Amber Memories, Forgotten
-Stars would Shine, Warmth Shared-
It seemed that you always brought out the opposite aspect of me
No matter what life I would be living then.
The anger in a human even though I was supposed to be carefree,
The passion in a monster even though I was, well, supposed to be a monster.
You would have run away from a monster, wouldn't you?
Or would you have fought back?
But I would have made sure that you ran in circles
Such that you'd come back, never leaving me.
"You're late, Sister…" complained a lady in a fine deep green gown which plunged down a little at the bust to the maximum of what had been expected as decent as she shook a disapproving finger at her sister.
"My lady, Miss had been…"
"It's okay Charles, no excuses is needed for my late appearance. I'm late," muttered the younger lady as her eyes roamed around the room. Boredom was written all over her face. This was a great ballroom, no doubt, with the great chandeliers- like thousands of crystals sewn to hoop skirts- hanging from a ceiling embossed with gold arcs and white marble. And of course, those pretentious aristocrats dotting the place with their spastic smiles that threatened to outshine those crystal wine flasks they were holding on to. Their facial features were hidden under their masquerade masks, which were concealing their hidden agendas. She was used to such social manners, but it never fail to make her stomach recoil all the same.
Yet wasn't she the same as them too? People living behind a mask; that was what being human was all about.
"That is not the attitude here, Sister, and look at what you are wearing," chided the lady as she placed a gloved hand on her younger sibling's shoulder. The latter took a glance at what she was wearing- just a simple gown, and raised her eyebrow nonchalantly. She nodded her head a little when the old butler indicated that he was to take his leave now.
"My dear sister, there may be a good chance that you will meet someone meant for you here, you know."
The latter only managed a sarcastic laughter. "Hmm. Seriously; it does not mean that the whole world should be attached and engaged because you are living in your happily-ever-after."
The older lady shook her head disapprovingly as she fanned herself with one of those fanciful fans made from ostrich feathers that her younger sister often cringed at. They were of a deep blue color that had the same hue as the ocean and same shade as her mask which as usual complimented her eyes. "Of course, I adore my husband." She smiled a blissful grin but decided to be charitable and not to bombard the younger girl with her romantic love stories. "Anyway, we're attending a reputable ball after all. There are important people around- Oh! There's Duchess from the…"
Rolling her eyes at the unfinished sentence, the younger lady walked off to the side balcony in order to seek some peace. The ballroom may be big but the amount of polite laughter and greetings in here was sufficient to suffocate her. As if her corset was not competent enough to take her breath away, she grumbled and began to swirl the red wine in her flask, picturing it as a hurricane that could sweep her away. Her mask lingered a little down her face and below her chin as she peered out of the room into the sky. Time seemed to be crawling as slow as those clouds on the pale blue sky. She would certainly have preferred being in the rain as she was just now before rushing to such a pretentious event. What a waste of time.
"I see that the party has not interest you much, my lady."
A deep intimate yet intimidating voice from the back startled her a little and it took much effort from her not to turn around, grab the man by his throat and dig her fingers in. It must be one of those bored and desperate man requesting for a dance; she tried to calm herself down and allowed her lips to curl upwards like those found on the others that she had so despised upon as she turned around. She had managed to chase away a few and would do it again. "I'm not sure, Sire. Different people have different appeals. If you're looking for a dance companion, I'm afraid exhaustion has reduced my ability to."
Chuckling, the man combed his free hand through his curly hair. His eyes were concealed by an elaborated monochrome mask that complimented his almond brown eyes that appeared so dark.
"I guess not even host's rights could make you move with the music, eh?"
That response surprised the lady and she bit her lips a little. While it was alright to be rejecting people requesting for dances, denying a host- Mr. Camelot, in this case- of his rights would bring much shame and unhappiness to her father. Sighing softly as she passed her wine to an approaching waiter, she let the host took her by hand and led her onto the dance floor, hoping that it would end as soon as possible.
The dance had not been as short as she had hoped for. The song they were moving along to have such a slow beat that she was sure her heels were dragging along the marble floor. Embarrassingly, she only realized after stepping onto the dance floor that her mask was not on her face- so much for a masquerade. The young lady could sense that Minister Camelot's gaze was burning on her all the time. Flames could only provide warmth to a limited extent before hurting someone. Although it was not in the sexual way, it made her itch with discomfort and the yearning to get away grew incredulously with each passing step and their little conversations tasted strange on her tongue.
And that particular way his hand was placed over her back… even colorful words could not fill the void.
"It had been nice dancing with you, my lady," thanked the charismatic host as he bowed and placed a chaste kiss on her hand bidding goodbye, before leaving to mingle with the crowd to fulfill his duties to entertain the others. Her eyes lingered over where he had dissolved into- his hair curly and combed back appropriately, while his dress shoes were made from luxurious leather cladding away, his coat tail swaying handsomely after him.
Just then, a soft series of giggles that bubbled underneath the surface came crawling passed her ears.
The young lady turned around immediately to only be greeted by an all-too-happy lady draped in her green silk. Cocking her head at an angle, she reckoned her older sister with a look that questioned the smug on the latter's face.
"What are you up to again?" said the young sister acidly, her fingers waving to a passing waiter for her beverage back.
"Nothing in particular," said her sister as she acted coy. The fan in her hands waved a little, as if it was blushing from shame. "It's just great that our dear Kaeda only look for the crop of the cream."
The young lady almost strangled the other Amber girl. "There's nothing, Sis. Mr. Camelot was just having his host's rights."
Chuckling, Kaeda's sister placed her hand over the former's bare shoulder yet again. "Minister Camelot's married, my dear."
The visible shock- the way the man treated her just now was certainly unacceptable for a married man- that overwhelmed Kaeda was even more prominent as she revealed the truth and that made her sister laugh even harder.
"That sire you had been dancing with had been his brother- Lord Tyki Mikk. Isn't he just so charming?"
