Façade | Jerza

39 | Soiree Troubles

"Jellal, what's wrong?"

Erza slid the cake in the fridge, having been done with the frosting. She ran water on her fingers, wiping away the clumps of icing that got on the tip of her fingers.

She padded towards him slowly, finding him staring at the invitation for a long while. He finally met her eyes, holding up the invitation with two fingers.

"Did the king touch you in any way back in Crocus?"

If she had not known him any better, Erza would have assumed his voice held a tinge of jealousy.

"No..." she peered at the invitation, eyes darting to the king's signature before frowning. "How did he know we were staying here?"

"He must have found a way to trace your magic energy. That means he's been keeping track of your whereabouts for a few days."

Erza dug her hands into the package, pulling out the gown gifted to her. A simple ballroom gown without any added touches. Just the chiffon billowed skirt flaring at the hips, otherwise the bodice was plain with a modest neckline with short sleeves. She examined the dress carefully, trying to find anything that could hint at a trap.

"I could not find anything, either." Jellal added.

Erza clutched the fabric, staring at the floor in a trance. Everything about the lake house screamed expensive, but this dress was too much. "I knew he was up to something."

Jellal crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "His intention remains a mystery to us. He's taken an interest in both you and I for separate reasons, but only took to inviting you to the soiree."

"Soiree?" Erza repeated.

"Here, formal events are referred to as soirees. You could say this is a ball of some sorts."

"Maybe we shouldn't attend." Erza held her head in her hands, "It was a mistake to get a pardon from him. What if he asks me to repay the favour at the ball?"

"He would have found some other opportunity to approach you, if not Crocus. I think we should attend that ball."

"We're going to draw even more attention to ourselves."

"If we do not attend the party, then he'll suspect that you're skeptical of his intentions that appear good-willed. One would naturally be inclined to wonder why skepticism is your response to his generosity."

"He already knows I'm skeptical of him. I'm not sure if our attendance would change that."

Jellal glanced at the large front foyer they were currently in, finding nothing but blank white walls staring back at him. "This is a risky assumption to make, but if he believes I am unaware about my past, then our appearance there will seem perfectly normal. In fact, I think he is counting on my obliviousness."

Erza laughed, "I'm surprised he would underestimate you like that. But from what I've seen, he's a very observant individual."

"I don't intend on playing clueless for long, anyway."

She held the invitation in her hands tightly. Even if her husband held good judgement oftentimes, she felt as though they were falling into a trap.

"Alright, let's go."

"Why did I even agree to this?" Makarov sighed, fishing out tickets for the conductors to examine.

Makarov recounted all the tickets and the mages tagging along, just to ruin his mood further.

Him. Eugene. Gray. Lucy. Natsu and Wendy along with Happy. Worst of them all, the famous Mirajane Strauss. Though she was not known in the eastern countries, many people complimented her beauty. Sometimes Lucy would fall victim to unseemly men who would be scared away by Mirajane's threats. Natsu was useless on the train after Wendy's Troia spell wore off, and Gray...