Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 212

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 212

A Night Masquerade Ball was hardly the place to bring children, so the nobles in attendance were uniformly of considerable age.
Of course, there were exceptions—young, unmarried nobility brought by those who mistakenly believed the Empress had hastily arranged this affair to find Titania a new betrothal prospect—but even so.
Bibi’s eyes shifted subtly to one side. Adrian’s gaze followed.
Raymond stood beside the Empress. She seemed to be speaking to him continuously, but his attention had drifted toward them.
Adrian, meeting Raymond’s eyes in an involuntary reflex, drew a sharp breath.
The gaze was predatory—a beast surveying its quarry.
Adrian immediately regretted it. He shouldn’t have let his unease show.
But Bibi, already dancing hand-in-hand with Adrian, signaled directly to that very Raymond.
The moment Raymond saw her signal, he strode purposefully from the ballroom, heedless of the Empress’s dignity as the evening’s hostess.
Adrian instinctively moved to follow, but stopped when he felt Bibi’s grip tighten. Her expression was all bright smiles and subtle pressure.
“We’re in the middle of a dance, Your Highness?”
“…Ah, I see. It seems Raymond is concerned for Titania’s health. Yet visiting the Rose Palace hardly guarantees one can pay a sick call.”
“You’re fibbing. Titania is nowhere near the Rose Palace right now.”
“I understand Debbie is both capable and loyal to the Castrain Family, but…young lady.”
Adrian’s voice, feather-light moments before, fell heavier.
“The ‘official’ ties between Princess Titania and the Castrain Family have already been severed.”
Bibi drew a steady breath, meeting Adrian’s warning gaze head-on.
Originally, she’d thought nothing of it.
She’d assumed Titania would naturally be present. Instead, Titania had excused herself with a mild cold, and both Adrian and the Empress had played along, claiming it was nothing serious.
Under normal circumstances, it would have raised no questions.
But this was the Imperial Palace’s first event since Titania’s Engagement Dissolution, hosted by the Empress herself, and it was a Night Masquerade Ball—something the Empress ordinarily never bothered with. That was the problem.
Knowing Titania’s temperament, she would have at least made an appearance, if only to spare the Empress from hearing unpleasant rumors about her absence.
If the presence of the Castrain Family’s members made her uncomfortable, she would have used the Empress or the Crown Prince as cover—slipping in and out discreetly.
So why hadn’t she?
As Bibi was turning these thoughts over, a subtle ripple ran through the ballroom, and she felt as though someone had struck her at the base of the skull.
‘My parents insisted I come, but if this is how it’s going to be, I might as well have stayed at the Countess of Sheringham’s…’
It was the voice of some irresponsible young noble. Had the middle-aged aristocrats present heard it, they would have clucked their tongues and muttered about such foolishness.
Raymond, sensing the disturbance with the same instinct as Bibi, glanced toward the Empress, but she deftly attended to her guests, as though nothing were amiss.
So Bibi seized Adrian deliberately. The Empress couldn’t openly restrain Raymond for the sake of propriety, but the evasive and quick-witted Adrian could keep him pinned to this ballroom. And her choice had come due.
Adrian’s voice turned cold.
“To ask me about Titania’s whereabouts and movements, to continue gathering information about the Princess’s private affairs—you’re being remarkably indiscreet, don’t you think?”
Bibi did not underestimate Crown Prince Adrian.
Whatever rumors circulated about Bibi, anyone seeing a cute, lovely-looking young girl would instinctively smile. ‘So the Castrain Family keeps her close—if she’s that adorable, I suppose it makes sense.’ That was all most people thought.
But Adrian was among the rare few who, from their very first meeting, had never seen Bibi as merely an ordinary child.
For all his apparent lightness, every action of Adrian’s had a reason behind it. He did not pressure just anyone, and he rarely issued warnings. He was more like a meticulous predator who remained low and hidden until the very end, revealing himself only when drawing in for the killing blow.
So he was issuing a ‘maintain your distance’ warning over something as trivial as this?
“…Sister isn’t in the Palace right now, is she?”
Adrian’s gaze wavered.
Put into words, it would have been something like, ‘This damnable brat—how am I supposed to manage someone with perception this sharp?’
“Sister, what exactly are you doing right now, and where?”
So both Adrian and the Empress, who ordinarily conducted themselves with meticulous care, had been caught by the Castrain Ducal House’s insufferably sharp perception precisely because they were being so cautious about Titania.
Well, in any case, both families had chemistry that worked far too well. And that was the root of all this chaos.

* * *

The moonflowers, which begin blooming in the evening, had fully opened and were just beginning to close their petals.
Staying shuttered in my room for too long would arouse suspicion, so I slipped outside a little before the appointed hour.
Thanks to the Countess of Sheringham plying everyone with expensive, potent liquor, people were already half-drunk.
Those who’d been making hollow conversation and dancing in careful observation of one another now had flushed faces and clung together, giggling without restraint. Several couples had already disappeared into the small chambers scattered throughout the venue.
A few drunks had made brazen advances toward me, but when no one was watching, I’d dealt with them expertly—a strike to the nape of the neck, and I’d left them sprawled nearby as though they’d simply collapsed. There’s nothing quite like raw strength.
The Moonflower Garden was the most remote, shadowed corner of all the palace gardens. No one was about.
The reason people avoided it was straightforward.
It was so isolated and gloomy that a servant had once attacked a couple, stealing their money and clothes and escaping without being caught. But strengthening security would be difficult because, after all, the Masquerade Ball itself wasn’t exactly a respectable gathering, and…
Anyway, because of that, nobles familiar with the ball knew better than to come here. First-timers had no idea such a place even existed—making it perfect for hiding away with trash while avoiding prying eyes.
I felt a chill from the dress, which bore more exposed skin than I usually wore, and my shoulders trembled slightly.
…Debbie would have enjoyed dressing this way, found it amusing. But that doesn’t matter now. I won’t be doing this with her anymore.
Forcibly cutting off the rising thoughts, I furrowed my brow against the wind, which was colder than expected.
Crackle.
Dry leaves crunched beneath my feet. It was earlier than I’d anticipated.
So the trash showed up early and is waiting for me? Surprising, I thought, but I straightened my shoulders and turned around with an icy smile.
“Making a lady wait—how utterly rude of y… you…”
My lips froze, unable to finish the words.
Bathed in moonlight, the moonflowers glowed brilliantly.
Between pale-yellow petals and stamens, a luminous gold gleamed—like a tiny stage. Golden eyes, visible even through the Mask obscuring the upper face, possessed an unmistakable presence that dominated all the earth and sky around them.
A sleek black Mask with thin gold trim at the edges. A heavy Black Fur Cloak to match. Without any attempt at disguise through dye or wig, his black hair lay openly displayed.
“Were you waiting for me?”
His voice was measured.
The only visible part of his face beneath the Mask—his lips—curved into a deliberate smile. I froze as though struck by lightning.
Raymond? Here? At this place? How?
…The Countess of Sheringham couldn’t have sent an invitation to the Castrain Family. At least not this time. And if this is how it’s going to be, then the plan…
I stared at the man standing there, watching my reaction, my lips pressing together.
…The trash knew my identity because I’d deliberately given him several hints.
Even children raised in a household had enough sense to change wigs or clothes each time they attended such a blatant gathering.
But few would spend considerable money on a Dress worn once and discarded, not at a semi-formal affair like this.
A stranger, an impressive outfit. A poorly fitted wig, the unfamiliarity showing in sloppy ornamentation… The Mask had been adorned with numerous dazzling decorations and colors, making my eye color invisible to all but those who saw me close up.
Yet Raymond had simply approached without hesitation, as though he’d known from the start that I was the one who’d been there all along.
I realized that denying it now would be futile, even as I knew I should try. My whole body turned rigid, and involuntary tension crept into my lower lip.
“Truly?”
The man placed his finger on my chin—the only exposed part of my face, just as with his. His fingernail hovered dangerously near my lips, maintaining a precarious distance. His gaze remained fixed and relentless.
I unconsciously released the tension my upper teeth had been exerting against my lower lip. Only then did his hand withdraw.
“…How discourteous of you.”
“If you mean to lecture me about discourtesy over something so trivial…”
A low chuckle emerged. It was not a pleasant laugh. It sounded like something had deeply displeased him… like he was barely restraining himself.
“You shouldn’t have come to a place like this unaccompanied in the first place.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————