Tonight, the Manor appeared almost mundane. A renowned pianist was performing the main theme from Swan Lake. Men and women in high fashion mingled, their conversations drifting between business, the stock market, and emerging tech.
Ksenia took a glass of wine from a waiter but didn't drink. She retreated to a sofa in the corner, observing. Even with half-masks, she recognized several prominent faces. The heavy, cloying scent of mixed perfumes became stifling. She turned and headed toward the terrace.
"Miss Ksenia."
The voice came from behind. A tall, masked man stood in her blind spot, seemingly materializing out of the shadows.
"Who are you?"
"The rule here is never to ask for identities." His voice was hauntingly familiar, yet Ksenia couldn't quite place where she had heard it.
"And yet, you know who I am."
"A mask isn't enough to hide such beauty," he complimented smoothly. "Is the ball boring you?"
"Almost everyone is talking about stocks and tech. I'm afraid I know nothing of such things."
"If you wish to know, I could teach you."
Ksenia had no interest in him. She responded with icy indifference, "My apologies, but it's far too cold out here."
She turned back toward the ballroom. Usually, such a dismissal would signal a polite rejection, but the rules of the world apparently didn't apply in the Manor. The man caught up to her, his hand clamping firmly around her right wrist.
The strength, the familiar sensation of being a hunted prey... Ksenia's pupils dilated. It was him. The Dracula from Goth's castle.
One of his hands slid to her waist, while the other moved from her wrist to her fingers, interlacing them with hers in an uninvited, intimate grip. The music shifted abruptly, and suddenly, they were the only ones standing in the center of the dance floor.
"It was you last time," Ksenia said, struggling to keep her voice steady.
"Mmhmm."
"What do you want?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm pursuing you."
"I don't believe we've met in the real world. Why me?"
"The 'real' world?" The man chuckled. "This is the real world. I've seen the news from the theater. I've seen the news about you. I've even seen the news about your boyfriend. You're quite interesting."
Ksenia let out a soft, sharp breath. Now she finally understood why the Bearded Man wanted her to stay in the spotlight. The assassination of Martin Sharon at the theater... it was all a stage set to catch this man's attention.
"Since you know I have a boyfriend, I think this is inappropriate. I love him dearly; I don't want him to suffer."
The man laughed. "If you don't tell him, how will he ever know?"
"What makes you think I won't?"
"Because no one dares speak of what happens within these walls. Miss Ksenia, I assume you've recognized some of the guests. Have you wondered why they travel thousands of miles for a mere party?"
"Why?"
The man brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, staring into her eyes. "Because their weaknesses are held in an iron grip. For instance, your weakness... that you murdered a caretaker at the Khrysto Orphanage."
It was exactly as Ksenia feared. They used 'Special Ones' to induce hallucinations, forcing people to vomit up their darkest fears. She had to play the part.
"How do you know that?" she asked, her eyes wide and innocent, like a small animal that hadn't realized it had stepped into a snare.
"You told me yourself, Miss Ksenia."
He was the one. The man in the Crow mask that day, and the man dressed as Dracula.
"You're the organizer, aren't you?"
"I am. Today's Swan Lake theme—the decor, the music—it was all for you. Whatever you like, the Manor will provide it next time."
Ksenia spun back into his lead. He wasn't using his powers to control her this time, but the nausea rising in her soul only intensified.
"I don't particularly like anything."
Her coldness didn't deter him; it only fueled his competitive streak.
"Is Henry Courtney really that good?"
His left hand tightened on her waist. He didn't seem to realize his own strength until Ksenia gasped in pain. Only then did he loosen his grip.
"Henry is wonderful," she insisted.
"Wonderful how? Don't you find him weak?"
"He isn't weak. He's kind."
"You like kind men? You, of all people, seem to be the antithesis of that word. If Henry knew you were a killer, how do you think he'd look at you then?"
Henry, Henry... Ksenia felt that this dangerous man cared far more about Henry than he did about her.
"Since you know I've killed, aren't you afraid of me?"
The man gave a contemptuous smirk. "On the contrary. I find it... sexy. But Henry? If he knew, I doubt he'd share my view."
The music should have ended, but it slid seamlessly back to the opening bars. By his command, it would not stop until he willed it.
"Sir, my leg is injured. Can we sit for a moment?"
"My apologies." Without warning, he swept Ksenia into his arms. Under the gaze of the elite, he carried her through the corridors and across the gardens.
"Where are you taking me?"
"A surprise."
It was a room filled with gifts—luxury goods of every kind. Ksenia was placed on a massive bed, treated no differently than the expensive trinkets surrounding her. But she had seen enough of this in the Lu family mansion. Even if she couldn't afford them, they didn't impress her.
"I don't like these things. And we aren't nearly intimate enough to be alone in a room." She watched him warily. "We just met. You haven't told me your name, or what this Manor truly is."
"The next time you come, I'll tell you," he replied.
The next time.
"Please, let me go home."
"Do you hate it here that much?"
Ksenia put on a pathetic act. "I'm afraid. Last time, I fell asleep somehow and had two back-to-back nightmares. When I woke up, the place was empty. I think the 'energy' here is bad."
The man laughed out loud. "It's not the energy; it's the Adept's assistance. He can give you nightmares, or he can give you dreams. Do you want to try a pleasant one? I can arrange it if you'd like."
"An Adept? Pleasant dreams? You mean... he can control my mind?"
"Yes. He has abilities far beyond yours or mine."
"Then why does he serve you?"
"Money," the man said simply. "Everyone who comes here is curious. They feel seen, as if they have no secrets left." He reached out and removed Ksenia's mask. This was the face he wanted to see. "Are you sure you don't want a new boyfriend?"
His hawk-like eyes made her blood run cold. "No."
Surprisingly, he relaxed. "Most would jump at the chance."
"Because you're rich."
"No. Because they want to kill me."
He decided to give her a taste of the Adept's power. "Give us something beautiful," he commanded the figure in the shadows.
The Adept was wrapped entirely in black cloth, his face hidden, his voice silent. He was hypnosis personified.
In the next second, Ksenia was in a suite in Budapest. The modern room was blooming with various flowers. Sunlight streamed through the window, warm on her skin.
Lu Jiting stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. "Why do you always call me by my full name? Others use something more... intimate."
"Lu Jiting?"
A sense of uncanny feeling washed over her. It felt as if this had all happened before.
"Something like 'Darling,' or 'Sweetheart'?" Lu Jiting continued.
She was experiencing this scene, yet also watching it as an outsider.
"Darling."
Her eyes grew inexplicably hot. It felt as though she hadn't seen him, or felt his love, in a lifetime.
"Why are you crying?" Lu Jiting hurried over to embrace her.
She didn't know why. She should have been happy.
"Don't leave me, okay?" Ksenia whispered into his chest.
"How could I ever leave you?"
"But you're going back to Country Z in two days. What am I supposed to do? I can't let you go."
"I don't want to leave either. I'll be busy, but I promise I'll always answer your calls." He stroked her hair gently. The intimacy was intoxicating.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through her pinky finger. The pain was so sharp it felt like her heart was being pierced. Her first instinct was to tear off the ring.
Ring?
When did I get a ring on my pinky?
The image of the Bearded Man flashed in her mind.
No. She and Lu Jiting had broken up a long time ago.
Then who is this?
She shoved Lu Jiting away, looking at the phantom of her past with pure loathing. She hated how real it felt.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? What did I do now?"
"To be honest, I don't love you at all," she spat. "Looking at you makes me sick. I feel exploited, like a puppet on a string."
The Lu Jiting in the vision was stunned. "Then who do you love?"
"I only love myself." She glared at the phantom's tearful face, suppressing her own emotions. "I only love myself. I don't even have the energy to hate you anymore."
"Don't say that. I'll give you anything you want."
"Leave me, Lu Jiting. Go find your own life."
In a blink, she was in a wedding dress, standing on a lawn. Beside her stood Henry Courtney.
No, her heart screamed. She didn't want to marry a man who didn't understand her soul.
As if a god had heard her, Lu Jiting appeared with a weapon. Blood bloomed across Henry's chest.
"Henry!"
She woke with a scream. The Adept was gone. The man beside her was still lost in his own vision.
"Of course I'm going to take everything from you," the man muttered in his sleep. "Why do you look so disgustingly like me when we aren't even related by blood? I'm going to make you lose everything."
The man was dreaming of a bitter rivalry. It was just as she thought—the dreams acted as a confession booth.
"Ksenia, time to wake up." The man sat up, looking refreshed after his "pleasant" dream.
Ksenia feigned that she, too, had just woken. She yawned. "The sun isn't even up yet. Sir, when will I see you again?"
"You actually want to see me?"
"I want to experience that again."
He sighed. "Next week. I'll arrange it."
"Next week? I can't. You know I'm caught up in a murder investigation. M-6 is watching me like a hawk; I can't keep leaving the center of Loughton."
"No."
"I might expose the address of this place!"
"No."
After three 'no's, the man added, "I'll handle the investigation for you. Don't worry about it."
His power is beyond everything, Ksenia smiles, if it's possible he can be her knife.