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37.

Thanks to Cassian Artez's exaggerated obsequiousness, his characteristically rigid posture was somewhat softened.
"Really, you should ‌be grateful I'm so magnanimous."
"How could I not appreciate your generous heart, Miss?"
He smiled sweetly, flattering me with practiced charm.
'...He's enjoying this, isn't he?'
It had been a year and a half since I became his aide, and I was beginning to suspect this was Cassian Artez's hobby ‌‌and stress relief.
The spoiled young lady character I'd crafted using all the big data from novels I'd read so far seemed to suit him just fine.
"Look at that, how uncouth. What kind of ‌‌‌lady speaks so loudly in a place like this?"
"Did you see that outfit? You can tell she's a woman of no breeding—expensive things don't make ‌‌up for a lack of class."
I could hear ‌‌people flaunting their discernment from all around.
"Tsk, if you treat servants like that, you'll come to regret it later. Even if they're incompetent, you ‌‌‌‌should discipline them quietly ‌‌‌‌at home with a ‌‌‌beating."
"Exactly, and once she leaves like that, the servant will forget all his mistakes. Just look at that servant's cunning face—he's the type to completely fool an innocent young lady."
Of course, there were also subtle jabs and envious remarks about the ‌‌‌'refined' way to handle servants.
But the important part was this.
"Sigh, I heard Ilium was decent for shopping, but that was clearly all nonsense."
"Indeed, Miss. You haven't even spent a tenth of the pocket ‌‌‌money ‌‌your father gave you."
"Who says otherwise? The jewels are all low quality. It's absolutely tedious."
I deliberately began boasting about having vast amounts of money.
Since ‌I was the center of attention, I could feel several people's ears perking up even though I wasn't speaking particularly loudly.
"The Capital City gambling establishment was boring too. Why is there nothing ‌‌entertaining anywhere?"
I picked up my fan ‌‌and struck Cassian Artez's shoulder with it.
"It's all because you don't do your job properly. Did my father's warning not ‌‌‌‌to bore me seem like a joke?"
"That's, that's why I brought you here. There were rumors that all sorts of rare treasures would be displayed on the Delight Cruise Ship today."
"What? Are they bringing out mermaids?"
"Well, not exactly that, but...."
Whoosh—!
I ‌‌‌raised my fan and struck Cassian Artez's shoulder once more, making a loud sound.
For a moment, he ‌showed a look of clear displeasure at being hit.
'No matter what, how could she strike her superior's shoulder!'
Speaking rudely with words was one thing, striking the shoulder was another, but touching the face? ‌‌‌
Even in disguise, I knew what kind of person I really was—how could she subject me to such harsh treatment?
At my protest, Cassian Artez's lips curved slightly upward, but ‌‌‌‌he quickly opened his mouth as if making an excuse.
"Still! The ‌‌Delight Cruise ‌Ship is quite magnificent, isn't it? Since you ‌arrived in Ilium, you've never once enjoyed this famous attraction."
"Hmph! You expect me to board such a shabby, provincial thing?"
I'm sorry, Wilhelmina.
After speaking, I offered my friend a sincere ‌‌‌apology from the depths of my heart.
"And look at that—you need an invitation! How utterly incompetent of a servant."
It was ‌‌‌time for the bait to take hold.
Just as I raised my fan high once more, wondering if I should truly slap that cheek with tears in my eyes this time,
"My lady from such a distinguished household, please don't strain your voice unnecessarily."
A man with a sluggish demeanor approached us, his hands clasped together ‌‌as he bowed slightly.
"Despite appearances, I assure you there are things inside that will surely delight your eyes."
The man's gaze ‌‌‌swept across us, quickly scanning my neck, arms, fingers, the briefly exposed ankle, and shoes.
His eyes assessed how much I was wearing and whether my boasts were mere pretense.
I feigned complete ignorance of that scrutiny and spoke to him with irritation in my voice.
"Sounds like a waste of time? Are you the Manager? Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
"Of course, my lady. ‌‌‌Tonight aboard the Delight Cruise Ship, we provide truly spectacular entertainment."
Then, in a voice barely audible ‌‌‌to Cassian Artez,
"We have prepared performances by young men that a lady such as yourself would enjoy, and foods so delicious they seem like fantasy."
"Hmm...."
I maintained an expression of disinterest.
"Ahem, well. And though not mermaids, you shall encounter truly precious things. At the highlight—the auction."
"Even with all that talk, nothing sounds entertaining."
I twisted my head and feigned indifference.
"Please, my lady, spare us some time this evening."
The man's eyes gleamed with persistent, greedy hunger.
"We ‌‌‌typically offer invitations ‌‌to ‌‌‌the Delight Cruise Ship only to counts and above, but we wish to extend this special honor to such a distinguished lady as yourself."
A blatant lie.
Yet I gazed at the glittering invitation he offered with an air of utmost pride, determined to seize whatever financial opportunity presented itself,
"If it's boring, you'll regret it."
and accepted it reluctantly, along with a courteous warning.
I had given fair notice, hadn't I?

* ‌

When I presented the invitation for ‌‌‌‌boarding, the Employee standing at the ‌‌‌‌‌ship's entrance handed me a mask.
"The moment you step aboard this cruise ship, everyone returns to that most primordial instant—a time without names."
Then he proceeded to explain the worldview, though I couldn't fathom when it had been established.
"Welcome to Delight, a space where you may set aside reason and morality."
This ‌madman.
The cruise ship's name had ‌‌‌been personally bestowed by the bedridden Duchess herself, who declared that Wilhelmina's very existence was joy—and ‌‌‌yet he dared to speak of it ‌‌‌this way?
As ‌‌‌I ‌‌‌cursed him silently with my eyes, the broad-faced Employee flinched momentarily.
"How ‌‌‌‌tedious. Whoever came up with this, it's painfully obvious, painfully so."
Of course, I didn't forget my role as a spoiled young lady, so I voiced my complaints accordingly.
Just as I was about to snatch the mask from the Employee's hands, Cassian Artez swiftly intercepted ‌it instead.
"Surely you wouldn't deny me ‌‌‌the honor of touching the young lady's precious hands."
An unscripted ad-lib like this, without any prior discussion.
"You're just too slow!"
After a year and a half of serving as his aide, accepting such gestures was hardly difficult.
Moreover, he deliberately placed the ‌‌‌‌mask upon my face himself, his gaze deliberate, as if ‌‌‌‌performing for the onlookers.
The commotion around us fell into sudden silence at that subtle atmosphere.
Yet the man himself, possessed of shameless audacity, paid no mind to their stares and merely checked whether the mask I wore sat comfortably, neither crooked nor slipping.
"You are indeed the most beautiful, young lady."
His words, smooth as buttered silk, drew suppressed coughs from various quarters.
Among them:
"It seems he intends to deceive the young lady completely and pocket a fortune. She mustn't fall for it."
"It's not our concern, really. Who knows—perhaps he's genuinely overstepping his station, and we'll ‌‌‌‌be treated to a romantic elopement that delights our eyes."
Some sought hidden intentions in Cassian Artez's words.
But to my eyes, he was simply:
'It seems you've ‌‌‌‍finally dropped the act, Your Highness....'
Just the usual Cassian Artez.

*

"My eyes are killing me."
Stepping ‌‌‌inside, I realized the exterior had maintained at least a semblance of ‌‌decorum compared to what lay within.
Even a manager embezzling funds and manipulating ledgers must have feared being caught red-handed by Duke Lopez's House if they happened to ‌‌visit Ilium.
"Indeed, Miss, everything here falls terribly short of your standards."
It was ‌‌‌‌a gentle jab—that Roselita, who adored beauty, found herself in such a harsh environment.
Even aboard the ship, with eyes and ears everywhere, Cassian Artez and I were careful with our words.
We couldn't afford to be expelled before securing decisive evidence.
I distinctly remembered the ‌‌‌passenger manifest listing around 150 people....
"Yet it looks like two or three hundred boarded?"
"It would appear so, Miss. You're not fond of crowded places, after all."
Even as Cassian Artez spoke, his eyes swept methodically across multiple sections.
"What are you seeing?"
"...It seems your objective will be achieved, Miss."
Cassian Artez smiled darkly at that.
"There's enough entertainment here to provide some stimulation as well."
With his escort, I understood his meaning all too clearly.
In short, the Magicians had taken my bait, leaving fewer of them aboard than expected.
'Cassian Artez's men should handle the train situation smoothly.'
They'd treat it straightforwardly and by the book—as a train terrorist attack or an assassination attempt on the Royal Family.
'And most of the people gathered here are intoxicated on illegal substances.'
In other words, they were a lucrative funding source for criminals committing illegal acts.
Yet as the drugs consumed ‌‌‌them, the funds they could squeeze from these victims dwindled.
So to generate new income, they'd invited ‌‌‌‌vain, impulsive entrepreneurs and naive young nobles who hadn't inherited their family fortunes to this Delight Cruise Ship.
'That's why they put on this nouveau riche act.'
So the criminals would be caught in our trap instead.
And what he meant by 'stimulation'....
"You really do have a terrible personality."
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss."
Soon, the Magicians aboard this ship would lose their minds and come hunting for Cassian Artez.
Because he'd finished mapping the ship's interior and ‌‌had already orchestrated an incident to turn their world upside down.
As proof of that.
"The ship is sailing on an unusual course?"
I heard the panicked voices of what appeared to be crew members.

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