Two silver-haired figures weaved through the crowd in the dark event hall like glass threads weaving through black fabric. If anyone were looking down from the ceiling, they would've seen the amusing cat-and-mouse chase as one silver thread rushed towards a separate, crowded golden figure, and the other thread ran after the first.
Yunho kept his eyes locked on Irene like a fox and quickly followed after her. He finally reached the crowd that surrounded the crown prince and accompanying duke. There, he spotted Irene approaching the prince. He blended himself among the crowd and watched as Irene tugged at the prince's sleeve and pulled him away. Yunho's eyes widened. Wasn't this too bold for a first meeting, but then again, she was the female lead after all. With the dark atmosphere and newly introduced masquerade element of the ball, the other people in the crowd didn't seem to notice the prince's absence. Yunho, of course, did and began lurking behind the two.
He didn't intend to stop Irene and Nikolai's first meeting at all, but he had the opportunity to see the start of the female lead and male lead's relationship in real-time. He wasn't going to pass that up. Especially with the dark lights and mask, he didn't have a high chance of being caught, right? (Plus, if the conversation steered too much in the "let's execute Iris" direction, he could hopefully, at the very least, cause a conversation-cutting distraction). And who knows, maybe this would be the best time to ask for forgiveness again (though Yunho was sure this attempt probably wouldn't fare any better than the last).
However, Yunho didn't realize that another person had been watching these events unfold. The Crown Prince being dragged away by the next high priestess, and a third individual tailing behind them.
The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow. He weaved through the crowd, sighing. Just in case, he would see what was happening. It wouldn't do him any good if Nikolai got in danger...even though both the possible "threats" in this scenario looked 55 kg at the very most.
---
Nym murmured under his breath, "How could this happen again?"
He looked around the event hall. How would they find Iris with all these people?
Aris shared Nym's expression. It had already taken off 10 years of her life to look for the young master the last time, and at least then, everyone wasn't wearing masks!?
Rizer's eyebrows further furrowed.
"What do you mean by again?" The older man asked with no mirth in his tone.
He stared straight at the two younger servants, who shared another despairing look. Aris silently vented out her annoyance at Nym's reckless murmuring with her eyes.
Nym gulped. He and Aris had agreed to not let any of the other servants, especially Marella or Rizer, know about the festival incident. But that plan had evidently failed. Aris gave Nym a look that said, "You're the one that slipped up, so you explain."
Nym rubbed the back of his neck and faced the butler.
"So, when we went to the harvest festival..."
---
Yunho watched as Irene dragged the Crown Prince out of the main event hall and into the surrounding court gardens and quietly followed. Eventually, Irene stopped roleplaying as a kid dragging around a less-than-willing dog and paused at a clearing in some rose hedges. Yunho hid behind one of the hedges and eavesdropped through the leaves and branches of the bush. He could still see peeks of what was happening since the hedges weren't completely solid.
The Crown Prince smoothed out his sleeve and looked at the lady in front of him. He raised a golden eyebrow and slightly grinned. He wasn't that mad to be dragged around by Irene. She wasn't unattractive or particularly threatening by any metrics, and with her status as the chosen one, he intended on introducing himself anyway. But Lady Irene taking the initiative meant she had something to say or possibly _something to negotiate_, which was good luck for Nikolai if that was the case. They could have a symbiotic relationship if they could agree on some grounds.
"I assume from your eager first impression that you have something to say to me. Is this true?" The Crown Prince asked. He didn't bother with formalities. It wouldn't benefit either of them to beat around the bush.
Irene smiled at the prince's directness. She paused as if she was thinking about her next words, but her eyes held a flash of sureness.
"Liberate me."
Irene spoke the two words with sharp confidence.
The prince kept an intrigued expression but felt no real surprise. It was common knowledge that the Evastine household did not favor their daughter; even lesser nobles and common folk knew. Seeing how Irene wanted to tell him something, the Crown Prince anticipated that it would concern that aspect.
Nikolai opened his mouth to respond, but to his surprise, Irene continued.
"I know you want to secure your position as Crown Prince. Though you have the most inheritance rights, there's already been meddling in such affairs, right? ... Of course, this lady doesn't mean to offend," Irene said, stunning the Crown Prince.
She continued, "But...wouldn't having the High Priestess's support help your position? It would guarantee the temple's endorsement of your right to inherit the throne."
There was a beat of silence before the Crown Prince nodded. His eyes slightly narrowed, but he had to acknowledge the truth of the lady's words. But he couldn't help but wonder how it became such an open secret. He was only recently made aware of the scheming of his relatives, yet Irene de Evastine already knew...?
"I can't deny any of your statements, but may I ask what you'd be looking for in return?" Nikolai replied, crossing his arms.
Irene smiled, "Like I already said, I want liberation."
She paused and continued, her smile getting ever so slightly wider, "And...for certain people to get what they deserve."
The Crown Prince tilted his head. "So, the rumors are true?"
Irene nodded. "My mother and father were always cold to me and never saw me as their daughter. And my brother, Ir-"
Her words were interrupted by a rustling in the hedges.
---
Yunho's eyes widened from the safety of his obscured spying spot. Who knew with great certainty who those certain people were...and his bets were on Iris being one of them? Yunho inwardly lamented. A slightly selfish thought came to his mind as he looked around. His eyes locked onto a nearby rock and tree. Maybe a diversion would do him some good. He silently cursed whatever forces chose for him to become a villain of all things without even giving him magic or any other "golden finger" to make up for it.
The tree was out of Irene and the Crown Prince's direct line of sight, so if Yunho could throw the rock at it, they wouldn't be able to see it, much less the direction the rock came from. This would hopefully convince them that they weren't alone and cut their discussion short. Yunho didn't think that he'd interfere with this event at all, but he couldn't allow the speedrunning of his exile. This was his chance for an actual healthy life. Though the original Iris wasn't a moral upstander by any metrics, Yunho has tried his best to turn his reputation around with the time he had. Right now, a little selfishness wouldn't hurt. He was just buying himself some more time.
Yunho reached down and picked up the rock before fixing his arm back to throw. Right when he was about to follow through, Yunho felt a large hand on his wrist, pulling him back. He slowly looked up, his body stiff.
Red eyes looked down on him.
----
The Grand Duke listlessly spectated the scene of the next high priestess and the Crown Prince talking as the third figure crept on them from a distance away. Dorian was sitting on a hedge away from the group of people, not to be seen, but he still maintained a vantage point, allowing him to see everything. His eyes were a strong suit of his, so he was able to notice the changes in the Crown Prince's body language from far away.
The Duke raised an eyebrow. It looked like he was having an important discussion. But that didn't mean any danger, so Dorian didn't really care. He could always ask or investigate, whichever was easier, later if he wanted to.
"Since when did I become Nikolai's bodyguard? He can protect himself..." Dorian quietly. He felt as if he was wasting his time, but it would really do him no good if the Crown Prince got in danger. Especially with the inheritance to the throne up in the air, the prince was likely to be targeted, and Dorian would also be at risk if the Crown Prince failed to succeed his father.
The other princes already saw him as a rabid dog. They wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him if they got ahold of the throne.
The Duke's attention turned to the spying figure. He still couldn't narrow down the reason they had followed. Maybe they were a jealous person who thought they had a chance with the Lady de Evastine or the Crown Prince, or just a nosy partygoer, but there was still a chance that they could be a threat.
Just as the Duke thought this, he saw the figure pick up a rock and prepare to throw it. It didn't seem like it was towards the next high priestess or Nikolai, but it could still be a part of a greater scheme.
Dorian jumped off the hedge and maneuvered his way to the figure at lightning-quick speed. There was a reason he was the general of the Lucivia Kingdom; no one could compare to his combat and stamina skills. He quickly closed the distance and snuck behind them.
Right as they were about to throw, Dorian grabbed their raised arm and pulled them back.
Closer, Dorian could see that this "possible threat' was a slim male, and even with a masquerade mask, the Northern Grand Duke could feel the wide gaze on him. His arm slightly shook from under his grip, and his silver hair caught the moonlight. Silver hair...such a rare trait was only seen in nobles, and silver was specifically concentrated in the Evastine bloodline. So this was the infamous Iris de Evastine?
----
"Holy hell, where did he come from, and how bad does this look from his POV?" Yunho inwardly cried out to himself. His eyes felt drawn into the intense red eyes that looked down on him. Red eyes were a feature of those with royal blood; paired with the man's dark hair, Yunho already knew who this was: Dorian Izak Aeris, the Northern Grand Duke!
But wasn't he still in the event hall? Yunho suddenly felt stupid. Why wouldn't the Grand Duke follow the Crown Prince if he was randomly dragged away? They were close allies and blood cousins. Now, he was on the verge of causing a misunderstanding and making another powerful enemy. One Irene was already enough, thank you!
The Grand Duke had a stern expression and seemed to open his mouth to say something, but Yunho could hear the conversation between the Crown Prince and Irene hitch. Any more noise would definitely draw, if not one, both of them over here, and Yunho had just wanted to create a diversion, not get caught.
The Northern Grand Duke looked down on him: "What do you—"
Without thinking, Yunho covered his hand over his mouth, shaking his head. He froze as soon as he realized what he had done.
The Grand Duke also seemed shortly stunned by the youth's sudden action.
Yunho could only try to quickly remedy things with a very soft "I can explain later, but please hush for now..." and removed his hands.
The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes but didn't make any further attempt to talk. He just thought to himself as he analyzed Iris.
The youth was already imagining himself being executed, not even exiled, while Irene, the Crown Prince, and now the Grand Duke cheered on. He couldn't have made his fate worse?!
The Grand Duke:
"This thing....isn't he shaking too much like a rabbit? It's him who decided to do suspicious things."
He furrowed his brow, "And doesn't he look familiar, too?"
The Duke suddenly remembered a certain person that tackled him in a village alleyway while accusing him of theft. An ambiguous grin broke out on the man's face, but it held residual annoyance.
Seeing this, Iris silently begged the forces of the world that brought him here, changing his tune from the previous cursing.
"Please at least let my execution not be too painful!"
-----
End of Chapter 21