Chapter 191 The Ex-Fiancé
Chapter 191 The Ex-Fiancé
Blanche slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"Yet you adore us."
"Unfortunately."
Blanche grinned broadly.
She had barely found her best friend again, yet she already felt as though she had recovered a small piece of her old life.
And gala dress or not, ridiculous makeup or not, perfectly tamed hair or not...
Eva was still Eva.
That was all that mattered.
There was just one problem.
"What are you doing here?"
"Sean invited me," she admitted, looking guilty.
"Does your father know you're here?"
The brunette at least had the decency to look ashamed. She knew she was in the wrong and was already accepting the punishment that was sure to come.
"No, he doesn't..."
"My mother lent it to her," Sean cut in, arriving like a hair in the soup. "The dress."
That explained why it fit her so badly...
The only one who seemed genuinely sorry about the situation was Wiwi.
Judging by his expression, he would probably have preferred to be anywhere else rather than stuck in the middle of this impromptu family gathering.
He had, however, made a remarkable effort with his clothes.
He was wearing a black-and-white kilt, understated but elegant, paired with an asymmetrical jacket that might have looked extravagant on someone else. On him, it worked surprisingly well. The cut emphasized his figure without weighing him down, while the few silver details caught the light whenever he moved.
Blanche studied him for a moment.
"Well... at least you managed to dress appropriately for the occasion."
Wiwi gave her a resigned smile.
"I tried."
"It shows."
Beside her, Argy was watching the young man with undisguised curiosity.
He knew neither Wiwi nor Sean. He had obviously heard their names, but this was the first time he was actually meeting them.
His gaze moved from one to the other before returning to Wiwi.
The kilt had clearly caught his attention.
Argy tilted his head slightly, as though trying to figure something out.
Wiwi noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
A brief silence followed.
"I like your outfit."
Wiwi glanced down at his kilt.
The little dragon was surprised, then smiled, delighted. His parents had not liked it, but they had put up with it. No one had complimented him on it before.
"Me too," Blanche admitted. "It looks really good on you!"
Nothing could have pleased him more. His smile grew even wider, revealing two charming dimples that the white mage found quite appealing.
"Thanks."
"Is it comfortable?" Argy asked.
Blanche burst out laughing.
Wiwi remained silent for a few seconds before shrugging.
"More comfortable than some dresses, I imagine."
Eva rolled her eyes.
Blanche gave her son a light nudge with her elbow.
Argy, meanwhile, seemed genuinely interested.
Blanche finally decided to intervene before her son turned the introductions into an interrogation.
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Benjy, let me introduce you to Sean and Wiwi. They're Drakion twins."
Argy looked at them more carefully.
Blanche smiled.
"And this is Benjamin, the Prince of the Vampires."
The introduction at least had the merit of dispelling the awkwardness for a few seconds.
Argy held out his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
Wiwi shook it with a smile.
"Likewise."
Sean, standing beside him, was already looking at Argy with a much more interested expression.
And Blanche suddenly had the unpleasant feeling that her son had just acquired two new people capable of asking him embarrassing questions.
The evening promised to be a long one.
"Sean is dating Eva. You already know her?"
"Nice to meet you."
Eva clung to Blanche, refusing any further contact. She didn't like Argy and refused to learn anything more about him—for fear that she might eventually end up liking him.
After all, Blanche liked him.
Argy let his hand drop awkwardly, but didn't take offense.
"I really like your outfit too," Wiwi ventured toward Argy, attempting to counter Eva's hostility.
Blanche watched the scene with amusement, unable to believe that her son was flirting so openly with her friend—and that the feeling was apparently mutual—when the herald finally announced Kiyan's arrival.
He descended the stairs accompanied by his familiar, Alacazar, his guard and right-hand man for the evening. The true djinn was wearing his ever-present suit, which fit perfectly into the setting.
They headed straight toward them, while Eva slipped away with Sean, attempting to blend into the crowd.
Frowning, the warrior was looking for his family, but his right-hand man—and Eva's true father—stopped him so they could greet the host first.
Sebastian, delighted to escape Winter's clutches, embraced his best friend with great enthusiasm.
Blanche, noticing the looks exchanged between her two companions, already clearly under the spell of love at first sight, left them to join her grandfather—although, really, it was mostly an excuse to get closer to Kiyan.
While Alacazar complimented the host, the warrior leaned toward the young woman, who had just picked up a glass.
"Was that my daughter just now?"
She took a sip before swirling the liquid around in her glass.
"I'm afraid so."
Winter snatched the glass from her hands and downed it in one go before setting it back down empty, looking displeased.
She wasn't old enough yet, damn it!
Even if, technically, he had already seen her drink worse back when the place had still been known as the Carpathians...
He gently took her by the arm, apologized to the gentlemen, and led her away.
"It's time I introduced you to your council. Be careful: those sharks still hold half of the decision-making power..."
For now.
Because a Diamond Drakioness held absolute power.
But they didn't know that yet.
Winter headed toward one of the private open-air tables. Blanche followed, her steps more confident than her mind.
How were they going to tear her apart?
Then she caught Erik's eye.
He blew her a kiss from across the room.
Surprised, she smiled.
That wasn't like him!
With her rear guard secured, it was time to enjoy herself.
\---
She had been sitting there for fifteen minutes, listening to a council member attempting to explain how she could convince her grandfather to strip her of her own title as heir, supposedly because of her inability to bear children.
Blanche had long since given up trying to follow the conversation, nodding distractedly between bites of hors d'oeuvres.
Dean eventually took pity on her and brought her a cherry-grenadine cocktail, generously spiked.
She thanked him with an enormous smile which, as her servant, filled him with a profound sense of satisfaction.
From a distance, she noticed that Kiyan had finally caught up with his slippery daughter and was scolding her as discreetly as possible.
Judging by Eva's expression, Blanche could already tell that she was probably grounded until the following Halloween.
That was why she didn't immediately notice the change to her left.
A middle-aged man and his younger counterpart sat down beside her, under the watchful eye of King Winter, who remained on her right.
"Blanche, let me introduce you to Harry Senior and Harry Junior. The first one is your mother's ex-fiancé."
"Still her fiancé, if I'm not mistaken, William," Harry corrected him in a silky voice, sweet but dangerous as a snake.
That was information her mother—once again absent—was probably not going to appreciate.
How long did an engagement remain valid, anyway?
Especially when the man in question had apparently had a son with someone else.