The Night Ball.
A party that was held every night by the nobles and the upper class in Hautean. A playground that exists only for pleasure. Sometimes it opens its doors to the public as if to show off, sometimes it opens its doors secretly only for those with invitations. Lara had only heard rumors about the place, she had never been to a Night Ball before because she thought it was a place that she should never go to as a fake saintess.
If the arena was a crooked playground for the young noblewomen, then the Night Ball was a more deteriorated playground than that.
"I guess it's here."
Konny hung from the carriage window and looked around.
The yellow lights that lit up the surroundings were lined up along the narrow tree-lined avenue.
Following the avenue, an outdoor banquet hall with magical lighting that created a dreamy atmosphere appeared.
"Milady, are you really going to go in there?"
"Why do you ask?"
"The lighting is erotic."
"Konny."
"The shadow is erotic, and even the music is erotic. I'm pretty sure even the food will taste erotic."
"What are you talking about?"
The ball was held in the manor of an actress who had retired many years ago. During her active career, she was famous for having repeated marriages and divorces six times.
"Demian, listen here."
Lara made an earnest request to Demian in the carriage.
"If anyone talks to you, tell them that they should ask permission from Master Lady. There will be people who will try to pick a fight with you and people who will try to seduce you. Somehow there might even be people who will attack you."
"It's okay."
"Make sure you're always by my side. Okay?"
Demian stared at Lara in wonder.
It felt like Demian was looking at her as if she was a little cat meowing, worrying about a giant beast. Lara quickly cleared her throat and kept her mouth shut.
"So all I have to do is go inside there, dance like crazy, and get drunk. Then lift you up, go back to the carriage and shout 'Let's go to the hotel' out loud. Right?"
"Yes, exactly."
"That's nothing."
Demian opened the carriage door in a relaxed manner.
The carriage was still moving, but he grabbed the wall with one hand and pulled out like an acrobatic stunt.
"It's dangerous!"
Konny shouted, but it was of no use.
With his black hair waving, Demian jumped out of the moving carriage. All the people who were hanging around the entrance to the banquet hall looked at him. As their attention was focused on one place, the people inside also turned their attention this way.
Demian had a natural talent for drawing attention. He made art, even though all he did was jump out of a carriage.
As he smirked, he reminded people of the demon that appeared to corrupt humans.
The carriage slowly stopped.
Demian stood in front of the open door and went inside the carriage. Lara wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. She jumped out of the carriage using Demian's body as support.
Her long wavy brown hair, undecorated and untied, rustled down in the night breeze and fluffed like the clouds. The corners of her eyes were drawn in deep black and her lips were colored in red. Every time she moved, the fringes on her skirt scattered, revealing her smooth legs.
"Thank you."
She walked like an arrogant cat.
She raised her chin and looked over her surroundings with bold eyes.
A mixture of surprise, curiosity, jealousy, criticism, admiration, and amorous glances flew into her.
In a little while, there would be no one in that place who did not know that she's the daughter of the Marquess of Bailey.
Because she would be the one and only noblewoman in Hautean who danced with her shoulders all exposed and fancy fringes hanging from her thighs to her knees.
Lara's red eyes were headed towards them.
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She thought she would enjoy it.
She thought she would blend in just like how she did at the arena. She thought she would be no different because everyone else also played around like this. But, far from enjoying it, she felt stuffy instead. As soon as Lara entered the outdoor banquet hall where the Night Ball was held, she tried hard not to frown.
Stenches were coming from people. The banquet hall was filled with people who screamed and fought after being drunk, those who clung to someone and told them dirty jokes, and those who caused a scene. That was not all, someone ordered food that he would not even eat and threw it on the floor, someone else bullied the workers and maids.
As Lara entered the banquet hall, lewd gazes followed her from many places. It was the kind of gaze that scanned through her shoulders, chest, waist, and legs.
Inside the venue, some men and women let out embarrassing moans and satisfied their lust as if they were asking people to look at them. There was also a man who waited for a chance beside a woman who was dead drunk, and likewise, a woman who stole the wallet of a drunken man.
The floor was dirty with garbage and the chair was sticky. Cigarettes and alcohol, which were no better than drugs, rolled around each table.
There was nothing fun or exciting anywhere. This place was unfit to be called a banquet. It was even more baffling that these people were the upper class that represented Hautean.
"You didn't know this was such a place?"
Demian approached Lara, who ended up frozen at the entrance when she was the one who came in confidently as if she would dominate the society of the night with just one appearance.
"Relax."
He tapped Lara gently on the shoulder.
When his hot hand touched her cool skin that was exposed to the night breeze, she became more relaxed.
Lara sighed secretly and said.
"I don't think I can enjoy this place anymore."
"Why?"
"I just… don't think this kind of place is right for me."
"Should we go back?"
"I can't do that. Let's stay a little bit and go back quickly."
That's right. Anyone would be the lewdest woman of the century if it was that easy.
Lara thought she could reign over their heads with an extreme dress and attractive slave.
She was mistaken.
It was a naive and foolish thought. She was not ashamed of herself for wearing different clothes than anyone else, but for taking it easy.
Lara admitted it with a humble heart.
She needs to find a smarter way. If the Night Ball was a place like this, she did not think she would ever get used to it. This was not a place for people to enjoy and be happy, this was a place for people to ruin themselves.
In Lara's eyes, none of the people in the banquet hall looked happy.
"Lara."
"Yes?"
"Do I need to dance like that?"
Demian pointed to a couple with his finger, it was a lover who was drunk dancing.
Lara nodded.
After having a good look, she realized that she had seen that face before. The woman dancing in the middle of the banquet hall was Young Lady Dvonn, whom Lara had met at the arena. There was also Young Lady Swavy who was searching for her partner nearby.
"Hmm."
As Demian had assured, he briefly watched the others dance. Then, he leaned close to Lara and wrapped her waist in one hand. Originally, it would have been necessary to approach each other politely, greet each other, and then ask for permission to dance, but it did not matter to them.
The music flowed. It was a lewd, yet intense tango.
A satisfactory smile bloomed around Demian's lips.
As he supported Lara's waist and leaned over her, Lara quickly wrapped her leg around his thigh.
The long fringes of her dress were scattered.
Without even looking around her, Lara could feel that most of the people in the banquet hall were looking at her.
Perhaps Demian felt the same.
This was Lara's second life, she was famous in her previous life, so she was used to getting people's attention. But as for Demian, he just seemed to be born without any shame.
After passionately performing a strange dance that was neither good nor bad, the two walked around like lovers and pretended to drink alcohol in the banquet hall.
This was all to make it clear to anyone that Lara, a barely legal woman, had lived a wild life filled with drinking and pleasure.
"Young Lady Bailey is a strong drinker. I heard that it has not been long since you graduated from the academy. Does it run in your family?"
Young Lady Dvonn talked sarcastically.
Lara replied casually.
"Is there anyone here who has not touched alcohol at all until they became an adult? Before pushing your conservative standards on me, look back on your past."
Demian snickered.
The whole situation just seemed fun to him.
"I know we don't discriminate in the Night Ball, but a slave is too much. Why don't you meet someone who is up to your grade?"
This time, Young Lady Swavy approached and picked a fight with Lara.
Even though they looked down on Demian like that, it seemed that they desired Demian, seeing at how they looked at him with a lewd gaze.
Lara grabbed Demian's tie with one hand, pulled him close to her, and spoke with her face close.
"If you're jealous, just say so. If you don't have money, ask for it."
This time, Demian laughed out loud.
Lara, who sensed that he was genuinely having fun, secretly asked when there was no one around.
"What was so funny?"
"Because you're angry."
"…What?"
"Lara, you have been mad for a while. You had this face every time someone came to annoy you."
"What face?"
Demian proceeded to make a nasty face and tried to imitate Lara
"You ladies chose the wrong day to pick a fight with me."
Lara was speechless.
She touched her face with her fingers. She knew that she was stiffer than usual, but she did not know how obvious it was.
Demian brought his lips close to her ear and whispered.
"Lara."
"What?"
"At this rate, you won't be the top troublemaker in Hautean like you want. I don't think it would be hard for your father to fix a few scandals."
"But I can't control the eyes and mouths of these many people."
"I don't know much about the noble society in Hautean, but when you're the only daughter of the Marquess family, won't it be worth it to make a move even if you need to put up with the scandal?"
"Demian."
"I don't know who you're afraid of… But if all you want is to be kicked out of your family, then, Lara…"
"Keep going, I'm all ears."
"You don't have to take all the bad reputation to yourself."
Demian smiled.
It was a dangerous smile.