UNAWARE OF THE COMING BALL, ETHEL CONTINUED TO SEARCH FOR NEWS REGARDING THE DUKE OF VANDENBERG. SHE WAS SURE THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING SHE COULD FIND.
Since the Duchess died young and with no husband to call her own, she didn’t have any children. But if that was so, then why did she have a memento with the family crest?
A distant relative, perhaps? But why would a distant relative possess a memento with a crest used exclusively by the direct line? She needed to see the genealogy of the family, but only those who are part of the family are allowed to look into them. In any case, with her limited network, there wasn’t much she could do at the moment.
Going back to the informant might prove to be a useless endeavor. She had a lot of money, but it could only supplement her investigation for so long. Not to mention food and lodging, now she had to mind her clothes.
It was quite a good thing she could disguise herself as a man, dressing up in male clothes made it easier for her to move around.
Around a quarter after lunch, she received a letter from the Baron, passed on to her by the inn. She wasn’t allowed to hide her location, so she had been stuck investigating at night.
“Strange…”
Opening it, two pieces of paper fell out. One was a handwritten letter of the baron and the other was a promissory note.
The letter entailed the events that were currently in the midst of being prepared, the participants of the other institutes, and the arrival of the mages from Yllion.
What perplexed her more was the fact that he mentioned a ball. More specifically, a welcoming ball for the younger generation. She was just a guard, not a participant, what good is there in trying to tell her? And the promissory note. Why did he give her one? A lack of cash, perhaps?
Ethel sighed. Since her investigation had already hit a dead end then she had nothing else to do. Instead of poring over an investigation while the Empire’s security was tight, it was better to do it after the celebrations.
The baron lived in a small district in the west? She recalled he had stuffed a note in her hand a few days ago. Rummaging through her satchel, she grabbed a note and read its contents.
174 Aps Street, Pqen District.
She didn’t know where that was, just that it was in the west. No matter, asking for directions was easy. The next day, Ethel decided against wearing her usual clothes and continued to dress as a man.
When she got to the address after asking a few natives, she knocked on the door. The address was right in the street of most nobles, though there were hardly any spaces between each house, each house unit could accommodate up to 10 people.
“Yes?” A young man in his mid 20s opened the door, dressed in the usual servant attire. He didn’t look like a butler, but the impression he gave off was similar to one.
Ethel smiled. “I’m looking for Baron Kapfem, is he here?”
“One moment.” The young man then left the door open and ran to get his master, leaving her standing at the door.
She blinked. How could a servant leave their guest at the door? What would others think? She sighed and let herself in. In any case, the street was pretty desolate and nobody would notice if she just let herself in.
To the left of the door was the living room, or was it a lounge of some sort? She couldn’t tell with noble houses. There were often so many room that she hadn’t bothered to keep track of them at all.
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Instead, she sat down on the sofa and patiently waited for the baron to come.
The baron was busy with attending to the schedule given to him by the administrators of Mars. Since the event was nearly a week from now, there was hardly any time to properly investigate their competitors, much less attend the opening ball.
He sighed and massaged his temples. These kinds of matters should’ve been left to his assistant, but she had been on sick leave the day before they set off for the capital.
Just then, a servant knocked. “Master, someone is here to see you.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, my lord. Perhaps an acquaintance? She looked young and was dressed in men’s clothes.”
His eyes lit up. The baron opened the door and asked, “Where is she now?”
“Waiting at the front door.”
The baron suddenly looked annoyed and hit him in the back of his head. “Idiot! You don’t leave a guest standing at the front door. How many times have I told you, after inquiring their reason for visiting, lead them to the parlour and then inform me.”
The young man painfully held his head and pouted. “I merely forgot.”
“Well your forgetfulness will be the death of me!” The baron sighed. “Call Alexander, he will give you your punishment.”
The young man was aggrieved but nodded and bowed his head before scurrying off to find the head butler.
Baron Kapfem did not mind his messy appearance and hastily made his way to the front door. He had to pass through the parlor to get to the front door, so he immediately noticed the figure that had settled herself quite comfortable on the sofa.
He sighed again for the umpteenth time. “I should’ve known you’d let yourself in.”
“Of course! What would other people say if the baron couldn’t even handle his staff from making mistakes?”
“So you do know about noble rules.” The baron raised a brow and sat adjacent to her. He rang the bell to his side and a maid soon went in with some tea and refreshments.
Ethel shrugged. “It’s hard not to pick up some rules when your best friend is a high noble.”
“Ah yes, Miss Fleur from the Cyprus family?”
She nodded.
“But anyways, baron. What does the lord want with my presence?”
The baron clasped his hands together. “Well, as you already know by the letter I sent you, there will be a ball at the palace of Trevino.”
“Yes but… what does that have to do with me? I’m not a participant. And I’m pretty sure they don’t need guards in the palace? As I recall, the Crown Prince will be attending.”
“I’m aware but the headmaster had sent me word about it.”
Ethel’s face scrunched up. “What? Is the headmaster acting so leisurely that he can keep up with the gossip even in the North?”
“We’ve been exchanging flying carriers since our arrival a week ago. And yes, he does want you to attend the ball.”
“I refuse.”
“Can you tell me why?”
Ethel crossed her arms. “I’d rather not have to converse with a bunch of people if it isn’t needed. And I'd rather not risk getting discovered by the other participants.”
“Then how about this, just come to the ball in your usual appearance.” The baron lightly suggested.
She frowned. “Then that would defeat the purpose of my initial disguise as a sentinel!”
“Sentinels were only needed for our journey to the capital. Now that we’re in the city, I have already implored them to go back on their own.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“Because you’re not a Sentinel.”
Ethel rolled her eyes. “Fine then! How would you explain why I’m here?”
“You can be a stand-in for a participant!”
She wanted to pull her hair out at this point. The baron was making it extremely hard for her to refuse. Substitutes were never discussed in their plan to participate in the competition.
Now he wanted her to pop up out of nowhere and say, ‘surprise! I’m here!’? Then what was the point of doing bad at the assessment? Just kill her now, please.