The moment when the stars fell over the count's estate (3)
-What color is it?
– Oh, my dress is pink. He has an unusually full skirt, which worries me. I stumble at every step. Lace is embroidered on the shoulders, sleeves and hem. Oh, and there's a pink ribbon wrapped around her waist.
Vincent frowned as he considered my words.
– I can’t imagine its design.
– The dress is very beautiful and made of excellent fabric.
The fabric was so soft - I was afraid that the slightest touch would tear it. My outfit was undoubtedly beautiful, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it didn't suit me. Violet insisted, saying the dress looked great, but when I looked in the mirror, all I felt was embarrassment and awkwardness.
Vincent, who had remained silent for some time, beckoned me with his hand.
- Move closer.
- What?
- Sit closer.
I hesitated, not understanding what he was up to, but I complied with his request. As I sat closer, Vincent reached out his hand and the tips of his fingers touched my neck. I immediately tensed up.
He lightly grabbed the hairband.
- What is this?
- Um, this is a hair ribbon. Remember? Miss Violet gave it to me recently.
- It's clear.
His fingers began to feel the tape. Apparently, this was his way of trying to appreciate its texture. Having finished this, he moved his hand to my shoulder and touched the lace. Slowly, his fingertips began to move along the line of my shoulder.
A shiver ran down my spine as his face came closer. In a quiet whisper, he asked if his hands had gone too far. I didn't have time to react because his hand continued down to the bottom of my sleeve and then moved towards my wrist. I shuddered at his sensitive touch on the inside of my wrist.
– Can I touch the lower part?
- Yes, what?..
- A skirt.
He pointed his finger down. Understanding what he meant, I sighed silently, lifted the hem of my dress and handed it to him. He picked up the fabric and began to feel it. His face, which had previously been looking up, now lowered, and his hand movements became more confident.
He tried to understand what this dress was. I knew this, but every touch of his on the fabric evoked unusual sensations in me. He was only interested in the dress, but it seemed that it was me who was being touched. It was so awkward and strange that my body quickly warmed up.
– Even so, I still can’t understand.
-...
I didn't say a word, and my lips pressed into a tight line. My body shook so often that all this time I was focused only on hiding it. I was at a loss; I was tormented by strange tingling sensations, and all this only caused inconvenience. I was already determined to stop Vincent, but the door opened first: Violet returned.
Violet froze in place and blinked her eyes expressively. The situation before her clearly required an explanation. I hastily snatched the skirt from Vincent’s hands and stood up sharply.
– Is everything ready?
-…Yes. But what were you doing?
“The gentleman was so amazed that I wore a dress.” “I was just trying to describe its design,” I hastened to answer instead of Vincent.
- A.
Violet nodded and smiled slightly, moving closer.
– Preparations are complete. I think we can go down now.
She looked between me and Vincent as she spoke. I nodded and turned to help the master. Violet clung to me and put her arm around my shoulders.
“So what about Paula?” Isn't she beautiful?
- How should I know? I don't see it.
“But you heard about her dress!” She looks amazing! Even you would not be indifferent to this. Lucas seemed to be captivated by Paula's beauty.
Violet's smile confused me even more.
Who is she talking about? This is definitely not about me. I turned my head to express my protest, but, for obvious reasons, Vincent could not notice this.
“Vincent would also like to see you, it’s a pity that he can’t,” Violet continued.
-Are you so sure of this?
- Absolutely.
With a gentle push, Violet brought me closer to Vincent. His gaze followed the direction of the sounds and settled on me. Then he tilted his head a little, as if trying to size me up. Even though Vincent couldn't see me, I lowered my head and thought that in this situation, lack of vision could be considered a blessing.
Violet exaggerated my beauty too much.
After staring for a long time, Vincent suddenly laughed. Although he covered his mouth with his hand, the mockery was too obvious.
“Well, I don’t think there’s anything good about seeing it with your own eyes.”
This time my face immediately flushed red due to the new surging emotions. How dare he mock so openly!
- It was too rude.
- Why?
“Of course, I can’t say that I look perfect,” I said indignantly, “but you can’t mock me so openly.” Moreover, to say that “there is nothing good in this.” It was possible, at least out of politeness, to lie and give a compliment?
“I’m not one of those who lie,” Vincent put on an indifferent expression and confidently shook his head.
I just grinned. And so every time. I was once again convinced of his cruelty.
Turning away from him, my gaze turned to Violet, whose smile had completely disappeared and was replaced by a distant expression on her face.
- Miss Violet? Are you okay?
- Oh... Nothing like that. I also need to prepare for the meeting. Lucas will be here soon. We need to go downstairs. Paula, can you help me?
- Certainly.
Violet smiled and headed to the door first. I warned Vincent about my departure, mentioning that I would meet someone later who was not impressed with the outfit. Then she deliberately hit the floor with her heel twice. Vincent waved his hand dismissively, as if he was trying to get rid of my presence as quickly as possible.
I followed Violet into the room. There were several dresses on the bed. Each one was so beautiful and I thought any one would look great on her.
I looked back at Violet to get her opinion on this and froze at what I saw. Violet continued to stand motionless at the door and stare into space, not reacting to my presence. There was clearly something wrong with her. Her concentration returned after I called her.
“I... I've never seen anything like this before.”
- What?
“He was so harsh.”
- Mister?
- Yes. I had never seen anything like this before.
I couldn't help but be surprised by her words. Isn't he always like this? I thought that he was usually straightforward and strict, because he was always like that with me. Doesn't he behave this way around other people?
“He’s only like this when you’re around.”
I was confused, but when I noticed her violet eyes losing focus again, I was at a loss for words. I was in shock. Come to think of it, Ethan was also shocked by Vincent's habit of throwing things. Perhaps such behavior was unusual for him until recently, or Vincent had something to hide.
So he only acts this way around me? Psycho.
Violet chose a white dress. It fit snugly from her shoulders to her knees, and then flowed into a flared skirt. Her long hair was braided like mine and secured with floral ornaments.
Violet looked incredibly beautiful in this outfit. All she harped on was how beautiful I looked, but she was the one who really shined. Violet walked gracefully down the stairs, holding onto the railing. If I were a man, I would fall in love at first sight.
Lively classical music filled the central hall, disturbing the otherwise serene atmosphere of the place. However, besides Vincent and Lucas, there was one more person present, although there had been a previous warning not to let anyone in at this time. Who is this?
The man waved to us. It was Ethan.
- Ethan!
Violet exclaimed joyfully. Ethan grinned back at her.
-What are you doing here? Didn't you say you were too busy?
“You sent me an invitation, and I couldn’t ignore it.”
Ethan waved the letter. Violet, her eyes already filled with mischief, declared that it would be more fun if another person joined them. Besides her and Lucas, Ethan was the only outsider who knew about Vincent's condition. With his appearance, the atmosphere in the empty hall instantly perked up.
Violet naturally joined hands with Vincent. Vincent also seemed accustomed to her company. From the outside they looked like a perfect couple.
I stared blankly at the two when Lucas walked up to my right side and offered his hand.
- I will accompany you.
- It's okay, no need.
-What about me? “Ethan has already appeared to my left.
I shook my head even harder. Better to skip the dancing part.
- This is a ball. We must dance.
- I can't. “I’d better just eat something delicious here,” I said, and headed to the table. Ethan and Lucas followed me. In the end, the three of us decided to enjoy the dreary dinner. Isabella, who was responsible for organizing the evening, stood somewhere off to the side.
In the middle of the hall, Violet and Vincent stood face to face.
“I wonder if he can dance,” Ethan said.
“His sister won’t leave him a choice,” Lucas replied.
-...
(Editor's Note: From here on out, Lucas will sometimes refer to Violet as "sister")
Ring. Ethan and Lucas' glasses collided. I, who had no choice but to follow their example, repeated the movement, looked at the glass, and drank the wine.
-You drink well.
- Just a little.
Perhaps my throat was relaxed because of the good wine.
After some time, Isabella changed her music to something more sophisticated and classical. Violet and Vincent took their positions in the center of the hall, and then their bodies began to sway smoothly to the beat.
Under the dazzling glow of the chandelier, they formed an incredible picture. All I could think about was how beautiful it was. Their every move was elegant. Violet's fluttering dress seemed to bloom, and her smile illuminated the entire space. Vincent easily and confidently repeated all the movements.
“He doesn’t even stumble.” – Ethan noted.
- They often danced together. – Lucas answered.
- It looks beautiful. - I said.
Really beautiful. They look so good together. I smiled bitterly, sipping my wine. Lucas warned me to drink more slowly.
The music quickly ended. The dancers exchanged smiles of gratitude. It was obvious that this gave them real pleasure and joy. At this time, I did not stop eating treats.
Then someone's hand appeared from the side.
- What's happened?
- I invite you to dance.
- A?
I definitely said earlier that I don’t know how to dance, but when I looked up at Lucas in surprise, his hand moved even more demandingly closer, hurrying me to accept it. I hesitated and waved in refusal, but Ethan said, “If you’re being asked to dance, why not try once.”
Lucas's shoulders dropped and he asked if I really didn't want it that bad. I had no choice but to accept the offered hand.