’I will live, Ardyn. I promise. For both of us.’

Ardyn saw her eyes, wavering and then resolute. He felt her reaching towards him, wincing as his corruption burned at her skin. He heard her voice echo with her love. ’I only ask that you let me rectify this. I know now how, but I will find a way.’

He had scorned her and thrust her away. For her own good or was it for his? It had struck him all the same, and that night he’d found himself drowning in both thoughts and wine alike. Aera was alive. She longed for him, and yet, she knew not what she loved. Should she stay by his side, he would destroy her, and yet…

Ardyn sauntered towards the gates, stopping to consider how they glinted in the moonlight. Aera had received a letter. He knew not who it was from nor did he know their intentions, but he knew that she had come, and that here he would find her. The manor was like red wine -- dark and stately and with a bitter ichor. He tilted his head at the strings of roses and hanging lights. ”My, but how festive.”

A couple pushed past him, and he blinked, letting out a faint ”Oh!” as he back-stepped away. The man was dressed in a pressed suit. The sequined woman at his arm shot him a haughty look. Ardyn blinked back. ”Not quite the welcoming affair,” he said before he turned back to the gate in thought. The couple pulled two letters from their pocket and presented it to the guard. Ardyn shifted his weight, placing his hands on his hips.

”And here I was, uninvited. Well, that’s a mistake that will have to be corrected. Now how shall I…?” His eyes caught on a young man who tilted down the street, clearly under the influence. The man stopped, muttering to himself, as he patted the pockets of his vest for a letter. Ardyn’s smile widened. ”Proceed.”


The man’s name was Henry Cimber. He had been born to a wealthy banker and his poet wife. Their modest fortune had given him a taste for academia though he had squandered his prospects when he’d discovered the local gambling hall at the age of twenty-two. Now he coasted by on his name and good looks alone, hoping to con his way into social networks or perhaps a well-endowed wife.

Ardyn stopped at the polished edge of a streetlight, admiring his reflection and Mr. Cimber’s likeness. He really was quite handsome. Handsome and young and reckless. Ardyn now sported the man’s roguish black hair, his half-groomed stubble, and deep eyes that simmered with heat. Along with his face, he’d taken a ruffled shirt, embroidered vest, and a black velvet mask encrusted with lace with a single onyx gem mounted in its center. Ardyn turned between his fingers before he smirked and placed it carefully at his eyes.

”Now then.” Ardyn returned to the manor path and marched straight to the guard, eyes bright. ”Here you are!” He pressed the letter into the man’s hand and hummed to himself. The man looked him over carefully.

”Henry Cimber?”

”That’s the one.” Ardyn shot him a sly smile. For the slightest moment, the guard hesitated. He must have sensed something slightly amiss, but if he thought anything of it, he didn’t make note. He wasn’t paid enough for such digressions.

”Enjoy the masquerade.”

He handed the letter back, and Ardyn slid it back into his pocket as he swiveled on his heel. The manor stood before him with its oaken gleam. The garden path was laced with fairy lights, and inside he heard a clink of glasses and the trill of violins.

His smirk widened. ”Oh, I shall.”


Aera.

It had taken him some time to find her. He’d mingled through the ballroom, watching the dancers twirl and the orchestra play. He’d loitered at the bar, glancing at each face in turn and sipping a glass of wine while he was at it. He’d traversed the library and the sitting room and the entry hall and the garden, and then the crowds had parted and there she was.

She had not taken a costume. No, she sat perched on her stool in her same white dress folded at her waist and tied loosely around her shoulders. She sat hunched where Somnus’ blade had struck her, and for a moment Ardyn felt a touch of heat at the thought. Somnus who had stolen everything from them both. Somnus who had sealed their fate for nothing but greed. Then the moment passed and he heard soft laughter around him. This was a new time, and for the moment, he wore a new face.

For a single night, he could start clean.

She took a sparkling glass in her hand and brought it to her lips. ”This is quite the lavish event. However did we get so lucky as to be able to attend?" She spoke to no one in particular which meant that she spoke to Ardyn just fine. He hesitated, questioning himself for only a moment before he approached and lowered himself into a slight bow, hand extended.

”A lavish event for a lavish woman.” He straightened and smiled, eyes glittering. ”Might I have the pleasure of joining you?”

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