Temptation Of The Knight ✔

Chapter 24: Gala

Wrapped around in a fuzzy robe, with damp hair falling over her shoulder, Judith stared at the gown hanging on her closet in horror. She was beyond petrified of what she was seeing. The simple emerald silk dress she had chosen was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she saw an emerald off-shoulder gown with a deep neckline, the gorgeous evening gown revealed dramatic feather trimmed sleeves. The tonal jacquard gown was made to flatter her figure as the skirt fell down in trumpet silhouette and ended with a sweep train. The gown was gorgeous but what terrified her was the slit on the right side of the dress.
She kept staring but the dress didn't disappear. She gulped down and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already six and Drazhan is supposed to pick her up in two hours.
"What am I going to do!" She panicked pacing around the room occasionally glancing at the dress. She stopped and ran her finger over the delicate fabric of the dress. Her fingers ran over the trim of the slit and her face contoured in griff.
Judith once again glanced at the clock and decided to try on the gown. With one last grumbled she pulled the gown off the hanger and put it on. She walked to the mirror and stared at her reflection. The gown was gorgeous, no doubt. With worried eyes, she glanced at her long leg sticking out of the slit that ended above her mid-thigh. Judith took a few long breaths and took off the gown. She blew dry her hair and pulled them in a low side bun, she left a loose strand of hair to fall freely over her face and pinned everything else neatly. She touched up her face in light makeup and decided for a cat-eyes look and finished off with a pink nude lipstick. Judith once again put on the gown and zipped up the zipper. She put on a pair of long silver drop earrings and a matching choker.
Slipping into a pair of silver stilettos, she glanced at her reflection on the mirror for one last time. Her neck and shoulders were bare, her tan leg peeked out of the slit and with everything in place, she looked good. There was a knock on the main door and she knew Drazhan was here. Judith glanced at herself in the mirror one more time and worriedly stared at her leg. He knocked on the door again and Judith hurriedly took her clutch and rushed out of the bedroom. She grabbed the main door handle and yanked it open. Her bright smile slightly dropped when she found her father instead of Drazhan.

When he saw his daughter, Fabian's eyes welled up with tears. "You look lovely, little dove!" Judith smiled as he gushed. "Thank you, Dad!"
"God, you grew up so much!" said Fabian as he pulled her into a hug.
Judith laughed as he exclaimed. "It seems like only yesterday that I brought you your first gown!"
"I remember that!
"I remember you running around the house in that blue tule gown on your tiny feet, refusing to take it off!" I had to get you two more because you refused to wear anything else." Fabian laughed as he recalled those memories, and Judith couldn't help but laugh as well. Fabian sighed as he ceased laughing.
"And this is the second time I've seen you in a gown!" At his words, Judith gave him a cheeky grin. "Now let's go, else we'd be late." Fabian ushered her towards the elevator and she nodded.

As they got into the car Gerbert had sent, her mind was clouded with questions. As they drove down the city, Judith occasionally checked her phone for any messages or calls from Drazhan. Be had promised to pick her up, but he didn't show up for the entire day. Judith had only received a message from him stating that he was busy with work and that he was looking forward to seeing her in the evening. But now Judith was disheartened.

The moment Judith and Fabian reached the entrance, they were met with loud chatters of people, the sound of glass clinking and heels clicking. When Judith and Fabian arrived at the door, they were greeted by a loud chattering of people, the sound of glass clinking, and heels clicking. She was attending a gala after many years, and she felt a tinge of nervousness. Fabian smiled at her as she took his hand in hers and they walked in. A few people turned their heads to look at her as they passed by. Judith's free hand was on her leg, and she was trying to keep the slit in place while walking so that it didn't show too much.

Fabian stopped to talk with someone and Judith stopped as well. They struck up a conversation after her father introduced her to the elderly man, but Judith was distracted. Her gaze wandered around the vast hall in search of that one person, but she couldn't even catch a glimpse of him.
Judith's eyes stopped on one particular person she hadn't wished to see. Owen stood in the far corner with a glass of liquor, his gaze fixed on her, mouth slightly agape as his gaze trailed down her body. Scorching fire of disgust left behind with each passing second his eyes was on her and she looked away not sparing him another glance.

When Judith heard Gerbert's familiar voice, she looked up to see Gerbert and Kieran approaching them. Gerbert and Fabian exchanged handshakes, and when Fabian saw Kieran, he enthusiastically pulled him into a fatherly hug.
"You are all grown up, Kieran!" Fabian exclaimed as they pulled back and he smiled. "And you don't look a day old, Uncle." Fabian chuckled and turned towards Judith, "This is Kieran-" Fabian's sentence came to a halt when Kieran spoke up.
"We have met Uncle Fabian." Kieran smiled and turned to face Judith.
"Good evening, léif Schwëster." Gerbert laughed as he greeted her with a charming smile.
"So you've accepted her as your sister-in-law?" Gerbert asked,
"How can I not father!" Kieran exclaimed, and everyone chuckled. But Judith's interest in everything was dwindling with each passing second. She had gone from being disheartened to sad to enraged.
'He could have at the very least informed me!' These were her thoughts. After a charming conversation, Fabian and Gerbert left to mingle with others, as did Kieran to grab a drink.

"Judith Callahan, I don't think we've ever met."
She took a glance around and noticed a young man, slender and tall, with light blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. He smiled at her while holding a drink, and she arched her brow, not understanding who he was or how he knew her name.
"Yes," She exhaled, shifting her body to face him.
"-I don't think we have.
He gave a sly grin, and she could swear she heard a number of the women swoon at the sight. She smirked quietly to herself, almost scoffing. He's rather attractive. She wasn't immune to his physical attractiveness, but he also shouted 'womaniser' just as loudly.
"We'll have to modify that, won't we? My name is Jemeny Yonders."

He extended his hand to her, and she took it only for him to bring her knuckles to his lips. He gazed through his eyelashes as he pressed a little kiss on her knuckles to see whether his small gesture had any effect. When he noticed her looking at him indifferently, his lips slightly drew down. He regained his composure and straightened up.
"The nephew of Gerbert Agnor."
He informed her, and she raised an eyebrow. Looking at him now, she noticed a resemblance to Gerbert. They both had brown eyes and were around the same height.
"Nice to meet you, Jemeny," Judith remarked with a smile, and he began to speak,
"Same here, Uncle Gerbert has told me a lot about you. He and Aunt Cressida appear to like you a lot, but after seeing you in person..."

His gaze swept down the length of her body.

"It's hardly surprising. I may even claim that I'm growing fond of you just as much as they are."

The guests surrounding her turned to look at her as she burst out laughing. As additional rumbles of laughter passed through her lips, her body shook. A sliver of uncertainty flickered over his gaze, but he quickly covered it up.
"You're not just a humorist, but you're also quite the flirt."
Jemeny smiled, a glint in his eyes at what she said. He knew he wouldn't receive anything from her, yet he kept trying. He must have assumed that because there were so many observers, she would have agreed to his not-so-subtle flirtation merely to save face. His flirtations were innocuous. He was probably testing her rather than attempting to get into her panties.
Unfortunately for him, the intimidation element was not working.
A shiver went down her spine. Her gaze was drawn to the far side of the floor, where she noticed Owen staring at her with angered eyes. His attention was fixed on Jemeny, who didn't seem to sense any tension being reflected upon him.

He appeared to want to say something, and he did. Owen approached them. Inside, she snorted and stared blankly at the swaying bodies of people starting to dance.

Owen was a few feet away, she had already shut out half of what Jemeny was saying when a sudden stillness fell upon the room, and everyone turned to face the entrance. The sound of shoes prattling on the marble floor resonated in the ballroom's pin drop silence. Owen had fully stopped walking, and his previous rage had subsided as he stood watching. Even Jemeny, who had been blabbering nonstop, remained silent to watch who had entered. Her heart pounded against her sternum. She felt a rush of excitement race through her body.
Curiously, she turned toward the source and held her breath at the sight.

Drazhan entered the ballroom wearing a black suit crafted particularly for him, emphasising the ferocity of his build. His strong shoulders were accentuated, as were his muscular arms, which flexed as he ran a hand over his hair. His gorgeous hair was sought to be slicked back, but some strands fell over his eyes. She finally got to glimpse the chiselled face she'd been wanting to behold. He was just stunning. Her body felt this heedless yearning full force after barely a day of his absence.

She screamed at her subconscious and sucked down the giddiness, attempting to be angry. He drew everyone's attention from the time he walked in. He came to a halt, his gaze scanning the crowd of individuals huddled in groups, no doubt ready to chat about his looks the moment the tension dissipated. He kept searching, each person he glanced at stiffening up as they felt his sight, and then he found her.
Their gazes met, a shattering gasp forcing its way out of her as his gaze focussed on her dress.
She could feel his eyes encircling her physique, his jaw clenching as they scanned her chest, waist, and hips before slowly moving up to her face. Her legs were like jelly, and all he did was stare at her. She anticipated him to continue walking and exploring the wilderness known as the elite's playground, but he didn't.
Her hand instinctively gripped around the slit on her thigh. He came closer and closer, and everyone's gaze was drawn to his like a magnet.
When he eventually got to her, he looked down at Jemeny, whose eyes widened slightly before he took a step back and looked away.
"You look absolutely stunning!"
Judith's eyes narrowed as she looked at him.
"You always look stunning, but-" his eyes drove over her body before returning to her face. "You're much more beautiful." "You don't look terrible yourself," Judith murmured as she averted her gaze from his piercing brown eyes. Drazhan chuckled as she finished her sentence with a low grumble. His arms suddenly went across her waist as he pulled her closer, her palm lay flat on his chest. His lips pressed against hers, and she swears she heard gasps all around her. She could feel people watching them, but all thoughts vanished as his warmth caressed her body and her mind went haywire. He drew back and mumbled,
"Dance with me?" He exhaled, guiding them to the centre of the dance floor, his arm still around her waist. She was aware that everyone, including their father, Jemeny, and even Owen, was watching their every move. She could hear everyone's astonishment and queries floating about the room, but she couldn't bring herself to figure out what everyone was so shocked about.

Drazhan slipped a hand to her waist and his other hand held hers. As he twirled them around, they swayed together, her free hand resting on his solid shoulder. His gaze was drawn to her as she tried to shift her gaze away from his penetrating brown eyes. Her logical thinking was clouded by his enticing fragrance and the warmth she had been addicted to and she couldn't seem to hold on to the grunge.

She felt herself being dragged closer to the male in front of her as the light dampened her interest in anything else. His hold tightened at the same moment hers did, and her anger faded gently. Even if she tried, she couldn't seem to break free from the trance he put her under. The pleasure she felt from being held by him bound her to his will. Her desire to flee was thwarted by his warm body holding her close to him.

"I missed you, meng klenge Fuuss."
(My little Vixen.)