The chandelier which hung on the centre illuminated the massive ballroom in a golden hue with trickles of silver moonlight reflecting from the mirrors placed in the room . On one corner, there was a huge buffet set up with all sorts of delicacies from the sixteen kingdoms that no common man could ever imagine and on the other side, three chairs, which almost looked like thrones, were decorated with flowers and placed on a podium.
At the centre, there was a large marble staircase which, Marleigh believed, led to the rest of the manor. Guests had started arriving and the slow music from the orchestra began to flow throughout the ballroom into the back garden.
She noted a small, locked room at the top of the staircase which was guarded by two bulky soldiers in full armor.
She looked at the map which the Vohra elders had given her and noticed a red cross in the exact location of the tiny room.
'She must be there,' thought Marleigh, trying to get to Marchioness Jubal's chambers without getting lost.
"Excuse me, miss. Can I have another glass of champagne?" asked a voice, which was eerily familiar to Marleigh.
She turned around and there he stood, in all his tall glory with the scar still very much visible under his mask. Kai, unlike their previous encounter, wore a tuxedo and shining shoes, his black hair gelled to his skull.
Shocked, she quickly ducked her head and nodded, "Of course, sir."
He had a quizzical expression on his face. Marleigh's nerves increased, her cold palms began sweating from the adrenaline rush. If anyone came to know that she was being punished, her reputation will drop low, dragging the clans name with it. Nobody must ever know the cause for her being here. She thought she will simply try to manage by saying that she was simply accompanying the Marchioness.
Since she was in a maid's clothes and her hair dyed black, Marleigh thought nobody would recognize her. She tried acting mellow and brought Kai a glass of champagne.
"Oh, but miss, though this is great, red wine would be a better option, don't you think?" He asked, a knowing smirk forming on his lips.
'What?! He knows... he knows! But, how?' thought Marleigh, as she nervously clenched her fists, the empty tray in her hands denting from the impact.
He noticed her apprehensive behaviour, "Do not fret, princess. I am not here for you today."
"I sense a 'but' again?" chuckled Marleigh, her nerves easing slightly.
"You don't miss a thing, do you?" He asked, a shadow of a smile forming on his perfectly scarred lips, "But, I was serious. You are not alone, Princess. You were not abandoned. Don't you want to know what happened?"
Marleigh was began trembling. She wondered how this stranger whom she had never run into until that day, knew so much about her past? Marleigh was torn between her debt to the Vohras and her inexplicable thirst for the truth. She deemed herself to be an inexorable person. When the Vohras took her in, she had promised the clan that she wouldn't pry into her family's disappearance, no matter what.
"You were not abandoned."
"Don't you want to know what happened?"
Kai's words echoed in her mind repetitively, causing a small crack on her resolve. On many occasions, Marleigh had tried to snoop around the mystery but the cost she had to pay was cataclysmic.
"Light it up, Marleigh. It's your last and only chance to seek the truth," Kai pleaded, his gloved hands covering her rough ones.
Marleigh was appalled at herself for even having this inner contemplation. Making up her mind, she looked at Kai's masked self, his green eyes still shimmering with inquisitiveness.
"I have till midnight, right?" asked Marleigh, to which Kai nodded.
"I-I will make my decision then. Just...Just be on the lookout," she said and withdrew her now warm hands from his.
Unknown to both Marleigh and Kai, there was a shadow of a woman listening to their conversation. She wore a bright, blood-red ball gown with black laces and a black satin mask which covered half her face.
Contrary to what other women may prefer, she had painted her lips black; her dark hair in an up-do, decorated with pearls and ruby. She covered the rest of her face with a fan and smirked, a dimple forming on the left side of her rosy cheek.
"Oh my, you render me speechless every time, Marleigh."
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YOU ARE READING
The Marchioness Treasure | HIATUS
FantasyShe thought there was nothing left in this world for her. Her life was to be doomed the moment she was abandoned. But fortunately for Marleigh, she was a survivor and so she lived. Living as an outsider was never a simple task, but luckily for her...
