Masquerade Ball (2)

While Sebastian finished his drink, a server approached him.

"Sir, would you like an appetizer?"

"I'll have one."

The server smiled at him and took a plate from his tray and placed it in front of Sebastian.

"A tart? So it's that spot, huh..."

Sebastian ate the tart quickly and then stood up and walked away from the main venue.

A ways away, Sebastian walked through a corridor with seldom any people.

"One, two..."

With each door Sebastian passed, he counted. Finally, when he reached the seventh door, he raised his hand to his mouth and took out a key.

It was inside the tart that he had eaten.

Sebastian unlocked the door and disappeared inside. None of the other guests deemed it necessary to pry, he had a key, after all.

A few minutes later, Sebastian walked out of the room and straightened his clothes.

Sebastian walked back into the main venue with light steps. He had already remembered the assassin's position and headed straight there.

"Hello."

"...Greetings."

The assassin was surprised. Considering that he had hid his presence enough that nobody else would take notice of him, it truly was surprising.

"I don't really want any conflict happening in the middle of the party so it's best to tell me now. Who did your employer hire you to protect?"

The assassin glared at Sebastian and an air of hostility flowed around him.

"Who are you?"

"Honestly, who would answer that question? Besides, you most likely already know."

"Tsk."

The assassin clicked his tongue and continued to give Sebastian a fierce glare.

"What would the House of Sol have to do with assassins?"

"Not the House of Sol—me. I'm the one who has business. Well, would you mind stepping down for me?"

"I can't do that, not even to you. I've gotten paid a lot of coin in advance and promised a fortune once this mission ends. Besides, if news gets out, won't your reputation take a blow?"

"While I couldn't care less for my reputation, I suppose you're right. Then, what do you say we strike a deal?"

The assassin retracted his glare and took a sip of the drink in his hand. He listened to Sebastian closely.

"I won't expose your identity in exchange for telling me the identity of the one you're supposed to protect from the shadows."

"Oh? You know my identity?"

"No, but I know your face."

"And so do I."

The two of them unblinkingly stared into the other's eyes in an attempt to pry off the other's mask.

"This is pointless," Sebastian sighed.

The assassin hmph'd.

"You've finally realized that?"

"I have."

Sebastian raised his hand and prepared to snap his fingers.

"Then, I'll just kill all of them at once."

"...!"

The assassin moved. He took a dagger from his waist and lunged at Sebastian.

"Too late."

Sebastian snapped his finger and dodged the dagger. The assassin looked to his left and when he spotted his target safe and sound, he paused.

"I didn't think an assassin would be that naive."

"..."

The assassin gnashed his teeth.

"As it stands, you only have two ways out of this. To strike a deal with me, or to silence me right now. While I wouldn't mind striking a deal, having an assassin come after me is a little troublesome."

"What do you want?"

The assassin resigned himself to his fate and asked.

"Believe it or not, my goal isn't to assassinate your target at all. It's to discern his identity. If you answer me truthfully, I will let you protect your target with none the wiser."

"How are you going to check if what I'm telling is the truth or not?"

It was unavoidable. Sebastian had no way to verify the truth, so why wouldn't he lie?

"My. While you certainly could lie to me, I don't think it's going to be a very wise move."

Sebastian slightly lowered his collar. The assassin visibly paled and began trembling.

"You'll answer me truthfully, yes?"

"Y-yes!"

The Blue Rose. When he had accepted this mission, he didn't think he would run into them in a million years. They operated in another country, what were they doing trying to sink their fangs into this country too?

What's more, why was a direct descendant from the House of Sol a member of the Blue Rose?

"Then, is your target an illegitimate child of a noble?"

"Yes..."

"Which noble?"

The assassin bit his lip and answered reluctantly, "the Earl of Worthen."

"That concludes my questions, thank you for your cooperation."

At that moment, the lights disappeared and a second later, a spotlight shone on the top of the stairs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's masquerade ball. We have a special event this time."

The people in the venue broke out into whispers. After letting them whisper for a few seconds, the masked man raised his hand to ask for silence.

"Somewhere in the huge crowd, there are very important people. While, I'm sure that there are plenty of them, we are looking for specific people —"

The man continued to list out names. Sebastian paid only little attention to his words as he watched the assassin slip away.

"—and Amira Luna."

"...!"

Sebastian turned his head forward. He knew that Amy would attend the party, but he didn't know it was for this.

"I will reward those who bring those people up here."

Immediately, people began looking around.

Sebastian scanned the crowd but was startled when he was called from behind.

"Excuse me, might I inquire your name?"

Sebastian turned around and saw a woman he didn't know.

"I'm not one of the people listed."

"Oh..."

The woman dejectedly turned around and the people who looked at them turned their heads away as well.

They were all curious about his identity, after all.

Sebastian turned his head forward and was planning to slowly make his way outside but froze when he caught a particular girl's gaze.

Her hair was dark and her mask was silver. The dress she wore was a pure white. But, nobody seemed to notice her presence.

She slowly walked toward Sebastian.

'Amy!'

It was Amy, there was no other person with such dark hair in the venue.

When she neared him, he held his breath.

"...do I know you?"

"I'm not one of the people listed, Miss."

Sebastian tried his best to avoid her eyes.

"I know that. It's just that, I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"I don't even know Miss' identity..."

"My apologies, I am Amira Luna. You can turn me in for a prize but I'd have to ask for your identity first."

"..."

Sebastian looked for ways to escape but Amy kept on cutting him off.

"You... Sebas—?"

"Darling!"

Sebastian felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and turn him away from Amy.

When Sebastian looked at the woman who had wrapped her arms around his neck, he held his breath. There were three reasons.

The woman was beautiful. So beautiful that he couldn't look at her as anyone other than a certain royalty.

What was the second princess doing here?

Next, she had called him darling in an affectionate voice, what was the reason for that?

And lastly, why did it feel like he knew that voice?

"Just play along and I'll get you out of here."

"Hound!"

"Shush."

Hound sealed Sebastian's lips with her finger and made it so that neither she nor Sebastian's faces could be seen from Amy's view.

"You have a lot of questions but I have no time to explain."

Hound stopped whispering and slightly raised her voice.

"I finally found you! Do you know how long I'd been searching for you?"

"I'm-uh, sorry. I got lost and couldn't see you anywhere."

"That's fine, darling. Shall we?"

"Hey, wait..."

Amy was about to cut in between them but Hound pulled Sebastian's face close and made it look like they were kissing.

Amy quickly turned around to avert her gaze from the two of them but when she turned around once more, the two had disappeared.

"...it was probably just someone similar."

Amy muttered to herself.

...

"That was close..."

"Why didn't you steer clear of her immediately?"

"That was my mistake, I was frozen in panic..."

"You're lucky I was there to bail you out this time, but you won't be so lucky all the time."

"..."

They were already a fair distance away from the venue. Hound had taken off her mask and so did Sebastian.

"So, Hound—Your Highness."

"Stop that. Right now, I'm not the second princess, I am an assassin of Blue Rose."

"...right."

Although he had many questions, it didn't seem like she was at a leisure to answer many of them.

"Then, is Wisteria aware of your identity?"

"Nn."

"And nobody else?"

"Some other members of Blue Rose do. And other than that, only you."

Hound put on the mask that she wore before.

"I hadn't planned on revealing myself to you but because of Amy, I had to. Please keep this between us and try your best to forget that I'm royalty."

"...That's going to be difficult, but I'll try."

"Thank you."

Hound tied her hair and then put on a cloak.

"I'm heading back to Aurora. I'll report to Wisteria for you."

"Thanks."

Sebastian sent her off and hurried back home. He burned the wig and mask in some alley and then took home the uniform.

After arriving, he changed his clothes as fast as he could and then hid the uniform. Then, he hid all of the weapons on his person inside a case.

...

"I didn't see him at all."

"Neither did I."

Maria and Elliot, who had attended because of Sebastian, had ended up enjoying the masquerade by themselves. They managed to get the prize for spotting Amy and left the party satisfied.

"Well, I'll guess I have to evaluate him in the classroom."

"Nn."

"Hey, how do you think he'll fare against your older brother?"

"Where'd that come from?"

Elliot shook his head and leaned into the carriage's seat.

"He's strong, but I don't think he's near my brother's level, he's too much of a monster."

"Well, it does take a monster to defeat another monster."

"...I hope you're right."