Despite the fact that winter had finally set in, there was no snow on the ground. There was some frost covering the grass and leaves, but no actual snow. Ira couldn't tell if he was disappointed or not.

On the one hand, snow was beautiful. On the other hand, it was cold.

But blood stained on it so prettily...

Regardless, Ira spent even less time outside, if such a thing was possible.

As they had finally started going somewhere in their studies, the amount of homework they had had doubled and if Ira had actually been trying to get good grades, he would have been panicking the way everyone else was. Not only was this the only magic academy in the nation, but it was also the toughest school available. The demands they pushed upon their students were almost insane. And it only got worse the more time passed.

There was a reason the people that graduated were always deliriously happy.

And it wasn't because they were eager to be adults.

His Host had found herself completely swamped in her work, to such an extent that she had no time to harass the male lead, not to mention make him fall in love with her. And then there was the part of the mission she seemed to have forgotten about.

She was supposed to fall in with the Second Prince.

The Second Prince might be the stereotypical male protagonist (as was often the case in love stories) but he was no fool. He wouldn't marry somebody that didn't love him if there was no advantage to it. And his Host was a commoner that only had her rare powerful magic going for her. No noble would ever pursue a marriage like that unless there were actual mutual feelings involved.

Or a baby.

Whatever the case, the fact was that his Host didn't love the prince. She was attracted to him yes, maybe even obsessed with him, but not in love with him.

With winter came one of the two big events that were talked about in social gatherings. The Winter Ball.

The Winter Ball was exactly what it sounded like. It was a ball in winter, the night of the new year, and it was typically a matter of pride if you attended or not. It was the perfect place to make connections, get to know your intended or observe people for scandals and blackmail. It was the one event that you couldn't miss.

Of course, the Summer Ball was a big deal as well, but winter was seen as more magical and thus the Winter Ball won in a battle between the two.

Another thing that often happened during the Ball was that people started courting others. Both men and women could start courting anyone they liked at the Ball, as long as neither of them were promised to marry or already married.

Thus, only a fool would miss it.

Unfortunately, this body's family weren't made of fools.

He had already gotten a grand total of thirteen letters to remind him that he had to attend the Ball and that he would be engaged to that disgusting old man that had a really inappropriate crush on Bran if he didn't go. Bran's mother had sent him a whole new outfit, along with a pair of high-heeled boots to make him seem taller, as well as a black fedora with a teal band around it. He had a black tailcoat, a vest, and a teal tie.

And then there was the mask.

Bran was average and he came from a completely average family, especially among nobles. He had no amazing ancestry, no famous cousin, nothing to give him an in with anyone. His family wasn't very wealthy; they had no hugely successful business and owned no large swathes of land. And it showed in his marriage prospects.

Despite his age, he wasn't engaged.

So his mother was using the Ball as an opportunity to reel someone in.

The mask was a big part of, as it would give him an air of mystery and distract people from the fact that his face was completely plain.

The mask was white, with silver patterns on it. It covered both his eyes and on the left side of it hung three diamond stones. Apparently it was a family heirloom and what his father had used to capture his mother's attention back in the day.

Thankfully, it had no feathers.

If it had, Ira would have been gone a long time ago. He would have even married that disgusting old fool if he had to. He could always murder the man if he got too troublesome.

But the feathers on a mask were ridiculously expensive and his family couldn't afford it. Not to mention the costs it took to maintain the feathers' pristine condition. If they fell off, there would always be a mark left behind that no new feathers could fix.

That wasn't the worst of it.

His mother had sent him a pair of huge, hanging silver earrings.

From them dangled a pair of gorgeous diamonds and Ira was really starting to wonder if he shouldn't ditch this body and find a new one. It seemed like he wasn't going to be very average once the Winter Ball arrived.

Then he sneaked peaks at what the others were going to wear to the Ball and he realized what he had been sent was actually pretty tame.

There were dresses in bright gold or silver, there were hats with huge feathers, there were necklaces with gems so big they could double as mirrors and there was footwear with even higher heels than his. For men. And then there were the tiaras that some would be wearing, the bracelets, the rings and the fancy shoes decorated with gems as well. It was ridiculous.

And hilarious.

Ira felt like he would be watching an historical drama with front-row seats.

Staring at the clothes hanging in his closet, untouched but for when he had first put them in, Ira felt the urge to sigh.

The mission hadn't progressed at all.

In fact, if anything, it had gone backward.

The prince now actively avoided his Host. Before he had tried to stay out of her way, but now he straight out turned around and walked in a different direction if he caught sight of her. His Host was doing worse and worse in her studies and was even being bullied due to her crude attitude when dealing with her noble classmates. She had no time to run after the Second Prince, which meant that she had no chance to change his opinion of her.

And then there was the Second Prince's fiancée.

She was a beautiful woman, certainly fit to be a queen. But she was also jealous of his Host, as was par for the course. She showed this by being the leading bully, in the name of protecting the prince from his Host's evil wiles.

In the original story, she would have been the rival, the obstacle to overcome, the catalyst to make the Second Prince and Eliza realize exactly how much they loved each other.

But the prince was still horrified by the suggestion that he should abandon his fiancée for a girl he didn't even like (or know) and so he didn't notice it at all. The bullying didn't serve the purpose it would originally have and it didn't look like the fiancée was going to end up banished from the nation and relocated to a temple.

At this point, the plot had completely derailed.

All that was left to do was attempt to salvage it the best they could.

In the name of all the manga he would buy once the mission was over (he was experiencing a severe case of withdrawal) Ira did his actual job. He sent his Host an outfit to wear to the Ball, a tasteful pale pink dress, a lovely white mask and a pair of gloves as well as shoes. He even sent a pair of small earrings and a thin gold necklace.

The Winter Ball was the perfect opportunity for his Host to show whatever good side she had to the Second Prince and gain his positive attention. At this point in the original story, Eliza and the prince were already in love with each other.

He just hoped that his Host would see the chance for what it was and not screw it up. If she failed at the Ball, the mission would be practically impossible to complete, although it wouldn't be judged failed until his Host either died or the Second Prince married someone else.

Which could take years.

Ira shook his head and resolved not to worry about it. He had done his duty and now it was out of his hands. Instead, he dragged on his uniform and left his room to find the cafeteria for breakfast. Fridays were always the most relaxing days, as there was no school the day after, and he absolutely loved it.

He went through the motions of school, let the classes drone on without bothering to do more than the bare minimum to be average in all of his grades and ignored anyone that attempted to speak with him.

Or he glared at them until they went away.

It was after the last class of the day that Ira witnessed a troublesome scene. Not in person as he was already back in his room, but he could see in his mind how his Host argued with the Second Prince's fiancée. The funny thing was that she didn't even who the woman was, she was arguing with her just because she didn't like her. Which, to be fair, she had no reason not to, what with the bullying, but she was actually being cruel.

To put it simply, she was being Out Of Character.

Eliza would never, no matter what was done or said to her, deliberately hurt someone. It was a quality that the Second Prince adored about her.

It was also a quality his Host apparently didn't have.

Ira watched as his Host screamed, "...everybody knows that you're a useless waste of space that's only good at looking pretty!"

His Host was promptly slapped by the prince's fiancée.

The fiancée had seemingly reached her line, for she hissed out between clenched teeth, "Don't think that His Highness would ever look at you appreciatively, with a heart as black as yours. I might not be the most useful person, but at least I have dignity."

"I was born with far more dignity than you could ever have!" his Host retorted stubbornly. "I was the most popular person in my home, everybody loved me!"

The fiancée narrowed her eyes. "A commoner's popularity is nothing to nobility. We just work on a different level."

His Host seemed to have been severely insulted by that remark and showed it by taking out a bottle of water from the bag she had finally taken to wearing, and dumping the whole thing over the fiancée's head. She smiled, pleased with herself and left the fiancée behind with a jaunty wave.

Yeah, his Host wouldn't be winning any popularity contests again.

Ira smiled to himself and settled on his bed to lean against it. Just as he was about to start reading a book he had only recently borrowed and not yet gotten to, a knock on the door disturbed his peace. He frowned and reluctantly got up to answer it, knowing from experience that a smart person would see the light under his door, realize he was present and not stop knocking until he opened the door.

He pulled it open with a curse already on his tongue.

What met his sight was the picture of a nervous-looking girl. She was his Host's roommate.

Ira frowned even deeper.

"What do you want?"

She seemed to shrink into herself. "I-I have a message from pro-professor Hawkthorne. Uhm, the Winter Ball..."

When she didn't continue, Ira leaned against the doorframe and nodded at her to keep going. She swallowed deeply and said, "You-you can't go the ball with Eliza!"

"Huh?"

She twisted her fingers and stared down at the floor. "I-I mean, the professor said that you're forbidden to take anyone (especially Eliza) to the Ball. You have to go by yourself, or y-you won't get in. The-the faculty has already a-approved of it."

"There's nothing to worry about," Ira began. "I won't be taking anyone to the Ball. I'm only going there to find a spouse."

"Oh-oh." the girl said and blinked, looking confused. "I-I will let the professor know. Sorry for in-intruding."

She left after saying that and Ira was left staring after her, utterly confused.

What was all that about?