Underneath the ornate chandeliers, many well-dressed people of all ages mingled. Some conversed with each other in small circles while others sampled the delicacies piled high on the long tables.
One quite round, bald-headed aristocrat eagerly sampled many of the desserts in one corner of a table. It caused a stir amid the young aristocrats, who— by now— gazed disdainfully at his full plate.
Clearly, each of them were connected to nobility, but whether they all were from the Kingdom Karst, no one could quite tell. Donning masks and varying outfits, many came disguised because this entertainment was illegal by the Kingdom's standards. Still, some were quite easy to pick out.
For one, that bald aristocrat— pigging out at the table over there— was clearly Baron Charty. Rumors had circled that this rich merchant had weasled his way into aristocracy by buying the baron title.
But the most eye-catching of all was the fair lady in red. Just by simply readjusting her silver mask, many men sucked in their breaths in awe at her rose-like beauty.
However, every rose has her thorns.
A blushing youth approached her, clearly intent on engaging with the lady in conversation. The wiser men clicked their tongues and kept their distance.
As expected, she ignored the man's advances, and to add insult to injury, she opened her reddish fan and covered her lower half of the face with it. A sign of disinterest… or worse, disdain.
Feeling slighted, the youth raised his voice. But as soon as he did, two guards— dressed in all black— rushed over and picked him up like he was a toddler before dragging him out a door. As the door closed shut, his screams lasted for only a few seconds more before fading to nothingness. All that remained was the beautiful ball music drifting in the tense air.
No one moved, no one spoke, but everyone resumed their activities as soon as the man completely disappeared, as if nothing had actually happened. This was the unspoken rule of this gathering. The red Rose was the highlight and the end of this gathering. No one knew her name, but everyone— except for the dumber ones— knew she quietly stood on equal grounds with the owners of this traveling arena.
This made the brown-haired man approaching the Rose even more out of place. At her glance, he froze in place and then bowed politely. His white mask and clothing was common and unassuming, yet his stance was neither deference nor full of yearning.
"May I have a word of business with you, Miss?" he calmly uttered. His brown eyes betrayed no sense of nervousness.
Maybe this is what intrigued the lady, as she smiled and finally put away her fan.
"Of course, let us take this to the parlor," she waved while saying this, signaling to one of the two black guards, who had now quietly slipped back to her side.
Curious eyes watched the two walk side-by-side until their figures vanished behind two ornate, double doors. Many gazes remained hung on that door, but the most intent gaze was of the piggy Baron Charty. His thin eyes narrowed to tight slits between the folds of his fat, pale face. Then Baron Charty's face shuddered with a jiggle as those two doors abruptly swung open.
Now all eyes were back on the door– half expecting the Rose to return and half shocked that the meeting was that quick. But perhaps to their surprise, the two people standing at the entrance were the true faces of this traveling arena– Spencer and Natalie Pierce.
One as pale as the moonlight and the other glowing like the setting sun, this couple never failed to captivate people with their unusual beauty. This season, Lady Natalie wore an elegant, royal-blue gown while her husband, Spencer, coordinated with a darker, navy suit.
It was indeed a stunning pair.
Yet still, Baron Charty never seemed to take notice of them. His gaze went further in, darting in search for the other pair who had left the banquet before.