But there was no one outside the door.
Not even the sound of hurried footsteps fleeing.
As the man scanned the hallway with a cold expression, the butler’s voice came from behind him.
“Ah, look at me, making mistakes at my age.”
The butler approached and closed the door.
Click.
The sound of the door shutting echoed through the silent corridor.
Meanwhile, Elsez was hidden just around the corner of the hallway leading to the adjacent corridor.
Her lowered eyes gleamed with an icy intensity.
****
News that the masked man had sent invitations to the Masked Gathering reached Cedric’s ears as well.
“The nobles have received invitations to the Masked Gathering. Your Highness, you weren’t the one who sent them, were you?”
Count Gale delivered the news with a questioning look.
Cedric furrowed his brows. Of course, it wasn’t him.
He swirled the liquor in his glass, lost in thought.
“What exactly is he scheming?”
Rashiel knew the truth—that Cedric was the real mastermind behind opening the dimensional rift and resurrecting the demon god.
If Rashiel, pretending to be the masked man, invited the nobles, Cedric could easily deny any involvement, exposing the invitations as fakes. Rashiel had to know that.
“Is he trying to lure me in?”
After the incident at the abandoned palace the other day, Rashiel’s public reputation had taken an even greater hit.
Cedric hadn’t officially announced Rashiel as the culprit, but the citizens of the empire naturally assumed he was responsible.
His image had been stained for too long in their minds.
In other words, Rashiel was now completely cornered.
“A rat pushed to the edge will bite even a cat.”
Maybe Rashiel planned to kill him at the gathering.
“Should I play along just this once? I was thinking of tying up loose ends anyway.”
The demon god had been successfully resurrected.
And even Cardinal Asteaire had sensed the power he had regained.
Now that his goal had been achieved, it was time to pin all the blame on Rashiel and erase any evidence.
A crown prince who fought against the absolute evil trying to resurrect the demon god—quite the compelling narrative.
“I have to capture him this time.”
Once the prime suspect was in custody, people wouldn’t even bother seeking the truth. They would simply accept him as the culprit.
What mattered to them wasn’t the truth—it was eliminating the immediate source of their fear.
“If I unmask him and expose his identity, even the cardinal’s suspicions will end there.”
Cedric didn’t know Rashiel’s exact intentions, but he wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away.
He had already been racking his brain trying to figure out how to lure Rashiel out of the Magic Tower.
If he missed this chance, who knew when he’d get another opportunity?
“He probably expects me to see through his plan and evacuate the nobles.”
The nobles who received invitations were all Cedric’s allies, those who had sided with his plan.
Rashiel must have assumed Cedric would remove the nobles for their safety and then arrive with full force to capture him.
“But… is that really necessary?”
Cedric tapped his index finger against the glass before abruptly stopping.
Noticing the shift in his demeanor, Count Gale cautiously asked,
“Should I tell the nobles not to attend?”
“No.”
Cedric took a sip of his drink and added,
“Tell them I sent the invitations. Have everyone attend as planned.”
Count Gale blinked in surprise but didn’t question him further. He simply bowed his head.
“As you command.”
With that, Count Gale left the bedroom.
Cedric set down his empty glass, a smirk creeping up one side of his lips.
“If civilians are present, it’ll be even easier to paint Rashiel as a ruthless Magic Tower Master who attacked a theater full of innocent people.”
To the nobles, it would look like Rashiel had ambushed his gathering. To the public, Cedric could claim he had infiltrated the theater after uncovering Rashiel’s plot.
Downing the freshly poured drink in one gulp, Cedric rose from his seat, looking pleased.
Everything was falling perfectly into place.
****
The Selenium Theater was located in the bustling district of the capital.
It wasn’t the largest theater, but its lavish, antique-style interior and private viewing boxes made it the preferred venue for nobles.
Especially in spring, when the flowers bloomed, it was considered one of the best spots for couples—whether lovers or spouses—to go on a date.
However, the reason Selenium Theater had been drawing attention recently was different.
It was because of a play titled Masquerade Ball, currently being performed there.
The play Masquerade Ball followed the story of a man and a woman attending a masked ball and the events that unfolded.
To attend the play, audience members were required to dress up and wear masks, just like the ball attendees in the story.
This allowed spectators to immerse themselves fully, feeling as if they were characters in the play rather than mere viewers.
The nobles of Artes delighted in the unique concept and flocked to the theater to experience it.
“But the ones attending tonight aren’t just here for the play—they’re here for the gathering.”
Watching the masked nobles entering the theater, Elsez glanced at her reflection in the carriage window.
She adjusted her ornate mask and checked the brooch where Reti resided, whispering,
“Reti, let me know if you sense anything suspicious again.”
“Understood.”
With that response, the dark energy flickering within the brooch subsided.
Once she was ready, Elsez approached the theater entrance, where masked doormen greeted her.
“Welcome, my lady. May I see your invitation?”
Normally, theatergoers presented tickets, but this performance stayed true to its theme—even at the entrance, tickets were referred to as invitations.
“They’re really committed to the concept.”
Elsez retrieved a small handbag and pulled out her ticket—one that Tracia had forged.
“To avoid suspicion, they probably didn’t mark the tickets themselves. Instead, they must have bought out all the available ones and distributed them only to their intended guests.”
She waited anxiously for the doorman’s verification.
Though she had prepared an alternative way to sneak in if necessary, she preferred to enter smoothly on the first attempt.
“Confirmed. May you enjoy a beautiful evening at the ball.”
The doorman returned her ticket, and Elsez stepped inside.
The main floor of the Selenium Theater resembled a standard auditorium, while the second and third floors, as well as the side sections of the first floor, had small balcony-style private seating.
These balcony seats were designed to offer nobles a more intimate experience.
Instead of heading to her designated seat, Elsez veered off to the side.
“Rashiel is most likely backstage, in the staff area.”
Behind most theaters, one could typically find offices for staff and waiting rooms for actors.
Inside the theater, clusters of people—couples, friends, and families—chatted casually.
Both the doormen and the audience members appeared to be typical theater staff and guests.
“Some of them… must be like Count Lort—sacrificing innocent people to open the dimensional rift.”
The realization that such wicked individuals looked no different from ordinary people filled her with renewed disgust.
“And among them… there could be people from Asteaire’s side or the crown prince’s faction.”
Everyone was desperate to capture the masked man.
It was entirely possible—no, likely—that they had obtained information about the gathering and infiltrated the event.
“Rashiel must know that too. So why hold the gathering now, of all times?”
After overhearing the conversation between the butler and the man at Rashiel’s mansion, Elsez had returned the next day—only to find Rashiel absent once more.
She still couldn’t be absolutely certain that Rashiel and the masked man were the same person. She hadn’t seen him unmasked.
But everything—the circumstances, the clues—pointed to him.
“I’ll see it for myself. I’ll remove that mask.”
As she headed toward the backstage area, she collided with someone stepping out of a door.
“This area is restricted to authorized personnel only, my lady.”
The man, like the other theatergoers, wore an ornate mask, but his uniform matched that of the doormen at the entrance.
“Damn it. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t check for movement inside…”
Forcing a sheepish smile, Elsez quickly came up with an excuse.
“Ah, no wonder this hallway was empty. I must have gotten lost.”
“May I see your ticket? I will guide you to your seat.”
Behind her mask, Elsez’s expression stiffened. This was getting troublesome.
“…Should I just knock him out?”
The violent thought crossed her mind for a moment, but she dismissed it.
This man might just be a regular theater employee with no connection to the gathering. She couldn’t use force against an innocent person.
“Here you go.”
Elsez handed him her ticket.
“Ah, you’re seated in Section H. Please follow me.”
The man led Elsez to her seat.
When he opened the door, a private balcony was revealed—walls on both sides enclosed the space, while the vast stage on the first floor was fully visible from the front.
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy the performance.”
With a polite bow, the man left the balcony.
Elsez listened to his footsteps fading into the distance, then stood up once more.
“I lost some time, but I can still get backstage—”
She was just about to leave the balcony when—
“Huh?”
All the magical lights illuminating the theater suddenly went out.
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