Epilogue 3. Mask Parade (1)

“Mask Parade!”

“Mask! Pa-rade!”

The children, who had been spinning in small circles as if dancing in place, paused at the calm words of a boy two years their senior.

“They said we couldn’t go.”

At the boy’s words, a child rushed toward him, vigorously shaking her fiery red hair—identical in color to the boy’s—and exclaimed loudly:

“But! Brother!”

“Y-yes. That’s right.”

A fox-eyed child, who had somehow appeared beside the girl and stood close to her, dropped his shoulders in deep disappointment.

The boy lightly tapped both children’s nostrils and smiled brightly, his eyes curved so that his blue irises were hidden.

“If you can just be patient for today, we can go together tomorrow, so be patient for just one day.”

“Today is what matters!”

“Y-yes. The Mask Parade started today, so the first day is the most fun…”

Despite the children’s protests, the boy calmly shook his head.

“It’s not like we only live for today. There will be one next year too, so what’s the rush?”

“Brother, you’re only two years older than me, yet you talk as if you’re 200 years older.”

The boy poked the cheek of the child, whose face was puffy with displeasure, and was about to speak when—

—Knock, knock.

“Young master, the carriage is ready.”

Hearing Sebastian’s voice from beyond the door, the boy thoroughly ruffled the hair of both children before smiling brightly.

“I’ll be back, so try to be patient until then.”

“Wha… what? We won’t do anything!”

The girl pretended to be distracted, rolling her blue eyes, while the fox-eyed child bowed his head.

“Have a good trip.”

“Right. And if this one suggests hiding in shadows to sneak out—”

“Ah, who would do that!”

The girl shouted before the boy could finish, but he was seemingly accustomed to this and paid no attention, instead whispering something to the fox-eyed child.

After the boy departed for the Imperial Palace, the thoroughly annoyed girl puffed her cheeks and huffed before turning to the fox-eyed child.

“What did my brother tell you?”

“Hm?”

“He was whispering to just you earlier. What did he say?”

“He said it’s a secret.”

When the fox-eyed child gave this definitive answer, the girl pouted but didn’t ask further.

Instead, she rolled her eyes, looking around before whispering:

“Let’s sneak out.”

At the sparkling-eyed girl’s words, the fox-eyed child immediately replied:

“We’ll get caught.”

“Ah, of course we’ll get caught.”

The girl crossed her arms and raised her chin with a sulky expression, as if to say ‘why state something so obvious?’

“But we can have fun until then, right? Getting caught is a predetermined future, so let’s enjoy ourselves thoroughly beforehand.”

“Aha!”

The fox-eyed child’s mouth opened as if he had gained great enlightenment from her words, and the girl took his hand and crouched down.

Soon, the two small figures with their foreheads pressed together began whispering, ensuring no one around could hear them.

“Duchess, how about this mask?”

As Becky subtly pushed a dazzlingly ornate mask toward her, Riina smiled slightly and accepted it.

“Isn’t it pretty? This mask…”

Seeing Becky’s eyes sparkle with anticipation as she chattered away, Riina willingly put on the mask.

“It’s so beautiful! It appropriately conceals the Bolshevik symbol, and it’s soooo pretty!”

Clapping her hands excitedly as she adjusted Riina’s attire, Becky soon exhaled briefly and smiled broadly.

“The prepared mask is this one.”

Becky knew that Riina had worn the extraordinarily splendid mask solely for her benefit.

After all, they were going to investigate a series of murders occurring secretly during the Mask Parade period—there was no way she would go out wearing such an eye-catching mask.

Becky produced an extremely ordinary mask, the kind one might see every three seconds while walking down the street.

After removing the extravagant mask and putting on the ordinary one, Riina touched the area around her mouth and paused.

“So this part can be detached.”

“It’s technological progress. Now you can remove just that part to eat or drink while wearing a mask. There, all done.”

“That’s nice.”

In response to Riina’s appreciation as she looked over her attire, Becky answered with a satisfied smile:

“Isn’t it? Even if someone looks at you closely, they’ll only remember a ‘passerby’—an ordinary, common appearance.”

“Yes. I shouldn’t stand out if I’m going to track down, eliminate, or capture a murderer.”

After calmly uttering these chilling words, Riina continued, addressing the empty air:

“The children will go out into the streets. They’re not the type to stay home just because they were told not to go out.”

“I apologize.”

As Becky bowed her head in apparent embarrassment, Riina smiled slightly and shook her head.

“What can we do? My impulsive daughter drags your son around.”

“That boy takes after his father and lacks confidence. He can’t even properly ask for a date on a day like this.”

At Becky’s words, spoken with narrowed eyes of displeasure, the shadow at her feet stirred, but Becky deliberately snorted in contempt.

Those two are still… not much different from when they first met.

Setting aside her idle reflections, Riina added:

“Follow the children and keep them safe. Guide them naturally to a safe place.”

No sooner had Riina’s words to the empty air ended than Becky’s shadow rippled, and Lione gradually appeared, as if diffusing into the air.

“Yes.”

After Lione, who had been glancing awkwardly at Becky, disappeared, Becky swallowed a dejected sigh.

Gesturing toward such a Becky, Riina handed her the extremely ornate mask she had recommended earlier and whispered:

“Today isn’t over yet, so wait just a little longer.”

“Excuse me. Do you have a moment?”

A man wearing a mask that covered his entire face—though not a particularly distinctive one—blocked Riina’s path.

“No.”

She rejected the proposal outright, leaving no room for argument, and continued walking, but the man was persistent.

“If you could spare just a moment.”

“No…”

Before Riina could finish her refusal, the man’s voice changed to a familiar, unforgettable one:

“Riina, do you really have no time?”

“Einar?”

“Yes.”

Only then did she look the man up and down and tilt her head questioningly.

“How did you recognize me? You shouldn’t be able to see anything.”

“Even if I can’t see the tip of your finger, no, even the end of a strand of your hair, I would know.”

“But how?”

“The power of love?”

At Einar’s whisper, tinged with humor, Riina’s eyes, briefly visible through the mask, narrowed.

“Then I must not love you. I could never find you in this crowd if I had to.”

Despite Riina’s dry response, devoid of romance, Einar pressed his lips to her temple—or more precisely, to the mask covering it—and chuckled softly.

“Then I’ll just have to love you more.”

“Einar.”

Though she called his name in a seemingly stern voice, one could tell without seeing that her cheeks had turned bright red.

“How did you really recognize me? If there’s no point in this disguise…”

“No, the disguise is perfect. It’s just that I can tell just by the way you walk. People have their own unique gaits. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you.”

As Riina stared at Einar, who was calmly saying something preposterous, she slowly nodded.

“In that case, I can assume no one else will recognize me.”

“And sometimes there’s that distinctive gesture you make…”

“All right, that’s enough.”

Riina silenced Einar as he began listing things that one could only know after genuinely caring about someone and observing them for a long time. She swallowed a sigh, grateful that her now-crimson face wasn’t visible.

And as if reading her thoughts, Einar reached out and removed the lower part of Riina’s mask.

As the cool outside air suddenly touched her skin, Riina shivered slightly and was about to say something when—

—Smooch.

With an explicit sound, he took her breath away.

Once, and then once more.

Einar pressed his lips to Riina’s again and again.

As the kiss gradually became deeper and longer, Riina firmly pushed against Einar’s shoulders.

At this silent request to stop, Einar withdrew, though he couldn’t hide his reluctance.

Noticing his demeanor, Riina smiled slightly as she put the lower part of the mask back on.

Extending her hand toward Einar, she personally reattached the lower part of his mask as well, whispering:

“When today’s work is successfully completed.”

Cutting off her words at precisely the point to leave him in suspense, Einar took her hand, interlacing their fingers, and asked:

“When it’s completed?”

But Riina didn’t answer and instead asked something else:

“What did the Crown Prince say?”

Einar likewise didn’t press for the rest of her statement, deciding to leave it as a pleasure for tonight, and readily shared what had happened at the palace.

One hour before the Mask Parade began.

Visiting the Crown Prince’s palace, Einar ruffled Sierre’s hair—which had grown significantly taller—as he always did.

As usual, Sierre didn’t push his hand away and simply smiled like a child.

After their brief reunion, the two brothers sat facing each other across a massive desk.

‘On a day like today, the reason you summoned me to the palace must be because of him, right?’