“We greet,your grace,duchess of Baskerville.” the guards bowed,proceeding to push the giant white painted door wide.

Followed behind by Hans.

“Duchess of Baskerville,her grace has arrived!” they announced.

As the door opened its glory,shimmers of dim light crept through the cracks,until it had fully unleashed its true form,inside was rows of cushioned seats that sat before a single lonely dark stage,in the shape of a semi-circle,with wine red curtains that hung from the ceiling enclosing the sides of the stage,on the side of this grand room was balconies that sat along the walls with carved pillars separating each individual balcony,the most noticeable of all was the lone chandelier that strung itself on the high ceiling,Its form in four unique masks,one was of the mask of a jester,mask of a broken human,mask of a weeping man and lastly the mask of a lady laughing,the very eyes of the masks emit light that brightened the gloomy hall.

Instantly all chattery that had been ongoing halted,dozens of nobles flipped their heads over to the entrance,locking their gazes on her grace.

I could feel their gazes linger on me,as if evaluating my worth and status.

Deep rooted fear in my heart had begun its bloom,slowly creeping its way around my mind and heart.

Sweat dripped from my forehead,my head tilted down,staring at the ground. I was frozen in place.

Clenching my hand into a fist,I tried calming myself.

Breath in,breath out,breath in,breath out..

I needed to..blend in.

Taking in one last deep breathe,I looked straight.

There sure were ton's of people..

“Stay by my side,remember.” her grace whispered,soft enough to keep others from hearing.

“Alright..” I took glances to my sides.

After that short moment of silence,whispers began to erupt.

All sorts of gossip could be heard..it was..not that foreign to say the least..

“Well..well isn’t it our dear duchess!” a voice cheered from one of the balconies.

I turned and looked towards the source of the voice.

It was a young man,with striking blond hair that shines even in this dark space,jade eyes and chiseled face,both dashing and attractive.

Hans prepared his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Her grace glanced up.

“And if it isn’t the scoundrel of Grandor! Rodrick?” she countered back.

Rodrick bursted into laughter.

“Oh dear,oh dear,trying to make me fall under your charm once more?” he grinned.

“Never,never I would,someone as unpleasant as you should fall for your fellow peers.”

“How exciting,I shall be looking forward to that day! But..to show up here,I wonder what must be the reason?” he chuckled.

“Oh? Am I not allowed to enter without reason?” placing her finger on the cheek,tilting her head.

“Of Course you can! My,pardon me!”

“I lay my guess that you came here to enjoy yourself too?” her grace questioned back.

“My lovely grace! How right you are!” he laughed louder.

“Truly a pleasant surprise to have you here,” Rodrick slyly smiled, “I hope you,your grace,enjoy your dear time here with your little partner.” a tone mixed with joy and mockery,glancing at me curiously.

Her grace smiled softly and excused herself,I followed along like a lost and clueless boy.

“Cursed coincidence..” I heard her grace murmur.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Escorted by servants and with Hans at the front,soon we had arrived at the balcony space that we had been granted special access to.

It was spacious,with couches on both sides,the usual long table,seats nearing the edge of the balcony and some other fancy luxuries.

Thud.

The door had closed.

But her grace did not speak,she went towards the edge of the balcony and gazed down,her back facing me.

I was clueless on what to do next,should I sit down? Should I move to her side?

“Crowley,” her grace spoke abruptly,breaking the awkward silence, “do tell me,what someone such as yourself would survive in this den of power thirsty animals?”

“Me..? I..have no clue on anyone here,how could I ever think of an escape?”

“Come,move to my side.” She spoke softly.

I move to her side as per her request.

“Observe these animals,they speak to one another in the mask of a human,waiting for an opportunity to devour them.” her eyes spoke of disgust.

It was true that I was a peasant who knew nothing of nobles and their affairs,but I knew,as one who had been active as a criminal,that power was key in retaining your life,that cunning was your weapon and ruthlessness was a pillar that supported your weapon.

I assumed such laws applied the same for nobles,if not more dominant.

“I..may be a petty criminal,but I'm not naive enough to not know of the dangers of being a noble..especially those high ranking ones..” I scanned the crowd below.

“If given the chance to enter the hierarchy of nobles,would you accept?” her grace looked at me intently,waiting for an answer.

“If such a person like me was given such a sought after offer,I would..turn it down.”

“Truly?” she asked for confirmation,as if amused,placing both arms on the balusters,leaning close. She turned her head to me.

“Truly,your grace.” I softly grinned.

“Milady.” she corrected me.

“Truly,milady.” causing her to slightly chuckle.

“Are all commoners similar to you?”

“Similar to me? Doubtful..I’m an infamous criminal after all,” I sighed, “but if I had to speak of an opinion,I would say no,as I adapt to all sorts of environments and..people.”

“Arrogant are you?”

“No,no..I’m not trying-” Interrupted by her sudden laughter.

“Ease down,mere jokes I played.” patting me on my shoulders.

“Ha..” trying to let out a laugh awkwardly.

The rays of light from the chandelier dimmed,eventually darkness covered every inch.

A sudden rush of light streamed onto the used-to-be gloomy stage.

“Ladies..and gentlemen..! We applaud your desire to enter this humble event,we welcome you with respect and appreciate your entries!” a man dressed in a black and white suit stood in the middle of the stage,paired with a top hat and a smiling mask that veiled his appearance.

“As you all have been prior informed of! This will be an auction,not just any ordinary one! But one that includes dances,drinks and..the hidden ones.” the masked man danced along the stage.

“Now,now! Who,what and where are the masked ones?! Well,well this humble one shall brief on such details,first and foremost! The hidden ones are individuals that are masked,but with..what kind of mask? Only through your perceiving minds shall you know.” placing his finger on his head.

“Any questions? Dear nobles?” he hopped to the edge of the stage,leaning out slightly,his hand cupped ear facing out to the audiences.

Silence,only silence.

“How dull...one last thing,they are everywhere,they are with you,they watch you and they shall pry into you. And that is all...I wish you,nobles,a pleasant night worthy of remembrance.” the masked man cracked one last giggle,the lights flickered and went dark.

“May I ask..your grace?” curiosity brewed in me.

“Ask away.”

“Just..what exactly are the hidden ones?”

“As the names imply,they are hidden but once found by me,per example,they would reward me.”

“How exactly would they reward you?”

“They devote their souls to you,trained skilled knights,assassins,or medics. All varies.”

“Oh..” my thoughts wandered,were they not essentially..slaves?

“But why would-”

“This event is held by the emperor,used to check in on nobles,may it be their health,their activities,their desires.” her gaze turned cold,staring down into the crowd.

“How restricting..” my eyes wandered among the crowds.

“Still will this not benefit nobles?” I asked.

“Both..connections could be made,that is indeed true,but with connections comes annoyances,you would never truly understand the other party nor would you know of their intentions,no relations formed here are pure..only hidden daggers are formed,” she grimaced, “the twist to those hidden ones are that they only serve you for a limited period,ranging from a year to two.”

But that would still benefit nobles,would it not? They still serve you..

I wanted to learn,to ask more but I refrained from doing so.

My guts told me that if I were to continue to learn more,I would be falling into a trap.

The noble world..truly isn’t much different from the outlaws world..eh?

If only the world was as peaceful as a merry town.

I turn my back to the short stone wall,leaning on it.

“How cruel..” I said.

“Truly is.” her grace replied back.

At Least we had something in common?

Not that it eases me the slightest..

“Wa-wait you said this event is held by the emperor..?” my eyes widened.

“Indeed it is."

“Am..I even allowed to step foot in here..?” straightening my back.

“As long as no one figures out.” she smiled.

“You..truly are gonna lead me to my death..” horrified at the thought of being exposed.

“Stay by my side and not speak,then you shall be able to leave here alive.”

I shivered.

She truly was no saint..would I even be able to leave alive? I hope so...if needed,sure as hell would I sacrifice a limb or two just to survive!