Chapter Eight
As their carriage pulled to a stop, Luke stood at the doorstep, waiting to greet both girls. However, on the inside, he was itching to just grab Hara and confront her about why she had vanished when he saw the expressions of the men.
Yanna and Hara strode up to him, and he took both their hands and kissed them formally. Yanna's cheeks blazed crimson, but Hara's expression remained stoic.
Leading them inside, he caught a hold of Hara's wrist and led her away into one of the bedrooms, ignoring her protests.
Sitting her down on the soft wool of the bed, Luke glared at her with his arms akimbo.
"Lady Hara. Forgive me for my sudden behavior, but I need to ask you something. "
Hara glared back at him defiantly, arms crossed across her chest.
"What could possibly be so important that you had to drag me to a bedroom instead of simply whispering into my ear and requesting to go somewhere more private?"
Luke sighed heavily, only now realizing that he could have done that and it would have yielded the same exact results.
"Well, I didn't want Lady Yanna to be suspicious either."
Hara let out a huff, disbelieving him.
"Just spit it out, Sir Luke. What do you want?"
This was it. He was about to pop the big question, but he couldn't help but feel that Hara would deflect or make up an excuse. She had been an excellent liar, after all.
"Why did you leave at the ball? When I glanced at the dazed men, I turned around to inform you of the peculiar situation. But you had vanished like the wind."
Hara's expression remained stoic, but a hint of emotion flickered through her face - fear. She had known about the dazed men, after all. The only thing she wasn't aware of was the fact that Kiarha had changed the form of the amethyst.
"I had an important matter to attend to, Sir Luke. It was something I simply couldn't delay."
Her vague answer only further ignited Luke's suspicion, and he pressed the question further, hoping to break her resolve.
"A more important matter than the Youth Ball? There are few things more important than your pre-debut ball to high society."
Hara gritted her teeth in what looked to be exasperation, but Luke caught fear flash through her eyes again. Luke could almost see the cogs turning in her head, trying to come up with a plausible alibi.
"Yes. It was about my father, you see. Count Yan had something urgent to tell me that he didn't want to risk exposing to the public eye, so he put it in a letter for me to read. I went out because I saw the bearer of the letter arrive at the gate."
That actually seemed like a viable alibi. However, Luke wasn't one to be fooled so easily. So, he asked for proof.
Hara denied, repeating what she had just said about it being private and confidential.
"If you don't show it to me, how am I supposed to believe you, Lady Hara?
I can't simply trust your words without evidence first."
Hara let out a sight, and rummaged into her purse. She took out the letter, and gave it to Luke. Opening it, Luke grabbed the piece of parchment inside and began reading.
Dear Hara,
I have to tell this to you through letter because it would ruin our reputation if the public ever caught wind of this.
I have begun to hunt for the Gems of Fortune. Now, this may not seem suspicious at all, as countless before have tried and failed to acquire all four of them.
But I don't plan to obtain them through ordinary means. I plan to take them however I deem necessary, even if I have to steal them from their current owners. The reason I'm hunting for the Gems is because I want to recreate the Amarok of Dyr.
I want to make a new reality, where the Eunelopes reign over all of Kalna.
We'll have all the power, influence, and wealth we'll ever need.
Now, you may say that I sound like a stereotypical villain from those fantasy novels. But this is different. This is for our cause.
And this is to bring back all of our ancestors, who will help deliver the law of the Eunelopes throughout Kalna. We will all be together again, and we all know how much we've missed the relatives that have passed before their time.
So I ask you once more. Will you help me restore our former glory, my daughter?
Your father, Count Yan Eunelope
Luke's eyes widened in shock, and Hara took her opportunity to quickly grab Luke and pin him to the bed. She snatched the Amber from his coat pocket. Luke was even more surprised by this.
"How did you know?"
Hara let out a cackle, her tone icy.
"Remember the day before the ball, when you went to the new market? I was there that day. I saw you purchase the Amber. At first, I thought you had wasted your money on a useless rock. But the glimmer of triumph in your eyes suggested otherwise."
"So I kept my distance, watching you from afar. And, lo and behold, I saw the small pillar of rock rise up along with your arm. That's when I knew you clutched the Traveler's Amber."
Luke struggled to break free of her grip, but Hara was surprisingly strong for her petite figure. She kept her knee on his back, keeping him stuck between it and the bed.
As Hara applied some lip gloss, Luke decided to attempt to snatch the Amber back from Hara. Her other hand immediately grabbed his wrist and pinned it down.
"Ah, ah, ah. You're not getting it back, Schuyler. The Eunelopes have been taken advantage of for far too long. Our lands have been stolen. Our animals have been slaughtered. But not anymore. We will rule Kalna, and you will be forced to watch as we claim everything you own as ours."
Hara smirked wickedly, and leaned in until their lips were inches apart.
"Oh, I never got to thank you for that kiss you gave me yesterday."
Luke's eyes widened, and he could feel a blush creeping up on him.
"You knew about that?"
Hara grinned seductively, but there was a hint of malice in her eyes.
"Mhm. And now, I think it's time I repay the favor."
Leaning in, Hara pressed her lips against Luke's in a soft, passionate kiss. But before Luke could enjoy it, he felt himself feeling drowsy and tired.
That's when he realized what she had done. The lip gloss wasn't any ordinary lip gloss, it was a special drug that could instantly knock someone out.
As Hara extracted herself from the sleeping Luke, she adjusted her dress and left the room.
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ADAIANA'S POV
As Adaiana lounged in her massive bedroom, she couldn't stop thinking about the handsome boy she had danced with last night.
He had sleek black hair, and his eyes were a piercing cerulean. He had been polite and respectful, and he was sharp and witty as well.
She wanted to get to know him better. Luckily, she had taken a photo of him with her camera without him noticing.
Calling a servant, Adaiana waved him over and showed him the photo of the man. She asked him if he could identify the boy.
The servant smiled and nodded, and took the photo before heading back downstairs.
Adaiana sighed, and started daydreaming about Luke again.
She couldn't stop thinking about his charming smile, his beautiful eyes, his alluring voice...
Just then, there was a knock at the door. She heard one of the servants downstairs trudge to get it, and a few seconds later, she heard her name being called.
Making her way down the steps, Adaiana found herself face to face with a beautiful girl, her skin akin to honey and black hair that reached down to her waist.
The girl offered a curtsey, smirking the whole time.
"Pardon me for the abrupt intrusion, Princess Adaiana. I am Kiarha Vernaise of the noble house of Vernaise. I have a matter I would like to discuss with you."
Mildly intrigued, Adaiana stepped aside to let her in. She offered a place where they could talk, and they made their way there.
After a few hours, Kiarha bid her farewell and exited the palace.
Adaiana was left to her thoughts, still in shock about what she had been told.
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LUKE'S POV
Luke sat opposite Hara, who had a wicked grin as they ate. He had scoured the entire property for the Amber, but didn't find a thing.
Later, as they rode to the ball again, Hara wore a different dress this time, an off-shoulder crimson dress that showed off her neck nicely.
No matter how much he hated Hara, he couldn't deny that she looked absolutely stunning tonight.
Hara and Kiarha seemed to have an equal amount of men begging for a dance, while Yanna was chatting with a girl he recognized as Lexi Bonneau, a French noble whose parents had moved here from France.
Lexi was significant in his past life. She was his first dance during his debutante ball, one of his most trusted advisors, and a loyal friend who had never betrayed him once.
Luke's heart started to thump wildly, and he mentally cursed himself for having such a weak heart. He had a tendency to fall in love easily, but he intended to find a fiance soon.
And he had no idea who to pick.
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