Elise was ten years old at the time she met Lynn. She was forced to attend a formal party that the Eliot family hosted in honor of their son before he would leave for some fancy boarding school. Elise was standing at a table away from the party, she had no interest in it, nor did she enjoy it. Why must they interact with others in such a manner? She didn't even care about the things she talked about, how the weather was, how their health was, some gossip about other rich women that caused them to become social outcasts until they have something on another woman. Elise hated this. She walked towards her sister to participate in a conversation as the eldest daughter of the Cordelia family interacted with the others, smiling politely and making the usual small talk with a forced smile plastered on her face.
"May I ask who this young girl is?" asked a male voice from behind Elise. She spun around to see a kind looking man holding a glass of champagne.
"This is my younger sister, Elise Cordelia." her sister, Cecilia, introduced. "Please forgive her shyness sir Jekeins, this is one of her first parties and she's quite lost."
"What a nice coincidence" the man said. "I have a daughter too, this is also her first party. Maybe it would be beneficial for them to interact."
Elise zoned out as she racked her brain of all she knew about the Jekeins family.
They're quite rich, maybe on the same status as us? No, they're just that much richer, which means their status is just slightly higher than us. They have two sons, identical twins. Alex and Alan if I recall. They also have a daughter named Lynnett around my age. She's rumored to be quite reserved as well, but this is a chance to see for myself.
"If it's possible sir, I would like to meet your daughter." Elise spoke out for the first time.
Cecilia had a proud smile on her face, giving her a nod as confirmation to go ahead. Mr. Jekeins held a hand out to the little girl as he led her through the crowd to a small isolated corner where two people stood.
Mr. Jekeins cleared his throat, signaling for the kids to turn their attention over to her. The two males who looked identical, as expected, turned towards their father in the same bored expression until their eyes landed on the little girl next to him.
"Who's this?" they asked simultaneously.
"Hello, I'm Elise Cordelia. Pleased to meet you." Elise recited in a monotone voice before slightly bowing her head.
"Alex Jekeins,"
"Alan Jekeins,"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." the twins said together in the same bored voice. It seemed like they had recited this over and over again.
A small head poked out from behind the two. Elise observed her features closely. She had medium length light brown hair paired with light green eyes. She was quite pretty in Elise's opinion. Her eyes traveled down to the dress that the girl was wearing. An asymmetrical light blue dress with lace and flowers. Excuse me then, there were apparently three people in this small corner.
"I'm Lynnett Jekeins, though you can call me Lynn. Nice to meet you."
Elise was sure that they all knew each other's names, or at least she knew them, and the twins knew her. The introduction was a meaningless thing they still do for formality. A pure waste of time.
"Lynn, would you like to come with me to the gardens? The Eliot family is quite well known for their beautiful gardens." Elise asked with a small smile. "It's been rumored that it's so beautiful that the bitter cold will spare it from its fury."
That was a pure lie. The gardens will eventually wither in the colder seasons and regrow in the warmer seasons, just like all the other plants. It was a lie, a nice topic for small talk, but a lie nonetheless. Lynn didn't seem to know as her eyes lit up and her timidness was gone in an instant. She rushed from behind her brothers and next to Elise, eyes shining as bright as the stars.
"Are they really that beautiful?" Lynn questioned excitedly. "Lead the way!"
Elise kept her small smile as she led Lynn towards the gardens. It was a good excuse to get out of that stuffy room as well. The two children, well Lynn, ran around the gardens admiring every flower they came across.
Maybe a few hours later, Elise finally realized how late it was now that the moon had reached its peak, its bright light shining over the duo.
"It was a pleasure meeting you tonight, Lynn." Elise spoke. "Maybe we can keep in contact. Are you aware of the Clair de Lune cafe in town?"
"Yes, it's right outside my family's winter estate." Lynn replied cherrily. "Maybe we could meet there in a few weeks? I'm sure you're busy."
"You're not mistaken on that." Elise sighed. "How about I bring you along to a small party the second daughter of Aphilen Mavius, Alice, is hosting? They'll be delighted to have you there I'm sure."
"I doubt it." Lynn chuckled. "You're a bit popular, you must have heard the rumors about me. A shy child that doesn't know the first thing about proper etiquette. I can't have people running in circles by the few sentences I speak. All I can do is hide behind the people who can, like my brothers. No one wants me at any parties."
Elise's posture stiffened at the sudden mood change in the air. No, it wasn't good if the mood had dampened, even the slightest change could ruin everything. How did she get here? She had never messed up this badly. Elise worriedly went through their conversations, trying to find something that would get her out of this tricky situation. Ah yes, that.
"If you would like, you could stick by me at the party." Elise spoke calmly, her panic from before fading into nothingness. "It would be more comfortable if I could bring a friend with me."
Lynn's eyes lit up, the uneasy air that was between them dissipating. Elise mentally sighed in relief as Lynn continued on to admire everything she saw on the way back.
This had a good outcome. Maybe it won't be too bad.
~✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*~
published: april 20, 2023
word count: 1057
hello people, this is lotus speaking!
what did you think of the prologue? since this is an acc run by two people who wish to stay anonymous, we hope it would be easier to release chapters weekly. for anyone who's reading, thank you!
question of the day:how's your day?
ace:
thank you myself <3 i've been better, but it hasn't been that bad of a day yet :]
deuce:
good, how about you?
have a good day/night!
