[V6C2] His Wrath

Brought by a friend to her first masquerade ball, the noblewoman Klara Leston couldn’t contain her excitement.

The 17-year-old Klara had already made her debut in high society, but tonight marked her first masquerade.

The extravagant palace, the ladies and gentlemen adorned in splendid masks, everything felt so new, making her heart jump for joy.

(Amazing, wonderful, enchanting!)

Klara, the third daughter of Viscount Leston, was usually a modest young lady, overshadowed by her glamorous sisters. However, once she put on a mask, she felt liberated and a bit more assertive than usual.

So when she was approached by a gentleman, she quickly became enamored.

“That hair ornament is very breathtaking. It complements your lovely appearance.”

Speaking to Klara was a tall, blond young man wearing a dazzling scarlet suit and a peacock-green mask. His demeanor was elegant and confident, exuding a nobility far surpassing lower-ranking nobles like herself.

The man continued to eloquently praise her. Klara wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but his compliments made her think otherwise. For example, “Your demeanor instills a sense of intelligence and character” and “You must be the second coming of Queen Irene, the flower of the royal palace.”

He was referring to the daughter of Duke Crockford, Irene Knightley, who left her mark on society by marrying the king as his second consort. Even Klara knew this was exaggerated flattery, yet she still found herself getting excited.

In addition to sweet nothings, the man also offered her wine. Though unaccustomed to wine, Klara accepted the offer and drank an entire glass.

A warmth enveloped her body, causing her heart to beat faster than usual. Despite feeling light-headed, it was a pleasant sensation. Right now, she felt like she could do anything.

“Are you okay?”

The young man, who had been watching his pocket watch, caught Klara as she swayed.

At that moment, Klara noticed. The royal crest was engraved on the surface of the pocket watch in the young man’s hand.

Inside the carriage heading to the ball, Klara recalled what her friend had said.

——I hear that Prince Felix has recently been attending masquerade balls in secret. Wouldn’t it be just like a novel if we caught his eye?

Second Prince Felix had relinquished his claim to the throne and now lived quietly in his territory.

However, even if he renounced the throne, he remained a member of the royal family. Moreover, the Second Prince was perfect in every aspect, inheriting his mother Irene’s beautiful appearance.

(No way, no way! Could he really be…!)

Klara leaned against the embrace of the young man in the scarlet suit, who caressed Klara’s hair and whispered into her ear.

“…Perhaps you should rest in another room?”

Klara placed her hand on the young man’s chest, nodding slightly with a blush.

The young man smiled and put his arm around Klara’s waist, walking off. His steps were confident, leading them out of the grand hall, through the corridor, and into the door of the room at the end.

He pulled Klara into a firm embrace and reached to close the door behind him. But at that moment…

“Wow, he really looks similar, huh?”

“My master would probably say, ‘It’s not the golden ratio,’ wouldn’t she?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Voices echoed from the corridor.

Klara turned around to see someone wedging their foot into the closing door.

(Huh? Huh? What on earth is happening?)

As Klara stood frozen in surprise, the door swung open with force.

The one who rudely opened the door was a young man with black hair wearing a scarlet mask. Standing next to him was another young man with blond hair and a black mask.

“What is the meaning of this? Such insolence!”

The young man embracing Klara glared unpleasantly at the two intruders. But in response, the blond with the black mask simply chuckled from the corridor.

“…Insolence, you say?”

At that moment, Klara saw it clearly.

Behind his black mask were blue eyes with a drop of green mixed in. They glinted with a cold shine.

“Are you aware? If anyone outside the royal family possesses the royal crest without a valid reason… that is considered treason against the crown, and thus subject to execution.”

The young man next to Klara flinched, visibly perturbed. The trembling of the arms embracing her was no act.

As Klara was caught in the confusion, the black-masked man turned his attention to her with a soft smile.

“Miss Leston. Your friend was looking for you at the venue.”

“Eh? Uh… I, I…”

“You never left the ballroom tonight… right?”

The man in the black mask gestured toward the exit. Although his voice was calm and gentle, there was an unmistakable pressure that prevented her from refusing him.

——This man was someone of authority.

Obeying her primal instincts, Klara slipped out of the embrace and ran off with shaky legs.

Right now, she must leave this place as soon as possible. Surely, the events of the past few minutes were just a bad dream induced by the unfamiliar wine.

＊　＊　＊

The daughter of Viscount Leston had left the private room she was taken to. Confirming this, the black-masked man, Isaac, stepped into the room.

Nero, wearing a scarlet mask, followed him inside with a grin.

The man in the peacock-green mask was visibly trembling. The blood had clearly drained from his face, obvious even from behind his mask.

——The Second Prince was attending masquerade balls, administering the Witch’s Love Potion to random girls he fancied.

Wildianu, Isaac’s contracted spirit, was the first to catch wind of this dishonorable rumor. As Isaac’s substitute, he not only managed the sorting of Isaac’s jobs but also periodically gathered information regarding the Second Prince.

“Please, please refrain from playing around at night.”

The water spirit Wildianu had said this to Isaac. When assuming human form, he became a fragile-looking man. However, perhaps due to the recent worries, he now looked beyond frail. He appeared as if he might break apart at any moment.

Feeling a bit guilty for burdening his spirit so much, Isaac inquired about the situation. What emerged was a rumor that sounded completely unfamiliar.

Apparently, someone was impersonating the retired Second Prince and engaging in unsavory activities.

Thus, Isaac gathered additional information and infiltrated the masquerade ball to find the culprit. According to the rumor, the Second Prince possessed a Witch’s Love Potion——if that were true, the suspects could be limited to anyone possessing a love potion.

Coincidentally, Isaac did have a love potion in his possession. He had confiscated it from a certain young lady who had tried to slip it into his drink.

After studying the Witch’s Love Potion, Isaac realized that the vial of the potion was a magical tool for prolonging the effects of imbuement magic.

——In which case, what he needed to do was simple.

Isaac could ask for Nero’s assistance in sensing mana. After bringing Nero to the masquerade ball, he would simply search for anyone who possessed the same potion as him.

“No mistaking it. This guy has the love potion.”

Lifting the corner of his mouth into a smirk, Nero looked right at the man in the peacock-green mask.

Isaac questioned the man, while paying attention to his movements to ensure he couldn’t escape.

“It seems you haven’t administered the potion to the daughter of Viscount Leston yet. Were you planning to give it to her later?”

“What… What are you talking about…?”

“I am talking about the Witch’s Love Potion in your possession, Lord Hector.”

The man in the peacock-green mask——Hector——grimaced. In the process, his mask fell slightly askew.

Hector was the brother of Miss Loletta, the lady who failed to administer Felix with the Witch’s Love Potion… In other words, he was Felix’s cousin.

The fact that the impostor Felix appeared at social gatherings hosted by Lady Meagan already gave Isaac an idea of the culprit.

Lady Meagan was Hector’s maternal aunt, so Hector could receive many favors from her. The private rooms he took women into were likely arranged through Lady Meagan too.

“Your plan was to depict the Second Prince misusing the love potion he took from your sister, indiscriminately seducing women in high society… Is that the script? And the motive is revenge for your sister’s rejection?”

“…!”

At this point, Hector had noticed Isaac’s true identity. He rushed forward with momentum, attempting to tackle Isaac and escape through the door.

However, Isaac easily avoided it and hooked his own leg around Hector’s, causing the man to tumble ungracefully on the carpet.

The peacock-green mask fell to the floor, revealing Hector’s face, which was dominated by panic and fear. Hector repeatedly shook his head.

“I-I know nothing… Hyah!”

Hector tried to deny the allegations from his position on the floor, but Isaac unrelentingly struck down with the sole of his shoe on Hector’s shoulder.

The collapsed Hector emitted a pitiful cry of pain as Isaac began pressing harder.

The turquoise eyes behind his black mask glared down at Hector with a cold gaze.

“Whatever you do for fun is none of my concern.”

There was only one thing that Hector had done to anger Isaac.

“…You have tarnished the name of Felix Arc Ridill.”

The bones of Hector’s shoulder began to crack under the pressure of Isaac’s shoe.

Hector had posed as him and seduced women in high society, all in order to degrade the name of the Second Prince.

Isaac had sacrificed everything to protect Felix’s name, and this man sullied it.

“For the crime of posing as royalty… you will be exposed in a tribunal and face execution, you know?”

“W-Wait, Your Highness, please, wait… I-I didn’t mean to…!”

This was not the anger of Felix Arc Ridill, the Second Prince. It was the anger of Isaac Walker, the servant who had sworn loyalty to Felix. He was a servant whose master’s name had been tarnished.

Isaac looked down on Hector with a cold, emotionless expression, discarding the prince’s smiling face that he had cherished for years.

Unaware to Isaac, the coldness of his expression and voice closely resembled the man who raised him——Duke Crockford.

Hector, with tears flowing from pain and fear, pleaded desperately.

“Please, please, forgive me… have mercy…”

“Unfortunately, I have no mercy to give to anyone who tarnishes this name.”

“Anything, anything, I’ll do anything… please…”

Isaac directed an emotionless gaze at the pathetic Hector, whose face was soaked with tears and mucus.

“In that case, pledge your loyalty to Felix Arc Ridill until your dying breath.”

Once Hector returned a heavy nod, Isaac lifted his foot from Hector’s shoulder.

Having witnessed the entire exchange, Nero squinted his eyes, looking unimpressed beneath his mask. In a hushed voice, Isaac posed Nero a question.

“…Do you think it foolish of me to say something like this? Are you disgusted?”

His words contained a tinge of self-mockery. In response, Nero nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

“Nah. I just thought it’s interesting how humans are so fixated on names, that’s all.”

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