W1.A1-23: Celine on the Way

But my words seemed to have not entered his ears; he just stared blankly at me for a while before starting to speak to himself.

His speech once again turned disjointed as he mumbled, "How can this be?"

"How can you do this?"

"Why would your mother compromise so much if her son was so strong?" With lifeless eyes, he said. "Was she just toying with me?"

His words made me frown. He had also mentioned something about my mother knowing about today's event. And now he was going on about some kind of compromise.

But I didn't let myself get confused as I suddenly released my mana and let it flow around him.

Vilet's body shuddered. He couldn't see my mana, but he could feel something dangerous approaching him. Of course, it was my intention for my mana to be detected as such.

Seeing him finally stop his anxious act, I said, "Now, Vilet, you better tell me in detail about the "compromise" that you have mentioned." Tightening my grip on his shoulder, I added in a solemn tone, "Otherwise, I'll have to send you to serve your Lord."

My words, along with the pressure of my mana, made him shudder. He seemed to have come into control of his senses as a sense of despair overwhelmed him.

Only now did he realize that I probably knew nothing regarding the matter of my mother. But his ill-timed words had aroused my interest and possibly also dug his grave.

But at this point, there was nothing he could do besides agree.

Gulping in nervousness, he looked at me before nodding.

"I'll talk."

...

A while ago, back in town…

Many carriages, each more luxurious than the last, appeared one after another before stopping in front of a huge mansion.

It was the place where the landlord, Vilet, lived.

The carriages kept coming before being led towards a place deep within the mansion.

Of course, the party was not going to be held here, as they were led here for another reason.

At the moment, Celine was standing on a narrow street, on the side of the big mansion.

She had specifically taken that route to avoid encountering anyone, even though it was nighttime.

She was suddenly hesitant about moving forward.

"Miss?"

A voice that seemingly appeared out of nowhere startled her.

She turned around only to find a young woman in a maid's uniform standing behind her.

The young maid was also startled and had her eyes widened when she saw Celine's frontal visage.

The fitting dress accentuated her well-maintained figure perfectly. Its black color contrasted with her fair skin, making it stand out even further.

What was even more tempting was the slight low-cut on the chest portion of her dress.

It was not too revealing, only providing a glimpse of the divine mounds hidden underneath. But this instead generated a special charm that left you wanting for more.

Just as the maid was admiring her, Celine finally came to herself as she spoke.

"Do you work here, little sister?"

Hurriedly nodding her head, the maid said, "I do." Then, thinking of something as she looked at Celine's appearance, she asked, "Miss, are you perhaps here to attend the banquet too?"

Not bothering to clear up the misunderstanding regarding how the maid addressed her, Celine nodded. "Yes." She then paused and turned to look at the gate of the mansion before asking, "Can you help me arrange a carriage?"

Although confused as to why someone as elegant as her would be without a carriage, the maid still nodded.

Gesturing to Celine to follow, the maid led her towards the mansion.

But Celine suddenly frowned. "Why are we going towards the back?" She asked.

The maid turned to look at him before smiling wryly. "Miss, you seem to have no knowledge about the theme of today's party, do you?"

Celine shook her head, as she really didn't know anything about that.

The maid nodded before explaining, "I don't know the reason, but the master Vilet has set the rule that everyone has to wear a mask before entering the party." She paused as she looked at Celine again before saying, "It would not have been a problem if you were in a carriage, as someone would provide you with the masks within the carriage itself."

"After that, you'll be led to another one of the carriages that Master Vilet has employed; they serve the exclusive purpose of taking the guests to the event venue."

"Why don't you allow them to go in their own carriages, then?" Celine couldn't help but ask.

The maid thought for a moment before shaking her head. "This, I don't know." She then suddenly said while looking at Celine, "Maybe it's because he knew that not everyone would come in carriages?"

Her tone was not sure, as the reason was too far-fetched.

Celine was also left speechless by her comment. If not for her recognizing the maid as a lively and cheerful person, Celine would have thought she was taking a deliberate jab at her arrival on foot.

And although the maid might not be able to tell, Celine could guess the reason for this unique but troublesome arrangement.

'That rat, Vilet, must have been the one to come up with this.' she thought. 'He clearly wants to use this method to make an impression on the others.'

Although she found it hard to stand the guy, Celine had to admit that he was quite witty when it came to such matters.

They walked for a minute before arriving at a door.

The distance between the two sides of the mansion was quite large, but thankfully, they didn't have to go all the way back as there was an entrance at the side.

The two entered as the maid led them towards a hallway.

Interestingly enough, the hallway was dimly lit, with only enough light to see each other but not their faces.

People were going in continuously, each group or individual led by a servant.

After waiting for a few minutes, the maid finally arranged a place for Celine to go before she herself led her forward.

There was no queue inside, as the hallway was broad enough for many people to enter freely.

Besides, had there been one, given the status of the people invited, it would be a wonder if they didn't oppose it immediately.

Arriving at the end of the hallway, Celine saw a table placed there. But it wasn't empty.

On it was placed a large heap of face masks.

There were all kinds, some of which fully covered the face and some of which barely covered anything and were only added as accessories.

Celine didn't have to choose one herself, as the maid quickly found one for her.

It was a full mask, black in color, with a few imitation gems pasted upon it.

"It'll match with your dress," the maid whispered.

After Celine had donned her mask, they moved towards the carriage stands.

The maid called out to a group of servants who seemed to be in charge of handling the carriages.

Soon, a carriage was called in front of her.

Gesturing to Celine, the maid helped her up the carriage.

"Thank you." Celine nodded and thanked the lively maid, who had made her hesitation disappear by keeping her company.

Seeing the maid disappear as the carriage began to move, Celine took a deep breath before muttering.

"I'll have to deal with this problem tonight."