In the Duke of Negan's mansion in Empress Borough, a grand ball was being held.
The venue was divided into two parts.
The ground floor hall was reserved for dancing. From there, a staircase led up to the second level, where a gallery circled the hall, allowing nobles who weren't dancing to stand with wine glasses in hand and admire the dancers below.
If a gentleman and lady took a liking to each other, they could descend the stairs hand in hand to join the dancing in the main hall.
Having already danced the opening dance with her father, Audrey stood on the second floor of the ballroom, gazing blankly at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, watching the candles burning upon it.
When she noticed quite a few people nearby itching to approach and invite her to dance, she cleverly slipped away and made her way toward the dining area.
After circling once through the dining area, she spotted Hastur standing in a corner with a tray, leisurely enjoying tonight's delicacies.
'Mr. Hastur seems to have quite the sweet tooth.'
As an observer, Audrey's eyes swept over Hastur's tray and quickly noted his preference for sweets.
The last time, the chocolate cake he recommended really had been delicious.
Carrying her own tray, Audrey walked over and, glancing at the desserts on Hastur's tray, picked up the same ones in the same order.
Then she settled not too far from Hastur and began enjoying tonight's desserts.
As expected of Mr. Hastur's choices, the taste truly was remarkable.
The melt-in-your-mouth, richly flavored desserts instantly won her favor. She knew that as long as she followed Hastur's suggestions when it came to sweets, she would never go wrong.
While savoring the food, she gracefully conversed with nobles who came to greet her, and in between, she used her peripheral vision to carefully observe everyone present.
According to Mr. Hastur, tonight, Rear Admiral of Hurricanes Qilangos was going to infiltrate the ball.
Mr. Hanged Man had once said that Qilangos possessed a Beyonder item called "Creeping Hunger," capable of altering one's appearance and form.
If Qilangos truly came, he must have assumed the identity of some noble.
Audrey hoped to uncover his disguise by noticing some small details. But she found little of worth, instead stumbling upon rather scandalous observations.
For instance, Mrs. Fielder seemed a little too close with Viscount Bohr. Her peach-blossom eyes glowed with warmth and passion, dripping with affection, eyes she certainly did not use when looking at her husband.
Audrey's cheeks flushed slightly. Having grown up in such circles, she naturally understood quite a lot.
Just as she was pondering this, she saw Hastur leave the corner and head up to the second floor of the ballroom.
Could it be that Hastur had already noticed Qilangos's movements?
Gracefully excusing herself from a young noble eager to chat, Audrey set down her tray and returned to the ballroom's second floor.
Not long after arriving, she locked onto a suspicious figure.
Baron Germani. Tonight, he seemed very different from usual. His perfume, his gaze when speaking with others, none of it matched the Baron she knew.
Could this man be Qilangos, transformed through Creeping Hunger?
"Good evening, Baron Germani." Audrey greeted him with a flawless smile.
The Baron, sparse-browed and blue-eyed, returned the greeting with a smile and a bow. "Good evening, Miss Hall. You are the most beautiful and dazzling gem of tonight's ball."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two passed by each other. By then, Audrey was already certain: this "Baron Germani" was none other than Qilangos in disguise!
At that moment, she caught Hastur's gaze from across the hall.
That look seemed to say: Audrey, you're right. He is Qilangos.
Audrey smiled back knowingly. Without a word, the two turned and went their separate ways with perfect tacit understanding.
Audrey wove through the crowd and approached Count Hall, who was chatting with some nobles.
Hastur, meanwhile, went over to Greg, who was drinking and chatting with others.
Audrey drew Count Hall aside, while Hastur called Greg away.
"Hastur, what's the matter tonight?"
"There is. Something very important."
Greg paused, then chuckled. "Don't tell me you're planning to invite Miss Audrey to dance, but lack the courage, so you came to me for advice?"
Hastur shook his head seriously. "I've received word, Rear Admiral of Hurricanes, Qilangos is secretly hiding in Backlund, and he is here at tonight's ball."
"What!" Greg's smile faded, his expression turning grave.
"He should be disguised as Baron Germani. Miss Audrey and I both suspect that he came to assassinate an important figure."
"!!" Greg immediately believed Hastur's words. He sprang up and hurried toward where his father, Duke Negan, was seated.
This was a matter of life and death!
As he neared, he spotted Count Hall. Their eyes met midair, and in that glance they both understood each other. Together, they approached Duke Negan.
Once the matter of Qilangos was handled, Hastur felt much more relaxed and decided to return to the dining area for more food.
Halfway there, he caught sight of Audrey surrounded by an eager crowd.
She smiled at him knowingly, as if saying: Mr. Hastur, I knew you'd come here for the food.
Hastur smiled back, bowing slightly across the crowd, before making his way to the familiar dessert table to select his favorites.
Qilangos' identity had been exposed. His attempt to assassinate Duke Negan had already failed in advance.
As for whether he could escape the ball alive, Hastur found it doubtful.
In recent days, many major incidents had shaken Backlund, causing security here to be significantly reinforced.
Breaking through the defenses, only to die at the hands of Mr. Azik afterward, Qilangos's chances were slim.
Originally, this assassination was merely difficult. Once Audrey exposed his disguise, the difficulty rose to nightmare-level. With Hastur added, it had become hell-level.
If Qilangos knew the truth, he'd probably throw his head back and cry: What virtue or ability do I, Qilangos, possess to be targeted by two prodigies at once?
Hastur chuckled and set aside the idle thought.
After enjoying some food, Audrey finally slipped away from her overly enthusiastic admirers and came to stand beside Hastur. With an air of casualness, she said, "Good evening, Baron Campbell."
"Good evening, Miss Audrey. You are the brightest gem of tonight's ball."
Audrey gave Hastur a deep look. "Just now, Baron Germani praised me in the exact same words."
"…Which only proves that, in everyone's eyes, Miss Audrey is the most radiant pearl of all. That is a universally acknowledged truth, the only truth of this ball."
Audrey chuckled lightly and lowered her voice. "Does Mr. Hastur always sound this exaggerated when praising others?"
"I'm not good at compliments."
"That won't do. Among nobles, flattery is essential. A well-placed compliment pleases both host and guest."
"Miss Audrey seems well-studied in this?"
"I had to be trained in it from childhood. Wasn't it the same for you, Mr. Hastur?"
Hastur thought a moment. "I always failed in that subject as a child."
"Is complimenting others so difficult?"
"Not difficult. Just a bit insincere."
Audrey widened her eyes as if suddenly enlightened, feigning displeasure. "So praising me feels insincere to Mr. Hastur, then?"
"…" Hastur lifted a piece of crème brûlée with his fork. "This dessert is quite good."
Their relaxed chatter quickly drew attention from the surrounding nobles.
One was Backlund's acknowledged brightest jewel. The other, with striking looks and a tall, strong frame, stood apart from many nobles already softening with age.
As more eyes turned toward them, Hastur realized he couldn't quietly enjoy food anymore. Setting down his tray, he bowed slightly, extended a hand, and smiled. "May I have the honor of a dance with Miss Audrey?"
"Of course. It would be my pleasure." Audrey smiled and placed her hand lightly on his arm, gracefully heading with him toward the ballroom floor.
The ballroom glowed with bright candlelight as pairs of nobles danced freely. On the outer edge, a band played elegant music.
Hastur and Audrey's entrance drew many gazes again.
Though Audrey was renowned for her elegance and poise in society, very few truly had the privilege of dancing with her. Most of the time, she politely refused invitations with grace.
Just tonight, many young nobles had already been turned down.
As Hastur and Audrey had only just begun their dance, a sudden gale swept over the ballroom, snuffing out the candles on the crystal chandelier.
Amid the shifting light and shadow, just as all eyes were drawn upward, several thin blades of wind, hidden within the gust, sliced through the metal chains holding the chandelier.
Creaaak!
With a teeth-grinding crash, the massive crystal chandelier plunged straight into the dance floor, shattering with a deafening clang.
But Hastur had already led Audrey gracefully toward the edge of the floor as they danced, untouched by the falling chandelier.
"Has Qilangos made his move?"
Audrey, her right hand still in Hastur's, her left resting on his shoulder, tilted her head up. In the flickering light and shadow, her emerald-green eyes gleamed like a pure gem.