Dangerous Fiancee

Chapter 56

'How childish he is! How dare you scorn me in such a nasty way?' Ober thought to himself.

He never wished that his gifts to Marianne, which Eckart removed, would be discarded like that.

Those emeralds were kind of a bondage he put on Marianne. Going beyond mere aesthetic value, the gems were physical evidence that proved his influence over Marianne. Anyone who planted their own spies in the social circles knew what those gems he gave to her meant. Nevertheless, Eckart openly cut off the leash he put on her in front of everybody, as if he was her new lover. Of course, the emperor himself and Marianne knew that.

"Wouldn't it be nice to start a banquet now?" Eckart said with a gentle smile on his mouth.

The orchestra again began to play an elegant waltz.

Soon, he moved the cuffs of his golden sleeves softly and reached out to her, saying, "My dear Anthea. Please allow me to stay with you forever as you and I become light and darkness to each other."

Just like Airius wooed the heart of his beloved goddess Anthea, he invited her to dance with him politely and elegantly.

"I, Anthea, swear that even after a thousand nights and days, my blessings from the beginning will protect us."

After hesitating for a moment, she took his hands. His green eyes trembled slightly.

"Your Excellency!"

Marianne whispered quietly, asking, "Why did you do that?"

The garden was lively, with the voices of people and the playing of musical instruments mixed. Most of the guests looked at the two waltzing in the middle of the stage. Although it was difficult for their conversation not to be overheard by others, everyone talked in a low voice as if they were whispering far away. So, there was less risk of their dialogues leaking out.

Marianne asked Eckart, "You didn't have to piss off Ober so openly, did you?"

"Well, the more dramatic the rumor was, the faster it was supposed to spread."

He grinned at her as if he put his lips to her ears and talked in whispers. Some of the young ladies surrounding the stage began to whisper, suspicious of their eyes. Even though they put on masks, their surprise was clearly visible to others.

Marianne continued, "If it was your intention to inflate the rumors, I think you've had a great success."

"No. Not enough yet. Hubble and Chester have a lot of people with lots of experience in politics. I need to disperse their suspicion of our relationship."

The golden dress and the cloak fluttered gently through the night breeze. Their shoes and boots moved in step with the waltz. As their dancing was so beautiful like a picture, young ladies and men dreaming of romantic love expressed envy, carried away with it.

"So I don't want you to tolerate a little bit more," Eckart said.

"I don't know what you mean..."

Even before Marianne was done asking, he let go of her hand gently. In no time, he kissed her forehead lightly, covering her cheeks with his cool fingers.

"We have to make them believe the rumors about us are related to our love, so we can reduce the chance of our plan being detected," he said.

As if to prove his words, those surrounding the emperor couple showed more intense reactions.

Excited, Rane knocked on Jed's forearm grinning brightly, while Roxanne was tearing off the bouquet that she received from a young lady a moment ago. While looking at the couple, Ober kept emptying his wine cup. Though the marquise wore a mask and covered her face with a fan, she fixed her gaze on the emperor couple.