Chapter III

"Are you lost, my dear?" The stranger asked her as she was blinking her eyes. Becca tried to form sentences but she stammered instead. The stranger chuckled lowly. Then, Becca was clearing her throat before she glared at the man.

"No, my lord," she did not know if he was a gentry or not but it was never hurt to tell them, just to boost their ego. "I am merely looking around to take in the sight of the ballroom. It was mesmerizing that I cannot help but turn around, making myself look like a fool," Becca said sarcastically before the blue-eyed man was amused with her answer.

It usually worked the other way.

"Well, you must thank the host of this ball then. It is grand, I must admit," the stranger said before Becca was rolling her eyes. The tomes on her etiquette lessons would be cursing and her tutors would roll on their sleep as Becca was doing the things that a lady of the genteel breed should not do.

Talking sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes.

What's next? Scoffing?

"If you must know, my lord, I don't think I want to meet the host of this ball. I'm merely here because of my parents, in which I must find them right now. Excuse me," Becca said before the stranger was looking at her intensely.

"Why are you so against the ball?" He asked Becca before she blinked at him. Why indeed, she mused before she was smiling at the man.

"Well, my mother was determined to make sure that I will be landing a husband the next time we're at the ball. And tonight I am at one so I know that she will be plotting something behind my back. That is why I have to get going now," Becca said before she was about to gather her skirts when the stranger spoke.

"Would you give me a chance to dance with you, my dear?" The man said before Becca was looking at him. By the looks of it, he was handsome and wealthy. Becca just wished that he was not one of the Higher Court lords. If he was, her mother would flip with joy if this man asked her to marry him, Becca thought as she was considering the offer.

Becca was looking around and saw that her parents were nowhere to be found. She might as well just play it by ear and maybe they would turn up after her dance with this lord.

"May I know the name of the lord that was asking me to dance with him? As we all know, we cannot dance with a stranger," Becca joked before the stranger was smiling at her. He took her hand before he was kissing her knuckles. Becca felt butterflies in her stomach as she sucked on her breath as the lord was looking at her.

With his sharp blue orbs.

"Lord Niklaus Dragomir, at your service, milady. And may I ask your name now that you know mine?" Niklaus asked her before Becca was smiling at him.

"Lady Rebecca Davis but you can call me Becca, my lord," she said as she curtsied to him. Niklaus smiled.

"Call me Nick then," he replied as Becca was arching her eyebrow.

Again, her tutor would roll in their sleep at the lack of etiquette that Becca was showing.

"Isn't your name Niklaus?" She said before Niklaus chuckled.

"Shall we?" Niklaus said as he was offering his hand to Becca. She looked at it before she took it. Electrics were inside her veins before the butterflies intensified. What is wrong with me, she mused before Niklaus was guiding her to the dance floor. The crowd was parting around them before Niklaus was putting his hand on her lower back and the other was gripping her hand.

"Do you know how to dance?" He asked before Becca scoffed.

One more lack of manner.

"Of course, do you think I was raised in a barn?" Becca asked Niklaus before he chuckled. Then, they were dancing off. The musicians were playing the soft waltz on strings quartet as Becca and Niklaus were sweeping off their feet to the music.

"Do you always have people coming up to you and ask you for a dance after their conversation?" Niklaus asked Becca before she sighed.

"No, they would usually cower away and I was left to my own devices," she said as she was glaring at the lord in front of her. "Unlike someone that I know tonight," she mumbled before Niklaus laughed. His throaty voice was stirring something inside Becca as she was wishing that Niklaus would be staying with her throughout the night.

Wait, what?

"Hmm, I am glad to hear it. It seems that I was not offended by your words, my dear,"

"Do not call me 'my dear'. We barely know each other," Becca said as they were twirling and moving across the dance floor as the dim light from the gaslights was making Niklaus' blonde hair looked like a halo on his head.

"Well, you might want to think about that because," Niklaus said before he was moving his mouth to Becca's left ear as he whispered, "you never knew what the future holds, my dear," he said before the music ended and Becca was hearing her mother's voice.

"Darling, what are you doing there?" Lady Georgia asked Becca as she turned to look at her mother. Lady Georgia was looking at Becca before she smiled at her mother.

"Nothing, Mama, I was just—"

"Oh, we have been searching for you, Your Grace. It's a good thing that we found you with our daughter nonetheless," Becca's mother said before Becca was turning to look at Niklaus. He was smiling before her father was greeting Niklaus with his formal name. Becca paled after that realization.

"Your Grace, we are honored to be invited to the young queen's ball. You have outdone yourself again, Your Grace," her father regarded Niklaus as Becca was blinking her eyes. Wait, Your Grace was reserved for Duke of Belikov, which means Niklaus was—

"My pleasure and please enjoy the ball. I have to go now," Niklaus said as he turned to look at Becca who paled after his formal title was being called out by her father. "I hope to see you again, my dear," Niklaus said before he was kissing Becca's hand and went away. Her mother was gasping before Becca groaned inwardly. This is indeed the worst decision that I came to the ball, Becca mused before she was looking at the retreating figure Duke of Belikov.

*****

"Did you enjoy my little show?" Niklaus asked Ian as he was standing on the balcony again. He was sipping on the blood-laced wine before Ian chuckled.

"I have seen something much more entertaining than that," his friend said before Niklaus chuckled.

"Well, the lady in question did not know who I was until her parents came along to greet me with my title," Niklaus said before Ian was arching his eyebrow at him.

"What are you planning, Nick?" Ian asked Niklaus before he turned to regard his friend. Niklaus smirked.

"Something that will put the Higher Court and the young queen off my back," Niklaus said as he was looking at the family that he was determined to snatch the last daughter of Lord Matthew Davis for his personal gain. Lady Rebecca Davis, you shall be my bride when the time comes, Niklaus mused to himself as he was enjoying the sight of his future bride being smothered by her mother.

*****

Becca was sighing as she was taking the coat that the servant was giving to her. Becca put it on before she was walking out into the cold air as Becca was looking at her parents. Her father, bless his soul, has stopped her mother from asking too many questions.

Becca was thankful for that but she did not think that would stop Lady Georgia to get the answer that she wanted. Their carriage arrived before the footman was opening the door of the carriage. Lord Matthew helped his wife to get into the carriage before her father was helping her. Becca gathered her skirt as she went inside the carriage, then her father followed her and the footman shut the door.

"So—"

"What did I tell you, dear? No more questions. It was enough that you asked her to come to this ball when she did not enjoy being in the crowd," Lord Matthew asked his wife as he was arching his eyebrow at her. Lady Georgia scoffed. Talking about scoffing in public, Becca mused before her mother was glaring at her father.

"She would not only capture one of the most-sought out bachelors of the island if she decided to stay at home tonight. Imagine the social status that we will have, Matt,"

"Enough. Was it always power that you seek when you married our daughters?" Lord Matthew asked his wife before Lady Georgia was silent. Becca was clapping her hands in her mind as only her father could silence her mother with words.

"Now, I know that you were hoping the duke would take an interest in our daughter," Lord Matthew said before Lady Georgia was beaming at him. Then, her husband continued. "But I heard that he was one of the Higher Court. On top of that, he was the most powerful lord as well since he was related to the young Queen. I cannot imagine what would happen to Becca if she was married into that lifestyle," Lord Matthew said as he was looking at his daughter. Becca smiled.

"But she did not have to work for a single day in her life—"

"I can still manage to feed her and give her clothes and home. If she chose to be a spinster, then so be it," Lord Matthew stated before ending the conversation that Becca knew her mother would revisit it again and again until the duke was on the front door of their house.

And Lady Georgia Davis should know that she must be careful about what she wished for.