Chapter 84: A Play

"Are you ready?" Ray whispered near Xion’s ear.

The sudden warmth made him shiver slightly. Instinctively, Xion turned his head aside, creating distance between them. He was suddenly reminded of how deeply ingrained his aversion to touch still was.

As long as he wasn’t treating patients, his body remained on high alert. He would instinctively avoid strangers’ touch.. just like now.

Xion had thought he had gotten rid of it. Yet here it was, clawing back to life with full force after that nightmare in Ferni.

He gulped harshly while adjusting the collar of the silken blouse. The clothes were stuffy. Noble clothes were always suffocating, much to his chagrin.

"Yes, I am."

"In an emergency, give me a signal, and I will rush to your side," Ray said in a low voice. This time, he did not deliberately approach him, which Xion appreciated immensely.

As they stepped into the grand banquet hall, a myriad of voices washed over them. The place was gigantic, something much bigger than the cinema hall where he used to watch movies.

The entire hall was decorated with god knows what trinkets. From what Xion understood, if he managed to steal anything from here, he was sure to earn more than he had done by his doing his job.

The crowd of people was separated into smaller groups. People dressed in heavy gowns, feather hats and whatnot were swarming everywhere.

"How lovely is it to see you here, Sir knight captain." A lady in a violet dress bowed which Ray reciprocated with a slight nod.

"Good to see you too, lady Pomferrie."

Xion noticed how strict, utterly devoid of emotions Ray actually looked. Gone was his carefree and teasing smile.

Ah, Xion exhaled lightly. It was Raymond Eldritch, not Ray.

When the lady cast her gaze toward him, Xion stiffened.

"And who might this beauty be?" She asked openly eying Xion from head to toe like some sort of exotic animal at the zoo. Perhaps, in her eyes, he was something to be admired and paraded around like an exotic pet,

Xion had noticed it. It was not just the lady, everyone was glancing in his direction. He knew something like this would happen.

Although he did not have social anxiety, that did not mean he was perfectly fine when so many eyes were staring at him so blatantly!

Every gaze felt like a sharp knife sliding over his clothes, ready to tear them apart and examine what lay beneath.

How appalling...

"This is young master Aijawa. He is the genius advisor of His Grace, the archduke." Ray glanced at Xion from the corner of his eye while carefully avoiding calling the name aloud.

Loud gasps and then more intense eyes. Xion was already feeling tired.

Keep it together, Xion!

"Ah, is that so? Welcome, young master Aijawa! What an unusual name you have, haha..." Lady Pomferrie’s excitement only grew along with her shrill laughter. "It’s a pleasure to meet you!"

Xion smiled reservedly.

Then started the storm of greetings. All of them were handled by Ray. Xion’s deal was to stand there and offer his smile to the speaker.

The plastered smile had turned too fake that it was hurting his cheek muscles now.

"I’ve heard His Grace is looking for a bride, or maybe a groom? What are your thoughts on my nephew, Sir Raymond?"

Another thing Xion had suddenly discovered about this world was that they were very open to homosexuality. In fact, he had seen many nobles flaunting their male lovers just like their female companions.

Wait a minute. Xion frowned slightly. If the archduke is looking for a marriage partner, would that not mean Rael would end up getting a new stepmother or stepfather?

Ray had been replying politely. All of his words were measured until they sounded like a textbook example of how one should tackle irritating people with modesty.

They had managed to keep the people away, but they also had not revealed any important clues!

Should I ask Ray?

His musing was interrupted when the knight lightly tugged at his cuff.

"Huh?"

Ray did not reply. Rather, he motioned with his chin to the direction where a small crowd had already gathered around the newcomers.

If Xion’s guess was not wrong, this was Duke Nocturne and his family. The duke... the leader and the owner of the Vaelis family. He was basically Xion’s master.

"All we need to do is greet him, and then I’ll take you back."

Xion hummed lightly before following Ray like a puppy.

"It is so nice to see you, your grace!"

"Your daughter has grown up so beautifully! Really like her mother."

"How I miss the duchess at such a lovely occasion."

Xion almost rolled his eyes. Even without being an actor, he could see through their masks. And the so-called sincere ones? It was impossible to tell whether they were genuine or just the best performers of all.

He patiently waited for their turn to greet.

"I am so excited to know whom the lady Bianca would end up marrying."

They were nothing but meaningless phrases.

The words of the nobles dripped with honey, yet lacked any real object. All of it was fake, and cold.

It was not a masquerade ball, but there still did not seem to be much difference. Everyone was wearing and changing their masks so rapidly that Xion felt his head swarming just by looking at them.

Ironically, he himself was no exception to that. His own smiling mask was feeling frosty.

"You will see a wonderful play." Rael had said something along those lines in the carriage. At that time, Xion didn’t understand, but now, he knew.

It indeed was a play. A poorly orchestrated one at that.

"My beloved son!" A loud voice boomed.

Suddenly, the cloth around Xion’s throat felt unbearably tight.

Just one call was enough to put him on the spot. There, right beside the Duke, was his dear father, who had been hidden in the crowd until now.

Roberto Vaelis waved his hand with a very warm smile. A smile that felt like thorny vines, wrapping around his legs and pulling him toward the center of the stage.

The only comfort was the knight who was right beside him.

"Come and greet Duke Nocturne! His grace wanted to meet you."

Lies. More and more lies.

Xion finally got the chance to look at the old Duke. Claude Nocturne.

Unlike Rael’s father, who oozed a scary kind of charm, the whole Nocturne family, dressed in dazzling attires, appeared sinister.

The Duke’s skin bore the marks of age, yet his aura and still-handsome face hinted at the majesty he must have commanded in his prime.

Around him were three impeccably dressed men, each distinctively handsome in his own way.

The two on the left were a contrast. One exuded mischief while the other was wrapped in quiet reserve, like a carefully poised blade.

They all had skin paler than a normal human and one of them even had sharp pointed fangs.

If it was not for the fact that this was not that type of supernatural world, Xion might have declared him vampire.

There were perfect smiles plastered on their faces as they spoke with feigned generosity.

To others, they would have come off as benevolent, perhaps even great leaders. But not to him.

His gaze lingered on the man standing to the Duke’s right. That fiery red hair, so vivid, so familiar that they stirred something deep within him. They triggered a dusty memory locked in his mind.

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