Alois Trancy

Alois Trancy stood at the side of the hall with some of the guests. His blonde hair had been combed back to allow his golden mask to rest on his face. His hair blended with his mask and though he had a mask, the features of his handsome face could not be hidden. His black eyes lazily swept across the hall, taking note of the people he had to speak to when his eyes fell on her.

He had noticed her when she entered the hall and had been watching her since then. Something was alluring about her that drew him to her. He couldn't tell what it was, perhaps it was her dress or the way she seemed so excited and the way she danced with such energy only for her to be exhausted after.

He wondered how a person could make so many expressions in such a short period, it was amusing.

His eyes moved to the man she had danced with. He had seen them come in together, they were close. For his sake, he hoped they weren't involved romantically. The girl would be sad if he was gone, not like it mattered. Emotions didn't matter as long as she satisfied his needs. Humans were nothing but mere objects to use and dispose of after all.

"Hmmn?" he noticed another man approaching her. The man smiled brightly as he spoke to her and turned flustered when she replied. He could see the signs as clearly as day, the man was in love with her. All of these were only visible to him as he wasn't a mere human.

His eyes moved back to the people he was with. They were talking, showering empty praises just to gain his favor, it was boring.

"So, Mr. Trancy do you-" a man started but,

"Do enjoy the rest of the ball," Alois cut the man off, "Excuse me," he excused himself and walked away from them, in the direction of the woman. He couldn't help but smirk as he approached her all the while ignoring the people trying to gain his attention.

'Ugly' he thought as he gave a side glance to the woman trying to start a conversation with him. The action alone was enough for the woman to stop talking, he wasn't interested.

"I was wondering if you would maybe like to uh," he heard the second man speak as he got nearer and he scoffed. A man who couldn't make use of the opportunity in front of him was nothing but a fool.

"Morning, Milady," he spoke when he got behind her. He watched her turn around to face him and he saw her freeze. It seemed she already knew who he was. Good, he didn't like ignorant people.

-

Elaina froze. Alois Trancy, a member of the upper echelon who was always on the news for his philanthropist actions and handsome face was talking to her??

She recognized his features as bright as day, especially his golden blonde hair, and his mask didn't do so much in hiding his face.

"Your name, beautiful?" she heard him ask.

"E-Elaina," she stuttered. She almost gasped when she noticed that he was standing closer. She didn't even know when he got so close.

"Elaina," her name rolled sweetly off his tongue. He raised his hand to her chin and tilted her face upwards so he could see her. He was right, she was a beautiful one. He stared into her brown eyes that held innocence and ignorance, how fun it would be to break her.

Alois took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, not breaking eye contact, and left a lingering kiss on it, "Dance with me, Elaina," he spoke the words on her hand.

Elaina gulped nervously, he wasn't asking her to dance with him, he was telling her to and honestly, she didn't want to. Her first impression of him when she had seen him on the news was that he was a psychopath because he seemed too perfect. Handsome, rich, generous and sociable, no one could be that perfect without a flaw.

More importantly, she didn't want to leave Alex alone, but she wasn't sure she could refuse an elite, especially when he didn't even ask. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as he held her gaze, and it was not the good kind.

Alois saw the hesitation in her eyes and saw her eyes moving to the side. He followed her gaze to the man she had danced with, it seemed she didn't want to leave the man alone, but he didn't ask. Without waiting, he dropped his hand on her chin, sparing one lazy smirk at Kaede before turning around and taking Elaina with him.

Elaina looked back at Alexander with concern but he smiled and said, "I'll be fine,"

All of this Kaede noticed and it broke his heart that she didn't even think of him.

-

Elaina followed Alois as he led her to the dance floor. His grip on her hand was firm, leaving no room for protest.

They got to the dance floor and Alois let go of her hand. He held her other hand in his and wrapped his other hand around her waist and Elaina placed her hand on his shoulder. Alois stepped forward and Elaina stepped backward as they started to dance to the music.

Unlike the fast-paced music she had danced with Alex, this one was a slow one that had a sorrowful tune to it. It was Alois' favorite type of music.

"What's your relationship with that man, Elaina?" he asked as they swayed to the music.

Huh? Elaina wondered which man he was talking about before realizing that it was Alex, "He is my brother," she answered.

"Slow," Alois commented making her frown though it was hidden because of her mask. He didn't have to be so rude, she couldn't even think straight at the moment, plus Kaede had been with her so he couldn't have been more vague.

"What do you do in your free time?" he asked another question. He wanted to know the kind of person she was, so he would know how to take care of her when she came into his custody.

"I watch dramas and play games," she answered. She wondered why he wanted to know about her personal life, but she wasn't going to try and act, so he could lose any sort of interest he had in her.

"An introvert," Alois smirked. He loved introverts, they were crazy, and that was all he needed to know about her.

Elaina saw the smirk on his face and she would have thought him to be handsome but she had this wary feeling about him that she couldn't shake off. Seeing as he wasn't asking any other questions, she moved her eyes to the crowd, searching for Alex but she couldn't find him, not that she could see because of the crowd.

"Elaina," Alois called and she looked up at him, expecting him to say something but all he did was stare into her eyes. She found his intense stare uncomfortable so she averted her gaze but he tightened his hold on her waist drawing a questioning look from her.

Alois said nothing but just kept staring into her eyes which started to make her uncomfortable. Doubt ensued in her mind and different questions started to rise.

"Why do you wear contacts?" he asked and Elaina's eyes widened.

He knew she had contacts on?! Her heart rate spiked but she tried to call herself. "I have poor eyesight," she answered.

"The colors you chose are quite peculiar," Alois commented. Her light brown eyes piqued his interest. At first glance, the color looked similar but on a closer look, the right seemed to glow a little bit more than the left. It was captivating and it almost seemed like she was hiding something. Could it be?

"Well, I like to be different," Elaina stated with a small chuckle. She had to get away from this man!

As if on cue, the tempo of the music started to decrease signaling the end of their dance.

She almost sighed in relief but Alois moved his hand upwards from her waist to her back and pushed her chest close to his.

Elaina's eyes widened, "W-What are you doing?" she tried putting some space between them but his hand held her in place.

She was soft, Alois thought in his head.

"Let me-" she started but he cut her off,

"This is where our dance ends, Elaina," he moved his hand away from her back when the music ended and she quickly took two steps away from him which made him chuckle, "We will meet again, do enjoy the rest of the ball," he said before walking away.

Elaina's tense shoulders relaxed as she left the dance floor with the other couples. She stared at Alois' back as he mixed in with the crowd before he disappeared. The way he had stared into her eyes like he wanted to uncover all her secrets, she hoped it had just been mere curiosity.

Alois Trancy's actions had made her doubtful about her eyes. She wasn't sure if they looked normal enough. She had to find her family to confirm.