Chapter 1
Dreams had never frightened me.
Not until they began coming true.
Every face I saw in my dreams eventually stood before me.
Every smile.
Every stranger.
Every goodbye.
…
But this time…
I had dreamed of someone I had never seen before.
I woke with a sharp breath.
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, bathing my room in soft gold.
…
Yet my thoughts remained trapped inside that dream.
I remained there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.
The dream refused to leave my mind.
No matter how hard I tried…
Usually…
By now, I would have already forgotten most of my dreams.
They always faded with the morning.
This one didn’t.
I could still picture him.
The crimson half-mask.
The quiet ballroom.
And those eyes…
They had been watching me.
I frowned.
“…Who are you?”
The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.
There was no answer.
Only silence.
My gaze slowly drifted toward the sketchbook resting on my desk.
If I couldn’t forget him…
Then perhaps I should draw him instead.
I slipped out of bed and walked over to my desk.
The pencil felt familiar in my hand.
Without thinking…
I began to draw.
A few careful lines.
Then a little more.
Hair.
The outline of the mask.
And finally…
Those eyes.
I paused.
Somehow…
They looked exactly as I remembered them.
A gentle knock echoed through the room.
I looked up.
“Lady Lenora?”
It was one of the maids.
“Her majesty is waiting for you at breakfast.”
I glanced down at the unfinished sketch one last time before carefully closing the sketchbook.
“…I’ll be there shortly.”
After getting ready, I made my way downstairs.
The familiar scent of freshly baked bread and warm tea filled the dining hall.
Morning sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting soft golden patterns across the polished floor.
Mother was already seated.
Father looked up from the newspaper in his hands the moment I entered.
A warm smile appeared on his face.
“Good morning, Lenora.”
“Good morning, Father. Mother.”
I greeted them with a small smile before taking my seat.
Breakfast passed peacefully.
The only sounds were quiet clink of silverware and the soft song of birds beyond the open windows.
For a brief moment…
I almost convinced myself that the strange dream had meant nothing at all.
Then…
The dining hall doors opened.
A servant stepped inside, carrying an elegant ivory envelope sealed with deep crimson wax.
He bowed respectfully before approaching Father.
“An invitation, Your majesty.”
Father accepted it with quiet nod before breaking the seal.
His eyes moved across the letter.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Mother noticed immediately.
“Good news?”
Father folded the invitation neatly.
“House Baldwin is hosting this year’s masquerade ball.”
“They’ve invited our entire family.”
Mother smiled warmly.
“It’s been quite some time since we last visited House Baldwin.”
Father nodded in agreement.
“It will be held three nights from now.”
My fingers paused around my teacup.
For some reason…
The dream returned to my thoughts.
Mother looked toward me with a gentle smile.
“We should begin preparing your grown.”
I returned the smile.
“Of course.”
At the time…
I had no idea that accepting this invitation would change everything.
The next three days passed quickly.
Dress fitting.
Jewelry.
Etiquette lessons.
The palace grew busier with each passing day.
Yet…
None of it truly held my attention.
Every morning…
I found myself opening my sketchbook once again.
Each drawing looked slightly different.
Yet somehow…
They all became him.
The crimson half-mask.
Those quiet eyes.
No matter how many time I tried…
I couldn’t forget them.
Then…
The night of the masquerade finally arrived.
Golden chandeliers illuminated the grand ballroom as nobles filled the hall with elegant laughter and graceful dance.
The moment the announcer declared our arrival.
Conversations softened.
“The Ravencrest family has arrived.”
Countless eyes turned toward us as we stepped inside.
I offered the same polite smile I had worn at countless gatherings before.
But tonight…
Something felt different.
I couldn’t explain why.
Perhaps it was the dream.
Or perhaps…
It was the strange feeling that someone was already waiting for me.
As my family exchanged greetings with the other noble houses, I quietly let my eyes wander across the ballroom.
Elegant gowns.
Sparkling masks.
Soft laughter.
Nothing seemed out of place.
Until…
My breath caught.
Standing beneath one of the grand chandeliers.
Was a young man wearing a crimson half-mask adorned with delicate golden patterns.
…
It was him.
The very same man I had seen in my dream.
For a moment…
The music around me seemed to disappear.
The conversation.
The laughter.
Everything faded into silence.
There was only him.
Almost as if he had sensed my gaze.
He slowly lifted his head.
Our eyes met.
…
Those eyes that watched me.
I knew them.
There was no doubt.
They were the same eyes that had watched me in my dream.
“Lenora.”
Mother’s gentle voice pulled me back to reality.
I blinked and turned toward her.
“You’ve been awfully quiet.”
“Is something troubling you?”
I glanced back toward the crowd.
…
He was still there.
Watching me.
I forced a small smile.
“It’s nothing.”
Mother studied me for a brief moment.
Then she smiled softly.
“If you’re certain.”
I nodded.
“…I am.”
The masquerade continued as though nothing had happened.
Music filled the ballroom while nobles danced and exchanged polite conversations.
I tried to focus.
I truly did.
But every now and then…
My eyes searched for him.
And every time they did…
I found him already looking at me.
Neither of us spoke.
Neither of us moved.
Yet somehow…
It felt as though we had already met before.
Before long…
The evening came to an end.
One by one, the guests began leaving the ballroom.
My family made our way toward the palace entrance, where our carriage was already waiting.
The servants opened the carriage door as Mother stepped inside first.
I was about to follow..
When I noticed Father had stopped to speak with someone.
Curious, I glanced back,
…
It was him.
The man in the crimson mask.
They exchanged only a few quiet words.
Then…
Father turned and walked toward the carriage.
“Lenora.”
He held out a folded sheet of paper.
“You dropped this.”
For a brief moment…
I couldn’t breathe.
My sketch.
I must have forgotten it.
I quickly accepted it.
“Thank you, Father.”
He simply smiled before stepping into the carriage.
As the carriage began moving…
I carefully unfolded the paper.
…
My sketch was still there.
Exactly as I had drawn it.
But…
There was something else.
At the bottom of the page…
Words I had never written.
‘If you dream of a Keeper..’
‘Do not tell anyone’
…
“Lenora?”
Father’s voice pulled me from the page.
I looked up.
“Is everything alright?”
I slowly folded the sketch and forced a small smile.
“…yes.”
But as I looked down at the paper once more…
I knew…
Nothing would ever be the same again.
