DELGADO || Sebastian Sallow (Hogwarts Legacy)

Part 30 - Kiss and Unseen Beauty

ꕀꕥ〡~𐀔~〡ꕥꕀ

❝I don't want you to kiss me. ❞

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(read part 25 again to know what happens before this chapter)

Dinner in the Gaunt dining hall was an elaborate affair, yet I felt completely out of place.

I sat next to Marvolo, with his parents to his left. Across from me were Anne, Ominis, and Sebastian's empty seat. A few other guests, all close friends of the family, filled the remaining spots. The air was thick with idle conversation, the clinking of silverware against fine china, and the occasional sip of wine from delicate glasses.

Anne kept whispering into Ominis's ear, Marvolo barely looked up from his plate, and I, well... I had no appetite.

It wasn't nerves. It was something else. A feeling that tonight would be a party of an entirely different genre and class.

I didn't even know how to dance at a gala. No one had ever taught me. And as for a dress? I didn't have anything appropriate. Everything I owned was either too tight, too short, or too revealing.

Before dinner, I had rummaged through the walk-in closet in my guest room, but the selection there was even worse—outdated, extravagant, or just plain ugly. I had meant to buy a gown in Lleida, but it had completely slipped my mind.

So now, here I was, about to attend a high-society gala, completely unprepared.

As soon as dinner was over, the guests excused themselves one by one, retreating to their rooms to prepare for the evening ahead. I followed suit, slipping away from the dining hall and closing my bedroom door behind me with a sigh.

Why had I agreed to this invitation?

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I sat at my vanity, staring at my reflection.

The only thing I had managed to find was a black, strapped corset. Beneath it, I wore nothing but sheer stockings that ran up to my thighs and black heels. I looked like... well, a whore. All I needed was red lipstick to complete the look.

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, assuming it was Marvolo coming to continue our unfinished business.

I heard slow, deliberate footsteps behind me. In the mirror, I caught the reflection of neatly combed platinum-blonde hair.

"Well, hello, sexy," I teased, smirking—only to turn around and realize my mistake.

Ominis stood before me, a black box in his hands, looking slightly amused.

"First you flirt with me, and now you think I'm sexy?" he chuckled. "This must be a dream."

"Oh, shit," I said, laughing. "I thought you were Marvolo."

I stood, walking over to where he stood by the bed. "What did you bring?"

He set the box down beside him. "Your dress, of course."

I blinked up at him, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see my expression. "My dress?"

"I know every single gown in that closet by detail—fabric, form, and shape. And none of them suited you." He sat on the edge of the bed beside me. "So, I borrowed one from my mother's collection."

I lifted the lid and peeled back the white tissue paper. Inside lay a stunning white corset gown.

"Ominis..." I breathed. "It's beautiful."