"Xhem trust me, you look awesome in that suit" Ziggy mocked at her at the driver"s seat. The boy had been making fun of her since earlier when they had sneak her out without Professor Shun"s knowing. Everyone thought the Little Misus was asleep comfortably in her bedroom already where in fact, she was with the two young heirs accompanying them to the ball. They were on the road now to the forest mansion where the masquerade ball was to be held with Ziggy driving the car.
Both boys were on the front seat while Xhemin slumped at the back, hating that the fact that Ziggy had lured her into wearing a man"s suit. Well of course, at least for the Montreal family, Ziggy"s bodyguard was a man and so they prepared a man"s suit for Samuelle—which Xhemin had worn today since she was to come in behalf of her.
The color flooded Xhemin"s cheeks and she grimaced upon Ziggy"s tease, she hated the thing Ziggy let her wear. It was a man"s suit, an elegant blue double-breasted suit, sharp looking and well fitted. The only downside of it was that it was meant for a man and not a woman.
"I think you look great" Huzey cheered her up as he turned to the backseat, only to find a sulking Xhemin, her face cannot be painted.
"It does not really matter if you look great or not, no one will notice you anyway" Ziggy said dismissing entirely Xhemin"s wardrobe dilemma.
And so the road went on as the night matured, sooner the three reached the forest mansion.
"Here" Huzey gave the girl a mask of blue that matches her suit.
She had tied up her hair the way Huzey did with his, and they almost look identical except from the fact that the prince was a bit taller than her. Wearing the mask on her face, she looked like a younger brother of Huzey.
"Okay Xhem, tonight you are officially one of the boys" Ziggy teased her once more before he wore his own black mask and stepped out the driver"s seat.
At the front yard Xhemin noticed that there was almost no person roaming outside aside from few servants who came to welcome them.
"We"re late, aren"t we?" She asked the two who went on not bothered by the fact that the party had started.
"We always come to parties at a later hour" Ziggy told.
"Huh?" She raised her brow at him.
"The diamond prince doesn"t like much of the attention. So we always come at a time when all the guests are absorb with whatever show is happening out there" Ziggy explained while Huzey didn"t even bother to interfere.
"I never thought the Lagdameo"s have this kind of property in the south" Huzey said as he took notice of the place.
"The location is great, very private." Ziggy added to Huzey"s statement whilst Xhemin kept quiet as she followed the two.
"Good evening sires" The valet at the entrance interrupted "May I please see your invitations?"
Huzey handed the valets their invitation and upon reading it, the valet"s eyes bulged in surprise. He looked at the three before him and smiled warmly than he did before.
"This way sires, please" He said as he guided them to the next servant who escorted the three inside. From one look, it seemed that the security of the place was a little loose, but the truth was that hundreds of securities were roaming invisibly around the place making sure no trespa.s.sers can enter.
The invitation was the guest"s pa.s.ses. But they were no ordinary invitations, as only the high cla.s.s of socialite"s children were given.
The great hall of the marble mansion was intimidating as always, now adorned with glittering chandeliers that were never there before. The marble floors echoed off like musical notes as the guest"s shoes glided against them, excitement was humming in every corner and the expansive staircase in the middle of it all, reaching endlessly to the next level. Nothing was like the way they had seemed the last time the little misus was here.
Xhemin took it all in, straightening her body looking sharp and witted, trying to imitate off Huzey. The prince was her "model" for tonight, so she followed all his demeanours to avoid being spotted. n.o.body noticed them when they entered as everyone was gathered near the stair, in their glamorous gowns and tuxedos, their faces all covered with adorning masks.
Just like Ziggy said earlier, their tardiness didn"t catch much of the guest"s attention. In a normal day of course, guests would flock out to get a glimpse of the Diamond Prince and the youngest Montreal—but since everyone was focused on the centre aisle, their entrance had been smooth.
"Enjoying the view?" Huzey asked in her ears as they went to join the crowd gathering in the middle. She noticed how Xhemin"s head turned on every corner, adoring the disparingly glamorous party.
"Just didn"t expect this could be this grand" She answered as she glanced at him, the expression of her face hiding behind her mask.
"Expect the unexpected when it comes to the Lagdameo"s" Ziggy interfered as he straightened her own black tux that made him looked like a perfect epitome of the phantom of the opera—mysteriously charming.
Xhemin noticed everyone"s attentions were drawn to a ballerina dancing in the middle and the sound of a cla.s.sical musical ballet caught her ears. The ballerina moved gracefully, fitting her every grace to the music that was playing. Like everyone in the hall, Xhemin got mesmerized by the beauty of the art she was performing. She was a beautiful dancer and the piece she was performing was a stunning one, too bad they came in the middle of her performance.
Everyone gave the ballerina a hand and whistles at the very end of her dance, and she bowed gracefully before the crowd. Her performance was too much, overwhelming.
As the ballerina left, the crowd turned back to their conversations but even before the whole crowd could dismiss and scatter before the great hall, a hush descended over the fabricated stairs in a slow wave and a boy in blue tux appeared. His presence made everyone"s mouth gaped open.
"It"s the Lagdameo heir!" Someone from the crowd exclaimed.
Hearing his name made Xhemin s.h.i.+ver.
And seeing him dressed in the same shade like hers made her cursed inwardly.
"Sh*t!"