Artnis

"Lord Artnis. The two have left."
"Yes, it seems so."
"Lord Artnis, have you achieved what you desired?"
"Well, I've done all I can, so now it seems all that's left is to wait..."

Artnis smiled and took a sip of wine. The dizzying aroma of the wine lingered at the tip of the nose before disappearing.

"Waiting is both the most joyful and the most painful thing. I'm so excited to see what will come at the end of this wait."

Unable to hide his anticipation, Artnis suddenly raised his wine glass high and shouted.

"Ah! Just thinking that the plan is finally starting makes the wine taste so good! I feel like I could empty three bottles without any snacks!"
"You've always been like that."
"That's cold."

Despite Rihanna's words, Artnis couldn't wipe the smile off his face, as if something was amusing him.
Watching Artnis's expression, Rihanna cautiously spoke.

"If the plan has entered the initial stage, shouldn't we get rid of those pests now? The pigs drawn to the hideous bait called NightFruit."
"Well, that doesn't sound too bad."

After a moment of contemplation, Artnis shook his head.

"No, disposing of those pigs isn't my role. If we act hastily, they might cut their losses and flee. We should gather the trash and deal with it all at once."

Artnis smiled as he looked at the red wine swirling in his glass.

"I really look forward to the day the Black Knight arrives."

If you ask who is the most notable figure among the nobles of Pereus, they would answer Artnis, the master of the ballroom.

Conversely, if you ask who the nobles of Pereus fear the most, they would also answer Artnis, the master of the ballroom.

The place all the nobles of Pereus aspire to.

The Pereus ballroom, the birthplace of countless trends and a place of social gathering.

The master of the social hall who holds the rumors of the nobles in her hand.

There was once a power struggle between two nobles. What began as a personal feud escalated into a conflict involving many nobles due to the prominence of the two families.

As the incident grew and even threatened to engulf the ballroom, Artnis, who had remained silent, stepped in.

The fight that no one could stop was swiftly ended with Artnis's intervention. Few knew the full story, but according to rumors, she literally "trampled" the two nobles to end the incident.

Despite holding the weaknesses of many nobles in her grasp, the nobles of Pereus knew little about Artnis.

All they knew was that she appeared in Pereus one day and grew the ballroom with her formidable skills.

A woman whose origins and past are unknown, with no discernible weaknesses. The fact that such a person held their lives in her hands was enough to terrify the nobles.

To some, she is the woman leading the trends of Pereus.

To others, she is the Witch holding the lives of the nobles.

With her dual-faced persona, she merely smiled elegantly in the midst of the splendid ballroom.

How to make a ballroom successful? It's simple. Just focus on three things.

The most important aspect of a ballroom is the atmosphere. To captivate the eyes of the nobility, you need to have dignity, splendor, and beauty.

If there's too much dignity, there's no splendor; if it's too splendid, there's no beauty; and if it's only beautiful, it won't catch the eye. Everything must be appropriately balanced to appeal to the discerning eyes of the nobility.

The second is fashion. Some say that when people gather in a ballroom, trends naturally emerge.

Nonsense. A ballroom must lead the trends. You need to know which foods are popular among the nobility, which drinks are talked about by gentlemen, and which styles of clothing captivate the hearts of ladies.

To do this, you must be aware of trends not only domestically but also internationally. If rumors spread that the ballroom is behind the times, it's over. Nobles are sensitive to trends.

These two are the aesthetic senses that the person leading the ballroom must possess. The better the aesthetic sense, the more captivating the ballroom will be. Of course, training the staff and managing the ballroom are important too. But that's for later. No matter how excellent the staff is, what's the use if you can't attract people?

What's the third thing, you ask? Ah, this is a later story, but...

The third is a secret.

The ballroom is a place where many nobles gather. Naturally, information known only to the nobility circulates. And when people drink, they tend to loosen their tongues, revealing secrets that should never be shared.

When you hear such secrets, do nothing. Many have lost their lives trying to clumsily use the secrets of the nobility they obtained.

So don't try to do anything with those secrets. Instead, remember them. And when someone threatens you, use the secret in your hand to crush them. Firmly and ruthlessly. So they can never challenge you again. Quietly and discreetly. So that no one knows you used someone else's secret.

Of course, it's best if such a situation never arises.