Broken Story: Reborn as a Villainess Author-Chapter 29: Invitation

"Sold to the handsome man at the back!"

Slam!

The auctioneer slammed his staff on the wooden floor, indicating the finality of the bid.

Vincent rose from his seat and walked down towards the stage to collect the relic.

"A wise purchase, sir," the auctioneer said with a respectful bow.

Vincent let out a soft smile as he took the item with both hands. He returned to his seat where Nieves waited. Together, they made their way out of the auditorium, avoiding the gazes of all those who were wary.

...

[Somewhere within the Golden Plains...]

A black mansion rose high against the night sky. It had gargoyles mounted on each side of the roof, their large stone wings spread wide, showcasing themselves as guardians of the night.

Inside, in a very grand bedroom, a grotesquely fat man sat on his bed, chopping off pieces from a meat steak which he held in his hand.

Crunch! Crunch!

He chewed loudly, singing and cheering as he looked at the beautiful girls around him.

"Get in here, sweetie pie, robababa!" He let out his usual weird laughter, grabbing one of the girls by the waist and pulling her closer. Each one of the girls had an emotionless look on their faces. None of them wanted to be there, but they had to in order to gain money.

Knock! Knock!

The fat man paused in his attempt to smooch the young girls. "Huh? What is it?"

The door opened slowly. A frail-looking butler stepped inside, his head bowed as he dropped to his knees.

"My apologies for the interruption, Baron Shen, but I must inform you about an invitation that came in just now."

"W-What invitation?" the Baron said sluggishly.

"You have been invited to a noble’s ball that will take place at the Lancelot household at noon tomorrow."

"Ah... the Lancelots? Why are they holding a ball?"

The butler rose from his knees. "To celebrate the birth of their newborn child, a charming baby girl."

"Tsk, I don’t care about some baby..." The Baron continued savoring the girls.

"I beg to differ, Baron. It would be rude to ignore such an invitation, especially since many high-ranking families will be in attendance, such as the Anaxagoras and the Holmes."

The Baron’s eyes lit up in excitement. "The Anaxagoras will be there?! You could have started with that... robababa!"

"Indeed, sir."

"Robababa! I can finally ask the Duke to give me one of his daughters’ hands in marriage." Shen laughed like a maniac, although it was not much different from his usual laugh.

"Shall I prepare your finest suit, sir?" the butler said.

"Yes, yes... I must look stunning!" Shen waved his hand, dismissing him. "We leave first thing in the morning!"

"As you wish, my lord." The butler left the room, leaving Shen alone with the girls once more.

Shen dragged one of the girls close to his mouth. "You hear that, girls? Your master is going to marry one of the ladies from the Anaxagoras family! Robababa!" His laugh echoed deep through the hallways.

...

[The next day...]

Just along the main road leading towards the Lancelot estate, two lowly-looking beggars sat on the sidewalk. Their clothes were torn and dirty-looking. They hid their faces underneath black hoods as they watched royal carriages pass by, the morning sun shining down on each one, highlighting its extravagance.

One of the beggars held out a wooden cup while the other rested against the first, pretending to be asleep.

Vincent and Nieves observed carefully from beneath their disguises.

"How much longer?" Nieves said in a low tone.

"Just a few more minutes..." Vincent replied.

Most of the carriages that contained wealthy families would normally be well-secured during travels. Vincent and Nieves aimed for a carriage that didn’t have security, as they planned to use the Ten Faces to impersonate them at the ball.

Ten minutes passed. Most of the expensive-looking carriages had already passed by. Then, a single carriage approached from a distance. It was elegant, but not as much as the other carriages. It had the Silias family crest emblazoned on the flag which hung at the top.

The carriage passed, then Vincent stood up slowly, pulling Nieves with him as they walked to both sides.

Pop!

Vincent threw a wrapped smoke bomb in front of the horses, causing them to rear back in panic, neighing loudly in disarray as the driver struggled to control them.

"Whoa! Whoa! Easy there... cough!" The driver’s voice was muffled by the smoke. Not long after, he fell asleep after inhaling a good amount of the smoke.

Nieves moved immediately. She leaped into the carriage, yanking the door open and pulling herself inside before anyone could react.

Duke Silias, a thin man with gray hair, sat alongside his wife, the Duchess. They were both equally frightened by the sudden entrance of a beggar.

"Don’t say a word..." Nieves said, pointing her sword at them.

Vincent came through the door shortly after. He grabbed the Duke by the shirt and covered his mouth with the sleeping powder, doing the same for his wife afterwards.

They both slumped and fell back to their seats.

Vincent pulled out a rope from his coat and quickly tied the Duke’s hands behind his back, then stuffed another cloth in his mouth to prevent his screaming for help from being heard.

He took a box from his bag and took out the Ten Faces. He carefully placed the relic on the Duke’s face as he waited for the copying process to begin.

It took a while, but they finally copied the appearance of the Duke and his wife, wearing their clothes to complete the disguise.

The driver finally woke up from his slumber.

"Driver! What’s taking so long?" Vincent called out. His voice was similar to the Duke’s due to the effects of the Ten Faces.

"Y-Yes, sir!" The driver stuttered as he clicked his tongue twice, signaling to the horses to continue their journey.

Nieves, who had the appearance of the Duchess, bundled the actual Duke and Duchess and threw them over, leaving them stranded on the sidewalk, posing as beggars in their stead.