chapter 10
“So… does that mean I have to carry you around?”
A noble lady walking around holding a doll… seriously?!
Since this was my first banquet after transmigrating into this world, I was already extremely nervous.
What are banquets like in romance fantasy novels?
They’re ruthless arenas where nobles tear each other apart without mercy—even the protagonist isn’t spared.
So if Irel Blandice, already a hot topic, walked around holding a doll that looked exactly like the Grand Duke of Epenterion, it would obviously attract attention.
And there’s no guarantee Rishid will stay still either.
What if he suddenly moves?
No—more importantly, I wanted to stay quiet and unnoticed!
Even deciding to attend the banquet with him hidden in a pouch had taken immense resolve.
This is bad…
As I imagined all the attention I’d attract, feeling dizzy, he spoke.
“No. I’d refuse being held by you as well. But I can’t see anything from inside a pouch. I need to observe people’s faces.”
“Then…?”
“If you go to war, you need a weapon.”
Tap, tap.
“Your head.”
“…What?!”
He tapped his head with a cold smile.
My face turned pale in shock.
“Take good care of me, Lady.”
A playful smile appeared on his lips.
Oh… this is actually…
Even worse than I expected.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, my jaw dropped.
The maids were also sneaking glances at me, their faces flushed.
“I-it’s the first time I’ve seen such a horrible hat. How can someone throw away all sense of aesthetics like that?”
“Exactly. I heard the young lady became nicer lately—she must’ve hit her head. Lost not only her evil nature but also her sense of style.”
“Shh! Keep it down, she’ll hear you!”
Oh, I already heard everything.
I sighed, pretending not to notice, and took off the hat.
It was tall and wide, covered in huge, colorful flowers—like every color in existence had been crammed into it.
Why am I even wearing this thing?
Because when we visited the hat shop, Rishid insisted on it.
“That one.”
“…Your Grace, are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
I had protested because it was too eye-catching, but his reasoning made sense.
The hat had to be big enough for him to stand or sit inside, have holes on all sides so he could see out, and yet prevent anyone from seeing in.
In other words, all these flowers are camouflage.
Still… did it really have to be this ugly?
He must be messing with me.
“…Isn’t wearing something like this practically a crime?”
Sigh.
At my muttering, one of the maids let out a suppressed laugh.
I shot them a glance, and she quickly pretended to cough.
“C-cough!”
Nice effort.
I pretended not to notice.
Through the mirror, I saw her sigh in relief.
Two weeks since transmigration.
The maids had started to feel more comfortable around me.
I think I’m doing okay… right?
They still kept some distance, but they no longer trembled like before.
All because I kept my distance, didn’t lash out like the original Irel, and made sure to thank them.
Janice asked,
“My lady, are you really going to wear that hat to the banquet?”
“Yeah. I promised someone.”
“Someone?”
I glanced at the small table beside the mirror.
From beneath it, a pair of red eyes glimmered faintly.
Ever since we went out together, Rishid would hide like that whenever maids entered—watching quietly, then darting away if they came close.
What is he, a mouse?
…Oh.
Well, he does live in my pocket.
I barely held back a laugh and turned to Janice.
“Maybe… a pocket mouse?”
“…Pardon?”
She tilted her head.
“Try not to cause trouble today, Irel.”
After days of preparation with Rishid, the banquet finally arrived.
I attended with the Duke, Duchess, and Edwin.
As soon as we got out of the carriage, the duchess warned me.
“Yes, I understand.”
But I doubted things would stay quiet.
Sooner or later, everyone would start talking about my ridiculous hat.
For the duchess’s mental well-being, I hoped she’d find out as late as possible.
“Well then, I’ll be going…”
As soon as we entered the hall, I bowed apologetically and quietly stepped back.
The duchess muttered with faint disdain,
“She grows stranger by the day…”
Pretending not to hear, I hurried to a pillar where I had arranged to meet Janice.
Today, she was attending as a baron’s daughter, not my maid.
“Janice, I’m here!”
“Come quickly, my lady!”
She gestured urgently, eyes wide—probably because she was hiding the hat behind her back.
“Sorry for the strange request. Your father didn’t scold you, did he?”
As I took the hat, I looked around.
“He was furious! Asked if I really planned to wear that. Said it would ruin my chances of marriage.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told him someone else’s prospects would be ruined—and he should see it for himself later!”
She raised her voice, then quickly covered her mouth.
I smiled kindly and patted her shoulder.
“Good job, Janice.”
(But your safe distance privileges are revoked from today.)
I waved at her and headed toward the back door.
“This is the layout of the imperial banquet hall.”
“You drew all this?”
“When someone was causing noise pollution with their snoring. You really sleep like the world doesn’t exist. Even if the mansion collapsed, you wouldn’t notice. Though that might be because of your snoring.”
“…Are you talking about me right now?”
“Who else?”
Holding the map he had made, I stepped outside.
“Your Grace, you can come out now.”
I opened the back door and loosened the waist of my heavily laced dress.
A small black head popped out.
“I thought I’d suffocate. Are we finally at the place I mentioned?”
His red eyes scanned the surroundings.
Smiling, I gently fixed his messy hair.
Next time, I should ask the designer to add breathing holes to the hidden pocket.
“Yes. Just like you said—no one’s here.”
“This door isn’t used during banquets.”
As he looked around, his eyes seemed slightly subdued.
Come to think of it…
He lived in the imperial palace until he was eight.
Then the current emperor—his uncle—banished him to the duchy.
The emperor would never return the throne to him.
Even in the original story, he remained a grand duke.
Thinking about it made him seem a bit pitiful.
To lighten the mood, I quickly held out the hat.
“Alright, hurry and get in—Pocket Mouse Duke!”
“Lady, don’t call me that—”
He frowned and sighed, but still climbed into the hat.
Be grateful I’m not calling you something worse.
Haven’t you ever seen a movie about a rat controlling a chef?
