It's much bigger than it looks. Although it is obvious that this castle has an old design.

But the interior inside was sufficient to fulfill the comfort of the occupants. It reminded me of the buildings in Rome Italy.

Thinking that, I then got out of the horse carriage I was riding. As my feet touched the ground, Ernest reached out in an attempt to accompany me.

"Thank you."

I immediately accepted Ernest's invitation while letting him take the lead.

Currently, Ernest and I had come to the ball to welcome the arrival of Prince William.

There were tons of nobles and rich merchants around here, they were wearing quite exquisite formal attire with black suits and bow ties. Meanwhile, the women wore dresses of various colors while wearing small hip-length coats to protect from the cold.

Myself included, I wore a bright red dress with a chest that deliberately accentuated the size of my breasts, I hid my cleavage using a small coat, there was no intention to it as it was just my habit of always wearing work clothes. When I think about it, I actually have quite a hard time when choosing underwear because sometimes some silk materials make me uncomfortable.

Although I felt that I looked prettier than the majority of the other women, but all the attention was actually focused on the prince and his lover who were welcoming all the guests.

Entering the grand parlor, the scent of roses in the night mixed with the crowd.

"Oh- is this your first time coming to the ball?"

"No, I used to come to formal events like this a lot."

-Or rather, as an organizer, of course.

The life of the mafia is full of luxuries. Isn't that right?

But here I wasn't a mobster anymore, and everyone present was trying to get involved in the politics of the royal family.

The prince and his spouse then came down the stairs. I glimpsed that the beautiful golden-haired and blue-eyed girl who was with the prince, seemed to be the same girl who was brought by Ernest.

"That girl, isn't she?"

"Yes, Miss Violet. She is the dark lover of the prince."

I thought, it was because the girl was so beautiful that the prince could be captivated so easily. But since she's of noble origin, at least it proves that the prince is not a careless man who can only think with his crotch.

A person with such an important position should not just choose a partner. It is closely related to politics and trust.

Ernest beside me then continued his words.

"Prince William doesn't actually have an official lover. So the girls who are with the prince are probably temporary lovers. How many heads of noble families do you think have mistresses? If I tell you, you might be surprised."

Ah- That's the realm of privacy, I don't care. But what I want to ask, does the prince not pay attention to what his subordinates think? What we're talking about here is a prince. With that look and face.

"There is also no fiancee?"

"I don't think there is. So what?"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Think about it from another perspective. I suspect that the Prince may have kept himself open in order to give the nobles hope of approaching him."

"Miss White, I don't understand."

Ernest showed a puzzled expression. So I tried to explain again.

"Normally, someone trying to gain an advantage over the prince would hesitate, because they feel that if there is nothing they can offer the prince, even if there is, their chance of shining would be covered by the darkness of uncertainty. Low to mid-level nobles may think that way. But when the prince establishes a position where he has no partner, then there is an opportunity. The prince knows that, and the prince really expects it."

Ernest contentedly shook his head, until now he couldn't understand anything. He then asked me in a low tone.

"So the prince expects this condition, to have an official lover who is also supported by his followers, is that what you want to say Miss White?"

"No, Sir Ernest. The basis of what I want to say is opportunity. Opportunity, yes opportunity."

As I gave a little hint, his mind opened up, as a merchant it shouldn't be difficult for him to understand what I meant. He then opened his mouth when he reached the conclusion.

"Relationships are just relationships. But it's broader. Naturally a noble will hesitate if they don't have the opportunity, which makes communication impossible while avoiding potential cooperation, the prince knows this and he won't give it away. Even if a noble doesn't like the prince, they will never refuse to have power in the kingdom through the prince. And having a girl from their family who can whisper something right near Prince William's ear, is definitely a tremendous advantage."

He, Ernest continued to think about what she said and he continued on. Again and again, thoughts probably filled Ernest's head.

"As the nobles offer their daughters to the prince, little by little with false hope the nobles who side with the prince will surely continue to grow. Moreover, if the prince is skillful enough, he can make the nobles who have been tricked like that to be loyal to him. The original intention may change, the nobles who were hostile to the prince may become friends when they feel that there is no harm in cooperating with the prince even though they do not have your influence. This is what the prince is after."

Ernest with a now changed expression then nodded at me.

"I didn't expect Miss White, you could think that deeply."

"You could have thought of this when you looked deeper."

I then pointed at the prince who was approaching us. Prince William with the beautiful girl in his arms immediately greeted and said hello.

"Oh, is this, Mr. Ernest?"

Ernest and I then bowed slightly to salute.

"Good evening your highness, you look marvelous."

Prince William then glanced at me. Ernest who realized that then introduced us.

"Miss white, this is Prince Wiliam. Your Highness, this is Miss White, the executive of the merchant guild."

I then extended my hand, but His Highness the prince did not notice it. He seemed to be avoiding any physical contact with other women.

Instead. Violet, who continued to press her soft breasts against Prince William's arm, shook my hand.

The girl smiled sweetly at me.

"I've seen you before. I didn't realize that you looked so beautiful when I saw you up close."

"No, you are the most beautiful woman at this ball. You deserve to be the prince's maid of honor."

Paying attention to her for a while, I then realized that Miss Violet had a problem due to lack of sleep.

The skin around her eyes was deliberately made up thicker so as to cover the dark spots. And as I felt the skin of her hands, I sensed that her strength was weakening.

"Miss violet. You look exhausted."

"Haha, it's nothing... everything is fine. Oh yeah, you look like my aunt."

....Aunt?

"About a month ago, my aunt gave birth to her third child."

"Then congratulations to your aunt."

"Miss White will definitely understand that since you probably have at least one child."

What? A child?

....Hm.... What did she really want to say? Don't you know how to talk to a woman much older than you.

I don't know why, but maybe because of fatigue, she kept saying something unimportant. It's as if the nerves in her brain are unable to conduct electricity so that her cognitive abilities can keep working optimally.

This can be caused by several factors. But cases like this are often experienced by people who have Dopamine levels that are too high to be called addiction.

No, maybe Miss Violet is just being a little bit lazy. I can't claim for myself that my diagnosis will always be accurate because I'm not a doctor.

.....

After listening to the nonsensical ramblings. Ernest and I then parted ways.

He seemed to be trying to strengthen relationships with other people.

As for me, I tried to relax a bit.

Grabbed the pineapple and apple on the dining table and devoured them. It feels fresh in the mouth and quite delicious.

I then looked to the side, where another dignified woman was devouring a sweet cake with more cream.

"Too much sugar. I prefer natural sugar."

Stepping away, I then sat down on the wooden chair. The dining table in front of me was filled with fresh fruits and sweet wine. A waiter came over to offer me a glass of wine.

I accepted the offer with a slow nod. The waiter poured the wine, the red-colored water that flowed out and filled the glass created quite a charming reflection of light. As a woman who likes alcohol, seeing this scene put me in a good mood.

"Half is enough."

I said that to the waiter, the waiter then nodded and quickly left.

As he left, I reached for the glass filled with wine, placing it close to my lips so that the smooth texture of the glass touched my mouth. But there was something different from usual.

"It smells really strange."

My sense of smell is very sensitive.

I could tell the difference between a good wine and one that wasn't. The concentration of ingredients in the wine had a very distinctive odor, and it was clear that the odor of the wine in this glass, although faint, had been mixed with other liquids.

I then placed the glass onto the table. At the same time, as the people around me seemed to move away, there was a voice I recognized coming from the well-dressed man sitting in the seat in front of me. He had a friendly face with a wide smile.

Our eyes looked at each other for a few seconds before he opened his mouth.

"It's been quite a while since we last met. Isn't that right, Miss White?"

"Do you think ten days is a long time?"

I replied with a cold expression.

Without caring about the man's reaction, I reached back for the wine glass to confirm something. From the reflection of my eyes, I saw that the red color of the wine was even too red. There seemed to be something there.

I then fiddled with the glass to pour the thick red liquid on the table. The liquid spread and soaked through the white cloth, a black stain mixed with red was formed.

Putting the glass back down, I said to the horrible man in front of me.

"Don't you think it's too soon for us to meet again. Johan."

This man, was the same man who had slaughtered hundreds of people and hung their corpses like Christmas trees.

The man who smiled in the most horrifying way.