I Start with a Bad Hand!

“…What nerve do you have to be here?”

Thanks to Cedric’s quick recovery, the orchestra resumed playing, and people awkwardly began a new dance, unable to take their eyes off us. Only the area around Cedric and his entourage remained quiet, as if untouched by the commotion. I offered a brief nod to Irene, which Cedric noticed with displeasure. Watching him, I politely placed a hand over my chest.

“I thought coming with genuine congratulations for your birthday was enough, but I didn’t realize I needed nerve as well.”

Cedric’s jaw tightened at my words. Icarus’s expression began to harden, but before it could fully set, Irene stepped forward.

“…Since the music has changed, may I request a dance, Cedric?”

With a calm voice, Irene extended her hand to Cedric, wearing a simple green dress that matched her eye color. Cedric, muttering a curse under his breath, took her hand and changed his expression as they walked to the center of the hall. Irene glanced back and mouthed, ‘See you later,’ and I nodded slightly. The lively music filled the banquet hall, and despite the many people dancing, Irene’s presence stood out.

“Why did the senior get engaged to Cedric?”

As I grabbed a champagne glass from a passing servant and mumbled, Icarus replied.

“The power of time magic is inherited sporadically. It’s beneficial to form ties with that family.”

I turned my stiffened neck to look up at him, surprised by his unexpected reason.

“What? Really, for that reason?”

Icarus, seemingly puzzled by my reaction, asked back.

“I heard that the Elexion family actively pursued this marriage. The Horatius family is prestigious, and if there’s a chance to produce a time mage in future generations, there’s no reason not to take it.”

I downed my drink without a word. Even though it was the best-tasting alcohol I’d ever had, I wasn’t in the mood to savor it.

‘I knew marriage in this world was more like a contract between families, but knowing it’s such a blatant genetic combination for desired traits really sours it.’

Is that why an eighteen-year-old girl has to spend her life with a man in his mid-twenties?

I finished my drink and grabbed another. Icarus watched my mood and muttered.

“You said there was nothing worth loving.”

What is he talking about? I looked up at him with a disgruntled face, but he just shrugged.

“I wonder what else you would call the way you care for your friend if not love.”

Icarus took the glass from my hand and took a sip, then grimaced.

“…This is the kind of respect that naturally occurs in relationships between people. I wish you wouldn’t replace every intimate relationship with love.”

“…I also have a pretty intimate relationship with you. Why don’t you show me that kind of respect?”

“My respect is conditional and only extends to the same sex.”

In an instant, I thought of the face of another friend hiding in this crazy household.

“…What time is it now?”

Icarus, who had been looking at me with an expression that said he knew I would ask, took out a watch from his pocket and showed it to me.

8:35.

‘…Agnes will be fine, right?’

***

“But isn’t four o’clock too early? The banquet starts at eight.”

Feeling the cold sensation against her bottom, Agnes recalled the conversation from that day.

“Considering the time when the Second Prince and I need to be involved… it seems too dangerous to stay inside the ducal house for such a long time.”

No matter how much Yuri gives me a maid’s outfit and I disguise myself, there will still be people who find my unfamiliar face suspicious. Moreover, where would I hide for the remaining time? With a face full of worry and doubt, Dietrich muttered. Yuri nodded in response.

“It would be most convenient to stay in the servants’ quarters, but… as you said, it might arouse suspicion, so it would be better if you move according to the path I suggest and hide, Miss Agnes.”

The fortunate thing is that the ducal house recently hired a large number of new maids. While drawing paths with a red line, Yuri added with a sound of realization.

“If anyone asks your name, say it’s Anne.”

“Anne? Why Anne?”

“There are about seven maids named Anne in the ducal house.”

There were a total of three places where she had to wait, including the pantry.

“There is a small blind spot in the pantry you first enter. Change your clothes there. Hide the clothes you wore in a sack or something. Wait there until a maid comes in with a male servant, then you should come out.”

That place is quite secluded…. Everyone tacitly turns a blind eye, so you’ll be fine if you cover your face and come out.

“Why? What’s the problem with a maid and a male servant entering the pantry together….”

Dietrich’s face, which had asked curiously, soon twisted in disgust.

“Why? What’s going on?”

Agnes asked, not understanding, but Dietrich shook her head, refusing to answer. She just stared off into the distance, muttering curses under her breath.

“Crazy people… any time, anywhere….”

With an embarrassed face, Yuri continued speaking.

“If you go out that way, you’ll find stairs at the end of the kitchen with a black railing. They’re the servants’ stairs. Go down about half a floor, and there’s a hidden space under the stairs where you can hide. The space is small, so you’ll have to crouch.”

That’s a place where maids often hide to cry. It’s such a common sight that no one will bother you or try to comfort you. Yuri added in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Wait there, and you’ll hear the sound of bells coming from the kitchen. Six times. When you hear that, move up the stairs immediately.”

At the sound of the first bell, Agnes stretched her numb legs. 2 hours and 40 minutes to go.

“Since it’s dinner time, more maids will start using those stairs. Go up two floors, and you’ll find a small door. That’s the linen room where they sort dried laundry.”

Yuri added a rectangular shape to the map, indicating a specific spot.

“Under one of the storage bins there, there’s a space where a person can hide. Crouch there as well. Maids often hide there to cry alone.”

At that moment, Dietrich seemed to pat Yuri’s back. Their faces momentarily reflected a shared memory, something from their past that Agnes couldn’t decipher.

“You’ll be able to hear outside noises well from there… When you see the door to the banquet hall close, follow this path here. The west warehouse is tall but not far from the linen room.”

With a bang, something broke in the distance. It had to be the Second Prince. Agnes and he had secretly planned and set signals without Dietrich knowing. As she closed the door of the linen room and came out, Agnes closed one eye. This was largely thanks to her sister, who mainly handled trade with foreign countries.

“Do you know why sailors wear an eye patch? When they suddenly go from outside to inside the deck, they can’t see. So, they always keep one eye accustomed to the dark.”

She had said this brazenly while handing over an old, fish-smelling eye patch instead of the promised gift she had forgotten to buy during her trip. At the time, Agnes had thrown a fit, crying and raging. But now, she was grateful.

“Who knew I’d use it for something like this?”

If anyone asked why she had one eye closed, she had a ready excuse, but fortunately, she didn’t run into anyone on her way. The area around the west warehouse, far from the banquet hall, was quiet and unguarded. Agnes, after a quick glance around, pretended to wipe the wall as she moved closer to the west warehouse door.

‘The first pin is about 2.7cm.’

Click. In the quiet hallway, the sound of the pin fitting into the lock’s hole was barely audible. A thrilling sensation blossomed in Agnes’s chest. It was true what they said about her keen eye. Dietrich’s friend had drawn it exactly without a single error.

Click.

The first pin slid in smoothly.