Chapter 25 — Masquerade Encounter.

Unlike the first day, I didn't have to prepare from the early morning. So, even though I woke up relatively early, no one came to bother me at dawn.

Also, in the late morning, I was served a prominent breakfast, so I didn't have to starve this time. Which is greatly appreciated, because... the food they served yesterday... Mmmh~! Eleven out of Ten!! As expected from the Royal Palace cuisine!!

The preparations started at twelve, only a little after I digested the delicious breakfast.

This time, a navy blue dress with silver embroidery was chosen for tonight's event. Only the shoulders were uncovered. The blue from the dress reached only until covering my breasts, from there upwards, covering my neckline, was a translucent silver cloth with flower patterns. This, blossomed in a turtle neck made of frills, just like the leaves under a blooming flower... Though... the flower was our face in this case... Which is quite alright since our Marianne is prettier than any flower~

'Fufufu~ my girl is such a cutie~'

"..."

Finally, from the same height the navy blue began on my chest, bell sleeves came down my arms.

The make-up was simple, but a strong red was used for the lips. At first, I wasn't convinced with how it was done, but then... the maid showed me the mask.

'Oh~ The main point are the lips~'

It was an exciting realisation.

'We might break some hearts tonight~~~'

The white mask covered half my face. A silver pearl, under the outer edge of each eye, was placed as decoration. From them, drawings of silver-blue waves emerged, filling the covered cheekbones. The design was simple but interesting... I liked it very much.

My hair was loose, however, a pair of fancy hairpins were placed so my hair stayed put behind my shoulders. A very clean look that highlights our elegance was obtained with the useful accessories that hot drown under our bushy hair.

'As always, Simple is best.'

I stared at myself in the mirror pleased. Even after the maids had left to attend to other duties, I kept checking my amazing outfit. That was when an unexpected reaction came.

Marianne's body relaxed greatly, making our expression softer. Surprised by this, another surprise followed instantly.

Even through the mask, I knew that the expression I had on the inside... was showing on the outside too.

Obviously, not as exaggerated as my own since the muscles in Anne's face weren't as developed. But still, it was my inner self I saw right there.

'Ohoho~~ I see you are excited too~?'

Maybe having our face covered made her happy. Like, she might be thinking... "With this mask, I'm not myself anymore"...Or something like that? This kind of dramatic development happened a lot in novels after all, so..... wait.

'Stupid. This is a novel too.'

Drama is a given here. How could I forget that? Am I losing my touch...?

'Am I too carefree?...' — I tilted my head, questioning my self-awareness once again.

'... I guess my life will become more dramatic from now on.....' — I thought, considering the origin of the world I'm in.

'Oh well... I'll be sure to enjoy it~ fufu~'

Only my inner self smirked at this point. Anne must have disliked the idea about "enjoying the drama"... Since actually drama could also be seen as troublesome stuff to her...

While lost in thought about her disagreement, a servant came to get me.

An interesting fact I learned, was that every nobleman who was not single had to get to the Ball on their own.

This means, I went to the Ball riding a carriage all alone.

It also means... no one will actually know who I am... and the same goes for the others.

'Gosh! So exciting!!! These people will let loose tonight~ it's the perfect night for juicy gossip to be born~!'

We ARE in an +19 novel after all.

The place where the party was being held was the same as before, however... the illumination was lukewarm, setting the right "mood" for this party. It was already thrilling just being there.

'Ouuuf~ these nobles will get naughty tonight~'

The room was already full of disguised nobles. Their clothes were flashy and seductively graceful. As I examined their guises, I took a glass of wine while a servant passed by my side.

'Tonight I'll be a spectator.' — With this mindset, I watched the scene intently.

In search of some steamy interactions, I drank two glasses at a good pace. I still don't know Marianne's alcohol tolerance, so I decided to be careful.

Thanks to taking my time with the wine, I understood that the nobles were still being careful of their public behaviour.

It wasn't like there was no action going on... It was just that, once they found a partner, they quickly changed locations to do... their own thing.

A little dejected that I wasn't able to peek at some spicy scenes. I went to a balcony on a deserted corner.

The first day, I had noticed the balconies, but for precaution issues, I didn't go near them.

Being alone in a secluded balcony when Paul was in the vicinity... was, evidently, a red flag.

But this time, I headed to the balcony fully equipped, with two glasses of wine in my hands.

I was set on enjoying my freedom tonight.

'To accomplish this, the wine is a must!'

Looking at the scenery outside, with the moon as lightning, I gulped down both glasses shortly. And, affected by the alcohol, I became tipsy.

'Mhmm, I see~ Marianne doesn't have much tolerance~'

In the past, seven of these glasses didn't get me this tipsy.

'I guess I won't drink anymore tonight... getting drunk is a No Go.'

Even if I was aware of when to stop... It truly was a pity to just end the night with just four glasses.

Lamenting about the wine, I leaned on the railing.

A fresh breeze enveloped my body while I stared at the bright moon. At that moment, I realised that these days I hadn't been doing my daily hum practice.

I realised this because a song came to mind with such scenery in front of me.

I chuckled at it and began to hum the song.

"Hm-hm-hm hm mhmh hm-hmh-hmm~"

It was Darth V*der's theme song.

I was having so much fun~

Even though my voice wasn't nearly enough as loud as I wanted it to be, I continued to sing the song wholeheartedly.

While singing, I heard someone had entered my balcony, and when I turned my head to see who it was, an unknown tall man was standing there.

Through his mask... a pair of beautiful turquoise eyes were looking directly at me.

For some reason, he wasn't wearing a cape. Making his body's silhouette clearer.

He was a tall and vigorous nobleman.

Wearing sophisticated clothes, a beautiful metal brooch was placed under the closed collar of what I would call a vest from medieval times.

The pale golden vest had a diamond-shaped opening on the chest, right under the collar union, where his cream-coloured shirt could be seen. All around his neck, the shirt's frills emerged from under the vest's collar. The usually puffy sleeves... could not hide the strong arms under them.

His hair was blue like my dress and his hairstyle reminded me of the one called "mullet", which was popular in my past life.

The mask was completely white and covered almost all of his face. His mouth and part of his nose were visible, but the mask came down diagonally from his right cheekbone to the edge of his jaw.

Truthfully, he looked ho– very handsome.

Being in a good mood, I didn't pay much attention to him.

Just like me, he must have wanted to be in a peaceful place and enjoy the Ball by himself. So when our eyes met, I unconsciously smiled at him... for real.

My body was acting obediently for once, but this fact wasn't registered in my mind. I wasn't exactly conscious of my present behaviour.

I turned my head to the front again and continued my lonely concert, ignoring his presence, thinking he would go elsewhere sooner than later.

Proving me wrong, he came closer to me.

I only noticed when he was already by my side.

He placed one hand on the railing with his body facing towards me.

And so, I tilted my head, a little intrigued by his actions. But... he was so tall that having to look up at him annoyed me.

Complying with my upset mood, my face made a pouting expression, letting out a sigh.

The effects of alcohol are no joke. I don't know if all the conditions were met tonight, but I felt very free for the first time in this body.

All in all... I still wasn't able to process and react to the following events.

The man had been staring intently at me, but I wasn't able to read him through the mask. I had no idea of what was going on in his mind.

As time continues to pass, I began feeling a little shy by the close distance between us and his persistent eyes on me.

So... I averted my eyes from his.

That's when he caught me off guard.

Without warning... he stole them.