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Chapter 43 Part 5 – We will once again challenge the nightmare ball that has driven mother to the brink of abandonment. Without realizing that Solomon is present there in the dark.

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Aquilegia

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The current king of Hydrangea is at odds with Countess Rosenthal. As the royal family, led by the current king, has grown in power, her power has been greatly reduced. As the driving force behind the restoration of the current royal family, I have become her irreconcilable enemy.

The fact that she went to the trouble of sending this written invitation to us while my father was on a business trip was a sign of turbulence and an explosion of suspiciousness.

Moreover, the invitation arrived a week before the ball!!
Normally, they’d give you at least a month’s notice!!
And it was a masquerade ball!!
The theme of the attire this time was the royal court costume in the Silver Age, when Hydrangea was in its second prosperous period.
This is nothing short of nasty.
Because the costume theme is from over a hundred years ago, the style of the dresses are completely different from those of today.
Since the outfits are almost nonexistent, they cannot be borrowed from someone else, so we have to make the dresses ourselves.
Even the fabrics from those times are not easily available.
What’s worse, unlike the mythical age, there is accurate data referred from past paintings and records.
There is no room for deception.
…… This is clearly harassment.
Since this is already the case even in the beginning, I have no idea what will happen at the ball especially since it’s held at the enemy’s home base.

But you see, if the enemy is in the center of the trap, you can shatter the whole trap and put the blade to its throat. You can turn a disaster into a blessing. If you don’t go into the tiger’s hole, you will not get the tiger’s child. I …. Rather, me and my mother are not that soft that we would just sit back and be beaten up.
I will make you regret in hell for underestimating us.

Even at the age of three, I have the title of a Baroness.
It‘s not a nominal title.
Even though I have no territory nor salary, it is a full-fledged title given to me by the king as a special exception.
Well, I would have preferred money or actual goods though. That stingy old man.

Of course, Countess Rosenthal knows that.
But she doesn’t know that my family, the Wilhelm family, are now one of the wealthiest families in Hydrangea. It’s only natural since we have kept a tight rein on information and have deliberately spread rumors in social circles that our family is as poor as ever.

The only people who know the true strength of our family are the Hydrangea royal family, trusted government officials, and a very limited number of people.
We didn’t want to be disturbed by unnecessary wariness from all over the place until we were ready.
But we no longer have any need to remain obscured
We have more than enough power. From now on, there is no need to hide.

I folded my arms and stood imposingly on the wide stone steps at the entrance to wait for the carriage.

The entrance had pillars and is reminiscent of the ruins of Romalia. Under the overhanging roof, there is a porch with plenty of space between the pillars. Even if it rains heavily, guests can enter the entrance directly from their carriages without having to get wet. It is a visitor-friendly building.

It has a big difference from the old mansion, which was full of bluffs and made people have to climb a high flight of stairs.
That mansion was terrible. Reflecting the character of Marquis Vygod and his wife who built it, it had numerous chimneys and spires that were only for show. It was a very grave and depressing building.
Staying inside a place like that, it makes sense that she got sick.
That is why the new duke’s residence is well-lit and has a lot of atrium space.
The house is also decorated with greenery and flowers so that mother, who loves nature, can relax in the house.
But, mother, please refrain from setting traps in the middle of the thickets. It will kill the gardener.

The new ducal residence also has a greenhouse built with the cooperation of the Orange Privateers, where many exotic plants that cannot be seen in this country are being cultivated. The royal family finds it very useful because it is able to provide them with fresh flowers from foreign countries, which are not yet 「at this point」 known in Hydrangea. In aristocratic society, what no one else can provide is more valuable than the most extravagant and luxurious objects.

…… This is something very easy for me. By utilizing the knowledge of my previous 「108 times」, it is possible to grasp in advance various things that will be imported to Hydrangea for the first time in the future. I even have a rough idea of ​​which ones can grow in Hydrangea . I’ll say this again, I was a diligent, but ruthless queen. All I need is a hand that can reach overseas and a wallet that can purchase the products. And I have the Blanche, the fastest sailing ship in the world, on my side.
His Majesty delightedly told me about how the higher-ranked nobles were bewildered when they saw the flowers I presented to the palace. Of course, the giver is a secret to the nobles.

…… My red hair fluttered in the night wind.
Thanks to Mary’s care, my hair is always shiny.
Unfortunately, I can only let it grow to my shoulders, because if it were too long, others would be suspicious about my gender.

But tonight is a masquerade ball.
So it is not strange that I, 「someone who is supposed to be a boy」, is dressed as a girl.

My ribboned and jeweled heels clacked along the stone floor as I took a step forward.
The large white, lacy, ruffled collar formed an inverted triangle.
Except for the collar, the main color of the dress is red.
The skirt was high-waisted and had many folds.
There is no framework inside, and the petticoat is layered to add volume.
I don’t need any ornaments other than a modest hair ornament and ribbons in various places to fasten it.
My partner, the Ruby of God’s Eye pendant, is shining as it laid on my chest.
Even the shine of gold pales in front of this teardrop-shaped ruby of over a hundred carats.
The slits in the lantern sleeves flap in the wind, exposing the bright lining. It is one of the characteristics of the royal court costume in the Silver Age. It’s like the striped pattern on the puffy shoulder cuffs of Snow White’s dress.

After all, a dress is a villainess’s battle uniform. It looks like a flower, but it’s also an armor.
It’s a bit of a shame that the design is over a hundred years old, but it doesn’t change the fact that it makes me have a lot of fighting spirit.
Tonight, my mother and I are Cinderella in battle.
Starting with this ball, we must show those who are scheming against us about the consequence of making us their enemies.
For the sake of my glorious shut-in life!!
And I will never let go of those people who have wrongfully despised my mother!!

Dashing about in my ankle-length skirt, I flung open the fan in my hand.
A folding fan goes well with a villainess. It is a small wooden fan for young children, with no fancy tassels or paintings, but it is made of a rare fragrant wood, a gem that anyone who understands its value would drool over.
I looked up at the shining moon. The moon shines beyond the fretwork of the fan.

Let the battle begin!!
They should know firsthand why I, the Demon King Princess, is feared in aristocratic society.

But still, how can I be called the Demon King Princess when I’m pretending to be a boy? ……
I heard that the name comes from the fact that I’m cute like a princess, but have a bad character like a demon king.
I’m a little shocked ……
Well, that’s fine. Then, in order to turn my bad reputation into power, I will only play the traditional laughter of a villainess on a moonlit night!!
Tonight I’m dressed as a girl, so I can laugh without hesitation.

「…… Oh ho ho ho!! …… First of all, come on out, the gorgeous and extravagant carriage!!」

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