__________ POV Narration__________
The night of the ball was bound to be an eventful one.
The Phantom Troupe had been preparing for this moment for quite some time now.
Chrollo was finally going to acquire the national treasure of the Kakin Empire. The Seed Urn.
A powerful item that gave a member of the Kakin royal family a special egg. That egg would become a parasitic type Nen spirit beast.
It's said to have been fabricated by the first king of the Kakin Empire.
That was the extent of the information Chrollo had on the treasure.
If someone like Ashton were to be interested in it, he'd conclude that the Kakin Empire was in possession of a relic.
Albeit a weaker one. But unfortunately, the old scientist wouldn't have the chance to catch a glimpse of it this night.
He was too preoccupied admiring the ball, the stage to the intricate show he had created.
The children going against their father. But the night was holding quite a few surprises.
__________ POV Ashton__________
The entire ballroom was looking at the princes, and Momoze was also a hot topic since she survived her assassination attempt.
And by extension, so was I. I didn't want the king to recognise me so easily, therefore, I chose to wear a small face mask, which only covered my eyes and nose.
One of those fancy masks rich people put on when they want to feel mysterious. But it will do just fine.
As for why I have such a thing... I used to frequent a few rich people gatherings to both make fun of them and to talk to a few ladies.
As I said, I rarely indulge in my desires, but I still do so from time to time.
And doing something with a politician's daughter allows you to run that in his face for quite some time.
Regardless, due to this mask, I am getting quite a few odd looks. And I guess that's fine, I am standing out a bit.
But I would've stood out more if he came near Momoze and recognized me. The King isn't exactly a friend of mine, but he knows me a bit.
He didn't recognise me during my warning at the beginning of the cruise. If he did, he would've sought me out.
Quite a few cretins came around and spoke to her. Royal families are always sought after in these scenarios.
It seems Momoze also has a lot of suitors. Not all of them were quite smooth though. Some were stumbling on their words and some were admiring her from a distance.
The same could be said about Camilla, she was turning even more gazes. Although no man had the guts to approach her.
"Ashton... Would you grant me this dance?" I wasn't expecting such a thing from Camilla. She might just be poking fun at her suitors though.
She'd much rather dance with a random bodyguard than them.
But Momoze somehow didn't seem pleased by the notion of me dancing with her tall sister.
She locked her elbow with mine and said. "He's dancing with me first!" Great, the sisters are fighting.
And I'm in the middle of it. People instantly started whispering around us. Why must they make things so complicated?
"At least fight over me in private... You are attracting too much attention." I said in a quiet voice. However, in my frustration, it was still louder than I had intended. It made people speculate even more.
This type of back and forth brings a lot of attention to us. It also brought the attention of other princes to us.
This situation is becoming such a mess... Momoze immediately pouted and turned her head, trying to drag me away.
I'm getting a bit tired of being dragged around by her at this point. I yanked my arm away from her, not putting in enough force to hurt her, just enough to make her let go.
I looked away, trying to ignore the hurt look on Momoze's face. Camilla covered her mouth with her hand and laughed a bit.
"It seems your bodyguard would rather follow me instead. Well then... Let us dance." She extended her hand in a regal way and expected me to take it.
I glared at her through my mask and tried my best to ignore her.
At this point, most people were questioning who I was and how I dared reject two princesses in a row.
I could feel the mob of admirers taking up figurative pitchforks and torches. Their gazes were burning a hole through the back of my head.
At this point, I am also becoming uncomfortable, I readjusted my tie. I am not exactly into this entire banquet
One short, chubby girl with a round face and eyes looked at us curiously. Tyson, the princess that is known to desire every handsome man possible, her servants are all good looking men.
"Oh! Dear sisters, it seems like you're inconveniencing this handsome man. I apologise in their stead..." She smiled, trying her best to look charming.
"How about spending some time with me instead?" Her smile was odd. I guess she's cute in her way, just nowhere near her sisters.
Although I'd much rather describe her face as annoying.
And her personality seems to match. She is brash and confident in her actions, even though she's trying to pick up a man that looks twice her age. (even if I'm older than the country she was born in)
Still, I gave her my best charming smile, her face instantly turned red, same as every woman that saw it.
I can't outright refuse her, that would make me look even more egregious...
"I thank you for your kind offer my lady... however, I must refuse... For now." She seemed a bit disappointed, but I gave her hope with the last part.
At this point, everyone is looking at us, even the king, what a mess...
Who would've thought disguising myself as Chrollo would make me so successful with the ladies?
I used a special relic to change my looks, 'Trickster's Bag', this is one of its many effects, not even I would be able to tell that my looks aren't natural.
This is one of my most bizarre and most powerful relics. It's more like a coalition of many other relics stuck together.
The ability I am using now is something that allows me to steal the appearance of someone else. All that is needed is a strand of hair from the one you wish to disguise as.
Oh, and your Nen will be drained during the transformation. Same if you disguise others, it's still your Nen that will be drained.
I technically own it, but Zigg liked to use it a lot more.
Even when covering my eyes (Chrollo is still a wanted man) I would still be able to pick up a few 'high class' beauties.
And just like that...The first part of the plan is completed.
_______________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
These scenes will be explained later when the plan is actually fully revealed.
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