Chapter 246
The banquet Hall was beyond spacious; it was vast.
On the ceiling, dozens of circular chandeliers resembling celestial bodies shone beneath the Black Glass Window, and the tiny firefly-like lights spreading from them sparkled with the texture of scattering grains of rice riding the waves.
The pillars of light and trees created in this way rose terrifyingly and brilliantly above the translucent floor.
And that was merely the entrance.
The inner ballroom, located a little further inside, was divided into no less than three layers. It boasted a spectacular scale, featuring a stage decorated with Quartz Crystals that visibly grew in real-time, and above it, glass artworks in the shape of giant light bulbs or lanterns that shone brilliantly with blazing lights.
True to the name Mirror Castle, looking around meant seeing your own reflection bouncing back from everywhere. Whenever women in retro-punk fashion wearing neon-studded dresses spun around to dance, blue and orange lights reflected off them, dazzling the eyes.
“Whew.”
It felt like my breath was caught in my throat. A sigh slipped out naturally.
Of course, it was beautiful. It was as pretty and grand as if the Meredith Family had ground their blades in preparation for this.
At this level, it didn’t fall short at all even when compared to the 165th Floor of the Plaza Building where The Consortium Club was held.
The problem was that, just like during The Consortium Club, I was in a situation where I couldn’t purely enjoy this banquet for what it was.
At a glance, it was the worst possible environment for an escort. Due to the flashy fixtures and interior design, securing a proper line of sight was impossible, and with people all mixed together, it was difficult to identify any approaching risk factor…
Not just the people, but the dolls with dull faces gliding around dressed as waiters, carrying trays of champagne and finger foods, were also bothersome.
Of course, the chances of that happening were extremely low, but if one of those dolls suddenly went crazy and ran amok with a gun, how were we supposed to stop it?
Furthermore, there was one more factor making the situation even more difficult.
The escort target was Young Lady Alexandra herself.
“What are you trying to do right now? Fall back.”
Those were her words as she stopped the bodyguards who were naturally sticking close behind her as she headed into the banquet hall.
I wondered what was going on. Had there been a mistake during the escort?
“Are you planning to stick to me like glue and follow me around in here too? Are you trying to embarrass someone? It’s obvious the brats from other families will tease me, asking if I still drag bodyguards around after me like a child. Step back. If you really want to follow, stay hidden far behind or to the side.”
Saying that, Alexandra dismissed her bodyguards and went inside all alone.
I wondered what on earth she was talking about, but it seemed there were a rather complex sense of face and power struggle among the noble scions.
If you walked around with bodyguards, maybe you were treated similarly to a mama’s boy who had to go everywhere with his mom.
I didn’t really know. It wasn’t like I’d ever enjoyed a noble life accompanied by bodyguards!
Anyway, how were we supposed to do our escort like this?
When I looked at Team Leader Hank in bewilderment, he seemed more annoyed than flustered, as if this was a familiar occurrence.
“You heard her, right? It can’t be helped. We’ll have to follow a bit further back. Fucking noble culture. It’ll be a headache if we catch the eye of the Young Lady or those bastards of swaggering nobles, so don’t get close, but maintain an Appropriate Distance where you can immediately rush in if an unforeseen situation occurs.”
What exactly was an Appropriate Distance that wasn’t close but allowed for an immediate rush in?
I didn’t know. I figured I’d just stay quietly near Ms. Kali or Team Leader Hank.
More importantly, the Young Lady’s escort was crucial, but there was still another thing that needed to be done here…
Looking around, I just figured out the location of the 'destination' for now and followed my companions.
If I left my post even for a moment, it was obvious I’d face an interrogation from Team Leader Hank right away, so I couldn’t move recklessly. For now, I had to quietly wait for the right time.
“Act naturally. That stage over there is the nobles' territory, so only roam around out here on the outside. Don’t do anything that stands out. If you act weird, it’ll smear the Young Lady’s name. Just dance among yourselves or something.”
It wasn’t long before an opportunity came.
Team Leader Hank said that and then left Ms. Kali and me behind, going off on his own.
“Uh. Where are you going?”
“I should at least set up a disguise near the stage where the young lady is. I need to keep surveillance on whether those bastards of ruffians try any funny business, and identify other risk factors too… Move immediately when I send the signal.”
After answering Ms. Kali’s question like that, he disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Even though I opened my eyes wide and looked around, I suddenly couldn’t find that big brute anywhere.
“He’s so intense, anyway. I respect him anew, really.”
I found myself nodding at Ms. Kali’s words as she clicked her tongue.
Team Leader Hank Jameson, I disliked him, honestly, person to person. My cheek still stung from being slapped, so there was no way I could like him on a human level.
But it probably wasn’t because he had any ill feelings toward me.
It must have been because his judgment deemed it necessary. He was that kind of machine-like human.
That former soldier’s head was filled solely with the goal of keeping Alexandra Amadeus Schneider safe, and the means and methods to achieve that goal.
He never let his guard down at any moment, and he moved endlessly without rest or pause for the safety of his escort target, just like now.
Even if it wasn’t quite respect, he was a flawless person who naturally drew admiration the more you watched him.
…It would have been really nice if I hadn’t been included as a target of that thorough surveillance and vigilance.
“Then… well, should we dance like the Team Leader said?”
Those were Ms. Kali’s words from beside me. Thanks to that, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around.
Come to think of it, even though this was the outer area where the attendants were, rather than the stage with the nobles, most people were dancing or drinking to the psychedelic music flowing through the speakers.
That would definitely be the way to blend in naturally without standing out, but… the problem was that I didn’t know how to dance.
“What? Are you saying an Ever like me isn’t your type? Is this Racial Discrimination? Or maybe, as an acquaintance of Young Lady Alexandra, your standards are too high to dance with a mere bodyguard - .”
When I hesitated, Ms. Kali playfully threw a pointed joke. It seemed she still harbored some resentment over my hiding the fact that I knew Young Lady Alexandra.
Since that was indeed my fault, I had nothing to say, so I just gave a waving hand and replied that it was because I couldn’t dance well.
Ms. Kali’s reaction came right back.
“Hey, what’s the big deal? It’s not hard at all. Here!”
She grabbed my arm and yanked me forward. My body spun around, and I landed softly in Ms. Kali’s embrace.
What was this? For a moment, I thought I’d become a light-as-a-feather female protagonist in a movie.
Seeing me flustered and scrambling, she laughed refreshingly and spoke.
“Now, hold onto me. Get ready to ride the rhythm!”
As she said that, Ms. Kali’s hand was already gripping my shoulder tightly. I awkwardly tried to place my hand near her slender waist, but was immediately scolded.
“How sneaky! Not there, around the back. Put your hand up. Yeah, there. You’ve unhooked a woman’s bra before, right? You know where the hook is? Yeah, think of it as around there.”
Gasp. Her bold remark naturally made me choke on my breath.
Ms. Kali, I was pretty sure she didn’t have this kind of image… She was definitely doing this on purpose to tease me.
Why did things always end up like this whenever I met Evers?
I placed one hand on Ms. Kali’s back and stretched the other out to clasp her hand.
Was it because I had a prejudice against her being a person made of steel and rubber? I found myself flinching at her unexpectedly warm and soft palm.
“Good. That’s all there is to it. I’ll take the lead, so just follow my movements.”
The moment Ms. Kali said that, with terrible timing, the music transitioned from a languid psychedelic rock to an upbeat electronica track.
As the beat quickened, Ms. Kali grinned and moved her feet.
After that, it was so hectic that I couldn’t even remember it well.
I frantically dragged along wherever Ms. Kali moved, being careful not to step on her feet, making sure I didn’t get twisted like a pretzel when she spun around while holding my hand, and switching our clasped hands from left to right when she told me to change hands…
“Hey, snap out of it. No matter how fun it is dancing with me, you need to keep watching the Young Lady’s side.”
I was exhausted and out of it, but I suddenly came to my senses at Ms. Kali’s smiling words.
As my head snapped up to look around, she smiled beside me and handed me a champagne glass, though I had no idea when she’d grabbed it.
“It’s fine. I was watching everything while we danced. Take a little break. Drink some champagne and wet your whistle.”
Even if it was just one glass, drinking alcohol during an Escort Mission didn’t seem advisable… but since a senior (and one who seemed to hold a subtle grudge at that) was offering it, I didn’t refuse and just took a single sip.
Looking to the side, Ms. Kali was already emptying her glass of champagne.
As she set it down with a Kya~ sound, a doll suddenly appeared and snatched the empty glass away.
Now seemed like a good time. I should ask what I’d been curious about first.
“Ms. Kali.”
“What is it?”
“Um, about the dolls… didn’t you say you’d explain more about them later?”
“Ah, I did say that.”
Ms. Kali furrowed her fiercely arched eyebrows.