Chapter 5

“You’ll look amazing if you weren’t pouting.” Nieal handed a cup of tea to Irina.

Irina took the cup, her eyes wandered over to the selections of beverages on the long table across them. Did this mean she could only drink tea throughout the ball?

Nieal didn’t have to tell Irina directly that the other beverages weren’t for her, the cup of tea in her hand was enough for her to understand. Nieal was being over-protective again. Argh. She was a grown woman and allowed to drink alcohol.

“Then I don’t want looking amazing.”

“Oh, come on. This is my welcome home ball. Aren’t you happy that I come back with no scratch?”

“Then let me give you that scratch.” Whispered Irina as she sipped the tea. “Besides, this is my normal look, I’m sorry for being not amazing.”

Nieal laughed. Making people turned at their direction. While Irina hid her face, pretending she was enjoying her tea.

Butler Rhys came, three people was with him. ”Master, Deputy Ashen and his sons are here.”

With falter laugh on his face, Nieal turned to his butler direction. His expression smoothly slid to cordial smile at the deputy. He shook the older man’s hand briefly.

“Deputy Ashen, thanks for coming.”

“Thank you for coming home safely, Master Danieal.”

Nieal’s eyes shifted to the two younger men on the deputy’s side. “These must be your sons.” He stretched his hand for hand shaking.

The older son took Nieal’s hand. They shook hands for a few seconds as he told Nieal his name was Avery. Then Nieal’s hand shook the younger brother’s hand, he told Nieal his name was Eliot.

After some minutes talking, Nieal wished the deputy and his sons having a good time in the ball. A smooth way to actually excuse himself as he took Irina to the table where fruits and cakes were served.

“Why don’t you introduce me?” Irina questioned Nieal whose hands were busy putting some sorts of fruits and cakes onto the plate. Before the deputy were some landlords and rich merchants whom Nieal didn’t bother to introduce Irina to them too.

“Deputy Ashen already knew you. I saw you returned his nods.” Answered Nieal lightly.

“Yea, but I didn’t get the chance to greet them.” Irina took a slice of cake into her mouth. “What about his sons?”

“What about them?”

“They don’t know me.”

“I’m sure they know you too.” Nieal stood straight suddenly, turning sideways with puzzle expression. “Why? It’s very unlike you, wanting to be known.”

“Well, it’s just… I feel not right. Because you always nice to people, while I’m…” Irina didn’t want to continue. She recalled the fruit seller’s words in the market this afternoon, saying that she was a nice girl, but her action telling otherwise.

“While you?”

“Other people might think I’m rude and brainless and you keep on protecting me so I think they respect me because of you.”

They stood at the end of the table, chewing the food from the plate on Nieal’s hand.

“Who said that?” Nieal snapped.

“See…” Irina scoffed.

Chuckling, Nieal clarified. “Don’t think that way. And don’t think what other people might or might not think about you.” With teasing tone, he added. “And if they belittle you behind my back, you just need to tell me, I’ll fix it for you like I used to do when we were little.”

Irina was seven when Nieal’s mother urged her to go with thirteen years-old Nieal socializing in Youngsters event. The event turned ugly when a group of boys and girls from the upper-class family mocked Irina, calling her poor girl in nice dress, making Nieal gone crazy and beat them mercilessly.

Since then Irina had never attend any social event anymore, she spent her time reading and Nieal was punished by his parents.

Seeing Nieal lifted his brows ups and downs playfully made Irina rolled her eyes and then shook her head in disbelieve. Nieal was a leader now, she didn’t want him doing stupid things just to defend her. She could defend herself, or she could just ignore it.

“Come, I’ll introduce you to them.” Nieal motioned his head to his butler’s direction, he was with another three men. Nieal put the plate onto the table, but when Irina wanted to do the same with her cup, he told her to bring it.

They approached Butler Rhys taking longer route, since the center hall was using as dancing arena. The three men were landlords under Nieal’s territory. Nieal kept his promise, he introduced Irina and let her join in their conversation.

Just then, Irina understood why Nieal insisted her to take the tea cup. For a polite way to avoid her hand being kissed. She felt grateful.

But something bad seemed to happen in the new land as the truce representative showed up with the guard’s captain.

Nieal took Irina to the quiet corner as he gestured to his butler to take all the landlords and the new comers to his larger study.

“Look.” Nieal started with apologetic looks on his face. “I know I promised to stay by your side all night, but this new development—”

Irina put her hand upon Nieal’s anxious hand. “Go! Don’t worry about me.”

Nieal nodded. “I’ll come back soon and dance with you.”

At first, Irina was in daze, she didn’t know what to do. When her wandering eyes landed on the beverages table, an idea formed in her head. At once, she strode towards the table.

“Miss Irina, please don’t—” The maid eyes turned wide when Irina drink half glass of fruit drink then filled the glass with white wine. She gasped as Irina down the glass in one go.

Irina shushed the maid’s pleading. “Don’t worry, Rorra. You’ll just need to tell me if Nieal torture you.”

Maid Rorra was in distress watching Irina emptied her cup then poured red wine into her cup of tea. So that when Nieal came back, he would think she still have tea. Satisfy, Irina grinned at Maid Rorra, while the maid still gave her a pleading looks.

Before Irina turned her body around, she winked at the anxious maid and whispered. “Relax, I’ll be fine and you’ll be fine too. Don’t tell anyone.”

The moment Irina face the other direction, she locked eyes with a man. The distance wasn’t that far so Irina could see the interest in the man’s eyes. Thief, thought Irina inward. Who let him in?

Damn. With the wine in her tea cup, the ball had just started to be more fun for her. Why in the world she had to meet with that thief again? Meeting him twice a day was already worse, why he had to be in this ball too?

Closing her eyes for a few seconds, half hoping he would be gone when she opened her eyes again. But then again, Nieal invited everyone in the town, literally everyone, rich or poor. So, the thief was also invited.

He was still there when she opened her eyes. Still looking at her direction with the same interest looks, while those women around him tried to bring his attention back to them.

Irina blatantly threw her disgust looks at him. He lifted one brow as a respond, amused.

The man was innocent. Irina knew that. But her disappointment hadn’t gone yet, she still chose to hate him for stealing her dream. And continuing to see him throughout the ball could worsen her mood.

Fortunately, Nieal’s manor had its own library which nobody outside the manor knew it, except Irina and her father. The library was her choice of place to wait for Nieal, then she turned around and left the main hall.

Without her knowing, someone followed her.