Chapter 3
“Alright.”
Step Three: The Final Stage of Dealing with Difficult People.
Let’s finish this.
Sensing something terrible was about to happen, Lady Mariposa flinched.
“W-Why did you bring that here?”
It was a magically treated item. In modern terms, it was basically a plastic trash bag.
“You told me to change my dress, didn’t you? Luckily, I found something that suits me perfectly.”
I smiled at her as brightly as sunshine and held up the black bag I had prepared beforehand.
“Grr…!”
I had already punched five holes in it for exactly this moment!
I slipped my head through the large opening, then quickly stuck my arms and legs through the other four holes.
This…
…is what you call a trash outfit.
I spread my arms gracefully, making the trash bag rustle.
“So? Do you like my outfit now?”
Lady Mariposa looked as though she were about to faint.
“Y-You… Have you gone insane?”
“Yep~! Giselle’s gone craaazy~!”
Baron Milpianne looked just as horrified.
Grinding his teeth, he glared at me before shouting,
“I heard bad rumors about you, but I thought you were at least well-behaved! What is the meaning of this? A woman with no upbringing…!”
“This engagement announcement is canceled! It never happened!”
“Yep! Giselle agrees too! Let’s cancel the engagement!”
The entire ballroom fell into complete chaos.
Lady Mariposa whispered coldly,
“So… you think you’re clever enough to play tricks now?”
Not really.
Is making someone’s wig fly off at a formal party something a clever person would do?
Only someone willing to throw the entire story’s logic out the window would do something like that.
Still smiling, I nodded enthusiastically just to make her even angrier.
Seriously… I wonder how Lady Mariposa has managed to survive this long with such a tiny brain.
“Fine.”
“If not the Milpianne family, then I’ll sell you to someone even better.”
“From now on, I’ll deal with you in my own way.”
“You should look forward to it.”
It was a threat.
I slowly turned toward her and looked at her with exaggerated pity.
“Oh dear…”
Her eyes sparkled, convinced she had regained the upper hand.
Then I spoke.
“But…”
“Will you still dare act like this when Count Florette comes back?”
“…What?”
Count Florette had been my biological father Count Sehera’s closest friend.
When Count Sehera and his wife died together, their title ended with them and the family’s entire fortune disappeared.
It was Count Florette who had willingly taken in a homeless orphan like me.
Although he isn’t here right now.
He had spent years sailing across the seas in search of my father’s belongings.
While he was away, his younger sister Mariposa and the family council managed the household.
“When Count Florette allowed his ‘poor divorced little sister’ to return to the family…”
“There was one condition.”
Perhaps because I intentionally raised my voice…
Everyone in the ballroom turned toward us.
Lady Mariposa’s greatest weakness had always been the fact that, after her divorce, she had returned to her childhood home with her son in disgrace.
“He told you…”
“…to raise me like your own daughter.”
“…or at least like your own niece.”
“You…”
“When I was little…”
“I used to accidentally call you ‘Mother.'”
Every time I did…
She looked at me as though I disgusted her.
Her face turned bright red as she hissed,
“Shut your mouth.”
“Count Florette…”
“…is dead.”
Well…
The last news anyone had received from him was a telegram saying he’d discovered the Spice Islands.
After that…
Nothing.
Most people already believed he was dead.
They were even preparing his funeral.
“Who knows?”
“Maybe Count Florette’s ghost will come back.”
“And maybe he’ll punish his own sister.”
Grinning, I lifted my trash-bag dress and confidently walked out of the ballroom.
The rustling sound echoed through the silent hall until I disappeared.
By every heaven above…
It was pure coincidence that Duke Vientin Kalinos witnessed Giselle’s little rampage.
Just as she was causing havoc…
He was walking into the ballroom with one sleeve stained pink by monster blood.
Despite his indifferent expression and complete lack of interest in worldly affairs…
No one around him could remain calm.
“D-Duke… Duke Kalinos…”
“N-No, stay calm.”
“He probably… just killed someone again… like Duke Kalinos always does…”
No.
He glanced down at himself.
His hair was neatly combed.
His uniform was perfectly clean.
The only unusual thing was that he’d been conducting an experiment on exactly how much blood splattered when killing a monster with one hand.
Seeing his brow furrow slightly…
The servants’ legs immediately began shaking.
“I-It really is the Blood—”
“I haven’t killed any humans.”
He interrupted them before they could finish saying the childish nickname everyone used behind his back—
The Bloody Mastermind.
The moment he spoke…
The crowd became even noisier.
“H-He’s going to kill us!”
“I-I think I just saw him cut a monster in half with one swing!”
“Run!”
There weren’t even any monsters here.
This was a ballroom.
Unfortunately…
The misunderstanding only became worse.
“If you don’t want to die…”
“Get your eyes down.”
He had merely tried to explain himself.
Yet now people were practically foaming at the mouth in terror.
How exhausting.
Giving up on explaining anything, he ignored the terrified servants and continued walking.
He had an annoying duty to fulfill.
Meeting every eligible lady in high society.
Stopping before the ballroom doors, he spoke gently to the doorman.
Almost persuasively.
With a voice as sweet as honey.
“Open the door.”
“Y-Yes… y-yes…”
“I have someone to meet.”
Seeing the faint smile appear on the Duke’s face, the servant hurriedly bowed.
“S-Someone… to kill… I understand!”
“I’ll open it immediately!”
Just as I thought.
Smiling kindly makes persuasion much easier.
Just as the book Theory of Social Life had taught—
Always smile when dealing with people.
He was quite pleased that the frail servant hadn’t fainted.
Completely unaware that every other servant guarding the ballroom had already run away…
He looked through the opening door and met countless horrified eyes.
How exactly am I supposed to socialize with ladies?
He barely had enough hours in the day for work.
Thinking about something as wasteful as marriage irritated him.
Unfortunately…
From his grandfather…
To his younger brother…
Every member of his family wanted him to marry.
Even the Council of Elders insisted marriage was necessary to strengthen the family’s political power.
As a result…
The Duke was constantly being pressured into marriage.
The moment Duke Kalinos entered the ballroom…
Every noble lady who was supposed to socialize with him scattered in terror.
As they disappeared…
Something very strange entered his view.
“…Trash?”
At the end of his gaze…
A trash bag with arms and legs was walking away.
“…No.”
“…Human trash?”
To his surprise…
The moving trash bag was actually a woman.
Who is she?
He had never seen her before.
Her features were ordinary…
Yet she cheerfully walked around wearing a trash bag.
Then…
She briskly ran right past him.
Judging by the faintly crazed smile on her face…
She had deliberately planned this entire disaster.
“…Perfect.”
A perfectly insane woman.
Just then…
“I-It seems… something happened…”
“B-But please go inside.”
“The ladies are waiting for you.”
…Ah.
I’d forgotten.
My watcher.
It was the assistant his mother and grandfather had assigned to keep an eye on him.
He couldn’t even remember the man’s name.
“Really?”
“Y-Yes, Your Grace!”
“You have to get married!”
“So as long as I marry someone, that’s enough?”
“It doesn’t matter who?”
The absent-minded assistant blinked his large, frog-like eyes.
A terrible feeling crept over him.
“As long as she’s… a lady…”
“That’s fine, right?”
“You know you can’t marry a commoner.”
“I know.”
“As long as it doesn’t violate Imperial law.”
“That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
“Well… yes, but…”
By the time the rustling sound of the trash bag had completely faded into the distance…
And the ladies inside had finally noticed Duke Kalinos standing outside, frozen stiff with fear…
The Duke slowly smiled.
“I see.”
“I understand.”
“Cancel my entire social schedule.”
“…Y-Your Grace?”
“All of it?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve found a new research subject.”
It was rare for Duke Kalinos to become interested in anything.
Only when he discovered a rare potion ingredient…
Met an unusual monster tamer…
Or found an intriguing research topic.
A cold sweat ran down the assistant’s back.
…This… should be fine… right?
