CH extra 5

Masquerade Ball

Being able to say it so plainly and resolutely is the great thing about Maria. Kyrie was relieved because she didn’t feel any regret. Kyrie put her hands together with Maria and put her forehead together.

“I like anything if you’re happy, Maria.”

“That’s what I’m going to say, Kirie.”

The two put their heads together and giggled. Maria soon glanced sideways and whispered coolly.

“If you like it, I’ll support you no matter what you do……. Of course, I should be nice to you before that.”

It was obviously a word to Nathaniel. Naturally, Nathaniel seemed to care nothing about Maria’s attitude. He looked a little ridiculous. Maria didn’t like him very much, but she greeted Nathaniel slightly with the feeling of keeping it because it was polite.

“Thank you for shining my place, sir.”

[Yes ]

That was it. Kyrie smiled helplessly at the attitude of both sides, who showed signs of never wanting to be involved in the future.

“I can’t leave the guests alone.”

“I expected it. It’s night time, so enjoy it.”

“Isn’t it not good to show yourself?”

Maria smiled brightly.

“It’s going to be okay. It’s been a while since you’ve been to the capital city. The room is set up in the mansion, and I want to talk to you more.”

“You must be busy. Will it be okay?”

“It’s not that I can’t give time to a friend I haven’t met in a long time. Have you met the Empress?”

“No, I came right away. I had such an accident that day, so I should be reflecting on myself.”

Maria nodded as if she knew it.

“You came up from the sea, right? We didn’t make an official announcement, but the nobles know everything. I covered it up in the way that the Lord Protector revived the legend.”

“Did they believe that?”

“What if they don’t believe it? We’ve already gone through a lot of unrealistic things, and this kind of unconventionalness has become irrelevant.”

Maria giggled and went away to greet the other guests.

The wedding went smoothly, and Maria was calm and antique like the Duke of OldCiudad throughout the ceremony. Nathaniel seemed to be thinking about something the whole time.

As the evening was ripe, all the guests gathered in the ballroom. The ballroom of the Duke of OldCiudad is the largest ballroom in the capital except for the royal Sel Palace, but now the spacious ballroom was crowded with visitors. Kyrie realized why Maria said “it would be okay.” It was a masquerade when the night party started.

“Your Excellency Legendary Lord and the Lord Protector. The master has prepared separate rooms.”

As the entrance time approached, the maid of OldCiudad approached and informed them. Whether it was told in advance, Nathaniel took a step back.

[Come back. I’m going to get ready, too.]

“Ready?”

Nathaniel saw her off with a smile. Kyrie tilted her head, but left him and followed the maid. Now she was confident that he would not do anything nonsense.

In the separate room, dresses and masks were prepared for her. No one would blame her for wearing like a bum, but Kyrie, who didn’t want to monopolize the attention at her friend’s wedding, quietly changed into a dove-colored dress.

Kyrie magically changed her hair color to brown and quietly entered the ballroom. No one recognized her because of the mask and the change in hair color.

‘Laura said she’s abroad and she’ll be back in a few days, so I don’t have anyone else to meet.’

Kyrie stood near the wall and sipped quietly over the champagne. Sometimes she heard stories about herself or Nathaniel, but it didn’t bother her that much. Some people knew her face, but they didn’t think of approaching and talking to her.

Standing still, she suddenly remembered Nathaniel at the ball. A man who was silent despite all kinds of disturbances being aware of people’s gaze.

‘Was it like this?’

Kyrie, who was lost in thought, realized that the surroundings had become quiet at some point.

‘He must be here.’

She could tell without looking. As Kyrie turned around, Nathaniel was entering the ballroom from afar as expected.

Kyrie let out a moaning sound.

‘Masks are of no use.’

It wasn’t a body to be covered by a mask. The balanced body proportion was more noticeable than expected, so when he wore a mask, his height and body seemed to stand out more.

Unlike usual, the attire was also formal clothing ordered by the royal family for the Lord Legend. Originally, it was magically preserved in the Royal Museum. Kyrie realized that he was a man who used the Royal Museum as a closet.

People swallowed saliva without realizing it.

“That’s… No matter how I look at it…… It’s that person, right?

“Yes. I heard he was dead, but I guess he is not….”

“It’s the legendary lord, really…”….”

“Actually, I don’t think it matters if he is a devil.”

Kyrie laughed in vain. Right.  Nathaniel is Nathaniel, no matter how much he takes care of her with his own hands and quietly drinks tea in the mansion by the sea.  No one can resist coveting him.

Moreover, it was the first time he was dressed up this much. Perhaps because he covered his excessively handsome face with a white mask, his relaxed and heavy steps came more prominent than his face. Nathaniel, who appeared among the people split like low tide, looked around.

‘Will you recognize me?’

It was the moment when Kyrie peeked out of the back of someone’s head with that thought.

His eyes met as if he had been waiting. In an instant, she could see affection soaked in transparent eyes without emotions beyond the mask. Kyrie felt her heart beating a little faster.

Without any hesitation, Nathaniel approached Kyrie and reached out his hand.

[Hello, my lady]

A low voice tickled her ears. She heard some ladies hiccuping. Kyrie smiled involuntarily at the greeting that seemed like a reenactment of one day. She held her hand calmly at first glance, but her heart did not.

(T/N: it means on outside she was calm but her heart wasn’t calm from inside)

It happened to be a waltz. Nathaniel led her to the center of the ballroom.

“A little…Is it serious?”

Kyrie muttered as she got into position. As if passing by, Nathaniel seemed to notice that she was more nervous than usual. Nathaniel bowed his head and whispered in Kyrie’s ear.

[I made a little decision to like someone.]

“If you decide to do it twice, you’ll make someone faint.”

After Kyrie spoke as if she was scolding for no reason, he quietly shut up. When the gloved hands touched his shoulder blade, her spine became stiff in the cold. The song began as it was.

And Kyrie realized again. He really came with a determination.

It was like honey dripping from her eyes. Even though he didn’t say a word, she could see that Nathaniel was looking at her face and thinking that she was pretty here and there, so she felt like her whole body would melt away because she was shy.

The only place she could see was the eyes because of the mask, so his gaze was twice as explicit as usual. Kyrie’s head gradually went down due to goosebumps all over his body.

“Hey…..”

[Yes]

“Your… eyes.”

[Why?]

“… No, it’s not…….”

Far from seeing her strangely, Nathaniel folded his sparkling blue eyes like a piece of the sea and whispered with a smile.

[Pretty.]

She wanted to ask if he was crazy.

At the same time, she understood why he was all evil in the world, why people couldn’t reject him, and why he had no choice but to look back even if he did such a bad thing. To be honest, it seemed that Nathaniel could easily conquer at least one country with his voice.

‘Isn’t this cheating?’

The unusually tight hands were hot and cold, sometimes lukewarm and at the same time unfamiliar. Nathaniel’s fingers gently stroked over the hands held together, and his gaze did not fall from her for a moment. As if he wouldn’t miss it.

“…… to put people in trouble.”

Kyrie bit her lips and murmured as if complaining. She gave up making eye contact. Nathaniel laughed out loud again. He seemed to know that laughing like that sounded very ticklish and racy.

[If that was the case, I’m glad.  I thought that I was never full in both eyes of our Kyrie.]

“Don’t you feel guilty when you say that with that face….”

[I don’t have that.]

“It’s not bragging, sir…….”

[If that’s the case, why didn’t you look this way?]

Nathaniel gave his hand strength and pulled her body slightly. The lower body is closer together.

[Because I came here on purpose.]

At first glance, it sounded like a nagging word. Kyrie hesitated to raise her eyes again, and after the eye contact, she quickly avoided the gaze, her heart trembling. A trembling sigh came out.

“The way you look at the cat is too much..… Isn’t it ticklish?”

Recognizing her tension, Nathaniel grinned and turned around Kyrie.

[Can’t I tickle?]

“It’s not that you can’t…….”

[If it’s not something you can’t do, hold it in. Of course, you’ll endure it more than I do.]

The tip of Kyrie’s ears heated up.  She was no longer able to disguise her coldness on her face.  As Kyrie moved to step on Nathaniel’s foot, Nathaniel leaned her central axis and stepped forward.  The wind broke the waltz line, but no one looked at them strangely.

“Do you know that we’re dancing now? Legendary sir?”

[This is why you don’t run away. I think I worked hard expressing my intentions, but you always…….]