Chapter 79 - Confession

Had I just been confessed to?

"Pardon?" I asked, puzzled. "Did you just say-"

"Yes," he said before I could complete my sentence. 

I blinked. "Huh?"

All of a sudden, he took a hold of my hand. It happened so quickly that it took me a full minute to realize what he was doing. 

"I think I'm in love with you, M'lady," he claimed, squeezing my hand. 

All I could think of was him holding my hand. I wasn't even looking at his face. With a tug, in a tiny voice, I said, "Let go, please."

He held on for a moment or two before disappointedly letting go. I pulled my hand into the safety of my lap and held it there. He looked at me sadly, probably wondering if this was a rejection. 

"No, you can continue talking," I nodded. "Go ahead." I wanted to hear the interesting bits before I could decide upon something. After all, this was my first ever confession.

He took a deep breath, gathering the nerve to continue. "Erm, well… After I saw you at your house a few days ago, I couldn't help thinking about you. It was as if you had invaded every nook of my mind. I couldn't function properly and my father kept yelling at me for being clumsy, when I'm not usually so gauche. Honestly? The only face I had been searching in the crowd was yours, and you wouldn't believe how ecstatic I was when I finally spotted you at the back of the crowd. For a moment, I had feared that you wouldn't show up."

He paused to gather his thoughts. It gave me a moment to think about my situation. There was no way I was gonna return his feelings. And there was absolutely no way I was going to engage in any kind of lovey-dovey stuff while being in the body of another person; I'm not that thoughtless. Anyways, I don't believe in romance. Not in the real world. Comic books in the romance genre are another thing, totally. But let's just keep them to fiction. And I'm sure I couldn't ever commit to one partner. So why bother loving? 

He continued. "So, will you bless me by being my bride?"

It was like a smack in the face. I had anticipated it, of course, but I never thought I'd be proposed to in a dark garden at nighttime with no one around. The sheer irony of it made me scoff.

I was about to end things when I saw Haziel come running up to us. 

"Ashli!" she called, exasperated. "I can't believe you! I knew you'd be here since I couldn't find you anywhere else. What are you-" Then she paused as she caught sight of my acquaintance. "Oh! Oh, Marquess. I didn't know..." She gave me a wide-eyed look at which I shrugged. "What are you both doing out here? Lord Huxley, everyone's looking for you."

"Ah," he groaned as he got up. "We were just heading inside." He offered me his hands and I reluctantly took it before standing up. The moment I was on my feet, I pulled my hand back from his and dusted the back of my dress, trying to imply that I had a use of my hands and I wasn't plain rude to pull it away. 

"Then..." I said as I gave Marquess Huxley a sideways glance. He was looking hopeful, his mature eyes on me. Hastily, I caught up to Haziel and interlinked arms with her, hoping that Marquess Huxley wouldn't ask to head inside together. People would think we're a couple already! "Let us go inside."

✿

"Wait, where are you going?" Haziel hissed as I led her away. "Ashli-"

"Out," I murmured. I can't stay here anymore. I had run ahead with Haziel so we could wind our way out together. I was not gonna go through the whole ordeal of the Marquess asking me out, no way in hell.

"But the dance is about to start!" she complained as I turned a corner, away from the ballroom. There was a door marked 'Restrooms' right by us and I went in, Haziel in tow. I knew she was confused, but wait till I tell her what happened in the garden. 

"Are you hiding from someone?" she asked when we were finally inside. There was a line of sinks on one wall with similar 21st century cubicles against the other. Overhead the pristine white sinks were large mirrors, embedded securely in the white marble walls that lead down to matching floors. 

I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror, then trailed my eyes over to Haziel's reflection behind me. Her arms were crossed and the look on her face was not pleasant. 

"Tell me," she said, frowning. "Are you hiding from the Marquess? Why? Did something happen in the garden?"

I turned around and leaned against the edge of the sink. "Something like that."

Her frown deepened. "So something did happen. He didn't... He didn't try to hurt you, did he?"

"No," I muttered, shaking my head. "On the contrary, he confessed."

A slight blush came over Haziel's face. "Huh?"

I smiled. This was gold. "He confessed his love. For me."

The gape of her mouth couldn't have been wider. I laughed and chucked her under the chin, telling her wordlessly to close her mouth. 

"Oh my God!" she squealed. "You're not joking?" I shook my head, at which she did a little happy jump. I smiled, knowing that she was genuinely thrilled for me. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! I can't believe the word! Did you accept it?"

"That's the problem," I sighed as I put my hands to my face and groaned into them. "I was about to reject him when you came along."

For a few minutes, nobody said anything. Haziel tilted her head in confusion, deeply thinking about what she may have done ill. "So..." she started. "So you don't like him back? Wait, why? Didn't you come here in hopes of being chosen as his wife?"

I shrugged. "I don't love him."

She scratched her scalp, still thinking. "Um, so he still doesn't know that, I gather?"

I nodded. She pursed her lips. 

"Sorry for intruding earlier," she whispered apologetically, her hazel eyes sad. 

I waved a dismissive hand and chuckled lightly. "No, it's alright. I think I've lightened up now. Shall we head back to the ballroom?"

"Are you sure?" She fidgeted with her dress. "What if he asks you to dance in front of everybody?"

"I'll say no."

She threw her hands in the air. "It's not that easy, Ashli! People will talk ill about you for days to come!" I shrugged, unbothered. I didn't care when I already was the talk of the town. 

Haziel sighed and went ahead to touch up her hair in one of the many mirrors. "Alright, then." She slightly turned to me. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Let's hope he's already picked someone else."

I waited for her to finish and then we both walked outside together. Even before we had reached the main ballroom, we could hear music wafting through the air. 

"Good god, it's as I suspected," Haziel muttered as she hastened her pace. "Now that we're in the clear, let's see who he's dancing with."

I, too, matched her speed and we fast-walked through the corridors, trying to follow the sound of music. Soon, we stepped foot in the ballroom and I noticed that everyone was standing against the walls, forming a large circle in the center. Haziel stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a look. 

"Is it just me or are there more women than before?" she whispered, turning to me. "Let's go the other way around to the front of the crowd."

Like an expert, Haziel moved like a mouse through the over watching crowd of women and soon enough, we merged at the near front. (Not in the exact front, since I stayed a row back so he wouldn't notice my face in the first-rowers.)

Matching Haziel's enthusiasm, I struggled to get a look at who he was dancing with. On one side of the hall was a live orchestra (which I noticed first) and was playing a lovely piece of music, and since I knew nothing about music, I had no idea which artist they were playing. But still, it was amazing.

Now looking to the left, I saw two people twirling in the middle of the ballroom. It was easy to recognize Marquess Huxley with his bright golden hair. But who was the lady in his arms? I squinted, trying to recognize her. Then it hit me: That chalky, white skin, those fox-like brown eyes and that deep black hair…

"Am I seeing things or is that Wendell?" Haziel turned around to me and pointed at the dancing pair. "That's Wendell. Why is that Wendell?"

I shrugged. So Wendell had been his second choice, huh? Or was the Marquess just insincere with his confession? Anyways, I wasn't that bothered, since it meant the sooner the event gets over with, the sooner I can leave. Haziel, on the other hand, was appalled. 

"He's got terrible taste," she murmured to me, shooting daggers with her eyes at Wendell as she danced. "Just look at her. She probably thinks she's got him wrapped around her finger. Well, she better wait till I tell her that my friend here just received a confession from the man she fantasizes about. That'll teach her, the snake." 

"C-Calm down," I said, putting a stable hand on her quaking shoulders as she continued to rant. 

She was still unsatisfied. Honestly, it would've made more sense if he had chosen to go with Haziel instead. The both would be the perfect couple, with their sunny personalities and all. I waited till the music came to an end and almost instantly, a buzz began in the crowd.

Apparently, it was time for the Marquess to choose his next partner. 

Haziel held her hands and prayed into them. I, too, prayed that she would be picked. But it seemed that the Marquess was in no hurry as he stood on the dance floor, talking to Wendell with a grave face. I couldn't hear them from so afar, but I could tell something was wrong. 

"What is he doing?" a woman beside me mumbled to herself as she craned her neck up to see. 

Then a moment later, Marquess Huxley walked in hurried strides over to the men playing the orchestra and whispered to them something only they knew best. After processing the Marquess's words, their faces, too, took on grave expressions and they hurriedly got up and together, they walked away from their instruments. 

"My dear ladies," Marquess Huxley addressed everyone in the room, standing on the high platform where the orchestra was set. "It seems that we would unfortunately have to cut the event short. Stay safe and wait in the Plaza's vicinity till your carriages arrive. Thank you for coming and I apologize for the inconvenience. Good night." 

With that, and no further explanation, he exited the ballroom and left behind a crowd of outraged women. Suddenly, the chandeliers shut down and the Plaza was doused in a void of darkness. It was as if they intended to lock us in.

"What is going on?" Haziel cried amidst the chaos.