Chapter 4.1

Time flew by, and soon it was the day of the masquerade ball.

Even though it was a masquerade, Ellie thought flashy clothes wouldn’t be appropriate, so she dressed as neatly as possible.

When she arrived at the villa by carriage, dim lights illuminated the area.

At that moment, someone approached her.

“Are you an attendee of the party?”

“Ah, yes.”

It was a man wearing a white mask that covered half his face.

He handed her a small vial.

“This is a potion to change your hair and eye color.”

“It’s safe, right?”

“Of course.”

Ellie opened the vial.

She hesitated, feeling a little scared, then closed her eyes and drank it all at once.

The man handed her a mirror.

“Please check.”

Looking in the mirror, she saw her hair had turned blonde and her eyes red.

“It really changed……?”

“It lasts for five hours, and you’re free to leave the party whenever you like. Which mask would you like?”

“Um…….”

After a moment’s thought, Ellie chose a red mask similar to her eye color.

The mask was quite ornate, with many decorations, so she was glad she wore a simple dress.

“This way.”

She followed the man.

The entrance to the villa appeared, and the man opened the door.

“Wow……!”

As soon as the door opened, a dazzling chandelier came into view.

It hadn’t looked that big from the outside, but inside, it was quite spacious.

And above all, there were so many people.

With everyone’s faces half-covered, and their hair and eye colors changed, it was impossible to tell who anyone was.

“Please enjoy yourself.”

The door closed behind her.

As a newcomer entered, everyone inside turned to look at her.

Ellie swallowed nervously and opened her fan to cover the other half of her face.

Fortunately, the gathered gazes soon dispersed.

‘Phew…….’

She let out a sigh of relief and moved to the side to assess the atmosphere.

People were laughing and chatting in groups.

Feeling nervous for no reason, she exhaled, when suddenly a stranger’s voice came from beside her.

“Is it your first time?”

“Eek!”

Startled, she barely managed not to scream.

She turned her head, and a man in a black mask was staring at her.

“Y-yes?”

“You seemed nervous.”

“Oh…….”

She felt embarrassed, wondering if it had been that obvious.

Ellie gave an awkward smile and replied,

“It is my first time. Was it that obvious?”

“I’ve been watching you since you came in.”

At that, Ellie rolled her eyes.

Was this flirting?

Was he hitting on me?

As she hesitated, the man smiled and said,

“I don’t mean anything bad, I just wanted to get to know you.”

“Oh…! Well, I’d be happy to make a friend.”

She didn’t put any special meaning into the word ‘friend.’

‘He probably just means being friendly while we’re here.’

Besides, the man was quite a talker.

He had a talent for making even trivial stories interesting.

“Wow, really?”

“Yes. Thinking about it… it still gives me chills.”

The man let out a shallow sigh.

The tenser Ellie had been, the more relaxed she became as they talked.

After chatting for a while, she started to feel thirsty.

As she looked around for something to drink, the man spoke.

“Would champagne be alright?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Please wait a moment.”

He smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

Left alone, Ellie stared blankly in the direction he’d gone.

But then, someone tapped her on the back.

She reflexively turned around to see a very tall man.

“……Who?”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but since you were with someone, I waited.”

“With me?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps because everyone was anonymous, not knowing faces or status, people spoke freely.

‘I’m getting all the attention I’ll ever get in my life tonight.’

The man in front of her stepped closer.

Then, a familiar scent drifted into her nose.

“This perfume…….”

It’s just like the one Feroza uses.

Ellie looked at the man in front of her, flustered.

Now that she thought about it, he was about the same height as Feroza.

‘No way.’

No, it couldn’t be.

Her pupils trembled slightly.

The man saw this and smiled softly.

“They say ‘no way’ is usually right.”

“……Really?”

“Who knows.”

Ellie grabbed the man’s wrist, suspecting he was Feroza.

“Come with me.”

“You’re surprisingly assertive.”

Now that she thought it was Feroza, even his voice sounded similar.

By then, she had completely forgotten about the man who went to get champagne.

As Ellie pulled him along, the man followed obediently.

They left the hall and headed to a secluded garden.

Under a tree, Ellie looked around to make sure no one was there.

After confirming they were alone, she put her hands on her hips and spoke.

“You’re Feroza, aren’t you?”

“I thought calling names was forbidden.”

“But it’s just the two of us now, so be honest.”

When she glared, the man chuckled softly.

Then he took off his mask.

As expected, it was Feroza, just as she’d guessed.

Ellie narrowed her eyes and spoke.

“You told me to go just for this, didn’t you?”

“I happened to get an invitation, too.”

Feroza shrugged.

He reached out and took off her mask.

“Blonde hair and red eyes suit you well.”

Feroza grabbed a handful of her hair and stroked it.

“Uh, well, it only lasts for five hours, so by tomorrow morning it’ll all be gone.”

She glanced at him.

Feroza, instead of his usual sparkling silver hair, now had deep black hair and golden eyes.

But there was one thing she was most curious about.

She stepped closer and asked,

“But how did you know it was me? My hair’s different… and with the mask, you can’t really see my face.”

“I could tell just by your back.”

Feroza answered as if it were obvious.

“How can you tell just by my back? There were plenty of women who looked like me.”

She wasn’t the only blonde at the party.

Her dress wasn’t flashy, so she would’ve blended in with the others.

“Out of all those people, only you stood out to me, Ellie.”

His eyes curved gently.

Then, he grabbed her waist and pulled her close.

In an instant, their lower bodies pressed together, and Feroza’s face appeared right in front of her eyes.

As their eyes met quietly, the atmosphere grew strangely intimate.

He lowered his face, and Ellie naturally closed her eyes.

“Mm…….”

Their lips touched, and through slightly parted lips, a warm tongue slipped in.

Their tongues tangled slowly, making a sticky sound.

Feroza’s hand moved like a snake and grasped her chest.

“Hng……!”

Her body flinched, and she broke the kiss, grabbing his hand.

“Feroza!”

“What is it?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? Th-this is outside, and it’s someone else’s villa!”

Feroza smiled softly and whispered quietly,

“Ellie, listen carefully.”

“What?”

Not understanding, she closed her mouth and focused her ears as he said.

Then, a faint m*an reached her ears.

Ellie’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Feroza.

“That sound…….”

“It’s not common, but you hear it sometimes.”

“……Is this what kind of party this is?”

She had thought it was just a pure masquerade!

Ellie wondered what Countess Maritaine’s intention was in sending invitations to both her and Feroza.

Sensing her thoughts, Feroza spoke.

“It probably means to have one last bit of fun before marriage.”

“No matter what, isn’t this a bit much……?”

Was this really an atmosphere where such things were allowed?

She felt bewildered.

Suddenly, worried that Feroza might have misunderstood, Ellie hurriedly spoke.

“Feroza, I really didn’t know this was that kind of party when I said I’d go.”

“I know.”

“You knew?”

“Yes. The look in your eyes when you wanted to go to the party was… very innocent.”

It felt a bit like he was treating her as a child, which she didn’t like, but at least he hadn’t misunderstood, so she was relieved.

“But other people aren’t like that, so I came with you.”

“You mean that man earlier? He just talked to me.”

“Ellie, aren’t you being a little too innocent?”

Feroza reached out and brushed her fallen hair over her shoulder.

“Ninety-nine percent of the men who come here probably have impure intentions.”

“Oh, um…….”

Was that so? She really hadn’t noticed.

As Ellie rolled her eyes, Feroza bent down and lightly bit her neck.

“Ah!”

“It annoyed me, seeing you chatting happily with another man.”

“That wasn’t my intention, but… anyway, I’m sorry.”

Feroza kissed along her neck, then began kissing her again.

Her body was slowly pushed back until her back met a hard tree.

The kiss grew deeper, and the mood became more heated.

“Ah, wait, wait…….”

Breathless, Ellie gently pushed against Feroza’s shoulder.

She parted her lips and asked in a very small voice,

“Are we really… doing this here?”

“If you don’t want to, we won’t.”

He gazed at her intently.

Ellie swallowed, avoiding his eyes.

Truthfully, kissing Feroza had already made her body burn with heat.

Her lower stomach churned, and she felt a throbbing sensation down there.

She glanced down at where Feroza’s manhood was.

Even in the dim light, it was obvious.

Noticing her gaze, Feroza smirked.

“Just once. I do have some restraint.”