Graden-Hall Art Gallery (3)

"What the hell are you doing??" Lady Anastasia hissed at her brother. The moment the Queen left, Lady Anastasia had dragged Lord Benjamin out of the building to the outside yard where there were less people around.

"What do you mean, Ana?" Lord Benjamin feigned innocence.

"You were praising her. How could you do this to me! You knew how much I hated her guts!" Lady Anastasia said with widened eyes.

"So, what has that got to do with me?" Lord Benjamin asked again.

"You're my brother! You're supposed to side with me." This time, Lady Anastasia punched Lord Benjamin's chest in frustration.

"Ana, even so, the truth is there for everyone to see. Lady Melissa can paint and she did it excellently. Even you can't deny this fact." Lord Benjamin tried to reason with his idiotic sister.

"So what if that bitch can paint? She's clearly taking this opportunity to show off!" Lady Anastasia said while crossing her arms.

"Are you going to stick around?" Lord Benjamin looked at her malicious eyes and asked.

"Who wants to be at this stupid place?!" Lady Anastasia retorted.

"Aren't you here now?" Lord Benjamin said calmly.

"Brother!" Lady Anastasia shouted in anger.

"Alright, alright, just go home. The Prince has left anyway. There's nothing for you here." Lord Benjamin chased his sister away. He had a hunch that the previous drama had something to do with Lady Anastasia. If she stayed on, God knows what else she would do.

At the mention of the Prince, Lady Anastasia pouted and stormed off in anger. Lord Benjamin shook his head. He stayed outside for a moment, taking in the beautiful setting that Melissa had painstakingly prepared. 

"What are you doing here?" Suddenly a cold voice could be heard from behind him.

Lord Benjamin turned around and saw Lord Melvin walking towards him, his face clearly showed displeasure.

"Ah, Lord Melvin. I see that you're back. How's the purchase of the lands going? Did you manage to seal the deal?" Lord Benjamin asked casually.

"How did you know about it?" Lord Melvin's annoyance was replaced with surprise. He had not informed anyone about his intention to buy the lands at the countryside to rare horses. Only his family knew about it.

"Oh, I have many ears and eyes who're more than willing to tell me everything, even things I'm not interested in. For example, your land purchase. Such a boring topic, a total mood kill during intimate moments." Lord Benjamin said, clearly teasing the innocent Lord Melvin in front of him.

Lord Melvin ears reddened instantly. Everyone knew that he hasn't had any girlfriend before, nor anyone he's pursuing at the moment. In short, it's an open secret that Lord Melvin is a virgin. However, due to his impulsive nature and short tempered, no one dared to mock him. Lord Melvin might be a virgin, but he's a skilful swordsman and good at fighting. He had not lost a single duel to anyone who dared to challenge him.

It's not like there's no one fancied him. He actually had plenty of young girls, both noble born and from working class families, who had tried to woo him from time to time. Unexpectedly, the fact that he's still a virgin had also greatly added to his value. The more experienced girls was tempted by this, with the drive to tame him, while the inexperienced ones found him to be more reliable and see him as a loyal man, a definite husband material.

However, unlike his peers who reacted to the opposite gender's advances gladly just to get some action from the girls, he had stayed true to himself. He would only have eyes for the one he loves. So far, he has not met that person, hence his singlehood to this day.

"I don't care what you hear. I'm just here to tell you to stay away from my sister!" With that said, Lord Melvin walked off leaving Lord Benjamin alone.

Hearing such comments from Lord Benjamin really annoyed Lord Melvin. Although he wanted to question Lord Benjamin's intention towards his sister, he really didn't want to hear anymore lewd comments from this annoying man.

Lord Benjamin looked at Lord Melvin's back and was deep in thought. He sighed and walked in to look at the paintings. However, the moment he stepped inside, he caught sight of his sister, who seemed to be in a deep conversation with a gentleman. They were standing at a corner, far away from the other guests. The man seemed to be in his 40s, wearing a dark suit and had a sinister look on his face. He looked familiar, where have he seen him before? And why would his sister talk to such a man? More importantly, what're they talking about? 

When Lord Benjamin walked over to where they were standing, the man bowed slightly to Lady Anastasia and left the vicinity. 

"Who is that?" Lord Benjamin asked. 

"None of your business. I'm leaving this boring place. See you at home!" Lady Anastasia said, her improved mood was obvious. However, the malicious glint in her eyes were noticed by Lord Benjamin. An alarm bell rang in his mind. He immediately caught his sister's arm and looked into her eyes. 

"Whatever that you're planning, don't do it, Ana." Lord Benjamin warned her. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lady Anastasia broke free from her brother's grasp and left the place. 

Not wanting to take any chances, he went to look for Melissa. She was on the second floor, engaging in a conversation with Baron Randell and his wife. The older couple seemed to be interested in purchasing a painting from Melissa. However, when he went nearer, the topic seemed to be off. They were actually promoting their son to her! He didn't see either Lord Melvin or the Duke nearby. Lord Benjamin frowned. 

"I heard your wedding date has been postponed? So much uncertainty will not benefit you my dear. I'm sure the Queen will not punish you if you choose someone else. She seems to dote on you! Why, she even let you paint her portrait, in public! That's totally unheard of, not to mention today's guests are not confined to only the upperclass noblemen like us. The Queen bent the rules for you, darling. It shows how much she values you. You should pick your own choice for a husband." Baroness Ellie Randell could be heard saying.

"Our Harry is still single and so are you. He will take over the family business in a year or two and he can give you whatever you want. We really like you too, my dear. I'm sure if you give him a chance, you will find him likeable. He's really a good kid." Baron Randell enthusiastically promoted his son to Melissa. 

The poor girl looked so uncomfortable and her eyes kept looking around, probably searching for that useless brother of hers to rescue her.

"Why, even if Lady Melissa doesn't choose the Duke, is it Harry's turn? Are you sure about that?" Lord Benjamin strode forward, his eyebrows raised, challenging the Baron and his wife.