Seduction At the Masquerade

Previous Event (Incantations of the Heart) | Next Event (A Night's Infatuation)

**Seduction At the Masquerade** was the 33rd story event in Court of Darkness. It started around August 13th, 2022. Guy, Fenn, and Rio were available at the start of the event. Lynt, Toa, and Roy were added a few days later on August 18th, 2022.

## Prologue

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As MC steps into a ballroom, she is amazed at how dazzling it is. She notes how beautifully dressed everyone is and how everyone has their faces half-hidden by masks. MC observes some people chatting with drinking glasses in hand, people dancing, people going around to greet the attendees, and some people sitting down on the sofas. She also notes how there are a lot of people by the food tables and makes a mental note to check it out later. As she gazes at everyone enjoying the masquerade ball, she thinks back on the events that lead up to this ball.

There is then a flashback of MC back at the academy. MC is thinking about how she's going to be travelling to the Isle of Ilinia tomorrow. As part of her social studies, she and 6 of the princes will be staying on the Isle of Ilinia for 3 days. Lou won't be accompanying them this time, so MC hopes that nothing bad will happen. As she's lost in thought, Sherry asks MC what's on her mind. MC says she thinking about her trip to the Isle of Ilinia tomorrow and got a little nervous. She then asks Sherry if she knows what Ilinia is like. Sherry tells MC that the Isle of Ilinia hosts a masquerade every night around this time of year. MC asks if Sherry is talking about a ball where everyone wears masks when she says "masquerade". Sherry says yes. She explains that all the masks are enchanted so that every person's identity remains a mystery all throughout the night. Sherry adds that some even enjoy a romance that lasts for only one night. At the implications of a one night romance, MC's cheeks turn red. Sherry tells MC that there are also people who act a bit bolder compared to how they usually are since no one is aware of who the other person is. She then leans in and whispers to MC that this might be a chance for her to get closer to the person she has a crush on. MC denies that she has a crush on someone. Sherry asks if she's sure about that. MC realizes that Sherry can see straight through her lies. MC tells her that even if she did have someone she had a crush on, she wouldn't know who it is since everyone is wearing masks. Sherry says that MC will be able to recognize them if that person is dear to her. She adds that even the smallest details might give them away. MC says she isn't sure about that. She feels like she won't be able to easily see through people's disguises especially when she's only a C Rank and magic is involved. Sherry tells her that this is a good opportunity for her to enjoy being a woman of mystery for the night. She winks and tells MC that since MC can't tell who he is, then he won't be able to tell who she is either.

Returning back to the present, MC still feels nervous even with Sherry's encouragement. As she's sighing to herself, a man is peering into her face. MC is surprised at how close the man's face was to her own. A Masked Fenn asks why she's sighing and if that's a sign that she came to the masquerade alone tonight. The Masked Fenn then asks if she would like to dance with him and promises that she'll have a good time. MC apologizes and says she's not much of a dancer. Then, another voice addresses her from behind. The voice belongs to a Masked Toa who asks her if she had dropped the earring that he's currently holding in his hand. MC says it does belong to her and wonders when she dropped it. She starts to thank him, but he disappears into the crowd before she finishes talking. As she's reattaching her earring and keeping an eye out for the man who just left, she bumps into a Masked Rio. MC notes how both of his hands are full of plates stacked up with a mountain of food. The Masked Rio asks if she's okay and if she got hurt anywhere. MC replies that she's fine and to not worry about it. She continues reassuring him while reaching for a cocktail nearby. Suddenly, a Masked Roy offers her a different cocktail and remarks that this one might better suit her tastes. MC thanks him and remarks that the drink looks lovely. She tries it and exclaims that it's delicious. MC describes it as refreshingly sweet and citrusy. The Masked Roy is relieved to hear that and says he hopes they meet again.

MC calls out for him to wait, but she then feels someone looking at her. She glances around and sees a Masked Guy standing by the wall locking eyes with her. MC wonders who that man is and feels like he was staring at her. She quickly looks away, but is curious to see if he's still looking at her. So, she glances back and sees that he's still staring at her. MC wonders if that man knows who she is. As her heart begins to race, a Masked Lynt drifts into her view. The Masked Lynt asks if she's by herself tonight. MC says she is. She tells him that there's so many people that she's not sure what to do. He says "I see" and then tells her to sit down if she starts to feel tired. The Masked Lynt then walks over to the sofas after giving her that advice. Afterwards, she is approached by many other people who invite her to join their conversations. All of these conversations quickly makes her tired. She then marvels about the power of magic as she really can't tell who everyone is with the enchanted masks. However, she does feel uneasy not knowing who anyone is. She wishes that she could at least recognize the person she has a crush on. MC then decides to go searching for that person. As she turns around, she bumps into a couple who are in the middle of dancing. Due to the impact, she starts falling backwards, but a strong pair of arms catches her from behind. As she looks up to thank the person who caught her, she sees the man she was looking for.

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## Routes

### Lynt Akedia

Masked Lynt helps MC when she bumps into him. He asks if she's tired. She tells him she's more confused than tired and a bit on edge since she feels like she's in a room full of strangers. Lynt suggests the two of them take a seat on a bench in the hallway. MC agrees. She also learns that Masked Lynt finds the ball tiring and doesn't seem to want to be there at all. She reasons that him wanting to leave was the reason he asked her to sit with him outside the ballroom.

Masked Guy approaches and asks the two if they're at the party together. MC says no, and Masked Guy pulls her to her feet demanding she dance with him. She doesn't like how straightforward he's being, but notes that he's pulling her more gently than how it looks on the outside. Masked Lynt puts a hand on MC's arm and tells Masked Guy to stop because she doesn't like what he's doing. Masked Guy doesn't let up and argues that she isn't Masked Lynt's woman. Masked Lynt counters that she doesn't belong to Masked Guy either. The situation is tense until Masked Rio resolves the situation. He offers the plate of food in his hands to MC as a way to make her feel better. Before Masked Lynt and MC part ways, he asks if she'll dance with him the next day. She says yes.

The next day, MC bumps into Rio in the hall. He asked if she enjoyed the party last night, and she says she felt uneasy since she felt like she was surrounded by strangers. Rio comments that he was hoping to see her at the masquerade. He gets a little embarrassed and tries to justify his reasoning as stemming from platonic feelings. He also tells MC that if she needs help, then she should call on him. Rio then remarks that he'll likely be where the food is. MC sees Lynt later on a settee in the lounge. He asks her to join her in the same way that the Masked Lynt did from the night before. He then lays his head on her lap and asks if it's okay. She says it is. She thinks Lynt's tired because the ball lasted until very early that morning. She asked if he had fun the night before, and he tells her there were too many people. However, Toa would've been mad if he skipped, so he had to attend. MC asks if he's planning on going again tonight. He says he is, and that he's planning on meeting someone. MC feels sad and thinks he must be wanting to meet someone else. She notes that he smells like he was laying outside in the sun.

Later that night, Masked Lynt finds MC. He asks her to dance like they promised the night before. MC agrees and when Masked Lynt pulls her closer, she notices he smells like Lynt. She tries to see his face through the enchanted mask, but can't. Masked Lynt then calls MC by name. He immediately tries to backtrack since they're not supposed to use names at the masquerade. MC thinks Masked Lynt might be Lynt. She remembers him being happy at the thought of dancing with someone at the party, so she asks Masked Lynt if he had already danced with that person. Masked Lynt confirms that he just did. She realizes that Masked Lynt is Lynt. MC gets flustered and excuses herself to get something to drink. She bumps into a Masked Rio where the food and drinks are. She suspects that he might be Rio as she recalls him saying that he'd be where the food is. She thanks him for helping her the night before and he then asks if he can have a moment of her time. MC doesn't want to be rude, but before she can respond a Masked Guy shows up and demands that she be his partner. He says it shouldn't be a problem since she doesn't seem to have a partner. Masked Rio gets between them and tells Masked Guy that he had already told him yesterday to stop being so pushy. Masked Guy bluntly says that he has no business with Masked Rio. Masked Rio responds that Masked MC also has no business with Masked Guy. As they agree that the Masked MC needs to be more forward about what she wants, Masked Lynt walks over. He doesn't want to get into a fight with them, so he calls Guy by his name. When a crowd of people start swarming the Masked Guy, the Masked Lynt takes the Masked MC and makes a quick escape.

Once they've made it to the anterior courtyard, the Masked Lynt apologizes. MC thinks it's because he ran too fast to the point where she's out of breath, but he clarifies it's because he just ran off with her without asking what she wanted first. He removes his mask, tells MC he loves her and says he knew it was her under the mask the whole time. He takes off her mask and he's happy he was right. MC doubts him a little, but Lynt tells her he doesn't lie as it's too much of a bother. He asks if she still thinks he's lying, and she says no. She tells him she's in love with him too and he invites her back to his room.

Once there, Lynt tells her that the other masked person was Rio. He also tells MC that all three of them (him, Rio, and Guy) are in love with her. MC doesn't believe that. She thinks Rio just views her as a friend and Guy just wants her for her power. Lynt tells her she needs to be more aware of how she affects others. He tells her she's fun to be around and comfortable to hold, so it shouldn't be surprising that other people love her. However, Lynt says he wants her all to himself and tells her again that he loves her. She thinks this little bit of possessiveness is cute and tells Lynt she loves him more. The two kiss and spend the night together.