My Ex-Husband Came Back Crazy - Chapter 40

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 40
Chapter 4. Omen (7)
To cut to the chase, they accepted Fahrenheit’s proposal.
Celia had shown great interest in the Mask he dangled before them.
“I’ve never attended a Masquerade Ball before.”
“It’s not quite a ball in the formal sense, but I assure you it will be enjoyable. The fact that no one knows each other creates opportunities for novel experiences.”
Lucius found Fahrenheit tiresome, yet he couldn’t bear to disappoint Celia’s expectations.
Of course, the decision was also reinforced by his confidence that nothing serious would occur with him at her side.
The alley revealed itself only after one final turn at the edge of the Shopping District. At the end of a road deeply marked by carriage wheels stood an ancient stone building inscribed with weathered engravings.
Euros Hall.
Before this grandiose structure, Fahrenheit offered them Masks as well.
“Inside, it’s only proper to pretend not to recognize each other, even if you do.”
A half-Mask covering only the eyes and cheekbones was given to Celia, while a longer ebony Mask descending from forehead to nose fell to Lucius.
“I hope this becomes a memorable experience for you both.”
Lucius, who had accepted the Mask, let slip a small sigh. At their last dinner, he had been certain Fahrenheit harbored interest in Celia, yet this courteous demeanor perplexed him.
Moreover, whether by fancy or not, a peculiar tension coiled around his ankles.
He had thought it an unfamiliar place, yet his body seemed to know better. His breathing grew shallow, and tension gathered at the edge of his shoulders.
The sensation of a gaze brushing past kept catching at his back, and it was just as he was about to call Celia to halt—
“Celia. As I thought—”
“Lucius.”
Celia tugged at his sleeve twice.
“I’ve never spoken with nobles who don’t know me before.”
She fastened the Mask with eager fingers.
Her faintly flushed face disappeared beneath it.
“I hope it’s fun.”
Lucius, who had hesitated until the last moment, finally donned his own Mask in response to her words.
“Shall we go inside?”
And so they crossed the threshold.
***
Celia’s expression betrayed open distaste.
The moment they stepped into a dim space barely different from the darkened street outside, the very air changed.
Layers of fragrance and smoke had accumulated so thickly that the air felt almost toxic.
The circular hall was crowded with Masked figures—some drained their Wine Glasses and spilled laughter in succession, while others leaned against windows passing around Cigarettes. The scent of burnt herbs diffused subtly, dissolving sensation into sluggish indulgence.
It was the tawdry underbelly of ordinary high society.
“I want to leave.”
Celia, arms crossed, spoke bluntly.
Fahrenheit explained with evident embarrassment.
“That… is, security is paramount. The doors only open at designated times. I’m afraid you’ll need to remain for another two hours or so.”
A clandestine gathering where nobles shed their daytime propriety and sate their nocturnal appetites.
A place where pleasure and smoke, alcohol and Cigars served as shields for one another.
“Do enjoy yourselves freely in the meantime. Here, no one asks questions.”
And so they found themselves drawn into the night’s social scene.
Fortunately, as they ventured deeper, a landscape familiar to them—something like the “parties” they knew—began to emerge.
“Will you have a drink?”
Celia declined with a slight turn of her head.
The waiter bearing glasses withdrew without regret.
‘I never knew Fahrenheit frequented places like this.’
Had his disposition shifted during his studies abroad? The last time they met, he seemed to dislike crowds.
“Lucius—”
She was calling him to sit farther in, but realized she shouldn’t speak his full name, so Celia quickly amended herself.
“Lu.”
Lucius, who had been meticulously absorbing every detail of the passing scene, faltered. His green eyes gleamed between the dark Mask.
“That’s… a pet name for me?”
She hadn’t meant it in any particularly sweet tone—she was only recalling how the gentlemen they’d encountered before used to address him.
But if he chose to misunderstand, she saw no reason to correct him.
“I don’t know. Besides, my feet are aching.”
“Shall we sit over there?”
“No, not there. I’d rather sit to the left.”
He followed easily where Celia led.
She claimed the vacant seat first; a moment later, Lucius settled beside her.
‘Why is he hesitating?’
Come to think of it, Lucius had something akin to an obsession with cleanliness.
He could hardly welcome a place that appeared to lack proper sanitation.
“Should I stand?”
“What? There’s no need. It’ll be a while before the next exit opens, so let’s sit comfortably. Your shoes must be uncomfortable too.”
Put that way, Celia had no intention of declining.
She reclined against the armrest, savoring the offered comfort. Just then, a man in a fox Mask passing nearby gave her a wink.
“First time here?”
“…Is that so?”
Confronted with an unfamiliar form of greeting, she responded somewhat stiffly.
“Hope you find something to your taste around here.”
The man chuckled and waved as he vanished.
A wave as a greeting—how peculiar. She was raising her arm to reciprocate when Lucius intercepted her.
His large hand engulfed hers completely.
“Don’t greet him.”
“Why not?”
“He was just leering at you.”
Celia turned her head to look after the man’s retreating form.
His words, which she had dismissed moments before, now clung to her mind like residue on her tongue, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“Revolting.”
These filthy creatures didn’t even know how to respect time and place.
She shuddered.
Yet whatever she felt, it paled against what he was experiencing.
He barely contained emotions that rose in sudden surges. Simply sitting in a place saturated with such depravity, occasionally catching the bestial gaze of those bereft of reason, was rapidly eroding his patience.
No—what he found most unbearable were the eyes directed at Celia.
She sat quietly, seeming oblivious, but she was far too conspicuous. Those steeped in lust hunted for fresh prey with relentless intensity.
‘Party in name, but this is what the nocturnal social scene truly is.’
What was he to do about those eyes?
Just then, Celia shifted her hips and leaned toward him.
“The quality here seems a bit lacking, but we could enjoy ourselves responsibly within reasonable limits.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m tired of watching. It’s boring. I’d like to join that card game over there.”
At the mention of cards, Lucius turned to regard those playing with chips at stake.
From her angle, the view was obscured, but his eyes caught perfectly those half-undressed behind the curtains. Whatever vulgar game they were playing required no explanation.
“There is no ‘reasonably’ in a place like this, Celia.”
He wetted his parched lips.
“Enjoyment within proper limits doesn’t exist here.”
The music shifted, and the air in the hall grew progressively looser.
With each breath, sweet fragrance reached her tongue first, and the clink of Wine Glasses echoed softly across the space.
“If I were to kiss you right here, right now…”
Lucius drew near slowly, as if steadying his breath. In the gap where noise receded, his gaze locked precisely on her.
“And desired you…”
He lowered his head, closing the distance further.
“No one here would think it strange.”
His contempt and irritation toward others had transmuted into tension and yearning directed at her, swelling within him.
Celia received his gaze—familiar yet foreign all at once. His breath reached her first, unsettling her senses, followed in turn by his eyes.
The moment she perceived the heat kindled in his eyes, she too began to surrender to the strange atmosphere of this gathering.
“Come to think of it, that fox Mask was right. ‘Something to your taste,’ he said.”
The hand resting on his arm trembled and flushed; Lucius’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Want to try? See if I suit your taste?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————