Arthur was led into the mansion by Eliza. She seed as excited as a young girl, and although he knew she wasn't innocent, he didn't sense any malicious intent from her.
So, he let her guide him through the long corridor of the mansion until a magnificent sight unfolded before his eyes: a gigantic hall, dozens of ters long and over a hundred ters high.
The space appeared circular, with an oval ceiling, contrasting the usual shape seen from the outside of the house. But as expected, everything inside was incredibly luxurious.
The floor was made of marble, covered with wooden floors and carpets; the walls were made of various colors of marble and wood with different textures, decorated with dozens of paintings of elegant people, landscapes, and even abstract figures.
There were all sorts of furniture throughout the hall, such as large and small tables, extrely comfortable chairs, and sofas. But undoubtedly, the most impressive feature was the ceiling decoration: a sea of chandeliers in various sizes, shapes, and colors, whose lighting was so efficient that it made the night seem like day.
Under that brilliant ceiling was a lively hall with dozens of people, nobles, and servants. While Eliza's guests enjoyed the food and company, waiters carried drinks between the tables, and musicians filled the place with pleasant lodies.
When Eliza appeared with Arthur behind Aria and the Drummonds, all attention was redirected to them in a mixture of surprise, creating an expected commotion.
"Who are those with Lady Eliza?"
"That's definitely Mada Drummond."
"But what about the others?"
"Oh, they…"
No matter the situation, Aria, Arthur, Eve, and Margaret always drew attention due to their looks.
But now there was sothing more, the way Eliza was personally accompanying them, especially Arthur, whom she was literally holding hands with in front of everyone.
"Who are those with the Drummonds?"
"Who is that boy?!"
So nobles were curious about Arthur and Aria, but most quickly recognized him from Josephine's banquet or the many rumors about them.
"That's the boy who won the young competition for the Drummonds."
"And the sa one who killed Lord Isambard in front of everyone…"
Arthur managed to evoke different reactions in people. So felt curiosity, so admired him, and others felt fear, but all, without exception, felt envy for multiple reasons, such as his talent, power, looks, or the beauties at his side.
Yet, so people felt such emotions at higher levels. That was the case with two n at the large table on the other side of the hall, opposite the entrance.
"Is that them?" A tall man with above-average appearance had his eyes fixed on Arthur.
"Yes, brother," another man, this one younger, responded. That was Tobias, one of Eliza's younger brothers.
"You weren't exaggerating…" The other man was Preston, Eliza's older brother, and he comnted with a thoughtful and concerned expression.
Tobias nodded quickly, his eyes always drawn to Aria. "Isn't she perfect? I've never seen a woman so beautiful before… not even the Queen or the second princess is on her level. Damn, they're not even close!"
"Humph, she's not the most beautiful woman here…" The tall man shrugged, his expression annoyed as he looked at Aria. Then his focus shifted to Arthur and Eliza. His expression softened when he looked at Eliza, but his eyes glead with hostility when he saw her hand in Arthur's.
Tobias shook his head with a mocking smile. "You'll have to abandon those foolish ideas, brother… Our sister is clearly making plans for them, and it's evident this guy has an excellent background."
Preston watched how Eliza smiled while gliding through the hall hand-in-hand with Arthur, making his expression even more irritated and jealous.
"What if he's the one who killed our brother?!" He said aloud, causing so servants nearby to overhear.
"Brother!" Tobias quickly signaled for Preston to lower his voice, and everyone around pretended they hadn't heard.
But one person had a more extre reaction. It was a beautiful woman with a calm and gentle face sitting near the brothers, Lucia, Emilio's mother.
Upon hearing Preston's words, Lucia's expression changed from gentle and curious to sorrowful and hostile. She analyzed Arthur and Aria with her gray eyes, searching for any answers.
Lucia knew nothing about Arthur other than that his appearance was the most exceptional she had ever seen, so she glanced at Preston with an expectant expression.
Preston nodded slightly at Lucia before getting up and heading towards the center of the hall. Tobias quickly stood up as well and tried to stop his brother. "Brother!"
But Preston didn't listen and continued striding towards Arthur's group, attracting curious glances.
Aria was the first to notice the brothers' approach due to their powerful aura compared to the other nobles, both Champions. Josephine and Oliver, who were at the front, also noticed them, and she could see that Preston's expression was far from friendly, which made her apprehensive.
"Sister?" Preston called out loudly before even reaching the group.
Josephine and her family made way, and Preston ignored them, casting his arrogant gaze directly over Arthur. Eliza's eyes turned cold for a second, and then Tobias appeared behind his brother and looked at her with a sorry and concerned expression.
"Oh, you arrived at the right ti," Eliza continued to act gently and amiably, smiling at Preston. "These are our guests of honor." She glanced at the Drummonds, then at Arthur's girls, before finally gazing at him.
Preston didn't speak at first but continued to stare at Arthur before shifting his gaze downwards to their hands still together. "Guests of honor?" Preston's tone was clearly displeased.
Eliza followed her brother's gaze down and saw her and Arthur's hands still joined. She quickly let go and smiled at Arthur with an embarrassed expression. "Ah, forgive , I guess I got too excited to introduce you to the others…"
To most people, Eliza seed like a sweet and innocent girl, but Arthur didn't believe in her performance. Yet, he liked to play along with her and smiled amicably. "No problem, Lady Eliza…" He looked at his own hand with a happy expression before whispering. "I was enjoying the special treatnt."
Aria, Margaret, and Josephine had the sa lack of reaction to Arthur's comnt, but a glint flashed in Eliza's eyes, a feeling Arthur believed was genuine because she quickly tried to disguise it.
'It seems she likes to play too…' he comnted ntally to Nyx.
'Probably because she doesn't know how dangerous this ga is…' Nyx responded.
Reviews
All reviews (0)