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"Let's see what dresses come into question, and after that, you should lie down for a bit and sleep. Don't worry, no one will bother you."
Half an hour later, an inconspicuous yet elegant black dress was hanging next to my mirror, and we had even found a pair of matching ballerinas whose soles wouldn’t make any noise on the floor.
Aza then left me alone, and I slipped right under the covers. Despite the many worries and thoughts buzzing through my head, I quickly fell asleep.
A knocking woke me up. Startled, I rushed to the small armchair next to the window. I had straightened my hair just in time when the door opened.
"You don't look any better than you did this morning, Miss. Hopefully, the black rings will have disappeared by the time of the gala. You really can't meet His Highness like that," I heard Stephan's cold voice.
"His Highness?" I asked back in wonder, turning to face him. His gaze was stony, and only a tiny twitch seemed to graze the blue surface of his irises. Since when called the devoted people of the Knights of the Seals their leader like that?
"Aren't all Britons some kind of Lords, Lairds, Earls, or Dukes?" he said impassively, and only now did I see he was not alone. Aza was standing next to him, and she held a large box in her arms. Her eyes darted nervously back and forth between me and the box.
"Aza, put the gift on the bed," the butler addressed the girl as he walked before her and smoothed the bedspread quickly. Briefly, his hand paused on the spot where I had been sleeping just a moment ago. His nostrils quivered, and his eyes shot in my direction.
“Warm?” His gaze seemed to pierce me. “At least there are no fresh traces of Mr. Alexander,” he hissed, and the ice of his irises froze in my veins.
That son of a bitch! What was that to him? Alex hadn’t been here for such a long time. Since we trained and researched together at night, we always went our separate ways early in the morning.
I would have loved to scream all this in the face of this cold butler. But at the last moment, I swallowed my anger. Aza wasnow also looking at me warningly. So, I merely lowered my eyelids and said nothing.
“Be that as it may,” I heard Stephan say with a dangerous undertone in his voice. “In this box is a new dress. This is the one you are to wear at the gala.”
The rustling of paper aroused my curiosity. So I got up and joined the butler and Aza. She had put the huge lid aside and carefully knocked the wrapping paper aside.
At the same time, we both gasped for air because my girlfriend exposed a dress, which I could not have imagined even in my wildest dreams.
Dark blue silk, soft and shiny at the same time, surrounded by delicate embroidery with tiny diamonds. Aza had taken a step back, but I was mesmerized. My hand moved towards the fabric as if attracted until my fingers stroked the fabulous skirt.
"Aza," Stephan hissed sharply, and the maid winced slightly before she, too, walked towards the box to free the dress from the box with trembling hands.
It was a dream. At the front, it was elegant yet dignified with its long sleeves and high-necked collar. But as soon as Aza turned the dress, my heart beat even more for this magnificent piece of jewelry. The back was cut low down to the buttocks.
As quickly as the enthusiasm came, it faded away again.
"I can't go to the ball in this dress," I hastily confessed. Looking at the breathtaking dress made it difficult to make this decision, so I turned away and returned to the window. "It does not conform to the Knights of the Seals dress code. It is neither black nor unadorned, and the back neckline is a blasphemy."
"Anyway. You have to wear it tomorrow night. It was delivered here with the order that you will wear it at the gala," Stephan commented coldly on my remarks.
Was it delivered here? By the Brotherhood? What if it was a trap? But could I safely defy the order?
I gazed desperately at Aza, who was looking confusedly from Stephan to the dress in her hand. Suddenly, her expression brightened.
"Miss Myrina, then you have no choice. You must wear it," she said. The butler also nodded.
“I assume that this settles the matter,” he concluded the discussion and rushed out of my room.
With a dreamy grin, I walked back to Aza and slid my fingers over the beautiful fabric again. It was the dress of an eighteenth-century princess.
Despite my fear of the reactions of my family and the other guests, I was looking forward to putting it on. No matter what happened afterward, I vowed to enjoy it. You never knew what the next day would bring.
CHAPTER 29
Just a few hours later, I was again sneaking through the tunnel system together with Aspasia to our secret meeting place where my brother, Alex, and Edward already waited. I hadn't seen Jack last week, as he was looking for hidden passages. I missed his fun and relaxed manner. Especially now, I could have used it a lot. The gala was heavy on my stomach and scared me.
The Amazon was no less silent today than yesterday. But that was fine because I didn't feel like talking either. It was different with Chris. As soon as I had entered the room, he stormed towards me and talked breathlessly to me. Our friends initially looked at each other in confusion but apparently picked up a word here and there until Alex's patience finally snapped.
"Stop it!" he shouted so loudly that Chris immediately became silent.
