Élément Déclencheur

Upon arriving at the palace, the place was already buzzing with people chatting amongst themselves and having a good time. We definitely arrived a little later than everyone else, but we certainly made in entrance. Well, Donellan did at least. When we got here, dad insisted he carry me out of the carriage, which I allowed, but he didn't put me down even as we made our way up the steps and to the entrance. The people that were there to greet the guests were shocked because they didn't expect to see the cold hearted Donellan Grey carry a little boy as if he was the most precious thing in the world while also looking like he was about to murder someone in cold blood. It was quite the sight to see. 

All eyes were on us when we descended the stairs and the person in charge of announcing the arrival of important guests was speechless for a couple of seconds until Donellan shot him a nightmare inducing glare. He quickly got his bearings and announced the arrival of Earl Donellan Grey and his son Simuel Grey. It felt like time stopped when everyone turned around to look at us, their bewilderment could be clearly seen even to the untrained eye. The Donellan Grey attending a party? It was completely unheard of. As we arrived at the last steps, I could feel the eyes that were once on him, turn to me. Of course on the outside, I had the most cool, calm and collected visage, it looked like I didn't have a care in the world, but I was having a full on meltdown on the inside. This kind of attention wasn't good for my anxiety! I lived my whole life hiding my presence and going completely unnoticed, I made sure I never stood out and now here I was at the centre of attention all because I was in the arms of this man. I couldn't help but sigh. 

"This is all your fault." I thought to myself while secretly glaring at him. Donellan noticed the looks I was giving him and smiled in spite of it. He gently put me down and proceeded to pat me on the head. Our audience who still hadn't looked away gasped at the sight. I could feel the glares of many women who were obviously envious of me and clearly wanted this man's attention, but none dared to approach. Good, I thought. Let's keep it that way. I was glancing around, taking in the large ballroom that looked absolutely magnificent when my eyes caught sight of a table filled with various foods and refreshments. Feeling a bit peckish, I pulled Donellan by the arm, and made my way to the snack table. The eyes of the people were still following us, but I paid them no mind. For the next couple of minutes I was focused on the food, grabbing a plate for myself and Donellan. While nibbling on a tarte, I couldn't help but complain. 

"This place is incredibly suffocating. If I had known I'd be like this, I would've declined Johannes' invitation." I sighed miserably. Donellan laughed at my comment. 

"It's good that you came. You need to experience these kinds of things once in awhile."

"Right." I simply replied while going back to eating my tarte. 

"Hrmp Lord Grey, it is a surprise to see you here." And older man said while approaching us. It looked like he had been eyeing us for awhile and debated on wether or not to approach us. The older man looked like he could be in his late forties. He had pepper coloured hair that stoped in the middle of his back and had a tall stature. He was a handsome fellow with calm demeanour. He looked kind but as we all know, looks can be deceiving. It didn't look like he could be much of threat considering how Donellan wasn't glaring daggers at him. It seemed like he didn't mind his presence that much. 

"Well, I only came because of my son." Donellan said. The older man lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Your son?" He then turned to my direction. He gazed at me curiously. 

"Hello, I am Simuel Grey. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I said politely. The man in question smiled. "Such a well-mannered boy! My name is Mikeal Beauguard. It is nice to finally put a face to the name." He said while laughing wholeheartedly. 

Beauguard? Does he mean the same Beauguard as in Serya Beauguard? One of the most powerful knights in the silver tiger legion order? Seeing the look of stupor on my face, Mikeal that was once serious, was now illuminated with a bright smile. "I am Serya's father." He said proudly. 

It's no wonder Donellan didn't seem put off by him in the slightest. I looked at my father knowingly to which he simply shrugged. It looked like the two of them had important business to discuss so I excused myself to give them some privacy. As I walked around exploring the place, I felt a hand on tap my shoulder. 

"You actually made it." I turned around and came face to face with Prince Amethyst. I sighed in relief. For once I was glad to see him. I wouldn't know what to do had it been someone else. Noticing the look of relief on my face, Amethyst let out a small chuckle. 

"Your highness, it's great to see you in the flesh again." I smiled. 

"What's with the your highness business. Speak casually to me when it's just the two of us." He said grumpily. I looked around and gave him the 'but we aren't alone' look to which he blushed a little in embarrassment. "You know what I mean." 

"Right." I said while laughing. Amethyst looked at me for a second and said: "You look different today. I can't figure out why though. Maybe it's because of the formal attire?" He said while observing me. 

Amethyst was right. This was my first time wearing formal attire in all the times we've seen each other. Well there was the time when he came to visit, but I wouldn't exactly count it as formal. I guess it's because my hair is styled differently? 

"You're right. My maid told me I looked like a younger version of my father." I said while looking down at myself. 

"Well she isn't wrong. You definitely look like a less scary version of him." He replied back. 

"My father isn't that scary." I said while looking in his direction. Amethyst turned to look as well. We were looking at a clearly annoyed Donellan trying to scare away a guest who had the courage to strike up a conversation. "Yeah, he isn't scary at all." He said his voice dripping with sarcasm. I gave him a light push while laughing with him. 

"Right, where is Johannes anyway?" I said trying to change the subject. 

"He should be making his entrance at any moment now." And soon after he said that, the announcer alerted everyone of Johannes' presence. 

Johannes came in looking as stunning as ever in his white and forest green attire. He had his hair pushed back, which allowed everyone to see his elegant, almost statuesque-like features. All attention was on him as he was smiling brightly, but there was someone else that followed right behind him. A tall man with similar features to Amethyst. He had a well proportioned face that made almost every man in this room shy in comparison. His dark blue hair was cut neatly in order to frame his picturesque visage. He looked strong and dignified while he commanded the room. This man was none other than the King of Novellus Asmodeus Killian. 

"Hello everyone. We are happy to welcome you to Johanne Friedrich's coming of age celebration. As you all know, Johanne's has been living with us for the past couple of years, and is like a son to me. It would've been a shame if he missed the chance to celebrate his thirteen years of age, hence the reason for this celebration. I invite all of you to raise your glasses, as we celebrate this wonderful and talented young man, who will be doing great things in the future. To Johannes." He said, his voice captivating everyone in the room as he raised his glass. No one hesitated for a second as they also raised their glass and screamed Johannes' name. Wow, I thought to myself. You would think he was celebrating some hero who came back victorious from the war. I looked to the side and noticed Amethyst expression. Although he looked genuinely happy for Johannes', there was a look of longing in his eyes. I couldn't quite grasp the reason why he would feel this way, but didn't bother to dive into the issue. It wasn't my business anyway. 

Johanne's spotted us after saying his greetings, quickly whispered to the King, and made his way to us. As we were greeting and chatting with Johanne's, I could feel someone's eyes on me. At first I thought it might've been my imagination, but I soon realized it wasn't. There was someone observing me, and they were being deliberate considering they had no qualms on trying to hide it. I turned to look towards the direction the looks where coming from, and saw a man turn away and head towards the terrace. Feeling like something wasn't quite right, I quickly excused myself and tried to find Donellan. I obviously wasn't dumb enough to try to chase this guy on my own. What the hell was I going to do if he turned out to be dangerous? I was weak and powerless, I felt like the best thing to do in this situation was to find my dad. 

When I finally found Donellan, it looked like he was having a serious conversation with Serya and Germaine. The three of them quickly noticed my presence, and I could tell something was wrong. 

"Dad, what's wrong?" I said, my voice sounded a little shaky towards in the end. Donellan looked at me and was contemplating on whether or not to say anything. He sighed and finally said. "According to the shadow knights, the man we are looking for is here." 

The suspicions I had, and was hoping to be wrong were true. Well shit, I thought to myself.