Chapter 42: The Masquerade (1)

The masquerade. 

Held in a castle with stone walls that mixed whites and golds haphazardly, as though trying to prove that even in chaos those within these walls are far superior to those in poverty.

The floors were dyed with a crimson red carpet without stain. Hanging from the ceiling were chandeliers made from glass and mana, swirling and gleaming with contained golden sparks.

The air was suffocating. A mix of fragrance and gluttony permeating the entire hall, emanating from the freshly cooked pallets that lined long dining tables.

On the second floor, two people in high quality clothing sat together, watching the empty ballroom. 

One was a woman with a coquettish smirk, her fiery red hair and wide golden eyes gave her an exotic feeling. She wore a butterfly mask that covered the top half of her face.

The other was a tall and intimidating man, he had raven black hair and stood in a slightly relaxed stance. His entire face was covered by an ominous yet dignified dog mask with its mouth sewn shut.

Those people were Pearl Anders and Uso who were hired by the man called Monument. They had been briefed and given a layout of the castle in order to properly protect it. We had also been given earpieces to communicate with the henchmen, now in suits rather than robes.

When the turn of the hour was near, Ms Anders spoke with a playful smile.

"So? What do you think?" She gestured to the seats we had acquired in the VVIP section. 

"You really didn't need to go out of your way for this sort of thing." He spoke my true thoughts.

"But working while in comfort is an important part of the job too."

"Well, it's a good vantage point, so I suppose I can let it slide."

He spoke in a relaxed manner, polite and dignified. 

In spite of this fact he still felt on edge, his intuition had been blaring so much he felt almost jumpy. 

'I know I'm in danger. But if you don't give me anything to work with, I can't act on it!'

But before his train of thought could get any further the radios the duo had been given, blared to life.

—This is Ophyr. Everyone on sight, please get ready and stay on high alert. We are opening the gates now. The Masquerade will begin shortly.

Uso subconsciously looked to his left to gauge the membrane covered woman's reaction, only to find her staring right back with blank, curious eyes.

Although Uso's face remained behind the mask he still felt as though his partner was staring into his soul. It made him frown slightly as he adjusted my scaled glove.

Uso made no effort to turn his gaze away, opting to speak up before Ms Anders could.

"Do you have any preparations you need to make before they come?"

 "Nope, I made 'em all wayyy before you got here." The woman smiled cheekily as she sat back, tilting her head slightly to expose her neck.

His eyes lingered for a moment before making their way to the entrance where the guests would now be entering.

As he did so he looked back on the brief conversation with Vatz. His mind turned back to the events leading up to this point.

The job was sudden, and came out of a left field. I figured it was just Vatz's style as I had only met him once and he seemed to be the type to get overly friendly.

Although it was a bit strange that a Norwegian prime minister candidate was hosting an event in France, I took the job.

That is when the normalcy ends. When I got to France I was immediately tested by some weaklings in hoods, I noted how they seemed to be dragon themed.

Then I spitefully played with them and put on a show by dragging the strongest of them away… which led to me coming into contact with my duo who would be with me during our act as bodyguards. She was the suspicious woman who I had met during the midterms. 

I knew close to nothing about her except for the fact she was strong and good at disguises. But if my hunch is right… I might be in waters far too deep for my liking.

"Ugh…I'm getting a headache." I muttered under my breath.

Unbeknownst to me, the caucasian beneath the membrane also had me on her mind.

…

5:00 P.M.

The sun had yet to set, but the masquerade had already begun. Luxurious cars arrived at the castle one by one, guests adorned in flamboyant dresses and masks flooding into the halls of the castle.

The two bodyguards remained out of view for the most part, keeping to themselves while observing the situation.

The main event of the masquerade had yet to commence so everyone was still mingling and socialising.

At some point Uso began tapping his foot in annoyance, seeing nobles acting all high and mighty for the entire night would be a difficult task for the boy.

Pearl Anders was still behaving for now but who knows how long that would last.

"Hey, are you bored?" Pearl asked out of curiosity as she lounged across a random couch, her dress remaining pristine.

She held a wine glass rather gingerly and acted tipsy. 

"No." Uso, who was still a minor, was standing beside the couch tapping his foot. He couldn't drink yet and seemed quite mad about the fact.

Not that it would work on him anyways.

"You seem annoyed. Is it all the noise?" The woman seemed genuinely curious but Uso brushed it off once more.

"I'm not annoyed."

As a result Pearl Anders pouted before huffing and letting out a cute giggle.

5:30 PM

Two people entered the castle, adorned in black flamboyant and flowing dresses. They were Yun Seung-Ah and another sword wielding woman. They had fox-like masks.

"...Should we be concerned?" Whispered Pearl Anders.

"No. We got away before she could notice. The best she could have is a hunch. Plus, it's not like we're criminals." Uso muttered back while staring at Yun Seung-Ah head on, acting like a 'real' mercenary.

The woman stared back and locked eyes with Uso for a moment. Uso's hand twitched slightly but he nodded and turned his gaze away.

Not long afterwards, two recognisable figures entered the room. Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha, adorned in high quality garments made for rather dazzling yet modest outfits.

The only problem was that Kim Suho looked like a wet dog who couldn't shake the water.

Subconsciously Uso looked at Pearl who made no effort to react.

Around half an hour later the floor was cleared and the music of the masquerade truly kicked off.

While before it was more like background music that was drowned in the chatter, it was now a piercing yet elegant classical piece.

Couples that wanted to dance would filter onto the floor while others remained by the side to eat and continue to mingle.

"You know, coming all this way only to stand here is pretty boring don't you think?" Pearl Anders' ever smooth voice called out from beside Uso.

The two had moved over to the food since Uso (he'll never admit it) had gotten hungry for some ice cream.

"...What are you getting at?" Uso glanced over at Pearl, the mouth hidden behind his mask falling into a frown.

"I just think it would be nice." Pearl smiled and tilted her head, it didn't seem like she would urge Uso much more.

It was sincere, not pushy yet also slightly expectant. As though she wouldn't mind if she got rejected but still wanted to try.

Uso, despite all his meticulous planning and manipulations… still valued having good life experiences.

Plus, if there was anything Uso disliked the most, it was seeing someone with that expression.

So without so much as a word, Uso hooked his arm into Pearl's causing her smile to widen.

"Oh my~, I didn't expect that at all."

"Well, I'm not so imprudent to deny someone a dance."

'Especially not when you smile like that.'

The duo stepped, arm in arm onto the dance floor. Their composition was quite the complementary set. A tall man with confidence and raven black hair along with a slender woman in a red dress that matched her fiery mane.

They drew the eyes of many guests as the song the band was playing changed into a new tune.

A classical waltz that soothed the ear with its smooth and flowing melody.

"Do you know how to dance?" Pearl whispered in a teasing tone.

"Of course I do." Uso smiled under his mask.

The truth was, he had never danced in his life. Despite this, Uso was great at controlling his body.

Hand in hand, Uso stepped from left to right, the warm body of a Pearl pressing close to him.

As the music built in pressure, Uso made his movements deeper, concentrating on contrast rather than speed.

Pearl, who was taken aback at first, was now smiling quite sweetly. Her body which had been rigid from standing still was now like putty, swept away in the movement.

"Having fun?" Uso twirled Pearl.

"...yeah, lots." The girl smiled sweetly.

Uso chuckled as the song came to an end.

The couple stepped off the dance floor and went back to their spot. It was at this point that Uso felt a stare from quite a distance away.

At the same time, there was a spike of mana in the atmosphere. A trait that Uso could never miss as it was a clear sign of a Djinn portal.