I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince - Chapter 55 [Masquerade Ball (2)]

 

What is the most important virtue that a ‘commoner’ must possess in order to survive in a medieval fantasy world?

Let’s assume they don’t have overwhelming power, magic, or status, for a start.

Of course, having skills like being good at conversing or cooking would certainly help in living a better life.

But putting aside what’s necessary for ‘a better life’, what is the most essential item for mere ‘survival’?

People may have various answers, but at least my personal opinion is this.

The most necessary item for survival is ‘the ability to know one’s place.’

No matter how good a person is at talking, if they don’t know their place and run their mouth in front of a tyrant, their head will be cut off.

No matter how good they are at cooking, if they open a restaurant in the middle of the capital without backing down, they are bound to go bankrupt due to debt.

…And a commoner maid attending the birthday banquet of the Third Princess was clearly an act that went beyond knowing one’s place to the point of being ridiculous enough to break one’s nose.

It was only natural for my body to head towards Ethan’s room next door to put an end to this situation.

 

“W-wait a minute, Lilith! You have to change into your dress; where are you going?!”

“Miss Lilith…! That way is the young master’s bedroom…”

 

I heard the voices of Isabel and Catherine following me as I dashed out of the room as soon as I heard Isabel’s explanation, but my mind was already too overloaded to make proper judgments.

It was also natural that I ended up knocking on Ethan’s door, who was likely the culprit behind all this.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

Even while standing in front of Ethan’s door and knocking, my mind was in turmoil with all sorts of thoughts.

Soon, the voice of the man who was the root of this whole situation came from beyond the door.

 

“Is it you, Maid? Come in.”

 

As soon as I opened the door and entered, the black-haired noble appeared in front of me.

Perhaps he was also in the middle of preparing for the banquet, as he had changed into a much neater formal attire than usual.

Now that Ethan is thin, the black suit suits him quite well too. In Luminor Academy, he could only wear a suit that looked like it its buttons were about to burst… No, that’s not important.

As soon as I brought my momentarily distracted thoughts back, Ethan in the black suit looked at me and gestured with his hand for Isabel and Catherine, who had followed me, to step back for a moment.

 

“……”

“……”

 

Creak.

 

My two colleagues, who had inadvertently followed me into Ethan’s private room, quietly closed the door and left.

As soon as they disappeared from the spot, Ethan asked me a question with a brazen expression.

 

“What’s the matter, Maid? It’s better to start preparing now if you’re going to attend the evening banquet.”

“…Are you in your right mind?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were in your right mind, Young Master Ethan.”

“……”

 

What the hell are you thinking?

Does it make any sense to have your exclusive maid attend the Princess’ birthday banquet as your partner?

No matter how much of a noble from the Blackwood ducal family you are, this rudeness is completely unacceptable.

At the very least, if it were the birthday banquet of some Baron or Viscount family’s son, it would be fine. Just Ethan attending such an event would be an honor in itself.

Whether he brought a maid or a local bakery girl as his partner, there would be no problem at all.

However, the host of this banquet was the Imperial family, and it was the birthday banquet of the Third Princess.

Although the Third Princess was not a leading figure for the next Imperial succession, this was the epitome of rudeness, no matter how you looked at it.

A Blackwood bringing a commoner maid, not even a lower noble, as a partner?

What would the Third Princess and other nobles who saw that think?

They might think he brought me to compare the Third Princess, who was far from the Imperial throne to a commoner, or it could be interpreted as symbolizing that the loyalty of the Blackwood family to the Imperial family was no different from that of a mere commoner.

It was an act that wouldn’t be surprising to receive all sorts of strange slander from the Imperial family and other nobles watching the situation.

As soon as I saw Ethan’s face asking back with a stupid expression, these impressions naturally came to mind.

 

‘I thought he had become a bit decent since he’s been receiving leadership education these days, but is he really still a kid inside?’

 

My mind was still in a state of confusion at the sight of Ethan, who couldn’t even keep the basics of what a noble of the Blackwood Ducal family should have.

The evaluation of Ethan, which had improved recently, was also falling in real-time.

 

‘If you’re going to commit rudeness, do it by yourself; why are you involving me?’

 

However, even with my reaction, Ethan only showed a nonchalant response as if it was nothing.

Soon, his mouth opened and an answer to my question naturally came out.

 

“That’s why I asked you, Maid. Do you really understand what it means to attend the banquet together?”

“Of course, I understood it as meaning to attend as the young master’s exclusive maid…!”

“I clearly asked you again. And yet, it was you who answered that you clearly understood.”

“……”

“You can’t back out now, Maid. It’s already been decided.”

 

…Yeah, now that you put it that way, it’s certainly my fault too.

It was also my mistake to roughly misinterpret the meaning of Ethan’s words, ‘let’s attend the banquet together.’

But what maid could even imagine…

…that the master she serves would request her to attend a banquet as his partner, and to do such a thing at the Third Princess’s birthday banquet at that.

This was a situation that could only be misunderstood due to common sense.

If I had known the true meaning of what Ethan said, I would have naturally refused without needing to consider it.

 

“…But it doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense, Maid?”

“You are a noble of the Blackwoods. Also, the Master has no other children, so you are the heir to the Blackwoods as well.”

“Yes. I know that, too.”

“…And I am just a commoner maid. Moreover, a maid of a lowly status sold for debt. Although I have taken the position of the young master’s exclusive maid beyond my status, I have never thought that my rank has risen because of it.”

“……”

“Furthermore, this banquet is the Birthday Banquet of Her Highness the Third Princess, so it is also a politically important event. Have you not considered the repercussions of bringing a commoner maid as your partner to that event?”

If you understand, please cancel it now.

Don’t risk my life for your political performance and just take any ordinary noble lady.

 

“As expected, you’re thoughtful, Maid.”

“Pardon?”

“…No, it was just me talking to myself.”

 

Ethan, who heard my words, muttered something in a small voice to himself.

Soon, he continued his answer with an expression as if he had been considering the parts I had considered.

 

“I understand your concerns, Maid, but you don’t have to worry too much about that.”

“How can I not worry…!”

“I’ve already sent a letter to the Imperial Palace. That my exclusive maid, you, will be taking the position of my partner.”

“Pardon…?”

“As you have said, there is a possibility of a misunderstanding if I bring a commoner maid to the banquet. So if I convey in advance that I have no such intentions, it’s fine.”

 

…It was only three days ago that this topic came up, and you say you’ve already sent a letter in advance?

While that level of preparation was commendable, it only raised another question in my mind.

Why do you want to take me as your partner to an official banquet event so badly? That question was unresolved.

 

“……”

“……”

 

Because of that, my suspicious gaze didn’t easily fade even after Ethan’s answer.

As if he also read the meaning of my gaze, he nodded and supplemented the reason for taking me as his partner.

 

“The reason I’m taking you, Maid, as my partner is to prevent the bothersome approach of other nobles.”

“…Bothersome approach?”

“As the Maid knows, I don’t have a fiancée yet. When I was young, I was bedridden due to a curse, and recently, I’ve been too busy to have time to interact with other noble families.”

“…Yes, I’m well aware.”

“When I make an appearance at a prestigious event after a long time, how many nobles do you think will try to take advantage of the Blackwood family’s prestige?”

“…There would be at least a considerable number.”

 

Listening to Ethan’s words, it certainly seemed like such a situation would occur.

The fact that the ‘position’ of the fiancée of a powerful noble, like Ethan of the Blackwoods, was vacant meant that the most powerful position to establish connections with the Blackwood family was open.

There were nobles who made such moves from the time he had just woken up from his curse not long ago, and letters consistently arrived regarding Ethan’s engagement.

Perhaps there was a possibility that many nobles would approach him regarding a fiancée the moment Ethan participated in such an official event.

 

‘Moreover, with his current appearance, he would stand out enough to catch the attention of noble ladies even without the prestige of the Blackwood family.’

 

Although I tremble and inwardly curse whenever I meet Harold, objectively speaking, Harold is definitely handsome as a man.

His wife, Thanasia, was also a noble lady exuding a beautiful dignity full of pure beauty. Of course, I had never actually seen her.

The appearance of Ethan, born between those two, didn’t even need an explanation.

In the game, that potential was completely hidden by the thick layers of fat, but the current Ethan had removed all those fat lumps thanks to rigorous training.

If a person with such an appearance was also the heir to the Blackwood family… there was even a possibility that he would receive more attention than the host of the banquet in a sense.

 

“I don’t want to cause a commotion, Maid.”

“……”

“Since it’s the Birthday Banquet of the Third Princess, I think that Her Highness should naturally be the star of this banquet.”

“…I also agree with that opinion.”

“That’s why I asked you, Maid. If you attend as my partner wearing the same ring as me, we can pretend to be unnamed fiancés and divert the attention.”

“Pretend to be fiancés….”

“…Among the maids I know, my exclusive maid is the most trustworthy. Not only that, but even just based on appearance, you, Maid, are the prettiest. …And personally, I also thought it would be nice if Maid was my partner.”

“Pardon?”

“…No, I was just talking to myself.”

 

After hearing the whole story, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

The plan itself to act as if he had a fiancée and preemptively block other bothersome guests seemed plausible enough.

However, there was a fatal problem with this plan.

…And that was the fact that I was a commoner ‘pretending’ to be a noble; I wasn’t actually a noble.

It was fine if they just saw Ethan and me wearing the same ring and thought we were engaged and backed off.

But if the other party directly asked about my identity, I would naturally have to reveal my rank and identity as a commoner.

After all, I was a commoner, and the other party asking me questions would most likely be a noble.

…And if I refused a noble’s question with the status of a commoner, it would naturally cause problems later.

So, of course, I emphasized this part and asked Ethan again, but Ethan only gave a prepared answer as if he had already prepared for my question as well.

 

“What do you plan to do about my identity? If the other party asks for my name and position, I will have no choice but to reveal that I am a commoner maid.”

“That’s fine, there probably won’t be anyone who will ask you such a question at this banquet. Even if they do, just ignore them.”

“…Pardon?”

“The concept of this birthday banquet for the Third Princess is a masquerade ball.”

 

…Ah.

Right, I had momentarily forgotten it since it was so long ago.

 

I’d forgotten the kind of personality the heroine of Luminor Academy, the Third Princess of the Empire, had in the original game.