ask of you!"
The maid Anit swallowed her dry saliva seeing the sparkling eyes of her lady who had never asked for a favor in her lifetime.
***
And about half an hour after that, she stood in front of the shabby carriage with Anit, the maid, who was anxiously trembling behind her.
It was such a small and unappealing carriage which she could not even compare with the duke's carriage which they used to ride to the imperial palace. This carriage was engraved with a red rose-shaped pattern on the lacquer of the faded carriage. It was the emblem of the well-known Baron Wellwood.
"Lady, this is crazy no matter how much I think about it. Are you lacking shoes that you'd borrow from this?"
Anit whispered to her as she looked around the spooky surroundings. She stared at the pitiful fallen horseman with hateful eyes, carrying the bottle of alcohol in one hand, which was from the passenger's seat of the carriage.
"If you end up in danger, I really don't know what to do!"
At her unsettling will, the yard of the Imperial Palace where the baron's carriage was parked, was filled with eerie silence. It was because the sun had already set, and the people in their respective wagons were busy preparing for the upcoming masquerade ball.
Eun-woo winked at Anit, signalling her to be careful to not dip her feet into the mud under the wheel of the carriage.
"Wait a minute, all the ladies who didn't get a room in the imperial palace prepare like this. There's nothing dangerous."
Then, she took out her hand from her gray gown, and knocked on the carriage's door twice.
Then, a small rattling sound could be heard and the old door of the unoiled wagon creaked open.
The woman who opened the faded carriage door without a window and appeared, was Selena Wellwood, a beautiful woman with her pale skin and glossy wine-colored red hair.
Selena's cat-like eyes caught the white woman who knocked on her door, wearing a gray gown and behind her was a maid with her reddish brown hair. She asked with wonder.
"… What's the matter?"
Eun-woo trembled at the sharp yet clear tone echoed in her ears.
It was really Selena. A straightforward woman with unwavering calmness and unchanging composure in Ye-jin's novel. Selena Wellwood.
Eun-woo faltered for a while due to her confidence and charismatic voice, like any other knights' reaction if he heard Selena's voice. She soon came to her senses, smiled and greeted Selena.
"It's our first time seeing each other. My name is Eleanor Miller. This is Anit, my maid."
Selena's expression when she heard her name, displayed with a little agitation. It was the effect of her surname, Miller. But Selena soon calmly managed her expression and got off the carriage.
Eun-woo was able to glimpse what's inside of the carriage while she got off.
The most noticeable thing was the green dress which matched her red hair. The dress was hung from a small ring which was also hanging from the ceiling of the seat.
"Lady Miller, what brings you here?"
Selena got off the carriage with a calm face and asked with deep courtesy. Eun-woo followed her and bowed together with her maid.
As she has read well, Selena was a woman with a strong character that did not match her slender body. Because of her childhood, where she was trained in swordsmanship under her father's direction, as a woman of a deep knight family, she was described as having a competitive and confident personality without hesitation in asserting herself,
Eun-woo broke from thinking about her and smiled brightly.
"Actually, I came here because I had a small favor for Lady Wellwood."
"Is there something Lady has some problems with?"
Selena asked straightforwardly. Eun-woo briefly stared at Anit, who looked at them from behind with an undesirable gaze, and replied.
"I want to invite Miss to my personal preparation room."
But after a while, Selena answered calmly, as if it was not worth thinking about.
"I'm very grateful for the invitation, but I don't know why Miss is doing me this favor. I'll politely refuse."
At Selena's inflexible rejection, Eun-woo murmured inside.
'As expected of the heroine Selena Wellwood… she's not easy…'
The maid Anit pulled the hem of her clothes from behind. She whispered to Eun-Woo in front of Selena as if she had heard it all.
"See? I told you, Miss. Cold water also has a top and bottom. You have to match each other. Don't waste your time in a place like this for nothing, and let's hurry up and go into the room, miss."
This was a reference to Selena's low status compared to Eleanor's. Marquis Miller's Miss, had treated Selena fairly, yet Selena doesn't like the suggestion of Eun-woo. Eun-woo tried to take the lead of building Selena's family again in public, yet was rejected.
Eun-woo watched Selena's reaction without sympathizing or scolding Anit. Perhaps she heard Anit, since Selena's one eyebrow flicked up. But Selena turned to close the carriage door without saying anything.
"See you at the ball later. Then, bye…."
"Wa, wait a minute!"
Selena looked back with an expression of what was going on this time. Eun-woo looked at Selena's white and slender neck, then went up and looked at her coveted hair like a red carpet. The woman, who gave a noble impression like a red plum blossom, even her lips were red like rose petals.
Despite being the same woman, Eun-woo with a very attractive face, looked at her as if possessed, and managed to open her lips.
"Actually… I came here to ask if Miss has any spare shoes. Other ladies said they rarely had enough, so I came to search for it and came all the way here."
Eun-woo quickly added.
"A gentleman smashed the heels of both of my shoes, so I'm going to wear flat shoes and attend the ball."
She gave Selena a grim look as possible and blinked her eyelashes pitifully. She then waited for Selena's reaction.
'How will Selena react…?'
Selena, whom Eun-woo knew, was, of course, a very outspoken and inflexible principled person. Of course, her slurred tone, as well as her unkind habit of speaking because she grew up in the middle of her brothers and sisters, did not give the listener a very friendly feeling.
But that wasn't all about Selena Wellwood.
It was the same now. At Eun-woo's earnest request, Selena closed her brown eyes a couple of times and immediately replied.
"…Why didn't you say that before? Hold on a second."
And after a while, she came out of the carriage with a small box.
"I brought extra shoes. Please try them on and use them if they fit your feet."
As expected, she's a good person.
Eun-woo thought to herself.
'Otherwise, Ikshid would not have risked everything he had to find his lover to help her through the waters when she was exiled to Austuralch after being casted as the Crown Prince by the villainous Tashian.'
Selena could be said to have a straight bamboo-like temper, if you look at it positively. In a way, it can be said that she was a kind of person that doesn't waver easily, but she did not give up easily too and believes in the beliefs and values she had set. Moreover, she was a person with the ability to realize things thoroughly.
Even now, Eun-woo knew that Selena was more inclined to provide convenience to those who really needed help, not to look good to herself, the marquis infant.
Even now, Eun-woo knew that Selena wanted to provide convenience to those who really needed help, not to look good to herself in front of the Young Lady, the daughter of the Marquis Miller.
Eun-woo's liking for Selena only increased.
***
Meanwhile, Prince Ikshid was staring at himself in front of the mirror in one of the most luxurious and splendid rooms in the imperial palace at that moment. To be exact, he was staring at the flashing golden mask he wore on his face.
"What do you think, Lord, good? They won't recognize me. Huh?"
"You're still you even when I see you from outside."
Sitting against a spacious chair behind Ikshid's back, Tashian replied as if he was bothered.
"Haha. My outstanding appearance shines wherever I go."
"...Think as you please."
The duke said as if he didn't want to care anymore. In his hand, there was a silver mask that covered half his face. Ikshid turned toward the Duke with his eyes shining.
"But what happened to you Lord? Didn't you say to yourself that you hate this kind of childish aristocratic play? But today, our refined Lord has been acting differently and attended the ball on his own."
"… It was your strict order to attend the masquerade."
"When have you ever heard my order to attend a banquet? What the hell happened to you? I can't believe the day has come when you would wear masks to attend the party of these noble people, called 'Suitor's Night'."
He playfully brushed his teeth and tapped the Duke's arm a couple of times.
"Did the duke finally listen to my advice to strengthen his internal stability? Or did you just roll over on the battlefield, and the thought of having a wife crossed your mind?"
"… You're going too far. Anyone who hears it will think that I am a disloyal servant who is plotting rebellion. God always prioritizes his works before his life."
Tashian responded with a frown, lightly removing Ikshid's arm. Ikshid clicked his tongue at the seriousness of such a duke.
"Oh, my. You're making me unable to joke around. So what do you think? Is there anyone you want to exchange masks with at this ball?"
Tashian's eyebrows wriggled in an instant.
"It's not a serious thing that you should be caring about."
"No, why is that something I shouldn't care about? Isn't the duke's family a pillar that supports the imperial family, both in name and in reality? How can I not worry about such a Duke when he wandered around the battlefield for nearly 10 years without a successor?"
"I'm the one whom Your Highness sent to the battlefield."
"So it's not like you're going to take care of me even now."
Tashian gave up his rebuttal and sat leaning his head against a colorful gold-worked chair. Ikshid enjoyed and thought about the appearance of such a duke.
'I am not unaware that you have been at the banquet all this time because of Miller's sister. On the night of courtship, if a woman, like a daffodil, was alone, all kinds of bastards would be entangled with her like a swarm of bugs. So, was it about suppressing his dislike of banquets and the people and attending because of Miller's sister? I didn't know that Lord had such a cute side!'