Chapter 371: Birthday Party (1)

Lucivar sat on the bench right outside the dormitory, near the lobby.

He stood out more than usual this evening.

Not for his usual edge or danger, but for the rare polish in his appearance.

He wore a light carmine shirt, the fabric crisp and neatly tucked into slim, black pants that hugged his legs perfectly, tracing his lean frame with effortless precision. A pair of black loafers completes the look, understated yet elegant.

Even though it was a simple look, the ensemble lent him a dashing sharpness.

In his hand is a handheld masquerade mask shaped in an asymmetrical flame—one side flares upward like demonic horns, while the other is smooth and sharp like a blade. Made with obsidian and red material, the mask matched his clothes perfectly.

Bakar told them that the birthday party has a theme—Masquerade Ball.

Naturally, everyone is going to bring a mask with them.

He said that he visited where the birthday would be held and even talked to someone there.

It was good that he did since it would be bad if they weren’t aware of the theme.

Lucivar placed the mask down and took a folder beside him, the folder from Angel.

He was planning to read it earlier today, but he couldn’t bring himself to read its content as if Angel as always delivered what he requested. The folder would contain all of Master Tobias’ history, everything Lucivar would want to know about his past.

For some reason, he hesitated in reading the folder, knowing what would be written inside.

But he couldn’t stall anymore.

In a moment, they will be going to the birthday party, so he needs to read it right now.

Lucivar looked at the folder for a couple more seconds in silence before he eventually opened it, taking a single piece of paper inside. He was expecting Angel to gain more than a single piece of paper, but he wasn’t going to complain.

His hand stopped halfway.

Both his eyes were fixed on the paper as his brows dipped into a clear frown.

Lucivar took the paper out and paused, finding that it was blank—completely blank.

Not a single word was written on it.

“What’s the meaning of this?” He thought aloud, a bead of cold sweat running down his cheek. “Was there no record of his past? Angel couldn’t find anything? Or has the folder been tampered by someone, wanting me to think that Angel got nothing?”

Confused and wary, Lucivar stared at the blank paper in silence.

His mind reeled from the possibilities.

‘Did Tobias know? Know about this? He’d been watching us, but he’s watching us from that damn bat I saw all the time.’ Lucivar looked around, trying to find the bat, which most likely was the spy that watched over them now that he knew Master Tobias was not a weakling, and is also a Vampire Hybrid. ‘I had not seen the bat for quite some time, so it shouldn’t be the case.’

“Lucivar.”

Lucivar snapped out of his trance, noticing someone was already standing before him.

He looked up and realized that it was Leandra.

Just like him, Leandra was wearing something entirely different than what she normally wears.

Her dress—an off-the-shoulder, deep purple ensemble—clung to her upper arms in gentle ruffles—and billowed at the sleeves like butterfly wings in mid-flight. The bodice wrapped around her lean, but still curvy body, exposing a sliver of her midriff, and descended into a flowing skirt tied at the waist with a satin bow.

A high slit revealed the elegant curve of her leg, adorned in lace-up sandals that wound to her calves.

Lucivar looked at her with an unreadable gaze.

But Leandra didn’t linger—she took a seat beside him and crossed her leg over her thigh.

“Why are you spacing out for? Are you nervous?” She asked without looking.

“No, not really.” Lucivar quickly put the paper back inside the folder. “I was only praising a beauty.”

“Stop with the tease. I looked too girly.” Leandra smacked her lips in displeasure, cursing Thalia for having only this kind of girly dress. “On the good side, the dress wouldn’t hinder my movements. I can move freely.”

“Aren’t you too pessimistic?” Lucivar leaned back and cackled. “Maybe Tobias can explain.”

“Whose fault do you think this is?” She glanced at him sharply.

Lucivar has no right calling her pessimistic when she learned to always expect the worst from him.

Placing his arm along the back of the bench behind her, Lucivar turned toward the lobby, expecting the others to be coming down soon. “Where are the others? Don’t tell me they were getting cold feet now when we’re minutes away from going.”

“I don’t know,” Leandra leaned back on the bench. “You go call them. We’re going to be late soon.”

Just as Lucivar was about to stand, his eyes sparkled at the sight of Sabrina.

As he told her yesterday, she’s going to stay behind to look after Ravenna.

“I’m going to call them,” Lucivar said and headed towards the lobby.

Sabrina noticed him approaching and quickly headed over.

“Where are the others?”

“All of them are in Ravenna’s room. I came down because it’s awkward listening to them.”

“Hah, perfect timing. I have something you can do.”

Hearing this, Sabrina’s eyes sparkled as she would rather do something than wait in that room.

“Go contact Angel and ask her whether she’s being serious or not.” He instructed.

“Whether she’s being serious or not?” Sabrina tilted her head in confusion. “Is there something wrong with the report?”

“Yes. It’s blank.” Lucivar nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “Ask her that and note her answer. If she immediately buckled, then she really couldn’t find anything. But… if she sounded confused, then someone must’ve got their hands on the folder before me.”

“Okay, I’ll do it right away. I’ll contact you through Leandra. Is that fine?” Sabrina looked over Lucivar.

Leandra was looking at them with a curious gaze.

Hearing this, Lucivar glanced over his shoulder to look at Leandra before he eventually nodded.

“Yes, you can tell her. It’s not a problem.” He said eventually.

It was a surprising answer.

Sabrina assumed he would not want his business shared—with anyone besides Ravenna, especially not with Leandra, who had always opposed him. She asked only out of formality, never expecting Lucivar to actually say yes.

“Eh? You want me to contact you through her?”

“Yes, what’s the problem?”

“N-Nothing…”

Lucivar paused for a second, noting Sabrina’s reaction before he realized what she was thinking.

But he didn’t need to explain himself, or rather, he didn’t want to.

“Do you have her new contact?”

“I can ask Elira about it. No problem.”

Earlier, since the gem was still under appraisal and Elira promised to deliver the result today, she decided to give Leandra an earpiece. She could contact Leandra the moment the gem was appraised, so that she wouldn’t break her promise.

Of course, this stemmed from her fear and admiration toward Lucivar.

It proved to be effective to make her subservient to him.

Soon enough, the others came down.

Bakar and Mirel came down to be exact, both wearing the same semi-formal outfit similar to Lucivar’s.

All of their clothes were sponsored by Elira, and she prepared them under a tight schedule, so there’s no variety.

Not that any of them care, though, considering their minds were fixated on the birthday party.

Lucivar looked around before settling on them again, “Where’s Nerissa?”

Only Mirel and Bakar came down, while Nerissa is nowhere to be seen.

“She’s not coming,” Mirel answered, scratching the back of his head. “She said that she was worried of leaving Ravenna alone, even with your personal maid around, so she decided to stay. She said that, but I know she doesn’t want to confront Master Tobias. I can tell.”

Even though it was unfortunate, Lucivar couldn’t say that he didn’t anticipate this.

He could tell that Nerissa wasn’t coming from how she acted.

As they were discussing the next steps, she decided to stay in Ravenna’s room, and that tells a lot.

Lucivar turned to Bakar and raised a brow.

“How about you, Bakar? Are you ready/”

“Me? Why are you singling me out?”

“How do you know I’m singling you? You don’t know if I’m going to ask the others that too or not.”

“Err…”

Considering that Bakar had been silent all this time, only talking when he was asked, it was clear that he, too, could feel the pressure building on their shoulders. None of them were certain of what was going to happen at the birthday party.

And that alone was scary.

Bakar exhaled roughly; his nerves were all over the place, and Lucivar seemed to notice that.

“I’m going to be fine. I only want to get this over with.” He answered truthfully.

“So am I.” Lucivar looked to the others and nodded. “Let’s go.”

…

The car rolled to a smooth stop before the estate—an opulent mansion sprawling like a palace.

Its courtyard was even large enough to swallow several homes.

Elira had arranged the transport, allowing them to make the necessary stops and arrive on time.

Lucivar stepped out first from the front passenger seat, adjusting the cuffs of his dark shirt beneath the shining moonlight. The air shimmered faintly with ether—he looked over to the guests coming in and realized that all of them were Hybrids.

Each of them emanated humming ether through the evening like low static.

Cars lined the cobbled path in neat rows, some sleek, some armored—all expensive.

Crysal chandeliers floated from hovering lampposts, magical artifacts that increased the grandiose of the outside, their light refracting off golden trims and marble sculptures that flanked the broad stairway. A masquerade of elegance unfolded before them.

Men and women in ornate masks moved in graceful currents through the entrance.

Practiced laughter could be heard even from outside—their gowns and tailored suits glittering with all kinds of embedded precious stones or living silk. These were high society’s chosen, nobles and elite of the city whose bloodlines carried power and privilege both.

Leandra stepped closer to Lucivar and gently curled her fingers around his bicep.

“Ready?” She asked, voice low.

Lucivar gave the faintest nod, his gaze sweeping across the glowing archway.

Beside them, Mirel and Bakar were already climbing, their shoes tapping against marble steps.

All of them took a synchronized breath before ascending into the lion’s den.

Inside, the atmosphere hit them like a wave of perfume and gold.

A live string quartet played from the corner balcony, each note seamlessly woven into the rhythm of the room. Waiters glided between clusters of guests with practiced precision, offering crystalline glasses of wine that shimmered with faint iridescence.

Lucivar was about to tell them to probe around.

Locating Master Tobias, counting exits, and even noting the powerful Hybrids gathered here.

But movement from the upper floor halted him.

A woman stared down at them from the curved second-floor balcony.

She wore a mask of obsidian and white gold, her dark blue gown ended with a cascade of dark petals—which added mystery to her whole appearance, moving like ink in water. Her ether radiated, and from it, Lucivar recognized her almost instantly.

It was the woman of the night, Vanessa.

And without hesitation, she began descending the stairs to greet them.