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My father bent down and gently grasped my hand.
"Don't worry, my darling. Alex will be a wonderful husband. He loves you, and we'll all take care of you." Now, I did lift my gaze, and the tenderness in the eyes of this broken man warmed my heart. Gratefully, I squeezed his hand and gave him a smile.
However, the brown of his irises darkened the next moment, and worry glimmered in them. With a jerk, he pulled his hand away and cleared his throat.
“You’re probably wondering why I invited you all today,” his voice wavered noticeably, and my stomach tightened. What hadhappened? Uncertainly, I looked over at Chris. He, too, seemed worried. Dad wasn’t really the kind of person who was easily upset. So it didn’t bode well if he had something to announce and was having trouble with it.
The door to the dining room was suddenly pushed open, and Stephan stepped up to the table with a new bread basket. Dad took one deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and put on a fake smile.
"Children, I am incredibly pleased to announce we expect a high visit from the Knights of the Seals from London. The head of the Brotherhood will arrive in New York City today and has announced a grand gala for tomorrow. We are invited, and the letter emphasizes that all female family members must also attend."
Silence fell, and even Stephan looked spellbound at my father. His emotions were, as always, hidden behind a cold mask, something my brothers didn't manage that easily. Chris shifted restlessly in his seat, Jordy dropped his silverware noisily onto his plate, and Rick closed his eyes briefly. Panic welled up inside me. With all my might, I suppressed the urge to scream. Because the feelings that were building up inside me wanted to come out and had to rise. Fear, hopelessness, powerlessness, and despair urged me to flee my fate, whereas a small part wanted to face it. The part that joined the Amazons and scurried through the city's tunnels every night to join a rebellion, to plan a strike against the Brotherhood.
Aspasia, Maggy, and the other women hiding in the underground hall appeared in my mind's eye. For all of them, I was sitting here. For all of them, I would pull myself together.
“Jordy, that also means you have to appear with Anne by your side,” my father indicated, and his smile froze into an unreal mask. Anne was Jordy’s wife. The two had been married before the Brotherhood took power. Unfortunately, the couplerealized they were not a good match afterward. Divorce from this childless marriage was no longer an option. The former lovers had drifted apart completely. She lived in the large penthouse apartment, and he stayed in the so-called office of the company one floor below.
Jordy's jaws ground while he just nodded at my father. He had a hard time faking the happy couple. I didn't know whether he had already lost his heart to someone else nor what had divided them. But the name of Jordy's wife has not been mentioned by anyone in the family for a long time, until today.
"Where and at what time is the gala?" Chris now wanted to know. Knowing my brother, he did this to spare Jordy another mention of Anne's name.
“As I said, the gala is tomorrow. At eight o’clock in the evening at the Metropolitan Museum,” my father informed us, avoiding my gaze.
Nausea rose in me, and the courage I had just fought so hard for ran through my fingers like water when the images of this place flared up in me. Suddenly, I felt used again, pushed into a corner, could smell the two men, and felt the hand of one of them on my naked skin. Like a downward spiral, the memories pulled me down into a blackness that threatened to swallow me.
Fingers, cold as ice, wrapped around my arm. "Would you like another piece of bread, Miss?" I heard Stephan's voice forcibly pulling me out of the dark thoughts. Only now did I notice the trembling that had gripped my body, as well as the sweat that was on my forehead. Hastily, the butler withdrew but did not break eye contact. The blue calmed me and brought me back to reality.
“No,” I stammered in a raspy voice. “No, Stephan. Thank you, I’m full.”
The other men at the table didn't seem to have noticed my emotional outburst. They were all staring thoughtfully at theirplates, poking in their food, and even Rick hadn't put a bite in his mouth since Dad’s announcement. In fact, nothing could diminish his appetite.
Dad tried another smile.
"Isn't this joyful news, children? Not only do we have the honor of being received by the Brotherhood, but on top of that…" His audible gulp interrupted the sentence. Nervously, his gaze twitched in my direction. "On top of that, the Knights of the Seals also want to personally meet every young woman between the ages of 20 and 30." Dad's voice had grown quieter towards the end, yet everyone had heard the words clearly, and everyone here knew what they really meant.
Apparently, the Knights had been unsuccessful in their search for whatever. Therefore, they took new paths, allowing them to approach the upper classes of the population, which was more difficult than with the people from the lower classes.
Rick sucked in his breath noisily. Chris stopped rocking back and forth. He sat frozen in his chair. Jordy ran his hands over his face. They weren't looking at me, yet I could feel them watching me and my reaction. The only one who wasn't avoiding me was Stephan. His gaze rested thoughtfully on me until he abruptly turned away and quickly left the room.
I simply felt empty. No emotion reached me, almost like my soul had built a wall around my heart out of self-protection.
"That's great news," I whispered, getting up and following the butler. Left the room where silence waited like a bomb for the moment of its explosion. Amazingly calm, I walked up the stairs to my room. There, Aza was already waiting for me. An uncertain smile was on her lips, and she could not drive the worry from her face.
Immediately, she approached me as if she wanted to take me in her arms. But at the last moment, she stopped and looked down. A silent tear rolled down her cheek.
“I heard about the gala,” she stammered softly. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
My dear Aza!She wanted to help me, although it would put her in great danger. Gratefully, I smiled at her and, at the same time, grabbed her hands.
"That's brave of you, Aza. But no one can help me now. The only thing I can do is behave as inconspicuously as possible in the presence of the Brotherhood."
Since it had worked so well last time with the inconspicuousness,I thought and remembered the moment when I was distracted by Mr. Baldur's appearance from the prayer and taken into the Knight's sights. I really had to pay better attention this time! I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
"We'll choose the plainest dress, put the simplest hairstyle on you, and if we have to, we'll take a little makeup off your beauty," Aza said, full of energy, wiping the tears from her face.
"Thank you, Aza. I knew I could count on you. And please, finally, let's be friends. I don't like this formality at all." Before she could react, I had already taken her in my arms. Only now, I noticed she smelled wonderfully of cinnamon and a scent unknown to me. How unbelievably good this embrace felt.
"Thank you," the maid whispered close to my ear, then slowly pulled away.
