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The Damned Romance
Chapter 1:A New Century and A New Love
December 29 1899
In the last few days the manor of the Duke and Duchess D'Orléan was quite busy with the preparation for the New Years Eve party. Sakura was determined to have a party more grandiose
than the one Ino Yamanaka had last year.
"What I don't understand my dear is why must you always be in competition with Mademoiselle Yamanaka? She is your friend after all," said Nathaniel.
"Mon ami,this is how our friendship is. Can't you understand? Having a rival makes life more exciting."
This is true. It started fifteen years ago when Sakura met Ino at the boarding school of Madame Dubois. As if the teachers frequent beating and disgusting food weren't enough, Sakura was
also teased by the older girls for her unusual large forehead. Ino defended her and they had been friends and rival ever since. Ino had the nicest clothes,but Sakura had the biggest house,
Sakura was the smartest but Ino was the most lively, Ino had a pretendant first but Sakura got the ring not long after and since then Sakura had grown to be the more beautiful and very
popular in Paris social circle.
Still Ino had too much affection for Sakura to give up on their friendship just because of petty jealousy. Of course it didn't stop Ino of being red from anger when she heard the party this year
was going to be at Sakura's she complained about it to her mother.
"C'est de la provocation,I am sure of it maman!"
She knew her friend much too well.
The New Year's Eve party had kept Sakura occupied for most of the week. Still from time a thought for that tall handsome man with onyx eyes came to her mind. And even when she chased it
away, somehow it always came back. She couldn't help it; she was intrigue by that man and wanted to know more about him.
"Chérie,don't you think we should invite Lord Uchiha to our party?"proposed Sakura
Nathaniel put down his book and raised his head toward his wife.
"Isn't it a little late for that?All the invitation have been sent days ago."
"It's never too late. I just have to invite him directly. It'd be a shame if he miss the party just because he came to Paris a little later."
"To me it's seems more like you have a little béguin on him. I don't blame you. Ever since he came there, he's been the talk of the town. They are saying he's a god who has laid his feet on
earth to give a little more beauty to this world. Ridicule, c'est le mot! But go on if you want to invite him! I simply taught my wife would know better."
"Ridicule, mon ami!I was just trying to be polite. Since you don't mind, then we are going have another invitee."
Sasuke was quite surprise when Sakura's maid, Juliette, ringed his door to give him an invitation for the New Years Eve party at the D'Orléan's house. The only thing that made him want to
go was the conviction he'd get to see the beautiful duchess once again. He was captivated by the young lady. He didn't know why. Women even more beautiful than Sakura had been on his
bed and still he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had every intention of meeting her in person, he was idealizing her too much. Once he would get a taste of her real personality, his
interest in the lovely duchess will fall flat.
He hoped it would.
31 December Paris
The day of the party finally came. All the women spent hours choosing what dress to wear, what necklace would enhance the more their eyes and what hairstyle would suit them best.
Nothing too unusual really. A lot of nervous debutante were to make their society debut that night, the perfect occasion since all of Paris elite was to be at the manor of D'Orléan. Sakura was
no exception. She was in such a good mood she even allowed her daughters, Adèle and Lola to put on their prettiest dresses and shoes since they were going to be a part of the party too
with the other childrens. Something really quite exceptional since in general she was at the balls and parties and they were home with their Swedish maid, Ingrid. Although Sakura and
Nathaniel loved their children, they were barely ever there so the girls knew what luck they had. With age and maturity Sakura would learn to be a better mother but as a selfish and spoiled
young woman, she barely remembered their existence.
"You look like a little french doll miss." Ingrid said as she adjusted the silk ribbon in Lola's hair.
"C'est ma première grande fête. I hope there would be other children. Oh maman,regardez!" said little Lola excitedly when she saw her mother enter the room. She gave a little twist to show of
her dress.
"You are lovely as always!"
Sakura knelt down to kiss her daughter's forehead. She felt a little guilty for not having seen much of her children lately. She had already went to Adèle room to see how her eldest was
doing. While Adèle wasn't as excited as Lola, she certainly seemed happy. Sakura herself was almost as excited as the little girls since she would finally get to know Sasuke better. She
slapped herself mentally every time she taught about it, she was acting like a school girl.
The guests slowly filled the manor D'Orléan. All the women were showing off their newest (and ridiculously expensive) dresses and of course the jewelry. Ino stood out among the crown off
elegantly dressed women with her vibrant pink dress. Sakura had decided to wear a pretty black and white dress. As always they both looked beautiful and as a result got jealous stares by
the other women in attendance and vicious rumors soon begin to circulate.
By nine pm Sasuke was still nowhere to be seen. Sakura had however spotted her good friend Hinata Hyuga (the only woman she knew who was really as wholesome as she seemed to be),
her cousin Neji and his new wife Tenten, Naruto ,whom she had known ever since she was fourteen, and to her surprise he came with Karin(who certainly didn't seem wholesome in her
crimson red dress, it fitted her oh so perfectly.)
By ten pm,Sasuke finally showed up. Much to the pleasure of all the girls and the displeasure of most men. Sakura came to greet him with Ino and Nathaniel once she heard he had come.
"It's good to see you . Especially on such short notice." Sakura said.
For the first time Sasuke noticed how beautiful her green eyes were. They seemed so sad. As if she was silently mourning something...or someone. Damn, maybe it wasn't a good idea to
come her after all.
"As a matter of fact we haven't been formally presented." Ino added.
"We didn't have the chance to, I left quite precipitately when we were at Madame De Fontane."
He said his eyes always focused on the Duchess.
"Well I'm Ino Yamanaka and those are my friends Sakura and Nathaniel D'Orléan."
"Yes,I know." Was all he said. Obviously he wasn't the talkative type.
Still to his surprise he found himself enjoying the company of the trio. They always had a witty remark to say and unlike all the people he encountered since he came to Paris, they actually
seemed intelligent. But there was a strange distance between Sakura and her husband, and he didn't even seem to mind his presence and his wife frequent stares in his direction. Strange
couple indeed, he would have never guessed they were married if he hadn't known them.
Sakura was still hoping to spend some time alone with Sasuke and she finally got the chance to when he asked her for a dance. The valse viennoise was playing. When their hands touched
she felt the butterflies in her stomach and when they danced, she felt so happy and so free. Why was it like that? It had been so long long since he had last felt like this...No not so long, only
four years ago. A man with a boyish smile and haunting blue eyes came to her mind but she chased that taught away. But then she glanced at Adèle and he came right back rushing to her
mind. Was she so hungry to live an impossible love again? How could she have forgotten him? Or was he was sleeping in her heart all that time?
"Madame D'Orléan are you alright?" Sasuke asked,worried over how distant she suddenly became.
Sakura suddenly realized where she was. She was the Duchess D'Orléan now. She wasn't the romantic teenage girl just waiting to fall in love anymore. She had long realized how painful it
could be.
"Yes, I am, I was simply reminiscing about something. But it is long gone now."
Soon Sakura was laughing and joking again and she even flirted with Sasuke in front of her husband. It had the guest talking until Naruto defended her saying she was just trying to make
him feel more at ease. The guest were so drunk that most of them would forget it in the morning and Sakura's reputation was safe. She would latter thank Naruto for speaking in her defense
and he would soon become one of her closest friends.
Nathaniel and Sakura had disappeared in the library, he berated her about her indiscretion and they fought until Naruto came to tell them the decompte till the new century had already
started.
All the guest had started counting.
"3, 2, 1, C'est le nouveau siècle."
Nathaniel gave Sakura a demure kiss on her cheek. The children were practically falling asleep but most of them wanted to witness the new century. Sakura wrote a note to Sasuke and
asked Juliette to deliver it to him.
You should come to the house library.
We have a perfect view of the fireworks up there.
Sakura
As she expected, he soon came.
"I have to admit you're right Madame. We see them much better than in the terasse. But why did you asked me to come?"
"I want to know more about Mister Uchiha. You're always so silent, you intrigue me. You know I have often thought about ever since the first time we met. What about you, did you hold a
thought for me? There are so many women who lurk around, you might have not know of my existence until you've received the invitation."
She certainly wasn't shy. Maybe all those rumors were true. She seemed quite experienced and a little aggressive too. She held his interest now more than ever.
"You can't even imagine how much I've been thinking about you."
He then walked to the Duchess to kiss her.
It was the first day of the new century that their scandalous love affair would begin.
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