Chapter 92 Masquerade Ball.

"Count, Madam Erlina's carriage has arrived..." a servant said, bowing his head at Rasmus. Rasmus nodded as he looked at himself in the mirror in the new outfit that Erlina had picked for him. It was a black tailcoat with gold rose embroidery, and he wore a crimson red one-shoulder cape over his left shoulder with the same golf embroidery. He looked down at his black slim-fit trousers and shiny black loafers. "Count, this is the mask..." A maid came in and offered the mask inside a box. Rasmus glanced at the full mask made of silver and porcelain with red lips. He carefully grabbed the mask and put it on which fit perfectly on his face shape since it was custom-made. The maid began to tie it to his head neatly as he looked in the mirror and all he could see was his grayish blue eyes underneath the mask. "Thank you," Rasmus looked at the maid, his voice muffled because of the mask. The maid smiled gently as she bowed her head before she left the room. Rasmus fixed his attire for one last time before he left his room and went outside. He looked at the shiny black carriage with black horses which looked so elegant. The coachman opened the door for him and when he looked up, he saw Erlina was in a black flowy dress with a gap that revealed her left leg and a bit of her cleavage, her pale white skin made her look so gorgeous in that dress. She wore a silver full mask that covered her face that matched him, but she had black feathers around it that gave her a mane of feathers. "My, you look... menacingly charming," Erlina offered her hand to Rasmus. "And you're charmingly menacing," Rasmus responded as he took Erlina's hand and got into the carriage. "What's the point of your compliment when you're not interested in me," Erlina said, her voice and eyes were cold. "You really know how to make people have mixed feelings, don't you?" Rasmus asked as he crossed his legs. Although Erlina couldn't see his face, she could tell that he was smiling beneath the mask. "And who's fault is that?" Erlina asked and crossed her arms. Rasmus could tell that she was smirking beneath the mask. "Enough of that. There are things that I want you to remember, so listen to me carefully," she said as she pointed her folded fan at him. Rasmus nodded as he leaned back and stared into Erlina's eyes. "First, I need you to keep me safe. Second, you listen to me and make sure you don't converse with people that I'll point out later. Third, don't make a scene or try to stand out. Fourth, never drink anything that the maids or servants serve. Lastly, don't ever approach or get too close to Marquess Esteban," Erlina stared into Rasmus's eyes with a serious expression. "That's a lot of rules," Rasmus chuckled as he shook his head. "But I don't mind that. I'll behave myself since I'm not planning to stand out in the first place." "Good, now I want you to stay close to me for the rest of the evening. If you need information, just use me and I'll do the talking because they'll know me even with this mask," Erlina said as she leaned back and looked outside the window. Rasmus didn't expect Erlina willingly to be used by him. He didn't complain, but there was something about her that made him a bit suspicious. He wanted to confront her, but he knew that it wasn't his place to do so, and not to mention he already got himself a great opportunity to gain information by using her later. The journey took two hours since the ball was held in the capital city of Cruen. It was a long journey, but the views of the valleys, lakes, and rivers were gorgeous. Once they entered the capital city, Rasmus began to wonder if the Wraiths' organization existed here as well or not. Knowing Cruen was one of the territories that were used a lot during the Great Era, he believed a similar organization existed here. The chance of Marquess Esteban as a part of it was high. "What a beautiful city..." Rasmus muttered as he looked outside the window. The city was separated by small lakes and rivers which was why it had so many bridges. The greenery of the city made it look so calming and comforting. The smell of the water and the soil reached into the carriage, and the sound of crickets, birds, and other bugs made it even better. "Yeah, it is..." Erlina hummed as she looked outside the other window. "But this is nothing compared to the Autumn City, the most beautiful city in South Neva..." she muttered. Rasmus had seen drawings and paintings in a book about Autumn City. The city was surrounded by gigantic trees and the most unbelievable part was there was a tree called the Sacrosanct Tree which was as big and wide as a mountain, and they built buildings on it, including the palace. "We are almost there," Erlina pointed out as she looked down at her dress, checking if there were wrinkles or not. Marquess Esteban's residence was bigger than a football stadium. The grandiose gate, fountains, and gardens surrounding the mansion screamed elegance, wealth, and power. His mansion stood tall in the center with wide and big stairs that led to the front door. "How many people did he invite?" Rasmus looked at dozens of carriages parked on the sides and at least a hundred guests walking up the stairs toward the mansion. "A lot..." Erlina sighed as she fixed her hair. "We are still early, so there will be more guests coming," she pointed out. As soon as their carriage stopped, the coachman opened the door for them. Rasmus walked out of the carriage and offered his hand to Erlina. Her elegant and inappropriate appearance made all the guests know who she was. There were a few hostile gazes toward her and all of them were from female guests. "Now I know why you want me to protect you," Rasmus said as he helped her walk down the carriage. "What did you do to their lovers or spouses?" He asked jokingly with a chuckle. "Men will always be men. It's their fault for being unable to keep their pants on," Erlina answered as she wrapped her arm around Rasmus's right arm. "I'm only facilitating their needs, that's all." Sёarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You speak like a true madam," Rasmus chuckled as he escorted Erlina to the mansion. "Now, where is Carrion? He should be here already since he went ahead first," he looked around at the guests. Erlina didn't answer his question, but her eyes were cold as if she was furious by that. Rasmus could see it in her eyes, but then he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I need my weapon to be sharp and ready to use, so don't waste your time with whatever you have in your head," Rasmus whispered into Erlina's ear. "Let's just enjoy the evening," he tightened his hand around her waist. Erlina looked up at Rasmus and she didn't expect him to be so touchy with her. It was the first time he had done something like that to her and she couldn't hold her excitement. She began to act clingy and placed her hand on his chest as they walked into the mansion. As soon as they entered the mansion, they were welcomed by music and people from all over the place. The scent of jasmine made Rasmus narrow his eyes because he knew exactly what it was being used for. "Now you know why Rion is acting like that now, don't you?" Erlina asked as she looked at the guests being touchy and showing arousal. "This is nothing compared to the secret party they have deep in his mansion." "What kind of party?" Rasmus looked down at Erlina. Erlina then walked toward a quiet area in the mansion, still wrapping her arm around his. "Drugs, sex, and things that I don't want to say with my mouth," Erlina answered as she clenched her fists. "They're the worst of the worst people I have met..." At that moment Rasmus realized that Carrion had become addicted to pleasure and alcohol because of this. Seeing that Erlina knew this place, which meant she had been invited to this party often, and that included Carrion. Seeing how much she was angry and cared about Carrion at the same time, it was enough that she didn't want him to walk the wrong path. "Oh, you guys are finally here, I have been waiting for you two," a familiar voice could be heard from behind them. Erlina turned around with her eyes wide open in disbelief when she saw Carrion. "You're here? You're not going in there?" Erlina asked in a cold tone. Her gaze was sharp and cold toward Carrion. "No, I have decided that I want to change," Carrion answered as he shook his head. "I'm done running away, I want to be someone better," he said and looked at Rasmus. Rasmus stared into Carrion's eyes and gave him a nod of approval. Erlina's eyes softened and lit up a bit when she heard it. Carrion could tell she was smiling beneath the mask, and he responded with a gentle smile and nodded to her.