CHAPTER VIII : A GIFT AND TOUCHED PART I

Crowded, one word that described the atmosphere of a residence of one of the British nobility. The Waiters seemed to pass by every corner of the luxurious and elegant mansion, they prepared Lorraine's residence hall for an event that held sudden because the preparations did not take a month. The ceremony welcomes their youngest lady and the core event of tonight's engagement of the controversial couple throughout the month, the young lady Evelyna and the great Lord Duke Castiello. Although they had just been hit by an incident that was quite terrible due to the stupid behavior of one of Rozan. Marquis Lorraine, Lorraine's eldest son decided to keep the show on the duke's orders.

Erden and Madeleine were rushing to Lorraine's residence when his right-hand man suddenly came into contact and brought the news that her two younger sisters were injured. Erden immediately applied for permission to resign after a meeting with the delegation of the elf[1] nation. And He immediately teleported within a fraction of a second left his right-hand man, Wright who was still completing his master task.

Lorraine was not as weak an aristocrat as the other humans, thanks to some demonic blood and elf within them, endowed with light magic belonging to elf and demon bodies making them half-and-half creatures, but powerful. It was not easy to formulate a potion that can paralyze a Lorraine and limit their magic.

But it would be possible if Rozan did. Drug experts from generation to generation and endowed with fairly strong control magic. It was enough to make Madeleine and Eve almost stretch their lives if Castiello did not come to save them, so Erden asked his mother to clean up the remnants of the mess while taking care of all sorts of things about the engagement that should be Madeleine's responsibility.

But Madeleine was busy taking care of their youngest sister who prepared her official public debut while looking after her. The Duke's absolute order to remain in charge was not contested by Erden because he believed his lord had his reasons. Afterward, Erden took full power to participate in preparing for the same thing, coating his residence with layered protective magic, to put a combined army of Castiello and Lorraine on guard at every corner of the mansion, which is why Lorraine's residence seemed crowded even though the show had not yet begun.

****

The breath was heard again from a silver-haired girl who was sitting surrendered since sunrise. She gave up and only docilely when the maids did all sorts of treatments given to her from head to toe. The butler and Helga seemed busier taking care of various needs because the young lady would attend two parties in one day. The twilight-haired girl's hand is busy sorting out the jewelry Eve will wear later, then some maids will follow every instruction like giving more potions to Eve's bathwater and much more.

The sound of the door being knocked and from behind it appears another silver-haired girl, then she walks while carrying a gray velvet box, while behind her there's a middle-aged woman with barely white hair all walks along. Eve, who was about to stand up and change clothes, immediately greeted Lorraine's, great lady. The adoptive mother smiled slowly and advanced a few steps to stroke Eve's beautiful face.

"Don't be so stiff. l already told you to relax," said Margareth softly. Her face looks full of softness, elegance, and beauty of a lady. Eve nodded in response to her mother's minor rebuke. Eve's emerald bead switched to a box originally in Madeleine's hands has now been carried by Margareth that keeps smiling softly. The hand of the middle-aged woman now looks fully wrinkled opened the velvet box. Then came a silver necklace with a medium-sized Tourmaline oval gem.

"Congratulations on your engagement. Welcome to Lorraine my daughter."

Eve closes her mouth. She still felt shocked and touched. Lady Margareth De Lorraine was the adoptive mother and wife of Marquis Xiander that treats her warmly as if she were her biological daughter. Her Tears was flowed without stopping until a little sob was heard, Margareth carried the youngest daughter into her arms. The woman nodded in response to the daughter's thank you whispers, patting and wiping the young girl's skinny back making her heartache. Madeleine had explained to her that Eve in the past had bad memories and trauma, even the Duke had to intervene on his own when the trauma that kept her recollection was return during the incident with lady Rozan.

Margareth didn't know about it because the Marquis and herself lived apart from their children's residence. Lorraine couple chose to live in one of the villas in the middle of London. It might be interesting as usually those of old prefer a calm and peaceful atmosphere, but this couple prefers the hustle and bustle of London. So when the incident happened they were not in the main residence, and when news of the attack arrived in their ear without further ado they teleported to the main residence and until now the two still choose to stay to take care and accompany the youngest.

"Honey, now you're my daughter, so don't feel like you don't deserve this. Your sister gets the same gift, it was Lorraine's tradition when girls in their family getting engagement then every member will give a gift in the hope that along the way you'll find various gifts even after you get married."

Eve pulls her head off Margareth's shoulder which has now been wet with tears. The woman in front of him took the Tourmaline necklace and attached it to Eve's neck. Either Margareth or Madeleine both smiled contentedly when they saw the necklace they chose to fit the youngest because it was almost the same color as Eve's emerald bead.

"You're going to be a wife any minute, no matter what happens trust your partner, Duke may not be a human being like you. He has a variety of uniqueness and even the other side that makes others see it as a black dot."

[1] The fairy godmother, an expert in light magic and master of the elements of nature. This nation's features have a pair of pointed ears.