Chapter 1

[Under minor editing.]

EPIGRAPH

"By finally learning how to take the risk, you'll learn love."---Giuseppe Astrid.

Evergreen trees are towering one another. Silhouettes are everywhere amidst the shaft of faint light. Familiar mountains' are standing still on the horizon and upon it, was the moon on the penumbral form.

That was all she sees as she silently watches the night scenery by the window of the moving car.

Her expressionless face tells everything that the public knows about her. She doesn't give meaning to everyone she stumbles upon. She doesn't have a conceit thought about life. Nothing in this world can make her heart falter, or so they thought.

Lost on her thoughts about the bigger things ahead, like how she will crash that party in a second. She hates such an event after all.

From the window, immense steel gates greeted her so as the other visitors with their luxurious cars. She pulled herself out after the car halted in a specific place, finding herself in front of a marble staircase.

Her long raven hair was only entangled to form a bun. Not even a fragment of ornamental stones were arranged on her raven hair. Her crimson red dress touching her feet shimmers with the moon, no one would give a second thought about her, not hiding something. On her hand, is a red-feathered mask matching her dress.

The car moved, heading to the parking lot while she, at her same pose, has been possessively mesmerized by the front courtyard of the Mansion. She looked around, scanning every detail of the so-called prehistoric medieval world of the place. A marble human statue fountain is located in the middle of the courtyard. Stone pavements lead the path instead of modern bricks. Her mesmerized expression was then replaced with an uncertain one when her gaze was locked upon men in black uniform, guards.

"Let's go in." She muffled regardless of every uncertainty that her mind yells at her. She wore her disguise and took a step forward.

Alone, she started strolling upon the wide, white, and unstained marble staircase. Her left palm was trailing the cold concrete banister while her other hand was pulling up a part of her dress for her to walk with haste. She reached the entrance leading to a hallway.

Golden lamps on the white wall lit her way towards an open door inviting her to enter. Myths were engraved in it, such good hands that flaws aren't visible but she managed to. Such imperfection, she can see them in her naked eye. She passed through the door, finding herself atop of two wooden arched staircases.

The room was filled with laughter, making the room cozy. The floor was patterned like a chessboard with azure and white tiles. A crystal chandelier was placed in the middle of the domed ceiling. Food stands located at the side of the room caught her eyes rather than the various expensive clothes of the other visitors.

She almost took a step down the staircase when she was stopped by a man in black, proudly calling himself as the Presenter. An old tradition used by the royal court to present guests to the royalties on a ball, which made their masks useless in this event.

"I would be delighted to know your name for the other guests." He formally stated to her.

"Oh, my name?" she gave him a confused look but then it turned into a smirk. She is quite popular but her influence and presence was never a good omen. "It's Grey Everfrost." She introduced.

The presenter inhales, so deep that it could produce a loud and clear sound, but never a scream.

"Grey Everfrost, daughter of Lander Luke Everfrost." The presenter stated, catching everyone's attention. The room was put into a freeze only to hear the footsteps of a young lady as she sauntered down the stairs. After a minute of silence, the room burst with more murmurs than laughter.

"Lander's only daughter, ey?" A bystander in black whispered to his companions.

"His Company was once suspected of multiple murder but it was never proven." Informs by a man next to him. 

"Making the case closed even though the culprit was not caught!" The bystander and his companion glanced back to the red-dressed lady walking down the wooden stairs far beside them.

"Curse this dress." she spat as she goes down in a rush.

Alas, she's so close to the floor when her sandal suddenly slipped from the stair. Her body flew up, not-so-ready to sense the hard touch of the stairs on her back. Unexpectedly, hands then slipped to her back and under her knees, catching her completely off the air to a safe landing. Gladly for them, it did not take much attention.

She glanced at the person behind the declination of her fall where she immediately meets his mysterious gaze. His face was all covered with a simple white mask. His greyish-black orbs met her tormenting black ones.

His blonde hair with a formal cut is making him look like a gentleman. Silence enveloped them, never mind the noisy crowd that doesn't have interests in watching them standing in the same position for like hours, maybe, only until then, realization struck them. They immediately straighten themselves up and brush their clothes due to the impulsive awkwardness.

"Thanks!" She childishly exclaimed, and run onto the food stand. Her coping ability was so fast, leaving the guy speechless.

"You're welcome?" He muffled, scratching his nape while trailing his gaze to the running lady.

Shawn Darwin, the Master of the Mansion, finally arrived at the scene, greeted everyone a pleasant evening. Then the musicians, playing a soft, fine, piece of music, possessing guests for a dance.

"Oh, they haven't told me about having a partner in the invitation." She sighed. Sitting alone on one of the tables beside the ballroom." but that's not why I came here." She said to herself and took another sigh. Little did she know, someone has been eyeing on her for too long.

"Um, Hi!" An average man in his caramel formal suit, trying to attain his confidence is now standing beside her. She glanced at whom she doesn't know her entire life if he won't take off his simple white mask.

'He looks familiar' she thought as she watched him lending his right hand.

"Would you mind?" He generally requested and bowed down to her, indicating for a dance.

"What? Am I indebted to you?" she gave him a dense look but he only chuckled upon her unrelated reply.

"How about a dance?" He finally asked in detail while meeting her gaze. Gray, seemingly to remember now, where she had seen that greyish-black orbs.

"You're the guy..." she mumbled with a streak of realization. She lent her hand to his soft palm accepting a dance. He led her to the ballroom and slid his left hand on her back while the other hand is holding hers.

She felt a chill in her spine, controlling her uncomfortable feeling from his touch for as far as she can remember, this is her first dance. Grey then raised her right hand up to his shoulder and rested it there.

"You are Grey Everfrost, right?" Even though he's wearing a mask, she could feel him sneering at her.

Why?

"Yes, and you are?" She asked with a smile.

"Of course, the name is Rook Darwin." He replied as he swang her in a circular manner.

Grey hasn't spoken up realizing that her partner is the eldest son of the person she'll be ROBBING on tonight. When she finally got to look at him again in the face, she asked.

"Oh, if I'm right, Rook Darwin, the eldest son of Shawn Darwin and Andrea Darwin." Pretending to guess who he was while trying to make her situation less awkward.

"Right again!" He laughed. Unnoticed, he slipped his hand off her waist, grasping something in his pocket that was covered by his greyish-white tuxedo.

Suddenly, all lights have been turned off and everything went black.