Facade (4)

Facade (4)

“Unlucky.”

Rear muttered softly, watching Crushed’s confident expression.

“Huh?? What did you say?”

Crushed asked cheekily, clearly the victor, leaving Rear wounded in spirit.

“Heh heh… Such a delicious drink.”

The tavern owner, unaware of Jewan and his group’s arrival, was lost in the taste of the drink. He didn’t even notice his mask lying on the floor.

“…Thank you. For letting me feel such a thrill once again.”

The owner savored the drink, then looked up, meeting Jewan’s gaze.

“Hmm… You folks are…”

Jewan pulled Crushed forward.

“He is my companion. May I ask you something?”

The owner looked somewhat reluctant but nodded.

“Since you brought me this delight, I’ll tell you what I know.”

“The mask you dropped.”

The owner startled, picking up the mask from the floor, still unaware it had fallen.

“Th-this is…”

“Never mind that. Do you know how the mask falls off?”

The owner faltered but quickly composed himself, resting his chin on his hand thoughtfully.

“You’re outsiders, so it’s not so strange…”

Muttering, he seemed to decide, locking eyes with Jewan as he began.

“You’ve heard the general explanation about masks. To get to the point, it’s simple.”

Fiddling with a somewhat ordinary half-mask, he spoke in a low voice.

“If you stimulate the mental urge to reveal one’s true self, people will remove their masks on their own.”

Though his demeanor seemed sad,

“Some prefer to hide and feel safe inside the mask. But for most, the mask is a shackle. People rot and decay inside those chains they can’t break.”

He seemed somewhat relieved.

“So the way to remove masks is simple—most people want to do it anyway.”

The meaning was clear, but stimulating that mental urge was harder than it sounded. Each person’s psyche differed, and whether they could precisely target it was uncertain.

‘This was almost a coincidence last time.’

At least some information about the person was needed before taking such a gamble.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The owner’s words carried his own judgment, implying it wouldn’t be easy.

‘Who desires it, who resists, and to what degree? Plus, the mental triggers are uncertain…’

Thinking of doing that to each masked person was headache-inducing.

“Oh, and tomorrow is the Hwangja (Prince)’s wedding. Why not attend?”

“…The prince’s wedding?”

It wasn’t an appealing topic. Jewan had only attended one wedding before, that of the hero party. Why attend a wedding of a prince whose face and existence were unknown?

“Most of the kingdom’s people attend. I don’t know what you want, but seeing so many people might give you something.”

Indeed, from that perspective, it was similar to the tavern. Grand events attracted nobles rarely seen in taverns.

Though fickle, the owner’s words made sense. The kingdom wasn’t large, so most citizens could attend the prince’s wedding.

“A wedding?”

Suddenly, Rear’s eyes lit up, seemingly interested in the culture of weddings.

“Well then…”

“Let’s go.”

Rear’s oddly excited voice left Jewan speechless.

“…What? Why?”

Rear’s voice trembled slightly. Jewan had no intention of refusing; if she liked it, he welcomed it.

“No, I said let’s go.”

Rear scowled deeply.

“Don’t annoy me.”

She left the tavern first, briefly greeting the owner. Jewan and the others followed. His empathy was insufficient to understand a teenage girl’s feelings.

After they left, the owner picked up his mask, chuckling as he slowly wiped the glass of the drink he had just consumed.

“Outsiders…”

He felt no worry. Their cause wouldn’t be hindered. It was already too late for them to stop it.

Click! The tavern door opened, and the owner greeted the new guest as before, mask on.

==

On the day of the Hwangja’s wedding, the kingdom bustled from morning. As mentioned, the kingdom was small, so nearly everyone was outside decorating and wandering the streets.

The absolute number wasn’t large, but the participation rate was impressive.

‘It’s called a kingdom, but it’s more like a small city.’

Street vendors sold food, and nobles and citizens dressed in elaborate finery mingled.

It was the liveliest scene Jewan had seen in the past week, though all seemed to be acting behind masks.

“Wow, how many street stalls are there? Maybe I should set one up and make some money…”

Suddenly, Jewan ducked between buildings, pulling Crushed and the others inside.

Rear was about to complain but Jewan silenced her with a finger to his lips.

After a moment, Jewan released Rear’s mouth and looked around tensely. Noticing the unease, Rear cautiously asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“I just saw people without masks.”

“…So what?”

Rear accepted the rough treatment over a trivial matter, but as she prepared to get angry, Han Seyun spoke with a tense expression.

“Are there other intruders like us?”

Jewan nodded. How they infiltrated was unknown, but they were certainly not friendly.

Notably, they all wore white gowns. At first, Jewan thought they were robes, but they resembled gowns more closely.

Similar to doctors’ gowns but wider and longer, as if to create an aura of mystery.

The gowns looked familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he’d seen them.

“Let’s go. We can’t just stand here.”

He sensed friction was inevitable but couldn’t afford to be late for the wedding. With some tension, they headed toward the venue.

“…What are you doing there?”

Rear hesitated, and Jewan looked at her oddly. She seemed to struggle to speak.

“I-it’s nothing! Let’s go!”

Rear snapped and walked ahead. Though everyone looked at her strangely, they followed with smiles.

It was the first time they’d seen Rear’s ears flushed like that.

‘She really does resemble Ellie at times.’

Lost in thought, they arrived at the wedding venue. Sounds from inside suggested the ceremony was underway.

The venue was a large open space near the castle, filled with lavish tables and food. The crowd was too large to count.

“Wow, looks like over a thousand people.”

A platform for the bride and groom stood at the center, with paths radiating in four directions, allowing even those far away to see.

‘Usually, seating is only on one side.’

Being royalty made the scale vastly different.

-“The Hwangja and Gongnyeo’s wedding will begin shortly. Please take your seats.”

Though few seats were empty, the venue was vast.

They found seats and the long-awaited ceremony began.

-“We now commence the wedding.”