Chapter 10
“Th-Then are you saying I should carry you in my arms, Your Grace?”
A noble lady walking around hugging a doll…?
This would be my first banquet since transmigrating into this world, and I was already extremely nervous.
What are banquets like in romance fantasy novels?
They’re hunting grounds for nobles who love tearing people apart. Not even the protagonist is spared.
Airel Blandiche was already a hot topic. If I walked around holding a doll that looked exactly like the Grand Duke of Epenferion, all eyes would be on me.
‘And there’s no guarantee Lishid will stay still.’
What if he suddenly moves?
No, in the first place, I wanted to stay quiet and unnoticed.
Even deciding to hide him in my pocket bag and attend the banquet had taken enormous resolve.
‘This is bad…’
As I imagined all the attention that would follow me, the Grand Duke spoke.
“No.” Being carried by you is something I would also decline. However, I cannot see outside from inside a pocket. I need to observe people’s faces.”
“Then…”
“One needs a weapon before going to the battlefield.”
Tap, tap.
“My head.”
“…What?
He smiled coldly and tapped his own head.
H-Head…?
I could feel my face draining of color.
“I’ll be in your care, my lady.”
A mischievous smile appeared on Lishid’s lips.
‘Oh… this is actually…’
Even worse than I imagined.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, mouth hanging open.
The maids were sneaking glances at me with flushed faces.
“I’ve never seen such a dreadful hat. How can someone throw away every single element of aesthetics like that?”
“Exactly. They say the young lady has changed lately. She must’ve injured her head. Not only did she lose her wicked heart, she lost her sense of beauty too.”
“Shh! Quiet! She’ll hear you!”
Yes. I can already hear you. My ears work very well.
I ignored their whispering and took off the hat with a sigh.
It was tall and covered in huge flowers. Every color imaginable seemed crammed onto it. It was horrifying.
‘Why am I wearing this, you ask?’
Because the day we went to buy doll clothes, Lishid insisted on this hat at the hat shop.
“That one.”
“…Your Grace, are you serious?”
“Would I joke about this?”
I protested that it was too conspicuous, but once I heard his reasoning, I had no choice but to agree.
The hat needed to be tall and wide enough for him to stand or sit inside. It needed holes on all sides so he could see out—but from the outside, no one should be able to see in.
‘In short, all these flowers are camouflage.’
Still, of all hats, he chose this monstrosity.
I was certain he picked it just to torment me.
“…Isn’t wearing this alone practically a crime?”
I muttered under my breath.
One of the maids let out a snort she tried to suppress.
I shot them a glare, and the maid quickly coughed to cover it.
“Ahem! Cough!”
You’re trying so hard.
I pretended not to notice as she coughed dramatically. Through the mirror, I saw her sigh in relief.
Two weeks since transmigration.
In that short time, the maids had become a little more comfortable around me.
‘I’m doing pretty well, right?’
They still kept their distance, but they no longer trembled like before.
The change started when I stopped yelling like the original Ariel and began thanking them instead.
Jenis asked,
“My lady… are you really going to wear that hat to the banquet?”
“Yes. I promised someone.”
“Who?”
I glanced at the small table beside the mirror.
Underneath it, a pair of red eyes glinted briefly.
Since the day we went out together, Lishid would hide somewhere whenever Jenis or the other maids entered my room, silently watching.
If they got too close, he would dart away and reappear elsewhere.
‘What is he, a mouse?’
Oh, wait. He lives in pockets…
I barely held back a giggle and looked back at Jenis.
“Maybe… a pocket mouse?”
“Pardon?”
Jenis tilted her head.
***
“Try not to cause a scene today, Airel.”
Busy days passed as Lishid and I prepared for the banquet.
At last, the day arrived.
I attended with the Duke, the Duchess, and Edwin.
As soon as we stepped out of the carriage, the Duchess warned me again.
“Yes, I understand.”
But I doubted things would remain quiet.
Whether I wanted it or not, people would soon be talking about my hideous hat.
For the Duchess’s peace of mind, I hoped she’d find out as late as possible.
“Then I’ll take my leave…”
The moment we entered the banquet hall, I bowed apologetically to the Duchess and stepped back.
She looked at me with faint contempt.
“You grow stranger by the day…”
Pretending not to hear, I hurried toward the pillar where I’d arranged to meet Jenis.
Tonight, Jenis was attending as the daughter of a baron, not as my maid.
“Jenis, I’m here!”
“Quick, over here, my lady!”
Her eyes widened when she saw me, and she beckoned frantically.
She was clearly trying to hide the dreadful hat behind her.
“Sorry for asking such a strange favor. Your father didn’t scold you, did he?”
I took the hat from her and glanced around.
“He was furious. Asked if I truly meant to let you wear that hat. Said it would ruin my marriage prospects.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told him the one whose marriage prospects would be ruined is someone else. And that he should see for himself later.”
She raised her voice, then suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth.
I smiled kindly and patted her shoulder.
“Well done, Jenis.”
Though from today onward, no more safety distance.
She flinched.
Waving at her, I headed toward the back door of the banquet hall.
“With this, you have the layout of the imperial banquet hall.”
“When did you draw all this?”
“While someone was committing noise pollution with monstrous snoring. You sleep without a care in the world. Even if the mansion collapsed, you wouldn’t notice. Though perhaps it would collapse because of your snoring.”
“…Are you talking about me?”
“Who else?”
He had handed me the map while grumbling.
“Your Grace, you can come out now.”
I stepped outside through the back door and loosened the waist of my overly frilly dress.
A small head of black hair popped out.
“I nearly suffocated. Is this the place I mentioned?”
His red eyes scanned the area.
I gently smoothed his messy hair and smiled.
Next time I order a dress, I should ask the designer to add air holes to the hidden pocket.
“Yes. Just like you said, no one’s here.”
“It’s a door unused during banquets.”
His eyes darkened slightly as he looked around.
‘Come to think of it…’
Lishid lived in the imperial palace until he was eight.
The current emperor, his uncle, exiled him to the Grand Duchy the moment he ascended the throne.
‘The Emperor would never return the throne to him.’
Even in the novel’s ending, Lishid remained a Grand Duke.
Thinking of that made him seem a little pitiful.
To lighten the mood, I quickly held up the hat.
“Alright, hurry in. Pocket Mouse Duke!”
“My lady, do not call me that again—”
He frowned and sighed but still climbed into the hat without much resistance.
Inside, I thought smugly—
‘Be grateful I’m not calling you something worse!’
Have you never seen that movie about the rat that controls a chef?
