78 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 78
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The inside of the hall where the ball was being held was more sedate than I had expected. I had anticipated a vulgar atmosphere like that of a red-light district, but surprisingly, it was no different from an ordinary ball.
The only difference was that the physical contact between partners was more blatant. People gambling with chips, dancing, or sprawled out drinking—it was a scene you could see anywhere.
There was hardly any bestial revelry. It was so boring that it was hard to believe this was just the prelude.
Feeling strangely deflated, I picked up a glass and leaned against a pillar. I had expected a scene of animalistic writhing, hoping to catch a weakness or two, but this Masquerade was unexpectedly low-level.
The faint moans coming from behind the thick-curtained terrace could be heard even at banquets hosted by the Empress.
The fact that the women dancing with their partners had their breasts more exposed than usual was not worth dwelling on. Disappointed, I tried to quench my thirst with wine. But a hand stopped the wine glass from reaching my lips.
“If you’re not used to aphrodisiacs, it’s best not to drink it.”
It was a man wearing a black beast mask. The mask, made from the hide of a real beast with densely packed fur, was like a ferocious wolf itself, exuding a great sense of intimidation.
If the mask he was wearing didn’t only cover up to the tip of his nose, I would have certainly felt great fear. Fortunately, the half-exposed face looked as gentle as the softly upturned lips.
The voice, which sounded somehow familiar, also had something that eased my heart.
“Did you say aphrodisiacs?”
“Yes. All the alcohol served here contains a small amount of stimulant. If you want, they’ll even provide drugs.”
“This is a dangerous place.”
I obediently put down the glass. Then, I raised my eyes to gaze at the man.
Perhaps it was because of the mask, but his eyes seemed to be a very dark color. All I could see was a firm jawline and freely disheveled hair, but strangely, I had the feeling that the man was incredibly handsome.
“Especially for an innocent woman who knows nothing.”
“Do I look innocent?”
I deliberately thrust my chest out towards him. At the same time, I slowly licked my lips with my tongue and smiled faintly. I could feel the man’s gaze sweeping down my body. It was slow and persistent, as if he were appraising an object.
Thanks to Marie and Seril's dedicated care, my skin boasted a clear radiance that could rival any young lady.
My breasts, swollen to the point of bursting, my slender waist that seemed no wider than a handful, and my tiny ankles were perfect enough to elicit gasps from men.
But unbelievably, the man’s Adam’s apple didn’t twitch. The eyes, shadowed by the mask, remained calm.
Of course, he did reach out and wrap his arm around my waist, but it seemed more like a courtesy to match the situation than a response to instinctive desire.
“Yes. A pretty deer wandering in the jungle.”
“Oh, I want to be a fierce beast, though.”
“Lustfulness cannot become the claws of a beast. Rather, the lukewarm attitude of a virgin is more effective in manipulating a man.”
“Why is that?”
To my questioning, as if puzzled, the man smiled. Instead, he led me to the center of the hall. He was going to dance with me.
Soon, music began to play, and he began to lead me, moving with a gliding step. He was quite skilled. His talent for making a woman impatient with just his dancing was exceptional.
The way he pulled me close by the waist as if waiting for it every time I turned on one foot, the way his fingers tickled the hand he held, the way his leg slipped between the folds of my skirt—in many ways, he was not ordinary.
If a woman who knew the man were here, she would have swooned and fallen into his arms. Fortunately, as a virgin, I didn’t know how to resolve these sensual feelings. No, I had to pretend not to know. I merely shrugged my shoulders to show my shyness.
“Then tell this pretty deer, what else should I be careful of besides the wine?”
The color of his hair, illuminated under the bright lights, had a deep blue tint. Also, his build was very solid and thick, and the knuckles of his clasped hand were thick and rough.
One might consider him a knight, but he had an elegant dignity that even the fierce mask covering his face could not hide.
At my words, the corners of his lips rose in an arc, revealing the arrogance that only those in high positions possess.
But as he had said, his voice was quite gentle compared to the raised corners of his lips, as if he were looking at a small deer, or treating a helpless fledgling.
“There are lecherous men. There are also wives who enjoy seducing and corrupting innocent virgins. The most vicious are those who offer drugs.”
I quickly added to his words.
“And people like you who like to interfere.”
“Oh, don’t you think of it as a kindness?”
“If I were to receive a kindness, I would have preferred it to be from a more beautiful woman.”
For a moment, the man let out a short sigh, as if he were taken aback. I continued speaking quickly.
“Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. I just thought I could learn what a true woman is through them.”
“From women with no fidelity or integrity?”
“As you said earlier, they can manipulate men. Isn’t that enough?”
“Very well. Let me ask you one thing. What do you think a true woman is?”
“Well, perhaps a beautiful woman that everyone desires?”
I said, whispering with my back to his. The dance was now past the midpoint.
The act of crossing and meeting eyes was fleeting, but it was incredibly intense. That was probably because of his gaze, which sparkled intriguingly beneath the shadow of the fur.
Like the wolf mask he wore, this incredible beast seemed to be suppressing his rising appetite with superhuman patience, wearing a dangerous smile.
That appearance was so captivating that the women dancing around us were glancing at him.
“In your current state, there would be many people who would prostrate themselves at your feet and lick them like dogs.”
“Then should I be a woman who is not controlled by anyone? The condition for manipulating them being purity is too restrictive.”
“Control… that’s a word that stirs a man’s desire for conquest.”
“Did you say desire for conquest? That’s a word that suits the mask you’re wearing so well.”
“Do you think this mask suits me?”
“Very much.”
I reached out and stroked the mask resting on the tip of his nose, speaking slowly.
“It boasts a texture that is as vivid as if it were alive. It’s intimidating and very wild, so I can’t take my eyes off it.”
At the same time, I thought I heard the word ‘damn.’ It was a curse that could only be heard from the commoners in the marketplace.
I looked at the man in surprise. It was a word that could not have come from a man who had been exuding elegance all along, so I wondered if I had misheard.
But judging from the way he was strongly pressing his lips with his teeth, it was clear that he had said it.
He snatched the hand that was stroking his mask. And he whispered in a voice that sounded very hoarse. A strong resonance, like a beast growling, was spreading.
“The method from just now is much better than thrusting out your chest. If you wanted to seduce me, that is.”
“May I ask what you feel from me?”
He grinned, revealing his teeth. It was as threatening as a wolf’s fangs. At the same time, he exuded a strong scent like a male in heat.
The man said that I was seducing him, but in reality, he himself was more seductive. His firm body and arms, and his firm mouth, were so beautiful that they could not be hidden by the mask and clothes.
So the women around him were blushing and glancing at him so persistently. As if they wanted this music to end quickly so that he and I could part ways.
“You wouldn’t even listen. Your skill at teasing is superb. If it weren’t for the strangely shrinking reaction of your body, I would have thought you were a worn-out woman. Is it instinct?”
It was quite an insulting remark. But I wasn’t angry. I had heard worse than this, so how could I be angry at something like this? I simply played along with his words.
“Then what can tame this incredible wolf? Thanks to someone who likes to interfere, I’ve become afraid. I need an animal to protect me. One that is very fierce and wonderful.”
“What if there is no way to tame it?”
The music ended. All the couples dancing in the hall stepped back and bowed.
I also stepped away from him and bowed. The man was waiting for my answer. I gazed at him and smiled softly.
“I’ll have to find another beast.”
The wolf laughed out loud as if he were taken aback. His pure white teeth gleamed like the fangs of a beast. The growling sound seemed to echo in my ears.
But he couldn’t reach out to me. Because of the forest of women approaching as if they had been waiting for it.
I turned around without regret. The music started again, and the dance continued. Dresses of various colors bloomed like flowers, drawing soft circles.
The freely moving human wall was reminiscent of a maze. The wolf probably wouldn’t be able to approach me until this song was over.
Unbelievably, he was a person where danger and manners coexisted. This strange dissonance seemed to seduce women and make them impatient.
That’s why those gathered around him were rubbing their chests so blatantly against the wolf and scattering vulgar laughter.
When I returned to my previous spot, I began to see things that I hadn’t seen before. Perhaps it was because the effects of the aphrodisiac in the wine had fermented, but people were becoming insensible.
There were women passing sweet pastries from each other’s mouths, a person kneeling like a dog and barking, and a man teasing and scaring a woman who appeared to be a virgin.
This rogue, groping the terrified woman’s body, was wearing a horse mask. He forcibly dragged the woman’s hand and took her to the center of the hall. The woman shook her head and resisted, but it was impossible to overcome the man’s strength.
As they stood in the center of the hall, the music stopped as if they had been waiting for it. The dancers retreated like a receding tide. Only one person stood without stepping back.
I easily recognized that person. There was no one else who pulled down their chest so deeply except Madame de Châteauroux. She clapped her hands twice, as if she were the main character of this ball, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Whose relative is it this time?”
The voice, drawing out the end, was playful but sounded just as dangerous. People burst into laughter at Chatoul's words.
The woman looked around at everyone and reached out as if asking for help, but no one stepped forward.
“There’s no place where so many relatives gather as here.”
A woman wearing a white mask, who was standing next to me, muttered and looked at me. She lightly touched the back of my hand with her fingertips as if wanting to talk, as if she had a lot to say.
