The Villainess is Bored of White!

A Friend (1)

Adelena

I stayed in my seat and I slowly watched everyone get up from there seats. Some took this as a chance to get in there groups and start socializing, and others took this as a chance to dance with someone.

Me? Well it's not like I can join the older nobles in gossiping, nor will it be easy for me to converse with Lady Amelia.

Giselle and Amelia seem close, along with Lady Astoria Helena De Bertschy. The Bertschy family is another Marquis Household. Unlike me, Giselle and Amelia, the Bertschy family only has daughters— Lady Astoria, Lady Colette, and Lady Idylla the youngest. Making Lady Astoria the heiress of their household was difficult, but her bright nature and everlasting charisma make her extremely popular in high society.

Information of the Bertschy family resurface in my mind, Adelena's memory. The Bertschy family is how the empire maintains relations with foreign kingdoms, empires and nobles. They have a high influence on trade and are a very important family.

I sigh when I finally notice that Vedette and Ciel have gone to socialize with their own friends. I'm starting to pity Adelena.. did she have any true friends of her own?

"Lady Adelena!" I hear somebody say when I decide to get up.

I look up to see Lady Astoria waving me over. I pause, and decide to walk over anyway seeing the other ladies indifference.

"I see that you've decided to step away from white dresses, your dress suits you so well!" Astoria says when I make it over.

"Thank you, likewise." I say with a smile as the other ladies start having a new conversation.

Astoria is wearing dark green and sage dress with white lace. It compliments her long ebony hair and green eyes.

I look around to see Amelia, Giselle and Prince Mathias conversing, along with that peculiar man from before. Even though I try, I can't get any memories of him.

"I think a tea party in a rose garden would be wonderful!" I hear another lady exclaim as I remember that I'm part of an ongoing conversation here.

"Oh, my family's manor has a garden of white roses, I don't mind hosting a tea party if you guys would like to attend." the roses should be a sight I should share.

"My, really?!" Astoria says as her eyes gleam, "The Garden of Blanche is a famous topic of conversation in high society." she finishes with an expecting smile.

"Then I shall host one, I hope your expectations are fulfilled once you see the roses, truly breathtaking." I say with a bright smile.

There was a quick pause until one lady responds.

"Well if Lady Adelena says it's breathtaking herself, then I can definitely be excited for this tea party!" she says excitedly.

The other ladies start bursting about what they would want to wear, and one starts asking me about possible dates to the other ladies amusement as they laugh.

"Lady Adelena has just started talking about it, and you're asking for dates as early as of now!" Astoria says with a laugh as other ladies join her.

It really, wasn't that funny, but we soon took the attention of the room as Lady Amelia and others walk over to join the conversation.

I took this as an opportunity to slip away, slowly blending in with the incoming crowd.

"What's so amusing?" Lady Amelia asks from a distance.

"Oh, Lady Adelena was talking about a tea party in the Garden of Blanche!" Astoria says.

"Right Lady Adel—" she turns to Lady Adelena but sees Giselle instead talking to another noble lady.

"Where did she go..?"
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Adelena

I ended up running to the outside to the garden. Truly, the Easton Manors ability to create the illusion of flowers is amazing.

Blooming vibrant violet flowers were emerging from the rows of bushes. I cascaded down the path, only the dark mesh of my dress following behind me. I missed this feeling, the freedom of having nobody follow you. Not a maid, an attendant, or a knight, just yourself.

I missed evenings like this, where I would walk home after my shift at the library. The cold breeze blowing against my skin, only the street lights illuminating my path.

"Tap.. tap.."

I stop in my tracks, is someone walking around here too?

I continue to walk after a brief pause, but instead of hearing only my heels clack against the rock path, I hear another pair of shoes walk with me.

Do I look back? What if when I look back nothings there and it's a ghost? I can't run in these heels and dress. No, what if it's a crook?! They aren't saying anything, and they're not trying to conceal their steps, they must be an amateur.

I quicken my pace, but as soon as I do they do too.

I stop again, and I hear them slowly approach me.
They stop when we're only an arms length away.

"Why are you following me?" I say in a cold and stoic voice.

No response.

I fight the urge to turn around.

"Answer me, I am warning you; I can have your whole family demolished if I please." I try to say confidently, but in this situation, I am more vulnerable.

Then I hear it, the same soft chuckle from the banquet. The peculiar aquamarine eyed man from before.

I turn around in a beat, almost giving myself whiplash. 

There he was, the same man from before. This time the soft gleam of the moon illuminated his features, his blonde hair looked almost white, and his eyes gleamed with the moonlight.

He wore a smile on his lips, as our eyes met once more.