Chapter 160 - Short stories 4.4> (2/2)

He replied, “I should be able to create enough tension and distrust between the emperor and the empress so you can place Yulia in the first wife’s position.”

Two birds with one stone. This gave him the chance to hunt a worthy prey and also help his mother.

‘So how should I do this?’

The first thing he needed to do was to find out her weakness. While he was thinking deeply, a beautiful voice called him.

“Um, Jusepe?”

It was the red-haired Amarince, who called him by one of his many aliases.

The interruption annoyed him. Amarince noticed his anger and apologized nervously.

“I’m sorry, Jusepe. I didn’t mean to disturb your thoughts.”

Then suddenly, Roberto smiled. Looking at Amarince gave him an idea. When he first saw the empress, she was mesmerized by Amarince during the operetta.

He said to the anxious woman kindly, “Now, Amari my dear.”

“Y, yes?”

Amarince still seemed fearful, but she placed herself in his arms.

He whispered sweetly, “There is someone very important who would love to see you.”

Amarince seemed confused. “Someone important? Is it a man?”

“No, a woman.” He hugged the slim woman and murmured, “Now that I think about it, you are about the same size and height as her too.”

“Huh?”

Roberto shook his head. “You need to get ready for the castle masquerade that will take place soon. You are performing that night, right?”

Amarince nodded. “Y, yes. How did you know… Oh, that’s right. Your music will be performed.”

“Yes. Would you like to attend the ball as my date?”

“Me…?”

Amarince was shocked. She remembered their past relationship very well. When they were lovers about five years ago, he abandoned her suddenly without a word.

Roberto said to her sweetly, “Who else would I take to a ball?”

“But Jusepe…”

Roberto shook his head. “No, call me Christian from now on.”

Amarince’s eyes widened. She knew he was now composing under the name of Christian Boceti. If people knew, this would be sensational news, but he didn’t want this fact to be known to the public.

He didn’t seem to mind her calling him Jusepe until now, so why was he changing his mind all of a sudden?

Before she could ask any questions, Jusepe, or Christian, kissed her passionately. Amarince was shocked and nervous, but she still couldn’t push him away. He knew this very well. He knew Amarince could never refuse Jusepe or Christian.

Soon, the room filled with the lovers’ heat.

Agnes murmured in frustration, “I didn’t expect the harvest celebration to start with a masquerade.”

Samantha nodded. “We didn’t get enough notice for this, and… Masquerade? How inappropriate!”

The middle-aged women nodded in agreement, but the young maids looked excited.

One of the new maids, Sylia, who was hired after Elza and Luis left, whispered with a blush, “But the masquerade would be so romantic! The emperor came up with such a wonderful idea.”

Hannah, who was another new maid younger than Sylia, agreed.

“I agree. I heard the emperor Kentius also held masquerades during his reign!”

Different age groups reacted differently to the idea of a masquerade ball. The younger generation loved it as it would be less formal than a regular ball.

In addition, a brand-new operetta was supposed to be showcased during the ball. It was a piece made by the popular composer Christian Boceti, and its title would be “The Masquerade.”

On the other hand, the older generation such as Samantha and Agnes narrowed their eyes at the idea. To hide one’s identity and dance with masked figures were not their idea of a good time.

Except for the two people in the castle, no one knew the real reason behind why the traditional ball was changed to a masquerade.