Chapter 7

After finishing her preparations, Eliza climbed into the carriage.

The closer she got to her destination, the more carriages of all shapes and sizes converged toward the same place.

‘It certainly seems to be famous.’

As she realized she was nearing her destination, Eliza withdrew her gaze from outside and drew the curtains over the windows.

Then she put on a black half-mask shaped like a cat.

Lady Graham’s charity party was being held in the form of a masquerade ball.

Even so, it was merely a formality. Since neither the hair nor the lower half of the face was concealed, it was still easy to tell who everyone was.

“Invitation, please.”

“Here.”

“Welcome. May this be an occasion for you to display your generosity to your heart’s content.”

Once inside, Eliza suddenly stopped at the sight of glittering particles floating through the air.

They were visible but impossible to grasp, clearly produced with the help of magical tools.

Fresh flowers filled every corner within sight.

Every candlestick on the tables was made of silver engraved with angels, while the glittering particles gathered in the air and flowed along the rippling ceiling, creating the atmosphere of a fairy tale.

‘She’s desperate to show off her wealth.’

If all these extravagant decorations were stripped away, they could probably feed an entire village for quite some time.

Eliza scoffed and headed upstairs.

After all, she had only one purpose here.

The fourth balcony on the left side of the corridor.

Naturally assuming no one would be there, she opened the curtain and stepped inside.

But unexpectedly, someone had arrived before her.

“……You got here first.”

Eliza bent her knees in greeting.

At once, the man removed his mask, which was difficult to identify as either a dragon or a snake.

“It is an honor to have you here, Your Highness.”

“I am pleased that we have met again, Lady Eliza.”

The man’s voice was calm, but despite saying he was pleased, there wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion in it.

For some reason, Eliza found that amusing.

When she raised her head, just as expected, Magnus wore an utterly expressionless face.

“I apologize for my rudeness last time.”

“There is no need. I found it quite interesting.”

Magnus briefly raised his glass toward her.

It was an invitation to drink.

When Eliza nodded, the man himself poured wine into her glass.

During that moment, Eliza checked the door again and stepped a little closer to Magnus.

“It is an honor to receive a drink from Your Highness.”

“Not at all.”

The sound of their glasses touching echoed through the night air.

Eliza merely wet her lips with the wine.

Although Magnus had been the one to hand her the glass, he didn’t seem interested in drinking himself.

Instead, he simply stared at her.

“You’re curious whether I truly know about the Saintess.”

“You really are quite fearless.”

Magnus raised one eyebrow slightly when she went straight to the point.

Eliza concealed her gaze beneath the mask she had not yet removed and spoke.

“I really do know who the Saintess is. Of course, I know about the prophecy as well.”

“Lady Waluer.”

The man’s voice dropped low.

Magnus placed his glass down with a distinct clink.

The prophecy belonged to the royal family.

How could a mere noblewoman know information that was never supposed to leave the palace?

“You should understand the weight of the words you have spoken.”

“That isn’t what matters to Your Highness, is it? You want the Saintess. Even if you are the Crown Prince, the weight of the prophecy must be considerable.”

Those were words that could only have been spoken by someone who knew the contents of the prophecy.

Magnus folded his arms and waited for Eliza’s next words.

He was becoming increasingly curious about what she would say next.

Eliza took a sip of wine, moistening her mouth, which had gone dry from nervousness.

“The Saintess appears only when someone has regained something they lost.”

The heroine of the original novel was the lost daughter of the Duke of Dominique.

The story began when the heroine, unaware that she was the true daughter of the Duke, entered the ducal household.

But to someone who did not know the exact details of the story, Eliza’s words sounded vague and meaningless.

“If you demand that I provide a statement based on precise evidence, would that be too much to ask of you?”

“Of course, I can tell Your Highness more precisely. But please forgive me for saying that the time has not yet come.”

“If there is something you want, tell me.”

“I am not choosing my words because I dare wish to bargain with Your Highness.”

Eliza drained the rest of her wine in one breath.

The rich scent of grapes warmed her mouth.

She raised her eyes, burning with an even greater intensity, and appealed to him.

“There has only ever been one thing I wanted. And because I believed that Your Highness, being a benevolent man, would understand, I chose you.”

Like a perfectly selected red grape, the violet eyes behind her mask flashed.

It should have been presumptuous, even insolent, for her to say that she had chosen a member of the royal family.

But Magnus did not find it quite so offensive.

So he decided to let it pass this once.

Eliza did not hide how increasingly desperate she was becoming.

“I want to live.”

She paused and removed her half-mask.

As though she believed her sincerity would only reach him if she did so, she met the man’s eyes once again.

Moonlight slipped across her lightly made-up face.

Her appearance had been arranged only enough to be presentable, with no intention whatsoever of seducing anyone or making herself shine.

Among all the ladies Magnus had seen until now, she was practically plain.

Her straight posture made her look elegant, but her simple dress had very few decorations.

“To survive, I intend to make an accusation. And I am certain this will benefit Your Highness as well.”

“How will it benefit me?”

“Someone is plotting a conspiracy so vile that it is practically treason.”

Magnus’s expression hardened.

Ever since their conversation began, this woman had been saying one unbelievable thing after another.

And yet, why did he keep wanting to listen?

Was it because she knew the prophecy that no one else was supposed to know?

Or because she had given him the first clue regarding the Saintess he had been searching for?

“There are people plotting to seize control of this kingdom’s military power by using vile sorcery and even offering sacrifices.”

Magnus noticed that the back of Eliza’s hand was trembling slightly.

It was the first sign of weakness from the woman who had thrown herself forward like lightning earlier, yet had shown herself to be as delicate and fragile as glass while remaining unyielding.

With nothing more than that tiny tremor, she suddenly gave off an astonishingly vulnerable air.

If this was an act, it would have been a masterpiece of political maneuvering.

“I brought Your Highness here for the sake of telling you this. Please, hear my plea and punish them.”

“Who?”

Eliza clenched her teeth for a moment.

Now that she was finally considering standing on the opposite side of Hagen, hesitation clouded her heart.

“……The Marquisate of Hagen.”

Even so, Eliza clearly spoke the words of betrayal.

Magnus’s red eyes settled on the fiancée of Hagen and the person who was also his closest friend.

“Gasp!”

“W-what is that……?”

“Isn’t that the young master of Hagen?”

“I heard he was supposed to duel someone from House Charles today……”

An uninvited guest had appeared at the otherwise smoothly progressing party.

As the man strode through the banquet hall where an auction was in full swing, whispers spread among the gathered ladies and gentlemen.

He had hastily thrown a coat over his disheveled shirt, but there was no mistaking the dark red stains soaking through the white fabric.

Moreover, his normally bright blond hair had been swept completely back, making the blood smeared across his face painfully obvious.

“I’d heard the rumors, but I didn’t realize it was this bad……”

“Has he really lost his mind completely now?”

“You’re mistaken. The young master of Hagen has always been like this.”

The more timid guests turned their eyes away from him.

Of course, the blood covering Leopold wasn’t his own.

Except for the single wound running across his cheek.

The guards had stopped him at the entrance because he needed a mask to enter.

So he had reopened the wound and roughly smeared the blood across his forehead and around his eyes, using it as a makeshift mask.

“I wonder who the next victim will be.”

“……I think he already sacrificed one.”

Leopold’s eyes flashed with an icy blue flame as he looked around, searching for someone.

No one approached him.

Everyone had already learned that disturbing Leopold when he looked this unhinged was a very bad idea.

“Where are you, my lady?”

His eyes were somewhat clouded, and his murmured voice was ominous.

After scanning the entire area, Leopold turned toward the second floor.

Only after he disappeared from sight did the people in the hall finally breathe a sigh of relief.