Chapter Five –
The four Exorcists gaped at the huge building in front of them.
"…Damn…" Lavi muttered, shaking his head. "I knew the ball was being held in a castle, but I didn't expect it to be so…"
"Huge." Nadeshiko finished, and the red-head nodded in agreement. When the group reached the front gates, two guards stopped them and asked for their names.
"I'm Alina Galpon. Prince Yuri's distant cousin." Lenalee said, using her fake name. "This is my escort, Alexander Kavelin." Allen nodded in greeting to the guard, smilingly politely.
"And my name is Klara Harkov, another distant cousin of the young prince. I will be providing some entertainment at tonight's ball." Nadeshiko added. "This is Leo Nazarova, my escort." The brunette gestured to Lavi without breaking eye contact with the guard in front of her. The men looked at the list they each held and let the group pass.
When they got inside, a young woman that looked to be about twenty-five came over to them. "Hello there! I'm Vera Dolgorukiy, Yuri's older sister." She greeted. "May I ask which one of you Klara?"
Nadeshiko smiled warmly. "That would be me. It's so wonderful to meet you in person."
"Oh yes! My family is just so big, I'm afraid I haven't even met less than half of my kin! That includes you, Alina." Vera smiled at Lenalee, who returned the gesture. "And who are these lovely young men?" The oldest Dolgorukiy child winked at her 'cousins', making them blush slightly.
"Oh, this is Alexander, my escort." Lenalee answered, gesturing to the white-haired teen beside her, who smiled nervously.
"And this is my own escort, Leo." Nadeshiko once again introduced Lavi.
"Well then, it's nice to meet you two. My cousins got lucky." The males felt their faces heat up slightly as she said this. "But, on another note, I need to speak with Klara and make preparations for her performance."
"Of course." Nadeshiko replied. "I'll be back in a moment." She dismissed herself from the group of undercover Exorcists, and followed the black-haired princess to a back room.
"So, dearest cousin, what song are you going to be performing?" Vera asked as she sat down on a cushioned couch.
"I was thinking of one I know very well… It's called 'Key to my Heart'." The brunette replied, looking around the room. Her eyes landed on a white grand piano in the corner. "Hm… Do you know how to play?"
"The piano? Yes." Vera nodded. "Why, would you like me to play during your performance? I already know of the song you speak of."
"If you wouldn't mind…"
"Of course not! It's the least I can do for my family!"
Nadeshiko smiled. "Thank you, Vera." She sat beside the young woman. "Would you mind telling me about the ceremony Yuri will be going through? I wasn't given any details…"
"It's no problem, Klara. Basically, Yuri will be given the jewelled brooch of the family's crest, to symbolize his coming of age. He will be a man soon, and this is the family's way of giving him their support." Vera explained.
"Do the women in the family not receive the brooch on their eighteenth birthday?"
"No, only the men." The black-haired girl sighed. "Our family is so old fashioned… Acting as if women have no rights in the world… Sometimes I get sick of them."
Nadeshiko was shocked to hear the confession. "Yes, sexist people truly are annoying…" She murmured in agreement.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The two females in the room looked up to see a small girl that looked no older than fourteen. She had golden blonde hair tied up into two ponytails, shy green eyes, and a pale complexion. Her dress was not a fancy one, but rather a pale pink maid's uniform.
"Excuse me, Lady Vera," The girl spoke up softly, but still loud enough for the other two to hear. "But it's time for Lady Klara's performance."
"Ah, thank you, Florentina." Vera replied. The blonde girl – Florentina – bowed swiftly and left the room.
"Who was that?"
"Florentina is my lady-in-waiting." Vera explained, getting up from her seat. "But this is no time for chatter – you have a performance to put on!"
Nadeshiko pulled on one of her ringlets nervously. "Are you still going to play for me?"
"Of course!" The princess snapped her fingers and four servants rushed into the room. She told them the piano had to be moved to where 'Lady Klara' would be performing, and they set to work. Within a minute, Nadeshiko stood in front of a large crowd of people that had come to celebrate Prince Yuri's eighteenth birthday, and Vera sat at the piano behind her. Nadeshiko glanced around, trying to ignore the fact that everyone there was staring at her, and found Allen, Lenalee and Lavi in the crowd. They all gave her encouraging smiles, and the brunette took a deep breath before beginning to sing.
"Boy, you put me on the spot,
I don't know what to say,
But I'm trying anyways.
Like my heart's going to drop,
My mind drifts away,
And I can't control the pain.
Words are spinning in my head,
Don't know why I'm holding back,
I should just tell you how I'm feeling, yeah…
But I don't want to act a fool,
Don't want to look confused.
If I let you know, about the way I feel,
Don't know what you're going to do.
So I keep it locked inside,
And imagine you were mine.
And I'm feeling you, so close but yet so far,
You hold the key to my heart.
My, my, my, my, my heart…
The more I brush it off,
Tell myself it's nothing at all,
The deeper I fall.
And I imagine every day,
A thousand different ways,
How you respond to what I say.
Am I getting lost in my dreams?
Are you unreachable to me?
'Cause these butterflies just won't go anyway.
I don't want to act a fool,
Don't want to look confused.
If I let you know, about the way I feel,
Don't know what you're going to do.
So I keep it locked inside,
And imagine you were mine.
And I'm feeling you, so close but yet so far,
You hold the key to my heart.
My, my, my, my, my heart…
But if I never tell you,
Then you'll never know,
And the secret's getting heavy to hold.
This is more than just a crush.
So I may stutter when I speak,
And my knees may get a little weak,
But I've got nothing to lose, and only you to gain.
Tell me, do you feel the same?
But I don't want to act a fool,
Don't want to look confused.
If I let you know, about the way I feel,
Don't know what you're going to do.
So I keep it locked inside,
And imagine you were mine.
And I'm feeling you, so close but yet so far,
You hold the key to my heart.
My, my, my, my, my heart…
You hold the key to my heart…
Sometime during the song, everyone had started to dance. Vera stood up from the piano bench, and left the stage. She was quickly followed by Nadeshiko, but she had lost the woman in the large crowd of dancing people.
A sudden tap on her shoulder made the brunette jump. She quickly turned around, and saw Lavi standing there with a big grin on his face.
AN/
Okay, I'm going to cut it off there for now…
Uh oh, you know Lavi's up to no good when he smiles like that…. :P
The song Nadeshiko sang was (as mentioned twice already) 'Key to my Heart' by Jessica Jarrell.
Please review!