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Chapter 80 Part 1 – The women take a step forward with pride in their hearts. To protect, to fight, to compromise.

「…… How did this happen ……!?」

Inside the carriage, I curled up and hid with a cloth over my head. And I was nervously looking at the back of the young mother as she stepped out of the carriage onto the stone floor. No, to be precise, I was looking at Countess Rosenthal, who was slowly approaching my mother. The Countess turned to look in my direction.

「There’s another guest hiding in the carriage. Why isn’t she coming out?」

Even though it’s night, the Countess’s eyes were shining brightly. Unlike wild animals, her eyes are more horrifying and mysterious. It was just as ‘Mother’ had warned. The Countess does possess the evil eye.

「…… Rufus …… No, that name and her gender being a guy are lies. My evil eyes reflect the truth. Her real name is …… Scarlet. It’s a name that fits the child’s appearance. Or is she named after her father, Wendell-sama?」

Countess Rosenthal whispered in my mother’s ear, so that the nobles who were holding their breath and watching the situation from afar could not hear what she said. Then she narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on me, who was hiding.

I’m totally exposed!!

The Countess looked at my mother and the others as they were stunned. Then, with a smile etched on her lips, she turned to the red nobles and raised her voice.

「…… What a magnificent carriage. Not even the royal family has such a carriage. Duchess, please grant me the honor of being the first to see the interior of the carriage. Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin the ball, I would like to ask for a moment of your time.」

No one here would dare to object to her authority. Besides,

「If you refuse my request, I will call all the participants of the ball here and expose the fact that your precious daughter is a woman. I’m sure there will be a bloody scramble if it is known that the possessor of the True Emperor’s Ruby is actually a woman.」

She threatened my mother in a low, quiet voice.

Mother turned pale as I was used as a hostage.

「…… I can’t tolerate this kind of thing.」

「Jeez Arnold, you’re always so quick to act without considering the consequences. But I do feel the same way.」

Arnold’s brow furrowed in anger as he and Seraphy stepped forward. The imperial guards also remained silent and stood in front of the carriage while still mounted on their horses. Their spear was still carried in their hands.

The atmosphere became tense.

It is frightening to be looked down upon from a horse by armed knights. The horses are taller than I expected, so it seemed as if she was surrounded by a wall of giant centaurs. If it was the Countess Rosenthal from the previous ‘108 times’, as I remember it, she would have been completely intimidated. But this Countess Rosenthal was like a completely different person.

「…… Please stand back. As the organizer of this ball, I have come to greet the Duchess, whom I have invited. And this is how I get treated in return? What a disgrace to the reputation of the Imperial Guard.」

As Countess Rosenthal closed her feather fan with a snap, she glared at everyone who tried to protect me and mother. She did not flinch at all even though she was facing the imperial guards. Her straight back was unwavering.

I was astonished.

A woman with the heart of a true aristocrat sometimes shows a pride that is not afraid of death. I had never expected to sense such nobility in Countess Rosenthal, whose image was always of an upstart woman drowning in power and lust. And what the Countess said does make sense.

Usually, the reception is held in the parlor room in front of the ballroom, or in the large hall near the entrance. Since the hostess is not an usher, there is no way that hostess would come to meet the guests at the porch in front of the entrance, especially during a gathering as large as the one tonight. And with that action, Countess Rosenthal made it known to the nobles that she was giving special treatment to my mother tonight.

「…… It’s alright, Cornelia-san. Let’s allow her to go inside the carriage. This person probably …… won’t do anything bad.」

Bradd, who had been silently watching the situation, stopped the others who were seething with anger.

「Thank you, I owe you one.」

Bradd’s words were a surprise, but it was also unexpected that Countess Rosenthal would actually thank him so awkwardly.

In the previous ‘108 times’, she was the epitome of arrogance and irreverence. She would calmly send assassins to people she doesn’t like. I, too, got caught up in Alisa’s mess and almost got killed. Because of that bitter experience, I had no doubt that she was the one that had sent the attackers to eliminate us while we were on the road this time as well, but ……

When I think back on it, they were inadequately armed to be assassins sent by her ……

My face turned pale.

Eh, could it be that maybe those guys were just scouting the area, but because of their delinquent-like appearance and bad attitude, the imperial guards mistook them for an assassin and beat them to a pulp …… Umm, yeah, it’s not my fault. It’s all the fault of those muscle-brained bastards who are obsessed with archery and idolize my mother. So don’t hold it against me. Please don’t come over here.

In spite of my desperate prayers, Countess Rosenthal ascended into the carriage, grabbed the cloth covering me, and pulled it off. She looked at my grown-up appearance.

Hiiiii!! Please overlook it!!

「…… Good evening. Or should I say nice to meet you? Young lady. It’s certainly true that you can’t appear in public with that appearance. So be grateful. I’ve come here to discuss this with you.」

With an eerie glint in her eyes, Countess Rosenthal bent down and peered at me intently. Her words were full of sarcasm, but her tone was unexpectedly gentle.

After the cloth was taken away, I curled up my body like a cat on the seat and tried to disguise myself as a red carpet.
Looking at my actions, Countess Rosenthal sighed.

「…… Your eyes are just like his. You have such a cute appearance, so stop acting so improperly. You act like a completely different person from Rufus who is feared as the Demon King Princess and is considered the sharpest man in the imperial court. Is this your true nature? Since you are the successor chosen by the Ruby, I can understand why you would try to hide your gender. Rest assured. My evil eyes are currently blocking the recognition of the nobles.」

I was stunned and completely forgot to greet and say thank you to her.

That Countess Rosenthal actually praised me as cute!? In the previous ‘108 times’, she had always given me nothing but a hostile, silent gaze.

「I’ll make up the identities and backgrounds for you and the other three boys outside. I don’t know how you became an adult, but in this current situation, you won’t be able to introduce yourself with your original name.」

Moreover, she even followed up with a very thorough offer!?

Her behavior is completely different from the previous ‘108 times’ where she had an authoritative and imperious attitude. I can’t read her mind at all. And the degree of danger she poses is far greater than in the previous ‘108 times’. After all, the evil eye has an incredibly strong hypnotic effect. It affects the consciousness of all the people around this mansion. If invoked in the royal castle, it would be an extremely dangerous ability that could manipulate the key figures of the kingdom along with the king.

Come to think of it, the mistletoe queer witch said that in order to deal with the Seven Phantoms, you must be able to use the Dark Illusion or possess the evil eye. Although we had narrowly defeated Addis the Faceless, we had not broken the illusion itself. That alone shows the power of the evil eye. If we are not careful, we could have been manipulated into committing suicide before we were aware of it. In the worst case scenario, Countess Rosenthal’s power may rival that of the Seven Phantoms.

Why are problems continuously popping out one after another ……

Even though everything was supposed to go well with my epic bluff strategy.

I had originally planned an orthodox frontal attack, but it was ruined by Countess Rosenthal’s evil eye. And so I had to come up with a new plan in a hurry.

However, I never thought that the enemy boss would suddenly come over here.

I was on the verge of tears as I recalled what had happened just before we arrived at Countess Rosenthal’s mansion.