Chapter 136
“Hmm? Are you coming with me?”
“Yes.”
Teshion said as he followed, holding his coat. Behind him stood Ruth, her eyes filled with sadness.
Ah, got it! I just need to stop him! Cynthia forced her gaze away from him and looked up at Teshion.
“But… men aren’t allowed there…”
“Is there truly no other way? Do I have to go there to meet him?”
“That place is a salon where noblewomen secretly enjoy themselves. There’s no way men are allowed in.”
The only place to meet Joel was the secret salon of Lady Bianca, the gem of the Dirotein Empire’s social circle.
Lady Bianca’s secret salon was a space where high-ranking noblewomen could enter only with an invitation. There, they enjoyed watching young dancers perform in revealing outfits, acting in plays or performing beautiful dances.
In other words, it was essentially a concentrated expression of women’s imagination and desires!
‘This might have been possible because it was a mature-rated detail in the original novel…’
Cynthia glanced away. It wasn’t surprising that Teshion hated the idea of sending her there.
But I have to meet him, no matter what.
Joel was one of the most popular dancers with the ladies, often frequenting the salon where Elizabeth also went, eventually becoming part of her reverse harem. And more importantly…
‘Elizabeth, who had been holed up in the mansion, only went out regularly to this secret salon. Joel was the one who best soothed her wounded heart and the only person she confided in.’
Since Elizabeth met him as soon as she arrived in the capital, it was highly likely that she had shared the secrets of the Bailey family she had uncovered, her plans, or even her knowledge of black magic.
“Then, what about this?”
Cynthia asked gently, facing Teshion, whose expression clearly showed disapproval.
“I want you to be my bodyguard.”
“My bodyguard?”
“If it’s for something like that, you might be able to follow me inside.”
At her suggestion, Teshion’s expression softened slightly. He nodded up and down.
“Understood.”
That evening, when Cynthia arrived at Lady Bianca’s mansion, she looked around. Carriages were lined up front and back, subtly hiding the family crests with abundant flowers or paper decorations.
They must care about being seen by others, huh?
She then turned her gaze to the grand mansion in front of her. In the darkness, it shone with light and looked imposing.
So this was where irregular performances were held… underground…!
‘Invitation tickets can be obtained anytime. Since Princess Elizabeth particularly liked the secret salon, there’s a broker who handles them regularly. As it happened, there was a performance soon, and I asked if I needed an invitation.’
Cynthia held the invitation Dale had obtained tightly and exhaled.
She had to act as Lady Bailey again, wearing her light green lenses. Including distant relatives, there were quite a few nobles with the Bailey name, so there would be no unnecessary misunderstandings.
Moreover, in such a place, they didn’t bother each other’s personal details…
Still, pretending to be a noble after so long made her nervous.
“Cynthia, are you excited?”
At that moment, a voice full of disapproval came from the side.
Startled, she turned her head to see Teshion in slightly worn knight’s attire, raising one eyebrow as he looked down at her. She felt embarrassed and spoke loudly.
“Excited? For what?”
“Your expression looks strangely lively, so I asked.”
“I never…!”
“Cynthia!”
Just as she was about to argue that her nervousness was due to pretending to be a Bailey rather than the performance, Violet’s voice rang out. She hadn’t noticed Teshion in plain clothes and ran straight to Cynthia.
She bounced in place, shouting:
“Thanks to you, Cynthia, I get to enjoy such a wonderful performance! I had only heard whispers about this performance from the Bailey ladies, but it’s incredible!!”
“Ah, I… Violet…”
Cynthia tried to subtly signal her to stop while sneaking glances at Teshion.
S-Stop it…
“The dancers are so fit, they say your jaw will drop…!”
“Well…”
“And sometimes they even come down from the stage to give special attention!”
“No, stop, let’s go inside…”
“They even let you touch their abs and come close to do… an intimate dance… Ah! I’m so excited!”
—Clang
At that moment, Teshion’s hand brushed the sword at his waist.
Cynthia swallowed nervously and looked at him. In the darkness, his violet eyes gleamed coldly.
Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him…
Seeing Teshion looking displeased, Cynthia slightly regretted it. She grabbed Violet, who was still babbling excitedly.
“Violet!! Let’s go inside, quickly!”
“Shall we?”
Violet nodded happily, her face bright with joy, hiding her face with a folding fan as they moved toward the entrance together.
Following close behind, Teshion kept his face mostly covered with a dark cloth, revealing only his eyes.
As they reached the entrance, the knights guarding the door stepped forward.
“Show your invitation.”
Cynthia and Violet proudly presented the invitations Dale had obtained. A knight checked the contents and nodded.
“Lady Bailey and her companion, confirmed.”
Phew, what a relief! It seemed all that was needed was to show the invitation.
Just as they were about to step inside, a voice came from behind.
“No one without an invitation may enter.”
Huh? Cynthia turned to see that the knights were blocking Teshion’s entrance. He looked at them helplessly.
Cynthia quickly grabbed his wrist.
“This is my bodyguard. Let him in with me.”
“No one without an invitation may enter.”
Parrots?
Cynthia shot the knights an exasperated look.
“Who gives an invitation to a bodyguard? And men aren’t invited to this secret salon anyway.”
“No one without an invitation may enter.”
“Hah…!”
Cynthia let out a bitter laugh. So, only noblewomen could enter here.
She eyed the inflexible knights carefully. They didn’t please her, but they were just following orders and weren’t at fault.
But who am I?
She was disguised as Lady Bailey now, which meant she could assert herself as she liked.
Cynthia looked the knights up and down and spoke.
“Let him in immediately. He goes nowhere without me.”
“No one without an invitation…”
“Stop repeating the same stupid line and just let him in!! How do you expect to ensure our safety if there isn’t even one bodyguard inside this vast mansion?”
“Well…”
Cynthia raised her voice even more.
I am the arrogant and proud Lady Bailey…!
“He won’t say a word, won’t move, and will remain like a shadow. What’s the problem?”
As the argument continued, a long line of people formed behind Cynthia. They looked at her with displeasure for blocking the entrance.
It felt like she had caused a huge scene, but it was necessary to let Teshion in.
“But the invitation…”
“Just let him in. The performance will start soon.”
As the knights tried to repeat themselves, a woman in the line, hiding her face behind a fancy fan, spoke up. Others behind her subtly nodded.
Seeing their agreement, the knights had no choice but to step aside.
“…We will let him in this time only. Next time, he cannot come. And once inside, he must remain quiet so as not to disturb others’ enjoyment…”
“Understood.”
Cynthia spoke coldly, grabbing Teshion’s wrist and pulling him inside. Once inside, she finally felt her tension melt away.
We did it!
