Chapter 124: Bodyguards and Petit Fours

Blanche stared at the buffet.

Then at the clothes.

Then back at the buffet.

"Tell me we can eat," she asked Kiyan.

Dimitri smiled in amusement and answered before he could.

"Everything is at your disposal, my beauty!"

"I already love your boutique."

Eva rolled her eyes.

"You haven't even looked at a single dress."

"Priorities."

Kiyan folded his arms, already resigned.

"Blanche."

"Yes?"

"You're here to find a gown for the ball."

She nodded solemnly.

"Absolutely."

Then, without the slightest hint of shame, she picked up a chocolate éclair.

Kiyan sighed.

"I shouldn't even be surprised."

"You know me well."

"Unfortunately."

"That's not true," she protested through a half-full mouth. "You still brought me to a boutique where the clothes are displayed like works of art... with an all-you-can-eat buffet. You knew exactly how to buy my cooperation."

"Your grandfather. I did no such thing."

The Shah stared at her for a few seconds before turning toward the stylist.

"Actually... start with her."

"With pleasure," Dimitri replied, barely suppressing a smile.

Blanche swallowed her last bite and straightened up.

"Very well. Dress me."

She paused.

"But if you make me try on six-inch heels, I'll take my revenge on the pastries."

The stylist burst into laughter.

Even Kiyan had to look away to hide the smile that had escaped him.

Fortunately, they had two full hours.

A young attendant discreetly took care of serving them an endless supply of hot drinks and refreshments.

Opposite the lounge stood an enormous fitting room lined from floor to ceiling with spotless mirrors, its door itself covered in mirror glass.

The two young women were in heaven.

Kiyan, who knew Vladimir well as an old friend but knew far less about the Player he truly was, found it hard to believe him when he insisted he didn't need a suit.

"And to think I still won't get the chance to dress you..."

Vladimir looked at Kiyan as though he were suffering.

Kiyan claimed he already had plenty, and that it would be wiser to focus on the girls instead.

After all, why buy a custom-made suit when you could create one for free with nothing more than a thought, perfectly tailored to your own taste?

Fortunately, after countless hesitations—and several fittings that convinced Blanche haute couture sometimes resembled an athletic challenge more than getting dressed—her eyes finally settled on a gown that quite literally stole her breath.

The fabric, heavy without ever seeming stiff, embraced her figure with almost liquid grace before flowing gently to the floor in a sweeping train that rippled with every step she took.

Hundreds of iridescent pearls, sewn on one by one by hand, caught the winter light streaming through the vast glass ceiling and scattered it into shimmering reflections, making the dress appear as though it were covered in drops of morning dew.

The back was entirely bare, plunging with breathtaking elegance to the small of her back, interrupted only by a delicate row of buttons covered in the same fabric.

At the front, a perfectly sculpted V-neckline enhanced her curves with understated sensuality, never crossing into vulgarity, while the subtly defined waist made her silhouette appear even longer.

The fitted sleeves extended all the way to her wrists, embroidered with floral motifs so delicate they could only truly be appreciated up close.

She slowly turned before the mirror.

The gown followed the movement with majestic slowness, its hem gliding silently across the polished wooden floor like a wave of ivory.

For the first time since they had arrived, Blanche stopped joking.

Even she had to admit...

The creation was magnificent.

Dimitri neglected to mention that it was, in fact, a wedding dress.

It was at that exact moment that Winter arrived, accompanied by two impeccably dressed bodyguards, having come to choose the suit that would accompany such a gown.

Eva, meanwhile, missed the reunion entirely.

Feeling guilty that he wouldn't be able to escort her to the gala, her father had authorized her to buy not one, but two dresses.

She, too, would soon make her entrance into "proper" society—and she was already well on her way.

When she stepped out of the fitting room, blushing in a short, puffed black dress, it wasn't two pairs of eyes that turned toward her...

But five.

She savored the attention, though she suddenly felt intimidated by the man seated beside Blanche, who had once again resumed devouring pastries.

"Grandfather, this is Eva. Kiyan's daughter... and my best friend."

The young brunette stammered out a greeting, surprised by this new introduction.

Since when did Blanche call her father by his first name?

"A pleasure to meet you, young lady."

Eva shook the King's hand before awkwardly sitting on Blanche's other side.

"Would you like something to drink?" the waitress asked.

She took everyone's orders.

Only the two bodyguards remained silent.

"You don't want anything?" Blanche asked.

"Jax and Jen are working, my dear," Winter explained. "They'll have something during their break. Incidentally... after the gala, Jax will become your personal bodyguard."

"I'm sorry... what?" Blanche choked, nearly dropping the strawberry tart she had barely begun eating as she shot Kiyan a horrified look.

"Winter!" Kiyan protested. "I know you intend to name her Crown Princess, but assigning her a bodyguard is taking things a little far."

"Out of the question," Winter replied firmly. "When my brother, his sons, his grandchildren, and the Council discover that she still can't transform... I won't give much for her chances of staying alive. This isn't open to discussion."

Blanche rolled her eyes while Eva turned pale and instinctively grabbed her hand.

Kiyan nodded.

Resigned, Blanche accepted.

Authority... you'll find it useful sooner than you think...

Fenrir's words sent a chill through her.

Turn Jax into a servant?!

"Especially if she insists on staying in that human school you dare call an academy..." the drakion added while elegantly sipping his tea.

Winter then tried on several suits designed to complement his granddaughter's gown.

Blanche had no trouble imagining how striking Kiyan would look wearing one as well.

"Which one of you is Jax?" she asked once her grandfather had stepped away.

The young man with black hair and icy blue eyes slit vertically like a reptile's calmly pointed at his own chest before resuming his watch.

It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that he was already a full-fledged drakion.

After a few final stories and several delightfully scandalous anecdotes, it was time for the next client.

Blanche froze the instant she recognized the face stepping out of the elevator.