Alma 57 An Easy Job

"For the fifth time, yes, Reed. You have to wear it, there are rules that have to be followed and this is one of them. Formal attire for a formal event. If you mess up your suit, I'll end you," said Violett.

"And if she doesn't finish the job, I will. So you better not try anything funny, Reed. I'm always watching," said Lu'um as she coldly gazed at Reed like an unruly insect.

The ride to the ball in Violett's personal hovercraft was an unpleasant one, to say the least. Confined on both sides by a well-dressed beauty, Reed had nowhere to run, or hide…

Lu'um and Violett's eyes gleamed mysteriously as they stared at each other, communicating in code. It was an alliance between ladies that transcended eons of history and culture; both space and time.

Never let your prey escape.

Chase him down until he breaks.

Sisters who hunt together, die together.

Establish your territory and maintain it. Assert dominance.

They both knew what was to come and had decided to join forces in order to defend their prize. Hyenas would show up to this feast and their golden lamb was what they've all come for, of course.

Needless to say, Reed did not approve of what had happened prior to their departure. Endless measurements. Hairstyling. Wardrobe selection. Henpecking by his two wardens. It only ended after they were satisfied.

He'd been subjected to the harsh cruelties of noblehood, or so he thought. It went without saying that he considered the entire experience revolting and a violation of his rights in some form.

Treating me a goddamned dress-up doll for the better part of the day. Who do these broads think they are, my masters? I'm Lord Evergreen, dammit!

"They might as well be, boy. Be a good boy and listen to the wise words of your betters. You might even learn something from them," whispered Lacrima in a condescending tone.

I should have left you at home, locked in an old closet. I'll remember this. Just you wait, you no-good rag.

Unbeknownst to the two wardens beside him, a stowaway had been brought along in secret. Reed's suit jacket had an unnatural aura around it that only he could detect due to his connection with it.

The defective cloak had evolved. An astonishing feat.

[What? LACRIMA is evolving!]

[Congratulations! Your LACRIMA evolved into a SUIT JACKET!]

Some would call it an omission of the truth, but Reed preferred to call it an unnecessary detail. He was sure that no one would ever find out about his hidden guest unless something godawful happened in the coming hours. And if Reed was truly honest with himself, he felt naked without his trusty source of awful advice.

If he knew what the wrong course of action was, it became infinitely easier to extrapolate what the correct course was. Of course, hearing this would likely infuriate Lacrima to hell and back, so Reed never disclosed that bit information, even as a stray thought.

He considered that… an unnecessary detail, after all.

Reed secretly thanked the hooded man from the bottom of his heart for the gracious technique he'd given him, The Aria of Dreamer. It was a convenient, elegant technique that he would have never thought possible to create.

It allowed for one to hide their conscious, waking thoughts under the blanket of obscurity that was the labyrinth of a person's subconscious. It was akin to encrypting a message with an unknowable cipher that not even the user knew of.

In death, let there be dreams. Hidden, obscured dreams that only the dreamer can envision. The Lady of Fate's song will guide you.

This is the safeguard of your soul… and mine.

The guy was a bit cryptic at times, but Reed had grown accustomed to it. It was a skill that he'd been unintentionally working on anyways, thanks to a pair of certain girls.

"We're here. Look, that's the place," said Violett pointing at the distant mansion afar. It looked more like a palace of old, like the architecture that belonged in Citlai.

Except it seemed like more a replica than the real thing, to be honest. It looked like someone had made an academic guess of what a genuine Mulian palace might've appeared in the ancient past.

Atop a snowy peak, no less. What kind of idiot would put their home somewhere so unforgiving?

"It's very, um, unique in design, I suppose. Is the owner of the mansion a scholar, or just an extreme fan of Ancient Mulian architecture?"

Lu'um had a small smile on her face as she gazed at the mansion, but her eyes told Reed enough about what she thought of the building.

When the hovercraft finally arrived at the peak of the mountain, it passed through an invisible dome of Anima. Reed detected the barrier and said, "What is it for? Why even put a barrier out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"To deter thieves, assassins, or spies that might have been sent here. Not that a veteran in the Underground would be deterred by this, though. It's standard practice to put some form of protection on something valuable, right?"

"The Underground?"

"The criminal underworld that exists across the continent. It is ruled by the Three Hounds and their respective organizations. Not that they'd ever show their mangy faces here, given which family owns this manor."

"Who?"

"Mhm? Didn't I tell you? This event has been set up by the Dragoncrest family," said Violett nonchalantly. "I thought that girl would have messaged you about it."

"Oh."

I haven't gotten any messages from Astrid about this. Sebastian, too, if I count him as part of the family…

Not that I've been a very attentive friend, to begin with… I've barely been keeping up with everyone else over the last couple of months.

...…Am I a bad friend? Goddammit.

First impressions went as well as Reed expected when he walked into the extravagant ballroom with two stunning beauties on either side of him. An incredibly effective method to catch the attention of everyone in the room, suffice to say.

A sweet, enchanting voice announced to the room, "Her Highness, Princess Violett has arrived along with Lord Evergreen and Lady Evergreen."

Wait, what? Lady Evergreen? But I thought I was…

Reed's stray thoughts were abruptly stopped with two deft pinches on his forearms. He wondered why he even bothered in the first place, given that these two lived on a different dimension than him.

It was then that a familiar figure appeared out of the crowd and approached them with a large smile on her face. She looked nothing like before — it was as if Reed had met a completely different person. In terms of behavior, appearance, and aura, she possessed an air of elegance that could not be bought, stolen, or faked.

Astrid gracefully walked up to the trio and said, "Greetings, Princess Violett. We're honored to have you attend our humble little gathering tonight." She turned to Reed and Lu'um and said, "I am especially delighted to both of you here as well."

It was a type of warm, inviting formality that oozed a frigid hollowness. It was the devil offering you a cursed deal with the biggest smile you've ever seen, as if he had always been your best friend.

Her tone was friendly and respectful but it felt endlessly distant. In a twisted way, it actually accentuated her in a positive way. It complimented her beauty.

A frigid, emotionless beauty — a frozen flower that would never wilt, at the cost of being dead inside. The thorns she had would ensure that no man would ever touch her.

What did the hell happen? I was gone for a bit and this happens? Oh, for fuck's sake… Guess I'll ask the big question first.

"I've missed you as well, Astrid. By the way, where's Sebastian? I can't detect his aura in the manor at all. Did he not come?" said Reed.

Astrid smiled and said, "My brother's currently training in our main household with some of my older brothers and sisters. They're taking good care of him, I can assure you." She gestured to the ballroom and said, "But I wouldn't want to bore you all with my nonsense. Please, make yourselves at home and enjoy everything we have to offer."

Ah, shit. I knew it, I fucking knew it. I knew this wasn't going to be a simple job. Here we go again…

"What will you do, boy? It looks like your little friend has run into some kind of trouble, given her peculiar response.Weren't you going to run back home and hide away again? Or are you going to involve yourself with her business? Hehe..."

"You lied, Violett. You said this was going to be an easy job," said Reed. "I'm going to be charging double for this, you hear me?"

Chapter end