𝐴𝑅𝑅𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝐷 | 𝐷𝑀

~ N I N E ~

"Girls, come down here," Scarlet exclaimed. It was still the 20th of December and it was almost time for dinner. But today Scarlet was feeling a little nervous. Despite Lilith agreeing to the marriage, Scarlet still felt nervous to tell her daughter that the Malfoys were coming for dinner. Tonight.

"We're coming," Maya announced.

Lilith and Maya made their way downstairs and into their eating area in the house, "Yeah?" Lilith asked.

"Maya, dear, why don't you go outside and play? I need to speak with your sister."

"Okay," Maya looked at her sister and then ran to one of the doors leading to the gardens.

Once Maya was gone, Lilith walked closer to her mother, "What is it, mother?"

Scarlet cleared her throat and moved a strand of Lilith's hair behind her ear, "Lilith, I know receiving the news of marrying Draco Malfoy hit you hard and you're still learning to accept it but—"

"But what?" Lilith interrupted her mother, not sure if she could take any more news. When Lilith's mother stayed silent, she urged her mother to continue, "Just say it."

"The Malfoys are coming for dinner tonight," Scarlet quickly spit out and then retreated her stare from her daughter to the staircase.

"What? They're coming here? For dinner?"

"Yes."

"Mother, just a couple of hours ago I was told that my life had been decided for me, and now—" her breath shook, "Why?"

"Lilith! I don't need to repeat what your father said, do I? You know how important this is for our family," Scarlet was starting to lose her temper. She knew she had to give her daughter some space but the overreaction was unexpected. Just like Andre, Scarlet knew how important this marriage was so she needed Lilith to be composed.

"I know, I know," Lilith calmed herself, "I'm sorry for losing my temper," Lilith rubbed her temple and took a deep breath.

"It's alright, sweetie. Now, I know you don't want this but they are coming soon. So please, control yourself tonight. Go upstairs to your room, get dressed, and come back downstairs in time for dinner, alright?"

Lilith nodded and put her head down but lifted it back up when she heard her sister's voice, "Lily, it's almost dark out and you promised we would play," Maya complained.

Lilith knelt down to meet her sister's eyes, "I'm sorry, Maya, but there are some guests coming over and I— we have to get ready."

"Guests?" Maya's eyes lit up and Lilith recognized that look. She had an idea. Maya turned to look at her mother, "Can we bake a pie? For our guests?"

Scarlet was skeptical at first but then she saw the desperate look in her youngest daughter's eyes, "Of course sweetie. If you do it fast enough you'll still have enough time to get ready."

———

Once Lilith and Maya had put the pie in the oven, they went to their rooms to get ready. The pie wasn't going to be ready until sometime during dinner but Maya was nonetheless happy to bake with her older sister.

Now it was time for Lilith to dress herself. She decided to wear a short dark green bodycon cocktail dress with black stiletto heels. For her jewelry, she wore two silver snake rings and a chain made of white gold. Lilith had some trouble choosing which hairstyle she would do for herself but she settled for a well-done half-up and half-down curled ponytail.

As she was fixing the strap of her dress, Lilith heard the door close from downstairs she heard voices greet each other. Taking that as her cue to head downstairs, she got the courage she needed, stepped out of her room, and started walking down the staircase. She could see the platinum hair of the three Malfoys waiting for her with her parents as they stood in front of each other. As she made her way towards her family and the Malfoys, she didn't bother looking at any of the guests and kept her eyes on her sister.

However, the three Malfoys already had their eyes on her as she descended the stairs with one hand sliding down the rail.

Lilith looked like true royalty with her legs elegantly moving one in front of the other, her hair barely moving from her precise steps, the tap of her heels barely audible from the gracefulness she kept in every step, and her face facing forward with chin held up high.

As Draco stared at her, he didn't notice his lips had slightly parted at her appearance. He kept his stance with his hands behind his back, hair brushed to the side, but face slightly turning red at her beauty. What made her look even more angelic was the way the moonlight from one of the windows hit her face, enhancing every feature.

She stopped walking when she got to her father and stood next to him. "Lilith," her father addressed her and he nodded towards the Malfoys.

She moved one step closer to the first Malfoy she saw and greeted Lucius Malfoy with a simple, Mr. Malfoy, and he returned her greeting with a simple hum.

Then, Lilith stepped one step to her left and looked at Narcissa Malfoy. She smiled at her and extended her hand, "Mrs. Malfoy," she greeted her.

"Please, dear, call me Narcissa," she said in a soothing voice while she gently placed Lilith's hand next to her body and brought her in for a hug.

Lilith pulled away and made her way to her mother's side, where her sister was also standing, "You look beautiful, Lily," her sister admired her outfit and hugged her.

"Thank you, Maya. You do too. Your dress is gorgeous," Lilith caressed her sister's cheek.

"Lilith," her mother called, making Lilith's focus shift from her sister to Scarlet, "Aren't you going to greet Draco?"

And just like that, Lilith's smile faded, "Yes, of course," she replied. She moved her gaze from her mother's beautiful green eyes to the grey hues she didn't think she'd see during her winter break. He was standing with his head up high and a smirk proudly worn on his face, "Malfoy," she said and he returned her greeting with an almost not noticeable shake of his head, almost as a sign of disappointment.

"Alright, then. Let's eat dinner," her mother noticed the scowl on Lilith's face. Scarlet decided to cut the tension before Lilith could lose her temper, and everyone started walking towards the dinner table. "Draco, why don't you sit next to Lilith?" Scarlet suggested and Draco nodded, moving closer to Lilith and taking a seat next to her, "Blemmy," she called out and there was a snap, "please bring the food out..." she trailed off when Lilith couldn't hear the rest of the conversation when someone else spoke to her. 

"Jones, you weren't supposed to acknowledge me or talk to me, remember? It was part of your dare," he whispered in her ear and his warm exhale sent shivers down her spine.

No one had noticed their tension because they were caught in their conversation. Lilith was finally able to get a good look at him when she turned her face.

His hair was combed to the side but some hairs fell down on his forehead. His hands were covered in rings and wore a silver chain hanging from his neck with an M engraved on a charm. He was wearing a dark green tux that coincidentally matched her dark green dress.

Actually, she realized that the suit he was wearing was the suit she had chosen for him.

She was the girl he told her about. She was the girl he had to make a 'good impression' on.