18 The debutantes’ bal

Lily was finally ready to go the bal. One last look, one last check, Lily headed down to meet SongJae and Lingling. When they saw her, both were shocked. Their mouths were left wide open. They weren't expecting this fairylike lady, looking like the Moon princess. Lily smiled brightly, amused by their reactions.

"Funny how a bit of makeup can transform an ugly duckling into a swan...still a duck is a duck and a swan is a swan..." LingLing spurted the words to hide his embarrassment. He didn't want her to know that her new look had any effect on him.

"LingLing... mind your manners! You owe her respect, she is your future sister-in-law! If you are to pursue this line of thought, you can stay home and forget about the bal." SongJae cold threatening voice had LingLing lowered his head. SongJae couldn't believe his ears, why was LingLing so antagonistic to Lily?!

"You are right. And the ugly duckling was never a duck but a swan all along..." Lily said arrogantly to LingLing. She knew she had surprised the young man and he had found her stunning. Lily was reminding LingLing that she always been beautiful but he had been blinded.

Under the pressure of his big brother, LingLing decided to call a truce for the night. He still wanted to partake in the bal.

"Sorry...sister-in-law, I apologize for what I said earlier. Please forgive me..." LingLing paused a few seconds before accentuating sister-in-law. His whole attitude was clearly showing Lily he was not a bit repenting or regretting. However, it wasn't worth fighting, so she let it go.

"Let's go or we will be late."

The trip to the bal's venue was quiet. All 3 of them were lost in thoughts and weren't paying much attention to each other.

Once they arrived to the venue, the first thing they noticed was the huge red carpet shining under the multiple spotlights and flashes. SongJae and LingLing weren't surprised. SongJae had experienced it before and LingLing had heard about it from his friends. For Lily though, it was a shock. Even though she knew it was a famous event, she didn't expect that much of media coverage and such a level of glamour. And knowing was different from experiencing, in her heart, the hope of being recognized and finding her real family and friends grew stronger. As they slowly walked toward the entrance, Lily put on her best smile and intentionally paused and waved in front of all the cameras they encountered.

At her side, LingLing's annoyance was getting stronger with each additional pauses. The young man kept wanting to pull her to walk faster, however under the scrutiny of his big brother, he had no choice but try very hard to contain himself.