Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 71: The temptation of the night

Lady Persephone stood taller between Grace and Allegra in front of the largest, most decorated double doors Arabella had yet to come across in that manor. Well, aside from those majestic library doors, that was.

As thick as they seemed, the cacophony they contained still managed to reach beyond and haunt the hallways all around.

The closer Arabella drew towards the Lady, the more she averted her gaze away from hers, unable to withstand its weight.

"Forgive us, my Lady. We made you wait for us,"

Katherine had spoken as both women curtsied before Persephone.

"Never mind that," said the Lady who then turned to eye Arabella from head to toe, "It really does suit you well," she, sort of, sighed, "Not that I doubted my son’s vision, of course,"

"Thank you, My Lady," Arabela gave a slight bow as she muttered.

"Let us stand in position then,"

The Lady had declared while walking forward, closer to the entrance. Katherine placed a gentle hand on Arabella’s back, guiding her to stand between herself and Grace while Allegra moved to the back. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Remember to smile,"

Katherine had whispered right before a thundering boom struck, rattling Arabella’s core. The groaning of the door as they cracked, splitting down the middle only to move further apart from each other in a painfully slow manner.

All of the sudden, everything that those gates had enclosed broke loose. Warmth hit her first, then came the voice of every instrument which was no longer stifled or confined to bounce against the wall of the ballroom, each reaching Arabella’s ears in due time to create just the perfect harmony. Deafening, but exalting, nonetheless.

Silas deserved much praise since he’d been the one to pick the orchestras for the occasion.

However, music wasn’t the only sound that had spilled through, but conversations, laughter, glasses clinking and the stomping of the crowds within those bounds had also escaped that golden cage of a place.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

One, singular voice finally rose higher than the rest, prompting the gathering to follow and heed its origin. The activity in the room dimmed as everyone seemed to pay more attention to the man.

"I must interrupt the festivities, but only briefly, worry not! May I ask of you to please, welcome your gracious host for tonight; the fair Lady Persephone Eleazar!"

The announcers’ last words were perfectly timed with the door which fully opened in front of the women.

Lady Persephone took her first steps inside and as though synchronized with her, both Katherine and Grace took theirs as well, marching forward, heads held high, hands gracefully clasped before themselves.

Arabella remained rooted in her spot for a few more seconds before copying their actions.

More warmth came to kiss her skin the deeper into the ballroom they moved. During the rehearsals, Arabella had noticed that the hall was the only room in the entire manor that had been decorated not with silver but with a gold sheen instead.

She was told that despite Lady Persephone’s comfort and infatuation with the color, the rest of the vampire populace did not share those interests. The gold decoration was done out of respect and a sheer desire to put her guests at ease.

The great, golden chandeliers hang not so low above everyone’s heads, casting a beautiful marigold hue upon the assembly.

Only shortly after entering the room, Arabella was taken by the impression that the hall had been much vaster than that during rehearsals, but it quickly dawned on her that it had only been due to the fact that it was void of a crowd at the time.

A crowd of men and women that seemingly stalked her with hawk eyes. The smiles on them barely reached their eyes as their perfect teeth made Arabella’s heart bang harder against her chest.

"My dear Lady Persephone. It saddened me not to see you the other day upon visiting. I do hope you are well," said a familiar looking man as he took the Lady’s hand before kissing it softly, "Thank you for the time and efforts you’ve spared in order to ensure the high standards of tonight’s ceremony are well met," his purple eyes couldn’t wait for the end of his sentence before snapping onto Arabella who stood shy behind the lady.

"Thank you, Lord Edward," without any further ado, the Lady stepped a little to the side and began to introduce the four women behind her, "May I introduce my most recent gems. The latest to join my roll yet; the lovely Katherine, Grace, Allegra and I hear you’ve already met the youngest at only 26 years of age, Arabella,"

Each of them curtsied at their turn when introduced. Arabella did her best to keep a smile on her features but not much could be done to make it look more authentic. Unfortunately for her sake, the muscles beneath her skin refused to act accordingly and merely offered a stiff and painful grin.

The very elegant blond holding on to Lord Edward’s arm, shut her eyes and inhaled deeply before speaking, "She smells heavenly," when reopened, her scarlet red Irises locked onto Arabella, "My, my, Lady Persephone, you’ve never hired a human for the job before this. I wonder what other changes lay for us to uncover tonight,"

"Yes, but indeed, I met the young Arabella the other day when I visited for business purposes. When I was told you’d be present tonight, I didn’t think it would be under these circumstances," the Lord chuckled, "You truly know how to pick them, Lady Persephone," his eyes darted between the three sisters momentarily before eventually returning to Arabella.

"If I remember correctly, you’ve skipped the gathering of last month. Should I hope to see more of you later tonight then?" the Lady smirked,

Lord Edward and the blond woman exchanged a glance before quickly looking back at Arabella and answering almost in unison, "But of course! How could we resist such temptation?"