SIX

i hid myself behind one of the many doors, my head peeking out a bit as i stared at the busy alleys of the second floor of the palace.
numerous maids and butlers kept walking back and forth, carrying loads of fancy stuff, shouting at each other,
a sense of tension filling the already thick atmosphere.

«take the glasses at the first floor!»

«the parquet has to shine brighter than your futures!»

«all the guest must wear a mask or else they can't attend to the party!»

this were the sentences that i randomly heard from time to time, mentally slapping myself while trying hard not to laugh at the sight in front of me.
all this mess because of a simple birthday: a cake with burning candles and my dear ones next to me, would be enough to enjoy my prosperous life.

honestly all this exaggeration was unnecessary.

my attention was then caught by a young lady dressed differently than the others, her uniform was way more prettier, just like her.
she was slowly walking towards the hall of the castle, while transporting a big black box from which i could see seven beautiful masks: full of small details, all characterized by seven different colours, perfectly matching the future owners of them.

i could easily tell because i saw a dark red velvet one, immediately associating it with taeyong's room and hair.

i finally decided to close the door, heading towards the glass window and sitting down in front of it:
the bright hot sun was ready to leave his throne to the majestic moon,
a changing of mood,
signaling that the fascinating night was about to rule the rest of the day.

i kept staring at the sight in front of me, various thoughts finding their way to my mind: i thought about my life beyond this marvelous painting and how i would honestly give up on that one, just to stay here forever.

no matter how much i thought about going back to reality, my feet won't move and although this was kind of dangerous for both me and for who lived next to me, i couldn't care less.

everything seemed so perfect here,
a perfection that was obviously an illusion well created by skillful slender hands.
something made for fools to fall in love with, just like me who wants to even spend the rest of my existence in this ethereal place.

a strong hold on my left shoulder suddenly brought me back to reality.
i turned around only to face a shy mark: he came to escort me to the dressing room, he also said that the party would start in a couple of hours.

time to get ready, then.

in a few minutes we made our entrance in the location mentioned before, all the guys — except for lucas, obviously — waiting for us at the center of the allowance.

«good timing guys!
irene, seat here please.»

jaehyun exclaimed, while patting a soft creamy coloured chair placed in front of a giant mirror.

since i was already dressed for the great occasion, the only things left were the make up and the hair.

i slowly sat down while staring at my clear reflection, my eyes fixed on it.

i stayed there still for about an hour, with my eyes closed and hoping that jaehyun wouldn't fuck up everything,
although jungwoo assured me that he was the best in those kinds of things and that a lot of ladies looked up to him whenever they needed help.

«don't open your eyes yet.»

the chocolate brown haired boy said.

i then heard the sound of clapping hands and a name being called

«hyorin!»

some shuffling sounds and after, i felt a soft yet hard material come in contact with the upper part of my face.
i decided to open my eyes, my gaze landing on jaehyun's reflection, who was busy fixing a dark purple mask on my face. sorrounded by small shining crystals and a white feather placed on top of it, in the center, covering a small part of my forehead.

my black hair were perfectly combed in
a particular hair bun, fixed with a very thin dark purple coloured ribbon.
some hair strands falling at the sides of my temples, they were also a bit curled,
giving off an elegant vibe.

beautiful.

«master jaehyun never disappoints his little queens.»

jaehyun whispered in my ear and staring at our image through the mirror.
i slowly mouthed a "i agree." and he smiled, turned towards the maid named hyorin and took something out of the black box she was holding thight.

he grabbed a green veil, decored in the same way as mine and wore it, the other guys following his movements as they wore the accessory as well.

the sharp sound of violins and cellos was suddenly heard, scaring me a bit as i looked at the others trying to understand what was going on

«c'mon guys, it's time to party
let's get it!»

mark happily said while exiting the room along with the guys, who looked excited as well.

i was about to follow them too, but i was stopped by a firm grip.

it was ten's.

he explained that since i was a sort of present, i wasn't going to show up so early. so we decided to still head towards the big hall, but with a slow pace, standing at the upper part of the enormous room.

when we arrived, i saw a countless number of guests all wearing kinky disguises while chatting and drinking with each other.
finally i understood where the delicate, yet sharp sound of the music came from for at the very end of the room they were musicians playing all kinds of instruments with passion and joy.

a few maids were walking around with silver trays full of small appetizers, which looked extremely delicious at first sight.

this scenery went on for about an hour and a half, i was getting a bit bored since i was still standing next to ten, isolated from the rest of the guests.

we then saw mark leaving a lady behind, heading towards the musicians and waving his hand, probably a sign for them to cease the music.

he then took a silver spoon and hit it against his chalice, gaining the attention of the other nobles, who immediately stopped chatting among themselves.
when the boy was finally sure that the hall was silent, he turned towards an handsome lucas, who was surrounded by young women, they're eyes still on him.

he smiled to his friend and started speaking as the other guys came next to him

«happy birthday lucas, i and the guys wish you a long and joyful life.
may the kingdom of lion never depart from you and us!»

mark happily said while lifting up his champagne, the room now filled with applause and whistles.

«we decided to get you a special gift,
a gift you'll never forget.
you can thank us later booger...»

jungwoo said as he winked to the blonde haired guy, that showed a bit of confusion in his face.

when the name of ten was called, anxiety and fear started filling me up, my hands engulfed in white gloves shaking a bit as i moved my gaze from the crowd to ten.
the lavander haired male sweetly smiled at me and tried to calm me down.
he gently grabbed my right hand and walked towards the steps that were going to take us to the hall.

«are you ready?»

he asked me almost whispering.
i slowly nodded mumbling an unheard "yes" and eventually faced the steps in front of me.

we suddenly stopped and after i heard ten shouting something i couldn't really get, maybe because i was too scared or maybe because my thoughts were way louder than his honey like voice.

i then gathered all my courage and raised my face, my dark eyes scanning the flood of people standing at the end of the stairs.

it was at that moment that my eyes finally met yours.

and in that moment you had a gaze, that even after five, ten, twenty years i will never forget.

unedited.