IX
"NO. WAY."
"This sounds like a horrible idea."
It was a couple of days later and Y/N looked at the two men who couldn't have had more differing opinions.
Without realizing it, she had mentioned to Dante and Leon her plan to sneak into the masquerade ball being held in the Prince's honour.
And while hopefully having a fool-proof plan on how she was going to get in, Leon didn't seem convinced.
"So apparently you have some anonymous inside source that will help you sneak into a ballroom that will be hosting most, if not all of the nobility in Renetia undetected. A place that will be crawling with guards and servants that have been instructed to sound the alarm at any suspicious person?"
Leon asked while munching on a pear.
"Okay well when you say it like that it makes it sound way worse." Y/N said pursing her lips.
"Honestly makes sense to me, I don't know why you're being such a debby downer. It sounds like fun." Dante remarked slapping Leon on the back of the shoulder.
"Alright, let's ignore this half-baked plan of yours. There's still the problem of your attire. What exactly do you plan on wearing? Lenor Vale isn't known for its extravagant and maximalist fashion so I doubt you packed a suitable dress to wear to a function like this."
"I've asked around the palace and there are a couple of boutiques in the city that are supposedly reasonably priced. If I skip dinner and head out right as training ends I should have enough time to look around and find something I can afford." Y/N explained.
Dante clicked his tongue. "Good luck with that. If the whispers in the palace are anything to be believed, the streets are gonna be packed. I heard there's a lot of nightmarkets popping up everywhere."
"Well that atleast means I should be able to find something good to eat." She joked.
Dante and Leon shared a look before turning to Y/N with smirks on their faces. "And would there happen to be anyone in particular joining you?"
Y/N groaned. "Wipe those smirks off your faces. I'm going with Kent as FRIENDS. I simply wanted a second opinion on my whole getup. I'm sure he has a lot of experience guarding events such as these and can help me pick the proper clothing."
"MHMMMMMM..." They both mused.
"Oh please! He's already past his soulmark age."
"Yes but he hasn't found them yet. And YOU are an unmarked young lady. Everything is still fairgame for the two of you." Leon said.
This gave Y/N some pause. Because he wasn't entirely wrong.
Before people reached their soulmark age, most would indulge in casual relationships with whomever they wanted.
Young fun they called it. No one took it seriously.
Because in the back of their minds, they understood it would never last.
When your 25th birthday came knocking, it was time to give up on these silly pleasures and grow up.
And the search would begin. Many matchmaking events would happen all across the kingdom, where groups of people could meet based on certain characteristics of their marks.
Some would find their mates within a couple of weeks, while for others it could take years.
And those who had to wait longer would sometimes lean on the unmarked for passion and understanding.
But at the end of the day it was all transactional and both parties understood that.
Y/N had never considered being one of those unmarked people. And she didn't even want something like that with Kent. Yes, they sometimes had moments of tension that she couldn't explain, but that was something entirely different from a relationship. Besides, Kent surely didn't see her like that.
Y/N scoffed. "Yeah, as if."
"Well do you have any idea what colour dress you want?" Dante questioned.
"Well I'll see what they have when I get there, but I was hoping for something (f/c)!"
Leon nodded. "Nice choice."
Y/N smiled at him.
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
Once Y/N's apprenticeship was done for the day, she bid Healer Ellis and the twins goodbye and rushed to her room to quickly get changed.
While her Healer uniform was a comfortable white dress with brown boots, it was a little out of place to wear in the city.
Not to mention it would make trying on clothes much more difficult.
So she quickly changed into a loose blouse and skirt and let her hair down from her ponytail.
Standing in front of her mirror she smiled but felt like something was missing.
She grabbed her lipstick and blush to add a little colour back onto her face.
Still feeling like something was missing, she rummaged through her drawers to find a barrette that her mother had given her as a gift many years ago.
The memory of her parents brought a smile to her face.
She really needed to send them a letter soon.
Pushing back the hair on one side of her face, she clipped it and smiled into the mirror. Perfect.
Looking at the time, she quickly grabbed a small satchel to throw her belongings in.
Throwing on some comfortable black shoes, she rushed into the garden where she had agreed to meet Kent.
With how close the Prince's investiture was, he was held up in many meetings that Kent was not privy to so he found some free time during the evenings.
Laurence had also agreed to cover for him if needed.
What that entailed exactly, she didn't know. Just that they owed him big time.
Leaning against the cobblestone wall, Y/N fidgeted with her bag.
Kent wasn't here yet. Without having some way to check the time, she assumed she must've packed faster than she expected and was early.
She just hoped he would get here soon since the city was a little ways away from the palace.
It was only then that the thought hit her.
How exactly were they going to get there?
They certainly couldn't walk. But Kent had told her he would handle everything so hopefully he pulled some strings.
"What are you thinking about so intently?"
Y/N snapped out of her thoughts and came face-to-face with the man himself. Kent stood there wearing a casual black button up, dress pants, and sleek black shoes. Y/N found herself impressed.
"I've never seen you dressed like this before." She remarked.
Kent blinked. "Oh yeah, I guess I haven't really dressed like this in a while. Thought I should clean up for a night out."
"It suits you."
The tips of his ears turned a light pink. "T-Thank you."
"So I'm really hoping you planned our transportation because that completely slipped my mind until just now." Y/N admitted sheepishly.
Kent breathed out a laugh. "Follow me."
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
The two hid behind a pillar facing the large fence the surrounded the entire palace. Y/N looked at him in question but Kent merely held a finger to his lips. He peeked his head out to look at the two guards that were guarding what Y/N could only assume was an emergency exit.
Kent whipped around to face her. "Do you trust me?"
"W-What?"
"Do you trust me?" Kent asked again.
The girl remained speechless for a second before responding, "Yes,"
"Alright, in exactly 45 seconds, those guards are going to leave that door unattended. The key to that door is going to be hiding in a hole in the tree in front of it. I'll retrieve that while you run as fast as you can, alright?"
Y/N felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and a pit in her stomach. "What?!"
A groan of pain suddenly rang out and Kent quickly grabbed Y/N's hand while peeking back out. Y/N looked down at where their hands were connected and felt her heart flutter. She quickly shook her head to snap herself out of it.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she looked at the scene in front of them.
She saw one of the guards clutching his stomach in pain and the other guard with him was hurriedly asking him what was wrong.
While she couldn't hear the conversation clearly, she saw the first guard get picked up by the second and start running in the direction of the palace.
It was only when Kent guided Y/N out from behind the pillar that she recognized the guard in pain was Laurence.
And when he made eye contact with her, he winked.
Y/N shot him an incredulous look. So this is what he meant by they owe him one.
Kent pulled Y/N closer. "Ready?"
Looking into his eyes that were filled with so much confidence, Y/N felt herself relax. "Ready."
And then they set off.
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
That wasn't the only favour they received from Laurence.
He had left a horse tied to one of the trees outside the palace grounds for them with the note "Don't have too much fun ;)" attached.
The pair blushed when they read it, with Kent crumpling it and throwing it on the ground before retrieving it and muttering something about how littering was bad.
Being too short to mount the horse herself, Kent placed his hands gently on Y/N's waist and lifted her up.
It was when she mounted the horse that he apologized for not having asked before touching her but she assured him that it was alright.
Kent mounted the horse and sat behind her and grabbed the reins.
"Have you ever ridden on a horse before?" He asked.
Y/N laughed and turned to face him. "How do you think those of us without carriages got around?"
"Ah, sorry." He apologized while rubbing the back of his neck.
A wicked idea formed in her mind and without thinking, she whipped the horse into motion and they set off at an incredible speed. Caught completely off guard, Kent lost his grip on the reins and quickly had to wrap his arms around Y/N's waist and rest his chin on her shoulder for support.
"I'll show you how we Lenor Vale folk ride." Y/N winked.
The blush on Kent's face didn't let up until they reached the city.
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