Chapter 17: A Lonesome Man (1)

Chapter 17 – A Lonesome Man (1)

Gris admired her red lips. Bellin couldn’t stop looking at Gris’ transformation and just stood transfixed.

She finally ventured, “Your pale skin and dark hair are a beautiful contrast to your red lips. You look so young, fresh and captivating… I firmly believe that you will shine at the party tonight.”

Gris remained silent to the maid’s appraisal.

“Up until now, it was only Sir Byrenhag who stood out in banquets and parties.”

Bellin had worked so hard to balance Gris’ makeup with her natural beauty. But she also wanted to show her off tonight and wanted to enhance her eyes and lips. She wondered if Gris liked it or thought it was too much.

The latter felt her handmaiden’s nervousness and reassured her, “You’re very talented, Bellin.”

As Bellin smiled and bent over to straighten Gris’ dress, there was a knock on the door. It must be Stephan, Gris thought.

“Come in.”

Through the open door stood Laurel, the housekeeper. When she saw Gris, all dressed up with jewelry and her hair charmingly coiffed, she was in awe.

“Ma’am, you are a natural beauty, but the white evening dress and makeup make you even more beautiful. I’m sure Madam Paola will be thrilled,” Laurel said.

Gris looked down at her dress, embroidered with sequinned flowers. Laurel was proud to escort the young Yuliana to the dinner and flung the door wide open.

“Ma’am, it’s time to head to the ball.”

Gris nodded a little apprehensively but eagerly followed Laurel and Bellin to the banquet hall. A golden carpet had been placed in the long corridor and there were candles and flowers everywhere; there was a sense of festivity in the air. The servants must have tried their best to decorate the Byrenhag Hall for its first party in a decade.

When Gris arrived in the main hall, an orderly row of servants stood on either side of the banquet hall, welcoming the guests coming in through the main door. Two roaring fires were burning, giving the room warmth and a golden glow. In one corner was a violin quartet playing a bright melody, adding to the festive atmosphere in the room.

Gris was captivated by the quartet and their performance when Laurel spoke to her.

“Sir Byrenhag is already in the banquet hall, ma’am. He will be delighted to see you in your lovely dress,” she whispered.

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Initially excited by the sight of a room full of handsomely dressed and gorgeous people, Gris’s heart suddenly sank when she was reminded that Vianut was present. She then became anxious that Vianut would destroy everything and reveal her true identity during the party.

As they continued to move towards the banquet hall, the sound of the violins became louder. As Gris walked inside, she could see many candles illuminating the room like a night sky studded with a thousand stars. And at the far end of the room was a raised platform, behind it was a round table for the guests.

The seated guests turned to the door as Gris entered the room. Bellin and Laurel, still remaining at Gris’s side, reminded her, “If you need anything, we’ll just be outside the door. The six people in the far-left corner are your aunt and their family. Do you remember them at all?”

Gris turned to look at the far corner of the room. A group of noblewomen in elegant dresses studied her as they whispered to one another. She knew they were talking about her, their niece, who had suddenly re-appeared out of nowhere.

Barely resisting the impulse to run away, Gris took a deep breath instead and calmly walked toward the women and curtsied deeply. When she looked up, she saw Stephan, drinking a glass of wine on the platform, gesturing her to come over.

But who actually caught her eye was the person sitting in front of the platform near the fire.

It was Vianut, and she now understood why Bellin had said that Vianut would stand out in a banquet. He no longer had blood and sweat on his face and his imposing armor, but had washed and brushed his thick black hair. His face now clean, she could see he was indeed a handsome man behind the grime and blood.

Seeing him, Gris stiffened as she walked over to Stephan. Vianut hadn’t noticed her; he looked rather bored and lost in his own thoughts.

Gris kept a wary eye on him and took another step. And another step. And another step….

Suddenly, his eyes stared straight at her.

Gris felt a cold draft and goosebumps on her arms. She rubbed the back of her neck to warm herself and something brushed her arm.

Just then, a single pearl earring dropped to the floor. Gris watched the pearl earring roll along the pattern of the floor tile until a hand picked it up. It was Quentin who had saved her from drowning in the lake.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Madam Yuliana. I’m Quentin, do you recall when we met by the lake?”

Bellin, watching from a distance, quickly approached them and took the clip-on earring from his hand and fixed it to her ear. Aware of the growing attention of everyone in the room, Gris nervously turned to Quentin.

“Thank you, Sir Quentin.”

Gris felt someone’s eyes on her and realised it had to be Vianut.. Gris was tense, for the very reason his stares were indecipherable. His eyes were different from other men where hunger for a woman’s body was vividly reflected in their orbs. Although Vianut’s gaze unnerved her, she knew he was studying her like an unknown specimen, purely out of curiosity.

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