"Greetings! It has come to my attention that the heir of Grimestone has come of age. Hence, you are to attend the upcoming Spring Ball hosted by the Imperial Family this 7th day of April. This is a mandatory invitation, so you have no choice but to attend. The theme is Masquerade, so you won't have to worry about socializing. You can take this ball as a practice to slowly get used to people. Respectfully, the Emperor, Kyro Slora..."
Yves' face turned sour as he read the whole letter out loud.
His eyes glanced up to Samael, who's smiling like a champ.
"I knew it was a great choice to tell him your age and birthday, fufufu~" Samael mumbled to himself.
"So it was you, fucker!" Yves was the one enrage this time.
In the first place, he's only found out the age because of simple observation! He's seen how humans develop each year!
And the birthday the Duke put on Yves' papers was the same day he first met the guy, 29th of February!
... coincidentally though, it's also his birthday as a deity.
He never celebrated it though, but as a human now... the Grimestone makes sure to celebrates it, even if the 29th is not on the calendar until every four years.
"It isn't so bad now, is it? You should socialize with those your age every once in a while, or just keep your mind off your research," Callista says calmly.
Yves sighs as he placed the invitation on the table.
"It would've been better if they were attending though..." he mumbled to himself and thought of exactly nine children.
For the past few years, he kept asking news about them, and they were all doing fine, but suddenly, seven years ago... all nine of them disappeared.
He didn't know what happened to them, and he stopped looking for them for now. He knows to himself that they're not dead yet, maybe just somewhere? He promised to look for them... but right now, he can't.
He's getting closer... he's close to creating the spell for eternal life.
"....if I attend, then my name will probably be revealed to the world, no?"
Syvestian. He gave his real name to the all nine of them... if his name spreads, will they come out from hiding?
"Probably not, it's a Masquerade Ball after all."
Yves froze. Oh... right.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, until Samael filled the room with laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! YOU WERE NERVOUS FOR NOTHING!"
Yves nearly threw a book at him, but the book was too precious to be treated like some bullet. So instead, he sighs again.
"However, if you want to reveal your name, go ahead. Other than the Grimestone, no one knows of your bare face," Callista commented, and Samael stopped laughing.
"Wait... are you seriously planning to introduce yourself?" Samael asks, and Yves avoided his gaze.
Samael gasps.
"Oh my god.... our son is growing up, Callista!" Samael gave dramatic reactions, like the proud parent that he is.
He's actually proud. Yves having courage to actually go out! He should've just told the Emperor to invite Yves years ago if this is all it takes for him to go out alone!
"The ball is in a week, so we'll call an expert tomorrow for your measurements. Are you alright with that?" Callista asks, Yves simply nodded.
The couple smiled as they glanced at each other. They have one thought.
'Finally...!'
The next few days was busy, not too much.
The whole Grimestone were happy to hear that Yves was finally having courage to leave the house for a party. A PARTY.
Many designer brands came to the manor to give him samples of clothing he'd like to wear at the ball. Of course, his face was revealed to them.
As expected, all those who came fell head over heels for his beauty. Well, he was taken along with a bunch of kidnapped noble children just because he was pretty.
Rumors have spread about his real face being revealed and about his attendance at the Spring Ball this year. Many have decided to come and see who the man was.
He was becoming the main character of the ball without even realizing it.
In the end, he chose to go with a simple royal blue and black suit. Basically, the Grimestone's colors. Samael has the main features of a Grimestone, blue eyes and black hair. Unfortunately, Yves only had black hair.
But the stupid part is…
"Yves… why a blindfold?" Samael asks.
Yes, Syvestian Grimestone is using a thin peace of black cloth as a blindfold, and well, a mask.
"It's a fashion statement," Yves responded with a smile. Samael looked at him with disbelief.
'Didn't he want people to not look at him? He'll get all the attention at this point!' he thought to himself.
"You won't be able to see people clearly," Samael says again.
"That's the whole point of it," Yves sounded completely serious with his answer, and Samael can only sigh.
'Dealing with a mini me is much more tiring than I thought,' Samael thought again.
Today's the day of the ball, the sun had already set and it was almost time for him to head to the castle. Of course, he's not planning on arriving the normal way again.
"How do I look?" Yves asks.
"Like a male prostitute," Samael responded, and he ended up receiving a smack at the back of his head.
"Don't say that, you're such a jerk to your son," Callista says with a pissed expression. She then turned to Yves with a small smile. "You look handsome, but don't take all the girls home, okay?" she teased.
Yves laughed a bit. "I'm not even planning to dance," he replied. "I'll get going now then."
"Have a good time~!" Callista says, and with the snap of his fingers, Yves has disappeared.