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Nicholas woke up from a scream he heard from far away. Henry too heard it as he jolted from his sleep and scurried into Nicholas's sleep wear. He was instantly alert. He got up and grabbed his nightgown and a sword that decorated the walls. He went to where he last placed his mask and wore it. All that took less than five minutes and he was running along the empty hallway to where the source of the screaming came.

He was brought back to the dance hall. There, a young maid was sprawled on the floor with blood pouring out of her mouth, eyes, nose and ears. Even from afar, Nicholas could tell that she was dead. A few male guests had come too and I saw her highness came running towards the door I stood at.

"Wait, do not enter, We know not if she is infected," Nicholas warned and he spread his arms to hold the guests and Princess Scarlet away from the ballroom. Henry came out of his gown.

"Henry, stay with her highness. I will go and check on her," he instructed the little monkey. Said animal quickly jumped and ran towards Scarlet. Nicholas took a handkerchief out and tied it underneath his mask and entered the room. The sight he beheld was gruesome. The maid was also multilated.

Ace walked around uncomfortable with the new clothes he had stolen. He saw a bunch of people gathered at the doorway. He pushed his way to the front to only see a body sprawled on the floor.

"Please, we must gather the other guests too. I'm afraid that the same incident might happen again," Nicholas said to the soldier with the scythe. He held his mask to secure its place so that it would not fall and turned to the other guests.

"I implore you, my fellow acquintances, awaken everyone you know and have them gathered in one room. The maids and soldiers must come too," he announced aloud.

"Princess, I rather you not see the scene," Nicholas stopped Scarlet before she entered the ballroom. "It is not a sight for a lady, my lady," he bowed with his arm extended in front of Scarlet in attempt not to let her pass.

"Madame, at least cover your nostril with this," Nicholas handed a handkerchief to Scarlet. He sighed and crouched beside her.

"From what I can tell you, she has been dead for only 3 or 4 hours. Her body was still warm when I got here, he started. "The cause of her death is possibly the mutilation upon her body but it shouldn't make her blood seep through her eyes, nostril and ears. If I was to make an assumption, her killer is still within the castle walls." He concluded. Then he bowed in respect to the dead and took a blanket handed to him by another maid and he covered the dead body.

"We can mourn for her, your highness but there is a bigger problem at stake," he said after the body was out of sight, "The murderer is still here and might kill more till his objective is reached." Nicholas held a hand to her highness in hopes that she would follow him to her people.

"It is best that we do not discuss this subject in front of all," Nicholas said. "They are panicked as it is and the idea of the murderer being among us will spark chaos. We should have your most trusted subjects investigate this," he suggested.

They entered the dining room and everyone looked at them in hopes of news. Nicholas awaited Scarlet's order. It would be either her or me that would explain the situation but everything relies on her consent.

"That was a well refined speech," Nicholas bowed. "The doors must be sealed though, as well as the kitchen doors. There will be a fair commuting between those two rooms and luckily the two rooms were built against each other." Nicholas walked a little to see the path between kitchen and dining hall.

"For now, all we know is that the killer is a sadistic person and enjoys ripping his prey apart. The people with the highest chance of getting murdered next will be those who walk alone," he turned to Scarlet. "Your highness, we must have the guards informed that no guest leave without at least three escorts." He thought for a while.

"For now, the suspects would be the ones who insists to be left alone when he is outside the dining hall," Nicholas said thoughtfully and then turned his attention back to her highness. "Princess, I think we must brief your soldeirs or I should inform what I know of to Miss Nymhpadora so that she can brief the others."

"As you wish, my lady," he bowed and went in search for Nymphadora. He found her giving instructions to a soldier. He called for her and relayed what he had figured. She seemed impressed of his early conclusion and assured him that the message will be delivered discreetly and only to her men. Nicholas thanked her and left her to find Henry.

"Henry! Henry! Where are you?" He called. He had not seen the little monkey with Scarlet and worry began to fill him. Then he heard a familiar squeel and Henry leap onto his shoulder, shivering.

"Henry, what is the matter? You look scared?" He asked the small mammal but Henry did nothing but continue to shiver. Nicholas burrowed his brows under his mask and retraced th steps from where Henry had came from. To his surprise, he was lead back to the ballroom. He scanned the room and nearly fell to his the floor. The body was gone.