The Duke's Daughter Is A Villainess (9)
The day of the ball finally arrived.
Stella was a mess of nerves, asking Dahlia a million questions about her etiquette and about the people that were going to arrive. Dahlia had informed Stella earlier that some of the royal family would be coming, and while Stella was excited, she was also dreading the presence of someone so important at an event where the spotlight would be on her.
"Don't worry too much, Stella. You've been practising hard for this day, it'll all work out." Dahlia assured Stella with a smile.
Stella nodded, though it didn't look like she fully believed her.
In the end, Stella had to clutch Dahlia's hand tightly as people began to arrive. If Dahlia tried to let go, Stella would begin to tear up, and Dahlia, who couldn't stand the sight of Stella looking as if she'd been abandoned, had to stay beside her as she greeted the guests.
Though usually this was a task that was supposed to be done by the host of the ball herself, Dahlia stayed there the entire time. Doing this unintentionally cemented the idea that Dahlia was a kind and reliable older sister in the eyes of the people there.
Things were going smoothly for a while, and even Stella looked as if she was finally beginning to relax, but then the first prince had arrived. Stella immediately stiffened up again, and even Dahlia started to look a bit nervous.
"Greetings to your royal highness." Dahlia and Stella both spoke, the both of them curtsying in unison.
Noah's eyebrows twitched a bit at the sight, thinking that they looked as if they were really siblings. But then Stella looked up and he met her eyes, and he suddenly stopped breathing.
The girl standing before him looked exactly like his mother. He'd been looking at the painting of the previous queen everyday of his life, he would recognise those eyes anywhere. Thinking desperately, he remembered that his father had told him that his mother died while giving birth to his younger sibling, but that the baby had unfortunately also perished along with his mother.
Now that he was looking at Stella, however, he wondered if it was really true.
"Prince Noah?" Dahlia asked, hesitantly.
She could guess what was going through his mind at the moment, but still acted as if she was puzzled by his actions.
"...I apologise, I was... distracted. If I may ask... what exactly is the story behind how you found this child?" Noah asked Dahlia, though he was looking at Stella the entire time.
Stella, noticing his gaze, couldn't help but hide herself behind Dahlia, frightened by the attention from the prince.
"Oh, well, I was out in town the other day, doing some shopping, and after a while I realised I was lost. That's when I found myself at the steps of the orphanage. I was going to go inside to ask for directions back to the centre of town, but when I walked in I saw Stella, and well... the moment I set my eyes on her I was captivated by how adorable she was, so I just had to bring her home." That was the official version of the story that Dahlia told whenever she was asked about Stella.
Noah, though he had asked, only half heard what she was saying. The more he looked at Stella the more he was sure that she was his sister, the princess that everyone thought had died with his mother. He had no way of being sure, though, so instead he just pretended to accept Dahlia's words and then entered the estate casually, as if he hadn't just had his entire world shaken to its core at the sight of Stella.
"Why was the prince staring at me like that?" Stella asked, frowning slightly.
Dahlia bent down so that she was eye level with Stella and smiled. "He must've been shocked by how pretty you were, Stella. Just like I was that day at the orphanage. Oh, what should I do? You're too cute, Stella! If I'm not careful maybe someone will try and steal you from me?"
At Dahlia's words, Stella's earlier fright was forgotten and she started to giggle, her cheeks turning pink as Dahlia continued to tease her.
Watching them from a distance, Noah had an inscrutable expression on his face.