Chapter 172 - The Special Guest

"Do you like the drink?" asked Mischa, clinking his glass to Fae's. The girl nodded. 

"Uhm ... I can't say no because ..." Fae didn't continue her words. She just looked away, trying not to look at Ren who was in her line of sight.

Her chest felt heavy because she had seen Amelia coming over to Ren and his grandparents at their table. Amelia came with her father and mother. Fae could see an aura of nobility in Amelia's parents. Lord and Lady Genevieve wore extravagant clothes and had some emblems emblazoned to show their aristocratic family.

When she saw Amelia and her family standing beside the king's table and looking friendly with each other, Fae again felt inferior. She realized that she could not be compared to Amelia by her lineage and educational background.

Physically, Fae was much prettier and more attractive than Amelia, but what did her physical appearance mean compared to all the things that money can't buy? Heredity, class, and education.

Anyone could be beautiful if they were willing to spend a lot of money. 

Physical appearance was never as important as a birthright.

Fae looked down and watched her drink, pretending not to care about her surroundings. She just wanted to go home.

Mischa saw Fae's bad mood glance at Ren and then looked at Fae again. He was now convinced that Fae and Ren were indeed having a special relationship. Maybe they got married secretly and were now separated?

He felt sorry for Fae because she had to see the man she loved being so close to her, but she could approach him as his wife.

"Oh ... that's Prince Renald and Lady Amelia," Sarah said to Anne from Finance. "People say they're getting married."

"Yes, I also heard the news. If it is true, then there will be a big celebration. Maybe we will even get a public holiday," said Anne excitedly.

Fae tried to ignore the words of the girls around her. Not only Sarah and Anne but also the women at the tables around her talked about the prince and the various gossip about him.

After the orchestra performance ended, a couple of MCs got on stage. They bowed respectfully to the royal family and then greeted the audience who were the upper-class people in Almstad.

Apart from the aristocratic families and state officials, there were several members of the ambassadors' family, representatives of the United Nations, representatives of multinational companies that had businesses in Moravia, and many more.

All invited guests wore expensive and elegant clothes. Both men and women, all of them came looking in their best outfits. However, among all the guests present, everyone agreed that the girl whose appearance really caught the eye because of her beauty was the girl in the blue dress sitting at one of the VIP tables on the right.

They could see a sign on the table that the people sitting there were from RMI, and were immediately impressed. Did the girl work for RMI? Or was she the girlfriend of one of the directors present? The men present could only wonder.

Several noblemen who were attracted to Fae tried to send her drinks or flowers through the servants, but Fae always politely refused.

However, when the MCs returned to the stage and announced that their next program would have a special guest and the audience was invited to dance, the single men became impatient to get on the dance floor.

In Moravia, there was a tradition of dancing together between men and women following circular dance movements and switching partners, as a way to break the ice and create intimacy among the guests present.

Most men hoped that the beautiful girl in the blue dress would come along and they would have a chance to dance with her.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. We, on behalf of the royal family, would like to say thank you very much for coming to the royal gala. We are honored because all of you have set aside your precious time to be here. After we watched the performance from the Royal Orchestra, now, we will have a special performance by the renowned singer whom Queen Elena adores. Our queen is her biggest fan! She FINALLY managed to take the time to come and entertain us this year. You can start dancing to her songs before we all get to the dance floor for our traditional Moravian folk dance routine ..."

The MC's words were greeted warmly by the guests present. They all couldn't wait to find out who was the singer that their queen adored. They knew Queen Elena had very good taste. Who was the singer the MC was referring to?

"Ladies and gentlemen .. let's welcome and give a very big applause for Elle!!!"

Immediately the stage went dark and the spotlight shone only on a tiny figure sitting by the piano and her long fingers started playing the keys with passion.

Instantly, the audience rose to their feet and gave a big round of applause. There were muffled shrieks among the audience. They did not think that such a superstar like Elle would attend the royal gala this year. They knew she was so busy and on-demand. Money alone wouldn't be able to make her come and perform.

How impressive !!

L was singing one of her most famous songs and soon her beautiful voice filled the hall and fascinated everyone.

One by one, the couples began to take to the dance floor. Even King Gustav rose from his seat and pulled his wife's hand to join in the dance. L was his wife's favorite singer, and he would not waste the opportunity for them to dance to L's singing live like this.

Amelia also got up from her chair and approached Ren with a big smile on her face.

"This is my favorite song ..." she said in an earnest voice. "Will you dance with me?"

"I don't feel like dancing," Ren refused, shaking his head. His face looked sour again.

Amelia didn't look offended at all. Over the past dozen years, she had gotten used to Ren's attitude and didn't take it to heart at all. It's just how he was, Amelia thought.

"You owe me one," said Amelia, still smiling sweetly. "I got Fae out of the police station. I told you I'll collect my dues."

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From the author:

If you read "The Alchemists", you will remember that Elle or "L" is the wife of London Schneider, Vega Linden's uncle. I just reread their story and shook my head so many times. L and London are truly..... [FILL THE BLANK]