A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 13: The Engagement Ceremony (2)

“Then why did it look like you and Lunelle were resonating with each other during your entrance?”

“Well... Lunelle and I made a knight’s vow some time ago.”

“I-Is that so!”

The prince looked blank for a moment before breaking into a sheepish smile and laughing heartily.

“I thought the two of you were having a fling! Haha!”

What the hell? Does he think I’m some shameless playboy like himself?

There are things you confuse and things you don’t—this guy’s sense of awareness is catastrophic.

“Well, I suppose someone as popular as Your Highness is bound to misunderstand situations like this.”

“Hahaha—wait, what did you just say?”

As I threw in that flattery while biting back my irritation, I saw the prince’s smile twitch slightly and quickly shut my mouth.

Now that I thought about it, wasn’t that kind of rude to say to someone having an engagement ceremony... especially a prince?

Right. This whole situation is dangerous.

I’d managed to stop Lady Meredia from exploding, but now I was standing brazenly in front of both the prince and the duke’s eldest son.

This wasn’t just inappropriate—it was suicidal. I wasn’t even remotely in the same league as Lady Meredia, let alone someone who should be speaking up in front of two of the Empire’s most elite.

Both of them had more than enough power to erase a count’s son like me just for being annoying.

“Your way of speaking is quite distasteful.”

Sure enough, Maier, who had been glaring at me the whole time with barely disguised contempt, finally spoke up coldly.

“Birds of a feather, really. You clearly have no eye for people—look at who you chose for my sister.”

Under normal circumstances, I should’ve bowed my head, kept my hands neatly folded, and begged for mercy. That would’ve been the safest move.

“Are you really that desperate to become a family head, that you’d offer your body to some no-name like this?”

But when Maier sneered at Lady Meredia while glaring at me in disgust, my mouth moved before I even had time to think.

“...Well, at least the lady doesn’t have a divorce in her history.”

Of course, the only divorced person standing here was none other than Maier himself.

Even though I immediately regretted «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» it, it felt damn satisfying to say out loud.

“What did you just say...?”

“Hmph.”

Now the killing intent had fully shifted from Meredia to me, and with the prince still glaring, I had to figure out how to survive.

“Now, now! Why are we getting so worked up at such a joyous occasion?”

But before things could get any worse, the prince suddenly clapped my shoulder, raising his voice and flashing a cheerful smile to diffuse the tension.

“Sir Whitney must’ve made a little slip in his nervousness, that’s all!”

He even winked at me, making it seem like we were best buddies or something. Anyone watching would’ve gotten the wrong idea entirely.

“I’ll let it go this time. But do watch your words next time.”

“...Thank you?”

Is this really the same prince known for dragging young noblewomen into sword duels and landing on the front page of the papers for it?

Even I—who came here only thinking about my arrangement with Meredia—was now starting to get curious about what the prince’s actual intentions were.

“Well then, Sir Maier. Shall we return to the ballroom? They’ve got some exquisite wine waiting.”

“...Tch.”

But before I could figure it out, the prince shoved the still-seething Maier toward the ballroom and strolled in after him.

“Pardon me... Could you help me with something?”

“Eh?”

I was still staring after them blankly when a quiet voice called to me from the thinning crowd. It was Lunelle, who had remained silent the entire time, now cautiously looking at me.

“My dress is... getting in the way of my swordsmanship. I’d like to change.”

“You’re going to change right here?!”

“If you could just untie the ribbon on the back, I’ll take care of the rest. Of course, if it’s an order to keep wearing it, I will.”

Despite her calm words, her stiff expression made it clear she really hated it—so I sighed and moved behind her.

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

–Riiip...!

“Ah.”

And just like that, the sound of fabric tearing echoed loudly.

“Oh, dear. My mistake.”

“Lady Meredia?!”

Before I could even reach out, Lady Meredia had stepped up and yanked the ribbon clean off, ripping Lunelle’s dress open with a single motion. She dusted off her hands calmly as she spoke.

“No need to worry. I’ll pay for the damages.”

“Good heavens...”

The astronomical price tag of the dress left me momentarily speechless. Then, realizing Lunelle’s back was now completely exposed, I quickly shrugged off my coat and draped it over her shoulders.

“I’m fine. In training matches, my clothes get shredded all the time...”

“That’s between other women. There are eyes everywhere here, you know?”

“Ah, is that so?”

“...Tch.”

Meredia, who had been watching the scene with a curious gaze, suddenly narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“Doesn’t this bother you at all?”

“Pardon?”

“Not you. Your master.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She turned her gaze to Lunelle and continued, her voice laced with disdain.

“You call yourself a knight, yet let someone humiliate you with a dress like that? And you keep your face calm? Fascinating.”

Lunelle, who had been glancing around nervously at the reactions, now turned to Meredia and answered in a composed voice.

“A piece of clothing doesn’t change the essence of who I am as Sir Whitney’s knight.”

“And I don’t concern myself with rudeness from those weaker than me.”

Had the prince still been there, that last statement might’ve earned her a death sentence. Even so, Meredia, who had been glaring at Lunelle with barely veiled contempt, let out a dry laugh and lowered her head.

“...Right. I guess I am quite petty.”

“No, I think ‘stupid’ fits better, seeing how I’m letting people like that get to me.”

Still standing there quietly, Meredia muttered bitterly, then tilted her head slightly and asked a question to Whitney.

“Do you think so t—”

But Whitney and Lunelle were already gone.

“...Tch. Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

Letting out a long breath, Meredia glanced around the area, then turned to leave with a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

“I really shouldn’t have come to a place like this...”

“My, why would you say that?”

“!”

Before she even realized it, Whitney had appeared behind her and posed the question in his usual voice, tinged with a smile.

“Didn’t you go to help your knight?”

“She’d just go off to the dressing room anyway, and even if she didn’t, there’s no way I’d leave you standing here, is there?”

Meredia glanced at him, glaring slightly at that all-too-familiar grin. Then, with a huff, she turned her head away and began walking toward the ballroom entrance.

“If you had that kind of sense, it would’ve been nice if you’d escorted me properly from the start.”

“Well, wasn’t it His Highness who kept clinging to me like we were old friends?”

“You really expect me to believe that?”

“I can’t believe it myself, but you saw it with your own eyes, didn’t you?”

At that, she paused, casting a sharp glance in Whitney’s direction. But he merely shrugged in silence.

“What’s your relationship with the prince?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I like women—especially you, Lady Meredia.”

“...I should’ve just ignored you.”

Ordinarily, she would’ve scolded him without missing a beat. But this time, her voice came out flat and drained as she resumed walking, and Whitney, trailing behind her, wore a strange expression.

“Could it be... you didn’t like me putting my hand on Lunelle’s back, Lady Meredia?”

He tilted his head slightly, wearing a mischievous smile as he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“......”

But instead of her usual sharp-tongued jab, Meredia simply turned and stared at him in silence.

“U-Uh... You know it was a joke, right?”

Whitney, thrown off by her uncharacteristic silence, cautiously tried to gauge her reaction, but Meredia remained wordless, lost in thought.

Jealousy, huh?

It would’ve been easy to mistake it for that, given her usual temper, but Meredia wasn’t being petty.

In truth, she hadn’t even realized until just now what had made her react the way she did.

I didn’t think I was even capable of feeling something like that.

Sure, the prince’s and Maier’s offensive remarks had irritated her. But more than that, it had been a sudden wave of emotion that boiled over—and somehow, Whitney had ended up on the receiving end.

“Ah, so the lady’s finally starting to see my true intentions?”

“......”

“All that risk, all that effort, just to—”

“You really do have a knack for being infuriating.”

As she thought back on the whole situation, Whitney’s voice jabbered on behind her. Her face scrunched in irritation, and she cut him off mid-sentence.

“...It was a joke. Probably just means the prince was more disappointed than I thought.”

“If you get it, then at least escort me properly.”

After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d let her emotions get the best of her. And with someone like Whitney, who had a talent for testing people’s patience, this kind of outcome wasn’t exactly new.

“Well then, shall we head into the ballroom together now?”

Oblivious—or maybe not—Whitney suddenly reached out and gently offered his hand, flashing a light smile.

“I didn’t tell you to hold my hand.”

“How else am I supposed to escort you?”

As she narrowed her eyes and gripped his hand tightly in rebuke, Whitney let out a soft whimper, clearly unprepared for the strength of her grip.

“I mean, we are engaged. Isn’t this much acceptable?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I still don’t fully trust you.”

“That’s... a little hurtful.”

“Then can you explain why someone like that is suddenly treating you with uncharacteristic kindness?”

“That... I’ve been wondering about that myself.”

“...Of course.”

She eyed him sharply as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, lowering his hand with a defeated look.

“...Tch.”

“...Yes?”

But then, as he stood there looking deflated, Meredia suddenly reached out and gently lifted the hand he had let fall, resuming her stride toward the ballroom.

“About earlier—thanks.”

Though she didn’t look his way, the words still made Whitney break into that ever-suspicious grin of his.

“You should fix that crooked smile of yours before I rearrange your face.”

“Haha...”

His smug face still rubbed her the wrong way, so she let out a soft sigh of exasperation—though this time, there wasn’t much anger behind it.

At least, not compared to the smile he had shown earlier when he’d stepped in front of the prince and Maier. That one... hadn’t been so bad.

Actually, to be precise, she didn’t mind it at all.

“Oh, by the way—I have a question.”

“...?”

Just as they entered the ballroom and Meredia was lost in thought beneath the weight of all the stares pouring their way, Whitney turned serious and asked,

“Have you seen any of the famous contenders?”

“Who?”

“The top finalists from the Imperial Rising Star Selection. I heard they were invited today. I just wanted to catch a glimpse, but I haven’t seen a single one.”

“...You really don’t know anything, do you? You might as well give up on that.”

Her tone turned dismissive, and Whitney’s smile started to fade ever so slightly.

“...Why?”

“The Rising Star Selection is being postponed for a rematch.”

Unaware of the change in his expression, Meredia answered coolly, using her glare to counter the gazes thrown their way.

“They found evidence of foul play during the evaluation phase. It’s confidential, so the announcement hasn’t gone public yet. Why do you ask—”

“Oh no.”

Hearing his cold response, she finally turned her head—and for a moment, she tensed.

“...That’s not supposed to happen.”

Under the ballroom’s dim light, Whitney’s expression was completely devoid of its usual smirk—for the first time since they met.

***

It had been several hours since Whitney entered the ballroom, hand-in-hand with Meredia. And now, the moment was approaching for the prince’s fiancée to make her official appearance.

“Haa...”

Naturally, the mood in the hall was nearing its peak. Nobles were eagerly preparing to take the floor and begin the celebratory dances.

What am I supposed to do now?

Despite the festive atmosphere, I couldn’t bring myself to feel the same.

There are no player characters?

I only just realized that the ones meant to stop the tragedy that unfolds during this scene—the so-called player characters—weren’t here.

Everything I knew about this scenario is wrong.

The moment I accidentally erased the main reason Meredia became the story’s villain, the narrative had already veered off course.

But the engagement being moved up... and now the scandal involving the Rising Star Selection—none of that could’ve happened just because I survived.

...It can’t be.

There was only one possibility.

That this situation—what’s happening now—was tied to the DLC I never got to play before dying in my previous life.

And if that’s true, then what now?

If even my one advantage—my knowledge of the original storyline—is starting to betray me, can I really survive in this world?

“You used to be annoying with that constant smirk, and now you’re grating on my nerves with your sighs.”

“..........”

While I stood there biting my lip in anxious thought, Meredia’s voice rang out beside me, sharp as ever.

“What’s gotten into you...?”

“Lady Meredia.”

Even if her tone was still frosty with caution, something about her demeanor felt just a little softer than before, and I found myself looking at her again.

“That wish I earned before—may I use it now?”

I calmed my breath and made a request I hadn’t even considered making before.

“All of a sudden?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major...”

I didn’t want to drag her into my gamble, but I also couldn’t just stand by and let her—or innocent bystanders—fall into danger.

“In a little while... please cause a small disturbance in the ballroom.”

“...Are you insane?”

It looks like—for tonight at least—I’ll have to be the one to play the role of the protagonist.