Chapter 7 - Grand Ball

As expected, it looked like everyone who had received the invitation had arrived at the castle unless they had died, thought Madeline to herself because there were many people, men and women dressed in dresses and gowns, masks on their faces which made it difficult to know who was who. Not that it made much difference. Still, it would have been nice to meet the people of her village.

Madeline's parents took their own time to look around the castle while she accompanied her sister, who could barely wait to explore and go to the ballroom which was where the celebration of the Hallow was taking place.

Before they even reached the ballroom, they could hear music filling up every part of the castle.

"This is going to be a wonderful night, isn't it!" Beth exclaimed it to her sister as quietly as she could, "The music is so beautiful, yet there's some sadness in there. The castle is magnificent."

"Indeed it is," Madeline agreed, looking at the walls and the pillars that were part of the castle. Some people walked by, talking and laughing with each other. People who knew each other. A lot of men who came to pass by looked at Beth as she stood out with the red dress and stones that caught one's eyes in the long and wide corridor.

"Imagine to live here, Maddie," said Beth looking around without being too obvious, "One would be like a queen."

"There must be a lot of servants to maintain something so big like this castle," Madeline responded. She was sure with the amount they had walked and covered, and this was just little part of the castle.

Beth laughed, hearing this, "Oh, sister. Are you thinking about cleaning the castle?"

A man who was coming in the opposite direction appeared to be of tall, wearing clothes that only the richest of the rich could afford. With half of his face covered by the mask and the other half free, one could tell this man was a handsome one with decent looking features. As he walked by them, his eyes fell on Beth, and he smiled. Beth raised her head, tipping up her chin as if she were the daughter of a Duke or a Lord.

"He was looking at you," Madeline pointed the obvious with a whisper, "Do you think he will ask you to dance later?" it was because the girls were not familiar with the people in here.

"Who knows," Beth replied, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't think he is the King. I wonder how the King looks like," she murmured.

"How do you know he is young? He might be in his fifties or more than that. He doesn't show his face to us," Madeline stated. There were rumours of how he was old and how some said he was young.

They started to head towards the ballroom, and Beth said, "That is because he is the King. He shows it to people who he finds to be worthy."

Two guards stood on either side of the door as they entered the ballroom, which was filled with music and people. The room was lit just enough for one to be able to walk without crashing with another person. Like her sister had mentioned, the music that was placed in one corner of the room was indeed beautiful yet hauntingly sad that could make a person anxious.

Madeline and Beth did meet a person who they knew. It was Mr. Keith who had noticed Beth as he was her admirer.

"Lady Beth, you look beautiful. So do you, Lady Madeline," praised Mr. Keith whose eyes shifted to look at Beth.

"You don't look bad yourself, Sir Keith," Beth gave the man a polite smile, "Did you come alone?" she asked him. Madeline heard Beth and Mr. Keith converse, and she looked around at people who had found the people they knew to speak to.

While the guests were in the ballroom, entering one after another that still left enough space for others who were still getting to the castle, two men stood in the balcony wearing masks. One man stood near the railings of the gallery, looking at the people through the golden mask that covered his eyes,

"We have many people who have gathered in the ballroom," the man commented, and he then turned to ask, "I thought with the minister's words, the castle would have turned to a local market in the Pastical but it looks much better."

"Pity. I was ready to hang him in the scaffold that is in front of the church," said the other male stood with his back and one leg against the wall. Unlike the person who had spoken, this person's face was entirely covered by a silver mask. His black hair was combed back, and his head leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, "Any good meals for the night?" he asked.

"There are some decent looking women. Finer and different."

Hearing the reply, the man who stood against the wall, one side of his lips pulled up behind his mask, and he opened his red coloured eyes.