Rin led Yuka and me through the immense front doors and foyer which glittered gold and into the ballroom, buzzing with anticipation. Maids, butlers, valets, cooks, and every variation of domestic frantically performed their duties before the grand ball I was just vaguely informed of.

"Attention!" the small maid announced. All the servants halted and eyed us warily. They dropped what they were doing to stand in a line in front of the door to welcome their guests. "This is the entertainment, Ms. Mayu Hi-"

"Hiki," I blurted, "You may call me Mayu."

Rin shot me a skeptical look, but didn't correct me. "…the pianist, and Yuzuki Yukari, the violinist."

The servants bowed. They seemed to be colorful people.

There was a tall dashing man wearing a butler's uniform with long bright purple hair a tint darker than Yuka's. His stature was perfect and one could tell he took his job seriously, but he shot us a suggestive look and smirked. I promptly moved on.

A short green-haired girl wore men's pants and a gold-studded vest, indicating she was a driver, an unusual job for a girl. She stared prosaically, eyes wandering around the room, only landing on us for a moment before moving on.

The next in line was a serene woman almost as tall as the butler with long pink locks that reach past her hips. Wearing a modest maid outfit, she softly smiled at my friend and me. She was the least intimidating so far.

To the right of her was a cheery young woman, not much older than me. Her beautiful cyan hair tied back into pig tails fell to her lower back. She was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. I marveled at how she looked so delicate but wore the outfit of a scullery maid, not the easiest occupation in an estate; I would know.

After her was an equally breathtaking man with striking royal blue hair and a kind demeanor about him. His chef's uniform fit him well. An untrained woman could easily be lost in his oceanic eyes. Luckily, I wasn't untrained.

These observations came in a matter of seconds.

Rin began listing their names, "Gakupo." The flirtatious man.

"Gumi." The small stony girl.

"Luka." The peaceful tall woman.

"Miku." The ravishing bluenette.

"Kaito." The attractive chef.

"And you know me, Rin," she finished. Each servant gave a bow or curtsey when introduced.

"Is this everyone?" I asked. It seemed like a small staff.

"There is my brother, but he isn't good with social situations. I'm not sure you will be meeting him tonight," Rin told me with a sigh.

"I see. What is his name, though? In case I do see him."

"Len, but I'm quite sure he will remain out of sight."

"Okay, then. What's this ball you talked about?" I moved on to what was racking my brain for a while.

"Oh, you weren't informed?" Rin asked with a face that said she knew the answer already.

"No, we weren't."

"It's no big deal. Just another one of Her Majesty's parties she decided on a whim. She does this a lot," Rin waved it off like it was no big deal, "And you with Ms. Yuzuki will be playing. I'm sure that won't be a problem?"

I looked over to Yuka who was visibly trembling. I hesitated.

"You know," the lady's maid prodded, "I'm sure Her Majesty would be very upset if the entertainment quit an hour before her party. It would be shameful to have no music."

Why do I feel manipulated? "I-it won't be a problem, but I have two conditions," I finally answered.

Her eyebrows rose. "And what might they be?"

"Don't announce my last name and I can wear my cloak. Yuka, do have any requests?"

She quickly shook her head, clutching her violin case. I felt sorry for dragging her into a performance in front of, not just the queen, but an arsenal of wealthy aristocrats.

"I will have to consult Her Majesty on that."

"That's fine. I guess we'll get prepared then."

"Do you have sheet music?"

"Well, no, but we don't them. Don't worry."

Rin flashed the first sincere smile I had seen and waved the servants off to continue their work. Yuka and I headed for the grand piano in the back of the giant ballroom. We discussed what we were going to do since there was no turning back now.

Brief clapping aroused me out of my world of beats and rests. Yuka and I had just finished a popular waltz that took the air out of me. We had been doing this for at least two hours. Song, clapping for a few seconds, next song, clapping, next song, so on and so forth. It was exhausting, but I had to admit that we played off each other beautifully. Even though I probably looked creepy in my black cloak and black dress with red bows along the hem, the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves. I felt more comfortable when we played as a team.

I stood up and whispered to Yuka, "What should we play next? I think maybe a rhapsody-"

"How about you take a break? You're looking a bit pale," she interjected.

"I am?" I asked, rubbing my forehead under my black cloak and being surprised to find a cold sweat there. "I suppose I am, but am I allowed to?"

"Is something wrong?" A feminine voice asked from behind me. I turned to see the pink-haired maid, Luka, wearing a simple dress that was distinctly not a maid's outfit.

"Mayu's a bit tired," replied Yuka.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," I assured her, "But, why are you wearing that?"

"Oh, well, Her Majesty is very kind and lets servants take a half hour break during festivities like these. I'm sure you can take a break if one stays."

"See? I'll take this one, Mayu, then I'll take a break when you get back," the violinist proposed.

"Fine, but for one song only. It's not like I can dance anyways," I finished.

Of course, I could have danced since I was thoroughly taught at a young age, but to them I was just a commoner. Plus, I needed a partner, and who would want to dance with some cultist in all black?

However, as soon as I stepped away from the piano and Yuka started her solo, my hand was immediately taken by an older gentlemen, and I was ushered onto the dance floor.

I kept my head down, shielding my golden eyes. It became difficult to keep my hood on. My footwork came easily but that wasn't what I was worried about.

"You played very beautifully, my dear," the man complimented.

"Thank-"

"I have only heard one other person play as good as you," he cut in.

I remained silent, my instinct begging me to pull away. I attempted to, but my partner's grip was iron.

"Sadly, no one knows where she went. The girl went missing about a year ago. There's a large sum of money to find her, you know. Oh, what was her name?"

I tried to pull away again but to no prevail. We were on the outskirts of the floor. How much attention would I draw if I kick him in the groin and ran off?

"Mary? Mizu? No, no. I think it was Mayu, yes that was the name. What a coincidence. That's yours too, isn't it? Oh, your parents will be very happy to hear from you-"

"Excuse me? But, I think I'll steal the lady from you now," came a young male voice.

Two hands forcefully tore his grip off me, and a short boy my age with gold hair and shimmering eyes that matched stepped in.