Chapter 5: The Birthday Banquet

Stella laughed along. Her musical laughter drew his attention to her then to the dress she was ironing.

"That is a beautiful dress, Stella." Edward left his seat and walked close to her. "It would go well with your Platinum hair and blue eyes."

"Haha! Is that so? Unfortunately this is not for me."

"Who is it for then?" He asked, tilting his head in curiosity. 

"Eleanore Sinclair." She answered, with hesitation.

His face immediately hardened. "Eleanore Sinclair?" he echoed, his tone filled with disgust on hearing that name. "I can't stand that woman. Really."

Stella shot him an amused glance. "She has good taste, though."

Caelestis scoffed. "She has no taste, Stella. She's an irritating stalker, completely blinded by her ridiculous infatuation for me. That's all there is to it. She's nothing but a fool, always clinging to me with those deluded ideas of hers." He shuddered, feeling disgusted as he thought of Eleanore's shameless face.

Stella raised an eyebrow, amused by his reaction. "A fool with taste as good as yours, though?"

"Nonsense," Caelestis muttered, shaking his head in denial. "I'm not sure if she even has thoughts of her own, let alone taste. Everything she does is an attempt to get closer to me and I can't stand it."

Stella suppressed a smile, sensing the genuine frustration in his voice. She knew how much Caelestis hated being the center of Eleanore's obsessive attention, but something about his reaction was still endearing. She had no envy or jealousy toward Eleanore; instead, she felt a bit sorry for her. 'It must be hard,' she mused, 'to have such feelings for someone who would never return them.'

"Perhaps one day she'll realize that it's not worth her time," Stella said softly, hoping to offer some comfort.

Caelestis grunted, clearly unconvinced. "I can only hope," he muttered under his breath, casting a regretful glance toward the gown on the mannequin which clearly would have looked much better on Stella. "Anyway, enough talk about her. I'd rather focus on spending time with you."

________

Eleanore sat on the same dressing table she had half destroyed this morning, dressed in the mesmerizing Navy blue gown the original owner of the body had ordered from Stella's boutique. 

Marina pulled up a shimmering diamond necklace around her neck. The necklace had a small ruby in the middle of the white diamonds. Its color had the same shade as her eyes, Crimson. She secured it well by tightening the hook.

Eleanore looked at herself. 'Who am I?' she asked herself. 'Am I Eleanore that died in a traffic accident a few hours ago or am I Eleanore who might die today due to her stupidity?' a question rose in her mind, which was rather difficult to answer for her.

"My lady?! Do you hear me?" Marina called out. Eleanore looked at her maid with eyes, unaware of the situation, unaware that she had been called by her maid many times. 

"You are ready my lady. The Duke is waiting for you. It's time you depart for the banquet." Marina found it irrelevant to complain, instead she just gave the message she was supposed to deliver.

"Ah— yes." Eleanore got out of her seat and started to the door but stopped midway. She turned around and shot a gentle smile to her maid. "Thank you, Marina."

Marina flinched. Although the smile was supposed to look gentle and beautiful, according to Eleanore, it turned out to be hideous and scarry in Marina's eyes.

Hael was patiently waiting for his little sister to arrive. He pulled out a pocket watch, hanging on the inner right side of his frock coat, to keep a track of time. This watch was an heirloom, made of pure gold and had unique light blue stones in its circular margin. 

He heard the clicking sound of a woman's heels. His gaze shifted toward the corridor above the large stairs in the middle of the mansion. 

Eleanore had arrived.

She looked like some peerless fairy from up there, only to Hael, however. Everyone else who were present there found her to emit a striking image of some fairytale villain, who has beautiful looks but an awful personality.

Hael reached out his hand at the end of the stairs, to escort her to the carriage. Eleanore held his hand that was covered by a black tight glove, highlighting his bones.

"I apologize, Elle. But do not worry, I will make sure you get a grand entry in the ballroom." Her brother reassured Eleanore, who always wanted herself to be in the limelight, no matter who that event belonged to.

"Brother, believe me when I said, I am not interested in the Grand Duke, any longer." She said in a calm, confident voice. Hael felt happy on hearing that her sister's obsession for his best friend had finally come to an end.

The siblings sat in the carriage after walking through the large courtyard of the mansion. Immediately as the carriage started, Eleanore said, "You look exceptionally Charming today, brother." These few words that Hawl rarely heard from his sister, brought a broad smile on his face.

When Eleanore died in the original novel, her loving elder brother went mad and created a rift between him and the Grand Duke. While it might look like something a brother should do against the killer of his only family, this is not something expected from the reputed Duke of the kingdom.

For these two dukes were not just friends but the pillars of the Seraphine Kingdom.

The White knights that were led by the two families for generations, divided into two leaders and the once best friends and partners turn against each other bringing war on the lands of Seraphine Kingdom. 

In this war of anger and disdain, the Monarchy in the kingdom ended, converting the Kingdom's ruling into dictatorship, controlled completely by Caelestis Lancaster.

Her brother was defeated in the first war and since he was once a good friend of the new leader. Caelestis simply exiled Hael from the kingdom.

But Hale's hatred was too deep. This one defeat wasn't going to break his resolve for revenge.

If Eleanore wants to save Caelestes and the White Knights, she must first save herself from dying by the hands of the very person she is here to save.

***

||Chapter 1: Stella Belongs To Caelestis

Caelestis Lancaster, one of the two pillars of the Seraphine Kingdom, grows obsessed with his best friend Stella. On the occasion of the Crown prince's 20th birthday, he finally confesses his love to Stella. However, Stella refuses to accept his confession by rejecting him in front of a throng of hundreds. Enraged by this, Caelestis kidnaps Stella from the party.

Eleanore Sinclair plays a very important role in getting Stella kidnapped by Duke Caelestis Lancaster, making people think she was only recovering at his mansion.

Quest 1: Stop Stella's Kidnapping. 

Do you accept this quest?

Yes| No  ||