Ikshid leaned deeply into the chair and shouted, kicking the Duke's leg slightly with his foo
"Wake up, this human! Banquet is just around the corner. You got sleepy right now? Anyway, he's a friend that can't be made for fun
"Was that that decline that you've been late for more than half an hour? I was already fully prepared by just wearing a mask
Tashian responded gently, but Ikshid ignored it neatly and left the door firs
"That's enough! Let's go down. How can the main character be late for the banquet? Of course, I mean me
*
In the days of His Majesty, the King, the banquet hall was required to undergo identification before entering the banquet hall because of the past, where a scuffle was fought by rogues wearing masks at the masked ball. In terms of banquets, Hellasium boasted its flexibility, but there were fair strict rules regarding the safety of guest
Of course, the status check was an exception for Ikshid's flashing golden mas
When the shining golden mask and the silver mask following him appeared in the hall, people's eyes flew in at them at onc
Ikshid felt as if his skin were getting goosebumps as he watched the colorful masks of red, blue and yellow, closely examining his movements. Looking back, the duke had already permeated behind the shadow of a pillar as if he would be united with the wal
'You never change…
Ikshid smiled in vain, gaspin
He recalled when Tashian first attended a banquet at the Imperial Palace. The young and skinny black-haired boy, who is incomparable to the present him, acted as if he was a bystander who flowed into a world where he did not belong in the same pose as he was doing no
'That was probably the first time he left the banquet hall
Ikshid clenched his tongue, recalling the Duke's past action
Shortly after thinking to tell the guard to monitor his movements, he was greeted by his eyes that landed to two wome
Ikshid watched the participants concentrate fiercely with curiosity, perhaps even more than that, just as when their own golden masks and the duke's silver masks entered the hall
One woman, was a white-haired woman dressed like an angel with a soft white color from her mask to her dress, and the other, was a woman wearing a green dress with a red mask like a rose in a match. No matter how much their faces were covered, their silhouettes were still intact in the
Ikshid witnessed men flocking like clouds in an instant around those beautie
In particular, those who recognized the Marquis Miller's sister, Eleanor, were also interested in a red-haired woman next to her. The two women were already at the center of the gaze of all the peopl
"I had known for a long time that my sister was so lovely, but looking at it this way, there is no other wonderful view other than her. But who is the woman with red hair next to her
Ikshid muttered toward the Duke standing next to the pilla
"… Lord
However, the place where the duke was standing was occupied by only the empty wind. Ikshid turned his head puzzled, then discovered that Tashian was making a straight forward without averting his direction toward the Miss, who was wearing a white mask, through the crow
No matter how hideous the momentum was, Ikshid smiled in vain at the sight of dividing the ground into two everywhere he passed b
"Those things… even if I passed by, it wouldn't make that way for me
He grumbled and stepped to follow the duke. However, there was one thing that caught the eyes of Ikshi
His whole life suffered from a dark battle in the imperial palace, and his trained sixth sense was raising a warnin
'This feeling… … It was definitely the strange gaze I felt while walking with Elli
Ikshid tried to put his attention to the source of the gaze to the two beautiful women. No, to be precise, it was only Eleanor who was given such a stinging loo
And when he stopped to observe around, Ikshid found a person wearing a black mask. Compared to those masks that usually covers half, or three quarters of the face, the black mask he was wearing, hid his face behind entirely. It was a mask, intending to hid his identity strongly, not even wanting to let his hair popped out of the mask and be recognize
Ikshid glared at the tailored blue coat, feeling the unpleasantness from the person wearing the black mask, and from his sixth sense that warns him of somethin
'Who the hell is that guy…
No matter how much Ikshid seemed to be enjoying the entertainment given by the people around, and by walking around this banquet hall, he was also a natural politician. He had the talent to memorize the face, name, and personal information of the person he made eye contact with, like a ghost. Also, the ability to use the characters in the right place was incomparable.
'I'm sure I've seen him somewhere. But who is he
He frowned and stared at an unknown black mask man who could not be identifie
'Obviously, the masquerade of the imperial palace is very meticulous in its safety. It is natural that the lives of the imperial leaders, including the imperial family, are at stake. So even if that guy tries to do something nonsense, he can stop it right away. I'm confident
Ikshid touched his chin like a troubled perso
Oh, I guess I'll know if I think of it a little mor
"Where do you live? What noble were you…
However, at that moment, another group of people recognized the prince's golden mask and stuck it like a flock of dogs. When he came to his senses, Ikshid was already surrounded by red and blue mask
"Your Highness, God is worried about the duke's remarks earlier…
"Wait, I will go first, Your Highness. What would His Majesty postulate about the autonomy of the Atral Mountains this time…
"Don't push me
Here we go again. Feeling the sensation that his head, which had only been spinning well, stopped at once, Ikshid looked sick and tired behind his mask. Then he opened his red lips and grumble
"Should they talk about politics that are not fun even here? Because of them, I haven't been able to get married… Oh, no. No. Shouldn't I work? Let's go over there and finish talking
Thus, Ikshid suddenly moved with a group of young politicians, like a boy playing a flut
Eun-woo thought while looking at the sight of the golden mask moving along with a group of bee-like masks, 'That's obviously the Crown Prince
Eun-woo muttered, "It is very tiring to live as a crown prince, looking at Ikshid's movements that stand out no matter when, where, what, or how he does
"What's wrong
Eun-woo, who was looking at Ikshid like that, turned around in surprise at Selena's questio
"No, it's nothing
Eun-woo replied to Selena, who was throwing a mysterious gaze at her while wearing a red mask that fits perfectly with her skin. She stretched out and tried not to let Selena's gaze reach Ikshid wearing a golden mask. Looking at Eun-woo's appearance, Selena hinted at the concern beyond the mas
"… Lady Miller, are you sure you're okay?
"Of course. I'm so fine that I think I can eat a whole conch at once
Selena, who had been silent for a while, bowed her head politely toward her and thanked he
"Thank you earlier. Thanks to this, it was very convenient to use the imperial palace's VIP room for the banquet preparation place
Eun-woo eventually succeeded in inviting Selena to her preparation room. Eun-woo responded by waving her hand at Selen
"No, I have to say thank you instead. You lent me your shoes
"If so, we can say that we exchanged help
Eun-woo saw Selena's eyes bend smoothly over the mask. Looking at that smile, Eun-woo also thought that the level of the female protagonist was differen
What a calm, gentle, and noble attitude. The male protagonist, Ikshid, will fall in love at a glanc
'Hold on… You two can't fall in love. I must not think like this
Eun-woo scolded herself for being frightened in her opinion. In addition, seeing Selena dressed so beautifully next to her and looking around, no matter how much she thought about it, she thought she was too much of a match for the Crown prince, Ikshi
"In fact, I didn't tell you because I thought Miss would be burdened, but I'm not used to this kind of place. In particular, I was stirred in case I made a mistake and embarrassed at Miss when I was invited to such a big place. That's why I refused when you invited me to your VIP room at first
Selena hesitated as if she was a little shy, expressing the situation. Eun-woo felt her heart moved by her honest confessio
"...It's the same for me that I'm not used to such a big place. In fact, I've been sick since I was young, so I had a lot of minor illnesses. Therefore, I didn't have many opportunities to attend this kind of event. I'm relieved that I met a friend who is in a similar situation to me, like you, Miss
Eun-woo and Selena smiled at each othe
While the two were opening the door to their first friendship, Tashian's steps toward Eun-woo were gradually slowing down
'It's a black mask
Even in Tashian's eyes, a black mask stood out. His sharp eyes hovered beside Eleanor, and stared at the man in blue robes stealing his attentio
'What kind of person is he
He was thrilled by the desire to approach Eleanor at any moment and block the man's gaze from the black mask. Tashian just wanted to lock her under his arm and protect her without allowing anyone to look at he
But at that moment, Eleanor's mask with an angel-white feather in her eyes opened her lower lip and was seen smiling brightl
He looked at the scene in awe, as if he had forgotten to mov
Eleanor looked at the woman in the red mask on the other side, and had a shy smile on her face, as if she was having a first meet up with her frien
Tashian recalled the scene and remembered Ikshid's word
〈"Your fault is so great that you didn't know that my sister was lonely.
The words seemed to hit him on his stomac
Tashian stopped his steps towards Eleanor, which was getting delayed even befor
'She may have needed a friend, nothing else
He bitterly walked. Of course, he did not take away his sixth sense of keeping a close eye on the black mas
As soon as he turned away from her, he felt the pain as if his life was being cut off. As if her existence is the force to keep him living on this earth. His body instinctively whipped himself away from her
However, he overcame the pain and took a step at a time. He asked himself a question
'During those countless hours of waiting for her, wasn't this something I should be prepared for
He will give her time, accept everything about her, and provide time to adapt in the worl
However, Tashian could not stop his ominous thoughts extending to the sid
If… If what she needed wasn't tim
What will happen to me the
Tashian closed his eyes tightly. It felt like the ground where he stretched his feet collapsed below. He felt as if the ground was shaking and cracking, and the crimson rays beneath him were opened wide to swallow hi
He recalled the petal-like mask on her white face in an attempt to banish his unlucky thoughts away, and slowly set his body aside in a corner of the hall's pillar, where no one could reach
(TN: Tashian to Ikshid: ╮(╯_╰
Tashian to Eleanor: ♡( ◜‿◝ )♡)