Chapter 87
He looked like a thug, or perhaps gave off a sinister vibe.
Both were vague ways to describe it, but there was no better way.
It’s just one of those things.
On the surface, his appearance was impeccable, yet my instincts screamed at me to stay away.
Even though I knew I shouldn’t judge a person by their looks, I couldn’t ignore that gut feeling.
“This is the same kind of vibe I get from men who are trouble in relationships.”
And his rudeness only made it worse.
The way his eyes swept over my face and body the moment we met—there was no mistaking that I was being evaluated.
Since becoming the Grand Duchess, I hadn’t faced such blatant, wordless disrespect until now.
Then his words only added to the impression.
“I heard my wife has been in your care. She’s not much of a talker, so she must’ve been difficult to deal with, right? Honestly, I left her to rest for just a moment, and yet here she is, in a place like this…”
A little humility when speaking of one’s family is fine, but Edwin’s tone was extreme.
As far as I knew, he was the son-in-law of the Tilim family—a married-in noble.
And yet, the way he spoke of Chloe was as though…
“Like she’s his property.”
An arrogant thug of a son-in-law.
Perhaps Chloe’s situation was worse than I thought.
“Strange. The Tilim family’s reputation has always been spotless.”
Whether that goodwill was toward Chloe or toward Edwin, I didn’t know. Still, the family’s rising success in business had made them the talk of the nobility lately.
Even someone like me, who paid little attention to high society, had heard.
And yet, the head of such a family turned out to be this vulgar man?
It wasn’t as though great wealth guaranteed social favor.
Take Baron Metokan, for example—despite her immense riches, gossip about her ran rampant.
I found it hard to believe, but it wasn’t something I could dismiss, either.
So, masking my distaste with a faint smile, I returned his greeting.
“Pleased to meet you, Count. My name is Wilhelmina Leighton.”
He smiled as if pleased and accepted my words.
I was about to step subtly in front of Chloe, hoping to gauge more of his character, when—
“Darling, are you done with your business?”
Chloe suddenly appeared at his side.
The flustered expression she’d worn earlier had vanished, replaced by the cold, taciturn face I’d seen at the reading circle.
Surprised by her sudden transformation, I looked at her, only for her to speak in a resolute tone:
“Forgive me, Grand Duchess. We have another appointment, so we must excuse ourselves.”
“But I’m not finished—”
“Darling, remember? Count Caden is waiting for us.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Whether that appointment was true or not, Edwin quickly shifted his expression and scanned the other side of the ballroom.
“Then, Grand Duchess, I’ll take my leave. Next time we meet, I’ll bring you something I’m sure you’ll like…”
His eyes flicked over my clothes before he continued with a smirk.
“Something more suitable for you.”
“…Very well.”
“So, he’s mocking my outfit. How blatant.”
It was so obvious there was no other way to take it.
I was even tempted to put him in his place, but then I caught sight of Chloe’s face.
Clinging awkwardly to Edwin’s arm, she mouthed silently:
“I’m sorry.”
Then, pulling him along, she walked away without looking back—her silent plea clear: don’t get involved any further.
Once they were gone, Anna whispered worriedly beside me.
“…Will she be all right?”
“Who knows.”
Of course she wouldn’t. But as things stood, there was little I could do.
Especially since every eye in the ballroom was still on me.
The Grand Duchess, newly arrived in society—many were watching me with a mix of anticipation and suspicion, waiting to see if I’d cause a scene.
I had no intention of obliging them.
Glancing at the cake slice Chloe had left behind—now missing only the strawberries—I muttered:
“One way or another, I need to speak with Chloe properly.”
I would have to find an opportunity to meet her privately.
That much interference, at least, would be permissible for a hostess.
Suppressing my complicated feelings, I tried to collect myself.
Then, suddenly, the music in the ballroom cut off.
Spotlights turned to the stage.
“A-hem! Everyone enjoying the party? Now then, allow me to introduce some inventions from the Metokan Laboratory!”
Baroness Metokan had somehow taken the stage herself, beginning her presentation with an awkward tone.
Frankly, it would’ve been better if she had hired a proper master of ceremonies—the delivery was dreadful.
Yet the audience, perhaps eager to flatter her, responded with exaggerated enthusiasm.
“Oh, how exciting!”
“I wonder what clever device she’ll show us this time!”
Though insincere, their words still sounded smoother than her clumsy hosting.
The baroness, accompanied by several attendants, displayed a series of inventions on stage.
Without so much as a proper greeting, she launched into explanations.
“First, here we have a machine for mixing paints. By combining the gears in this sequence, you can produce the exact shade you want…”
“Is this really how one holds a presentation?”
What followed quickly turned surreal.
The baroness described each device not as a noble hostess, but as a technical engineer—using dull, complicated jargon no one else understood.
It was less a demonstration, more like a university lecture.
“And… of course, they don’t understand a word.”
Most nobles stared blankly, their eyes glazed.
Some, evidently used to such tedious spectacles, whispered among themselves while keeping their gazes fixed on the stage.
“Then why even hold this presentation?”
The inventor herself seemed unmotivated, and the audience had no real interest.
It was hard to tell who this was meant for.
“Next is a modified music box. By inserting this disc, you can play songs and even adjust the speed as you wish…”
But then, the inventions themselves caught my attention.
At first I’d half-listened, but soon I recognized things that made my jaw drop.
Unfamiliar in form, yet unmistakable in essence—each device displayed technology far ahead of its time.
“A disc-playing music box? An automatic one at that?”
These were inventions that shouldn’t exist in this era.
At that moment, I realized the baroness wasn’t some eccentric tinkerer—she was destined to become one of the empire’s great minds.
From then on, I listened more intently than to any lecture I’d ever heard.
The explanations were difficult, but I couldn’t afford to miss a single detail.
Even if I never used this knowledge myself, I didn’t want to miss this historic moment.
After a long while, as yawns spread across the audience, the baroness finally wrapped up the first half.
“That concludes part one! Ha-ha… I hope you enjoyed it.”
“Marvelous!”
“Truly the finest inventor!”
More empty praise followed.
Handing her remaining devices to her attendants, she wiped the sweat from her brow.
“We’ll prepare for part two now. It should take about thirty minutes, so please wait.”
Without another word, she left the hall with her servants.
Still awed, I watched her go, until the nobles’ mocking voices reached my ears.
“And what are we supposed to do with those things?”
“Oh, I suppose His Grace will buy a few. Didn’t His Majesty purchase some as well?”
“My, their tastes must be rather different from ours.”
Their sneers drained the energy from me.
Well, of course—being ahead of one’s time rarely earns praise.
Even Leonardo da Vinci was called mad for his flying machines.
It would take time for Baroness Metokan’s genius to be recognized.
“I’ll have to speak with her someday.”
I was curious what kind of person she was—not just as an inventor, but as a human being.
As I was about to wake Anna, who was on the verge of dozing off, something appeared on stage.
“What’s that?”
A figure stood there—a small child in a mask, bowing politely to the murmuring crowd.
The mask was unusual: horns protruded from the forehead, the nose round, the mouth split wide.
It looked like a demon’s face.
Then one of the baroness’s butlers rushed up onto the stage, flustered.
“Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… our young master—no, Lord Bayaga’s presentation!”
“Bayaga? Who is that?”
The audience grew restless at the unknown name.
Then one noblewoman voiced her suspicion.
“Could that be the baroness’s daughter?”
“Ah, yes, the age fits…”
At that, the butler stiffened nervously, confirming the guess.
Perhaps it was just a child’s prank while her mother was away.
Laughter and whispers spread.
Meanwhile, the girl—Bayaga—dragged a large box from the corner of the stage.
Behind her, servants set up a tall wooden panel.
Painted pure white, it resembled a giant artist’s canvas.
“What’s she trying to do?”
“Maybe she wants to show off like her mother?”
Amidst mixed anticipation and concern, Bayaga silently placed the box before the panel.
She pressed a button on the hinge—
Click.
The box opened.
And in that instant—
SPLASH—!!
A torrent of crimson erupted from within.
Like a burst water balloon, streams of blood sprayed across the panel.
With wet, sickening splatters, a gruesome painting took shape.
A demon—its body twisted with mismatched wings and limbs, its eyes uneven and numerous—stared down at the nobles from the bloody canvas.
Blood dripped from its eyes as though it wept.
“A-aahhh! A monster!”
“Kyaaahhh!”
…The ballroom fell into chaos in an instant.
