When Aina returns to the receiving room, she immediately gives her shawl to her maid. "Wash it personally, don't let anyone see it" it might have sounded odd to another servant but to Allie who knew of her obsession with her possessions and things, it was the usual order that Aina gives everyday.
"Yes, my lady" her maid answered and kept the shawl to herself as she walked behind Aina.
When she came inside, she was fully expecting to find her father and Duke Fremont in a middle of an argument, possibly finding Duke Fremont to be demanding to break off the engagement immediately, however, what she came unto was the scene of her father and the Duke shaking hands as they stood before each other in the middle of the room.
"I thank you, Duke Evrian, for agreeing to this arrangement" Duke Fremont has that smile on his face again, one that resembles a snake so much.
Aina now finds how she loathes that smile.
Her father shook his hand but did not give him the same smile. He nodded, instead, before pulling his hand away. And in an instant, he noticed Aina's presence. Her father gave out his hand and it hung in the air before Aina, although hesitant, took it. Somehow, the repulsion she had for other men did not apply to her own father.
Or maybe it did once. And that was why her brothers and father all took their distance from her.
But Aina could barely remember.
"You're here, Ciana" her father says, still holding the hand of his youngest daughter.
Aina seems at ease next to him. In fact, she feels better to be next to his presence in front of the man she now decides she hated. "Yes, I apologize if it took a while. I had to freshen myself" she explains.
"It is no worries, Lady Ciana" it was Duke Fremont who spoke. Both her father and her turn to him.
Her father might have no problem with him, but after the words he said to her at the lake, as well as the open hostility he showed her. And the disrespect. If it was possible, Aina would never want to speak with him again. She couldn't ever believe that this was the man she was going to marry.
And by the looks of it, they had already prepared everything.
"Oh, but I made you wait, your grace" she says, but there was not an ounce of apology in her tone.
Why was Duke Fremont so intent on marrying her?
What is his reason?
After the retaliation she gave, though well-deserved it was, she expected him to break the engagement immediately. No noble man would have tolerated such disrespect from a woman. Daughter of a Duke or not. And it seems as if Duke Fremont's ego was too high. He should have been shocked that she even fought back. But why?
Why is he so intent on marrying me?
"Please, call me Lorian, my dear fiancée" Lorian bowed his head as he sweetly spoke. His expression was friendly, but his emerald eyes glowed with something Aina doesn't recognize, but knew enough that he wasn't going to be cordial with her.
"And may I call you Ciana, my lady?" Aina grits her teeth as she openly glares at him. Usually, she would've hidden her anger but today, she feels as if she couldn't find it in herself to hide anything.
"I think that'd be too informal, don't you think so, your grace?" She bit back and could see in her peripheral vision that her father slowly turned his head to her and was most likely wondering what caused such hostility.
"Ciana" her father warns, but his tone remains gentle as he softly tightens his hold on her hand, as if afraid she would pull away from fear if he was the least bit harsh.
Aina glares, her pale eyes sharp and cold. In return, Lorian's smile remained, his eyes narrowed and they emitted a glow that reflected the blaze in the fireplace and the sun setting outside the carved arched windows in the receiving room. Lorian was eyeing her with intensity that seems to grow the longer Aina gives him the satisfaction of earning her ire. Calm down, Aina, don't give him the satisfaction. She repeated the mantra over and over in her head until she was able to control the expression on her face again.
She knew her father was waiting for her apology when he gave her a small warning. But Aina really couldn't find it in herself to apologize to such a man.
As if knowing she had no plans to even pretend to be sorry, Lorian says, "It's alright, your grace. Ciana must be nervous, that's all" his eyes travelled down, to her lips and to her neck and Aina flinched as his eyes narrowed even more, turning into half-slits for a moment before he grinned widely. Lorian gave emphasis to her name, and Aina knew he was mocking her.
What an absolute bastard.
Though Aina didn't acknowledge the name 'Ciana', she still feels the complete disgust in her bones with the way he said her name. Aina didn't even know that it was possible to hate someone as much as she hates Lorian who she only met for the first time.
"It seems to be getting late, Lorian," her father coughs when silence fills the room for a few seconds as Aina doesn't back her gaze down from Lorian's smile. He was looking outside the golden windows before turning to his daughter, and the hand that was placed on his own, he seemed unwilling to let go. Her father held her hand so gently that Aina was turning a bit conscious of herself. The braveness she felt earlier was replaced with sudden shyness as she feels warmth running to her cheeks.
"Of course, your grace" Lorian bowed deeply and he raised his hand in a motion that looked as if he was waiting for Aina to place her hand on his.
Aina doesn't want to, though.
Even in death, she was certain she didn't ever want to allow such a man to hold her again.
"Ciana" her father gives a gentle warning again. But this time it doesn't scare her at all. In fact, when Aina refused to let go of her father's hand, Duke Evrian tightened his hold on her reassuringly.
"It seems Ciana is a bit shy" Lorian played it off with a dark chuckle when Aina blatantly refused in front of her father, her maid, and Lorian's aide who stood a few feet away.
What? Shy? This snake-like bastard is really - !
Aina wanted to shout various profanities at him that would have surely landed her a place in the holy convent, repenting for her sins till the day she dies. Aina continued to glare when Lorian shook hands with the Duke again, he bowed his head and smiled at her blindingly, and if she was a common woman, she would have been fooled by such a perfect smile.
.
.
-
Lorian Fremont had only one thing on his mind when he arrived at the Evrian manor. How ridiculously extravagant each detail was. There was talk that the deceased Duchess was fond of decorating the manor, and it seems the rumours were right. From the beginning of the property, they had to pass a huge golden gate, decorated with precious cherubs, three of them to be exact, and Lorian knew it represented the Duchess' three children, with of course, the exception of Ciana Evrian, the unexpected bastard of the family. They passed by rows and rows of huge wisteria trees, aligned straight beside the cobbled path towards the main manor. It was autumn, and what was left of the decorative trees were empty branches that stood at long rows as they were preparing for winter.
Lorian could feel the carriage doing a circle and he realized why upon seeing the large fountain with a woman at the center holding a large jar in her hands where the water kept flowing. The woman who resembled the Goddess of their empire seemed to smile at him, and Lorian could barely hide the confusion in his face when his aide faked a cough in front of him.
When the carriage finally came to a stop, Lorian gathered his composure once more. He straightened his posture and fixed the white gloves that adorned his hands. He looks at his aide who sat in front of him. "How do I look?" he asked.
"Perfect, as usual, your grace" Lorian already knew the answer - perfect, as he always is. In the end, no matter what happens with the bastard, Duke Evrian's impression of him must be perfect.
Lorian Fremont was a perfect man. He constantly strived for perfection. From the moment he was born, he was constantly belittled and scorned upon by the vassals that worked for his parents, as well as the relatives from his mother and father's side. To such people, status was decided by the blood that runs in one's veins. And Lorian to them, was a half-breed who never deserved to live. With his life constantly threatened by those who covet the seat of a Duke, Lorian realized that perfection would be a tool he would wield to fight for his birthright. And I was damn right. In the end, the one seated at the seat of Duke Fremont was none other than the bastard that they hated.
Though, he supposed he could never find fault in his father nor his mother who died in order to give birth to him. Elvin Fremont, the previous duke of Fremont, did his best to protect Lorian. He gave him everything an heir to a dukedom needed, knowledge, power, and money. Elvin gave more than money to his son, he gave Lorian the ability to manipulate his enemies, and take them down from the inside without so much as lifting a finger. And it was the best inheritance Elvin could've given his son.
"Ubi interitus, renascentia sequitur"
As his father once said, there was a reason why their family crest was a snake devouring its own tail.
Elvin loved his one and only son, though related not by blood, the bond he shared with Lorian was a bond so strong Elvin's legacy continued to live on in his son's spirit and heart. The loyalty that Lorian had for his father was the reason why he was able to survive the power struggle that occurred shortly after Elvin's death.
Lorian stood in front of the grand stairs that reached the top of the main entrance to the manor. His attire was without any creases, his shoes polished until they reflected the afternoon sun, and his blonde hair perfectly swept back in a style that resembled his own personality, stoic and upright.
It was after when they walked the tedious staircase that Lorian was finally able to lay his own eyes upon Ciana Evrian. With no available portraits to showcase her looks, he didn't have any idea on what to expect with her, only merely wishing she didn't look so repulsive that he would rather withdraw the marriage proposal immediately.
What Lorian never expected, however, was the striking pale lilac eyes that stared back at him, doing the very same thing he was doing - carefully assessing him with her eyes that although beared no resemblance to the Duke's and his legitimate children's own striking, bright, violet irises, had Lorian feeling unnerved, the very same experience he often has when meeting the Duke and his legitimate children.
How is she able to still see?
The next thing that Lorian notices were her set of straight, symmetrical, brows, her long eyelashes that was curled to perfection, her hair half-pinned with sapphires and blue diamonds that complimented the darkness of her midnight hair, and the paleness of her ivory skin. If anything, her dark blue dress highlighted her eyes even more, as they stared back at him without any noticeable emotions. In that moment, Lorian could compare Ciana Evrian to a doll.
"Welcome to our humble manor, Duke Fremont" Alixandre Evrian greeted him as he offered his own gloved hands. Lorian immediately shook it in a manner that wouldn't be interpreted as too eager.
There is nothing humble about this manor, at all, as all Lorian says to himself as he pulls his own hand away.
"And this must be…" Lorian didn't know what came onto him, but he wanted to hear her voice.
"My youngest daughter, Ciana" Alixandre Evrian placed a hand on Ciana's shoulders and she must've taken it as her cue, because she stepped forward as she raised her hand.
"Your grace, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance" her voice was a soothing blend of deep and gentle. It matches her looks, Lorian decided at that instance. Still, no matter how beautiful and graceful she is, Lorian knew she was but an illegitimate daughter. Someone who couldn't have been deserving to have the title as his Duchess.
Lorian bent down as he took her hand, and almost came to a stop if he hadn't prevented himself, that the small gloved hands belonging to Ciana Evrian were shaking. And in his mind, as he gives a kiss upon her knuckles and lets go of her trembling hand with a polite smile, Lorian wonders.
What could be the reason she was shaking so terribly?
After the greeting, Alixandre led them inside the manor. Painted on the ceiling of the main hall were figures of little cherubs as they softly laid down on soft clouds with the Goddess in the middle, shining brightly as she gave her blessings to her angels. Such a painting could have taken months to finish. Every nook and cranny of the ceiling in the ground floor was painted, and he knew such a project would have cost Duke Evrian millions and years before they were finished. Though he also knew that Duke Evrian wouldn't have fallen short on both.
Finally, after what seemed like an endless walk, they reached the room at the end of the hall, and when they entered, Lorian was greeted with the scent of burning wood, the sound of a crackling fireplace, and the warmth of a heated room. Immediately, his aide helped him in removing his black coat, revealing the black blazer and underneath it, the deep green waistcoat he chose personally for the occasion.
The tables at the receiving area were already prepared with a variety of tea and confectioneries that Lorian doubts he would even eat as he was not a particular fan of sweets. Though when he gave a quick glance to his right, he realized that most of the pastries laid out on the wooden table were most likely for Ciana Evrian, if how her eyes brightened at the sight of the table were any indication.
Beside her, Alixandre Evrian stood, his eyes focused on Ciana as if searching for her approval of the pastry set laid perfectly on the table.
Hm. Somehow, the rumours about their sour relationship might not be true after all.