Something Peculiar

16

We walked down the hall together, but at the top of the stairs, Lisa deliberately fell a few steps behind me. Hye-kyo and three people I guessed were the so called "Kroners" their adoptive local name, were standing in the alcove as I descended the stairs, and they all turned to look up at me. It was the first grand entrance I had ever made in my life, and there was something wonderful about it.

The "Kroners" consisted of a stunningly beautiful woman in a floor-length dark green dress, and attractive man in a dark suit, and an attractive boy about my age. Even Hye-kyo looked more extravagant than usual. Her dress had more detailing and her jewelry was more pronounced. I could feel them appraising me as I walked toward them, so I was careful to keep my steps as smooth and elegant as possible.

"This is my daughter, the Princess." Hye-kyo smiled in a way that almost looked loving and held her hand out to me. "Princess, these are the Kroners. Han Hyo-joo, So Ji-sub, and Seo In-guk."

I smile politely and did a small curtsy. Immediately after, I realized that they were probably the ones who should be curtsying to me, but they all continued to smile pleasantly at me.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you." Hyo-joo's words had a syrupy tone that made me wonder whether or not I should trust her. A few dark curls fell artfully from her elegant updo, and her chestnut eyes were large and stunning. Her husband, Ji-sub, gave me a small bow, as did her son, In-guk. Both Ji-sub and Hyo-joo looked appropriately respectful, while In-guk looked vaguely bored. His mossy green eyes ,met mine very briefly, then darted away, as if eye contact made him uncomfortable. Hye-kyo ushered us into the sitting parlor to talk until supper. The conversation was overly polite and banal, but I suspected there were undercurrents that I didn't fully understand. Hye-kyo and Hyo-joo did the most of the talking, with Ji-sub adding very little. In-guk said nothing at all, preferring to look anywhere but directly at anyone.

Lisa was more in the background, speaking only when spoken to. She was poised and polite, but from the disdainful way Hyo-joo looked at her, I gathered she didn't approve of her presence.

The "Stroms" were fashionably late, as Lisa had predicted they would be. She'd briefed me extensively on both them and the Kroners earlier in the day, but she was much more familiar with the Stroms and talked of them in much more affectionate tones. Lisa had been a tracker for Nayeon, so she knew her and her father, Zo In-sung, quite well. In-sung's wife (Nayeon's mother) had died some years earlier. Lisa claimed that In-sung was easy going, but that Nayeon was a tad high-strung. She was twenty-one, and prior to living in Förening, she'd been priviledge to the point of excess.

When the doorbell rang, interrupting the irritatingly dull conversation between Hyo-joo and my mother, Lisa immediately excused herself to answer the door and returned with In-sung and Nayeon in tow. In-sung was a rather handsome man in his mid-forties. His hair was dark and disheveled, making me feel better about my own imperfect hair. When he shook my hand with a warm smile, he immediately put me at ease.

Nayeon, on the other hand, had that snobby look as if she were simutaneously bored and pissed off. She was a waif of a girl with light brown waves that fell neatly down her back, and she wore an anklet covered in diamonds. When she shook my hand, I could tell that her smile was at least sincere, making me hate her a little less.

Now that they had arrived, we adjourned to the dining room for supper. Nayeon attempted to engage In-guk in conversation as we walked into the other room, but he remained completely silent. Lisa pulled my chair out for me before I sat down, and I enjoyed it since I couldn't remember a single time that anyone had ever done that for me. She waited until everyone was sitting before taking a seat herself, and this deference would be the standard for the evening. As long as at least one persoon was standing, so would Lisa. She was always the first to her feet, and even though the chef and a butler were on staff tonight, Lisa would offer to get anyone anything they needed.