Spy (Scaramouche x Reader)

☾ Chapter 5 ☽

"I'm Scaramouche, and you are?"

You offer a demure smile, training kicking in effortlessly. "I'm Lady (Y/N) of the Wisteria family, but you can just call me (Y/N)" you reply, your voice steady and charming. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Scaramouche. What can I do for you?"

Your heart was beating out of your chest, your ears ringing as you stare at him. This was the man who took Callista. The man who killed her.

"The pleasure's all mine, Lady (Y/N)," he said smoothly, his gaze never leaving yours. "Care to explain the gun in your hands?"

You gulp. The operation couldn't be ruined this fast.

"A lady has to defend herself in case of an emergency, doesn't she?" you say as you slowly put it back into your hidden holster.

He raises a curious eyebrow. "I suppose she does." You knew there were questions running through his head, but he seemed to keep them in for now. After all, it wasn't that uncommon for nobles to keep weapons on them, especially in crowded places like balls. People were always out to assassinate them, so it was normal to have a mode of protection.

Almost as if on cue, a beautiful slow song begins playing from the woman on the piano.

Scaramouche's intense gaze bored into you as he spoke with an entrancing smile. "May I have this dance?" he says, extending his hand.

What. I did not sign up for slow dancing with a murderer.

Regardless of every nerve in your body wanting to turn around and run the other direction, you reminded yourself that you had a mission to do. You had to gain his trust.

"Sure," you answer, fighting the repulsed expression creeping onto your face as you accept his hand and place your own in it. You both moved gracefully onto the dance floor, the music swelling around you as the waltz begins. As you both danced, you could feel the eyes of the other guests on you, but you maintained your composure, focusing on the task at hand.

"I haven't seen you before. Are you new around here?" Scaramouche asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp, studying you closely.

"Yeah," you reply with a practiced laugh. "My family and I were living with a few relatives for a while, but we're back now."

He smiled, seemingly pleased with your answer. "For a second I thought I must've been blind for not noticing such a beautiful woman before. I have to say, your presence is refreshing. The usual company can be so... predictable."

You tilt your head, feigning curiosity. "And what do you seek, Scaramouche? Something unpredictable?"

His smile widened, a hint of something darker behind it. "Possibly. But tell me, (Y/N), why'd you decide to come to the ball tonight?"

You'd anticipated this question and had your story ready. "I came so I could reconnect with some old friends and make new acquaintances," you say smoothly. "I've always heard good things about the events held here, so I wanted to see for myself."

"A noble pursuit," he jokes, his tone light. "And I must admit, I'm glad you chose this ball to reenter society."

His right hand was intertwined with yours in the air, his other hand on your waist. Your free hand was on his shoulder as you both swayed to the music.

As you continued to dance, you subtly shift the conversation, trying to probe for information without sounding too eager. "Tell me, what do you like to do as a hobby? You seem to be a man of many interests."

He chuckled, a soft, chiming sound. "Where do I start? Business, travel, a little bit of writing here and there. People should keep themselves busy after all, right?"

"Right," you agree, noting the evasiveness in his answer. You would need to dig deeper, but for now, you play your role to the best of your ability.

As the dance ended and you both parted with a polite bow, Scaramouche looked at you with interest. It was definitely feigned, you figured, due to your keen observational skills. "I hope we meet again this evening, Lady (Y/N)"

"The feeling's mutual, Lord Scaramouche." you reply, your smile never wavering.

As you watched him blend back into the crowd, your smile dropped and you let out a sigh of relief. The first step had been taken; you had caught his attention. Now, you just had to play your cards carefully and get closer to him. The game had only just begun.

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After Scaramouche disappeared back into the crowd, you went to find Dahlia and Collette. You couldn't afford to blow your cover by spending too much time alone, since nobles were usually always surrounded by people. It would draw too much attention if you were wandering about without anyone.

You knew what Scaramouche was trying to do. It was a common tactic used among spies at A.C.E as well. When trying to gain someone's trust, one method is to become close to them and entertain them for a while, then withdraw. This is intended to keep you on their mind for the time that you are away, making them feel curiosity towards you and form more of an attachment.

It might've worked on anyone else, but not A.C.E's greatest mercenary. After all, a manipulator is nothing against someone who knows how to manipulate a manipulator.

To your surprise, Dahlia and Collette were sitting by the bar and watching you walk towards them.

Dahlia grinned as you approached. "We saw you talking to Lord Scaramouche. What do you think? He's cute, right?"

The question caught you off guard. You chuckle softly and wave it off. "I guess, yeah."

Dahlia swirled the wine in her glass and spoke. "He's one of the most popular eligible bachelors here, and apparently he lives in Celeste too. I heard he's super rich, and real respectful too. Every single woman here is trying to get their daughters to marry him." She grinned and shot Collette a glance, jerking her thumb in her direction. "Personally, he's not my type, but Collette over here has a huuuge crush."

Collette smacked Dahlia's thumb away from her face with a deep red flush across her cheeks. "That's not true."

"Uh huh."

"It's not!"

"Sure."

You ponder your choices, wondering how this would change things.

Interesting. Could I use this to my advantage?

"Anyway," Dahlia continues. "Anyone here caught your eye yet, (Y/N)?"

You smile, shrugging. "No, not really." You didn't have time. You weren't here to fool around, you had something to get done.

Her jaw drops. "Really? no way. Hold on. "Single people..." she trails off, craning her neck to look around. "Okay, so that's Vincent and his friend Oliver. Over there is Cyril, but there's rumors that he's super misogynistic. Uh...ah, yes, that's Quincy and that one over there is Rome." Dahlia pointed to different places around the room, head swiveling each time.

You chuckle at her persistence to find you a crush, but the information was helpful, in a way. Learning people's names was important, in case you needed something from them later. You absorbed all the information she was telling you, making sure you could put a name to a face.

Dahlia continued, unaware of your processing brain. "And in case you're into girls, the one's who aren't seeing anyone at the moment that I know of are Cora, Daphne, and Gemma." She pointed to a group of girls in front of a banquet table.

Collette frowned. "Are you playing matchmaker again?"

"Guilty."

You laughed with the two girls. It was probably the first time in a long time you genuinely enjoyed anyone's company.

But you still knew better than to get comfortable. Attachments only mean bad things for mercenaries. 

After all, peace never lasts forever.