I Start with a Bad Hand!

‘So this day has finally come….’

Sighing deeply, I slowly got out of bed. It was still early, with the sun barely risen. Last night, Icarus’s aide had knocked on my door.

“This is a dress sent by the prince.”

In that brief time, Icarus had prepared a dress completely different from what I had expected and presented it to me as a gift. When I opened the dress box with a light heart, I was involuntarily overwhelmed by the light reflecting inside.

“Wow… it looks like the Milky Way.”

Agnes, who had stood beside me with a bunch of tools to practice makeup until late the previous night, looked at the dress in awe. Yuri had already left a week ago to the winter villa of a distant ducal house. To fill Yuri’s absence, Agnes had diligently practiced makeup on my face for the past week. Initially, the makeup was more suited for a theatrical stage, but after several days of adjustments, we managed to settle on a look that was less like a clown.

To avoid getting makeup on the dress, Agnes carefully lifted it, revealing the densely adorned jewels that sparkled both inside and out. Under the light, the silver embroidery shimmered against the black silk. However, my thoughts were elsewhere.

‘It’s a relief the dress isn’t low-cut.’

Considering the bruise spreading across my chest, any dress that didn’t cover it up neatly would have been quite problematic.

“It really suits you,” Agnes said, standing up and holding the dress against me. “The prince is truly playing his part as your partner.”

Icarus was indeed doing his best as my partner. He even took on the task Agnes requested, acting as a decoy to provoke Cedric.

“Aren’t you neglecting your studies too much these days?”

“…I don’t need to obsess over the scholarship anymore.”

“Really? Why is that?”

Originally, the role of the decoy was Agnes’s. However, after countless practices, my unnatural acting, reminiscent of TOEIC listening parts, made it clear that the role needed to be switched to Icarus. Agnes was disappointed, and Icarus naturally stepped in, saying he expected this. We tracked Cedric’s movements, casually conversing as we followed him.

“…Someone noticed my archery skills and offered to sponsor me.”

“A sponsor? Who?”

“They said they’re a chancellor from the Kingdom of Lucero. Honestly, I have no idea why they’d want to sponsor me. We have no connection at all…”

Just as Cedric’s gaze began to turn our way, we stopped talking and quickly moved away. Though it was a timid jab to call it a provocation, Icarus repeatedly asked, ‘Was that supposed to be a provocation?’

‘I hope all this effort pays off.’

As Agnes buttoned up the back of my dress one by one, she mumbled, “And please, stop wearing that navy dress all the time. At every event, it’s like it’s glued to your body…”

“My mother made it for me.”

“That… makes me jealous~ Every time you wear it, it looks so perfect on you that I want to snatch it and wear it myself.”

“Really? Thanks.”

Agnes playfully slapped my back and changed the subject. 

“But are you sure about wearing black?”

“If the main goal is to stand out, there’s no color more eye-catching than black.”

‘But honestly… I’m really not keen on this.’

Attending an uninvited party goes against my principles. Furthermore, deliberately causing a scene there betrays my conscience. And drawing more attention than the host of the party isn’t in my nature.

‘I really don’t have the confidence, I really don’t….’

However, I couldn’t complain since someone had drawn up the floor plan of the ducal house, mapped out our route, and even infiltrated to retrieve items.

‘At least it’s black. If I had to wear a peacock-like dress, I might as well have stolen an elephant by now….’

When only considering the amount of attention without regard to the emotions or aftermath, the best way was to emphasize dissonance. Wearing an outfit that didn’t match the typical tone and manner of a usual banquet.

No matter how adorned with dazzling jewels, black was not a color that suited someone else’s celebration. Even though they asked several times if I was really going to stick with black, Yuri and Icarus eventually acknowledged, ‘It will certainly stand out.’

It was my first time wearing a proper dress, so Agnes, who had stayed up all night in my dormitory, helped me put it on. Before leaving, Yuri had repeatedly emphasized that if she wasn’t around, Agnes should take care of my attire, and any argument I made about handling it myself was dismissed before I could finish.

“Will Yuri be okay?”

“Of course. As long as we do our part well.”

Luckily, Yuri had already left for the winter villa in the ducal territory a while ago. Her role was to carry on with her usual tasks there. She wouldn’t return until a week after the banquet, ensuring her alibi was solid.

‘Even if things go wrong and we get caught, it’ll be hard to suspect Yuri as an accomplice. Sure, they might think she helped beforehand, but what can they do with just speculation? There’s no evidence.’

As long as we weren’t caught in the act, the chances of Yuri getting exposed were slim. Before leaving, Yuri had handed Agnes a note with the key and a drawing of the servant’s uniform she had been wearing.

“It should fit almost perfectly. I’m confident in my ability to judge sizes,” she said with a bright smile. So now, this plan relied entirely on Agnes’s skills.

‘It’s a good thing the food supplies are coming from Agnes’s merchant group. Otherwise, sneaking in would have been quite a hassle.’

I thought as I struggled to put on the dress.

“Are dresses supposed to be this heavy? It feels like my waist is going to break.”

…Is it because of the jewels? The fabric itself seemed heavy enough, but with the jewels attached, even slight movements made me sway.

“That’s how they are. Hey, stay still. You’re wrinkling it.”

From then on, the hardships continued. Sitting exhausted in the rustling dress, Agnes insisted on matching my hair to the dress. She styled my hair with unknown jewels in a manner I couldn’t understand. 

The problem was that when those jewels were combined, they had enough weight to constantly pull on my scalp.

“If you had longer hair, it would have looked even more like the night sky.”

“No… it’s… enough as it is….”

But I was certain. If I had worn these heavy jewels when my hair was longer, my hairline would undoubtedly recede by the end of the banquet.

“It does have a slightly gloomy feel, but you’re still the best.”

“Thanks….”

“Do your best to draw attention. Make sure no one is even curious about the west warehouse of the ducal house.”

Seeing Agnes laugh with makeup-stained hands, I playfully nudged her shoulder with my fist.

“Don’t forget. If things go wrong and you get caught,”

“I know. I’ll deny everything at first and then cry, saying you made me do it.”

“Crying isn’t enough. You need to wail. And… be careful. If it gets too dangerous, just leave. Don’t push yourself.”

As I held onto Agnes, who was about to leave, she scoffed as if I was being silly.

“Don’t worry. Honestly, out of the four of us, the one I’m most worried about is you.”

“Why four? Isn’t it three?”

“The prince is part of our plan too. Isn’t he?”

Oh. Right. Actually, Icarus didn’t have much to do. He was a better escort than I had expected, and it wasn’t surprising to think he’d be a good dance partner at the ball as long as he didn’t pick fights.

“Do you like the dress?”

I hadn’t anticipated how dashing he would look in a matching black uniform.

“Though I feel a bit like a walking jewelry display, I like it.”

The words “you look great today” felt oddly embarrassing to add. If someone else had been standing next to me, I might have said it naturally. Maybe it was because his attire was toned down that his elegant appearance stood out more. It felt like I had done enough for the day just by admiring his look. The only thing left for him to do was to draw attention according to my lead. So… according to my lead….

“Sigh….”

He glanced at me, already sitting in the carriage with the posture of a defeated person.

“Are you uncomfortable? Is the dress too heavy?”

“It’s not the dress, it’s my heart that feels heavier.”

“Why?”

His face showed he didn’t understand. As someone like Icarus who had a strong presence anywhere, it was understandable that he wouldn’t.

“…I lack confidence.”

“Lack confidence?” Icarus asked, sounding genuinely surprised. I slowly pulled out a small flask hidden in my handbag and shook it.

“All the chocolates in here are filled with rum. I just can’t do this.”

“You’re going to drink that before going in?”

“I’ll drink more inside. There’s no way I can do this sober….”

“I’ve never seen you worry about something like this before.”

I was about to go crazy. Thankfully, the dress hid it, but I was struggling to keep one trembling leg still while trying to unwrap a chocolate. Icarus took the rum-filled chocolate from my hand and put it in his mouth, leaving me holding an empty wrapper.

“…Don’t be too nervous. If it’s too much, leave it to me this time.”

Icarus spoke calmly, twirling the empty chocolate wrapper in his fingers.

“…Leave it to you?”

“Yeah. Don’t push yourself to the point of turning pale. If things go wrong, I’ll find a way to get your friend out safely. That’s your main worry right now, isn’t it?”

And how did you fold this? Icarus handed me the paper he had unfolded. Muttering that it wouldn’t fold back, he moved from his seat opposite me to sit beside me. As he asked questions about the folding, I felt my body gradually relax, even without having drunk any alcohol. The sparkling night view quickly passed by outside the darkening window.

***

The banquet had been underway for a while, and the weather had turned chilly. The doors of the banquet hall were already closed. Inside, the sweet sounds of string instruments resonated, and the hum of people laughing and chatting melded into a soft buzz.

Having dismissed the attendant who offered to open the door for us, Icarus and I shared a final conversation outside.

“…Just trust me.”

“Yeah. Like I said, I’m pretty good at playing the fool.”

It’s like a royal performance. Showing off a ridiculous and pathetic act pleases the nobles inside.

“This time, it’s less amusing because you’re involved.”

“…I don’t mind. Most people in there probably don’t even know who I am.”

…I trust you. Icarus smiled slightly at my last words. The first thing he did was kick the closed door with a loud bang.

The music stopped abruptly, and the chatter inside fell silent as if it had been cut off with a knife. Except for the sound of the door handle clattering to the floor from his kick.

‘This, this, this crazy person!’