A tall, good-looking usher with an elegant blue mask covering the upper half of his face opened the carriage door and offered Lorelai his large, gloved hand.
The princess disembarked the coach and followed the man directly to the mansion, taking note of everything going on around her.
The royal mansion looked exactly as she rembered it from years ago.
It lood in the moonlight, its towering columns and grand arches veiled in mist, exuding an air of tiless mystery. Flickering lanterns lined the cobblestone path, casting warm amber glows that danced over intricate carvings and gilded doorways.
Inside, the grand ballroom was lit by hundreds of candles, their soft light reflecting off crystal chandeliers and silken tapestries draped across high walls.
Guests moved like shadows, their elaborate gowns and tailored suits swirling in deep, dramatic colors—crimson, erald, midnight blue, obsidian. Each wore an elegant mask, concealing identities behind feathers, jewels, and intricate lace patterns.
So wore pointed beaks or silver filigree wings, others bore glistening horns or delicate butterflies perched above glittering eyes, adding an enchanting eeriness to the scene. The murmurs of conversation mingled with the soft strains of a haunting lody, as if the walls themselves held secrets, watching silently over this night of hidden faces and hushed intrigue.
'Fascinating,' Lorelai thought as she took another look around. 'I cannot recognize anyone. They have all done an amazing job hiding their faces.'
As she slowly moved through the entrance, struggling to keep her posture straight, a large, strong arm suddenly wrapped around her thin waist, while a big, warm hand grasped her wrist in its gloved embrace.
"Good evening, princess. I hope I did not make you wait too long."
Lorelai flinched and tried to withdraw, utterly flustered, but the man beside her only tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer to his own body. His dark brown eyes smiled down at her through the black wolf mask that covered his entire face.
For a brief mont, Lorelai was confused; but the large, strong physique and a subtle, yet painfully familiar aroma of herbal cigars finally made her recognize the man behind the mask.
"King Rhaegar?!"
Although his eye color was clearly altered with magic, there could be no mistaking his real identity—at least not for Lorelai.
The man pressed his index finger against her lips, frowning. "Hey, we are not supposed to use our real nas here. Exposing real identities is not allowed."
The princess was left dumbfounded for a second, but then regained her composure and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I am here to escort you, Your Highness."
His nonchalant response made Lorelai realize what had transpired—the lycan king was the one who lent Count Elion the entrance fee money!
But why would he do sothing so outrageous? There was literally no reason for him to waste his money like that.
"You were the one... Why did you do that?"
The man shrugged his shoulders, smiling lightly. "Apparently, that was the only way I could see you. And I really wanted to see you, princess."
Once again, his brazen response made the princess blush. He never cared to choose his words carefully; he always said whatever was on his mind, and perhaps that was exactly why she could not resist him.
"Are you saying you gave Count Elion ten thousand gold just so that you could see ?"
Rhaegar shrugged again.
"Yes." He was clearly mocking her.
"That is absurd!" Lorelai exclaid, her frustration growing. "If this is a joke to you—a re plan to humiliate , then I won't take it! I will—"
She could not finish her frantic chastising as the king pressed his long finger against her lips once again, cupping her left cheek with his other hand. "Calm down, don't cause a scene. Once Count Elion told about your plan, I couldn't just stand by idly. It was too dangerous for soone like you, and I had no choice but to step in."
Lorelai felt offended by his words. "Soone like ? You clearly have a rather strange perception of , King Rhaegar. I need neither your help nor protection."
The man couldn't help but scoff again. "Maybe not."
Then, he leaned closer to her, their faces almost touching, and locked his dark eyes on hers, his lips curving up. "But are you really that good at gambling, princess?"
His question made Lorelai bite her tongue and turn away, embarrassed.
She was not good at gambling. In fact, tonight would mark her very first attempt at it. However, regardless of her lack of gambling skills, she hated the idea of depending on soone like the lycan king to win.
Watching her inner struggle against his remark, Rhaegar stretched his lips into another arrogant grin. "That answers my question, I guess. I cannot let you gamble all your money and lose everything in the end. Besides, we have a shared goal, don't we?"
Lorelai paused in her tracks, widening her eyes, stunned. "So you know?"
The man nodded and then suddenly stopped as well, his dark eyes scanning the princess from head to toe. "Lorelai," he said her na quietly, his attention focused on her flustered face. "Sothing is wrong..."
"What...?"
The princess was caught off guard by his words again. She thought she had already gotten used to his audacious comnts, but this ti, his voice was too serious to simply brush off.
'Sothing is off,' the man observed silently while the princess continued to look at him, bewildered. 'Her scent... it's different tonight.'
"What is it?" Lorelai finally asked, and Rhaegar blinked himself back to reality.
"Did you," he started, still uncertain, "eat sothing... ugh, never mind."
He brushed his curly brown hair back in frustration, letting out a short, suppressed groan. "Just follow my lead and trust . I will make sure the two of us end this night as winners."
"Alright..." Still uncertain, Lorelai accepted the king's hand again and nodded at him. As if by magic, right at that mont, a tall, slender man dressed in a black costu approached Rhaegar and whispered sothing into his ear, discreetly sliding a small golden card between the fingers of his right hand.
The king nodded, and once the man departed, he looked down at Lorelai and said, "It is about to start. Are you ready, princess?"
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