Lesley x Guinevere
A noble young lady must fulfill her responsibility of marriage. However, Guinevere Baroque, a renowned mage, refuses to marry someone she has never met. She's fully aware that unless she agrees, the Paxley house will never leave h...
Lesley was definitely an astounding student who learned fast. Guinevere never had a problem teaching her because she doesn't complain despite having her read tons and mountains of books that may help her debut in high society. The lady made her memorize the list of the peerage and their contributions to the empire, as well as the strict etiquette, especially for dining.
Others would complain and give up, yet Lesley obediently listens to Guinevere. In fact, she seems to rather enjoy it, especially since the two got to spend time together after the lectures. They got closer and more comfortable with each other's company for the whole month. They laughed at their silly jokes, cried remembering the parents they lost, and recalled their childhood. Both of them found happiness in one another, as if their souls were linked.
However, despite how close they are, no one said a word about the other kiss they shared. And a month finally passed; it was almost time for Lesley's stay there to come to an end. Strangely, Castle George felt more like home to her now than Vance's Castle Grandrock.
"Gwen, is there something left for me to learn?" Lesley inquired of her betrothed after noticing that all they had done for the past few days was have tea and wander around the castle grounds.
Guinevere came to a halt before facing her. She gave her an awkward smile and softly laughed. "So you noticed." The lady sighed. "Actually, no. "But there's something that you must learn that I couldn't teach you." Lesley's brows knitted after having a confused look. Her betrothed's face was so serious that she was worried what it was.
"And that must be?" She asked.
"Dancing." Guinevere replied. She only learned the role of a woman in the dance, and even if she could teach him, Lord Vance must be perfect. They couldn't even hire a suitable teacher to avoid suspicion and rumors that might affect the status they built for him.
"Dancing... Oh—right! Haha!" Lesley laughed in relief, making Guinevere smile. She occasionally became comfortable with smiling and laughing, yet Guinevere just couldn't get used to it. Her smile was pleasing. sweet and gentle. Even though it sounds cliché, she gave the lady foreign fluttering feelings as if she had butterflies in her stomach.
"Guinevere, m'lady? Are you with me?" Lesley asked, tapping her thin shoulders.
Her smile had faded, and she blinked her eyes incessantly, as if she had just returned from reality. "I-I apologize. What did you say again?"
Lesley stared at her with a concerned gaze before she replied, "I said, I knew someone who might help us."
Guinevere's face brightened. "Great! Who is it?"
"You'll meet him soon."
Lesley did say that she would meet the mysterious man, yet it came sooner than she expected. When the afternoon sun dawned crisp and clear, a letter for a visit came from an unknown sender, followed by the arrival of two unknown men on horses. One of them is Fredrinn, a treasure appraiser from Los Pecados and the disowned son of Duke Vance. He was rumored to be ruthless and was once called "the bloodthirsty demon."
But after meeting him face-to-face, Guinevere reminded herself not to trust rumors anymore. He wore an arrogant smirk on his face. One would never think that he was born and raised as a noble because of his appearance. He was tall with a toned, well-built physique, far from the scrawny and fat noblemen. He had these sharp eyes that could gaze through the depths of your soul. not to mention the mustache on his chin. A face so intimidating yet extremely good-looking
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Fredrinn stared at Guinevere for a second before averting his gaze to his younger sister and smirking. The lady glanced sideways at Lesley to see her reaction. She was clenching her fist and glaring at her brother.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Baroque. I am Fredrinn, the older brother of Lesley." He curtsied, as did Guinevere.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Sir Fredrinn." She smiled a welcoming smile. "And he must be..." Guinevere asked, turning to face the man who had come with him. Unlike Fredrinn, he was tall but shorter than the former, and his smile was genuine; there was no sign of arrogance at all. His hair was unique, a color so red yet brownish, and his eyes were so purple and clear. Guinevere hasn't seen a man as beautiful as her brother in a long time.
"His name is Fray, my lover." Fredrinn proudly announced as he wrapped his arms around his lover's waist. Fray covered his flushed face using his hands while Guinevere gasped and blushed.
Lesley rolled her eyes and whispered, "Such a show-off." Guinevere nudged her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Then, shall we enter?"
_⚜️_
They didn't waste time and immediately started the dance lesson with Lesley. Thanks to the magic of Guinevere, they didn't need to hire someone to play the piano for the music. One spell was enough to make the instrument play itself.
"Where shall we start? Waltz, cotillion, or quadrille?" asked Fredrinn. Guinevere was in deep thought for a moment before she happily replied, "Waltz!"
"Excellent! But let's see..." Fredrinn approached Lesley, who had been in her man form. "Show me your posture, Lord Vance." A teasing smirk was drawn across his lips. She glared at him but did what he said anyway.
"What a gentleman! Haha!" His voice echoed through the almost empty ballroom. "Come here, Fray. Let's show these puppies how to do it right." Fray walked close to him. "Before the song will start, you two must curtsy. Then, Lesley..." He continued to explain.
"This is boring. I'd rather drink tea with you than be here." Lesley whispered to Guinevere. "Oh, really? I thought you despised tea times." Guinevere replied with a hushed voice.
Lesley gazed at her in disbelief. screamed a silent, "Ha!"
"Despise? That's quite a big word," she objected.
"It's true that I do not like tea time, especially when one must giggle and chuckle with every nonsense gossip while they're sipping tea and eating macaroons."
Guinevere chuckled and gave a proud smile. "Did you read the tea etiquette for women?"
"Well, I got curious and bored. I can't believe that they even call those things etiquette."
Guinevere shrugged, and the two of them chuckled.
"Hey! You should listen to your brother. Dancing is a must—"
"Are the two of you even listening to me?" Fredrinn asked, annoyed.
"No," Lesley replied.
"Listen here, you little shi—"
And Lesley's dance lesson continued for a week. Guinevere also realized that even though she was an excellent student, she was a terrible dancer.
_⚜️_
A/N:
Greetings to my dear gentle readers! It's final that the new title shall be "The Ruse." The reason? Nothing really; I just like it. Anyway, the updates will become monthly since I have become very busy! While you wait, you can also read my other story; just visit my profile! It is, however, written in tagalog-English.
